Los Angeles Lakers vs Minnesota TimberwolvesWed Mar 25, 8:00 PM EST – FSN, TWSN Line: MIN -2.0, O/U: 202.5 Target Center – Minneapolis, MN Recent Matchups |
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The Lakers play their 2nd game in as many nights Wednesday, a face off with the Timberwolves in Minnesota where as March turns to April there is still snow on the ground. The Lakers played an entertaining game against the Thunder on Tuesday, ultimately falling 127-117. The game was dominated by Russell Westbrook and Enes Kanter on the Thunder’s side, but rookie Jordan Clarkson also played very well, as did his backcourt mate Jeremy Lin.
Clarkson notched a career high 30 points on only 19 FGA’s, while also grabbing 4 rebounds, dishing out 7 assists, and blocking 3 shots. His all around night was his best game of the year, not just because of the points he scored, but because he displayed an all-court, efficient game with a real decisiveness and poise. Lin, meanwhile, scored 19 points on only 11 FGA’s while dishing out 7 assists as well.
Tonight, both players will hope to carry that momentum forward, though playing on the 2nd night of a back to back will make that more difficult. A bit of a reprieve may come if Ricky Rubio sits out his 4th straight game with a sore right ankle, but that only puts rookie Zach LaVine into more of a prominent role and the last time he played against the Lakers he was on fire from all over the court. Add in the likelihood that Andrew Wiggins gets to cheat off Wesley Johnson and spend some time on either Lin or Clarkson and the match ups only get tougher on offense.
In saying all that, though, the Wolves are simply not a very good team right now. Their injury report has a rotation full of players on it (besides Rubio, Kevin Garnett, Kevin Martin, Shabazz Muhammad, Nikola Pekovic, and Gary Neal are all either questionable or ruled out for this game) and the lack of manpower alone should make this game close. The Lakers, even though they are likely to be tired, still have enough talent to win this game — or at least keep it close for its entirety.
As for the daily discussion about the lottery and the odds of the Lakers keeping their pick, the Wolves just happen to be one of the teams with a worse record than them. The Lakers are currently 2.5 games better than the Wolves, but a loss to them tonight would shave a game off that. So, in that regard, this game might be pretty important. However, much like the Philly game, the Wolves are bad (and injured) enough that a loss to them may not be in the cards. We shall see.
Where you can watch: 5:00pm start time on TWC Sportsnet. Also listen at ESPN Radio 710AM Los Angeles.
Calvin Chang says
You da man, Clarkson! #puso Asian invasion continues!
Aaron says
….
As I’ve said… The Young deal being more than two years is the only thing I didn’t agree with and the only thing that worries me about the FO.
Of course I’m talking about after the Howard and Nash trades which I was against from the start.
Robert says
Aaron: Always interested in your opinion so I need to clarify. There have been 7 large decisions in the Jim Buss era. Nash and DH were 2 of them and you did you not like them. I know you liked the Paul deal, so that is 1 for 3. What about the KB contract and the three coaching hires?
Aaron says
Robert,
I to am interested in my opinion… So we have that in common. We need to remember that you can only hire coaches who don’t have jobs.
I for one like hiring no name coaches who see the game differently and are charismatic. The Lakers hired Mike Brown who to me is an assistant coach. He works hard but he isn’t a leader. I liked the MDA hire over Phil because I heard Phil was no longer completelty all there due to his age. You want a Phil or Pop in that role. I get it. You want that figure head. If it were up to me you hire Phil to be a figurehead and let MDA run the offense and someone else run the defense. But we know that wasn’t going to happen. I loved the Scott hire because he cares about the Lakers in the long term. But I really don’t care much when it comes to coaches. You basically win and lose with players.
The Kobe contract cought me off guard but right away I knew it was a business decision to lose games while still puting butts in the seats. I have no problem with it. You need to take care of the greatest Laker of all time.
I have to say though the biggest decision so far in the Jim Buss era was selecting Randle and it will soon be tied with who ever they select in this draft.
Aaron says
…you can’t really do too much when the championship window is closed. If they did what I wanted and traded Bynum for Russell Westbrook would the team win a championship? Of course not. And if that happened we would be battling for an 8th seed the past few years and be in much worse shape with no Randle and no top pick this summer.
Baylor Fan says
That high pick this summer may be headed to Philly. Then you have the reality of having had one high pick in the past few years of putridness. Do you really want to go through this all over again next year since at least the Lakers keep their pick? Is this really better than having a strong foundation player and building around them?
