LAKERS -vs- KINGS - 10/12 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

[DancingBarry]

Stacked Deck... Unless you're Rain Man it's hard to make your own luck in Vegas. But that's what the Lakers did. They improved their triangle execution, gave up fewer dunks and easy transition hoops, and took their first win of the preseason, 94-89, over the Sacramento Kings. Yes, the Lakers were playing with a stacked decked against the Kings, who will struggle this season, but they'll gladly take the W.

Phil mixed up the starters, bringing Lamar off the bench in the first half and Bynum off the bench in the second half. He also started Vlad Rad in one half and Ariza in the other.

Lamar, of course, has blown some frosty comments at the direction of Phil about the idea of coming off the bench as a sixth man. He said tonight that his those previous comments were actually hot air.

"That was like my alter-ago talking," he said in the L.A. Times. "Seriously. That's Odom. Not Lamar. I'm being dead serious. I'm a good locker-room dude. I don't want to be detrimental to the team, especially, like, how this is a championship-caliber team."

Lamar played more aggressively and had some of his better minutes of the preseason, which is still in its infancy.

"He came out with initiative," Phil said afterward in the Press Enterprise. "I like that he came off the bench with six minutes to go in the first quarter so he didn't get stiff sitting on the bench. He came out there and right away started playing hard."

Andrew Bynum continued his progession, this time getting the block party portion of his game underway. Perhaps, soon, he will pull it all together.

None of the bubble boys have yet to grab the open roster spot and run with it.


Kobe -- -- Kobe continues to play in cruise control, which is fine right now with all the ball he has played in the past year. Once he starts putting his foot down on the gas a bit more we'll see him shooting and scoring better, but we'll also see some easier shots for teammates (including the Kobe to Bynum lob, which is still MIA). He still puts together a couple of highlight plays per game. He left Salmons completely lost on one post move. I think we are still a couple games out from Kobe throttling things up. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 4-12 shooting (0-1 from three, 1-1 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals, 3 turnovers and 2 fouls in 26 minutes. The Action: He hit Vlad with the extra pass for a dunk. He posted up and drew an illegal D, he made the FT. He put Salmons in the popcorn machine on an up fake, before reversing the pivot and scoring with his left. He missed an open 10-footer after flashing to the ball. He blew a gimmie two-handed dunk when Pau set him up. A few seconds later, he threw down a lob from Vlad on the break. He was tied up, attacking a double team. He drew Pau's man on the right side as the Kings tried to zone him, then fed Gasol for the wing jumper. He was stripped in the lane. He missed on a drive with a lot of contact and no call. He had 5 points on 2-7 shooting in the first half. Second Half: He was hit on a jumper with no call and airballed. He bricked a wing three on his next attempt. He reversed off the Lamar feed, cutting baseline to take the pass. He missed a top-of-the-key pull-up jumper, then gave up an open jumper on the other end. He posted up, pounded the dribble, spun and banked. He passed up a wide open three to try to thread a needle and turned it over.

Gasol -- -- Pau might be playing the most consistent of anyone on the offensive end. His jumper has been money. I wouldn't be shocked if he took a three at some point soon. His range seems to be edging out there. I don't think he's done that yet as a Laker, but he's taken 75 in his career. He played across Bynum in the first half and looked fine, but we didn't seem to have Bynum in sync. Defensively, those guys are going to be very disruptive. The coaches made a point of the Lakers watching their transition D in this game and the bigs didn't get burned as they had in the past couple. Most of Gasol's damage was done in the first half. The Stats: He scored 12 points on 3-5 shooting (6-6 from the line) to go wtih 6 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers and no fouls in 22 minutes. The Action: He missed a turnaround. He drew FTs on a slip screen in the lane, he made both. He pulled down an offensive board and flipped it to Vlad who scored. He scored an easy layup off an extra jump pass from DFish. Nice feed to LO on the break, but Lamar got stripped. He drew FTs when Lamar set him up off a pretty spin move and dish, he made both. He missed an awkward hook in the low post. He made a more definitive move next time he touched it, power spinning and taking contact for FTs, he made both. He swished a wing jumper from 17 feet out, working with Kobe. He mis-timed a defensive board and didn't box out, giving up a putback. He had 10 points on 2-4 shooting and 4 boards in 13 first half minutes. Second Half: He sealed Miller badly, took the corner entry from Ariza and drew a quick foul. Nice follow tip in of a missed layup by Ariza.

