Game Thread: Suns Vs Lakers Nov 04, 2014

[trojanfan12]

I honestly think that if hte Lakers had Swaggy they have at least 2, maybe 3 wins by now.

3 would be a bit of stretch because they've been blown out in 3 of the 5 games (although the GSW game was close going into the 4th quarter). But the Clippers game and last nights Suns game may very well have been wins if Swaggy was available.

 

[DJ Fieri]

The Lakers suck.

 

[OutlawImmortal]

The only gripe I have with Kobe is why he decided to drive it directly into 3 Suns with the last couple of possessions knowing that he wasn't getting many calls from the refs all night.

Unless Kobe is going for 81 points, he shouldn't be shooting it close to 40 times in any game. That just tells me the state of the Lakers is bad right now and he doesn't trust anyone around him enough. Need Swaggy back.

 

[wlk3]

The only gripe I have with Kobe is why he decided to drive it directly into 3 Suns with the last couple of possessions knowing that he wasn't getting many calls from the refs all night.

Unless Kobe is going for 81 points, he shouldn't be shooting it close to 40 times in any game. That just tells me the state of the Lakers is bad right now and he doesn't trust anyone around him enough. Need Swaggy back.

I agree but I also think what Kobe does is somewhat Nash like with a twist... I think he has the intention to pass at least half the time but doesn't see movement... It's his version of the Nash probe IMO... I'm watching him really close and any time I see him in his I'm about to shoot dribble back to the defender, it appears he is looking for a cutter... From all the years I've watched Kobe, he has never liked to pass to a guy standing around with his hands up... He likes the pass to the cutter towards the basket... I think Davis's energy will get him at least 4 buckets off of Kobe assists...

 

[wlk3]

Has Boozer ever had lift?

Solid point. I think that Boozer will eventually be moved to the bench. It's also possible that Byron wants him out there as a starter right now because he's a veteran and Byron wants the offensive and defensive systems to get started before bringing in the younger guys.

Once the Lakers are healthy again, I'd prefer to see Davis start, especially if Lin is going to continue to start. He and Davis seemed to be developing a pretty good chemistry that could help take some pressure off of Kobe.

No! But it's even less now which is to say him and Jordan Hill are battling for the least air on a jumper in NBA history...

As for veterans and defense... I'm sure you're right... Add the fact that most old school guys love to use the veterans, trust I'm guessing... But Boozer and Kobe and Lin is hard to cover... Wesley just isn't good enough to do it all and if he doesn't knock down shots he is killing us... Adding Davis, IMO, would help the rotation, adding Ellington helps the spacing... I'd put Kobe on the worst shooter on the team because he likes to leave his guy... If his man blows by him have the bigs come over rotate the weak side defender down to help the bigs any way they can rotate the other guy to the weak side defenders guy and hope Kobe can cover what's left... Bottom line is Kobe shouldn't and can't really play lock down because it's affecting his shots... You can tell how most his misses are front rim short and he's missing free throws... He's superman, he just needs some help after all that he's been through plus all the years...

 

[DJ Fieri]

People are roasting Kobe on FB. But, the offense is around 12th in the league while the D has to be among the worst, allowing 116ppg.

 

[trojanfan12]

I agree but I also think what Kobe does is somewhat Nash like with a twist... I think he has the intention to pass at least half the time but doesn't see movement... It's his version of the Nash probe IMO... I'm watching him really close and any time I see him in his I'm about to shoot dribble back to the defender, it appears he is looking for a cutter... From all the years I've watched Kobe, he has never liked to pass to a guy standing around with his hands up... He likes the pass to the cutter towards the basket... I think Davis's energy will get him at least 4 buckets off of Kobe assists...

Completely agree with this and it's the point I've been trying to make on the main boards. Most of these young guys on the Lakers grew up idolizing Kobe and now they're on the same court with him. The temptation to want to get him the ball, get out of his way and watch must be a little overwhelming.

I know that he and Byron are preaching to them that they need to resist that and just run the offense, but they are still getting stuck in "watch Kobe" mode too often. When they actually run the offense and cut to the basket, he passes and they tend to get good looks.

Hopefully this will fix itself over time. It definitely will when Swaggy P gets back. I don't see him having too much trouble with not deferring.

 

[trojanfan12]

People are roasting Kobe on FB. But, the offense is around 12th in the league while the D has to be among the worst, allowing 116ppg.

Yep. End of the day, it doesn't really matter what they do on O, if the D sucks.

 

[Black Adam]

The Lakers suck.

they played pretty well last game, but as TF12 already alluded to they plain ran outta gas...

 

[Black Adam]

I honestly think that if hte Lakers had Swaggy they have at least 2, maybe 3 wins by now.

Swaggy certainly would've helped...