Tim says
A Minnesota foul sends Clarkson to the FT line, he hits both savings us all from double OT as the Lakers win.
AusPhil says
Do we put this win in the same category as the one over the 76ers the other day?
karen says
i sure liked that paul pressey interview. He spoke so much more positive about everyone .
Anonymous says
Tankaggeddon.
The Dane says
I hate this system. Ought to be happy that our rookie won from the Minny-dude… but no. Another important game we just couldn’t find a way to lose when it mattered.
Craig W. says
The team is NOT going to lose on purpose, not matter how much this blog may want it to.
Now on to the positives. Regardless of our record I do see some players I want to keep going forward. Clarkson – obviously – and even Lin if we don’t draft a PG, Davis, and Black. I may even come to like Brown as a single purpose player. None of these players – except for very possibly Clarkson – are starters, but a team must be made up of rotational and situational players as well as starters. The fact that this group is really working as a team does impress me. Now we need some stars to add to the group – Randle and Kobe anyone? Also, glad to see Kelly get some time at the 4.
Reggie Hammond says
Damn it…we can’t be wining these kinda games…our guards are the rebel forces
Calvin Chang says
I’m starting to lose faith in RKelly as a stretch 4. His game has some issues that he needs to work on. His release is slow. To be an effective stretch 4, you need a quick catch-shoot release. Robert Horry, Ryan Anderson, Frye – you kick it out to them, they decisively fire the 3. Kelly seems to need an extra split second to load up on his shot- making it easier for opponents to close out on him. He can fake then drive, but it usually results in a low percentage shot. Not sure if he can work on his in-between game.
Calvin Chang says
karen: Yes, Paul Pressey does sound much more positive compared to Byron. Must be refreshing for the players.
the other Stephen says
@ Calvin Chang,
It’s literally only Kelly’s second game back at PF. Also, if Horford, Millsap, and Antic on the extremely three-happy Hawks can all have such slow releases, I think Kelly can make it work.
Calvin Chang says
@ the other Stephen: That’s my point though. Millsap, Horford, Antic – they have a regular set shot, just like Brian Cook, Matt Bonner. The set shot is usually slower than the jumpshot. (Like Korver, Klay) But from what I’ve seen, it looks like Ryan Kelly needs an extra split-second longer to load up on his set shot, and that’s all the defender needs to close out and bother his shot. I may be wrong. Maybe Kelly is just not catching the ball at his sweet spot. Maybe the passes are too low or too high. But so far, it looks like Kelly gets the ball, thinks and loads up before shooting. He’s often forced to put the ball on the floor because the defender closes out on him.
tankyou says
Definitely another LOSE ON PURPOSE. Clearly not playing Hill or Boozer at all and not playing Lin the rest of the game is part of the tank. Or I mean “experimenting with the roster”. No team trying to win sits 2 of their best players CD-DNP and doesn’t play their best PG for the entire end of the game. I think people are going to be sorely disappointed with this draft pick we get, but I suppose its better than nothing.
Maybe next year this team will win 30 games in Kobe’s final season, oh the excitement. 2016-2017 is when the rubber meets the road for the Lakers. Next year is another stop-gap. Clarkson is a slashing SG that needs to bulk up. He can play a bit of PG, but clearly he’s not the answer for PG, Lin is less of a combo guard than Clarkson. But Clarkson is the one bright spot in a disgusting season full of endless injuries. Rondo and Kobe are going to really struggle next year and I feel bad for the youngings who are going to be far too used to losing by the time next season ends.
Moses Buhay says
Ryan Kelly should grow a afro and start referring to himself as Fletch.
Ko says
1 Kelly is not an NBA player. Terrible release, can hardly dribble or go to basket, weak as heck in rebounding and mostly gets beat on defense. Nice guy though and no doubt would lose to Fletch who is 67 now but still more athletic.
2-Problem they have with one and done players is last month of season there are auditioning for jobs. We saw it last year and now this! Instead of resting Hill/Boizer how about benching Lin and Davis. Besides winning harmfully games they also are running up there free agent values. Really foolish Mangement out there. Last year cost them a higher pick and this year destroy any hope for the future if they slip to 5th worst.
To bad there is NO ONE running this out of control buss(ha get that bus/Buss?
Finally today is my birthday, way to many, and my gift wish is for this team to lose the remaing 4 on this trip so I have something to look forward to come draft time.