Fisher -- -- He seemed to have in mind that he wanted to pull-up in transition and take shots in early offense. That's what he worked on in this game a number of times. Some of the shot selection was questionable with guys on him, but he might have been feeling it. We did finally see him work a little two-man action with Bynum. Glad to see that starting to come into play again. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 3-6 shooting (2-2 from the line) to go with 1 board, 3 assists, 1 turnover and no fouls in 17 minutes. The Action: He swished a wing 20-footer behind a Bynum screen. He missed a pull-up 22-footer on the break, not great shot selection. He passed up the three and hit Pau under the hoop for the layup. Second Half: He swished a wing jumper in early offense, looked like a man was all over him. He swished a long wing jumper, again in early offense. He airballed a heat check the next time down with a man on him. He missed a layup. He drew FTs in early offense and made both. He set up Bynum for a score off the lob.

Bynum -- -- Defensively, we have seen his anticipation slowly improve with each game. He's thinking the game better. This time out, his timing was there on a number of blocks. He's slowly piecing together his game. His touches in the post have been much less since that first game. I think that may have resulted in a rushed shot or two. He still had a couple of nice offensive sequences. When he lined up with Pau, he looked like the forgotten man for the most part and didn't seem to click in that unit. They did, however, look just a little smoother. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 4-7 shooting (1-2 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, 3 blocks, 2 turnovers and 3 fouls in 22 minutes. The Action: He got stripped after an offensive board by putting it down before gathering himself. He hurried a jumphook on his first touch midway through the first quarter and missed. He then picked up his second foul and sat for LO. He bricked a jumphook out of the post to start the second quarter. He lost an entry pass falling out of bounds. He sank a catch and shoot 16-footer. He deflected a pass to ignite the break. Second Half: He took the post entry, spun to his left with a power dribble and hit the jumphook in the lane. Nasty help D rejection of Thompson, just eating up the shot and spitting it out. He powered in the lob from Fish off the two-man game. He missed a baseline jumphook. He hit a jumphook after cutting to get the pass and taking it up quick. He swatted his man on iso D. He drew FTs off an interior bounce pass (he just missed the two-handed throwdown), he made one FT.

Radmanovic -- -- He got the start at the 3, but ended up on Martin defensively and gave up a few scores early on. We tightened things up after a timeout. Still, he's playing some strong ball. He hit a couple shots early on, but his passing was also superb. He made the extra pass a few times and some good looks led to scores for teammates. More Vlad the Impaler, less Space Cadet. His stats reflect his activity. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 4-8 shooting (0-2 from three, 1-1 from the line) to go with 7 boards (3 offensive), 3 assists, 3 turnovers and 2 fouls in 19 minutes. The Action: He took an aggressive, quick attack off the tip and hit an And-1 FT jumper after taking contact, he made the FT. He bricked a top-of-the-key jumper on his next attempt. He dunked off a quick interior pass from Kobe. He powered up a layup after Pau fed him on the left baseline. Nice lob pass to Kobe on the break for a score. He hit Farmar cutting in semi-transition for an And-1. Good first stint. He had 7 points on 3-5 shooting and 2 assists in the first half. Second Half: He was called for an offensive foul using his off hand on a hook attempt. He missed a corner three, got it back and threw it over Bynum's head. He missed a wing jumper. Nice job crashing the glass off a Farmar missed three and he guided the tip in. He missed a wing three.

