Dwight Howard rips Lakers lack of chemistry

[OutlawImmortal]

We wanted/needed the Lakers to play like a team. That does not, can not, and will not ever happen when one guy decides to go 1-on-1 for 4- to 6-minute stretches of the game

I meant it more as an option for Nash, not that I think it's right for Kobe to go 1 on 1 for entire stretches of a game.

What we needed was a good coach to identify the players' roles better, then maybe we could have mixed it up more evenly like you described.

This we can agree on, D'Antoni has to go.

I see the correlation differently. I think the team was hot precisely BECAUSE they were involved.

I guess we just see the glass differently then, because I believe a 5-time champion who would do anything for another ring would know the proper way to play in order to put his team in a position to win.

The standing around by Kobe's teammates is not a new phenomenon this season. Kobe is the common denominator throughout the years, not his individual teammates.

Did they stand around when we were winning titles? We've had a bad bench for a long while now.

it just bothered me that D'Antoni not only let the excuse drag on all season but he actually went out of his way to bring it up over and over again. No coach does that. It was a transparent, sorry attempt at covering his own butt.

Agree completely.

Of course they were. But please recognize that the Lakers were doomed unless Kobe played the right way anyway.

I remember you saying they would play better without Kobe on the court. Game 1 was the best game the Lakers played in the series but it wasn't anywhere near enough to beat the Spurs. I agree that Kobe shoots too much and that we can't win like that, we just disagree on the reason why. I'm saying he does it out of necessity and you say he does it because of incompetence? I guess lol.

But basic basketball knowledge should have told you that anyway. Sorry, just being real.

That's why we discuss right? To learn, and share our perspective while observing another's.

 

[OutlawImmortal]

Kobe ran the point even when Nash was healthy. It's inexcusable they couldn't get this hammered out, and I lay the blame on D'Antoni being a sorry leader, Kobe being a sorry leader, and Nash being a sorry leader.

Someone needed to step up and make the right decision. We ended up with Kobe making the wrong decision, unfortunately.

I didn't really have too much of a problem with that, we've seen what Kobe can do as a passer and he often outpassed Nash last year. I didn't have a problem with that because with Nash on the court you didn't have to worry about Kobe getting tired and committing those tired turnovers he committed when he went to being point guard full time again. I didn't have a problem with it, but we shouldn't have to be doing that in the first place.

Bottom line: D'Antoni didn't work out.

 

[trojanfan12]

Have to disagree.

Basketball is a team sport. I don't want to seem like a Kobe hater, but just look at the Lakers record post-MEM meeting, where Kobe was told to pass more and shoot less, and compare that record to the Lakers record before that meeting. And if you look at Kobe's stats after that meeting, you cannot come to any other conclusion than the fact that the Lakers were/are a much more dangerous and successful team when Kobe shoots less and passes more.

But basic basketball knowledge should have told you that anyway. Sorry, just being real.

Keep in mind that it was also right after the Memphis game that the Lakers had there longest stretch of healthy players. I think that basically that meeting was about letting Kobe know that his teammates were healthier and ready to carry a bigger share of the load.

Not trying to make excuses for Kobe, but prior to the ASB, Nash had been for 24 games, Blake had been out for quite a few games, Pau had missed some games and Dwight was at about 50-60% with his back and had a torn labrum that he was trying to figure out how to play through as well.

I know some folks don't like the injury "excuse", but it's not as if it was just 1 or 2 players that were lost to injury. In all my years of watching sports, I can't recall seeing a team have this many injuries that stretched out over the course of an entire season. It simply can't be ignored in my opinion.

Does anyone honestly think that the Lakers have this same type of season if they are are only dealing with the "normal" amount of injuries?

 

[Big Red Slugs]

I remember you saying they would play better without Kobe on the court. Game 1 was the best game the Lakers played in the series but it wasn't anywhere near enough to beat the Spurs.

I never said the Lakers would play better without Kobe. I was careful to avoid anything even remotely close to it. I tried deliberately to choose my words carefully on that subject because I know some folks like Sman like to call me a Kobe hater when I'm really just a Lakers fan above all else.

