LAKERS -at- NUGGETS -- 4/6 -- Thoughts and :-(( ratings
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DancingBarry
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 1:19 am    Post subject: LAKERS -at- NUGGETS -- 4/6 -- Thoughts and :-(( ratings

A Mile High, But A Hair Short... The Lakers trailed by as many as 18 points before sending the game into overtime. Kobe scored a four-point play with just over a minute left in regulation to tie the game. Later in overtime, he got tapped on a tough tip-in attempt that would have given the Lakers the lead before Carmelo's shot on the other end. C'est la vie.

The Lakers haven't allowed 100 points since March 17. They managed to hold the Nuggets to 99 points after regulation, which wasn't an easy feat after allowing 39 points in the first quarter.

Despite the fight that the Lakers put up, there was still some clock management problems to close regulation and overtime. Phil let them play, and we ended up with two missed shots up against the shotclock. The result was a couple two-for-one opportunities that left us with just 0.6 seconds and 3.8 seconds. If you end up setting up a play to get your shot off 5 or 6 seconds sooner, you give yourself a lot more options on the final offensive sets of the game.


Kobe -- -- Kobe seemed to have a little more jump in his step after resting this week. Hopefully, he still has that in the next game. He scored 40 or more points 24 times this season, setting a new Laker record as he went for 42 tonight on 13-32 shooting (3-7 from three and 13-14 from the line). He also had 8 boards, but just 1 assist with 3 turnovers. The team's resilience and ability to comeback from big deficits is a reflection on Kobe's will. Too bad we fell short tonight. He pulled up on the wing and hit a jumper. He swished a turnaround jumper on the baseline. He posted up on the wing, faced up, attacked and drew FTs, making both. After missing a few jumpers, he attacked, missed, got the ball back and scored. He bricked a three at the first quarter buzzer. He split the double, stumbled, tracked down the ball and scored an And-1 at the rim, making the FT. He missed an And-1 on a pass from Smush, but he made both FTs. He sized up his man, blew past him and dunked with both hands. He airballed a three but wanted the foul. He had 15 points on 5-15 shooting in the half, misfiring from the perimeter quite a bit. He swished a jumper off the dribble to start the second half. He had a ball knocked off him in transition. He lost the ball on iso on the sideline. He took the pinch post entry, attacked the lane and drew FTs, making both. Angry that he got taken out on the other end without a call, he got the ball in transition, exploded around Patterson and scored an And-1, making the FT. The D didn't close on Kobe in semi-transition, he measured the three and hit it. Wow, sensational sequence, contesting Melo on the D end to force a shot off the side of the back board, he grabbed the ball pushed it up with determination and blew past Camby for an And-1 (he made the FT). He hit a tough runner at the FT line, getting a little contact at the close of the third. He attacked off the dribble and drew FTs, making one. He missed a three, Luke got it back to him, Kobe peaked over his shoulder to find the defender that had rushed him then he knocked it down. He split a double, took contact and was falling down but nearly managed to get the shot to drop, he made both FTs. Down by four with 1:14 left, the shotclock at three, Kobe rose up and swished an And-1 three from the wing, he knocked down the FT to tie the game. He missed a heave at the buzzer in regulation to win the game. On his first attempt of overtime, he was essentially in a one-on-four situation, but he put a nasty crossover on Miller to open up a gap, he attacked and threw down with both hands. He forced a wild off balance runner with George wide open and missed. He missed his next jumper. He got tapped on a tip-in attempt off a missed shot in the second to last possession.

