Starring: Javale McGee giving the Lakers fits.

• Nuggets Make It A Series With Win In Denver | Laker Nation
• Lakers fail to put up any fight in Game 3 - latimes.com
• Lakers can't dig out of a hole in Denver - latimes.com
• Rapid Reaction- Game 3: Denver 99, Lakers 84 - Los Angeles Lakers Blog - ESPN Los Angeles
• Nuggets Run Over Lakers in Denver, Win Game 3 | Lakers Nation
• Coach Metta? Believe it - Los Angeles Lakers Blog - ESPN Los Angeles
• Behind the Box Score, where the Denver Nuggets struck back behind Ty Lawson | Ball Don't Lie - Yahoo! Sports
• Joakim Noah injures ankle in Game 3, Sixers fans cheer | ProBasketballTalk

Continue reading this post »

Tomorrow afternoon the Lakers begin the title chase against the Denver Nuggets. By most accounts, the Lakers should have the edge in the series, and even beyond. The Lakers bring three all star caliber players while the Nuggets bring B-level players 10 deep. This should be an easy series right? Stars come out on top in the playoffs. But what if the key to this series belonged to one of the most bone headed, wrong direction running, hilariously terrible centers in Javale McGee? Well, if past matchups tell us anything, he will be important:

Bynum's been dominant when Faried, Mozgov and Koufos have been on the court this season, according to NBA.com's metrics. Ditto for Gasol's time against Faried and Koufos; while his rebounding and assist numbers are lower with Mozgov on the floor, Pau's still +9-per-36 when he's out there.

The outlier here, interestingly enough, is McGee, who seems to have given both Bynum and Gasol trouble this year. While Bynum scored on McGee pretty much at will in their two meetings, McGee gave even better than he got, outperforming Bynum by just under seven points per 36 minutes. Likewise, Gasol's scoring, assist and plus-minus numbers were all down when McGee was on the court. It's not surprising that McGee would be a wild card; what is surprising is that it might actually be for a positive reason.

Hey, it's been a wierd season. Nothing would surprise me anymore. Javale McGee for Finals MVP? It is time for Andrew Bynum to impose his will in this series. Let's hope his walking while everyone else is running, three pointer shooting, wrestling teammates for the ball during the game routine is done and over with. The playoffs are where your legacy is forged. Dominate in the playoffs, and all is forgiven. Let Javale McGee beast on you and we make a first round exit? You won't live it down for the rest of your career.

As Lakers fans, we rarely give credit to Mike Brown, but yet, here we are, after one of the most bizarre, drama filled seasons in recent memory, and we've finished third in the west. Here's what Mike Brown had to say about the regular season:

"For as short as the season was, with no training camp or practices, I feel good where our team is sitting," Brown said. "I thought our guys did a nice job of trying to learn whatever we were throwing out to them initially.

"I think our guys have done a marvelous job of finishing third in the West when we could have easily finished sixth, seven, eighth or whatever and not thought twice about it because of all the changes we went through," Brown said.

"The (offensive) foundation is pretty much the same, but we've tweaked it here and there. We've also tweaked some of our half-court (plays) to some of our guys' strengths now that we know what our guys' strengths are."

In other news, the U.S. Attorney's office is investigating the NBA Players Union, Sacramento's Arena Deal is dead, and James Harden talks about the elbow.

Starring: The day we've all been waiting for. Let the nail biting begin.

• Finals picks? Bulls still fave from East, but Lakers over OKC in West - NBA - CBSSports.com
• Los Angeles Lakers' Jim Buss says he's over failed Chris Paul trade - ESPN Los Angeles
• Looking to the Playoffs: How the Lakers Make a Run for the Finals | Lakers Nation
• 10 reasons to watch the Lakers in the playoffs - Los Angeles Lakers Blog - ESPN Los Angeles
• Ball Don’t Lie’s playoff predictions: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets | Ball Don't Lie - Yahoo! Sports
• NBA Playoff Preview: L.A. Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets | ProBasketballTalk
• Forum Blue And Gold " Playoff Preview Part I: The Denver Nuggets
• U.S. Attorney investigating NBA players union - ESPN
• 710 ESPN Interviews with Jeanie and Jim Buss - Los Angeles Lakers Blog - ESPN Los Angeles

Continue reading this post »

Individual Accolades? Whatever. Last night, Kobe Bryant brushed off the opportunity to be the center of attention in the NBA. You know if he was gunning last night Twitter would have been on fire. It was must watch TV. Pure entertainment. But you see, that's not Kobe anymore. What we have now is Zen Kobe.

