A tale of two halves? At halftime the Lakers were up 50-48, but they couldn't put the ball in the basket in the second half. They lost 104-86 to Kings Thursday night in Vegas.
The Lakers didn't play quality defense throughout the game. The players and coaches commented on that in the post game interviews. Perhaps the distractions of Vegas played a role? LOL, maybe. In the first half they were able to keep pace since the Lakers' starters and key role players were getting time on the court. Sacramento then pulled away when their bench outplayed the Lakers' bench.
Nightly Notables:
The Good:
-Pau is starting to look really good. His timing looked great and he was pretty dominant offensively in the minutes that he played. He shot 6-9 and had 13 pts with 5 rebs.
-Kaman looked good too. We saw more of the Gasol/Kaman combo. The first score of the game was a high/low lobe from Pau to Chris. This combination is earning minutes, which is a surprise to me.
-Swaggy P fulfilled his role as a scorer and has been thus far. The Lakers desperately need that go-to-guy who can make something out of nothing while Kobe is out. He had 17 points on 25 minutes and shot 6-13.
The Bad:
-Nash tweaked his ankle and only played 8 minutes. It appears to not be serious.
-Xavier Henry might be bothered by his wrist a little bit. He was only 1-5 but his aggressiveness was still there.
-The Lakers team defense left much to be desired. They allowed the Kings to shoot 53.7% from the field.
The Lakers next game will be in China against the Golden State Warriors. It will air at 4:30 AM Pacific Standard Time. My hat is off to anyone who wakes up in time for that lol!
Monday, October 14, 2013
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Preseason: Lakers vs Nuggets (10/8/13)
The Lakers were back in Ontario, California on Tuesday for another preseason tune-up against the Nuggets. This time they beat the Nuggets 90-88. The game got ugly (77 free throws combined) in the second half when more of the 3rd stringers and camp invites got playing time. However the team showed improvement and is light years ahead of where they were at this same time last year. Chemistry was the word of the game as the announcers made reference to it several times. It was evident too. You can tell these guys like playing together and they enjoy being Lakers. Something that was definitely amiss from last season. Ball movement was crisp and the extra pass was made frequently. As a result the Lakers jumped out to a 21 point lead at one point. It's still just preseason but these are great building blocks heading into the games that matter.
Nightly Notables:
The Good:
-The Gasol/Kaman front court combo looked nice. Offensively they fit well together because both bigs can pass, shoot, and have a post game. The concerns were mostly on the defensive end because Kaman and Gasol are no spring chickens. However they did well on that end of the floor against one of the fastest teams in the league. This could be a promising combo for certain situations throughout the year.
-The Hill/Williams front court combo looked good too and gave a completely different feel from Gasol/Kaman. They defended with quick rotations and WIlliams strecthed the floor with his outside shooting. Definitely a got to lineup for a small ball scenarion.
-Nash and Blake showed the depth the Lakers have at PG now. It was a far cry from the 3rd stringers we had starting for us last playoffs (Duhon and Morris). Farmar will only solidify that rotation.
The Bad:
-Wes Johnson and Farmar sat out with minor injuries
-Kobe is still out
-Too many fouls. Need to play solid D without hacking
Another good tune-up. If this team keeps it up they could surprise some people. The chemistry is 1000 times better and the players and coaches are united since they all have something to prove.
Nightly Notables:
The Good:
-The Gasol/Kaman front court combo looked nice. Offensively they fit well together because both bigs can pass, shoot, and have a post game. The concerns were mostly on the defensive end because Kaman and Gasol are no spring chickens. However they did well on that end of the floor against one of the fastest teams in the league. This could be a promising combo for certain situations throughout the year.
-The Hill/Williams front court combo looked good too and gave a completely different feel from Gasol/Kaman. They defended with quick rotations and WIlliams strecthed the floor with his outside shooting. Definitely a got to lineup for a small ball scenarion.
-Nash and Blake showed the depth the Lakers have at PG now. It was a far cry from the 3rd stringers we had starting for us last playoffs (Duhon and Morris). Farmar will only solidify that rotation.