Odom -- -- Lamar had a chance to hit a big shot late in the game and couldn't knock it down. He eventually fouled out in overtime and finished with 16 points on 7-13 shooting, just 5 boards and 3 assists. On a night when we were giving up a few too many rebounds, it would have been nice to see a few more boards from him in the stat sheet. He was held to just 34 minutes, though, because of foul trouble. He posted up and found Cook for an open jumper. He was fouled in the lane for FTs, he made one. He found Smush in transition for a reverse layup. He picked up his second foul midway through the first and had to sit. He scored an easy layup off a pass from Luke. He picked up a weak third foul early in the second standing in the lane as a Nugget bounced off him. He missed a three on the first attempt of the half. He blew past his man off the dribble for a layup. He posted up Elson, turned one way, then went the other and hit the hook. He scored a layup off a quick pass back from Smush on the break. Great switch on D to cut off the baseline and draw an offensive foul on Patterson. He swished a face up jumper on the baseline. Nice cut down the lane and Kwame found him for the layup (he needs to do that a bit more). For some reason he went for a flop against Patterson in the post and didn't get the call. Poor clock management at the end of regulation and we messed up a two-for-one opportunity and Lamar missed a jumper. "I should drive the ball," he said afterward. "I settled for taking the pull-up. In situations like that, they're going to double Kobe, but somebody's got to make a play." He missed a point-blank layup in OT. He made up for it on the next trip down, hitting a three off a Kobe pass to tie the game. He picked up his sixth foul with 43.7 left and had to sit.

Kwame -- 8) -- He put up the numbers tonight with 15 points, 13 boards and 4 assists om 37 minutes. When he did a poor job anchoring the D, the team flat out sucked. When he clogged up the middle, doubled, switched and rotated, we clamped down. Offensively, he shot 5-9 from both the floor and the line. He set up in the lane and hit a jumphook from 5 feet away. He missed a flat jumphook. He kept several offensive boards alive for the Lakers, including one that led to a three by Luke early on. He got low position on his man and scored an easy And-1, he made the FT. He drew FTs in transition off a Kobe pass and he made both FTs. He hit a little face up jumper off Camby in the post. He missed a shot, got it back, missed, got it back and drew FTs, he missed both. Lamar set him up for an And-1 and he couldn't throw down the dunk, he made one FT. He scored an And-1 when Luke set him up for an easy score, he made the FT. He took another pass from Luke in the lane, took contact and made the layup for the And-1, he missed the FT. Good court vision, spotting Lamar cutting down the lane and Kwame fed him for the layup. He bobbled a pass, got control and then found Luke under the hoop for a layup in OT.

Smush -- -- Not a pretty game on either end from Smush and it resulted in him watching during the key stretches. He scored 6 points on a poor 2-9 shooting, had 3 boards, 4 assists and a little bit of foul trouble. He got beat badly on the baseline for a layup. He fouled Miller on the next possession. He found Lamar in the lane for FTs. He made a reverse in transition. He picked up his second foul trying to contest Buckner in transition midway through the first and had to sit. He finger rolled a layup high off the glass, attacking off the dribble. Nice fake shot and pass to Kobe, which led to FTs. Good job spotting Kwame in semi-transition with low position for an And-1. He drew a foul after getting his own rebound, he made both FTs. He got screened in the lane, Luke didn't cut off the pass under the hoop and Smush picked up his third foul pm an And-1 with a minute left in the first half. He found Cook for a jumper. He and Lamar ran the break and Smush gave it back to LO for the layup. Bad perimeter Tri pass and it resulted in a turnover. Wow, he airballed a wide open three with no one near him. Hopefully, he shakes off the poor shooting for the next game.

Cook -- -- It seems Cook's minutes are generally being limited to stints at the start of the halves. He played 15 minutes, scored 4 points on 2-4 shooting and grabbed 1 board. He rattled in a long jumper off a kickout from Lamar. He kept an offensive board alive and it led to a Kobe hoop. Good hustle, diving to the floor to secure a loose ball. He drained a wing jumper off a pass from Smush. Nice help D rejection of Miller to ignite a break. The Lakers mostly went with Lamar at the PF.

George -- -- He didn't contest the last shot by Melo, but prior to that he played a decent game. He scored 4 points on 2-6 shooting, grabbed 4 boards and had 2 steals. He turned and hit from the top of the key for one of his makes. Good iso D on Melo, cutting off the baseline and it should have been Laker ball as Melo stepped on the line. Nice blindside on Patterson for a steal. Nice D on Patterson in the post to force a miss. He hesitated and missed a big three with 3:27 left om regulation. Superb offensive board over Melo, going up high in OT to pull it down, then spinning and scoring a layup.