I think the worst thing I ever said along those lines was that I pointed out how much the defense improved without Kobe on the court. During the regular season when Kobe missed two games with an ankle injury, I wondered aloud how the team would look without him.

And I've said repeatedly, and will say again, I do not think the Lakers are better without Kobe. I just think they're so much better when he plays the right way.

I agree that Kobe shoots too much and that we can't win like that, we just disagree on the reason why. I'm saying he does it out of necessity and you say he does it because of incompetence? I guess lol.

I think he does it with good intentions, obviously he wants to win and he trusts himself more than others, a common trait of the best at anything. It's still wrong, which we agree on. That's why we needed Phil, he could get through to Kobe.

 

[OutlawImmortal]

I never said the Lakers would play better without Kobe. I was careful to avoid anything even remotely close to it. I tried deliberately to choose my words carefully on that subject because I know some folks like Sman like to call me a Kobe hater when I'm really just a Lakers fan above all else.

I think the worst thing I ever said along those lines was that I pointed out how much the defense improved without Kobe on the court. During the regular season when Kobe missed two games with an ankle injury, I wondered aloud how the team would look without him.

And I've said repeatedly, and will say again, I do not think the Lakers are better without Kobe. I just think they're so much better when he plays the right way.

Thanks for clearing that up because I know I've put words in your mouth before. The Lakers as a whole were motivated after the injury but in the playoffs things just started snowballing out of control which led to the Dwight ejection. I'm torn on Dwight, overall I don't think I care if he resigns or not because I'm sure the Lakers will find someone. They always do. Then again the last time we had a top 5 player who acted up and we refused to let him go... it went pretty well.

Obviously Dwight agrees with us that D'Antoni isn't the answer. This was also worse than Orlando, at least in Orlando he had knock down shooters to kick it out to. Getting frustration fouls and taking yourself out of the game however understandable is unacceptable for a leader though.

 

[Chilipepper]

@ Big Red Slugs, Great observation and point about Kobe going into long stretches of ball hogging. Also in crunch time he just forced shots ignoring his teammates taking all the shots. Look, his own teammates complained all season in post game interviews about we need to share the ball more as a team. Kobe's shot was on this season and he knew it, so he just jacked it up all year. I also think the defense was bad because they hated that D'Antoni let Kobe run the team. So they rarely tried on defense. LAKERS could play defense. I saw a few games when they tried. But most of the season they just didn't have the heart. No communication on defense between players. Which means they just didn't have the spark to do so. Gasol got benched even from being sad about what was going on. I love Kobe but his mind just wasn't right this season if he wanted to win it all. I think Howard's first press conference where he mocked Kobe by doing a impersonation of the way Kobe talked started this bad team chemistry. I hope Howard is not a LAKER next season. He is a baby mind joke. Not a leader. All season he acted and played like this season was a joke. He'll just bring the LAKERS brand name down.

 

[OutlawImmortal]

LAKERS could play defense.

Take Kobe out and we have no perimeter defense to speak of. Howard rests/fouls, goes to the bench and we have nothing at all. Gasol has his moments on defense but he has played so much ball over the past couple of years.

 

[jayviabay]

. I think Howard's first press conference where he mocked Kobe by doing a impersonation of the way Kobe talked started this bad team chemistry. I hope Howard is not a LAKER next season. He is a baby mind joke. Not a leader. All season he acted and played like this season was a joke. He'll just bring the LAKERS brand name down.

Some fans have hope with the right coach, his mentality and approach will be an easy fix? He did show as of right now he is not a leader and actually needs Kobe to play a mentor type of role.