The Bad:
-Wes Johnson and Farmar sat out with minor injuries
-Kobe is still out
-Too many fouls. Need to play solid D without hacking
Another good tune-up. If this team keeps it up they could surprise some people. The chemistry is 1000 times better and the players and coaches are united since they all have something to prove.
Monday, October 7, 2013
Preseason: Lakers vs. Nuggets (10/6/13)
In contrast to yesterday's game, today's game was sloppy. The Lakers lost 88-97. Since it's preseason, the loss is not as important as the way the team plays. There were some good things shown this game, but overall it was ugly. There too many offensive fouls and missed shots.
Nightly Notables:
The Good:
-Nash and Pau looked healthy. They did have a little rust, as expected, but they moved well
-Xavier Henry and Nick YounYoung picked up where they left off last night
-Chemistry appears to be developing on the bench which should carry over onto the court. The one thing's lots of guys have in common is that they have a lot to prove
The Bad:
-Tons if misses in makeable shots
-Lots of turnovers due to illegal screens
-Injuries (minor) to Wesley Johnson and Xavier Henry
Of the players fighting for a roster spot, Henry, Williams, and Johnson-Odom impressed the most tonight. Landry missed his first 6 threes (3 of them airballs), but then made his final 3 in a row. Strange night for him.
The Lakers will play again Tuesday night against Denver again. It'll be fun to see who else stands out and if the team can get into a rythym offensively.
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Preseason: Lakers vs Warriors (10/5/13)
In their first preseason game of the year, the Lakers got the victory 104-95 over the Warriors. These are only exhibition games, and the Lakers were without Nash, Gasol, and Bryant, but the action was still fun to watch. It's interesting to see the young players expand their games and the hopefuls try to make the roster.
Nightly Notables:
The Good:
-Xavier Henry went off for 29 pts. He's a slasher who consistently got into the lane tonight. His 3 ball was working tonight too. Good game overall
-Jordan Farmar showed why the Lakers picked him up. He's a speedy guard who can make plays. He had a nice behind the head pass in the first half.
-Swaggy P (Nick Young) was a scoring machine in the first half. He had 17pts on 4-9 shooting. The Lakers will definitely lean on him throughout the year to provide instant offense.
-Kaman also had a solid game. He should be an excellent back up center
The Bad:
-Rebounding seems to be a weakness so far. Maybe that will change with Pau and Kobe in the lineup.
-As expected, lots of turnovers in the first game.
-Wesley Johnson has been a standout in camp but he had an awful game. Not much impact on D or O.
The Lakers have already gotten off to a better start than last year (they went 0-8).They'll be in action again tonight the Denver Nuggets.
Nightly Notables:
The Good:
-Xavier Henry went off for 29 pts. He's a slasher who consistently got into the lane tonight. His 3 ball was working tonight too. Good game overall
-Jordan Farmar showed why the Lakers picked him up. He's a speedy guard who can make plays. He had a nice behind the head pass in the first half.
-Swaggy P (Nick Young) was a scoring machine in the first half. He had 17pts on 4-9 shooting. The Lakers will definitely lean on him throughout the year to provide instant offense.
-Kaman also had a solid game. He should be an excellent back up center
The Bad:
-Rebounding seems to be a weakness so far. Maybe that will change with Pau and Kobe in the lineup.
-As expected, lots of turnovers in the first game.
-Wesley Johnson has been a standout in camp but he had an awful game. Not much impact on D or O.
The Lakers have already gotten off to a better start than last year (they went 0-8).They'll be in action again tonight the Denver Nuggets.
Monday, September 9, 2013
OFFSEASON: Training Camp (09/09/13)
Can you believe it? Training camp is just a few weeks away! With the Lakers' media day officially scheduled for September 28th, it won't be long before we see the purple and gold take the court again. You're going to see some new names and new faces as we head into the 2013-2014 season.
With the departure of Dwight Howard, the Lakers have bought fully into providing head coach Mike D'antoni the players that fit his style of basketball. The only caveat is they did not sign any players to long term deals or big money contracts. This is to preserve cap space for the next off season when they can completely rebuild the team from the ground up.
