GAME THREAD: NBA: MINNESOTA (0-3) at LA LAKERS (2-2)

Re: NBA: MINNESOTA (0-3) at LA LAKERS (2-2)

Sorry guys I didn't have time to make the Lakers game preview thread today. I'm going to the Ducks game tonight against the San Jose Sharks and work has been crazy this week for me.</p>

Tonight's game could mark the return of Lamar Odom and I'm looking forward to seeing him integrated right away. He's going to be rusty, but Minnesota is a team we should be able to beat even if we make a lot of mistakes and experiment with new strategies and rotations.</p>

This has an interesting subplot and a key matchup will be Andrew Bynum v. Al Jefferson. As we know the TWolves turned down a deal from the Lakers which would have sent Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum, and the Bobcats lottery pick to the TWolves for Kevin Garnett. Instead, Kevin McHale took Boston's offer because he felt Al Jefferson would turnout better than Bynum.</p>

A year ago Al Jefferson was far ahead of Bynum because of his consistency. Early on this season Bynum has been putting up some ridiculous stats in limited minutes. It's hard to tell whether or not Bynum has closed the gap on Jefferson, but right now it looks like Bynum might have the higher ceiling if he continues playing like this and improves as the season progresses.</p>

This is a young TWolves team so the Lakers need to prevent them from getting any confidence about winning this game. The TWolves have been competitive and the Lakers have a bad habit of taking nights off against these types of teams. It bit us in the butt against the Hornets with lazy defensive rotations and not adjusting to how the Hornets were running our offense. There was a lot brain fart moments in the Hornet game.</p>

Lakers need to come out early and establish a big lead. Our five starters are much better than the TWolves and we need to prove that by taking a double digit lead into halftime and then adding to it with our 2nd unit. I want to see the Lakers put these teams away early and allow the five starters to rest in the final period while our bench closes out the games.</p>

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Re: NBA: MINNESOTA (0-3) at LA LAKERS (2-2)

Update on Odom's status</p>

In the LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS, Rich Hammond writes &ldquo;the expected return of Lamar Odom to the Lakers' starting lineup on Friday will send one of his teammates to the bench, and the smart money seems to be on forward Luke Walton. Barring any last-minute setbacks, Odom, who underwent shoulder surgery in May, will play Friday. Last season, Odom partnered with Walton in the starting frontcourt, but that could change now. Phil Jackson did indicate that Odom would start, rather than ease his way back into the lineup as a reserve.&rdquo;</p>

Luke's been great this season at getting the in the post and playing off of Kobe. I hope Odom can bring that to the table and also help the defense out. We really missed his rebounding and length in the Houston and New Orleans losses.</p>

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Re: NBA: MINNESOTA (0-3) at LA LAKERS (2-2)

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'></p>

Records: Lakers 2-2; Minnesota 0-3
Offensive ratings: Lakers 110.8; T-Wolves 105
Defensive ratings: Lakers 108.6; T-Wolves 114.5
Projected Starting Lineups: Lakers: Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Ronny Turiaf, Chris Mihm
Minnesota: Sebastian Telfair, Rashad McCants, Ryan Gomes, Greg Buckner, Al Jefferson</p>

Lakers Notes: Lamar Odom returns tonight and will start, moving Luke Walton to a second unit that can really move the ball around (Walton, Jordan Farmar and Andrew Bynum are all good passers). It&rsquo;s great to have Odom back at his natural three spot, I have high hopes for what this will mean. But not tonight. Expect some limited minutes and some rust from Odom, and it may throw a kink or two in the offense at points tonight. Still his presence is welcome and needed.</p>

Mo Evans is not expected to play, and Kwame is not likely either. Kwame is a particular loss tonight against a team where they could have used him along the front line, he is the strongest Laker post defender. His loss puts a lot of pressure on Mihm tonight, who was rusty but passable in his start the other night. Bynum is going to have to step up as well.</p>

One other not that Bill Dwyre brought up in his Luke Walton profile today I forgot to mention &mdash; the play at the end of the first half of the New Orleans game, a sign to me that this Lakers team may have a little something special going on. If you remember, Kobe sank two free throws with nine seconds left to tie the game at 55. The Hornets come down and Chris Paul got into the lane, posts up and then hits a little fadeaway to make it 57-55 with just under two seconds left. Usual NBA protocol here is for someone to give the ball to Kobe or Fisher to try the three-quarter court heave. But as the ball goes through the net Turiaf turns and starts running up court, Walton grabs the ball to make the inbounds pass, sees the hustling Turiaf and does his best Kevin Love imitation and throws it long, hitting Turiaf in stride. Truiaf beats his guy for a lay-up and a 57-57 game at half. Maybe it didn&rsquo;t matter in end this time, but this is the kind of little thing that wins games.</p>

