The Kobe farewell tour resumes tonight, in Sacramento, when the Lakers play the Kings. The game will be nationally televised (hello TNT), will be the last time Kobe plays in the state capital, and will be his return to action after missing the last three games with a sore shoulder.
All of this makes for an interesting backstory, but it’s the time off and the fact that it’s his shoulder on his shooting arm which offers the most pressing questions. What kind rhythm Kobe can find, how well his shot falls, and how all of that impacts his approach to the game are what’s most worth watching tonight. I’ve no clue what to expect, honestly. I could see him coming back rested and ready to play well just as I could see him come back rusty and somewhat out of sorts. Neither would surprise.
Beyond Kobe’s return, D’Angelo Russell will also be back in the lineup after dealing with a sore throat (and a severe lack of energy from whatever bug he had) kept him out of the team’s loss Warriors. Reports out of yesterday’s practice (which wasn’t a full session) was that Russell was in good spirits and looked energetic going through drills and individual skill work with assistant coaches. These are good signs, of course, and the hope is that he can return from his one game absence without missing a beat.
On a more team level, we are getting to that point of the year where all the guys should be finding a comfort level in their respective roles and in what is expected from them. The Lakers haven’t had a ton of consistency in player groupings as lineups have been shuffled, but the general tenor of the team has been set. The main 9 rotation players know who they are and, for the most part, know how much they’ll play and what they should be doing when they are in the game. Nothing is ever really set in stone, but the gist of what’s what should be understood.
With that, I expect to see the veterans continue to settle in and, moving forward, find more consistency in their performance. Yes, there will still be ups and downs — guys like Nick Young and Lou Williams are naturally streaky — but hopefully some of the noise in those performances begins to quiet.
The flip side to that is that now is also the time the young players — especially Russell, Randle, and, potentially, Nance — start to hit a bit of a wall. None of these guys have sniffed this many games in a season and as we inch closer to the all-star break, we will blow past the halfway point of the campaign. These guys may not be getting the same minutes load as they did in college, but the mental part of the NBA game is draining and when combined with the travel, we may start to see some of the types of struggles linked to being worn down mentally more than anything else.
As for this specific game, the Kings are the better team and possess the best player in DeMarcus Cousins. As we’ve discussed before, they have gone “all-in” on trying to build a winner this year, investing in veterans and trying to change the culture of losing. This hasn’t necessarily worked, but they are improved and possess much more experience and developed talent than the Lakers. This puts them as favorites tonight and, in theory, they should win.
However, the Lakers have been playing somewhat better — against lesser competition, I know — and it will be interesting to see if they learned anything from the last time these teams played in the 2nd game of the season. That game was a high scoring affair, but also featured Lakers in different roles than their current ones. Will that translate to a different result?
Where you can watch: 7:30pm start time on TWC Sportsnet. Also listen at ESPN Radio 710AM Los Angeles.
karen says
Mitch really doesn’t get it, he has to have his head in the sand, chooses not to know the critiscim on both kobe and scott. played 5 min and we are down 20. and oh yes kobe is in the game.
Shaun says
no effort – backdoor isnt locked ….a coach looking like he is getting blocked out by the team
KO says
Randell has gone from player to scrub under BS. Puts him there with Hibbert.
rr says
alley oop
Yes, I know what the score is.
Mid-Wilshire says
The Kings’ centers (Cousins and Koufos) have scored 32 points against the Lakers…in the first half alone.
Amazing.
Marques says
Well..Kenny and Reggie see the same things i see
At least I’m not alone in my idiocy
Mid-Wilshire says
If I were the Lakers I would attack the rim. Both Cousins and Koufos have 3 fouls.
KO says
Laker have become a joke to the NBA and embarrisment to the uniform.
Nepotism is a curse.
Manuel says
Hi Darius, hi FBG-Posters,
some of you might know me from my infrequent postings on here.
I will be in Staples Center for the Thunder and Jazz games, travelling all the way from Germany. I am a big fan of this blog and see myself as part of the community. If somebody from here is also at the games, I would love to get the chance for a brief chat. Let me know if interested!
