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Preview & Chat: Lakers vs. Knicks

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The Lakers came to New York winless, but look to leave the state with their first two wins of the year. After beating the Nets in Brooklyn on Friday night, they get the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Sunday afternoon. The start time leaves something to be desired — we’ll see how many players have that dragging look that comes from a Saturday night out on the town.

Friday’s game against the Nets offered the first look at what a real road game looks like in what could be Kobe’s last season. At Yahoo!, Adrian Wojnarowski captured the moment and atmosphere very well:

Over and over, they chanted Bryant’s name at the Barclays Center. He let the love wash over him, waving to everyone on his way out, disappearing into the tunnel with his hands raised to the rafters. The Lakers won’t win a lot of road games this year, and that kind of response won’t always feel appropriate. It did on Friday, though. Truth be told, it felt perfect.

“The crowds, the chanting, people wanting to see me play – I’m extremely, extremely appreciative of that,” Bryant told Yahoo Sports. “I understand what that means. Listen, my personality isn’t the rocking chair kind of thing, but the chanting of my name means enough to me.”

Bryant is sure to get another taste of that this afternoon. There are few, if any, opposing arenas which Kobe is more beloved than Madison Square Garden. The Knicks crowd has loved Kobe over the years and he has loved them right back, giving them some great moments and memories. He has always said he loves to play there and it has shown in his efforts. Today, with the understanding it could be the last time he plays there, I expect there to be much of the same appreciation he was shown in Brooklyn two days ago.

With that, it would be nice to see Kobe have a good game. After the Nets game I noted that, while his numbers were not good, their were some subtle differences to his game. He was looking to get into the paint more, was working more from below the FT line area, and did more work off screens curling into this shot rather than the pure catch and shoot chances he’s settled for so many times this season.

It will be interesting to see if he looks for the same types of shots he got in Brooklyn or if he can even get them off in his match up with Carmelo Anthony. Anthony is not the best defender, but he offers size and strength advantages which will limit the types of looks Kobe can realistically get. Working in the post will be more difficult and creating off the dribble will also be harder since Melo is likely to give Kobe room for his jumper until he proves he can make them. If he does knock some shots down it changes the calculus of the match up, but until it happens the Knicks are likely going to be okay with Kobe taking long jumpers against a defender contesting.

The flip side of the match up is, of course, that Kobe is going to have to defend Anthony on the other end. Melo has not started off the season shooting well (36.6% from the field, 32.1% from behind the arc), but he is still more than capable of putting up a big number on efficient shooting in this game. The fact that it could be Kobe’s last visit to the Garden is a two way street and I would not be surprised to see Melo try to give it to Kobe in a real way — it would, after all, represent the type of attitude Kobe most respects.

This game, though, will be about much more than Kobe vs. Carmelo. In fact, the match up I might be most looking forward to is Julius Randle against Kristaps Porzingis. The Knicks’ rookie big man has performed well after being thrown into the starting lineup earlier than expected, putting up solid numbers and earning praise from around the league (including from Lakers’ coach Byron Scott). Randle, then, will have his hands full chasing a taller player with shooting touch who can also do work off the dribble and in the post.

Randle will try to counter Porzingis’ strengths with, well, strength. Randle will try to muscle Porzingis, both in the post and off the dribble to get to his spots on the floor. Randle will need to use this advantage to create the space he needs to get his shot off cleanly against a player who has great height and length advantages.

The battle of the backcourts will also be key. Against the Nets, D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson had their best game as a pair and will look to carry that over against the Knicks pairing of Jose Calderon and Sasha Vujacic (the Machine!). Russell will likely be doing his work against Calderon and it would be nice if he could turn up some of his attack moves off the dribble to get to his spots and get his shots off. As for Clarkson, Sasha will try to pester him with ball pressure, but Clarkson should be able to counter that with his quickness off the dribble and strength once into the lane.

Where you can watch: 12:30pm start time on TWC Sportsnet. Also listen at ESPN Radio 710AM.


Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. pat oslon says

    Kobe’s last game at MSG. Lakers – Knicks (LA-East). This should be a very good game. Both teams have mismatches that can be exploited. Let’s see who coaches ’em up; Fisher or Scott.

    I hope Clarkson dismantles the Machine!

  2. LKK says

    I’m not going to get into the what if game, but I will say that Porzingis looks to have a lot of upside. This entire rookie class may do very well. The matchup at the three with Kobe and Melo highlights the reason why I still think #24 is misplaced at the three. He just gives up too much size on a nightly basis. I’d much rather see Clarkson and Kobe start and DAR be the the first guard off the bench. As such, Russ would still get plenty of burn. Just one man’s opinion.

