The Lakers had 18 turnovers against the Timberwolves Friday night, emblematic of the way 17.7% of the team’s possessions end in a turnover (20th in the league). How did they happen? Often because the Lakers made a bad decision in transition, sometimes because the extra pass in the lane went array. Here is a breakdown […]
Lakers Analysis
Rust? What Rust?
There were things during last night’s game that, if they continue, will be a big problem in Texas next week (*cough, turnovers, cough*) but last night was about what Lamar Odom brought to the table. He had 18 points on 70% shooting, had 10 rebounds and was a team best +22. He had a one […]
Winning Doesn’t Suck
It’s just two games in November, but it is still two games in a row where the Lakers looked like a team that was playing up to its potential. This level of play will not last 79+ more games — there will be bumps in the road — but right now the team is showing […]
Savor It
After a summer of rants and frustration and bitterness, that game against the Suns was cathartic. Sure, it was just one game, but today we should just bask in it and think of the possibilities, we’ll save the analysis for a day. So here are some of the thoughts from the comments and emails I […]
The Lakers “Chicken or the Egg†Problem
Here is what we know — Kobe used 43% of the Lakers possessions against the Rockets, and that is too many. If other players are not more involved and producing more, the Lakers cannot win consistently. But with that information comes a big question: Is this disparity Kobe’s fault for not passing the ball; or […]
Game One Thoughts
A bit of a frustrating loss because, even though they were outplayed for most of the game, that was one the Lakers could have stolen at the end. Plenty of room for improvement, but not a bad outing for the first game either. I think there were two key areas that cost the Lakers the […]
Lakers Season Preview
Last Years Record: 42-40 Key Additions: Derek Fisher; getting rid of Smush Parker (a clear case of addition by subtraction); Javaris Crittenton Jean Dixon couldn’t predict what will happen to this year’s Lakers, so let’s just try to answer your questions. Is it possible to go a few days without being bombarded with Kobe-centric headlines? […]
Shaq/Kobe vs. Kobe/Bynum
I have bumped up this great comment from JonesontheNBA (he of Fanhouse and his own blog): The irony of Kobe and Bynum is that it kind of reminds me of Shaq and Kobe. Shaq not liking the young brash kid with tons of potential that the organization seemed to love more than him seems a […]
Slow Down
Kobe can’t be the facilitator, he turns the ball over too much. Farmar should start, and so should Bynum. This Lakers team defense isn’t any better than last year’s. Mihm isn’t ready. You know what five preseason games equal? A pile of male bovine animal manure. While we are learning some things, the context in […]
Bakersfield Thoughts
Lots of thoughts out of last night’s Lakers win in Bakersfield, both from myself and many of you in the comments. So here’s a mix of thoughts from last night. (If you want to read more about the Kobe/Buss/Jackson saga, Mark Heisler from the LA Times actually emailed a blogger with his thoughts, and they […]