Walton -- -- Hey, he didn't hit the last two shots and had a bonehead turnover in the game, but Luke still played a very good game for the team. He scored 12 points on 5-14 shooting, including 2-4 from three, he pulled down 7 boards, dished 6 assists and had a few passes that led to FTs or And-1s. He was very aggressive on the offensive end throughout the game. For a major stretch of crunch time, Phil ran a Kobe/Luke backcourt. Early on, he grabbed an offensive board and hit a quick fade in the lane. Good D stripping Evans in the post. Nice court vision spotting Lamar under the hoop for a layup instead of taking the three. He swished a three off a kickout from Kwame. He attacked and found Jackson for a three off a kickout. Another good attack off the dribble, he spun and hit the floater in the lane. He had a braincramp, throwing the ball back to Sasha in the back court. He got blocked at the rim. He attacked and found Kwame with a one-handed pass off the dribble for an And-1. He posted up, turned to shoot, then found Kwame under the hoop for another And-1. He found Kobe in transition for an open three, Kobe missed, Luke got it back and served it to him again and Kobe sank the next three. Luke drained a confident looking three off a swing pass from Lamar. He missed a layup off the attack. He knocked down a pass to force a turnover. His man hit a big three over him with a couple minutes left. He scored a layup when Kwame found him under the hoop in OT. He missed a jumper with the shotclock running down. He then missed a three to win the game. "As I told these guys, the teams are going to double-, triple-team Kobe at the end, so he's not going to get the ball," Phil said in the Daily News. "Somebody else is going to have to step up and make a shot." Too bad Luke couldn't come through tonight.

Turiaf -- -- Not much to talk about in this one. He played 7 minutes and scored a point, pulled down a board and had a couple fouls. He got backdoored for a layup. Nice two-man game with Kobe and he drew FTs, he made one. He came in early in the third for Kwame at the 7:30 mark. He was beat a couple of times taking a bad angle on the baseline.

Sasha -- -- In a game where Smush is struggling, these are the times when we could really use a better spark off the bench than Sasha. He played just 9 minutes and Phil opted to leave both him and Smush on the bench during crunch time. Sasha scored 5 points on 2-2 shooting while he was out there. He swished a three from the wing off an inbounds pass. He swished a jumper with his foot on the line. He couldn't beat the shotclock when he tried to attack off the dribble and it resulted in a turnover.

Jackson -- -- Pretty solid minutes from Jackson on both ends and Phil gave him 8:51 of action. Nice D on Patterson in the post and he forced a brick. Again, good D in the post but the refs bailed out Patterson. JJ drained a wing three on a quick catch and shoot off a Luke kickout. He missed a pull-up J from the FT line. He finished with 3 points on 1-2 shooting and 2 boards. That seemed to be his most comfortable stretch of ball as a Laker.

Phil -- -- I mentioned the clock management situation at the top of the report. The team still doesn't have it at the end of games. Hopefully, when it comes to the playoffs, Phil will step in with some timeouts in those situations. "We want to get on the winning side of these because these are the games you have in playoffs," he said in the Daily News, "and you've got to win these if you're going to succeed."... Phil took a timeout with 3 minutes left in the first after the Lakers had the ball run down their throats. Too many turnovers and not getting back fast enough off missed shots. The Lakers gave up 39 points in the first quarter on a ton of layups and dunks. "As I told them, the quicker you get behind, the more time you have to catch up," Phil joked afterward... The Lakers trailed by as many as 18 points in the first half before cranking up their game to cut the lead to as low as 2 before the Nuggets went on a short run to lead by 9 at the half... At the half, the coaches stressed the number of layups the team gave up. The Nuggets had 32 points in the paint in the first half. They had just 10 more the rest of the way... It looked like he sent Kwame to the bench early in the third when he didn't help on Smush's man when he got picked... He went to a Kobe/Luke back court midway through the fourth... Phil was whistling like crazy from the sideline as we had an opportunity to set a two-for-one up to close the game. Lamar ended up taking a jumper late in the offense and missed. Poor execution and we ended up 0.6 left on the clock when the Nuggets had a shotclock violation on the other end. A little better clock management and we have a better opportunity on the final possession. The team just doesn't seem to quite have the closing skills yet... He brought Smush in for Lamar with 43.7 left. Gave him a pep talk and a swat before entering the game. Hopefully, he can get Smush fired up in the next game. They are goind to need a good game from him...
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DaggerInTheHeart
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 1:44 am    Post subject:

A frustrating game --- indeed.

