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[CP1708]

There is no battle for LA. Be real.

 

[thadocta]

There is no battle for LA. Be real.

realtalk

 

[essential1]

Kobe shooting 61.8%

 

[CHAOSE57]

Here we go the battleground for LA starts tonight

 

[knightngale]

He called lakers fans that are in straight panic mode dumb. Lmao

He did the same thing last year after the first game he gave away vs the Thunder. Then he did the same mistakes afterwards. Kobe is a skilled basketball player
but he is the one that is not that bright. Word to 2004.

 

[pmatic]

Lakers' problems start with their D

For me, the issue is more the appearance than the sample size.

The fact that the Lakers are 0-2 with only 80 games to play would not concern me greatly if I were a Lakers fan. (Or a Laker, for that matter.) The way they are 0-2, on the other hand, would have me deeply worried. Simply put, it will be very difficult for this team to win many basketball games performing the way they have in their first two games.

The issue isn't one of sample size -- we'd need a much bigger one before we could conclude that the Lakers weren't contenders, unless they just started getting annihilated by 20 and 30 points -- but rather of observation. Sometimes teams lose because the opponent makes a bunch of crazy shots or the bounces don't go their way, but the Lakers lost their first two games because the other team got whatever shot they wanted while L.A.'s four stars scratched their heads on offense.

Watching the opener against Dallas on TV and viewing the debacle in Portland in person, what stood out was how much of a disjointed mess everything was. With two centers recovering from back injuries, two ancient guards out front, little of consequence on the bench, and Mike Brown channeling Terry Porter, the Lakers somehow have managed to be dramatically less than the sum of their parts.

Heading into Friday's game against the Clippers -- which isn't a "must-win" so much as a "must play better," the big thing that stands out is the contrast between this Lakers team and the last newly formed Superteam, the 2010-11 Heat.

The big point here is that the Lakers are suffering in much different ways than the Heat did, which is important because everybody wants to compare the two teams. Myself included -- I pointed out in my comparatively pessimistic projection for the Lakers that they probably would endure growing pains similar to the 2010-11 Heat. That team started 9-8 and spent the entire season stammering through the seemingly easy task of building a decent offense around LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, and didn't completely figure things out until a year and a half later.

The similarities are there: The Lakers have much in common with the Heat offensively, as the Princeton offense has looked more like Barbizon and the most dynamic offensive point guard of the past decade spends long stretches chilling on the weak side. (Side note: I love how Brown referenced the lack of championships Nash won in Phoenix as reason to use the Princeton; apparently the Kings, Wizards and Nets won a bunch of rings with Eddie Jordan's system while I was off spelunking in Tibet.) Also, Brown and Erik Spoelstra share a lot of coaching DNA.

There is one huge, crucial difference, however: That Heat team defended like gangbusters from the word go, and their defense was what kept them afloat and largely winning games even while they figured things out offensively. The 2010-11 Heat lost a nationally televised opener, much like the Lakers did, but gave up only 88 points in doing so. Then Miami won its next three games while allowing 87, 70 and 78 points.

The Lakers, on the other hand, were just gouged to pieces by a very ordinary-looking Portland team. Putting early-season results into context can be tricky because we can't account yet for potential surprises -- hey, maybe the Blazers are a juggernaut. But our expectations of the Lakers' first two opponents, Portland and a Dirk-less Dallas team, are mighty low, and the Mavs seemed to back that up by losing their second game in Utah by 19.

L.A.'s defensive woes are odd on multiple levels. Whatever you think of Mike Brown as a coach, his teams have always punched above their weight defensively. The main criticism of him has been at the other end of the court, and while that's certainly a valid discussion, the parade of wide-open shots against his system has been a fairly shocking development.

Additionally, L.A. didn't change anything on defense. They have the same exact system and a lot of the same pieces. Sure, Steve Nash is a weak defender at the point of attack, but Ramon Sessions wasn't exactly K.C. Jones either. Sure, Antawn Jamison is a bad defender at the 4 and a walking catastrophe at the 3 (seriously, why are they playing him on the wing?), but this is a team that played Troy Murphy extensive minutes a year ago.

They shouldn't be dropping off like this, in other words, especially since they replaced Andrew Bynum with Dwight Howard. Bynum was a big, solid rim-protector, but one who didn't like to venture outside the paint and could leave the Lakers vulnerable to pick-and-rolls and drag screens.

Howard? This was a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, an all-weather defensive force who had the agility to defend the perimeter and the springs to protect the rim from all comers. With Dwight behind them, the Lakers alleged they would defend hard on the perimeter and dare opponents to blow by them and meet Dwight's wrath at the rim.

And that gets to the real crux of the problem for the Lakers: Regardless of what you think about their offensive approach and their bench, the single biggest issue facing this team is that they need Dwight Howard to be his dominant self on defense.

Right now he is so far from being that player it's not even funny. You can see it somewhat offensively, where he's laying balls in rather than exploding for dunks, but it's the defensive end where Howard's recovery from back surgery warrants our attention. He's not just a half-step late on his rotations; he's never getting there at all. Both Portland and Dallas were able to get to the rim and finish on dribble drives with impunity, something that just didn't happen to Howard's teams in Orlando.

Howard has to be that player for this whole thing to work; the Lakers were a middle-of-the-pack defense a year ago and if anything downgraded defensively in the offseason with their other moves (particularly replacing Matt Barnes with Jamison). They were far and away the league's worst team at forcing turnovers last season, and with a Nash-Bryant backcourt are likely to be so again (they forced only 24 in their first two games).