Lamar -- -- What's a Laker preseason with some kind of soap opera? The Lamar Odom mini-saga saw LO take a turn in coming off the bench tonight. Vlad started at the 3, while Lamar took his turn off the bench. He came in for Bynum when he picked up his second foul midway through the quarter. (Lamar can potentially come in for almost any player who gets foul trouble depending on the starters: If it's Bynum, Lamar goes to the 4, Pau to the 5; If it's Pau, he goes to the 4; If it's Vlad, he goes to the 3; if it's Kobe, Ariza can go to the 2 and Lamar the 3.) Lamar later started the second half, so Phil is mixing things up quite a bit. At the end of the night, he ended up with as many minutes as the rest of the starters. Regardless, Lamar played a much better game than the previous two. More activity across the board. All you want from him is impact minutes -- Lamar imposing himself on the game. When you get that, we're a better team. Lamar on this whole saga: "You only get one or two shots at this, you know what I'm saying? I'll do it. Jeff Schwartz will probably hate it," he said in the Times and referring to his agent. "For some guys, they might not be able to take it well, especially in their contract year. Whatever. I'm good. I've made enough. I'm OK. My family's good. Hopefully I can win a championship here and be rewarded for it." The Stats: He scored 4 points on 1-2 shooting (1-1 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 9 boards, 3 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers and 3 fouls in 22 minutes. The Action: He clanked a 21-footer a couple seconds after entering. Sweet spin move to lose Miller, then he fed Pau for FTs. Nice D, helping Karl to deny penetration and tie up Martin. He drained the wing three in early offense. He picked up a charge in transition (looked like the defender didn't set up in time). He had 3 points on 1-2 shooting, 3 boards, 1 assist, 3 turnovers and 2 fouls in 9 first half minutes. Second Half: Great over the shoulder feed to Kobe cutting baseline for the reverse layup. Nice challenge on Kobe's man on help D to force a brick. He attacked with aggression and sent two Kings flying as he drew FTs at the rim, he made one. He turned D into offense with a strong board and quick push out of the break.

Ariza -- -- He came off the bench and was the weakest of our trio at SF in the first half. He then started the second half and quickly tallied a score with a dunk. His second half was much better than the first. He made an elbow turnaround in this game. We'll count that in his perimeter shooting total, moving him to 2-7 from the perimeter in three games. (He did have a jumper blocked, but it was a shotclock rushing number that isn't a good measure of shooting skill.) Despite not being quite as impressive as in the previous games, he still stuffed the stats in his minutes. He is probably the least ball-dominant player on this team. When he gets it, he's either going for a quick strike, shooting it, or sending it to someone else. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 2-5 shooting (4-4 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers and 1 foul in 19 minutes. The Action: He was blocked on a jumper trying to beat the shotclock. He posted up the smaller man, took the entry and drew FTs, he made both. He was blocked from behind trying to attack along the left side. Second Half: He swiped a pass in the backcourt, jumping a lane and then posterized Garcia with a throwdown. Great quick cut after finally recognizing his man zoning Pau and he drew FTs, he made both. He charged trying to push the transition game. He then drew a charge on the other end to get it back. Nice dive cut, he missed the layup, but Pau cleaned it up. He swished a turnaround like Kobe from the elbow.

Farmar -- -- Prior to the game, Farmar said he worked this offseason on understanding the offense more and learning how to pick his spots. "Just going out and being more aggressive this year, I think that's the key," Farmar said. He also added, "Team defense is more important than anything, but it's up to the individual and the desire that person has to want to make it happen." We said on both accounts. He does need to stay aggressive and find his spots. Defensively, I would also like to see that "desire" turn into Farmar taking more charges. He has the foot speed to beat players to the spot, I hope he uses it much more this season. He stayed aggressive in this game, and although his three ball wasn't dropping that aggression led to a number of layups on attacks. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 3-8 shooting (0-3 from three, 2-3 from the line), 1 board, 1 assist, 1 steal, 3 turnovers and 2 fouls in 19 minutes. The Action: He hit an And-1 layup, taking a pass from Vlad in semi-transition, he made the FT. He came up short on a 20-footer. He scored an easy layup working off the high screen on the weakside and using his speed. He missed a long three. He missed a runner attacking the right side. He pushed out the break and drew FTs off contact, he made one. He found Powell on the pick and pop for a jumper. He had 6 points on 2-5 shooting in the half. Second Half: He missed a transition three. He missed a three. He set up Bynum off a nice interior bounce pass and he earned FTs. He attacked quickly off a Mbenga kickout and scored the layup.