We lost this game for 2 reasons and i think you will agree DB.

We let Francisco Elson play like a All-star

Smush was playing poorly

Offensive rebounds was also the reason but i think most importantly we were just poor in terms of playing in a top-notch level you can't expect to be down big and get your self back and win especially on the road in a playoff like game.

hopefully some of these guys learn something from the game to many mental errors.


Last edited by DaggerInTheHeart on Fri Apr 07, 2006 1:46 am; edited 1 time in total
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 1:45 am    Post subject:

DancingBarry...What a PG!?!?



Just kidding.

Good stuff as always. Think Smush deserved to be disected a bit more, due to the discussions that have been focused around his*ahem* Defense *ahem* and PG play.

But, as always:

Thanks and good stuff DB!!!
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 1:48 am    Post subject:

The possession where LO ended up taking that missed jumper, IMO, we
needed to get something early, even if that meant just getting it quickly to
Kobe to go inside and force contact or a chance at an inside shot.

We had 45 or so seconds at that point when we got the ball.

Perfect amount of time to go 2-for-1.

If we had gotten a play off quicker, we could have left Denver with
35 seconds or so on the clock and we'd have had more time when
we got the ball back for a second opportunity.

Just bad clock management. Not sure whether to blame Phil, LO or
just the backcourt in general on that one - but I think with that amount
of time and a tie-game on the road, you HAVE to go 2-for-1.
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 1:52 am    Post subject:

DaggerInTheHeart wrote:
A frustrating game --- indeed.

We lost this game for 2 reasons and i think you will agree DB.

We let Francisco Elson play like a All-star

Smush was playing poorly

Offensive rebounds was also the reason but i think most importantly we were just poor in terms of playing in a top-notch level you can't expect to be down big and get your self back and win especially on the road in a playoff like game.

hopefully some of these guys learn something from the game to many mental errors.


We lost this game for a lot of reasons. Seriously. There are a number of things that could have been done differently and players who came up short. Personally, I think the biggest problem was a recurring one. We have lost a lot of close games this season...a lot... We have issues in the last minute or two of games. Somehow, I doubt Phil will "let them play" in the playoffs. So, hopefully, we will have a better grip on it then. He's still trying to get them to think the game in crunch time.

This one didn't really bother me, though, because they battled back. Like I said, c'est la vie.
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 1:56 am    Post subject:

DB (great as always on your hard work):

PJ seems to be utilizing a Kwame/LO/DGeorge/Kobe/Luke line-up during crunch time which has defense, firepower, rebounders and smarts. Do you think that Mihm will starting taking the "big" (PF) that don't play near the paint as often such as Rasheed, KG, etc. - seems the logical move, assuming that they can play together.

With PJ giving more and more minutes to Jim Jackson, shouldn't this lessen the dependence on Smush and Sasha - considering their consistent inconsistencies?!?!?!

What they need from Smush is a good game from him . . CONSISTENTLY!
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 1:59 am    Post subject:

DancingBarry wrote:
We lost this game for a lot of reasons. Seriously. There are a number of things that could have been done differently and players who came up short. Personally, I think the biggest problem was a recurring one. We have lost a lot of close games this season...a lot... We have issues in the last minute or two of games. Somehow, I doubt Phil will "let them play" in the playoffs. So, hopefully, we will have a better grip on it then. He's still trying to get them to think the game in crunch time.

This one didn't really bother me, though, because they battled back. Like I said, c'est la vie.