  3. tankyou says

    Knicks are definitely beatable. Mello though was an offensive stud for the last two seasons, so its hard to imagine his poor shooting lasts much longer. Especially given Kobe is covering him possibly, which is a nightmare, Mello could score on young Kobe pretty well, this version Mello could score massively. Mello is a tough inside player as well, although he fell in love with his jumper too much a few years ago. I assume they will have to put someone else on Mello pretty quick.

    Knicks wings aren’t much for defense though so I’m guessing we should score pretty well.
    Hope we get win #2 because our schedule looks like we will have many long runs of losses this season.

  4. Robert says

    Kobe Alert: Sunday afternoon against the Knicks. Phil, Kobe, Derek, and MSG. Just close your eyes and pretend it is 15 years ago : ) Last game KB moved into a tie with Scottie Pippen for dimes in 28th place. After one more, he will then begin his pursuit of the Logo. Today at tip he ties Sam Perkins for 18th on the games list and then begins his pursuit of Derek Fisher there (lots of Lakers on these lists). Only 200 minutes to catch G Peyton for 9th all time. If this is going to be Kobe’s last game at MSG, then let’s make it a special one.

  8. Tim says

    Nice play by Clarkson to hold for the last shot of the half instead of trying for the transition basket and give NY the last attempt.

  9. Joel says

    It really boggles my mind that Black wasn’t getting any time earlier. I guess the all-conquering Bass-Kelly combo was too enticing.

  15. dxmanners says

    Down the stretch rookies and Clarkson all defer to Kobe, jacking up more threes. Not pretty. Russell and Julius combine for 12 points, not going to cut it. I knew it would be a struggle, but not like this. Hello Philly.

  17. Tim says

    Lakers suffer California like drought last 6+ minutes of the 4th quarter, 2 for last 18, and lose to the Knicks 99-95. Kobe still taking way too many threes, he was 2-10 and 6-19 overall. .

  19. KO says

    Kobe is becoming a parody of hisself. Another 6 for 19 with no points in 4th HE LOST THIS GAME. Bryon says he wants to win then plays guy 32 minutes who is the worst shooter in NBA 18% 3 and 31% from field.

    BS from BS. Kobe has no conscious. Averaging 16 shots a game. Williams, Clarkson, Young even Metta are better shooters but ego maniac Kobe takes the most shots.

    Easiest schadule first 6 yet one win? This team will not win 15 games as long as Kobe and his butler Bryon Scott are here.

    6 for 19 again! Sick of it. t.

  20. KO says

    Kobe alert.
    Last in shooting percentage taking over then 15 shots a game.

    Last in NBA percentage avaraging more then 5 3s a game.

    And Bryon is going down the drain with this sinking Kobe ship. Not once in his post game does he once talk about his horrible shooting. Sad.

  21. Sald0gg says

    Your resident NY Laker fan here. Got to go to the game (my 7th or 8th Laker-Knick game in the last decade). Russell was NOT happy about getting pulled for Lou with 2 minutes to go. Went to the end of the bench shoulders slumped and didn’t want to get up to join the huddle on the timeout. He looked solid on defense tonight. I also was furious that Byron didn’t pull Kobe in the last minute for his well deserved career NY Standing O. Terrible sense of history. The crowd wanted it.

  22. kareeme says

    Almost can’t wait to see the team on back-to-backs when Kobe is forced to sit. Will we see more selfless ball or a continuation of this iso-heavy offense?

  23. T Rogers says

    The Lakers had this game. Then they tried force feeding Kobe and lost it. We have to accept that this is Kobe’s last stand. So Bryon is going to call his number way more often than he should. Especially on the road.

    Someone noted a few threads ago that down the stretch its not Lou Williams taking Russell’s minutes. It’s Kobe. And that’s just the way it’s going to be this season. I am glad the Lakers battled in this. But this really should have been a W.

  24. KO says

    Kareeme he is not sitting. He TELLS Bryon what to do. He is the Andrew Friedman to Donnie M of basketball.

  26. bluehill says

    T Rogers – I agree. Whether Kobe wants to call it a farewell tour or not, I think that’s the way it’s going to be. I especially expected it this game and was ok with it. I figured he and Melo would offset each other. Just hoping the shots wouldn’t be too forced like in the first half for the most part.