"There was no question in his mind," Lakers Coach Mike Brown said of Bryant. "Not one time did he ever hint to me that he was going to play.... He thinks it's best for him and best for the team."

Bryant needed 38 points to surpass Durant for what would have been his third scoring title and first since the 2006-07 season. Bryant had reached that single-game scoring threshold seven times this season but has said since last week that the scoring title was "not very important" to him.

Kobe's biggest concern at this moment is the Lakers first round opponent, the Denver Nuggets, and their high speed attack. Although the Lakers lead the season series against the Nuggets 3-1, the Nuggets have added a few new pieces and come into the playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the NBA. With the absence of World Peace for the next 6 games, Ebanks will start at the small forward spot. The Lakers have to be worried about the blistering pace at which the Nuggets play, a style which has given the Lakers fits this season. Therefore, the key matchup will be Ramon Sessions vs. Ty Lawson, who has emerged into a dangerous offensive weapon.

In other news, Kobe Bryant says Blake Griffin should smack somebody, Brad Miller has played the last game of his long career, and here is the Lakers first round playoff schedule.

Starring: The wacky regular season has come to an end, it's go time for the Lakers to get that banner.

• Lakers rest stars and drop regular-season finale - latimes.com
• Kobe Bryant chooses not to go for NBA scoring title - latimes.com
• Kobe’s fear with the Nuggets: their speed - Lakers blog : The Orange County Register
• Lakers Get Rest, Take L In Sacramento - Lake Show Life - A Los Angeles Lakers Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More
• Ebanks to start in World Peace's place; Hill to play in playoffs - Los Angeles Lakers Blog - ESPN Los Angeles
• No. 3 Lakers vs. No. 6 Nuggets - Lee Jenkins - SI.com
• Go for it, Kobe - TrueHoop Blog - ESPN

Continue reading this post »

What the hell was that? Last night against the Spurs, the Lakers were within 4 points after the half, despite the Spurs shooting close to 60%. In my mind I thought, okay, the Lakers will make some half time adjustments on the defensive end and we'll be find. Well, that escalated quickly.

The Spurs made the Lakers look like the Bobcats in the third quarter. Just, downright, nasty, demoralizing punishment:

In the third quarter - where the Lakers gave up 35 points and were outscored by 14 - they hung their heads and looked defeated. I can understand the feeling as the Spurs operated with Borg-like (the Star Trek villain or Swedish tennis player - you choose) precision and hammered them. But I must say it was disconcerting seeing them with no answers and little fight. I'm not saying they quit (far from it, actually) it was just a sense that they'd resigned themselves to the loss after the Spurs made their push. Again, I can understand it.

As a fan, it's easy to put too much emotion into a game like this. Against one of the top teams in the West, we wanted this win so we could feel confident heading into the playoffs. We live game by game. A loss to the Wizards? We don't have a chance this season. A blowout win over the Spurs without Kobe? We're getting another ring! We put a lot of pride into our team, so when we get blown out twice in a week by the same damn team, it's a very tough pill to swallow. Maybe it's a good thing. Maybe if we meet the Spurs somewhere down the line, we'll be very familiar with their tendencies. We'll have an edge from the humiliation. Perhaps the Spurs will feel smug, having beaten our team so handily, and the Lakers will pounce. The postseason is where it counts, so I'll try to take a step back and gain some perspective after last night.

In other news, Andrew Bynum will get the Kobe treatment in Germany in the offseason, Kareem calls out Andrew Bynum, and Shaq said the Lakers tried to tank games in the past.

Starring: The Spurs big three humiliate the Lakers in another blowout loss.