Here is the Lakers roster as it stands today:
Point Guards: Steve Nash, Jordan Farmar, Steve Blake
Shooting Guards: Kobe Bryant, Nick Young, Xavier Henry, Jodie Meeks
Small Forwards: Wes Johnson, Shawne Williams
Power Forwards: Jordan Hill, Ryan Kelly, Elias Harris
Centers: Pau Gasol, Chris Kaman, Robert Sacre
Some of those names you might recognize and others you may not. I've covered Farmar, Young, Kaman, and Johnson in the last entry so this time I'll focus on the latest additions. In general the new players added are young and athletic. That doesn't always translate to being good players, but it is a solid foundation for players in an up-tempo offense. Also keep in mind that some of these names will change either through trades or simply being cut from the team. Training camp is essentially tryouts after all.
Shawne Williams- 6'9" forward who played for D'antoni on the Knicks where he had 1 solid year shooting 3 pointers (40.1%). Had questionable character issues.
Elias Harris- 6'8" forward from Germany. Athletic. His game is similar to Earl Clark's from what I hear. A scrappy hustle player who can hit open shots. Will be a rookie.
Ryan Kelly- 6'11" forward who is known as a shooter. Has good defensive fundamentals but lacks footspeed. Will be a rookie.
Xavier Henry- 6'6" guard who played on the Pelicans last year. He's 22 with tons of room to grow. Unfortunately he hasn't shown much at this point or he wouldn't be available for this cheap.
Before training camp the Lakers will add several other players for the team to scrimmage against. Then we'll start seeing them play some pre-season games. This team is going to be much quicker than last year's. And with all of the players finally on the same page the offense will flow much smoother too. The biggest question marks will be that of health and the quality of defense the team will play. I think this team has the potential to surprise people based on the chemistry aspect alone, but we'll see.
We'll get into that more in the next entry when we get some practice reports. Until next time...
With the departure of Dwight Howard, the Lakers have bought fully into providing head coach Mike D'antoni the players that fit his style of basketball. The only caveat is they did not sign any players to long term deals or big money contracts. This is to preserve cap space for the next off season when they can completely rebuild the team from the ground up.
Here is the Lakers roster as it stands today:
Point Guards: Steve Nash, Jordan Farmar, Steve Blake
Shooting Guards: Kobe Bryant, Nick Young, Xavier Henry, Jodie Meeks
Small Forwards: Wes Johnson, Shawne Williams
Power Forwards: Jordan Hill, Ryan Kelly, Elias Harris
Centers: Pau Gasol, Chris Kaman, Robert Sacre
Some of those names you might recognize and others you may not. I've covered Farmar, Young, Kaman, and Johnson in the last entry so this time I'll focus on the latest additions. In general the new players added are young and athletic. That doesn't always translate to being good players, but it is a solid foundation for players in an up-tempo offense. Also keep in mind that some of these names will change either through trades or simply being cut from the team. Training camp is essentially tryouts after all.
Shawne Williams- 6'9" forward who played for D'antoni on the Knicks where he had 1 solid year shooting 3 pointers (40.1%). Had questionable character issues.
Elias Harris- 6'8" forward from Germany. Athletic. His game is similar to Earl Clark's from what I hear. A scrappy hustle player who can hit open shots. Will be a rookie.
Ryan Kelly- 6'11" forward who is known as a shooter. Has good defensive fundamentals but lacks footspeed. Will be a rookie.
Xavier Henry- 6'6" guard who played on the Pelicans last year. He's 22 with tons of room to grow. Unfortunately he hasn't shown much at this point or he wouldn't be available for this cheap.
Before training camp the Lakers will add several other players for the team to scrimmage against. Then we'll start seeing them play some pre-season games. This team is going to be much quicker than last year's. And with all of the players finally on the same page the offense will flow much smoother too. The biggest question marks will be that of health and the quality of defense the team will play. I think this team has the potential to surprise people based on the chemistry aspect alone, but we'll see.
We'll get into that more in the next entry when we get some practice reports. Until next time...
Monday, July 15, 2013
OFFSEASON: New Signings (07/14/13)
Now that most of the offseason roster changes have occurred, let's take a look at the moves the front office has made.
