Russell starting to come on

[Hangman]

I am seeing much better shot attempts. More drives to the hole with confidence and speed. Better defense. And his passing decisions are getting better. He is starting to look the part of a starting PG.

 

[wildturkey]

He's looked the part. He's been fine since day 1 even when some people were freaking out that he was a bust after summer league games. This isn't really a surprise. He's good. Both from the numbers and the eye test, the Lakers are a better team when he's on the floor. All his advanced numbers indicated he would put up numbers if actually given more minutes. If Scott hadn't put chains on him, Towns might have actually had some competition for Rookie of the Year this season.

 

[Kold]

"ICE IN MY VEINS!"

 

[trojanfan12]

I am seeing much better shot attempts. More drives to the hole with confidence and speed. Better defense. And his passing decisions are getting better. He is starting to look the part of a starting PG.

Yeah, he's been steadily improving all season, but he put it all together last night. Also, during the 3 days they just had off, Byron had them practice everyday and added a couple of offensive sets that are supposed to cater more to Russell's strengths.

He only had 3 assists last night to go along with his 39 points and 6 boards, but he had several "hockey assists" as well.

 

[OutlawImmortal]

Not bad for a bust, right Hangman?

 

[Retroram52]

Watching some of the game against Atlanta. Randle is in beast mode, but Russell is having a bit of a sucky night. Nick Young's career is pretty much done. This team really doesn't know how to play D even though they are trying. Heurtas is a one-hit wonder. They really have a long way to go to be really good again. We all know this so nothing has changed tonight.

 

[Retroram52]

Well, I wish I could finish the game but we are getting killed. Later...

 

[wildturkey]

Well, I wish I could finish the game but we are getting killed. Later...

If you're looking for positives, it's a good loss. Both Phoenix and Brooklyn won tonight to give us more cushion on that two spot.

 

[trojanfan12]

Watching some of the game against Atlanta. Randle is in beast mode, but Russell is having a bit of a sucky night. Nick Young's career is pretty much done. This team really doesn't know how to play D even though they are trying. Heurtas is a one-hit wonder. They really have a long way to go to be really good again. We all know this so nothing has changed tonight.

A friend of mine and I were talking about the defense yesterday. The young guys all do a pretty good job when their man has the ball, but as soon as the ball starts moving, they start getting lost. That should improve once they learn to communicate and not get caught watching the ball and losing sight of the player they're supposed to be guarding. Defensively, the constant communication that is required in the NBA is the hardest thing for young guys to learn.

 

[Retroram52]

YEa I agree TJF12. They get mesmerized by the ball movement and get frozen like their feet are in cement. I suspect that will take longer than most have imagined especially with the continual roster turn-over this team has experienced in recent years.

 

[trojanfan12]

YEa I agree TJF12. They get mesmerized by the ball movement and get frozen like their feet are in cement. I suspect that will take longer than most have imagined especially with the continual roster turn-over this team has experienced in recent years.

Yeah, most of us fans don't realize how much they have to communicate on defense. Back during the Showtime era, for my birthday one year, I got a pair of tickets to a Lakers game with seats that were close enough to the sidelines that you could hear the guys talking on the court. When either team was on defense, the chatter among those players was almost non-stop. I knew they talked to each other on defense, but had no idea how much they really did until then.

 

[Retroram52]

That requires a modicum of locker room chemistry. Those ShowTime Lakers had it. This team, due in part to the roster turnover each doesn't have it and it shows especially on the D side of the ball. Thanks for the memories of your story TJF12. I miss those days alot!

 

[trojanfan12]

That requires a modicum of locker room chemistry. Those ShowTime Lakers had it. This team, due in part to the roster turnover each doesn't have it and it shows especially on the D side of the ball. Thanks for the memories of your story TJF12. I miss those days alot!

Yeah, we finally seem to be building a roster with guys who are going to be around for awhile, so we should hopefully see some improvement by next season.

 

[Retroram52]

And then we have tonight's result where I think the W's took the night off and we beat them big, 112-95. Apparently this loss was pretty embarrassing for Steph Curry and the W's. Sometimes a team like tonight's Lakers has a blind squirrel moment. Pretty cool to see us beat the W's that big!

 

[trojanfan12]

And then we have tonight's result where I think the W's took the night off and we beat them big, 112-95. Apparently this loss was pretty embarrassing for Steph Curry and the W's. Sometimes a team like tonight's Lakers has a blind squirrel moment. Pretty cool to see us beat the W's that big!

Yeah, it was one of those games where GSW played about as poorly as they can (doubt we'll ever see Steph and Klay go 1-18 from 3 point range again) and the Lakers youngsters played up to the level of their talent rather than their level of experience.