The Timberwolves Coming In: They knew it was going to be like this &mdash; a total rebuild is ugly for a couple years. But at least Minnesota finally decided to go with the total rebuild rather than the horrible &ldquo;build around KG on the fly&rdquo; thing they had been doing with no success with the past couple of years.</p>

This year&rsquo;s team isn&rsquo;t as bad as some predicted. They have a rock-solid center in Al Jefferson, an old-school beast on the block. If he plays 40 minutes you can expect 21 and 14. But Randy Foye &mdash; who I expect to have a break out year &mdash; is out indefinitely. Sebastian Telfair is getting his shot, we&rsquo;ll see over the course of the year what he really can be &mdash; nearly 30% of his possessions end in an assist, but he is shooting just 31% on the year. We&rsquo;re also learning about the athletic but out of control Gerald Green. Ryan Gomes is a player I like, although in an ideal world he is a guy coming off the bench for some scoring spark. And note to Ronny Turiaf and Odom &mdash; Buckner has a nice range and is shooting 59.4% (eFG%) and 37% form three this season, Don&rsquo;t ignore him.</p>

The T-Wolves have caught teams off guard early &mdash; they have had first-quarter double-digit leads in all three games. This is a team that has hung in games until about halfway through the fourth quarters, when other teams have found a gear the Wolves have yet to locate. This season is going to be a lot of that for them.</p>

Keys To The Game: Last year the Lakers didn&rsquo;t seemed focused for games like this, but good teams beat the teams they should and this is one the Lakers should win.</p>

T-Wolves coach said Marco Jaric is going to start on Kobe, so that should mean a big night for #24. Look for Corey Brewer and Gerald Green &mdash; both athletic guys but a little young for this task &mdash; to get their chances as well. This is a game Kobe should be able to get his when he wants it, and last season he dropped 40 and 50 on Minny.</p>

Last year at Staples I had great seats for Al Jefferson pushing Andrew Bynum around the paint like he was Chuck Nevit. I&rsquo;m curious to see what the more fit Bynum can do, but bottom line is the Lakers deep front line is going to have to work to not let Jefferson control the paint.</p>

This is also a game where the Lakers depth should prove a big advantage &mdash; Walton, Farmar, Radmanovic and Bynum will find this is not Houston or Utah in terms of second units. They can take over this game and give the Lakers a big lead. And part of the reason for the late fades by Minnesota is that the starters don&rsquo;t get a lot of rest if things get out of control.</p>

Tonight&rsquo;s Game: Where Odom Happens: Odom being back is the story, but I&rsquo;m not sure he&rsquo;ll be the key at the end. Look for the T-Wolves to hang in their for a while &mdash; maybe into the third quarter. This is a team that will hustle. But look for the Lakers bench to start a third quarter run, Kobe to torch whoever tries to cover him and the Lakers to pull away comfortably late.</p>

Where you can watch: Game time is 7:30 p.m. (Pacific). No national broadcast (ESPN gives you the Cavs and Kings) and in LA it is Fox Sports. Because of the late starts, I haven&rsquo;t &ldquo;watched&rdquo; a game online yet, but whose system is better this year, ESPN or NBA.com?</div></p>

Source: ForumBlueandGold</p>

At least Trenton Hassell is no longer on the TWolves. He always had career nights with Kobe playing off of him and daring him to shoot. Greg Buckner can be a pain, but he'll be overwhelmed by all the fresh legs coming off the bench to attack him.</p>

 

Re: NBA: MINNESOTA (0-3) at LA LAKERS (2-2)

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (junit)</div><div class='quotemain'></p>

Excited to see the team as a whole today!</p>

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We might be without Kwame again, but good to see Odom back.</p>

How do you think he'll do in his first game of the season?</p>

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Re: NBA: MINNESOTA (0-3) at LA LAKERS (2-2)

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (High54Life)</div><div class='quotemain'></p>

I think Gerald Green playing this game is key. He's racked up 43 points against the Lakers last season. And plus GG vs Kobe is someone I love seeing.</p>

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I hope he plays a lot of minutes so Kobe can light him up.</p>

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