First things first. Dwight Howard did not re-sign with the Lakers. Instead he chose to go to Houston where he believes the grass is greener (read: there is less pressure to win). Some people can't handle the lime light I guess. I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt but....whatever.
Because of this, the Lakers have planned to completely overhaul the team for the 2014-2015 campaign. They are able to do this because all of their current contracts (except Nash) expire after this season. While great in potential, it does cause problems for assembling a team for this year. Being that the Lakers want a "clean slate" means that they don't want to sign any players to deals lasting longer than 1 year. This makes it difficult to attract quality players since most players prefer multi-year deals since it means more $$$, security, and comfort.
Operating under those constraints the Lakers have made the following moves:
Amnestying World Peace: This was done purely to save money. They like MWP as a person & player, but him being gone saves the team millions in taxes
Lost out on Earl Clark: While LA was waiting on Howard to make his decision, Earl Clark was offered a 2 year $9M deal from the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Lakers weren't willing to pay that much for Clark (who I liked), and I can't blame him for taking the extra money. It at least solves the minute sharing issue between Hill and Clark.
Signed Chris Kaman: Kaman is a great signing as a back-up center. He has a well developed post game and put up decent stats last year in this role. He gets injured when he gets too many minutes, so it's perfect for him to relieve Pau and keep them both fresh throughout the season. I've heard whispers of some experimental Kaman/Gasol lineups. I think it would be fine on offense, but far too slow on D. Maybe good for spot minutes.
Signed Jordan Farmar: True Lakers fans remember Farmar from his days on the repeat Championship team ('09 & '10). Look for him to be the same except more mature from his days playing over seas. With him the Lakers add much needed speed & athleticism in the back court. It could also mean Steve Blake is expendable now...
Signed Nick Young: This guy is the perfect classic sixth man in my opinion. He's an LA native who grew up watching the Lakers and idolizing Kobe. He's got major scoring talent and the tools to be good defensively. IF he takes some notes the Bean, and reaches his full potential....look out! He'll have to hold down the scoring fort until the Mamba returns.
Signed Wes Johnson: He's an athletic small forward. Something the Lakers have desperately needed since the days of Trevor Ariza. His specialty is defense, but he has the ability to knock down the open shot. The Lakers will need his perimeter defense when Nash and Kobe are playing together. Let the young guns do the hard stuff.
RUMORS
I typically don't post rumors because they move so quickly, and they rarely come to fruition. But this one is close to my heart so I'll post it. Rumor is the Lakers are looking to bring back Lamar Odom. His performance has definitely fallen off a cliff since he won 6th man of the year with the Lakers in 2011. But I would love to see him retire as a Laker. Especially if he was able to rejuvenate his game. He would fit right in to D'Antoni's system. If they don't pick him up, look for the Lakers to get Tyrus Thomas or Austin Daye. Thomas is an athletic 4/5 defender while Daye is 3/4 who is lanky with some offensive skills.
More analysis to come when the roster is finalized and we can see what type of system the Lakers will implore.
First things first. Dwight Howard did not re-sign with the Lakers. Instead he chose to go to Houston where he believes the grass is greener (read: there is less pressure to win). Some people can't handle the lime light I guess. I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt but....whatever.
Because of this, the Lakers have planned to completely overhaul the team for the 2014-2015 campaign. They are able to do this because all of their current contracts (except Nash) expire after this season. While great in potential, it does cause problems for assembling a team for this year. Being that the Lakers want a "clean slate" means that they don't want to sign any players to deals lasting longer than 1 year. This makes it difficult to attract quality players since most players prefer multi-year deals since it means more $$$, security, and comfort.
Operating under those constraints the Lakers have made the following moves:
Amnestying World Peace: This was done purely to save money. They like MWP as a person & player, but him being gone saves the team millions in taxes
Lost out on Earl Clark: While LA was waiting on Howard to make his decision, Earl Clark was offered a 2 year $9M deal from the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Lakers weren't willing to pay that much for Clark (who I liked), and I can't blame him for taking the extra money. It at least solves the minute sharing issue between Hill and Clark.