Agreed, there was alot of reasons why we lost this game but little bit of small things also caused us this game.

and we do struggle in close games so this doesn't come to a surprise and i agree the fact that they battled back was good thing to witness unfortunately you can't do that on the road in a tough place.

i do think if Smush would've played half-decent we would've win this game the bench production was great though.
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 2:01 am    Post subject:

magic_bryant wrote:
DancingBarry...What a PG!?!?



Just kidding.

Good stuff as always. Think Smush deserved to be disected a bit more, due to the discussions that have been focused around his*ahem* Defense *ahem* and PG play.

But, as always:

Thanks and good stuff DB!!!


I think people expect too much from him. Yes, he should be playing better D... but I put more blame on not having another quality option than Smush. Of course, we were going to have PG issues this season with him at the starting spot. That's why we were interested in signing some other PGs this offseason, but couldn't because of the cap plans.

He's done better than most people expected this season. So, why should I heap more blame on him than that? If we have issues at PG, blame the cap plans. Or Kupchak for not working a deal for another guard. I still think he did pretty well by pulling Smush out of no where. But do we expect a guy from no where to be giving us everything we want at the PG in his first year with this team?
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 2:05 am    Post subject:

sodapoppenski wrote:


Just bad clock management. Not sure whether to blame Phil, LO or
just the backcourt in general on that one - but I think with that amount
of time and a tie-game on the road, you HAVE to go 2-for-1.


Hard to say. I was think about those 2-for-1s and watching us tick away the time without any focus. Very sad. Phil was whistling like mad for them to do something on the fly, not sure what, but he didn't look real happy with their execution.

As long as we seem pretty secure with the playoff spot, I don't mind seeing Phil let these guys try to work it out on the fly and flex their brain muscles. Come playoff time, though, I expect he will be more hands on.
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 2:07 am    Post subject:

DancingBarry wrote:
magic_bryant wrote:
DancingBarry...What a PG!?!?



Just kidding.

Good stuff as always. Think Smush deserved to be disected a bit more, due to the discussions that have been focused around his*ahem* Defense *ahem* and PG play.

But, as always:

Thanks and good stuff DB!!!


I think people expect too much from him. Yes, he should be playing better D... but I put more blame on not having another quality option than Smush. Of course, we were going to have PG issues this season with him at the starting spot. That's why we were interested in signing some other PGs this offseason, but couldn't because of the cap plans.

He's done better than most people expected this season. So, why should I heap more blame on him than that? If we have issues at PG, blame the cap plans. Or Kupchak for not working a deal for another guard. I still think he did pretty well by pulling Smush out of no where. But do we expect a guy from no where to be giving us everything we want at the PG in his first year with this team?


Which would you prefer Smush do? Get his 12 points and "cool dunks" or play Defense like you're a hungry guy looking to have a 10+ year career in the NBA? Yeah, I thought so.

I could care less whether he's giving us offense. He's got all of the tools to be a great defender but doesn't want to be. He'd get his big contract if he played lockdown D and proved "steady" on offense, even if it was only a steady 8 or 9 points a game. But no, he's an ego player. He plays D according to his touches. You'd think after being released 3 different times already, that a guy would gain a bit of humility to himself.

Guess not.
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 2:15 am    Post subject:

A Mad Chinaman wrote:
DB (great as always on your hard work):

PJ seems to be utilizing a Kwame/LO/DGeorge/Kobe/Luke line-up during crunch time which has defense, firepower, rebounders and smarts. Do you think that Mihm will starting taking the "big" (PF) that don't play near the paint as often such as Rasheed, KG, etc. - seems the logical move, assuming that they can play together.

I'd certainly like to see it. However, it may be too late in the season to pull that off. Mihm's got the midrange game to do it, but he and Kwame haven't gotten in sync. It might be too much to expect that they do in such short time.

Quote:

With PJ giving more and more minutes to Jim Jackson, shouldn't this lessen the dependence on Smush and Sasha - considering their consistent inconsistencies?!?!?!

