HORNETS -at- LAKERS -- 10/20 -- Thoughts and :-)) Ratings
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2006 1:34 am    Post subject: HORNETS -at- LAKERS -- 10/20 -- Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

Game Breaker... The Lakers have always stated the importance of preseason when you run the triangle. It's key for the new guys to get time in and find some comfort zone. Injuries will no doubt cause some players to fall behind early this season, but Maurice Evans certainly appears to be finding his spots in the system. He broke the game open for the Lakers with 17 of his 27 points in the second half to lead the team to the 113-106 victory over the Hornets.

He showed versatility in his attack and some nice activity on the defensive end. Evans commenting on his game to the Daily News: "Scoring is definitely something that I can do out there with our offense," he said. "It is funny because before I came to the NBA I was never known as a defensive stopper.

"But I think that your role evolves with each team that you go to and hopefully I can be more than just a defensive stopper or offensive player. Hopefully, I can just be a chameleon and do whatever the team needs."

Even though Mo had a big game, it was still a fairly well-rounded attack. Lamar Odom put together his best all-around game, coming up one assist short of the triple double. Smush Parker had probably his best two-way game of the preseason, showing some improved hustle on the defensive end. Luke, Cook, Bynum and Farmar continued to do their thing.


Odom -- -- Mr. Near Triple Double was back in form. He was one assist shy of the mark tonight, showing a more aggressive game on the offensive end. To me, it's not so much the points that LO needs to get you, it's the aggressiveness that continually collapses the D that you want to see. Whether that is attacking from the post or off the dribble in the half court sets, if he can force the D to continually help, sag and commit double teams, that does a ton for our offense. Lamar scored 17 points on 7-13 shooting, pulled down 10 boards and dished 9 assists with 3 turnover in 31 minutes. Early on, he attacked from the wing to his right, then went back left for the score. Again, down the lane on the next sequence, he pulled the ball back to the right this time and scored with his off hand. He knocked down a ball in the backcourt, threw a bad pass, but Evans flagged it and scored. Great timing to tip in an Evans miss before falling to the floor. He swished an 18-footer off a handoff from Bynum. He attacked the hoop, drew the D, then dished to a cutting Evans for a layup. Bynum kicked an outlet to Lamar, who attacked the open court and scored a layup with his left over a defender. He worked the screen-roll with Bynum to perfection, giving him a high feed that he could grab and finish. He had 10 points, 4 assists and 6 boards at the half. Strong push out off a loose ball and he fed Evans for the dunk. He posted up his man, attacked, missed, got it back and scored a layup, just beating the shotclock. He hesitated off a kickout three and then airballed. He found Evans on the sideline for an open three. He faced up and knocked down an And-1 elbow jumper. He got blocked on a turnaround in the lane. He made a couple of late FTs.

Bynum -- -- A decent game from Bynum, playing nearly 26 minutes and scoring 7 points on 2-4 shooting, tallying 3 boards, and 4 assists with 3 turnovers. Obviously, he will make mistakes and have his young-player moments, but you just want to see steady progress -- game to game, week to week, month to month. He's not going to dominate at this time, but he can be serviceable, and hopefully, anchor the defense when he gets on the court. "That's pretty much what I am in there for now is to protect the paint, be big," he said. "I didn't grab as many rebounds because they kind of had me on the outside today." Bynum had to D-up against West quite a bit, which will be tough for him because of West's perimeter skills. Drew started the game with a strong jumphook in the middle of the lane on his first shot attempt. He kicked out a pass to Smush from the post for a three. Good contest against his man to force an airball. He drew a rooting foul and made one of two FTs. Good defensive sequence, not leaving his feet to roof a guard, he then pulled down a defensive board shortly later in a crowd and outlet to LO who scored in transition. He got a nice, high, clean return feed on the screen-roll with Lamar from the wing, Bynum kept it up high and finished off the glass. He took a quality interior feed from Smush, but couldn't finish after he was fouled, he sank both FTs nicely, though (his stroke is looking much better than last year). Bad pass to LO, throwing it behind him in the lane for a turnover. Another bad pass, this time on the outlet, throwing it over his guard's head. He missed a 12-foot jumper. He wasn't recovering off the pick and roll on West and gave up back-to-back jumpers from the top of the key. He mentioned after the game that there was some confusion on the coverage. Great drop step into the lane, but he got tapped on the left hander (repetition, repetition, repetition and that will be a weapon).