So they have to make up for it by using Howard to take away all the high-percentage chances at the rim, and allowing their perimeter players to close out hard knowing Howard is behind them. Instead they're giving up easy rim chances -- with Nic Batum's stroll in from the 3-point line for a dunk the most glaring example -- permitting 51.1 percent shooting on 2s. A team like, say, Memphis can get away with this by forcing lots of turnovers, but L.A. can't -- their entire strategy is predicated on forcing a contested shot and getting the rebound.

Carrying things forward, if that's what happens against Portland and the no-Dirk Mavs, one shudders to think what Chris Paul and Blake Griffin might do to them Friday.

In the big picture, the Lakers are already working with a few handicaps despite their apparent strengths. Their bench is a major drag, and their backcourt is very old and unlikely to aid the defensive cause much. And their starting lineup, while offensively potent on paper, probably won't be that way in reality until they work out some of the kinks of playing with each other. (And by the way, can we pick up the tempo a little? Instead of Seven Seconds or Less, Nash's M.O. has now become Seven Seconds of Dribbling Slowly Against Pressure).

But they have the most dominant defensive center in basketball, and that's supposed to be the thing that carries them through these rough patches. One presumes Howard will be that player again at some point this year, probably sooner rather than later. But until he gets there, expect the Lakers to endure more suffering.

 

[moiety]

I'll be there tonight!

Not happy with the start to the season, but kind of stoked I have a chance to see this squads first W together. Let's get it!

 

[grandtheftbike]

Kobe shooting 61.8%

itll probably dip down to his usual 45-47 range midseason

 

[frenchblue23]

There is no battle for LA. Be real.

 

[moneylicious]

Yeah but your ears will suffer I think it's also on ESPN.

Ralph lawler isn't that bad, but Mike Smith

The Homer in him is disgustingly evident EVERY POSSESSION

THIS.

If this dude even believes in 5% of the crap that comes outta his mouth...delusional would be a huge understatement.

Bill Walton use to troll for the laughs, but this dude takes trolling to a whole diff level.

 

[pyboy28]

There is no battle for LA. Be real.

just a figure of speech not to be blown out of proportion

 

[three6mafia2007]

Triangle offense does not need a true PG. I'd hit flips if Phil made his return to the Lakers, but those same "Steve Nash should be more central in the offense" kind of complaints would remain.

Phil would adjust his system to fit the personnel. Trust

 

[Johnny_Cakes]

Triangle offense does not need a true PG. I'd hit flips if Phil made his return to the Lakers, but those same "Steve Nash should be more central in the offense" kind of complaints would remain.

Phil would adjust his system to fit the personnel. Trust

I don't know about that. He was effective in making Glove into a basic PG.

 

[westcoastsfinest]

Wait, you're TMFB? My bad.
There it is.

Que?
I was trying to make a reference to a Drake lyric but never mind. :\

Anyways, any word if Steve is playing tonight? NT is going to blow up when we lose to our step sisters tonight.

 

[pmatic]

Games time decision, but I doubt he plays.

 

[licensed to ball]

Gosh I hate the media. Stupid MSN.com front page.

Could you take a quote any more out of its context? Really? Kobe called all Laker fans dumb? For no reason? Oh.

 

[mrdieselfuel09]

My body is ready for the L.

 

[armorrig]

They do anything to garner hits/views. Shameless really.


Anyway, the Real fans know what it's all about.

 

[noblekane]

Gosh I hate the media. Stupid MSN.com front page.
Could you take a quote any more out of its context? Really? Kobe called all Laker fans dumb? For no reason? Oh.

what you talking about???? a few of you were using that same article to try and persuade us to stop talking about mike brown theyaint doing nothing that wasnt already tried in this thread lol

look on page 82 of this thread...

 

[davidme00]

 

[westcoastsfinest]

I don't think Phil's style will help with our personnel. But of course I would welcome him back with open arms but I doubt he's coming back. I'll be happy to promote Eddie Jordan as our coach. I don't see Mike getting cut loose until the end of the season when we get eliminated in the playoffs.

 

[licensed to ball]

Gosh I hate the media. Stupid MSN.com front page.
Could you take a quote any more out of its context? Really? Kobe called all Laker fans dumb? For no reason? Oh.

what you talking about???? a few of you were using that same article to try and persuade us to stop talking about mike brown theyaint doing nothing that wasnt already tried in this thread lol

look on page 82 of this thread...

?

Not really sure what you are talking about. I never used any "articles" to tell people to stop talking about anyone.
The point of me posting that wasn't even about our fans in this thread or the content of the article, it was about the media always looking for a story at any cost. Even the smallest quote by someone as famous as Kobe gets blown up into the front pages...thats all I was referring too.

But okay, my bad...

 

[armorrig]

Watching replay of the portland game to try and count the way gasol guards the pnr. 3 straight posessions in the 1st qt gasol goes high ending up doubling the pg from beyond the 3pt line and his man or someone else ends up scoring from that sequence. Why can't they change something as obvious as that flaw. That's been going on forever and the opponent almost always gets an easy basket.

 

[ag 47]

Well....what's an NBA season without drama in LA. Manufactured or not.

 

[essential1]

You know what the worst part of my hatred of Steve Blake is...... My brother kind of looks like Steve Blake...


It's the worst... But in good news he's a Magic fan.. So he paid for looking like Steve Blake.