Calvin Chang says
@Tankyou: They have been trying to lose on purpose since the all-star break by putting in funky combinations and benching some key players. The problem is they’re doing it half-hearted. So it resulted in some inadvertent wins, like last night and any win since the all-star break. Hopefully, half-hearted tanking is enough to get the draft pick. That’s why I keep tweeting Mark Madsen to quit playing games, cut Lin and Boozer, and sign me because I will play my heart out for peanuts and guarantee blowout losses. Madsen had 1 reply to my barrage of tweets. LOL
Baylor Fan says
There are no players on any team who go out and try to lose games. However, there are no teams that try 100% to win every game. The season is too long and the goal is to be the playoff champion; not the regular season champion. The best coaches know when to hold their players back and still win the games they need to get to the playoffs. Popovich is a master at this and Phil was too.
I am with KO on the harm of winning useless games. The only players I want to see in the 4th quarter are young players being evaluated for their potential long term worth. I would prefer to see Clarkson try to set up his teammates for shots going down the stretch instead of looking for his shot. Let’s see some more of the Nash effect on him. Right now, some bad luck with the ping pong balls and the Lakers are knocked out of their first round pick.
Calvin Chang says
Happy birthday KO. Please don’t let the current Lakers team affect your stress level. If you get too invested in them, it’ll raise your blood pressure. Not worth it. Just relax and remember it’s all just entertainment. And for all the advanced analytic calculus number crunching derivative strategies that Sam Hinkie, Daryl Morey, Sam Presti, Steve Ballmer have, remember that they have zero rings.
Calvin Chang says
DS: My favorite lefty player would have been Harold Miner, just for his style. Miner was a bust, but his dunks in the slam dunk contests had this clean, smooth flair to it.
CHearn says
Happy belated birthday, Ko!
I rarely watch the games anymore. I’m not sure what the Lakers are producing.
Lin does not need to start he is apparently playing for his next contract trying to catch a bit of Linsanity to sucker I mean garner another mega-million dollar contract out of a team. Where was this productivity the first 30 games of the season? He’s a veteran that’s been in the league for years, has started, and makes millions there’s no excuse for his inconsistency. Please sit him the remainder of the season or limit his minutes to ten a night. Play Clarkson, Brown, and Ellington even give Brown and Ellington minutes as pg, that’ll ensure the retention of this year’s draft pick. It’s not that I believe in draft picks as a prototype for the road to a championship; it’s just that the Lakers have minimal assets with which to pave. If the draft pick doesn’t flourish in the role as a reliable starter or the player’s position is replicated by a more promising talent (see Eddie Jones for Kobe) the Lakers can use that player to exchange for one that fills a need or for a future draft pick.
When we look at the nexus between the Lakers last championship in 2010 and their current position, I believe we are missing the genesis of it all…Andrew Bynum. Once Andrew Bynum revealed metrics the Lakers could rely on he might have been the young player the Lakers anticipated as the bridge between Kobe and Pau and the future. Had Bynum not revealed his megalomania personality and his knees held up the Lakers probably avoid the ugly years of MDA, Howard, and Nash.
PurpleBlood says
Dang KO, another birthday´s rolled around already?! Yikes, time flies man.
Happy birthday to one staunch Purple & Gold fanatic 🙂
___
Craig W,
nice post last night
Chris J says
CHearn — Your comment on Bynum made an interesting point. Had he been able to stay on the floor consistently, and not displayed the poor attitude he so often did, the Lakers of today could have conceivably trotted out a 27-year-old, All-Star-level low-post force each night to bridge that gap from the Kobe/Pau era to whatever is here to come.
I always felt Bynum’s career arc had the potential to make him the league’s top center, even better than Howard, given that Drew’s lost-post game was much more polished and less reliant on athleticism than Howard’s is/was. Alas, as with many issues in sports, we’ll never know…
Ko says
Purple
Thanks you. Never thought I would see the day where my years on this earth were were almost twice the Laker wins the past 2 years combined.
Ouch!
Vasheed says
@Baylor Fan,
You touch on my comments from a few threads back. The protected pick is a perverse notion. In a situation the Lakers are in there is no logical reason to go out and win games. The losses are demoralizing and the wins are as well.