Smush -- -- Perhaps, Smush didn't like watching from the bench last night, but he played a much better game from Smush tonight. There were some genuine hustle moments and some hard-nosed D at times. He didn't get the steal numbers, but he caused problems and made things difficult for Paul at times. Now, string them together. He finished with 11 points on 4-5 shooting, 2 assists and 1 block. He called his own number, sized up Paul and hit a jumper over him on the baseline. Bad lob pass in transition, throwing it straight out of bounds. Another bad pass in traffic trying to find Bynum and it was easily stolen. He swished a catch-and-shoot three on the wing. He attacked off the pinch post and muscled in an And-1 over Paul, he missed the FT. Nice strip on Mason on a switch under the hoop. He front-rimmed an open three. He got whistled for a carry on the perimeter. Another poor interior feed to Bynum that was easily picked off. He stripped a ball off of Paul along the sideline to force a turnover. He got a long continuation, spinning a layup off the glass after Peja reached, Smush sank the FT. Again, he forced Paul into a turnover when Paul tried to push Smush away from him at midcourt. He set up Bynum for FTs with an interior feed. I liked the effort from Smush in the first half, he didn't give up, he kept rotating and hustling and it made a difference. He had 10 points and 2 assists at the half. He drew FTs on an attack down the lane, he made one.

Evans -- -- Mo Evans: 27 points on 11-18 shooting. Wow. "I'm starting to feel a lot more comfortable in this offense. There are a lot of X's and O's," Evans said, "and a lot of things you have to learn, and one of the most important things you have to learn is be patient." He picked his spots, didn't get caught overly crashing the boards and giving up breakaways, finished around the rim and hit jumper after jumper from all spots on the floor. Only three of his points came from beyond the arc. Just a well-rounded, high-octane game. He drained a pull-up baseline jumper to start the game. He scored a layup on the break after coming up with a bad pass from LO. He missed an open corner three. He missed a turnaround baseline jumper. Good tie up under the hoop on rotation from the weakside. He sank a stepback wing jumper like Devean George used to do with the shotclock running out (In fact, that was really DG's only move). He forced Peja into a shot that hit the top of the backboard. Excellent slash to the basket as LO was attacking and he earned a layup out of it. Nice job drawing a charge under the hoop with some more good defensive anticipation. He sank a 10-footer in transition over his man. He had 10 points on 5-8 shooting at the half and was just getting warmed up. Sweet ball fake from the elbow pinch post, his man bit and Evans had an open lane to the rim where he got dumped for FTs (that was a nice bit of Tri savvy). On the other end, he knocked a ball loose, busted out on the break and dunked when LO fed him. He was completely tapped on a wing jumper. Good effort on the offensive glass, grabbing a miss, missing twice at the rim before drawing a foul (he sank a tech FT and one of his foul freebies). He faked a three, took a dribble closer and swished from about 18 feet. He grabbed an outlet from Lamar, reared up and knocked down the 17-footer from the wing with ease. Next time down, he created off the dribble and scored with a pretty up-and-under off the glass. Lamar kicked it out from the paint and Evans drained the sideline three from the right side. He missed a corner three shortly later. He took a pinch-post handoff and drew contact on Pargo for an And-1 front 8 feet away, he made the FT. Nice strip on help D to knock a ball off Bass. He had a tough cover against BJax late in the game and was beat on several plays. That might give you an idea of how he might do guarding the PG spot.

