*NBA THREAD* Abe will be missed (4 Viewers)

[Moe.]

More importantly, for next year can we have a neutral party running the NBA thread? I enjoy Skribbles's bitter banter as much as anyone, but he's had his fun and it's time to move on. Kev? Spears? No16? Polar? Anybody? Who's stepping up?

Who cares who runs it?

Yeah what does it mean to run a thread exactly? He posts in it just the same as everyone else.

 

[TobiasFunke]

More importantly, for next year can we have a neutral party running the NBA thread? I enjoy Skribbles's bitter banter as much as anyone, but he's had his fun and it's time to move on. Kev? Spears? No16? Polar? Anybody? Who's stepping up?

Who cares who runs it?

Yeah what does it mean to run a thread exactly? He posts in it just the same as everyone else.

The OP gets to edit the subtitle, which Cliff does regularly. That's it, as far as I can tell.

 

[matuski]

More importantly, for next year can we have a neutral party running the NBA thread? I enjoy Skribbles's bitter banter as much as anyone, but he's had his fun and it's time to move on. Kev? Spears? No16? Polar? Anybody? Who's stepping up?

Who cares who runs it?

"Runs it" is obviously not the right term, but certainly the tone is influenced by the OP.

 

[Moe.]

More importantly, for next year can we have a neutral party running the NBA thread? I enjoy Skribbles's bitter banter as much as anyone, but he's had his fun and it's time to move on. Kev? Spears? No16? Polar? Anybody? Who's stepping up?

Who cares who runs it?

Yeah what does it mean to run a thread exactly? He posts in it just the same as everyone else.

The OP gets to edit the subtitle, which Cliff does regularly. That's it, as far as I can tell.

Ah. Well I think that shtick has definitely run its course. Cliff, why don't you knock that off?

 

[Cliff Clavin]

More importantly, for next year can we have a neutral party running the NBA thread? I enjoy Skribbles's bitter banter as much as anyone, but he's had his fun and it's time to move on. Kev? Spears? No16? Polar? Anybody? Who's stepping up?

Who cares who runs it?

Yeah what does it mean to run a thread exactly? He posts in it just the same as everyone else.

The OP gets to edit the subtitle, which Cliff does regularly. That's it, as far as I can tell.

Ah. Well I think that shtick has definitely run its course. Cliff, why don't you knock that off?

If you insist.

 

[DrJ]

Much better subtitle. With the Lakers eliminated, we need to encourage them to stop mucking up the thread.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Much better subtitle. With the Lakers eliminated, we need to encourage them to stop mucking up the thread.

Its amazing how one sentence can get them so riled up.

 

[timschochet]

I like it when Cliff attacks the Lakers. I find it funny.

 

[greyone]

Blame everybody. The coach and front office must shoulder most of the responsibility.

Mike Brown is a serviceable coach with a soso offensive system. Great systems can generate points no matter the personnel. Lakers bench is the worst in the playoffs besides Miami. Because the coaching is sub par and the system thrives/relies on talent. Not scheme or strategy.

Mitch Kupchaks talent evaluation and scouting has been weak for a decade. Laker draft picks, free agents and role players hardly ever live up to their minimal responsibilities. Mitch has never been asked to draft the next kobe. Especially with late 1st rounders and 2nd round picks. His job has been to find role players to support Kobe, Pau and Bynum. And he has done this with very little success. Making the team incomplete.

 

[DrJ]

I like it when Cliff attacks the Lakers. I find it funny.

Until it turns into 3 pages of you guys dreaming about how to rebuild your now irrelevant team while there's actual playoff basketball still happening.

 

[GDogg]

They do though. They should have spent a large portion of the season running everything through Bynum and Gasol...

The Spurs are getting get production for their role players because they are allowed to play and have great leadership from their coach and their star players; something the Lakers do not have.

Sound simple enough. Problem is the Laker role players suck. They can't make entry passes, it's painful to watch them try. They can't shoot. There's no comparison to the cast Howard had - the Magic guys were infinitely more skilled on offense. I know you want to blame Kobe for the world's ills, but you can't blame him for everything that's wrong with the Lakers. They just don't have anywhere near enough talent across the roster to compete for a championship right now. When Steve Blake is far and away the best sub you've got, you're in trouble. They got exactly where I expected them to get with the talent they have. Expecting more from this group is silly.

Those two attributes in bold are directly related. It becomes extremely hard to make entry passes when your defender doesn't respect your jumpshot. Despite what you've read from Clifford-the-Big-Red-GM, NBA defenses are far too good and complex for the "just throw it in to the big guys" offense.