It brings up the question of throwing games. I don’t believe it is beyond disbelief to think that is possible. As somoeone mentioned in response to me there was that high school girls game not long ago where they were literally shooting at their own basket on purpose. There is an entire history of athletes intentionally throwing games. The Lakers recent wins show that this is definitely not happening with the Lakers players. However, there are other levels of intentional tanking which I would not think unlikely among all teams. Does a coach put out his best line-up? Odd rotations? Does the coach tell his players to shoot more threes or somehow otherwise change strategy while giving an ulterior reason. It defies all credibility to believe that this does not happen on some level within the league.
I believe the NBA draft needs to be reformed to prevent having incentive to tank. I would first do away with the protected picks. They had voted on a plan to change the percentages for winning the draft this year but the Suns as I recall were one of the teams who voted against it as they had a vested interest in retaining the Lakers Pick. Didn’t work out for them, but i think sun setting the protected picks would allow for greater reform of the draft.
lil pau says
happy bday, ko. better laker days are ahead.
Todd says
ESPN ranks NBA coaches…guess where the Lakers’ Scott slots it at…
bryan S. says
Aaron/rr et al : From the prior thread, both of you guys cited Clarkson’s age (22) as a limiting factor on his upside. I said otherwise, believing as I do, that he will develop into a quality starter rather than a “quality backup” (Aaron) and that he was plenty young enough to make that leap. rr was skeptical of my assertions, poo pooing the reasons I gave for my position as lacking sufficient proof. (Kobe’s and Nash’s comments didn’t meet his burden of proof–which I found rather persnickety…)
So here’s a bit from Chad Ford’s and Kevin Pelton’s most recent espn insider convo:
If that sounds wishy-washy, it’s because I’m not sure what to think anymore. Studies have consistently shown that teams do better when they draft for youth.
However, the exercise of looking back on the best prospect in college basketball year by year suggested to me that older prospects have more room for development than they’re generally believed to have. So I guess the answer is fundamentally no more complicated than picking the right guy, no matter which stage of his development he’s in.–Kevin Pelton
First, this guy hangs his hat on analytics, yet he finds the data inconclusive saying “I don’t know what to think anymore,” and concludes his comments with “So I guess the answer is fundamentally no more complicated than picking the right guy, no matter which stage of his development he’s in.” Oh boy. To be fair, he isn’t saying his methodology is wrong, it’s that the “buy young” age variable has been overvalued. Good for him for acknowledging this.
Picking. the. right. guy. regardless. of. his. development.stage. is. the. key. –that’s the Clarkson pick.
Jerry Ross says
Happy bday Ko – always enjoy your comments even though others may not. I find them entertaining. Definitely more interesting than the watching the lakers play the past two seasons.
Aaron says
Bryan s,
Clarkson wasn’t 20 instead of 19. He was 22. That means unless he is a super late puberty he isn’t going to physically improve very much if at all. Around 22 is when players start to enter their athletic prime.
Baylor Fan says
Vasheed- I completely agree with your observations. My point is that tanking occurs at the team level, not the player level. Philadelphia was horrified when they won 5 of 7 games and promptly unloaded their point guard. Their young core of the future has not done very well since then. All players have been in games where they were winning by so much that they were told to hold the score down. It can be as simple as not running the bread and butter plays and practicing the weaker parts of the offense. Right now the Lakers are stuck in bad team purgatory and they are not willing to commit as an organization to be bad enough to get better.
bryan S. says
Aaron,
Yes, Clarkson isn’t going to get taller or longer at 22. I didn’t either. But I got stronger and more explosive up until 25 or so. That is the norm. I expect the same for Clarkson. In fact, he already looks stronger and is absorbing contact (going over screens and driving) better than last summer.
But those points aren’t what Kevin Pelton was suggesting. His point was that guys have greater upside as older prospects than he had previously believed because they can become better players through skill development. If Clarkson was a so-so athlete, you’d have a point. But fortunately for him and the Lakers, he comes into the league as an elite athlete at the point guard position. He’s developing his point skills now. When they catch up to his athleticism, he will become the quality starter that is his ceiling. I like that Byron is holding him accountable on defense too, because that is where he can really grow.
Aaron says
Bryan s,
Again… As I’ve said… He will improve athletically but not as much as an eighteen year old. And younger players also develop skills at a better rate since skills are just the result of coordination and practice. The more you develop as an athlete (coordination) the better your skills can get. This is one of the reasons the NBA didn’t want high school players in the draft. Because they improved at such a rate teams were regularly getting star players in the middle till the end of the first round. This really isnt rocket science.