• With Kobe Bryant back, Lakers thumped by San Antonio, 121-97 - latimes.com
• Rapid Reaction: Spurs 121, Lakers 97 - Los Angeles Lakers Blog - ESPN Los Angeles
• Kobe Bryant's return is no free ticket for Lakers in blowout loss - latimes.com
• Forum Blue And Gold " Lakers/Spurs: It’s Deja Vu All Over Again
• Andrew Bynum Declines Olympics to Get the Kobe Knee Procedure | Lakers Nation
• Abdul-Jabbar: Bynum needs to calm ego - Los Angeles Lakers Blog - ESPN Los Angeles
• Lamar Odom gets philosophical about time with Mavericks | ProBasketballTalk

Much more after the jump...

Continue reading this post »

For Playoff teams still jockeying for position, these last couple games are crucial in terms of matchups in the playoffs. As we saw last night, nearly every game involved a few scuffles (Here, Here, Here and Here). There are more altercation videos in the credits this morning than I remember doing in some time. If you're a playoff bound team, you want to Most importantly, the Clippers lost a close game against the surging Phoenix Suns, who are closer to getting into the playoffs. What does this mean for the Lakers?

West No.3 seed: The Lakers' move a full game ahead of the Clippers with the Clips' loss to the Suns Thurday. With the tiebreaker and three games remaining, the Lakers haven't locked up the deal, it's still a magic number of three, but they move closer and closer to firming up the three.

West No.4 and No.5 seed: The Clippers need every game to keep gunning for the 3rd seed and the loss in Phoenix was bad. Not only are they a full-game back of the Lakers and don't have the tiebreaker, but now Memphis is just a game and a half back with an easy schedule.

The Clippers are among several teams with very little room for error if they want to improve their seeding.

I don't know about you, but I would HATE to fall to the 4th seed and face Memphis. Playing the Mavericks in the first round would be my preferred choice, given we've swept the season series with them, and getting revenge for last year would be sweet. Their coaching staff is top notch, so it wouldn't be an easy out by any means, but I like our chances.

Tonight, the Lakers face the Spurs again. After being blown out by 21 points, the Lakers should be a lot hungrier than the last game. Most intriguing, is the return of Kobe Bryant. With his short stint as assistant coach, I wonder how he is going to change his game to fit back in, if at all. The Lakers, after all, have played very well without him. The Lakers need to go 2-1 in the next 3 to clinch the 3rd seed.

In other news, Dwight Howard is out for the season to have back surgery, Derek Fisher is being forced out as president of NBAPA for wanting more transparency, and Delonte West is going to have to cut back on cable.

Starring: The Lakers look to avenge their blowout loss to the Spurs tonight, with a new deadly weapon: Black Mamba.

• 5 Questions about Kobe Bryant's return - Lakers Blog - ESPNLA
• Searching for Slava: BEWARE OF MAMBA
• Lakers Friday preview: at San Antonio Spurs (45-16) - Lakers blog : The Orange County Register
• Lakers' development coach impressed with Kobe Bryant's workouts - latimes.com
• World Peace Rising " Lakers Blog
• Report: Blazers eye Lakers' Mitch Kupchak for GM position? - CBSSports
• Billy Hunter seeks to oust Derek Fisher as union president - Lakers blog : The Orange County Register

Much more after the jump...

Continue reading this post »

The Spurs are dominating the league right now, dismantling opponents left and right. They've outscored opponents by 13.5 points per 100 possessions over the past ten games. That they've stayed this good for so long, with their stars well into the 30s, is a testament to how well coached this team is. But what are they doing differently this year?

And to create even more space in which defenders must account for the wily Parker and the slithery Manu Ginobili, the Spurs have added a terrifying wrinkle to their ballscreen attack.

Instead of the customary side or high ball screen that is initiated from the wing or top of the key, but generally near the 3-point line, the Spurs will pull the pick-and-roll way out away from the hoop, nearly midway between the 3-point line and half court. San Antonio employs a flat screen (screeners shoulders parallel to the baseline) that most defenses counter by sending the guard under the screen to give Ginobili and Parker a running start at the help defense. Big men can be capable help defenders hedging on pick and rolls, but virtually none are equipped to manage Parker's speed or Ginobili's shifty maneuvering in top gear.