Green -- 8) -- Again, problems with the jumper, but everything else looked more than solid. He got tapped on a a top-of-the-key jumper. He flashed from weak to strong, and hit a jumphook over Peja. He bricked an open 13-footer. Great push out in transition, keeping his head up, then attacking, drawing contact and hitting a short And-1, he made the FT. Great hustle on the offensive glass, putting back in a Bynum miss and drawing a push foul on Paul, he swished the FT. Green led all Lakers with a +21, while Pinnock led on the negative end with a -7. Green finished with 8 points on 3-6 shooting and grabbed 3 boards in 18 minutes.

Walton -- -- Luke is one of the key engines that runs the offense off the bench and he's also playing closer minutes. That seems to be how the Lakers are planning to use him. Rambis said it's Luke's job to organize these young guys in the offense when he's on the floor. "It's strange," Luke said, "we just started playing together and we have a lot of guys who know how to play the game and enjoy playing the game when we get out there. I think that's why we're having success with the second unit." Luke finished with 12 points on 5-9 shooting (2-6 from three) and 4 assists. With the shotclock low, he got into the post and hit his turnaround fade. Good feed, finding Pinnock off the pinch post for a layup under the hoop. He collapsed the D from the post, then kicked it out to Cook for a three. He worked the fallaway against Butler from about 10 feet away. Heads-up work in the post, surveying the cutters, backing his man down, then hitting a one-hander with his left. He missed a running three at the third quarter buzzer. He missed an open three. Nice bounce pass, hooking up with Farmar again out of the offense. He sank a wing three on a drive and kick from Farmar. He drained a catch-and-shoot three from the top of the key.

Turiaf -- -- Serviceable minutes. He didn't seem to control the paint as well as he had earlier in the preseason. He finished with 3 points on 1-3 shooting, 5 boards (3 offensive), 2 assists, 2 blocks and 4 fouls in 22 minutes. Very nice attack, not handing off the pinch post at the elbow, but going to the dribble, missing, but staying with it to tip it in. He blocked Simmons at the rim. He drew a foul posting up his man on one of his rare iso sequences. He picked up his third foul midway through the second and had to sit. He drew FTs when Pinnock found him, he made one. Great high-low bounce pass to Cook who got swatted from behind, if that's Kwame or Mihm on the receiving end, that's a dunk. Good hustle for an offensive board, he found Luke open, but Luke couldn't knock down the three. He rejected Simmons badly from behind and helped him off the floor. He drew FTs after scrambling for a bad pass, he bricked both.

Cook -- -- When he's draining jumpers with ease, he's a bit of a microwave weapon off the bench...especially when you put him on the floor with playmakers like Farmar and Luke. Cook scored 12 points on 4-5 shooting in 16 minutes. He drained a three from the top of the key on his first attempt. He drew FTs after getting an offensive board, he knocked down both. He swished a three from the corner on a kickout from Luke. Cook had 8 points on 2-2 shooting in his first stint. He got swatted after Turiaf set him up with a great high-low bounce pass. He gave up an And-1 on the other end to Paul unable to protect the paint. He faced up off the high pinch post and knocked down the 18-footer. He faced up and swished another jumper from about the same distance, but closer to the baseline. The Lakers and Cook have 10 more days to see if they can agree on a contract extension.

Farmar -- -- Jordan struggled at times in this game. He had some early misses in the offense and some miscues trying to run the two-guard front against pressure defense. Eventually, he fought through the problems and put together some effective minutes. He finished with 12 points on 4-8 shooting (2-3 from three), 3 assists, 1 steal and 3 turnovers in 21 minutes. Great find of Pinnock along the baseline, but Pinnock couldn't finish the dunk. He threw a pass away at the end of the quarter. He missed a floater and a jumper in the lane. He missed a deep three. He got blocked on a layup attempt off the pinch post. He swished a three straight away off a kickout. He slammed on the breaks, then floored it again and drew FTs on Pargo, he made both. Bad pass in the backcourt, getting it picked off by Paul and giving up FTs. He got an 8-second violation not getting the ball up fast enough against pressure D. Great attack into the paint where he found a slashing Pinnock who couldn't finish. He blew past his man, hung in the air and banked from a few feet away. He found himself wide open when Pargo went under a double screen and Jordan drained the wing three. He took the pass from Luke off a high Tri cut and teardropped over the help defender. He attacked, drawing the D and returned the favor to Walton, hitting him for an open three. Some up and down minutes, but he still managed to pull off an effective game.