Signed Chris Kaman: Kaman is a great signing as a back-up center. He has a well developed post game and put up decent stats last year in this role. He gets injured when he gets too many minutes, so it's perfect for him to relieve Pau and keep them both fresh throughout the season. I've heard whispers of some experimental Kaman/Gasol lineups. I think it would be fine on offense, but far too slow on D. Maybe good for spot minutes.
Signed Jordan Farmar: True Lakers fans remember Farmar from his days on the repeat Championship team ('09 & '10). Look for him to be the same except more mature from his days playing over seas. With him the Lakers add much needed speed & athleticism in the back court. It could also mean Steve Blake is expendable now...
Signed Nick Young: This guy is the perfect classic sixth man in my opinion. He's an LA native who grew up watching the Lakers and idolizing Kobe. He's got major scoring talent and the tools to be good defensively. IF he takes some notes the Bean, and reaches his full potential....look out! He'll have to hold down the scoring fort until the Mamba returns.
Signed Wes Johnson: He's an athletic small forward. Something the Lakers have desperately needed since the days of Trevor Ariza. His specialty is defense, but he has the ability to knock down the open shot. The Lakers will need his perimeter defense when Nash and Kobe are playing together. Let the young guns do the hard stuff.
RUMORS
I typically don't post rumors because they move so quickly, and they rarely come to fruition. But this one is close to my heart so I'll post it. Rumor is the Lakers are looking to bring back Lamar Odom. His performance has definitely fallen off a cliff since he won 6th man of the year with the Lakers in 2011. But I would love to see him retire as a Laker. Especially if he was able to rejuvenate his game. He would fit right in to D'Antoni's system. If they don't pick him up, look for the Lakers to get Tyrus Thomas or Austin Daye. Thomas is an athletic 4/5 defender while Daye is 3/4 who is lanky with some offensive skills.
More analysis to come when the roster is finalized and we can see what type of system the Lakers will implore.
Monday, July 1, 2013
OFFSEASON: Free Agency (07/01/13)
Now that the season is over, congratulations to the back to back champion Heat, it's time to figure out how the Lakers can get back to the mountaintop. Roster changes are a guarantee. The only question will be who will stay and who will go. To answer that you have to look at the Lakers organization from a cap space, coaching choice, and "Kobe's last run" perspective. These are the factors that weigh the most heavily on the decisions they will be making.
Cap Space
Without getting into the gory details, cap space is simply the amount of money a team has to bring in players. There is a limit to how much a team can spend, and if a team goes over that then they must pay penalties called the "luxury tax". Most teams are unwilling to pay this tax and therefore keep their player salaries as low as possible. Typically the Lakers have paid as much as necessary to have a winning team. However, the rules are different than they use to be, and the luxury tax can be A LOT higher than it used to be. Also, the rules on trading/ signing players change for luxury tax teams as well. I bring this up because the Lakers will sign players this off season with those rules in mind.
Currently the Lakers are over the salary cap and paying luxury tax. For next season, they only have one player signed (Nash), and can start fresh. Depending on their plans this may limit who they want to bring in this year as they may not want to bring in someone on a long contract which would damage their flexibility.
Coaching Choice
When the Lakers chose head coach Mike D'Antoni over Phil Jackson lots of fans were in uproar. Whether that was the right choice or not doesn't matter currently. D'Antoni is the coach, and as such he's going to need players to fit his system. He needs teams that are athletic, like to run, and shoot lots of 3's. The Lakers team as constructed is not elite at any of those skills. If he remains coach, look for the Lakers to get players to fit that mold.
Kobe's Last Run
We all know Kobe is only going to play for a few more years. He's still as focused as ever on getting #6. Because of this the Lakers are more inclined to surround him with experienced players rather than young players who will take time to develop. It's a gift and a curse though because the young players tend to fit D'Antoni's system more, and they can also help provide rest for Bryant.
Roster Changes
Now that we understand the framework the Lakers are using, let's look at some current and potential roster changes from last year's squad.
Gone: Ebanks, Goudelock, Duhon,
All players who contributed little on the court last year
Likely gone: MWP, Jamison
MWP is top candidate to be amnestied. It would save the Lakers $30M in luxury tax.
Jamison took a pay cut and spent time away from home for the shot at a ring last year. Can't see him doing it again.