Entry passes aren't "easy," per se, but NBA players should be able to make them. The Lakers are among the worst I have seen with entry passes. They can't make them and when they do, they telegraph them. Hell, Pau has suddenly decided to telegraph almost all of his passes.The Lakers shouldn't be a "just throw it in to the big guys" offense, but if they had been an offense that moved the ball and got their bigs touches every time down the floor, they might have won this series (or at least been much better down the stretch in Games 2 and 4). Bynum gets so few touches that he becomes a spazz when he actually does, and is almost always going to shoot. Pau only gets touches on putbacks, defensive breakdowns or 15 feet from the basket. That's terrible.

Mike Brown did an awful job this season with the Lakers offensively, particularly in the playoffs.

 

[Abraham]

MIke Brown didn't have a training camp to put in his system. Considering how volatile the play of MWP and Bynum has been, I think it is somewhat admirable that they played as well as they did.

I don't think there is any way Gasol comes back. I think the Rockets would be glad to have him and would overpay - no idea why they like him so much. But I bet they'd trade Lowry and Scola for him.

I don't think Bynum goes anywhere unless its for Dwight.

Artest is bound to be amnestied. He's still a servicable player but he is paid too much for what he contributes. Getting him off the books means they can go after a couple mid-range guys for much needed depth.

 

[PlasmaDogPlasma]

I like it when Cliff attacks the Lakers. I find it funny.

Until it turns into 3 pages of you guys dreaming about how to rebuild your now irrelevant team while there's actual playoff basketball still happening.

It's not like they have a 26 page thread exclusively about the Lakers to talk about that stuff in.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Does anyone sign Artest if he is amnestied? He is still good enough to play a role for some teams but is he worth it even at a discounted price?

 

[Maude]

And Kobe had 1 assist last night on a sweet driving dunk by some dude, but it was nullified by the halftime buzzer.

 

[GDogg]

Great weekend of ball

On potential game-tying and go-ahead shots in the final 24 seconds, Durant is now 10-23 (43.5 pct) this season, including his make in Game 4. On those same shots, Kobe Bryant is 3-18 (16.7 pct) this season. Durant now has three such shots this postseason, tied for the most in the last 15 playoffs (Ben Gordon & Ray Allen, 2009).

Interesting. Guess Kobe can't handle the pressure, right matuski?

According to basketball-reference.com, from the start of the 2001 season through last weekend, Kobe is 48-for-162 (.290) on shots to tie or take the lead with 24 seconds or fewer left in the 4th quarter or OT. That breaks down to 42-for-138 (.304) in the regular season, and 6-for-24 (.250) in the playoffs.

That's pretty awesome. Kobe has hit about 4 game winners per year since 2001. I'm sure there's nobody even close. And, if there is, I doubt those teams were as good as the Lakers, so those clutch baskets weren't nearly as important.

The sheer volume is astounding. There is something to be said for that. (1)And yes, there appears to be no one even close in the same time frame. I ran the same query for several players who had a lot of All-NBA appearances, titles, points, and I couldn't find anyone who could even approach Kobe's volume. In fact, I'm pretty confident in saying Kobe has missed more shots under those circumstances over the given time frame than any other player has even attempted.

IMO the counterargument Kobe folks should be making is not claiming the stats are juked, but that no one else could maintain league average performance at such a high shooting volume. Another angle to take is to look at other players with game-closing reps that don't stand up (2) under the level of scrutiny Kobe is under in this conversation. A third possibility is arguing that Kobe has shot around the league average for his entire career and everyone thinks he's an all-time great, so why should shooting at around the league average in game-closing situations be held against him?

--------

(1) No shtick. There aren't many players who have been relevant for 11 seasons, much less a player teams look to in the final possession over a time period that long. Kobe does make it up in volume here.

(2) I'll let Team Kobe do their own work on this one, but I will give one hint: his name rhymes with "Bauncey Chillups"

I was half-joking. I was serious that the volume is impressive, but joking about how awesome it is. While it is commendable on some level that Kobe has the balls to take that many shots that late, it also illustrates all that I hate about the Lakers in end game situations. With the game tied and going for the last shot, sure, maybe go with an isolation so that you minimize the negative (a turnover going the other way).

I can't think of many other situations in which I think it's a good strategy to pound the ball into the floor with one player for 20 seconds and then initiate a one on one in the last 4 seconds. I'm guessing there is one, but I can't think of it.

