2013-14 L.A. Lakers

I believe we had a year long Lakers thread last season that had pretty good participation, so I thought I would start a new one for this season.

The Lakers had a surprisingly successful start to the season, led by the current leader for Coach of the Year, Mike D'Antoni.
I do not expect the Lakers to be in the playoffs, but watching last nights game was pretty entertaining and they beat a talented Clippers team.
There seems to be a different vibe with this current Lakers team. D'Antoni said after the game that this team is different from last years team in that they are excited for and cheer for each other. I think Dwight was a big part of last years problems, but Kobe's aplha dog treatment over Dwight surely didn't help things.

Getting back to the game, this was a fun one to watch.
The Lakers ran, and they spread the floor which led to many open shots.
I watched many of the Lakers pre-season games and last nights game.
One thing that is clear to me is that Steve Nash is the 3rd best pg on the Lakers roster.
Steve can still pass and can hit an uncontested shot, but man, he lost any speed he had and it's very hard for him to get an open shot.
I would be big money that Steve will be waived next July.
Farmar, Henry, Hill and Kaman look to be solid bench players for the Lakers.
Jordan Hill already is one of the best offensive rebounders in the league but he looked like he was on a pogo stick last night.
Even though the Lakers won't be near a championship contender this season, I hope this team is more entertaining then the 2012-13 Lakers were.

TJ,

It pains me to see you list that Sneaky Little Canadian as the #3 best PG on the Lakers. I've always loved his game, and hated playing against him. Who are 1 and 2?


bob


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bobheckler wrote:TJ,

It pains me to see you list that Sneaky Little Canadian as the #3 best PG on the Lakers.  I've always loved his game, and hated playing against him.  Who are 1 and 2?


bob


.

Bob,

Excluding Kobe and any other non true pg, Farmar and Blake look much better on the court than Nash does.
I wonder what other teams think when they see Nash and Steve Blake as the Lakers starting point guards?
I'm not sure if there has been a worse defensive starting backcourt in the history of the NBA.
Add in that Nick Young at the SF position has always been allergic to playing defense and you can see why the Lakers will need to score 110 points to win games.

I am surprised that the Lakers haven't signed Shannon Brown.
Realsitically, with Kobe out, Shannon could be the Lakers starting SG.

tjmakz wrote:

bobheckler wrote:TJ,

It pains me to see you list that Sneaky Little Canadian as the #3 best PG on the Lakers.  I've always loved his game, and hated playing against him.  Who are 1 and 2?


bob


.

Bob,

Excluding Kobe and any other non true pg, Farmar and Blake look much better on the court than Nash does.
I wonder what other teams think when they see Nash and Steve Blake as the Lakers starting point guards?
I'm not sure if there has been a worse defensive starting backcourt in the history of the NBA.
Add in that Nick Young at the SF position has always been allergic to playing defense and you can see why the Lakers will need to score 110 points to win games.

TJ,

I haven't always agreed with your conclusions, but I've always respected your basketball IQ and observations, until now.

Steve Blake is a better PG than Steve Nash?  I'd have to see that to believe it, and even then I'd take a good, hard look at what I've been eating and drinking to see if I've developed a food allergy that might induce hallucinations. If nothing jumped out at me, I'd have some blood tests taken to ascertain if there are other factors involved. If the blood tests came back negative, I'd go to City Hall and have my name legally changed to Joan of Arc, to explain that it's the voices' fault, not mine. I am merely a vessel to their irresistible will.


bob


.

bobheckler wrote:

tjmakz wrote:

bobheckler wrote:TJ,

It pains me to see you list that Sneaky Little Canadian as the #3 best PG on the Lakers.  I've always loved his game, and hated playing against him.  Who are 1 and 2?


bob


.

Bob,

Excluding Kobe and any other non true pg, Farmar and Blake look much better on the court than Nash does.
I wonder what other teams think when they see Nash and Steve Blake as the Lakers starting point guards?
I'm not sure if there has been a worse defensive starting backcourt in the history of the NBA.
Add in that Nick Young at the SF position has always been allergic to playing defense and you can see why the Lakers will need to score 110 points to win games.

TJ,

I haven't always agreed with your conclusions, but I've always respected your basketball IQ and observations, until now.

Steve Blake is a better PG than Steve Nash?  I'd have to see that to believe it, and even then I'd take a good, hard look at what I've been eating and drinking to see if I've developed a food allergy that might induce hallucinations.  If nothing jumped out at me, I'd have some blood tests taken to ascertain if there are other factors involved.  If the blood tests came back negative, I'd go to City Hall and have my name legally changed to Joan of Arc, to explain that it's the voices' fault, not mine.  I am merely a vessel to their irresistible will.


bob


.

Bob,

Nash has had a hall of fame career, but he is such a poor defensive player that he can't even guard Steve Blake anymore, and that tells you a lot.
My son and I watched all of last nights game and we both agreed that we couldn't believe how slow Nash looked compared to other players.
Steve Carlton was my favorite pitcher growing up and he hung around too long and got embarrassed while he bounced around to a couple of different teams. This is where Steve Nash is at. A big problem with Nash is that he just can't get shots off. He made one basket last night and that was from an off-balance banked 3 pointer.