Don't know. It might allow Kobe to cover the opposing PG, though, late in games. Hopefully, Phil continues to find minutes for JJ and starts to build some trust in what he can and can't give.

Quote:

What they need from Smush is a good game from him . . CONSISTENTLY!


Consistent guard production would sure help a lot. Can we really expect Smush to be our answer right now? How great would he be coming off the bench behind a solid vet guard instead of being baptized by fire?

Hopefully, he continues to improve his game during the offseason so that he's more consistent on the offensive end. Learns how to D-up with his head more and maintain better defensive effort throughout the season. Consistency usually comes with experience unless you are a very, very talented young star, which he's not.
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 2:23 am    Post subject:

Smush simply lacks effort on Defense. That's not something that's likely to change. That's something that changes when a young guy, once he's already in the league, gets told he's not good enough that first time. Smush has been told that 3 times already. Make it 4 times, if you count not being drafted.

He looked like he was serious about playing D for the first month and a half this season, then he sorta stuck his chest out as if "I've made it, I'm here now" and has stopped trying on Defense.

Is it too much to ask that a player actually try to play defense at the 1?
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 2:29 am    Post subject:

magic_bryant wrote:


Which would you prefer Smush do? Get his 12 points and "cool dunks" or play Defense like you're a hungry guy looking to have a 10+ year career in the NBA? Yeah, I thought so.

I could care less whether he's giving us offense. He's got all of the tools to be a great defender but doesn't want to be. He'd get his big contract if he played lockdown D and proved "steady" on offense, even if it was only a steady 8 or 9 points a game. But no, he's an ego player. He plays D according to his touches. You'd think after being released 3 different times already, that a guy would gain a bit of humility to himself.

Guess not.


You were expecting more from him before the season started than he's already given to date?

I don't think so.

Of course, we'd like all these things from him. With more experience he may provide some of them. A lot of it is on the mental side. Even effort is a mental-side issue sometimes because you have to push through the wall. The coaches themselves have been saying they have been really worried about his legs because of the number of minutes he's logged this season. He may not be physically up to the challenge yet.

All these problems were spelled out before the season started. We couldn't land another guard and instead of Smush providing spark off the bench, we have to heap a lot more on him than we should have. My expectations for Smush probably aren't as lofty as some people here.
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 2:34 am    Post subject:

DancingBarry wrote:
You were expecting more from him before the season started than he's already given to date?

I don't think so.

Of course, we'd like all these things from him. With more experience he may provide some of them. A lot of it is on the mental side. Even effort is a mental-side issue sometimes because you have to push through the wall. The coaches themselves have been saying they have been really worried about his legs because of the number of minutes he's logged this season. He may not be physically up to the challenge yet.

All these problems were spelled out before the season started. We couldn't land another guard and instead of Smush providing spark off the bench, we have to heap a lot more on him than we should have. My expectations for Smush probably aren't as lofty as some people here.


Smush Parker is not a fundamentally sound player and yes he does to many mental-errors and for a PG you can't have them cause you have the ball on you're hands more cause you're trying to create other players shots the way i see it Smush is not really a NBA player the guy has had enough time in the NBDL hes been cut 3 times already i think Smush's problem is he doesn't care because he doesn't know the importance of the game.

i really do hope hes benched for good against the Suns the guy is a train-wreck out there.
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 2:38 am    Post subject:

DancingBarry wrote:
magic_bryant wrote:


Which would you prefer Smush do? Get his 12 points and "cool dunks" or play Defense like you're a hungry guy looking to have a 10+ year career in the NBA? Yeah, I thought so.

I could care less whether he's giving us offense. He's got all of the tools to be a great defender but doesn't want to be. He'd get his big contract if he played lockdown D and proved "steady" on offense, even if it was only a steady 8 or 9 points a game. But no, he's an ego player. He plays D according to his touches. You'd think after being released 3 different times already, that a guy would gain a bit of humility to himself.

Guess not.


You were expecting more from him before the season started than he's already given to date?

I don't think so.