Needless to say, this is a scary team with a ton of weapons on offense. We already know Tony Parker well, he's terrorized our guards for the past decade. Duncan can still defend extremely well, despite his age. Ginobili can still dominate. The difference is the Spurs have added so many weapons. Judging by how our defense has slipped lately, this does not bode well for us:

Dragic, Nash, Westbrook, Paul, and Williams have all been able to create good looks for themselves and their teammates by running the P&R and sticking with it throughout the game. If the Lakers are going to become a better defensive team, they must handle this action better. And that responsibility falls on the guards being better at fighting through picks and the big men playing the screen consistently and in the same way.

Tonight's game won't really tell us anything we don't already know, since we cannot gauge our performance against the Spurs without Kobe. Still, if the Lakers can somehow pull out a win against the Spurs, and miraculously hold them under 100 points, it will give us a ton of confidence. If we get blown out, we can blame it on Kobe's absence. Who can step up tonight? Club 17? Black Swan? Anyone?

Starring: For the first time this season, the Lakers face the red hot Spurs.

• Kobe Bryant to sit Wednesday in San Antonio - Los Angeles Lakers Blog - ESPN Los Angeles
• Forum Blue And Gold " Trending Down: The Lakers’ Defense
• Five ways the Kobe-less Lakers are different - Los Angeles Lakers Blog - ESPN Los Angeles
• Odom ending in Dallas after exchange with Cuban - NBA- NBC Sports
• Ramon Sessions reports improvement in shoulder - Lakers blog : The Orange County Register
• Lakers Legend Jerry West: Building a Winning Franchise | Lakers Nation
• In a wild season, a wild playoff race could hinge on Javale McGee - 04.16.12 - SI Vault
• Lakers Wednesday preview: at San Antonio Spurs (40-15) - Lakers blog : The Orange County Register

Continue reading this post »

Starring: The Lakers are downed by the Suns. The big news is Kobe sat out of the game for the first time this season. What's concerning is apparently he's been playing on the injury for the past five games, and it's not getting better. There's a possibility the Lakers will be without Kobe for a few games. If last night was an indication of the intensity level the Lakers sans Kobe will play, we're in trouble:

I'm not even going to bother with the play of the game because this was just a horrid, horrid loss. It started out sloppy to begin with to the point you thought you were watching a glorified pick-up game. And you know that this helter-skelter kind of play favors the Suns. When it eventually, uh, settled down, the Suns played that chaotic ball like only they can. Yes, the Lakers were leading at the end of 1, 32-24. But that tempo favored the Suns right from the get-go.

Much more after the jump...

Continue reading this post »

Starring: Freakin' Andrew Bynum. He was on a short leash all night with the refs against the Rockets. He would complain after every non-call. He would jaw at the Rockets and their bench. He'd throw his hands up in the air. All the little things added up and the refs just weren't having it anymore:

Somebody has got to explain to Bynum that his temper tantrums are getting more costly at this point in the season. Baby Bynum's selfish ways again put his emotions before the team. There is no excuse for these continued outbursts. Coach Brown can't keep down playing these problems. It is only a matter of time until Bynum's immature antics invade the locker room.

With Andrew's 19 points and 7 boards closed in the box score and another quarter to play you already knew where this one was going. The coaches warned Bynum not to get another tech. He was well aware as were the Rockets. They threw out the bait and the big kid took it.

The act of jawing at the bench itself doesn't warrant an ejection, it was just his attitude all night that led to it. Sure, Bynum has come a long ways, but he still makes it extremely frustrating to watch.

In other news, Griffin's shove on Pau Gasol was ruled a Flagrant One, Kobe talked about the Lakers on the Dan Patrick Show, and the Spurs are now the top team in the west.

Much more after the jump...

Continue reading this post »

Starring: Kobe Bryant during clutchtime. All season the Lakers had been losing big leads late in games. It was incredibly frustrating to watch, and a sense of dread washed over us anytime crunch time rolled around. However, things have gradually improved and although we still lose leads, the difference now is the Lakers have been able to close out games. Earlier in the season it wouldn't be surprising to see many botched plays or Kobe isos and misses. The contrast has been night and day when it comes to late game execution:

In Wednesday's big win over the Clippers, Bryant hit two clutch jumpers, one to give the Lakers the lead with 3:02 left and another to seal the victory with 25 seconds on the clock. A night earlier, he pretty much did the same thing against the Nets with two jumpers in the final 1:11.
Two nights before that, in Sunday's win over the Warriors, Bryant hit a big 3-pointer in the final two minutes. And back on Saturday, after missing those first 15 shots, he hit the game-winner with 20 seconds left.
Now, go back to last Tuesday, when Bryant hit the game-tying jumper, and then another to give the Lakers the lead in the final minute at Golden State.
Five wins in six games for the Lakers, and eight straight makes for Bryant in clutch time.