It was obvious during missed shots, opponents were doing a number on him so he wouldnt get the rebound. I understand it could be frustrating when the refs never blow the whistle in these situations but to start shoving guys, getting loose ball fouls, is not the way to retaliate. Make them pay by out playing them. These type of childish antics makes me suspect if he has what it takes to be a long time Laker

 

[wildturkey]

You do realize Kobe and Nash switched roles consensually, right? They studied film together. They made the switch because as the team was constructed, they were actually more efficient with Kobe initiating D'Antoni's pick and roll system moreso than with Nash. This was mostly because Nash was no longer a large threat to turn the corner. Whether he got old or was injured or both is another debate. Fact was Kobe was more of a threat that defenses had to pay attention to. It was also more efficient because it allowed Nash to be a weak side spot up shooter, something he does very well. He's a better pure shooter than Kobe. So that stretched the defense more because teams had to respect Nash's jump shot with the added threat that LA could run a secondary PnR with Nash once he received the ball.

Saying Kobe was a ball hog is a lazy excuse from the mid 00s. It's easy to say Nash, Kobe, etc etc weren't allowed to play their roles. But its not because someone said no. It's because it wasn't working. The Lakers adjusted and actually put forth a pretty good offense.

If you want to blame Kobe for something, call him out for his terrible defense this year. Him and the whole team really. That's the major reason the team struggled (besides injuries). There was no coherent plan on defense. They never defended opposing teams' screens the same way from game to game or even play to play, leading to a TON of missed rotations, confused looks, and lethargic play.

 

[jayviabay]

You do realize Kobe and Nash switched roles consensually, right? They studied film together. They made the switch because as the team was constructed, they were actually more efficient with Kobe initiating D'Antoni's pick and roll system moreso than with Nash. This was mostly because Nash was no longer a large threat to turn the corner. Whether he got old or was injured or both is another debate. Fact was Kobe was more of a threat that defenses had to pay attention to. It was also more efficient because it allowed Nash to be a weak side spot up shooter, something he does very well. He's a better pure shooter than Kobe. So that stretched the defense more because teams had to respect Nash's jump shot with the added threat that LA could run a secondary PnR with Nash once he received the ball.

Saying Kobe was a ball hog is a lazy excuse from the mid 00s. It's easy to say Nash, Kobe, etc etc weren't allowed to play their roles. But its not because someone said no. It's because it wasn't working. The Lakers adjusted and actually put forth a pretty good offense.

If you want to blame Kobe for something, call him out for his terrible defense this year. Him and the whole team really. That's the major reason the team struggled (besides injuries). There was no coherent plan on defense. They never defended opposing teams' screens the same way from game to game or even play to play, leading to a TON of missed rotations, confused looks, and lethargic play.

Good Points Here

 

[Shanemansj13]

Pretty easy to identify the trolls around here.

Shane, you officially won the second-ever BRS Ignore List Award.

Congrats :second:

What??...If you can't agree with that then you belong the team

 

[Chilipepper]

I'm sure it was Kobes idea to have the ball in his hands all the time. So Nash just followed. He was a rookie on the LAKERS and just did what ever Kobe wanted. Nash just needed time to excell on his new team. Also the defense was bad because they just didn't believe in Kobe dominating the shots etc. They just weren't happy or felt involved. Kobe was taking close to 30 shots all the time. I watched mose of the games and Kobe just forced way too many shots while he had a wide open teammate next to him. Lakers had Gasol, Howard, Nash etc. No reason to take 30 shots when you have what the Lakers had. There was no flow to the offense because of Kobe, which lead to not getting back on defense too. The Lakers just got into that bad habit and never emerged from it. The team was not excited about what was going on. IMO Bad team chemistry

 

[Shanemansj13]

I'm sure it was Kobes idea to have the ball in his hands all the time. So Nash just followed. He was a rookie on the LAKERS and just did what ever Kobe wanted. Nash just needed time to excell on his new team. Also the defense was bad because they just didn't believe in Kobe dominating the shots etc. They just weren't happy or felt involved. Kobe was taking close to 30 shots all the time. I watched mose of the games and Kobe just forced way too many shots while he had a wide open teammate next to him. Lakers had Gasol, Howard, Nash etc. No reason to take 30 shots when you have what the Lakers had. There was no flow to the offense because of Kobe, which lead to not getting back on defense too. The Lakers just got into that bad habit and never emerged from it. The team was not excited about what was going on. IMO Bad team chemistry

DAntoni didn't help. IMO. A guy that isn't a defensive coach, when they were struggling in that aspect. Won't be motivated to change their tendencies. It was just score, score, score. Outscore your opponent.