Best,
Manuel
Baylor Fan says
I had to turn the sound off. Reggie’s excuses for Scott are pitiful. He is bagging on Russell and Randall and they were not even on the court as the Kings run wind sprints past the Lakers’ “defenders”. If Byron was sending a message to the rest of the team, they missed it badly. Kobe was on fire to start the 3rd even if the lead for the Kings still continued to grow. Maybe this was a show of solidarity for Randall by having no one play defense.
It was good to see Karl joke with Rondo. They were at each other’s throats to start the season.
Vhan says
Hey, we are still in the game. We can win this one.
KevTheBold says
Now this, is an entertaining, and enlightening game !
mindcrime says
I hope Scott lets this crew play out the string. They have earned it.
KO says
EVEN BRYON CAN’T ignore this?
Never play Roy again and stay with young guys! Think he is watching?
casualfan says
Bass, DAR and Clarkson are the MVPs tonight. I don’t care even if they lose now, what a fight!
Vhan says
Its ok we lose hope DA is ok. Without him on that lsst minute hurts the offense though.
Anonymous says
Most entertaining game of the year.
BYRON FOR PRESIDENT
Kbj says
If the Lakers want to win games, they should play Hibbert less. Most of the time, he gives little to nothing on offense, defense and rebounding.
Bruceleo says
This game was entertaining in the end and we fell short because of inexperience and a result of learning on the job.. I would love to have seen kobe in the closing seconds at least as a decoy.. Cmon man!!! Any thoughts why kobe wasnt outhere fellow laker heads!!
Kevin T says
Kobe was out the whole 4th, so it’s not a good idea to bring a player in when they have been on the bench so long, especially a 37 year old one. That’s an injury waiting to happen.
LKK says
Wow….a great comeback effort that fell just a little short. Some very questionable calls down the stretch went against our team. Wasn’t that an And 1 for Russ when he turned his ankle? Looked like Boogie clearly fouled him. Cousins also got away with a foul on Randle down the stretch when Julius drove to the hoop. Randle got called for the charging foul although it appeared to me that Cousins was clearly moving as contact was made.
Big props for Brandon Bass who battled Cousins ferociously and set some great picks to free Russ and Clarkson on several occasions in the 4th. Of course, DAR was outstanding. Just a big time effort on his part. I hope his ankle isn’t serious. The Mamba played well too, for 3 quarters, and then stepped aside to let the young guns finish the game. Not bad for a selfish ball hog!! Sarcasm alert. One last comment: Anthony Brown needs to look for some ways to get free so that he can score the ball. He was just jogging out there, with little input. Don’t be scared, AB!
Fern says
Great game!!! Kobe did his part and kept us entertained and stepped aside when the kids spearheaded the comeback, the “bust role player”can play imagine that? I hope that is just a tweaked ankle, great learning experience for all of then, Randle looks to me like he is not playing with confidence, but his rebounding game is there. All in all great effort I wasn’t really playing attention for most of the game since i figured we were toast and spent most of the game fooling around with my phone until i looked up and they were down by just 12, i put my phone down then lol.
mindcrime says
I have been a Brandon Bass critic at times this year, but his effort was outstanding tonight. Particularly in ways the stat line will not reflect.
Fern says
X-ray on DAR negative, “moderate ankle sprain” whew!!! but i would not be surprised if he miss a game or two, better safe than sorry, breakthrough game for him in my opinion, he was beasting.
LKK says
Found myself fantasizing about replacing Roy Hibbert with Kosta Koufos, the Kings backup center. A decent big man would upgrade the Lakers exponentially, IMO. Sometimes it’s just as simple as that. Forget all the talk about the FO, Kobe , Scott, blah blah blah. A decent big would make everybody on this Lakers’ team better.
nimble says
Kobe always should take the last shot,I do not care if he is 50.Period.
Fern says
I think tonight is the 1st time i seen the DAR & JC combination running on all cylinders for an extended period of time, that is a significant development…
bleedpurplegold says
– Russell is improving every game it seems. Hope he will be back soon, and starting! Looks like the challange BS presented to him in coming off the bench payed off in his case as he really looks like a different player out there
– The above cant be said for Randle, as his confidence fell off a cliff it seems. He played well for the most part @ the start of the season/SL, but since he has been benched his aggressiveness got lost a little bit.