Looks like what the Lakers were missing earlier in the season was practice time to get the offense right. Our offense is clicking right now, and we look like a completely different team compared to the beginning of the season.

In other news, Demarcus Cousins has beef with Blake Griffin, Dwightmare continues after the most awkward interview ever, and Doug Collins has possibly lost his team.

Much more after the jump...

Continue reading this post »

Starring: Andrew Bynum, lockerroom cancer? We've seen signs in the past of questionable behavior. The crazy fouls, the handicap spots, the speeding. Now that Bynum is an all-star is he cranking the scumbag meter up even higher? Apparently he's been quite a handful for Mike Brown even before that 3 point debacle:

Bynum's shot was the latest in a catalogue of items that have annoyed Brown, his staff, the players and team management over the past few weeks. Brown had seen enough and decided to sit the 7-footer for all but 5minutes, 17 seconds of the second half.

The 24-year-old Bynum has played loud music in the Lakers' locker room, which has been frowned upon over the years. He also has been disrespectful to members of the coaching staff and to his teammates for about the past three weeks.

Mike Brown again has the opportunity to deal with a talented star who feels like he can do whatever he wants. As we're seeing with the benching, he's having none of it, and major props to him. With Fisher gone, someone needs to hold the players accountable.

In other news, the Lakers play the Hornets tonight, Ramon Sessions is still trying to find his role, and Starbury wins a CBA championship.

Much more after the jump...

Continue reading this post »

Starring: Russell Westbrook putting the Thunder on his back. Russell Westbrook is a bad, bad man. With his team struggling to score in the first half, shooting 35% from the field, the volatile point guard poured in 17 points in the third. That was enough to hold off the Lakers, who despite putting up a great effort in the first half, fell apart in the third:

Offensively, they had a miserable time generating good looks, lacking both Gasol's scoring ability and also his skill as a high-post passer, someone able to move the defense, create space for cutters and actually deliver the ball. Without him, OKC aggressively attacked the perimeter and made it tough for the Lakers to get entry passes or run the pick and roll (another place losing Gasol hurt). On the other end, losing Pau's mobility against the high screen and as an interior defender was a major problem, particularly as Westbrook gained momentum. The Lakers are a far different team defensively with only one high-end 7-footer available.

Still, all was not lost. The Lakers put together a decent fourth quarter, with Metta World Peace getting hot behind the arc, and Gasol back in the game. The lead was cut down to 7 at one point, but the Lakers ran out of time to mount a comeback. This game showed the Lakers how much work they need to do if they want to advance deep in the playoffs. Mike Brown has a lot of decisions to make in terms of his rotations. How is he going to get any meaningful production without the big three in at the same time? Right now, the Thunder are acting like the big dogs in the West, they talk trash, they scowl, and they pound their chests. What, if anything, can the Lakers do about it?

Much more after the jump...

Continue reading this post »

Starring: The Grizzlies bringing the playoff intensity against a lackadaisical Lakers team. From the onset the Grizzlies looked hungry. Coming off a blowout loss to the Clippers the day before, they were looking to redeem themselves. The Lakers looked hungover:

But it was the defense that really let the Lakers down. The rim went unprotected. Cutters weren't bumped. Too many shots went uncontested. When the ball was turned over, too many Lakers watched instead of racing back on D. The result was too many easy shots and on a night where the Lakers couldn't hit their own open jumpers, they didn't have the firepower to overcome such poor effort. It got to the point that Mike Brown even sat Kobe in a key stretch of the 4th quarter.

Wait, what? Kobe was benched? Apparently after a series of frustrating plays where Tony Allen had his way with Kobe, Kobe punched a chair on the bench and Mike Brown decided he probably needed a breather. No biggie right? Afterwards, both parties said all the right things, and it should be a non-issue moving forward.

Much more after the jump...