 

[Kev4029]

When Pau has a good game on the boards, Bynum tends to disappear on the boards. When Bynum has a good game on the boards, Pau puts up poor numbers.

Perhaps this isn't as much a criticism of either of them, but instead a coaching issue? Or maybe, given Bynum's emergence, the chemistry just isn't there. Maybe having these two 7 footers together just doesn't work very well.

Defensive rebounders cannibalize each other if they are playing together. If you put Wilt Chamberlain, Dennis Rodman and Bill Russell on the court together they probably still wouldn't grab significantly more than 50% of the total rebounds.

 

[Gr00vus]

I like it when Cliff attacks the Lakers. I find it funny.

It's funny for a day or two, but it gets tedious, especially when there's tons of other stuff happening in the league that merits comment. Someone without the axe to grind would probably bring more interesting subtitles to the table on a regular basis.

 

[Captain Quinoa]

Does anyone sign Artest if he is amnestied? He is still good enough to play a role for some teams but is he worth it even at a discounted price?

El Heat

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Does anyone sign Artest if he is amnestied? He is still good enough to play a role for some teams but is he worth it even at a discounted price?

El Heat

Is it worth having Artest on your team to backup LeBron for 10 minutes a game? He might help them with a small ball lineup with Bosh at 5 and LeBron/Artest at 3/4.

 

[Abraham]

Does anyone sign Artest if he is amnestied? He is still good enough to play a role for some teams but is he worth it even at a discounted price?

El Heat

I'd welcome him back to Houston. He's still a decent player. Just taking up too much of the cap for the Lakers. With Kobe's enormous salary to go with Gasol and Bynum, the Lakers have a LOT of their cap wrapped up in 4 players. When you look at their loss and the Heat struggles it really shines a light on teams that are top heavy. Not to say I wouldn't love to have a Big 3 on my favorite team but it makes it tough to fill out the bench if you don't hit home runs in the draft with young guys who have limited salaries.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

Michael Jordan reacts to recent claims that Kobe Bryant's career is comparable to his, especially in light of the last two postseasons.

I forget if we talked about this, but this merits discussion:http://wtfismikewearing.tumblr.com/

 

[Good Posting Judge]

when is the lottery?

End of the month (later than usual), I think the 30th?

 

[Notorious T.R.E.]

Michael Jordan reacts to recent claims that Kobe Bryant's career is comparable to his, especially in light of the last two postseasons.

I forget if we talked about this, but this merits discussion:http://wtfismikewearing.tumblr.com/

LOL @ "ice in his veins, veins in his jeans"

 

[EZD222]

Whats a potential Dallas retooled lineup look like? Deron, Dirk, and who else? I know they were setting themselves up to make a splash this upcoming off season.

 

[RoxSolid]

Didn't check salaries, but just a thought that came to me. If the Lakers amnesty Metta.Pau Gasol for Andre Iguodala and Lou Williams

why would this be a good trade for either team? help me understand.

Sixers get a guy who can play with his back to the basket and someone to facilate an offense through. Elton Brand will be amnestied and Spencer Hawes is not guarenteed to return. They will need some front line help for sure. Lakers get someone who defends at the same level as Artest with better ball handling and passing skills, who is less of a head case. Lou Williams was 2nd in the league in 6th man of the year voting and averaged 16-17 PPG off the bench, for a team we all realize is lacking bench depth.

 

[Moe.]

Somehow Isaiah Thomas didn't make the all-rookie team. He must've just got started too late in the season for people to notice because that's ridiculous.

 

[Max Power]

The Orlando Magic might be in the same position they were for much of last season: with Dwight Howard wanting a trade.SheridanHoops.com, citing an unnamed source close to the Magic center, says Howard still wants to be traded despite the Magic’s decision Monday to fire Stan Van Gundy and mutually part ways with Otis Smith.If true, it would not be a surprise.Howard, Howard’s agent and Howard’s manager have been given every chance to say publicly that Howard wants to return to Orlando and play out the final year of his contract, but they have not done so.Howard’s agent did not return a message from the Sentinel on Monday.Howard has been interested in playing in a bigger market, but beyond that, there is no question that his relationship with the organization was hurt significantly when Van Gundy said he had been told by the “top” of the Magic organization that Howard wanted him fired. Howard was infuriated that no one from the front office came to his defense, even though he acknowledged in an interview with ESPN’s Hannah Storm that he had, in past seasons, told team officials that Van Gundy should be fired and that Rich DeVos told the Sentinel that Howard wanted Van Gundy fired.All that said, I would point out one thing. There were several occasions over the past six-plus months that it seemed inevitable that Howard was going to be traded: when his first trade request came to light in mid-December, when Smith and the then-New Jersey Nets were close to a deal later that month and in the days leading up to the trade deadline.But on March 15, Howard decided to waive his early-termination option.So if Howard is intent on being traded, it wouldn’t be unprecedented for him to change his mind.The Magic’s new head of basketball operations will be tasked with rebuilding Howard’s ties to the organization and trying to sell Howard on a new direction.