  27. Robert says

    Ko/kareeme: Kobe is not playing well. The fact that he continues to shoot and Byron enables that, should be no surprise. Also, take a look at Lou’s percentage. And also Randle’s and Clarkson’s. This was a brick contest. Nick was the hot hand at 4-10. I have said many times that having Nick, Lou, and KB on the same team was not a good idea. This is just a very bad team. You cite a sinking ship. Well when the Titanic went down, the crew initially took the blame, but the underlying issue was the ship’s design.

  28. Kbj says

    This year is Kobe’s last year. I’m fine with Kobe taking a few extra shots. What I am not fine is how many 3s hes taking. Way, way too many 3s. I bet that he can still shoot a decent percentage if he took more shots from midrange and in then 3s.

  29. barty says

    I think people have been over blaming Kobe for this season’s struggle, but yeah, I think it’s fair to put this loss on Kobe, or more precisely, deference to Kobe.

    This is sad to watch. The young guys deserve better. The fans deserve better. KOBE deserves better. Sometimes a person needs to be saved from himself.

  30. LKK says

    Granted Kobe shot poorly but apparently not poorly enough that Melo didn’t have to blatantly hold him several times in the 4th quarter. I’m not making excuses for him, but when you wrap a man up and hold him with two arms the whistle needs to blow. Those things matter in a close game.

  31. Anonymous says

    Anon: I wonder if the Lakers will win a game this season against a team with a winning record?
    —–

    Note: the Lakers are 1-5 and have not faced a team with a winning record yet. Could be a painful year.

  32. J C says

    The light at the end of this tunnel will only be visible when Kobe and Byron open the door to leave.

  33. Anonymous says

    Good news / Bad news Dept:

    – Lakers point differential is only -6.3 (not bad for being 1 – 5)
    – Combined record of Lakers opponents is 12 – 26; a .31 winning percentage

    Note: the Wolves are 3 – 2 but were 0 – 0 when the Lakers played them.

  34. Fern says

    KO, how come you only comment when the Lakers lose? Frustrating loss, we have blown 2 games, we could easily be 3-3, the team forgot to score the last 6+ minutes of the game it wasn’t Kobe alone, but the defense seems to be settling down, today we neede that offense…

  35. Craig W. says

    Again and again and again. This is what development looks like.

    I almost threw something at the TV set when the Lakers totally stopped running anything that looked like an offense. I would have been happy if they managed to run the Princeton, but they couldn’t even run a proper pick-n-roll – just stand around and expect the player with the ball to do something.

    I just have to realize this is what will happen with players new to the NBA, or players who have been beaten down – I don’t think we have any of those, at least.

  36. Anonymous says

    Again and again and again. This is what development looks like.

    ——

    Except that Lakers management promised victories as well as developing the kids.

  37. KO says

    Fern. Check the scoreboard. They won ONE. Hello!

    Earth to Fern.

    I also did comment on the one win.

  38. rr says

    Again and again and again. This is what development looks like.

    —

    Two problems here:

    1. When fans think development, they generally don’t think about a guy like Byron Scott coaching the 37-year-old Kobe, and guys like Lou Williams, BB, and Nick Young.
    2. As noted above, a lot of fans, at least on the blogs, were very vocal about the team possibly being surprisingly good, so the team being as bad as it is is a real problem for them. As I said in preseason, I think a lot of people overstated the talent upgrade itself, and especially how it would manifest in the near term.

    But again, the team may look a lot different and perhaps much better late in the season than it looks now.

  39. Craig W. says

    I’m sorry, you fans that think we can develop 3-5 very young players, while competing in the Western Conference are smoking something a great deal stronger than weed. I really don’t give a rat’s patooie what the FO said – what, exactly, do you expect them to say? They are not going to say we are in a severe development year and won’t win much again this year.

    All of you may have some complaints about how the Lakers are run, but your constant unreality about the strength of the franchise and what the team should be doing right now is simply fantasy. We are a club with at least 4 good rookie/2nd yr players and we are developing them. It is simply going to look chaotic during many games this year – get over it.

    What many of us are going to be measuring is the progress – and that will not be measured by looking at everything game-by-game. There is no real place for analytics this year, because we are going to be measuring many things that don’t show up in the box score.

    Byron Scott is going to frustrate many – and may not be back next year – but he will probably be here for this entire year. Again, you are going to live with that – regardless how much you carp in this or other blogs.

  40. rr says

    what, exactly, do you expect them to say?

    —–

    Mitch could have given a vanilla non-answer answer when asked about the playoffs. He’s good at that.