Pinnock -- -- I think Pinnock is rushing things a bit too much. The game is probably playing at a much faster speed than he is used to and he's trying to meet that speed. Unfortunately, it's affecting his stroke from the perimeter and he can't finish to save his life (or roster spot as the case may be) right now. He went 2-9 for 4 points, 2 assists and 2 turnovers in 20 minutes. He forced a tough jumper against the shotclock and bricked. He clanked a wide open jumper in transition on the next possession. He missed another dunk attempt, getting blocked. He got beat on a cut badly by Pargo for a layup. He got it back on the other end with a score off the pinch post. Bad pass in against pressure and he turned it over. Strong dribble penetration by Pinnock and he fed Turiaf for FTs. He got lucky that Paul deflected a horrible pass out of bounds, otherwise that would have been another turnover. He didn't finish an easy layup off a Farmar pass. He got set up by Cook under the hoop and was swatted badly by a help defender. Finally, he blew past Mason in the lane and hit a runner. He bricked another pull-up jumper early in the offense. He bricked a layup attempt (it's official, he's the now worst finisher on team). Green has come out swinging after his poor outing a couple games back and Pinnock is struggling to get his game on track.

Rambis -- -- With Phil getting nearer to returning, these are the last few games of the Rambis head coaching stint. He's done a decent enough job, especially considering the curves he's been thrown with the injuries. They are shooting for Phil to be back on Thursday... The Lakers shot .537 for the game and cut the turnovers down to 15... With 2:26 left in the first quarter and the score tied, Rambis again bought in the Walton/Farmar combo off the bench with Cook (a shooter that Walton and Farmar can work with)... The Lakers had a 4-point lead when Smush came in the game in the second quarter. They extended it to 14 with some good hustle and aggressiveness... The Lakers shot 58 percent to the Hornets 38 percent in the first half... Farmar and Pinnock had three straight turnovers trying to bring the ball up against the Hornets pressure D. Rambis called a timeout and brought both of them over for some teaching on the two-guard front. That seemed to halt the short melt down... Kareem in the L.A. Times on Bynum getting playing time: "Throw him in the pool. He's either going to swim or he'll need to be fished out."...
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ToughKarl
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2006 2:04 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB.
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2The4th
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2006 2:17 am    Post subject:

Should we be glad that Mo Evan has the ability to score 27 points in a pre-season game?

I don't remember D. George ever score 27 points in any game. Good thing.
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2006 2:54 am    Post subject:

Evans showed some creativity for himself as a scorer I didn't think he had. I knew in addition to finishing he could hit that corner 3...but he mixed it up out there.

Walton is coming into his own. While he has always had the hoop IQ, his speed (or lack thereof) has prevented it from translating in the pro game to the heights he has been capable of reaching. The effort he has put forth to condition himself is really paying off.

It's common to see young players whose mental game trail their physical abilities on the court. In such cases, it may take a while for balance (and consequent effectiveness) to be reached. With Walton, it is rather the body that has had to catch up w/ the mind.
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2006 4:52 am    Post subject:

I had no idea that they were playing?
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2006 4:54 am    Post subject: Re: HORNETS -at- LAKERS -- 10/20 -- Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

Great recap as always DB. Especially for those of us that cannot see all of the games yet!

I liked the fact that Mo got off a little bit, but from the looks of this recap, don't make me start a "Go Smush" thread! This seems like another game whereas Smush is starting to take his man into the post and score at will. Those muscles are for real in those media day picks. So... take THAT Chris Paul!!
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expertla
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2006 6:01 am    Post subject:

As usual, great recap DB. Need I say Mo?
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angel
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2006 6:26 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB!