Continue reading this post »

Starring: The happiest Lakers team I've seen this season. Kobe Bryant banked a free throw in the closing minutes of their win over the Blazers after Matt Barnes dared him too. Kobe couldn't stop smiling. And he wouldn't, even after the game was over, looking like a college kid headed into the final four for the first time. Asked how it felt to play with Sessions, Andrew Bynum responded:

Bynum said in his post-game interview that he'd never worked with a point guard like Sessions, who is so quick and so crafty. "It's fun," Bynum said. There goes that "f" word again...fun.

It seems the Lakers have turned a corner. After a painful sweep from the playoffs last season, and turmoil in the offseason, the Lakers never seemed to be having fun, all while losing leads, and underperforming in the clutch. Death glares from Kobe, exasperated shrugs from Bynum were the norm. Not last night, not with Ramon Sessions.

In other news, there is no other news, except RAMON SESSIONS. more RAMON SESSIONS, and yet MOAR RRRAMONN SESSIONSSS.

Much more after the jump...

Continue reading this post »

Starring: Excitement in Lakers Land over our new point guard. After a thoroughly dominating win over the Mavs, Lakers fans have to be excited about our prospects this season. Kobe Bryant talked about being a contender:

"We are a championship-caliber team," Bryant said. "I've never understood the talk about us not being a contender. I've never understood it from the start of the season until now. You have myself, you have Andrew (Bynum) and you have Pau. Who has three players like that on one roster? And then you have Metta (World Peace) and you have (Matt) Barnes.

Kobe has got to be excited as hell about Ramon Sessions. The Lakers addressed their one pressing need this season in the point guard position, and it is paying off better than most could have expected:

But in the 100 minutes Sessions has played, the Lakers have scored 114 points per 100 possessions, a mark that would lead the league by a mile, according to NBA.com's stats tool. The Lakers have been more efficient in just about every way possible during those 100 minutes.

Although this a small sample size, we've pretty much found our own version of Linsanity. With only about 20 games left in the season, this is the perfect time for the Lakers to gain some momentum heading into the playoffs.

In other news, we play the Blazers tonight, the Clippers are melting down, the Nuggets lose another player to injury, and Derrick Rose isn't close to returning.

Much more after the jump...

Continue reading this post »

Starring: Yet another fourth quarter meltdown. With a 95-83 lead with 6 minutes remaining, the Lakers give up a 24-9 Rockets run, losing after a Dragic three pointer. This has been a recurring theme all season, with the Lakers seemingly getting complacent after feeling they can dominate a team at any time. After letting the foot off the gas, the Lakers just don't seem to be able to get going again.

The Lakers played a great opening quarter behind the hot shooting of their Big Three - Pau Gasol (12 points on 6-8), Andrew Bynum (8 points on 4-6) and Kobe Bryant (9 points on 3-5). They had just a single turnover to the Rockets' six and went into the next 12 minutes with all the momentum...and then they really let Houston have it. Yes, the Lakers let the Rockets take all of that momentum, and each time the visiting team grabbed some back, the home team snatched it from them.

Also, Mike Brown is pissed at Bynum for his ejection, Devin Ebanks wants more playing time, and Derek Fisher is close to signing with the Thunder.

Much more after the jump...

Continue reading this post »

Starring: For the first time in years, we have speed at the point guard position in Ramon Sessions. However, since he just went through his first practice and is unfamiliar with the players, Steve Blake will start for now:

"I don't want to guarantee anything or put anything in stone because I don't know if it's healthy to do that all the time," Lakers coach Mike Brown said following the team's film session and light voluntary practice on Saturday. "It's definitely Steve's job for the foreseeable future and it might be his job for the rest of the year. I don't know."

The Lakers take on the Jazz tonight at home, and with the playoffs looming closer, Mike Brown will look to manage the Black Mamba's minutes to keep him fresh for the postseason.

Much more after the jump...

Continue reading this post »

Starring: Life without Derek Fisher begins. The Lakers continued their home dominance with a win over the Timberwolves. The most exciting part of last night's game was Ramon Sessions, and wow he's fast. Although he didn't get the start, he showed his potential. Here are Kobe's impressions:

"Extremely fast, extremely crafty and just in the conversations that I had with him out on the floor about execution and things like that, he seems to have a really high basketball I.Q.," Bryant said. "He can score," Bryant said. "He can obviously get into the paint as you saw tonight and so he's going to be a feature for our team that opponents are going to have to prepare for. They're going to have to talk about it and they're going to have to try to do something to slow him down."