 

[wildturkey]

I'm sure it was Kobes idea to have the ball in his hands all the time. So Nash just followed. He was a rookie on the LAKERS and just did what ever Kobe wanted. Nash just needed time to excell on his new team. Also the defense was bad because they just didn't believe in Kobe dominating the shots etc. They just weren't happy or felt involved. Kobe was taking close to 30 shots all the time. I watched mose of the games and Kobe just forced way too many shots while he had a wide open teammate next to him. Lakers had Gasol, Howard, Nash etc. No reason to take 30 shots when you have what the Lakers had. There was no flow to the offense because of Kobe, which lead to not getting back on defense too. The Lakers just got into that bad habit and never emerged from it. The team was not excited about what was going on. IMO Bad team chemistry

30? Try 20. That's his attempted FGs per game, which is actually down from last year. And his PER went up, indicating he was a more efficient player. The stats don't match what you want to believe. Kobe, offensively, was not the problem or even a problem. As I said, its a lazy argument. You can argue chemistry, but that has more to do with the fact that the big 4 spent 7% of the season's total minutes playing together due to injuries. But in spite of this, LA still managed a top 10 offense.

And it's totally laughable to think Steve Nash, a man close to 40 and a two time MVP, would play good little boy scout and cower to Kobe. Do you not follow this team's press? They have mad mutual respect for each other. Neither one would forcibly rule over the other.

 

[OutlawImmortal]

You do realize Kobe and Nash switched roles consensually, right? They studied film together. They made the switch because as the team was constructed, they were actually more efficient with Kobe initiating D'Antoni's pick and roll system moreso than with Nash. This was mostly because Nash was no longer a large threat to turn the corner. Whether he got old or was injured or both is another debate. Fact was Kobe was more of a threat that defenses had to pay attention to. It was also more efficient because it allowed Nash to be a weak side spot up shooter, something he does very well. He's a better pure shooter than Kobe. So that stretched the defense more because teams had to respect Nash's jump shot with the added threat that LA could run a secondary PnR with Nash once he received the ball.

Saying Kobe was a ball hog is a lazy excuse from the mid 00s. It's easy to say Nash, Kobe, etc etc weren't allowed to play their roles. But its not because someone said no. It's because it wasn't working. The Lakers adjusted and actually put forth a pretty good offense.

If you want to blame Kobe for something, call him out for his terrible defense this year. Him and the whole team really. That's the major reason the team struggled (besides injuries). There was no coherent plan on defense. They never defended opposing teams' screens the same way from game to game or even play to play, leading to a TON of missed rotations, confused looks, and lethargic play.

Great post, sounds about right.

 

[Big Red Slugs]

30? Try 20. That's his attempted FGs per game, which is actually down from last year. And his PER went up, indicating he was a more efficient player. The stats don't match what you want to believe. Kobe, offensively, was not the problem or even a problem. As I said, its a lazy argument. You can argue chemistry, but that has more to do with the fact that the big 4 spent 7% of the season's total minutes playing together due to injuries. But in spite of this, LA still managed a top 10 offense.

And it's totally laughable to think Steve Nash, a man close to 40 and a two time MVP, would play good little boy scout and cower to Kobe. Do you not follow this team's press? They have mad mutual respect for each other. Neither one would forcibly rule over the other.

I'm really surprised to see you take this route, WT.

Kobe, offensively, was not even a problem? Lazy argument?

Then what was it that suddenly and markedly turned the season around after the MEM meeting?

Before you say, "health," I'll point out that even after that meeting Nash and Gasol continued to miss significant time and Howard was a mixed bag, a few dominant games followed by a few weak games, all season long to the very end.

My position: It was obvious to me that the Lakers were a much more dangerous TEAM offensively and defensively when Kobe suddenly decided to shoot less and pass more. The stats bear that out.