– Kobe is beasting whenever he steps on court for the last month. Good to see him back again….
– 0pts, 2rbs, 0blks, 5 fouls. Get Roy out of town, and quick!
– No Kobe alert, little dissappointing đ
– Viel Spass, Manuel đ
Craig W. says
This game was a perfect example of why it doesn’t pay to visit this blog while the game is going on. Mostly just venting, not much real information or observation.
I suspect this was a game that should have pleased most of the fans here – except those who have to have Scott and Kobe gone yesterday. Finally some effort on defense, good teamwork from the youngsters, beginning to learn how to play under pressure, and finally a loss to preserve our possible draft position.
We still dribble too much and ball watch on defense, but that is to be expected with players barely out of high school – and who have been catered to all their basketball lives.
Manuel says
Thank you, bpg!
Mid-Wilshire says
This was an excellent growth game for the kids.
They were largely responsible for bringing the Lakers back from a 27-point deficit and they did so with Kobe sitting on the bench in the 4th (which was OK). Sometimes you learn the most from your losses, especially tough losses like this. Things that they hopefully will take away from this game are the following:
1) this team (especially the youngsters) have the ability to compete in this league;
2) they have the ability to erase a 27-point deficit in the middle of the 3rd Q and actually take the lead in the 4th; they can do this; they’re explosive, they attack, and when they play aggressively together, anything can happen;
3) they have the ability to play well together; there are genuine signs of chemistry; it’s still a work-in-progress; but it’s coming;
4) they actually have the ability to play defense; and
5) they can do all of the above even on the road.
Things that they still have to learn:
1) how to play in crunch time;
2) how to get off to better starts (they were down by 21 after 6 minutes); and
3) how to close out games.
The most important thing is to learn how to win. That will come in time. But I am actually seeing progress — quite a bit of it from the first game of the year to this point.
There will be other losses, obviously…including some blowouts here and there. But the kids are growing. They’re maturing. And that is a good thing.
In fact that’s what this season is all about. Maybe this game will mark a turning point of sorts.
Anonymous says
Byron Scott is artfully destroying his career one game at a time. I hope he has non-basketball related ventures bc his days as part of any NBA organization are coming to a close. I hope the Lakers wait to fire him till after we have the second worst record locked.
Baylor Fan says
The absolute lack of defense or any effort on defense to start the 3rd quarter was very frustrating to watch. Sacramento was having a chucklefest lobbing the ball past Lakers defenders for easy layups and dunks. They totally lost their focus by the end of the 3rd and had a hard time generating offense once Cousins left the game. Kobe was on fire and the Lakers were able to keep the deficit around -20. Once Kobe left the game (Lakers down 16 to start the 4th), the defensive intensity picked up and the Lakers went on runs that got them back into the game. One could argue that Kobe sitting was the inspiration the Lakers needed to play hard on both ends of the floor. Bass gave the veteran leadership in the 4th the younger players could build on. So, if Kobe’s Farewell Tour is what floats your boat, then the 3rd quarter was for you. If you think that young players are what makes this team interesting, the 4th quarter was for you.
For what it is worth, Kobe probably pulled himself out of the game so he would be able to play tonight against the Zombie Sonics.
Shaun says
fell asleep at halftimd will have to watch the recording
Pau is most likely opting out … hes a good center ….plus it would be great to have him back and then retire as a laker
Todd says
Un-substantiated observation. Last night would have been the first time all season the new core (Randle, Clarkson, Russell and Nance) outscored the vets on the team. As it turned out the vets scored 58 of the Lakers points with the core scoring 57. Not sure what that says but I take it that the kids are doing what we would want, which is contributing. Nice starting point for them to begin to lead in the future.
Russell will be fine — his floor looks pretty high and only time will tell what his ceiling will be. Randle played well despite still being in a bit of a funk offensively. Clarkson is becoming very consistent, which means, to me, heâs a keeper. Nance is proving he belongs in the rotation. Very pleased with the kids.
Still would like to keep the pick, I think any of Simmons, Ingram or Bender could help the Lakers become really good on their own but would make the team very attractive to free agents in 2017. Using Lebron as a template for an elite free agent — Cleveland was attractive not only because it was home but because of the ability to put together significant talent younger than Lebron. LBJ did not want to be held back by an older roster like he was forced to do in Miami.