We knew this story was coming, but that didn't take long.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Whats a potential Dallas retooled lineup look like? Deron, Dirk, and who else? I know they were setting themselves up to make a splash this upcoming off season.

Giant crapshoot but it'll be interesting. First thing is to amnesty Marion or Haywood. Do they resign Terry? Kidd? How much would it cost them for those two? Pickup Carter's option (if they pickup the first, are they locked in for the 2nd?)? Pretty cheap for a mediocre SG but he'll be 36 next year.

 

[Moe.]

Didn't check salaries, but just a thought that came to me. If the Lakers amnesty Metta.Pau Gasol for Andre Iguodala and Lou Williams

why would this be a good trade for either team? help me understand.

Sixers get a guy who can play with his back to the basket and someone to facilate an offense through. Elton Brand will be amnestied and Spencer Hawes is not guarenteed to return. They will need some front line help for sure. Lakers get someone who defends at the same level as Artest with better ball handling and passing skills, who is less of a head case. Lou Williams was 2nd in the league in 6th man of the year voting and averaged 16-17 PPG off the bench, for a team we all realize is lacking bench depth.

I don't see why the Sixers would throw Williams in as well. Gasol for Iguodala seems plenty fair.

 

[saintfool]

Didn't check salaries, but just a thought that came to me. If the Lakers amnesty Metta.Pau Gasol for Andre Iguodala and Lou Williams

why would this be a good trade for either team? help me understand.

Sixers get a guy who can play with his back to the basket and someone to facilate an offense through. Elton Brand will be amnestied and Spencer Hawes is not guarenteed to return. They will need some front line help for sure. Lakers get someone who defends at the same level as Artest with better ball handling and passing skills, who is less of a head case. Lou Williams was 2nd in the league in 6th man of the year voting and averaged 16-17 PPG off the bench, for a team we all realize is lacking bench depth.

i'd rather see them get a top shelf PG than a player like Iggie. doug collins got Iggie to buy into his system and it was a tremendous success. i think they'll keep brand rather than amnesty him, if he's in the last year of his contract. he's still a decent bargaining chip even in a new CBA environment.is there any reason to believe they couldn't do a sign-and-trade with Brooklyn/NJ for deron williams? pau would be a nice addition to the frontline there.

 

[Abraham]

Didn't check salaries, but just a thought that came to me. If the Lakers amnesty Metta.Pau Gasol for Andre Iguodala and Lou Williams

why would this be a good trade for either team? help me understand.

Sixers get a guy who can play with his back to the basket and someone to facilate an offense through. Elton Brand will be amnestied and Spencer Hawes is not guarenteed to return. They will need some front line help for sure. Lakers get someone who defends at the same level as Artest with better ball handling and passing skills, who is less of a head case. Lou Williams was 2nd in the league in 6th man of the year voting and averaged 16-17 PPG off the bench, for a team we all realize is lacking bench depth.

I actually could see that trade being appealing to both teams. If the Lakers could then package Bynum and something (not that they really have anything) for Howard, that would be a really good defensive team with enough scoring to make things interesting.I really like Iggy's play, but he needs to be a 3rd option/defensive specialist IMO.

 

[Moe.]

via Bodog - Will Stan Van Gundy and Jeff Van Gundy broadcast games together next year for ESPN/ABC?

Yes 5/2

No 3/10

I wouldn't be surprised if SVG takes a year off but there will be some attractive jobs out there. I'd like to see him in Portland.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

Michael Jordan reacts to recent claims that Kobe Bryant's career is comparable to his, especially in light of the last two postseasons.

I forget if we talked about this, but this merits discussion:http://wtfismikewearing.tumblr.com/

This might be the most important thing to hit the Internet since the Big Ball Knockouts video.#yourdaughterisbangingapoorlydressedblackmandotcom

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/554827_441978619163188_100000531621031_1588438_642527631_n.jpg

 

[drummer]

@ at the usual Bryant peanut posse.