When you watch Nash, you will most likely agree with me.
I am by no means a Nash hater, just sharing some realistic observations.

TJ,

It's refreshing to surmise that experience still means a lot—especially in the dynamics of creating chemistry. Once you know how to ride a bike............

Sam

LA needs a much better PG than Steve Blake, though. If that's the best you've got, you're gonna have problems.

But the fact that they beat Doc's "Poster" Clippers while the media/many fans was expecting LAC to win is amusing.



KJ

In my opinion, Jordan Farmar is the Lakers best point guard.
Yes, the Lakers do have serious roster problems.
There was nothing they could do but let this season play out.

Doc looked shocked at the Lakers 41 point 4th quarter while none of the starters stepped on the court in the 4th quarter.

TJ,

Doc looking "shocked" certainly doesn't come as a surprise. There were times when he allowed huge comebacks and did nothing to stem the tide. I think it's because he's not good with mid-game adjustments.



KJ

Last night for the first time in my life I wanted the Lakers to win.

Thanks Doc

Dboss

dboss wrote:Last night for the first time in my life I wanted the Lakers to win.

Thanks Doc

Dboss

I will only say that when they play Miami

beat

Rough one for the Lakers tonight against Golden State. Guess they went in a little over-confident after their surprising win against the Clippers.

steve3344 wrote:Rough one for the Lakers tonight against Golden State.  Guess they went in a little over-confident after their surprising win against the Clippers.

I don't think the Lakers are over confident.
They just aren't nearly as talented as Golden State is.
That was an ugly loss for the Lakers.

TJ,

For the moment, the Red Sox have stood the sports world on its ear.

And the sports world will not be fully in balance until the Celtics and Lakers once again meet for all the marbles.

In the meantime, I hate to remind everyone on this board, but you are all getting older (I'm the one exception—in my mind, I just turned 30; and you've entered the stage of life in which your memories are so rich and plentiful that you can sustain any future difficulties while retaining a feeling of having been blessed.

Sam

I watched the LAL-GSW game from my favorite barstool last night.

Pau Gasol is back. He played great. He did everything you could ask of him.

Nash didn't play. Why is that, TJ?

GSW looked quite good. They were helped by a lot of Laker misses, but their defense was credible and their offense looked very good. They got the ball over halfcourt quickly and Klay Thompson is the next Ray Allen. I mean, this kid can shoot! He shoots 3s like layups and, at 6'7", is a nice size for a SG. Between him and Curry, who shoots 3s pretty damn well too, it opens the middle up for Bogut, Lee and Speights. You cannot show either of them an inch of daylight.

Iggy is going to provide veteran leadership they've been missing.

My #1 team is going to struggle mightily this year (an understatement, no doubt) but my #2 team is looking good.


bob


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Halloween is the perfect holiday for the Lakers because they're going to be trick or treat this season, though the treats will be harder to come by than they are in most neighborhoods.

They're an young and athletic except the half of the rotation that's old and creaky, but what's truly in short supply is superior talent. They'll have nights like the Clipper game when they get out and run and their shots go in, but they'll have more nights like the Warrior game when they turn the ball over and their shots don't fall. Combine that with playing against a superior team with a lot of energy and the result isn't pretty. (After so many years in the wilderness, it's hard to believe that I can consider the Warriors a superior team, but they are.)

Even recognized league doormats Phoenix and Philly will win once in a while, as they both last night. The Lakers will need remarkably consistent production from a lot of marginal players to be successful this season, and the chances of Xavier Henry, Jodie Meeks, and Wesley Johnson achieving that are slim, and so are the chances of Nash, Blake, Kaman, and Kobe finding the fountain of youth. Pau should have a nice season, though.

Wouldn't it be ironic if Pau turned out to be the Lakers' MVP this season after his future with the team has seemed to be hanging by a thread on multiple occasions?

btw,  Klay Thompson had 38 points last night, 15-19 and 5-7 from 3. LA had no answer to him and, I predict, nor will a lot of other teams either.

David Lee had 24 on 8-13, 8 boards and 5 assists in 27 minutes.  Another player, like Luis Scola (love those Argentinians!), who plays under the rim and just makes it work.  Just goes to prove, once again, basketball isn't about running fast and jumping high.

Gasol started at center, with Kaman coming off the bench.  I guess D'Antoni just doesn't know what to do with two bigs on the floor to start.

Steve Blech started at PG for LA.  They shot 39% for the game.  Coincidence?  I think not.


bob


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Golden State is loaded. I think they are a championship contending team, not a 7th or 8th place team as some have them pegged at.
Besides the players mentioned, they have a young, super athletic stud in Harrison Barnes and a solid back up combo guard in Toney Douglas.

Steve Nash will probably be rested in most back to back games and his minutes will be limited.

I think Pau looks healthy but I don't think his on the court play is great.
He is still taking way too many outside shots, even though he doesn't have to.

GSW is one of the top 4 teams in the West, in my opinion. I think they could get to the West. Conf. finals this year.

LA has a ways to go, but I think they're a team that's willing to fight for wins.



KJ