LO will become an All-Star if he can do this on a regular basis.

This is great experience for Andrew.

Mo Evans is a steal for that #51 pick!

Luke is becoming the glue of the team.

Farmar had another good test.

It all will work better when Kobe returns.
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oldschool32
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2006 6:33 am    Post subject:

Maybe we'll finally get out of Evans, what we always wanted from George. A little scoring, nice d, hustle boards, and staying healthy.
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2006 6:56 am    Post subject:

oldschool32 wrote:
Maybe we'll finally get out of Evans, what we always wanted from George. A little scoring, nice d, hustle boards, and staying healthy.


We got that out of Gump....only it was just about once every 20 games or so.

If Mo can up those odds to about 10 every 20 games, I'm a happy girl. That's a huge step up from Gump.
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Rick12322
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2006 7:15 am    Post subject:

expertla wrote:
As usual, great recap DB. Need I say Mo?


Or, Mo Evans, Mo Evans!
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2006 7:22 am    Post subject:

Give me Mo, Mo Mo.

From 18 ft in, Mo has a sweet shot that will do him and the team well. Nice to see a decent mid-range game. Plus he has the athletic ability to be a good finisher.

So, if he himself doesn't feel he's a defensive stopper, how did he get that rep? Because he played for the Pistons? Small PG's are too quick for him, that's for sure. He had a little trouble keeping up with Ray Allen as well.
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2006 7:52 am    Post subject:

damn farmar is putting up #s.. to struggle and still have 12 and 3 ast in limited minutes .. how could u not be excited about this guy.. screw the he is a rookie stamet.. kid can ball.
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KindCrippler2000
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2006 8:24 am    Post subject:

Evans will prevent the Marco Jaric's of the league having their career highs against us.
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2006 8:44 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB. You are right on with your analysis as always. I especially liked your commnets on LO- it's not so much the points that LO needs to get you, it's the aggressiveness that continually collapses the D that you want to see. Whether that is attacking from the post or off the dribble in the half court sets, if he can force the D to continually help, sag and commit double teams, that does a ton for our offense.

Much has been mads about his scoring, but as long a he is agressive, good shots will be open either for him or his teammates.

There is alot of progress for the rest of the team, good signs from different players each night. Last night, Mo Evans really found a rhythm on offense. Is it just me, or does he look to be a more solid all around player than Marcus Banks that many on this board were wishing for? Not bad for a LATE second rounder...
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2006 9:26 am    Post subject:

Great job DB!
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2006 10:30 am    Post subject:

How did Bynum's jumper looked? Fluid? Flat?
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2006 10:47 am    Post subject:

JerryMagicKobe wrote:
Thanks DB. You are right on with your analysis as always. I especially liked your commnets on LO- it's not so much the points that LO needs to get you, it's the aggressiveness that continually collapses the D that you want to see. Whether that is attacking from the post or off the dribble in the half court sets, if he can force the D to continually help, sag and commit double teams, that does a ton for our offense.

Much has been mads about his scoring, but as long a he is agressive, good shots will be open either for him or his teammates.
...


Could not agree more. It's never been Lamar's scoring that I complained about, it was his lack of aggressiveness. In some games he just disappears and becomes a non-factor out there. If he stays aggressive it opens the game up for everyone else, even if he's not scoring. The guy could be unstoppable if he wanted to be, either as a scorer or playmaker.

Luke is going to play a huge role for us this season. He's a great asset to have off the bench.

Mo will hopefully spell Kobe. It was painful to watch our team last season when Kobe was on the bench. They just couldn't hold onto a lead, and if they were behind, the deficit would grow larger. I love the energy that Evans brings. I still prefer JJ over him, but he's bringing a lot of the same things that JJ did.

Kobe's scoring is going to drop this season. We have a lot more options now. The team seems to be pretty balanced right now at every position. Hopefully he can cut his minutes down to around 38mpg. I think he'll average around 29/6/6 if he can get himself healthy in time. I also look for his FG% to improve because with the team having a better understanding of the offense, he won't have to bail them out as much.

