Defense looks lazy As I was watching the Denver game, our defense looked so out of it. They looked like 5 year olds watching fire works..... staring up with their arms to their sides. Oh yeah so far, Devean George just keeps getting better.
My first half impressions of the Lakers v. Nuggets. The Nuggets were on fire from the start, especially KMart. He was making mid-range shots with and without a hand in his face. Chris Mihm looks terrible, he even manage to block his OWN shot on a wide open dunk. Nene is dominating their matchup. Mihm also picked up stupid fouls early on. The perimeter defense of the Lakers and the transition defense is awful. Earl Boykins is penetrating at will, and it's leading to wide open looks. There's been a lot of fast breaks by the Nuggets, after long passes from Boykins. Kobe Bryant was caught sleeping, leading to a DeMarr Johnson dunk, and one. No one is talking and paying attention to the players releasing down the court. Devean George looked great again tonight, he's shooting the ball well and has been helping out on the glass. Kwame Brown has looked nice on offense tonight. His first step is explosive and he can easily get by his man. He's still not playing hard on every play, but it looks like he's getting more comfortable on the court and finding ways to get points. Brian Cook played well once he got in the game, but he hasn't had any more time in the second half so far. I almost didn't recognize Cook, he's a lot leaner this year and is moving around on the court better. Smush Parker hit the first three baskets for the Lakers, but he was picking up reach in fouls trying to guard Boykins. Tough matchup for him, but he needs to play defense with his feet and not his hands. Also hesistant and indecisive on offense when they swing the ball to him. Lamar Odom and Melo have been going at it all night. Melo is shooting the lights out, but Odom had a nice rejection on Melo from behind. Odom isn't comfortable enough on the perimeter yet, and Melo caught rhythm and had a hot hand in the second quarter.
I forgot about Kwame. Even though he is not hitting most of his FT, at least he is attacking the rim. Some practice on FT, and Kwame is going to be the 3rd/2nd best Laker.
Brian Cook working hard on the offensive glass! The Nugget lineup with Miller and Watson on the floor at the same time, gave the Lakers a lot of problems tonight. Not a good sign for the Lakers this season. I think a lot of teams are going to exploit the Lakers lack of speed in the backcourt all season.
I saw that. Cook was a crook on the off glass. Devin Green did pretty good. 7 pts and 2 ast for 5 mins. Kwame would of had 23 pts only if HE MADE HIS FREE THROWS. The Kwame aquisition is starting to pay off. Lamar Odom, although didn't score too much, looked alot more involved than usual. Although they lost, they did make a comeback from a near 20 point deficit to a 10 pt deficit at the end of the game. The defense was starting to bulk up towards the end of the game, they just need to keep that defense for the whole game throughout the year. Again Chris Mihm is a mummy out there. What's up? Mihm has Nov 2 to prove he is going to help. Problem is, I don't know of any team who is willing to trade for him with equal value. One problem with LA after watching this game, is they can't really afford any injuries from their starters. I think one injury will break the chain for LA, unother like some teams.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Devean George looked great again tonight, he's shooting the ball well and has been helping out on the glass.</div> He needs to be a starter, or at least play 30+mins a game. His offence is just wasted. He could be that 3 point shooter that we need.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Laker_fan:</div><div class="quote_post">He needs to be a starter, or at least play 30+mins a game. His offence is just wasted. He could be that 3 point shooter that we need.</div> He's better off the bench. If they start him, the bench would be nothing. He's our 6th man.