Last night Ramon Sessions finished with 7 pts, 4 reb, and 5 assists in his Lakers debut. Steve Blake and Derek Fisher have each reached a line of at least 7 pts, 4 reb, and 5 assists only once in the last two seasons. That would be once in 119 games for Blake and once in the last 135 games for Fisher.

Also, Pau Gasol is a new co-captain of the Lakers, Derek Fisher will likely be bought out, and Kobe's response to Fisher leaving, trying his best not to be sentimental.

Much more after the jump...

Continue reading this post »

Starring: New Lakers Ramon Sessions, Christian Eyenga, and Jordan Hill. On the Trade Deadline, the Lakers made some tough moves to improve the team. Most notable is the addition of Ramon Sessions, who should be a great fit on the team, and takes the team to another level on paper. What we lost was a consummate professional in Derek Fisher:

Fish was the guy who called the players meeting, said they all had to come together. And they did.

Derek Fisher has the highest three-point field goal percentage in NBA Finals history. He ranks second in Finals three-pointers made and he's played in 209 playoff games - fourth highest in NBA history.

Although difficult, what the Lakers have now should be a clear upgrade:

But what they gained was so much more. Point guard hasn't been a hole, it's been a wound. A gaping abcess rotting away that you could see killing the Lakers every time they faced a Chris Paul, a Steve Nash, even lesser guards. They need a point guard to run Mike Brown's offense, and they need a guard who can at least stay in front of the opponent. Fisher couldn't do that. It happens. This is a more complete team with Sessions, a capable non-star who can have nights of brilliance and deliver the right pass, but isn't so big as to take Bryant's shots.

In other news, Pau Gasol sings, and makes a video for Laker Fans, Portland rebuilds in a day, Nene gets traded,and the Clippers hold a players only meeting after their latest meltdown.

Much more after the jump...

Continue reading this post »

Starring: A road win! After a gritty double overtime victory over the surging Grizzlies while on the road, the Lakers have to be feeling pretty good about themselves. Bynum straight up dominated. Plagued by road woes all season, they finally got a quality win on the road against a good team. Down 16 in the third quarter, the Lakers seemed to be motivated after Marresse Speight's idiotic jersey pop. In overtime, the Lakers ran this play to perfection:

With Kobe handling the ball on the wing, Gasol comes to set a screen. Kobe goes over the screen, drawing both Gasol's man and his own defender. Holding the ball for just a moment, Kobe hits Gasol with either a crisp bounce pass or a pass over the top. Gasol, with an open lane to the basket, sees Bynum's man rotate to him on the closeout. Then, putting up a picture perfect lob, Bynum throws it down ferociously for two easy points. As Darius said, when the Lakers big 3 run that side pick and roll, it's like a cheat code.

Also, Derek Fisher has surpassed 10,000 points in career scoring, the Knicks locker room is a complete mess,some Knicks execs want to trade Carmelo, while Carmelo wants to be traded (Isn't it nice to have a high character guy like Gasol, who accepts any role given to him, and doesn't plant stories in the press? Glad we didn't trade Bynum for Melo last season). Also, Dwight wants the Magic to "roll the dice" and keep him for the rest of the season.

Much more after the jump...

Continue reading this post »

Starring: The Lakers come back from an early deficit for a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. It was an ugly game at first, as the Wolves were getting anything they wanted early. Pau, having to battle trade rumors looked to be out of sync. However, with surprisingly good late game execution, the Lakers came through. Bynum was a man possessed:

Bynum was, again, a mark of dominance and everything good about this Laker team right now. Getting his 26th double-double of the season in 36 games, he muscled up shots in a crowd, earned a handful of and-1's because of his aggression at the basket, and in one play, dribbled a quick step around Darko Milicic down the baseline and got an uncontested dunk.

Next up, a game against the rival Celtics. Also, Kobe passes 29,000 points, Happy birthday to Matty Ice, and Josh McRoberts gets more playing time.

Much more after the jump...