Of course, we'd like all these things from him. With more experience he may provide some of them. A lot of it is on the mental side. Even effort is a mental-side issue sometimes because you have to push through the wall. The coaches themselves have been saying they have been really worried about his legs because of the number of minutes he's logged this season. He may not be physically up to the challenge yet.

All these problems were spelled out before the season started. We couldn't land another guard and instead of Smush providing spark off the bench, we have to heap a lot more on him than we should have. My expectations for Smush probably aren't as lofty as some people here.


Yes I did expect more. I expected him to actually care about defense. I wasn't so much worried about his offense, cause I remembered him from his days in Cleveland. His athleticism would win out and make him an offensive threat.

What I really expected though, was the idea that "Hey, he's a tremendous athlete that can play PG. He's been cut a few times, I bet he's going to play like he has something to prove. A chip on his shoulder" He's only played like he has something to prove to his boys back at the Rucker by scoring well against NBA players. He still has an attitude problem and an apparent dislike for playing defense.

You attribute his lack of defense to the minutes he's played. Well, how come his legs look fine when he's on offense? They sure look fine on defense in the games he's getting touches offensively.

Hopefully he'll be relegated to the bench next year. But he'd probably take that as a slap in the face. :roll:
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DancingBarry
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 2:59 am    Post subject:

Well, I certainly didn't expect much more. I don't think a lot of people did this offseason. Everyone was freaking out because we weren't signing another guard. I'm pretty sure Smush did a lot better than 99% of the people thought he would this season.

And, yes, when you are tired...your D goes to hell. How much effort does he really use on the offensive end in OUR system? He's not doing a lot of ball handling and creating for others like a tradition PG. He gets plenty of time to rest. He can get a blow so easily in our offense because of all the other guys, it's not even funny. On the D end, there is no rest for the PG. No doubt it would come more to play on that end.

I don't know how he will respond if he comes off the bench next year. Hopefully, he rises to the challenge. I do know he's not being challenged much by any other point guard on our team. And, that is where the real problems lies. Always has been.
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Wannabeer
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 6:35 am    Post subject:

Bad teams find ways to lose close games. Not hard to figure out people.
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 6:53 am    Post subject:

I was pretty frustrated at the end of the 4th and OT with L.A. NOT going for the 2-for-1's. The clock was in their favor and the game was tied both times, but they allowed the Nuggets to essentially get the last shot each time.

Yeah, Odom missed some shots down the stretch, Kobe took some bad shots, but what irks me are the horrible calls. Making horrible calls during quarters 1-3: usually a team can overcome those. But when a games is close, 1 bad call can comepletely turn the game around. Odom fouling out: huh? He didn't even touch the guy - literally. How can you call that as a 6th foul on ANYone? That should have ended in a break down the other end as Miller missed that layup, but instead he went to the line and got a point out of it. And Kobe should have gone to the line a few more times in the 4th and OT. In a game decided by 2 points, 1 bad call (especially in OT) can change the game.

I just don't know why L.A. came out so flat in the first. Even in the 2nd quarter they didn't play that well, but only caught up because the Nuggs played even worse. They need to start playing 4 quarters of ball, and then if they get bad calls, they should play consistently enough to overcome them.
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 6:55 am    Post subject:

And as for Smush - I really liked him in the first half of the season - but I think L.A. (and the rest of the league) is finding out why he hasn't played much for anyone in the NBA. His horrible defense has been exposed and his offense has also tailed off. I just cant see him starting for the Lakers next year. Dump Sasha, put Smush on the bench, and get a real PG to start. But then, I think L.A. has been trying to do that for a few years now (how would this team have looked if Payton was still here?).
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 6:59 am    Post subject:

Disappointing loss. A game they should have won but they came back and had a chance to win. They never gave up. As a fan I can take a loss like this.
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 7:37 am    Post subject:

we had 2 for 1 opportunities at the end of the 4th and OT and we ran the clock down and basically gave Denver the last possession both times. Although it is hard to fault #8, I really finish he had pulled down the rebound for the final shot of OT instead of trying to tip it in. Once again we get burned by having Devean guarding the last play of the game. I know alot of you talk about that jumper Lamar missed but i think the layup in early on in OT was more crucial. Completely killed our momentum. He came down the next possession and knocked down the big 3 to tie the game but we would have been up by 2 at that point.