I was really excited because I heard they were showing the game on NBATV, but after the game, I am a little worried. If we do these, it will ease my worries: <u>What we need to do for success:</u> 1. WE NEED LATRELL SPREWELL! Smush Parker just isn't getting the job done at point guard. AN AIR BALLED WIDE OPEN THREE?!?!?!?!? With Latrell, we get a player with experience, and who can shoot, play defense, and has size. It's just his speed we have to worry about, but it's still an improvement. D-Fish was a stupid idea to get rid of, he is able to start, and he knows the triangle. 2. BIG MEN- We need a big man, not necessarily a starter, that is willing to get physical down low and will scare teams away from the basket. Preferrably a player with explosiveness and is young in the league. Trade anyone? What I was thinking was maybe a Carlos Boozer type player. 3. We need a three point shooter (preferrably a PG or SG). Not like Chucky Atkins, but one that proves a REAL threat from downtown that can shoot over a PG. 4. Keep Mihm for a while, and if he doesn't do so well, package him over with another player (possibly Jumaine Jones) and get a center that is physical under the basket. HOW CAN YOU MISS A WIDE OPEN LAY UP....THAT BADLY!!! 5. Lastly, we need overall veteranship. I know Rodman is old, but he will toughen up some of the players on our team. 6. Kwame Brown needs to get tougher and more aggressive. He needs to take it hard to the rim, who cares if he gets called for an offensive foul here and then??? This guy is not working up to his full potential, and it looks like he's afraid to touch the ball, and whenever he gets it he gives it to Kobe. 7. Someone of the bench who can score. We need someone who can take the workload off of Kobe. Like when Shaq was around, people were worried about both Shaq and Kobe. I'm not asking for another Shaq, but another threat in the paint. I also believe the Lakers should screw the idea of emptying the salary cap for the 2007-08 season. It would be a shame to see this great franchise die in basketball, and I think a big step forward would be to FIRE KUPCHAK! Jerry West was phenomenal, he steps down, Kupchak becomes GM, we get screwed. Hello, Jerry, ISN'T IT SENDING A MESSAGE??? Please post thoughts.
Sprewell?... RODMAN!?!?! Lakers have enough problems already, Rodman and Sprewell would just create more. We have some people off the bench who can score. George, Cook, and Walton when he comes back, but in alot of senses we need more. Kwame Brown is starting to be more aggressive like last night. He went to the liine 3-4 times I believe. And he scored some fgs. I can't figure out Mihm's problems, maybe he's too relaxed cuz he's awfully clumsy.
<font size=""1"">Note* Threads merged</font> Very nice analysis Lakerman34. I see the same holes on the roster and unfortunately these same holes existed all summer for the Lakers. One bright spot in the Laker backcourt is going to be Aaron McKie. He's not capable of starting or playing a lot of minutes, but his defense will be great down the stretch of close games. He can still lockdown his man and disrupt the rhythm of an offense. Having him in the game for 20 meaningful minutes will be huge for this team. So maybe have McKie play the last 5 minutes of each quarter. This leaves 28 minutes left for the Lakers to worry about at PG. Smush Parker looks like the best option at this point, but adding someone like Sprewell would be fantastic. The injury to Luke Walton really hurt the Lakers, too because Luke could have played some spot minutes at the point. It's really unfortunate Ronny Turiaf is out. He would have been the solution to your second point. I think Cook might be a short term answer, he's in much better physical condition and really got after it on the boards last night. Plus he's money trailing the break and spotting up for a jumpshot. I'm impartial on point #3, I prefer the Lakers shooting less from the outside and driving to the basket and getting to the free throw line. There are some free agents still out there who specialize at three point shooting. Last night was a classic example of why Mihm should not be starting for the Lakers. He screwed up in the first 40 seconds of the game, and kills the ball movement when ever he touches it. He played much better in the second half, when Denver brought in their bench. The Lakers might have to consider using Corie Blount as a spot starter this year. I'm not sure if it's veteran leadership the team needs, but they definitely need some players who don't mind mixing it up. Slava is soft, Sasha is soft, Mihm is soft, Cook has improved, but still soft, Kwame is soft, and Walton is soft. They don't have the Rick Fox, Mark Madsen, and Robert Horry type players needed on the team. Players willing to throw their bodies around and play intense all game long. There is definitely hope for Kwame. I'm more of a believer after watching him play last night. As far as the 2007-2008 plan, I tried hard to support it and convince myself it's the right idea. However, the more I think about it, the only thing the plan is doing is buying Mitch a couple of more seasons as the GM and giving the Lakers an excuse if they aren't successful the next two seasons. The plan really doesn't make much sense because the Lakers already have a superstar, and a great second option in Lamar Odom. There is no need to add another superstar player, because a team can win with two stars and a strong supporting cast. The Spurs and Pistons already proved a one-two punch with nothing else is obsolete in the NBA these days. You need a team that can go 8 or 9 deep. You need players who can handle the basketball and play lockdown man to man defense. The Lakers had quite a few assets to improve their team, but Kupchak either couldn't or didn't get the trades finalized. There still seems to be some confusion in the front office as well. A clash between Kupchak, Jim Buss, and PJax.