Mihm -- -- He came in the game with Pau with 6 minutes left in the second half. A few good rebounding sequences. He also stole a pass and pushed it out on the break for a score. Both good signs. Other than that, his time was limited to just half a quarter of ball. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-1 shooting, grabbed 4 boards, had 1 steal, 1 turnover and no fouls in 6 minutes. The Action: Bad overpass trying to hit Pau just a couple feet away in the lane when he could have shot. He was burned badly by Thompson on iso. He swiped a bad perimeter pass, pushed it out and finger rolled the layup. Second Half: No action.

Powell -- -- Powell is fitting in nicely. He came in late in the first and ran with Lamar in a small unit. Later, he spent some time opposite Bynum (they seem to play some good minutes together). Powell's hustle and ability to keep balls alive off the glass are the kinds of things -- dirty work the Lakers missed from Ronny some times. Powell won't give the team Ronny's shotblocking, or his defensive versatility, but he is filling a niche that this team needed. The jumpers at the PF spot he gets in the triangle also seem to be something he is comfortable with. He looks like a very good fit for this offense. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 4-5 shooting, grabbed 3 boards (2 offensive), had 2 steals and 1 foul in 14 minutes. The Action: Excellent Tri recognition with a smaller Garcia on him: Lamar cut and cleared out so Powell could cut weak to strong and post up, which he did to score with his left. He rattled in a 16-footer, popping out from the weakside for the catch and shoot. He drained a 17-footer off the two-man game with Farmar. Second Half: Great job keeping an offensive board alive and it led to another Laker attempt. He swished a catch-and-shoot FT jumper, again flashing to the ball on the pressure release. Great hustle again, pulling down an offensive board on the break after Coby missed a layup.

Mbenga -- -- He came in for Bynum midway through the fourth and tallied some garbage-time minutes. Some good perimeter shooting from our bigs in this game and Mbenga made sure he hit a jumper himself. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-3 shooting, grabbed 2 boards, had 2 assists and 2 fouls in 8 minutes. The Action: Did not play. Second Half: He sank a 16-footer straight away. He gave up an offensive board to Williams, then got popped in the face on the shot attempt. He bricked a wing jumper.

Karl -- -- Better game from Coby. He finally hit a couple of shots (but he's still shooting blanks like a young Sasha from behind the three line). I also thought he had some of his better defensive plays in this one. He did a good job moving his feet or taking some angles. It's a subtle thing, but something you like to see. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-7 shooting (0-3 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 2 assists and 2 fouls in 13 minutes. The Action: Superb D on Martin, denying penetration with good footwork and allowing Lamar to tie him up on help. He missed an open wing 19-footer. Second Half: He missed a long three, about a yard behind the line. Next time down, he attacked in transition and drew FTs, he made one. He fed Bynum cutting to the hoop for a score. He missed a wing three. He couldn't finish a layup on the break. He crossed over and pulled up on the right side and hit his first jumper. He attacked to his left, spun back to his right, and somehow jack-knifed in a floater from about 8 feet out. Extremely tough shot.

Crawford -- -- He came in with a couple minutes left in the half to run at SG. Probably his best bit of ball to date. He has a very quiet on-court presence and kind of reminds me of McKie in his brief stint with L.A. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 2-4 shooting (0-1 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 1 board, 1 turnover and no fouls in 14 minutes. The Action: He powered up a layup in transition off the Heath feed. He missed an open wing three off a Kobe kickout. Second Half: He swished a corner jumper in transition, just inside the three line. He traveled while trying to put the breaks on under the hoop. He missed a jumper on an inbounds pass. He was fouled intentionally with 18 seconds left, he made both "clutch" ones to extend the lead to 5.

