<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">FRESNO - Lakers forward Lamar Odom has taken to calling guard Maurice Evans by the nickname "Herschel Walker" for the simple reason that Evans is built more like an NFL running back than an NBA player. That might be the case, but Evans did a pretty good Kobe Bryant impersonation in the fourth quarter of the Lakers' exhibition opener Tuesday night. Evans connected on two 3-pointers and an 18-footer as the Lakers reversed course after giving back most of a 14-point lead and went on to a 94-79 victory over Utah. He started in place of Bryant, who skipped the trip to continue strengthening his right knee, and scored all 12 of his points in the final quarter. Evans was acquired from Detroit in a draft-night trade and came with the reputation as a defensive stopper. But Evans, who can defend three positions, showed the other side of his game Tuesday. "When I was in college, I was one of the top scorers in the country," said Evans, who averaged 22.6 points his sophomore season at Wichita State. "I had never been known for being a good defender until I got to the NBA." Evans best sequence might have come after he missed a shot. He kept the rebound alive, tipping it back outside, and drilled a 3-pointer from the corner after he got the ball back from Odom. Teenage center Andrew Bynum, meanwhile, had his ups and downs in finishing with two points, six rebounds and four turnovers in 17-plus minutes. Bynum hit a turnaround 12-footer on the baseline in the fourth quarter and blocked a Rafael Araujo shot in the second quarter. But he had the ball plucked from his hands twice by Derek Fisher in the first half. "You can see that he's still got a long way to go in terms of his strength," assistant coach Kurt Rambis said, "and for a big guy that's 7-feet tall he brings the ball down way too many times." </div> Source
<div class="quote_poster">SkiptoMyLue11 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">What did the Lakers trade for Evans?</div> Second round pick Cheick Samb.
Who? Looking at Evans playerfile, it seems like we got a pretty good deal, unless his contract is big. Is it?
<div class="quote_poster">Bahir Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Who? Looking at Evans playerfile, it seems like we got a pretty good deal, unless his contract is big. Is it?</div> Evans has two years remaining on his contract, which pays him $1,500,000 a year, which is actually a really small contract. Evans will be great for us coming off the bench. The guy can score, and can play tough defense. I still can't believe we got him for Cheik Samb. What a steal
Evans wasnt happy in Detroit, he requested the trade as he thought he wasnt getting enough minutes in Detroit, and he was apparentley told he wouldnt see much more in the season ahead. I'm happy with Samb, hopefully he'll be able to develop a game, then come into the NBA and make a helpful contribution off the bench for us.
I remember that draft, I was so pissed that we picked up Samb, but I got very excited after that trade, I feel that it was a steal.
I wanted him prior to this season, after watching him man handle Ray Allen in the playoffs during his first season in Sacramento. Mo Evans plays with reckless abandon and battles for the offensive glass against bigger players. Last night he out jumped everyone on the court on a couple of put back attempts. He also took a hard foul from Petro, bounced up, hit both free throws and went right at his man on defense. I won't be surprised to see him on the court with Kobe sliding to small forward against a lot of teams this season. He'll be valuable against teams who have athletic scoring options at SG and SF. The lineup of Smush-Evans-Kobe-Odom-Kwame is our best defensive unit.
^You don't think Sasha is a better defensive player than Smush? I mean, they both gamble on defense, but Sasha is a bit more peskier on defense. I would go with the line up: Sasha-Evans-Kobe-Turiaf-Kwame as our best defensive unit. But LO brings so much to the table on offense that it would benefit us to have him in instead.
Mo Evans was such a steal for us. He really was a necessity with his defense, add on his scoring and...... <div class="quote_poster">Trench Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Evans was a steal if you ask me..</div> No kidding Trench......Damn I'm jumping out of my seat waiting for this season to start. LET'S GO LAKERS!