I also think the refs should have given Smush the foul when Camby ran out and bumped him on the rebound that led to the Bryant missed tip in.

Did you guys think Lamar's foul on Miller was legit?

why does Lamar never use his length to his advantage?
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Last edited by Mr. EiGhTy-OnE on Fri Apr 07, 2006 7:44 am; edited 1 time in total
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 7:41 am    Post subject:

DancingBerry Wrote:
Quote:
Phil -- -- I mentioned the clock management situation at the top of the report. The team still doesn't have it at the end of games. Hopefully, when it comes to the playoffs, Phil will step in with some timeouts in those situations. "We want to get on the winning side of these because these are the games you have in playoffs," he said in the Daily News, "and you've got to win these if you're going to succeed."... Phil took a timeout with 3 minutes left in the first after the Lakers had the ball run down their throats. Too many turnovers and not getting back fast enough off missed shots. The Lakers gave up 39 points in the first quarter on a ton of layups and dunks. "As I told them, the quicker you get behind, the more time you have to catch up," Phil joked afterward... The Lakers trailed by as many as 18 points in the first half before cranking up their game to cut the lead to as low as 2 before the Nuggets went on a short run to lead by 9 at the half... At the half, the coaches stressed the number of layups the team gave up. The Nuggets had 32 points in the paint in the first half. They had just 10 more the rest of the way... It looked like he sent Kwame to the bench early in the third when he didn't help on Smush's man when he got picked... He went to a Kobe/Luke back court midway through the fourth... Phil was whistling like crazy from the sideline as we had an opportunity to set a two-for-one up to close the game. Lamar ended up taking a jumper late in the offense and missed. Poor execution and we ended up 0.6 left on the clock when the Nuggets had a shotclock violation on the other end. A little better clock management and we have a better opportunity on the final possession. The team just doesn't seem to quite have the closing skills yet... He brought Smush in for Lamar with 43.7 left. Gave him a pep talk and a swat before entering the game. Hopefully, he can get Smush fired up in the next game. They are goind to need a good game from him...


I think it is a lack of trust and cohesion the players need to work on. This team is still short of the Suns or Clippers because they will not always give the ball to the open man.

I have no problem with Luke taking the last shot. He was wide open and that is a shot he can and has buried.

I have a problem with not getting Lamar the ball either under the basket or on the wing at the end of regulation when he had NO ONE on him and Kobe was doubled. That is poor execution and the team has to grow to believe in each other.


GREAT WRITE UP BY THE WAY. IT IS NICE TO HAVE YOU BACK!
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kells1220
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 7:42 am    Post subject:

Kobe played well enough for us to win.
Luke played out of his mind.
Kwame played like a beast.
George played pretty good D, offense is a little rusty.
Smush Sucked
Lamar missed key shots.
Cook played absolutely no D.
JJ was serviceable.
Sasha was a cry baby.
Did I miss anything.

The Lakers should've won this game. Maybe Luke shouldn't be the one making the inbound pass on the last play. To my memory they haven't worked out well.
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vanexelent
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 7:46 am    Post subject:

The Lakers really needed Chris Mihm last night. Ellison looked like J.O. last night and nobody could stop him.

Did anyone notice how great Melo played when LO was guarding him? He was hitting rainbow jumpers over the outstretched forward. D George and Kobe pretty much disrupted Melo's outside game when they were on him. I think the Lakers will be sorry if they allow D George to walk next year.

One play upset me more than anything. The last play before regulation, Odom was wide open underneath the basket, after a pick was set for him. Nobody saw him. Easy dunk to win the game.

In regards to Walton taking the last shot...I think it was the best shot on the court at the time. Kobe was being hounded and Luke can make those shots... just not in crunch time.
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TheBigRuski
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 8:20 am    Post subject:

Outstanding report! The LA Times should have a special section for you!
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