Man, this could be a long year for Lakers fans. Especially if Tuesday was any indication, where rumors about what was in Kobe’s locker became a mini-Chernobyl in Lakerland. The question I have is can this Lakers team look past the ongoing media distraction and still succeed on the court? Some teams rally around each […]
Lakers Analysis
Bynum’s Turn?
It’s no bit news that one of the keys to the Lakers improving this year is better play out of the center spot. And most Laker fans would wish for Andrew Bynum to be the guy takes a big step forward, improves his game and takes charge of the position. But what we’ve seen through […]
Game two and other thoughts.
I tried to watch all of the Warriors/Lakers game two, but I fell asleep about the end of the third quarter. I don’t think this can be emphasized enough — don’t read much into these games. Kevin at Clipperblog said it well, “The lineups throughout the course of the game are like those David statue […]
Preseason Game 2: Will They Talk About Anything But Kobe?
It’s blown up all over — Jerry Buss sat down with reporters in Hawaii and said he’d consider trading Kobe. He doesn’t want to, but he’ll consider it. There are plenty of people saying this “dumped gasoline on the almost extinguished fire,†but if Buss had come out and said “we will never trade Kobe†[…]
Preseason Game One Notes
It looked like a first preseason game, with plenty of sloppy to go around. Not going to take anything too seriously, but here are some notes. • The starting five was Fisher, Kobe, Radmanovic, Turiaf and Mihm. Note that Mihm got the start in front of Bynum. • Mihm showed good hustle on the boards, […]
The Starting Lineup
Most teams go to camp with a pretty good idea of who the starting five will be, and I think most Laker fans thought they knew too — Fisher, Bryant, Walton, Odom and Bynum (or, maybe Brown). But a new idea that fits with the team’s focus on defense and energy has come to the […]
Let’s Just Play Hoops
It amazes me how many basketball writers — including some I highly respect — seemed almost surprised that Kobe spoke general platitudes when he showed up (30 minutes late) for media day. Even if you were just half paying attention for the last few weeks, it was pretty clear this is what was going to […]
Wish List
This afternoon, after talking with the media, the Lakers will hop on a plane and head to Hawaii for training camp. It’s a time of the season filled with optimism. In that vein here is my with list of what I hope to see and hear about over the next several weeks. • A focus […]
Improving The Defense
All summer long, it’s not just that knowledgeable Lakers fans have been waiting for a roster move — they’ve been waiting for something specific. I don’t mean a move for one particular player, I mean a move that focused on improving the Lakers biggest weakness: Defense. And nothing happened. No shot-blocking powerhouse for the paint […]
Patience, Grasshopper, Patience
I don’t normally talk much about the space-filling “Off season report cards†that tend to come out during this dry time of year for NBA news. However, I think Sport Illustrated’s Marty Burns’ thoughts on the Lakers were a good jumping off point to talking about the overarching theme of the off-season. Grade: D When […]