Great recap as always DB
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2006 10:52 am    Post subject:

la45 wrote:
How did Bynum's jumper looked? Fluid? Flat?


He could use a little more arc on it, but it's not as flat as Cook's shot was when he first came into the league. He has a fluid motion, although his release is a little slow. I can only remember him attempting one jumper from around 12 (?) feet. He missed it but the form looked good. His free throws look really good too.

Bynum was consistently getting double and sometimes triple-teamed on the low-block. I think he already has a very good knack for passing out of double teams. He seems to know where the open guy is and does a good job kicking it out. We've also seen flashes of his ability to make passes to cutters in traffic. This all from a kid still a week away from turning 19. He's going to be a keeper.
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2006 10:55 am    Post subject:

awsome

odom played really well.
maurice evans was confident
farmar struggled but still had a good game
turiaf brings a lot of energy
smush.. needs to improve d...

its all comin together and there all waiting for the return of KB
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2006 12:27 pm    Post subject:

Ziggy wrote:
JerryMagicKobe wrote:
Thanks DB. You are right on with your analysis as always. I especially liked your commnets on LO- it's not so much the points that LO needs to get you, it's the aggressiveness that continually collapses the D that you want to see. Whether that is attacking from the post or off the dribble in the half court sets, if he can force the D to continually help, sag and commit double teams, that does a ton for our offense.

Much has been mads about his scoring, but as long a he is agressive, good shots will be open either for him or his teammates.
...


Could not agree more. It's never been Lamar's scoring that I complained about, it was his lack of aggressiveness. In some games he just disappears and becomes a non-factor out there. If he stays aggressive it opens the game up for everyone else, even if he's not scoring. The guy could be unstoppable if he wanted to be, either as a scorer or playmaker.

Luke is going to play a huge role for us this season. He's a great asset to have off the bench.

Mo will hopefully spell Kobe. It was painful to watch our team last season when Kobe was on the bench. They just couldn't hold onto a lead, and if they were behind, the deficit would grow larger. I love the energy that Evans brings. I still prefer JJ over him, but he's bringing a lot of the same things that JJ did.

Kobe's scoring is going to drop this season. We have a lot more options now. The team seems to be pretty balanced right now at every position. Hopefully he can cut his minutes down to around 38mpg. I think he'll average around 29/6/6 if he can get himself healthy in time. I also look for his FG% to improve because with the team having a better understanding of the offense, he won't have to bail them out as much.

Great recap as always DB


I miss JJ too, but I think Mo is a much better fit for the team. JJ has the 3-ball and is probably a better rebounder as well. Defensively, I think both are a wash. However, Mo is a much more versatile offensive player and a better overall athlete. I think he's going to raise his stock in the NBA after a season with the Lakers.
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wolfpaclaker
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2006 2:09 pm    Post subject:

Quote:
Obviously, he will make mistakes and have his young-player moments, but you just want to see steady progress -- game to game, week to week, month to month. He's not going to dominate at this time, but he can be serviceable, and hopefully, anchor the defense when he gets on the court

Exactly how I see it, DB.

Well said.

Good game fellas. Looks like the team has some depth and talent on it this year that we've lacked for so long.

It seems like they may start a bit slower than expected with the injuries, but I still suspect that they will have a good November.
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insidepresence
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2006 2:37 pm    Post subject:

Great analysis. One thing that sticks out to me is the team chemistry. Now, undoubtedly the Laker have had more talented teams since, but I can't recall better team cohesion and chemistry since the Magic era.

Maybe I am remember wrong, but either way, the chemistry really looks good.

I really enjoy Luke in the second unit, because he really knows how to run the triangle and is turning into one heck of a player (albeit it is still pre-season).
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prisma8slg
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2006 4:22 pm    Post subject:

thanks DB
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limchrc
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2006 5:04 pm    Post subject:

Thanks for the recap.
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