So having a lot of young emerging talent on the Lakers is a very good thing. Nice to see that even Craig commented that the game last night allowed us to keep pace for keeping our pick. Not all of our vets have value, but Williams and Bass do. I think they could be moved and return a future asset. Moving them opens up the roster to allow Russell and Randle more playing time.
I comment on the FO a lot. I think their decisions have hastened, deepened and prolonged the Lakers downturn. I think the kids are a fortunate byproduct of a failed ‘sign multiple free agents’ strategy. So in a sense Jim/Mitch have succeeded by failing. So the pragmatist in me says we are where we are and what’s the best/quickest path out. I believe keeping the pick makes the most sense from a all perspectives.
matt says
When is byron gonna realize hibbert needs to be benched
Shaun says
rondo fouled clarkson …no call … booooo
Vasheed says
Great game especially by Russell. Glad to hear nothing serious with the ankle.
http://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2016/1/7/10734394/la-lakers-trade-rumors-free-agency-plans-mitch-kupchak
It does sound like the Lakers are pretty set on keeping their rookies and developing around them. I’m hoping to see the Lakers move at least a PF or 2 just to clear that awful log jam. Yet I favor putting all ideas on the table. The Lakers have accrued assets and sometimes you need to give to get what you need.
Keith says
I comment on the FO a lot. I think their decisions have hastened, deepened and prolonged the Lakers downturn. I think the kids are a fortunate byproduct of a failed âsign multiple free agentsâ strategy. So in a sense Jim/Mitch have succeeded by failing. So the pragmatist in me says we are where we are and whatâs the best/quickest path out. I believe keeping the pick makes the most sense from a all perspectives.
___
Well said, Todd.
jojo says
Mid-W’s post @ 6:37am +1
Great observations; I heartily concur! This type of game gives the ardent fan in me plenty to feel good about, regardless of all the kerfluffle surrounding our beloved team.
Speakin’ of fans…mud, your comments regarding fandom in Darius’ previous post yesterday were right on.
stats says
“Pau is most likely opting out ⌠hes a good center âŚ.plus it would be great to have him back and then retire as a laker” Personally, I’d love. One of my favorite Lakers of all time; a class act.
rr says
Quote from Mitch:
“I think if we can develop four or five players going forward that look as if they belong in this league, with all of our financial flexibility going forward we’ll be in a position to attract complimentary, or even more than complimentary, players to play with them in free agency,” said the Lakers general manager before acknowledging that such pitches were “very difficult for us to do last year because we really didn’t have much to sell.”
Fern says
@rr that’s what i been saying this entire season, that now we have something to “sell” unlike the last 2 summers, i been saying the complimentary players part as well, i would not presume to say that Mitch is thinking like me lol, but i guess i wasn’t that far off on what Mitch is thinking…
Snarky George says
Lakers related comments from Kevin Peltonâs NBA Chat:
Power: If Lakers theoretically win the number 1 pick, who they taking? Simmons or Ingram? Simmons has been incredible effective but seems his best position is a 4. Lakers crowded up front with Randle/nance. Ingram oozes potential. Better fit?
Kevin Pelton: You don’t worry about fit with the No. 1 pick. Neither Randle nor Nance has anything remotely approaching the potential of Ben Simmons.
__
Jeff: If you could buy stock in one franchise’s performance going forward, which franchise do you see exceeding consensus expectations on the court the next 5 years? Obviously people will have very different expectations for say GS and SAC, so taking those baseline expectations as the cost.
Kevin Pelton: As frustrating as they are this season, it might be the Celtics given that I think they’re a lot closer to turning the corner than their record or perception of their talent would indicate. Also maybe Philadelphia given that I don’t think most people properly value the picks and stashes they have coming in the next couple of years. The Sixers also have the Joel Embiid wild card where he could be a superstar or could be unable to ever player again, a tough variable to properly quantify.
KevTheBold says
If anything last night demonstrated, is perfectly illustrated in Mid-Whilshire’s sage post: Our core as it sits, can compete, even without another draft pick. We only need to have confidence in them, and build around them.