Continue reading this post »

Starring: Rebellion in Lakerland? After an embarrassing loss to the Wizards, Lakerdom has been tossed into chaos. The finger-pointing has begun. Is Kobe shooting too much? Are players being selfish? According to Pau Gasol, yes:

"(There is) lack of concentration, overconfidence and a certain level of selfishness, in general. I'm not a person or a selfish player, but we have to move the ball more, and we have to look further the team game, because we have enough talent to use different players," said an upset Gasol to the Catalan public radio.

What are the Lakers doing about it? Are they considering breaking out of Mike Brown's system and using the triangle again?

If the report's on target, that's an abject disaster for Brown and Lakers' management. Players considering overthrowing a coach's offense in favor of what they want to do, which happens to be one of the most complex offenses to run?

Much more after the jump...

Continue reading this post »

Starring: The Masked Mamba strikes again. The death glare. The lobs. The swagger. With a date with Miami looming, the Masked Mamba and crew are looking poised after a win over the Sacramento Kings. The ball movement and spacing are all there. The Lakers are playing for Tacos again:

In winning six of their past eight games, the Lakers have shown signs of coming together offensively.They rank 10th in the league in shooting with a 45 percent field goal average and have topped the 100-point mark three times in the past two weeks. In addition, the Lakers seemingly have settled on their bench rotation with Matt Barnes and Steve Blake anchoring the second unit.

The Masked Mamba is waiting in the shadows. Ready to strike at a moment's notice. A man of few words, he let his henchmen do the talking:

"We'll do what we need to do to get a win," Derek Fisher said after he had six points and a team-leading seven assists against the Kings. "That's always the sweetest revenge. ... For us, it's a big game because of where we are as a team right now.

Much more after the jump...

Continue reading this post »

Starring: Chaz the Lakers Scout. Jim Buss randomly met him while watching horse racing, but it's cool, he's a really nice guy. He's not exactly a bartender, but people say he's genuinely a great guy:

Chaz is a great guy, genuinely liked by many in the Lakers organization. He's also comfortable hanging out at the bar with hoops celebs like Charles Barkley.

Plus Chaz is not shy about picking up a bar tab. He gets great comps from Las Vegas and he's pretty free in sharing them, even with Lakers reserves, such as Luke Walton.

Who knows, maybe he's an intelligent scout. I'm sure he works really hard. But, really? Just some random buddy that Jim met gets to be one of the main scouts for the Los Angeles Lakers??

In other news, Bynum looks and feels incredible, Barnes gives a warning to other teams fouling our stars, and Kobe's neck is still sore.

Much more after the jump...

Continue reading this post »

Starring: Rasheed Wallace, NBA all time leader in technical fouls, and recipient of the NBA's longest suspension not involving violence or substance abuse. He is (unofficially) a Laker now:

The Lakers could use a better backup big that can hit from range, as Troy Murphy has severely disappointed, Jason Kapono can't get time on the floor and they lack a legitimate back up center. The question is whether Wallace has anything left in the tank

In all-star weekend news, Kobe is sick of the media, and Bynum talks about the Laker's problems. Also, some Rasheed Wallace highlights. Even though he's old, he was never that athletic to begin with. He was known as a very efficient scorer, and has some nice back-to-the-basket moves.

Much more after the jump...

Continue reading this post »

Starring: Pau Gasol is the odd man out this weekend as Bynum and Kobe are headed to Orlando for All-Star Weekend. Which is a shame considering he is beginning to show black swan Pau of late. Even then, the Lakers didn't have enough horsepower to match the run and gun Thunders:

Bynum was brusque with reporters after the loss Thursday night and walked away, saying: "We played like (expletive) and we got beat."

Speaking of Bynum, he is going to undergo a routine knee procedure:

Andrew Bynum did not seek any postgame treatment for his problematic right knee despite some discomfort in the final moments of the Lakers' loss Thursday night in Oklahoma City.
Bynum had previously been scheduled to receive a Synvisc injection from his personal doctor, David Altchek, in Port St. Lucie, Fla., on Friday.

It doesn't sound serious, though any headline with the words "Bynum" and "Knee" are bound to worry us a bit. He'll still be able to play in the all star game so he should be okay.

Much more after the jump...

Continue reading this post »