One year olds improve more than two year olds…
Three year olds improve more than four year olds…
This logic is correct all the way until players start to decline athletically due to age and/or injury.
Also… He has ben developing his skills his entire life. He didn’t start playing basketball in October.
Aaron says
Bryan s,
Maybe Pelton was talking about shooting skills. Because that is the only skill that players in the NBA have historically been able to really significantly improve on once they enter the NBA. That’s why the Lakers drafted the 6-8 Randle… Hoping he could learn to shoot and play SF.
George says
I’m a few days late on this. A few days ago Chad Ford had his Q/A Blog. I wanted to share this about the Lakers as I think we have to be realistic about where we are and what we have to do in order to get back to challenging for a playoff spot.
—
Greg (LA) : I heard Michael Cooper say how bright the Lakers future is. What is he smoking? Besides and injured Randle and a maybe PG in Clarkson, not another guy belongs on an NBA roster.
Chad Ford: The Lakers ranked 27th out of 30th in our FrontOffice rankings and their only real assets right now are Julius Randle (who still is a big question mark), Jordan Clarkson (who’s been good, but isn’t guaranteed to be an elite player), their pick in this year’s lottery (likely 4th or 5th … but could end up in the hands of the Sixers if it fell to 6th) and cap space. That’s not what I call a bright future. If they win the No. 1 pick and use their cap space wisely, I might change my mind. But they’ve got a long way to go.
Calvin Chang says
Bryan S: I love Clarkson because he’s part of Asian Invasion, but objectively speaking, I don’t see him reaching elite all-star level. He will get stronger and wiser, but I don’t see him as a reliable closer. If you think about all-star PGs like Chris Paul, Lowry, Dame, Tony Parker, Russ – the common trait is that when the game is tight in the last 4 minutes and it’s winning time, they get the ball and create good plays to bring the team to a winning position. In other words, they can take over the game and close it out when it counts. For some reason, I don’t see Clarkson having that closer trait. I hope I’m wrong. It takes a lot of mental toughness and skills to be a closer.
Vasheed says
@Byran S./ Aaron,
I’m not sure where Aaron is going with the physical maturation factor. I don’t think Clarkson is a slouch of an athlete. Maybe bulk a bit more but nothing drastic really.
For Clarkson it is more about transitioning from being a SG to a PG. I think he has mostly handled it fairly well. His score first mentality is probably more of a norm in the modern NBA then in the past. I’m concerned with him taking better care of the ball but, I think he is new enough at the position to expect improvement. Clarkson is good enough that I wouldn’t be terribly upset if he starts next year and has room for improvement so that I’m not terribly upset if he comes off the bench. I think he is part of the future and that is fine.
Ryan says
Wow the article on Lin on ESPN is one of the worst things I’ve ever read.
1. Him not fouling in that grizzlies game was an embarrassment
2. The rockets had to give us a first round pick to take his carcass, and we are a team purposely trying to lose games.
3. If you put a black guy making 15 million and have him playing as poorly as Lin he would be savaged by the media. It happens all the time. Just look at the pounding Kobe took earlier this year and he’s only making 8 million more this year.
Aaron says
I’ve really had enough of this small market BS. It should be illegal for elite athletes to be forced to play in little villages. Dwight Howard’s Orlando doctors misdiagnose a back injury resulting in a career altering back surgery. Russell Weatrbook has three knee surgeries when he should only have had one. And now Durant’s career is in jeapordy after a second surgery. This draft and rookie contract system is takif away our elite athletes.
Vasheed,
Please re read. We are talkig about how much better Clarkson will get. Because he is 22 years old he won’t improve as much as if he was this good at 19.
the other Stephen says
@ Bryan S,
Great comment, Bryan, I appreciated those thoughts. I would further love to see some sports analytics research testing some of these ideas and adages around drafting that we like to think we understand, such as “picking the right guy, no matter which stage of his development he’s in,” or selecting for skill rather than need.
@ Ryan,
Would you mind linking us to this article?
Calvin Chang says
Ryan: Jeremy is the Tim Tebow of basketball. People either think he’s a scrub or an all-star. The truth is in-between. Objectively speaking, his game has many flaws. His shooting form is unconventional and inconsistent, he dribbles too high (although he seems to have fixed it after the all star break), his short game needs work. He needs to add a one-hand teardrop and shoot more short jumpers when he gets in the lane instead of picking up his dribble. He’s got heart and above average vision, but that isn’t enough to make a team a contender. He can win some games though. It’s entertaining to watch him connect with Ed Davis.
bryan S. says
Aaron: “He didn’t start playing basketball in October.” No, but he started playing point guard as a senior last year. In addition to shooting, which is easy to quantify, ball handling and passing can improve for the same reasons as shooting (not as easy, more eye test, but there is assist totals–which I expect to climb). So, we can add handling and passing to your example of shooting as improvable skills. That’s considerable room for improvement. A good example of a point guard improving over time in these three skills is Mike Conley, who is now considered a top tier, borderline all-star player in his seventh season.