Likely staying: Clark, Morris
Clark is a free agent. He already said he'd take a pay cut so as long as another team doesn't offer him a ridiculous contract he'll be back. Morris has been invited to summer camp. If he performs well he'll be back.
Staying: Sacre, Nash, Meeks, Bryant, Blake, Hill
Pending a trade all these guys will be back
???: Howard, Gasol
Talking with other fans, a lot of folks are mad at Dwight Howard, and maybe rightfully so. Reports come out everyday that he doesn't like the coach, can't play with Kobe, wants to go to Houston, etc. While it all may be true it's important to remember that they are just reports and rumors. Not fact. Take it with a grain of salt. Pau's stay with the team has a lot to do with Dwight's decision. If Howard leaves there is little doubt the Lakers will keep Gasol to play center. If he stays they may trade him to get some younger players who fit the coach's system better. I think Dwight will stay, but you just never know. One thing is for sure, Lakers fans only want players that want to be here. It's a privilege to play for this ball club.
P.S.- Free agency starts today, so now Dwight Howard can start talking to teams. July 10th is the earliest he'd be able to sign any contract with any team.
Cap Space
Without getting into the gory details, cap space is simply the amount of money a team has to bring in players. There is a limit to how much a team can spend, and if a team goes over that then they must pay penalties called the "luxury tax". Most teams are unwilling to pay this tax and therefore keep their player salaries as low as possible. Typically the Lakers have paid as much as necessary to have a winning team. However, the rules are different than they use to be, and the luxury tax can be A LOT higher than it used to be. Also, the rules on trading/ signing players change for luxury tax teams as well. I bring this up because the Lakers will sign players this off season with those rules in mind.
Currently the Lakers are over the salary cap and paying luxury tax. For next season, they only have one player signed (Nash), and can start fresh. Depending on their plans this may limit who they want to bring in this year as they may not want to bring in someone on a long contract which would damage their flexibility.
Coaching Choice
When the Lakers chose head coach Mike D'Antoni over Phil Jackson lots of fans were in uproar. Whether that was the right choice or not doesn't matter currently. D'Antoni is the coach, and as such he's going to need players to fit his system. He needs teams that are athletic, like to run, and shoot lots of 3's. The Lakers team as constructed is not elite at any of those skills. If he remains coach, look for the Lakers to get players to fit that mold.
Kobe's Last Run
We all know Kobe is only going to play for a few more years. He's still as focused as ever on getting #6. Because of this the Lakers are more inclined to surround him with experienced players rather than young players who will take time to develop. It's a gift and a curse though because the young players tend to fit D'Antoni's system more, and they can also help provide rest for Bryant.
Roster Changes
Now that we understand the framework the Lakers are using, let's look at some current and potential roster changes from last year's squad.
Gone: Ebanks, Goudelock, Duhon,
All players who contributed little on the court last year
Likely gone: MWP, Jamison
MWP is top candidate to be amnestied. It would save the Lakers $30M in luxury tax.
Jamison took a pay cut and spent time away from home for the shot at a ring last year. Can't see him doing it again.
Likely staying: Clark, Morris
Clark is a free agent. He already said he'd take a pay cut so as long as another team doesn't offer him a ridiculous contract he'll be back. Morris has been invited to summer camp. If he performs well he'll be back.
Staying: Sacre, Nash, Meeks, Bryant, Blake, Hill
Pending a trade all these guys will be back
???: Howard, Gasol
Talking with other fans, a lot of folks are mad at Dwight Howard, and maybe rightfully so. Reports come out everyday that he doesn't like the coach, can't play with Kobe, wants to go to Houston, etc. While it all may be true it's important to remember that they are just reports and rumors. Not fact. Take it with a grain of salt. Pau's stay with the team has a lot to do with Dwight's decision. If Howard leaves there is little doubt the Lakers will keep Gasol to play center. If he stays they may trade him to get some younger players who fit the coach's system better. I think Dwight will stay, but you just never know. One thing is for sure, Lakers fans only want players that want to be here. It's a privilege to play for this ball club.
P.S.- Free agency starts today, so now Dwight Howard can start talking to teams. July 10th is the earliest he'd be able to sign any contract with any team.
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