  41. kareeme says

    Mitch could have given a vanilla non-answer answer when asked about the playoffs. He’s good at that.
    ___________

    He’s paid to do that!

    I really wonder how loose of a leash Scott will be given. If we’re staring down at a 3-17 record, is he out? Honest question.

  42. matt says

    Kobe played pretty good, his defense was good against melo, the ball was not moving around on offense, d’angelo doesn’t drive he’s a spot up shooter, the Coach and team is going to have to figure out what works, knicks inside Defense shutdown randle, who normally gets things going, also clarkson was contained, the interior lanes seemed to be cut off, the things our offense was used to getting where not there, kobe got he shot back but then sputtered at the end, bench looked scrappy against a decent knicks bench,
    i just think this was russell’s game to showcase against Calderón and sasha, and he could not command any offensive leadership, he is a flashy passer, but doesn’t run the floor, i don’t think that was ever his strength, he’s a good shooter with passing skills, but if he can’t penetrate through a defense on the dribble he can’t run the floor, I’m not being completely negative. On a positive note he’s more steph curry than he is chris paul. If you know what I’m saying. Like i said the coach and team just gotta figure it out.

  43. Fern says

    Craig you nail it in the head, of course he is going to say ” this is a playoffs team”, im an optimist regarding the Lakers and i has hoping 30-35 wins far from a playoff berth, right now i only hope for more wins than last year, i look at this team and its better than last year. Our young core it’s the most important thing this season i really doubt BS is going to be fired this season…

  44. david h says

    hey darius: thanks for the preview. was hoping for the old Kobe Bryant there at Madison Square Garden yesterday. Instead, got the old Kobe Bryant. If he remains healthy, can see some progress in his game.

    There goes the one game winning streak. Hoping for at least 20 more one game winning streaks this nba season….zzzzzz.

    On to Miami, hopeful but more than likely a burn by the Heat.

    Go Lakers

  45. J C says

    The frustrating thing is that even with our youth and lack of experience, we’re still within striking distance of winning some of these games.
    It’s not a given that we should lose 70 games just because we have some young players.

    I’ve always considered that the close games are most affected by coaching, and that a team’s record in the tight ones is a strong reflection of the coach’s acumen.

    Whether it be a proper system for the players to execute in crunch time, or real time in-game adjustments, or Xs and Os drawn up in the heat of battle, or even simply the players’ confident belief in themselves instilled by a competent captain, games that come down to the wire are the province of the coach. A good coach relishes these opportunities. It’s what he’s paid to do and do well.

    I believe Byron Scott is sufficiently lacking in all the areas mentioned above to warrant his termination as soon as the FO can devise the correct publicity spin to put on the firing.

    Whatever good he’s done by proudly carrying the Laker torch is more than undone by the wrecking ball his presence has become.

    I realize Lebron left before he got there, but Byron’s record in Cleveland was horrific. He failed to train, prepare and motivate his team there so clearly that – correct me if I’m wrong – didn’t his team there set the NBA record for consecutive losses?

    We haven’t even begun to play the good teams yet.
    How embarrassing will the games be when we play Houston, the Clips, Spurs and Warriors?

  47. matt says

    What’s up with d.fish getting kicked out the game, was he excited because kobe was in town, these last two games shows how kobe’s fan base extends to the east coast, i was in philly about 5 years ago, I’m at the car rental place the guy who works there notices my lakers beenie starts talking lakers, when he finds out I’m from l.a. he gets excited telling me he’s a big lakers/kobe fan, said he wished he lived in l.a. so he could watch all the games, then he’s telling me how kobe’s the greatest ever, a guy who said he was from Dallas overheard and gets in the conversation saying jordans the greatest, the local guy starts cussing him out, anyways as I’m leaving they are still arguing, moral of the story the east coast appreciates kobe more than most of us.

  50. matt says

    I noticed the forum was offline yesterday, i got worried, i checked out other lakers forums they were all complicated, this one is cool cause it’s simple and easy to read, thank you for your good work

  52. Dwight says

    I really don’t give a rat’s patooie what the FO said – what, exactly, do you expect them to say?
    ___

    Jim told Jeanie it was a playoff team. I don’t anticipate her being as forgiving.

  54. matt says

    How many former lakers are coaching now, off my head, d.fish, rambis, shaw, lue, scott, walton, madson, anyone else

  55. Clay Bertrand says

    CORRECTION:
    Matt, in your list of “former Lakers who are ‘Coaching’ now”, you erroneously listed Scott…..Clearly he is NOT doing ANY COACHING WHATSOEVER!!!!!!!!