Giles -- -- He came in with under 8 minutes left in the game. A little sketchy on the defensive glass in a few sequences. He had a nice looking score in the post, but not a whole lot that was note worthy. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-2 shooting, grabbed 3 boards, had 1 assist and 2 fouls in 8 minutes. The Action: Did not play. Second Half: He couldn't handle a no-looker from Farmar in transition. He missed a fallaway (actually falling) after pulling down an offensive board. He hit a smooth looking jumphook, elevating nicely on the right block.

Heath -- -- A couple of stints at the PG spot for Heath. He came in with 6 minutes left in the first half and later to close the game. His last two games have been pretty forgettable. This one, at least, wasn't as disastrous as the last. He still is not playing as if he is ready for prime time. The Stats: The Action: He swiped the ball under the hoop, pushed it up and fed Crawford for the layup. He missed a top-of-the-key jumper (should have been a travel before the attempt). He and Mihm teamed up for a steal, then Heath tried to lob to Mihm but the halftime buzzer rang. Second Half: He sank a wing jumper, working the two man game with Karl. He turned the ball over on a carry. He missed a 5-footer off the glass (should have sank that one).

Phil -- -- He started a Bynum, Pau, Vlad, Kobe, Fisher lineup. Lamar came off the bench and played with some very nice energy. We led 28-27 when Lamar hit a wing three in the final minute of the first quarter... We started the second quarter with a Bynum, Powell, Lamar, Ariza, Farmar lineup... Phil loosened up his rotations in the second half of that quarter, bringing in a few guys trying to make the team... The Lakers trailed 49-47, shooting 42.5 percent in the first half to the Kings 46.3 percent. We had 4 more steals (11 in the first half), but the Kings had 3 more offensive boards (7 in the half). We took just 4 threes in the first half, making 1... The coaches wanted better transition D and cutting down the turnovers. Both of those will be issues for the first month of ball as we usually are a high turnover team in the Triangle to start seasons... Phil started a Pau, Lamar, Ariza, Kobe, Fisher lineup for the second half. He then brought in Bynum for Pau midway through the quarter... We closed the quarter with a Bynum, Powell, Vlad, Coby, Farmar lineup... The Lakers led 71-65 after three quarters... We closed the game with a Mbenga, Giles, Karl, Crawford, Heath lineup. None of these guys could be on the team in a month... The Lakers outrebounded the Kings 49-46, despite giving up 19 offensive boards. The team also shot 1-11 from three in the game. Ouch. They made up for it by sinking 21-25 FTs... Sun Yue didn't suit up. Luke says he'll be ready for the next one. Sasha is expected to practice again this week...

[McSassy]

Yo. First? Oki doki.
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LG -- We know drama.

[jbjb]

[Annihilator]

[DancingBarry]

Thanks, jbjb. Wish the stats would just be auto filled into the report.

[tw-lakbfan]

Nice to hear Lamar is ok with the 6th man role. That's the team player.

[tidusjanus]

Slowly, Lamar is understanding that he really is just a bench guy. he was meant to come off the bench, and not as a start.

If you're as inconsistent as Odom, it's easy to accept a 6th man role.

[stillmatic]

Good work DB.

[waterman40]

Thanks for putting so much effort into these preseason games.
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LAKERS 2019-2020: NBA World Champions!

[pjiddy]

I don't know if we can expect Farmar to start taking charges like Fisher does. Keep in mind Fisher is one of the strongest guys in the NBA for his size. He's an inch shorter than Farmar and has 30 lbs. on him. That kind of discrepancy makes a bit of a difference when it comes to a 250+ lbs. human running you over.