For those who still believe that they will lose enough games on their own to tank, they should think again, as we have the talent, only requiring time, experience, training and,.. most of all, trust; an essential element that is dimished when teams deliberately go for the tank.
These hard fought games are essential to growth, and though we may lose the pick, we gain much more in cutting down the time it takes to get back into contention.
If however we do all we can, and find ourselves at the bottom, then we deserve the pick.
Isn’t that the way it’s supposed to work?
matt says
If they bench hibbert, we win enough games to lose pick
rr says
Fern,
I don’t think big-time FAs want to play with 20-year-olds. They want to win right now. Remember: Cleveland traded Wiggins to get Love as part of bringing James back. Aldridge went to an elite team that has an established guy in his prime (Leonard) and still relies a lot on the Duncan/Parker/Ginobili in big games. In concrete terms, I donât think that Russell/Randle/Clarkson will be a draw for Durant, or for a guy like Horford. Complementary guys in their 20s will be looking for money and PT mostly, so yes, the Lakers will have options there. Complementary guys in their 30s usually want to be on good, veteran teams. This is why I agree with those who say that if the Lakers do eventually make a big splash in FA based on selling the skills of the current young guys, it will probably be in 2017 or 2018.
I posted it because it shows that the big-time FA chases of Anthony and Aldridge, as many of us said at the time, didnât make much sense. If the Lakers didnât have much to sell, then that suggests that
a) They didnât have much shot at signing those guys.
b) Even if they had signed them, it wouldnât have been such a great thing, since they didnât have the pieces to go with themâIOW, they didnât have much to sell.
OTOH, the quote suggests that Mitch (and I hope Jim) do get that in the modern environment of digital media, salary caps, and state taxes, the Lakers brand is not going to be enough to get guys to come here. They will need to have a talent base in-house and enough money to bring in multiple guys.
KevTheBold says
Regarding D’Angelo’s injury: The training staff desperately needs to work on building up his lower half, from the toes up. His ankles are much too weak for the kinds of plays everyone is pushing him into. If this continues, we will lose him soon to a devastating injury.
Scott needs to keep him from driving into the saw mill until such time his body or his methods can handle it.
This young man is too precious for us to lose !
Fern says
rr im not talking about superstars, complementary players and build around what we have in place is the way we should go in my opinion…
Chris J says
I was a fan of the Hibbert deal at the time it went down, believing he could add some rim protection and rebounding that were so often absent the prior season. Even if he didn’t return to All-Star form like he showed in Indiana, I thought he’d be an improvement over the Lakers’ roster without him. Nearly midway through this season, I think his sole value now is as an expiring contract. I wish anyone knew what went awry in his career, but he spends more time falling to the floor and missing shots from five feet out than he does doing anything constructive. Last night, and other games recently, suggest the Lakers are better off when Bass is getting more time at the five.
I don’t believe Tarik Black is the savior, as some here like to hope, nor do I feel the solution is currently on the Defenders’ roster, as others suggest. But at this point, maybe trying something else will produce better results than Hibbert has delivered? He’s been a huge disappointment.
As to last night, again, great effort by the youngsters. But I knew we were done when Byron left Clarkson trying to beat Rondo off the dribble. Both Clarkson and Russell can be too cute and careless with the ball when out beyond the arc, and with Rondo lurking, the steal played out exactly as I feared it would. Thankfully, that’s a skill both Russell and Clarkson can develop. Hopefully they continue to get time on the floor together, with Randle, to push forward the future Lakers’ growth. The Ws don’t matter right now, but let’s see what the youth can achieve.
rr says
Last night’s game was fun and encouraging, but again: opponent. Sacramento is 15-21 and is 24th in DRTG. They were also a little short-handed, playing without Omri Casspi and Willie Cauley-Stein. I am not saying that the Lakers should deliberately lose; my view is try to move Williams and BB, play the kids, and let the ping-pong balls fall. But the Lakers desperately need high-end, elite talent. A Top 3 pick is the cheapest, and probably best, way to get a guy who has some.
rr says
Fern,
Thatâs fine, but almost every team that wins a title has a Top-10 or Top-5 player. The Lakers are going to need one at some point to have a serious shot at getting back into contention. So, I think doing what you are talking about will be trying to get back to the LakeShow Eraâwhich they probably need to do.