Calvin: Never said Clarkson will be an all-star–that’s unlikely. But I think he can be a quality starter. Relatedly, does he have to be a closer to be a quality starter? Maybe, maybe not. Depends on who’s around him. (I much prefer a bigger wing with range for that role.) But as he learns to get contact and get to the line, which I see happening now, his ability to get points by using his speed and quickness off the dribble will help him in this aspect. His handle has to improve to reach his potential.
rr says
Very unfortunate about Durant.
Darius Soriano says
Ryan over reacting to Lin in a way that the article basically discussed how polarizing Lin can be is either ironic or symbolic. Take your pick, I guess.
Lin has been much better since the all-star break. Along with Ed Davis and Clarkson, he’s probably been one of the team’s best players. Post All-Star break he’s posted a PER of 22.3 (2nd behind Davis) and has been much more steady. Does he still make mistakes? Of course. And I have my critiques of some of his decisions. But, overall, he’s been playing quite well for a while now and to not say so says more about the person making the statement than anything else.
the other Stephen says
@ Ryan,
If you’re reacting that caustically to the Torre article (http://espn.go.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/12561636/inside-jeremy-lin-life-linsanity-new-york-knicks) that was published today, you likely already had some stubborn, preformed conclusions about Lin before ever reading it.
@ Darius,
That’s more or less what I was going to say.
Ryan says
Darius, I’m sorry was Kobe not criticized for being over paid? Or almost any other black player who doesn’t perform? Was it a smart play to waste time not fouling vs the grizzlies? Did the rockets have people trying to get him?
Sorry that you felt the need to personally attack me in your reply. I guess you must be really high on him. Doesn’t make anything I said incorrect though.
Baylor Fan says
Ryan – You really misread the Lin article. Byron told Kobe (and Lin) not to foul against the Grizzlies. That is how he has run end of the game sets all season. Lin was available to the Lakers with a pick because of his poison pill contract. It was designed to keep the Knicks from matching. The Lakers were able to take it on and did so they could get the pick. Darius pointed out early in the season that Lin was a terrible match for the Princeton offense. Lin needs a near empty key to run pick and rolls. He does not stand a chance against a packed one. The Lakers are getting a first round pick out of this and Lin has helped them from being even more terrible and he walks after this season so there is not a long term commitment.
Anon says
Ryan: I think, in general, any player who does not perform up to NBA standards or, in the case of good players, fails to live up to the expectations of how well he should be playing above those NBA standards is slammed by the media- regardless of color. Adam Morrison, Bynum, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Kevin Love (this year) are just a few that come to mind right away. You may not see a lot of articles focused on Lin’s shortcomings nowdays, but only because his “downfall” is really not a big story when he is playing for a team that everyone knows is more concerned about keeping their draft pick than about what Jeremy Lin can do for them. Were the Lakers a 4th or 5th seed or a true contender, I guarantee you there would be plenty of Lin-hating going on in the press (I could even see a weekly column in Grantland on the subject). Still, I’m not sure how you can argue that one article, written by one guy, should be considered a wide open “pass” for Lin by the media.
Darius Soriano says
Ryan,
Ha. You say “it doesn’t make anything I said incorrect, though” when, in fact, almost everything you said is incorrect. As noted above, Byron was telling Lin not to foul, so the “disgrace” was on the coach’s part for not understanding simple strategy.
As for the “overpaid” part and talking about Kobe, the difference is that while Lin makes 15 million, his cap hit is only a shade over 8 million. With Kobe his cap hit and his salary are equal — about 23 million. So Kobe is making about 1/3rd of the salary cap — that’s why people say he was overpaid. It’s because his salary actually impacts the Lakers’ ability to sign FA’s. If the Lakers could pay Kobe 23 million while his cap hit was only half that amount, there’d be little cries about him being overpaid.
In any event, I’m not super high on Lin, though as I noted earlier he’s playing better and really quite well since the all-star break.