[KGBTRIO]

i think vlade is the best option for starting st 3. odom off the bench would be great against other teams second units

[A Mad Chinaman]

[DancingBarry]

[J.C. Smith]

[Shaber]

Mbenga: He scored 22 points on 1-3 shooting

Nice! Keep it up!
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.

Lakers depth chart

PG Johnson / Goodrich
SG Bryant / West / Scott
SF Baylor / Worthy / Cooper
PF Mikkelsen / Hairston / McAdoo / Gasol
C Chamberlain / Abdul-Jabbar / O'Neal / Mikan

[George W Buss]

I love the part where LO says that it was Odom, not Lamar, who complained about the 6th man role

[Tanlentueux]

[targetman]

Stats for DFish?
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Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst.

[Sage_10]

Glad they got a win so the "chicken littles" of this site won't think the sky is falling.
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"You Must Be Willing To Give Up That Which Can Be Lost In Order To Gain That Which Cannot Be Lost." - FORTUNE COOKIE

[Spirit]

[limchrc]

Thanks

[BigEvil]

Its encouraging to see Fish and Pau's jumpers be money even in pre-season.

Vlad is really showing some energy and aggression too. I know people want more spacing in the starting lineup, but I like Vlad coming in with the second unit, especially if Odom is going to be playing with the second unit. They'll need the scoring punch.

Besides, I like the idea of Ariza starting and icing the opposing wing from the openning horn.

[Prometheus8]

[oldschool32]

thanks db

You can see them improving little by little, especially Drew.
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"It's just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up."-The Greatest

[RCS926]

Thanks for the great write-up DB! Here are some of my thoughts on last night’s game:

Fish: He played better against Sac than he did against the Clippers. I can live with him taking pull-up jumpers in transition especially if there are no passing lanes available. What I don’t want to see is Fish creating shots off the dribble in halfcourt sets especially when the big 3 are in the game.

Kobe: I thought this game was Kobe’s poorest, and that was due to some of his shot selection. I know that he was trying to give the Vegas crowd a little bit of a show, which resulted in some poor shot attempts. However, Kobe really needs to be focusing on execution especially since there are so many new lineups this season. Still, I know that he’ll get back on track once the season starts.

Vlad: If you’re going to start Pau and Drew, then Vlad is probably the best option to start at the 3 particularly if he continues to play with some much energy and hustle. He definitely looks quicker out there on the floor, which shows on the defensive end and in loose ball situations. With the SF position still up for grabs, it’s good to see that the hard work that Vlad put in this past summer is paying dividends on the court.

Pau: He was smooth as usual on the offensive end, but he definitely had stretches in the game where it was clear why it’s so important for Drew to anchor the defensive end. Pau gave up a couple of rebounds that he should’ve gotten if he tried harder, and he also had a couple of poor rotations. However, you can’t complain about his ability to play the 4 on the offensive end. He’s got all the requisite skill to still put up big numbers at the 4. Now the Lakers just need to figure out how to maximize both Pau and Drew offensively.

Drew: If Bynum continues to play the kind of defense he has over the past 2 games, then the Lakers will be set, and any offense he provides will be gravy. You can still see that he’s getting his timing back and that he doesn’t quite have his explosion yet. However, you can still see the visible defensive impact that he’s made on the team. Offensively, I’d like to see the Lakers try to establish him a bit more. He’s strong enough to get consistently good post position, but he may not fight for that position if he doesn’t think he’s going to get the ball. We already know how deadly he can be in the pain, so it would be a shame to waste that offensive weapon.

Farmar: Someone said a few days ago that he didn’t see any improvement in Farmar’s game especially with regards to his ability to be a floor general and create plays for others. However, I think Jordan clearly showed that ability last night. He was credited with only one assist, but he should’ve had at least 5. A couple of good passes were bobbled, and a couple of passes that would’ve led to baskets resulted in fouls. It was great to see that even though the 3-ball wasn’t falling, Jordan still made an impact on the game with his floor leadership. He’s the guy that makes that 2nd unit go, and I’m just salivating over the potential of our 2nd unit once Sasha returns. Can you imagine Farmar, Sasha, Ariza, Powell and LO on the floor together?