    Nick THE QUICK Van Exel is also coaching…….

  57. Clay Bertrand says

    D’Angelo Russell’s new TOKEN 4th Quarter minutes are useless borderline insulting window dressing!!! Byron Scott is killing the future. Kobe lost the game NOT Russell (which I’m fine with on Kobe’s MSG farewell….) and Russell NEEDS to play in crunch time.

    EVERY OTHER LOTTERY ROOKIE is playing these 4th quarters EVERY ONE. Scott has to go. I don’t care how bad it looks to everyone. We can lose with the rookies PLAYING and DEVELOPING or we can lose with Byron’s chucking, NO D Vets stinking up the joint. All I know is there is CLEARLY NO UPSIDE to the latter!!!!!!!!

    AT LEAST, Mitch needs to DEMAND that the rookies get major minutes and that Russell gets 4th quarter time to close out games. Not 3 minutes of useless, middle of the 4th quarter time only to get pulled in the real crunch just so Byron can SAY he’s “developing” him.

    We aren’t good enough to bring our rookies along at a “ROOKIES GOTTA EARN IT” Byron Scott BullSh*T pace!!!

    The FO namely MITCH, needs to either FIRE SCOTT NOW, or Usurp his authority regarding Russell’s playing time. This team ain’t goin NO WHERE anyway and EVERYONE knows it. Why allow this to fester??

    Byron Scott is to NBA Coaching what the Amish are to Silicon Valley.

  59. Clay Bertrand says

    Matt, Byron is from the George Costanza school of work whereby if you do nothing but you LOOK PISSED OFF, People THINK you are really working hard. So Byron REALLY gets his brow furrowed and crosses his arms like a little kid. Then after the game, he lashes out, belittles his players and takes no personal blame.

    Doesn’t he realize what an idiot he looks like??? That if he just played all his young guys and lost games people wouldn’t be so upset??? He can blame the lack of experience and we all would totally understand. But instead, he acts out this CHARADE that he is a REAL NBA COACH of a REAL NBA TEAM that has…..wait for it….PLAYOFF ASPIRATIONS!!!!! He’s trying to WIN GAMES??????!!?!?!?!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Smh….

    LOL…..Gotta Laugh to keep from Crying!!

  60. Anonymous says

    The Lakers are 28th in this weeks ESPN Power Rankings. At least we are ahead of the winless 76ers and Nets!

  62. Anonymous says

    Fern and Craig – It baffles me how some folks here will say “the FO promised the playoffs” while on the next breath those same people will say that the FO has continually shown they dont know what they are doing. Seems to me, that if you believe Mitch and Jim are clueless, then you SHOULD expect this team to tank and, if so, complaining about what is so obvious seems, well, futile. I just dont get it. Why continue to bring the same point day, after day, after day? Seriously? What the hell is their point? I frankly think this site would be far better off if these 2-3 individuals would simply be banned.

    That’s not so say all is well on Laker land. To me, the biggest area of complaint here is the fact that we should be focusing on the young core of players since it is so evident that we are not going to be a playoff bound team. This is the “grow the players” strategy. Of course, this means that the FO has yet again missed the boat on the coaching front, which begs the question: if we fire Byron, who can we hire to take this young team to the next level?

    Finally, Byron Scott is a terrible coach. Hiring him was a terrible idea. Yes, the FO is to blame there. Everyone knows that. It is so painfully obvious to anyone that it does not need to be mentioned daily.

  63. Clay Bertrand says

    BTW, that BleacherReport Article posted by T. Rogers and written by David Murphy is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ON POINT!!!!!!!!!!

    Give that a read. I can’t see how EVERYONE doesn’t feel the same way about Scott.

  64. Calvin says

    Here’s a tricky question for you guys out there. If someone else was coaching this team other than Byron – with the exact same roster – can the Lakers make the playoffs? Let’s say this team is coached by Thibs or Hubie Brown or Becky Hammon or Calipari – can they make the playoffs? I’m leaning towards yes. It might mean hard decisions like Kobe coming off the bench and limiting him to 20 minutes. But the keys have to be handed to Jordan Clarkson for this to work.

  65. kareeme says

    Calvin,
    No. Maybe in the East. Definitely not in the West. All of the Western playoff teams have a positional advantage for 3 out of 5 starting spots. And most have better bench units than us. Dallas has one of the best coaches in the league and they’re not going anywhere this year.

  66. Clay Bertrand says

    Calvin, interesting question. I would lean toward NO they would NOT make the playoffs with the stiff comp in the West. I agree with Kareeme’s mention about Rick Carlisle and Dallas.