Through MEM, the Lakers were 17-25 (.405), with Kobe shooting .465 on 22.1 FGA and dishing 4.7 assists a night.

Immediate 23 games after MEM, 17-6 (.739), with Kobe shooting .491 on 17.4 FGA and dishing 7.9 assists a night.

By Kobe sharing the ball, it allowed the team to build chemistry and confidence as a unit, start forming some sort of an identity, establish their roles, and they began to roll a bit. Without that change to Kobe's offensive approach to the game, the Lakers never would have turned their season around.

 

[wildturkey]

I'm really surprised to see you take this route, WT.

Kobe, offensively, was not even a problem? Lazy argument?

Then what was it that suddenly and markedly turned the season around after the MEM meeting?

Before you say, "health," I'll point out that even after that meeting Nash and Gasol continued to miss significant time and Howard was a mixed bag, a few dominant games followed by a few weak games, all season long to the very end.

My position: It was obvious to me that the Lakers were a much more dangerous TEAM offensively and defensively when Kobe suddenly decided to shoot less and pass more. The stats bear that out.

Through MEM, the Lakers were 17-25 (.405), with Kobe shooting .465 on 22.1 FGA and dishing 4.7 assists a night.

Immediate 23 games after MEM, 17-6 (.739), with Kobe shooting .491 on 17.4 FGA and dishing 7.9 assists a night.

By Kobe sharing the ball, it allowed the team to build chemistry and confidence as a unit, start forming some sort of an identity, establish their roles, and they began to roll a bit. Without that change to Kobe's offensive approach to the game, the Lakers never would have turned their season around.

That's because Kobe and Nash switched roles. That's what I've been trying to get through to people. It's not just because Kobe decided to shoot all the time. In his conventional role (and Nash in his), the Lakers were not effective. When Kobe became the defacto point guard, everything worked better for reasons I explained in previous posts. All you did was say he was shooting too much, etc etc in the same lazy Kobe is selfish argument that's been used for more than a decade. I showed you what actually happened and how. It goes far deeper than "Kobe shoots too much". Pay attention to the xs and os and you won't be so surprised in the future.

 

[Big Red Slugs]

That's because Kobe and Nash switched roles. That's what I've been trying to get through to people. It's not just because Kobe decided to shoot all the time. In his conventional role (and Nash in his), the Lakers were not effective. When Kobe became the defacto point guard, everything worked better for reasons I explained in previous posts. All you did was say he was shooting too much, etc etc in the same lazy Kobe is selfish argument that's been used for more than a decade. I showed you what actually happened and how. It goes far deeper than "Kobe shoots too much". Pay attention to the xs and os and you won't be so surprised in the future.

We're saying the same thing.

You say Kobe and Nash switched roles, and the team improved because of it.

I'm saying Kobe started passing more and shooting less, and the team improved because of it.

The point you're missing is that by switching roles, Nash was reduced to something less than what he should have been for the team. Ideally, Kobe would have been able to pass more and shoot less without taking over Nash's job. That is entirely possible, you know?

 

[trojanfan12]

We're saying the same thing.

You say Kobe and Nash switched roles, and the team improved because of it.

I'm saying Kobe started passing more and shooting less, and the team improved because of it.

The point you're missing is that by switching roles, Nash was reduced to something less than what he should have been for the team. Ideally, Kobe would have been able to pass more and shoot less without taking over Nash's job. That is entirely possible, you know?

True, but I think the reason for the role switch was twofold:

1.) To take some of the pressure off of Nash as he was dealing with injuries.

2.) So that Nash could be more aggressive offensively. He is one of the best shooters in NBA history!! His shooting from the outside, opens the middle. Look at how the Spurs just basically sat in Dwight and Pau's laps and dared the Lakers to shoot from outside. Nash could have put an end to that crap pretty quick!!

 

[Big Red Slugs]

Thing is, Nash never actually improved when he was moved to the wing.

The team improved, but that's because Kobe's approach changed (what I've been saying) and not because Nash was reduced to a spot-up shooter (what WT said).