Karl: Coby had his best game of the preseason, but that isn’t saying much. I still haven’t seen his vaunted shooting, and that’s supposedly the best part of his game. I don’t think he’s showing that he deserves a roster spot, but I think he still has the inside track on that 14th roster spot simply because the other guys are even less impressive. I will admit that I like how hard Karl plays out there, and he definitely doesn’t look lost. However, I still need to see that shot fall to feel comfortable about keeping him on the squad. Defensively, I like his effort, but I don’t think he’s using his wingspan effectively. There’s no need to play Rick Fox-like D when you have the kind of reach Coby has and especially when he’s been getting whistled for a lot of unnecessary fouls.

Ariza: As much as I love Ariza, I think he may have to wait another year before he starts (if the Lakers resign him). I think he’s a better fit than LO next to the twin towers, but I think he’s an even better fit with the high energy 2nd unit. He and Farmar play well off each other, and it’s exciting to think of the speed and athleticism off the bench with LO (if he remains there), Powell, Sasha and Mihm. In the game, he did what he’s been consistently doing in the preseason – slashing, hustling, and playing good, smart team D.

LO: I think most of us recognize that Lamar really is a ballhandling 4 rather than an off-the-ball 3 or a 6’10” point guard. He did a great job of controlling the glass during the minutes he was in the game, and I liked his aggressiveness off the bench. He got lost in the shuffle again when he started in the 2nd half. I just hope that he fully accepts a reserve role if Phil decides to put him there. Coming off the bench would really maximize his talents since the 2nd unit is a run-n-gun unit anyway with a lot of versatility and mobility. Having him come off the bench would maximize the team as well since his rebounding and defensive versatility would be put to great use on that 2nd unit.

Powell: I love what I’m seeing from this guy. His energy and hustle are right up there with Trevor’s, which makes it even better when they are both in the game. His activity on the glass is just what this team needs, and as much as I miss Ronny’s shotblocking, the fact remains that even with the blocks he provided, he still never really made the opposing team think twice about coming into the lane. I think Powell’s hustle on the boards and better overall mobility is going to have at least an equal impact as Ronny’s if not more. His jumper looked like money too, and with his better maneuverability, I think he’s going to be able to find more opportunities to get that jumper off than Ronny was able to.

Mihm: He didn’t get too many offensive touches, but I liked the fact that he controlled the glass when he was in there. He hasn’t wowed anyone with his play, but I think we can all agree that he looks like he can contribute while he’s on the floor. At this point, I think he’s outplaying Mbenga.

Mbenga: DJ is always going to be solid when out on the floor because of his hustle and the fact that he doesn’t try to do too much. However, I’d like to see him really make a point of controlling the boards when he’s out there. I do like his aggressive post defense though.

Heath: IMO, he almost deserves to be cut based on last night’s game because it’s clear that he can’t defend in the NBA. Bobby Brown ate him up and spit him out, and Brown isn’t necessarily a hot PG prospect. Even if he showed some shooting or passing ability, which he hasn’t so far, I don’t think you can keep him on the roster if he can’t guard anyone.

Crawford: It’s sort of a mixed bag with Crawford. On one hand, I think that if he really tried to make things happen on the court, he could definitely steal Coby’s spot. On the other hand, his calmness and poise out there are reassuring qualities. Still, I think he really needs to play to make the team instead of play not to get cut. For all my complaints about Karl’s play in the preseason, I at least know that he’s trying to make things happen. Crawford isn’t out of the running, but his play is simply not cutting it. One break-out game from Coby, which is highly likely given all the PT he’s getting in the preseason, will probably spell doom for JC.

Giles: After a promising 1st game, he’s basically been invisible. I get the feeling that he’s trying to establish his ability to score, which the Lakers really don’t need. If he wants to have an outside shot at making the team, he needs to get after those rebounds and protect the rim.