    My Question:
    Would Kobe be playing as much under ANY OTHER COACH???

    I totally get the “LET KOBE PLAY, ITS HIS LAST YEAR” sentiment. BUT I don’t understand BS saying WINNING is the priority. If Kobe gets to play because it’s his farewell tour, you can’t also say you are PLAYING FOR WINS.

    The two are completely different and unrelated:
    KOBE’s SWAN SONG vs. TRYING TO WIN GAMES.

    If you value winning over all else (AS BYRON CLAIMS TO…), Kobe’s minutes and game would be much better managed and by “managed” I mean LIMITED.

    It’s just more BS DoubleTalk.

  67. Chearn says

    The only person that started half the season last year was Jordan Clarkson, and during that time he played point guard. The other four starters had to introduce themselves at the start of the season. The starting unit has one second year player, one first year rookie, one second year rookie, a center released from his previous team, and a 20-year veteran returning after not seeing any action for two years.

    The manner in which this team is composed one should expect early chemistry and developmental problems, by December the team should gel and start to win the games they are supposed to and even carve out a win here or there against mid to high caliber teams. Take heart, this team is much better than the record indicates. Just wait until December when Kobe gets his legs back under him, and D’Angelo stops pouting and starts producing, and Clarkson continues to play at a better level than his 47th pick warrants, and Randle learns how to be effective even with scouting and defensive schemes formulated to stop him, and the Lakers learn to use Hibbert at the elbows offensively.

    Kobe’s demands for the ball and propensity for iso’s are less likely when Randle is ball dominant early in the game. So they should develop plans that place him a position to excel early and often in the game. During the game, Randle starts every set either bringing the ball up the court while angling towards the left side of the court or he stands on the left side of the court free throw extended in a position that allows the defense to key in on his drives. Randle needs space to operate. When he plays with the starting lineup, the Lakers should devise a few sets that initiate the offense with him and Hibbert on the right side of the floor. From this position, they have several options but here’s one:
    Randle can start his probe from the right, if he gets to the basket he can spin move to get back to his strong hand, step through, pass to Russell, Clarkson or Kobe on the perimeter or make a pass to Hibbert at the elbow for a jumper. This puts Randle in position for an offensive rebound.

    At any rate, the current Lakers lineup is preferable to Bass and Kelly. I’d like to see Brown get a few minutes every other game.

    Does anyone have any information on Upshaw? Is he still in Los Angeles? Is he working out? Has he been in contact with the Lakers?

  68. Calvin says

    Here’s the dilemma – People want to see Kobe play. More Kobe = higher ratings, more money. But objectively speaking, more Kobe = lesser chance of winning. You have to make up your mind. If you truly want to try to win, you have to limit Kobe’s minutes and run more plays for Clarkson and Randle. But if you want to do a Kobe farewell tour and get ratings and money, might as well go all-in. Forget about winning, play Kobe 35 minutes a game with green light to shoot 30 shots, and let him play like Iverson in the 2001 Sixers. There’s no right or wrong answer here. I totally understand if the Busses’ want to milk Kobe and the ratings and make more money. It’s their business. Hey – if I run a business, I’d take 100 million in revenue over winning.

  69. Clay Bertrand says

    Chearn,
    Reports stated that Upshaw was in L.A. last week to sign his LA DEFENDER contract and begin his DLeague play when the league starts up. Jabari Brown more likely to play overseas for a better pay day than with the DLeague where he was last year.

  70. R says

    There’s not an NBA division weak enough for the Lakers to make the playoffs, I don’t care if the coach was a genetically engineered hybrid of Riles, PJ, Auerbach, and Alex Hannum (sic?).
    Now D League ? Eh, maybe.

  73. Justin says

    Why are people complaining about D’angelo’s minutes. He is playing 24.7 mpg. He is avg 9 ppg, 2.3 apg, 40% fgp, 0 DWS (defensive win shares), and -0.2 OBPM (Offense box plus minus) -2.4 DBPM. Seems like he is playing plenty and the only issue to me is his usage at 19.2%.

    Let’s see Harden (rookie year 1 year older):
    22.9 mpg, 9.9 ppg, 1.8 apg, 40% fgp, 2.5 DWS (whole season), 0.7 OBPM, 0.3 DBPM, 20.4 % usage.

    Seems like a near identical match to me. Plays the same minutes, puts up same numbers. Is it really that big of a deal that he play the last 5 minutes of a game?