Gasol is soft. /Lakers

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

Jerry Sloan is interested in Orlando.

 

[Gr00vus]

Saw on the ESPN ticker that the Warriors are trying to set up a deal to move back to San Francisco (from Oakland) in 2018. Good move for them if they can pull it off.

 

[drummer]

Saw on the ESPN ticker that the Warriors are trying to set up a deal to move back to San Francisco (from Oakland) in 2018. Good move for them if they can pull it off.

They could go play in the Shark Tank and call themselves the SF Warriors. Even though it's San Jose. Just ask Jed York.

 

[mr. furley]

Are people really not thinking is one a top 5 of all time?Really?

Everyone but you and jmon

Oh come on. Kobe not top 5 of all time? Man. I am an old school NBA guy too. This guy is insane. 1) Michael2) Wilt3) Russell4) Magic/Bird/Dr J5) KobeHe is right there with those studs.

Elgin Baylor would like a wordeta: Oscar Robertson, tooetaa: ####, 3 pages behind

 

[thecatch]

Somehow Isaiah Thomas didn't make the all-rookie team. He must've just got started too late in the season for people to notice because that's ridiculous.

He had a very nice year. Should have finished much higher than 7th in the ROY voting.

 

[matuski]

Are people really not thinking is one a top 5 of all time?Really?

Everyone but you and jmon

Oh come on. Kobe not top 5 of all time? Man. I am an old school NBA guy too. This guy is insane. 1) Michael2) Wilt3) Russell4) Magic/Bird/Dr J5) KobeHe is right there with those studs.

Elgin Baylor would like a wordeta: Oscar Robertson, tooetaa: ####, 3 pages behind

If/when Duncan gets his 5th.. go ahead and pencil him somewhere on that list behind MJ.

 

[Daywalker]

Is this scenario possible?

1. Lakers amnesty Gasol.

2. Another team bids 30mill on Pau's two-year contract. Lakers only going to eat $9mill.

3. Lakers have enough cap space to go after D. Williams.

 

[Abraham]

I don't think Williams would be a good fit. Seriously. Instead of eating any of gasols deal send him to Houston for a package including Lowry, who doesn't need the ball all the time to be very effective.

 

[Short Corner]

They do though. They should have spent a large portion of the season running everything through Bynum and Gasol... The Spurs are getting get production for their role players because they are allowed to play and have great leadership from their coach and their star players; something the Lakers do not have.

Sound simple enough. Problem is the Laker role players suck. They can't make entry passes, it's painful to watch them try. They can't shoot. There's no comparison to the cast Howard had - the Magic guys were infinitely more skilled on offense. I know you want to blame Kobe for the world's ills, but you can't blame him for everything that's wrong with the Lakers. They just don't have anywhere near enough talent across the roster to compete for a championship right now. When Steve Blake is far and away the best sub you've got, you're in trouble. They got exactly where I expected them to get with the talent they have. Expecting more from this group is silly.

I don't know how the heck you put the blame on the other Laker guards. Kobe has possession of the ball the vast majority of the time, yet it is the other guys on the team who have trouble making an entry pass. Everybody on this board knows that when #24 has the ball, he is looking for #24 first, and maybe even second. Westbrook wouldn't even guard his man when Kobe got the ball because he knew the chances of him getting burned were slim. Every time Kobe has the ball, the other teams perimeter defenders can just play the pack line,helping on penetration and smothering passing lanes into the post. If you run Kobe off of picks (ala Miller/Hamilton) then those perimeter defenders have to show outside, opening the passing lanes into the post areas.I agree with Cliff that getting position in the post is hard work, and asking a player to get that position demands that you give him the ball when he gets it. My guards know how that if they can see the numbers, they feed the post or they sit. Watching Bynum work against the OKC bigs was fun for me. He has great footwork down low. He fights for top foot, spins or leg whips the overplay, walks his man up the lane for the high low seal and yet his touches were minimal. I am admittedly not one of his biggest fans because I think he is a punk but I love watching him work down low. I also love watching it go overlooked and the Lakers coming apart because of it. He is their most valuable piece moving forward and he is going to want out.

 

[Short Corner]

They do though. They should have spent a large portion of the season running everything through Bynum and Gasol...

The Spurs are getting get production for their role players because they are allowed to play and have great leadership from their coach and their star players; something the Lakers do not have.

Sound simple enough. Problem is the Laker role players suck. They can't make entry passes, it's painful to watch them try. They can't shoot. There's no comparison to the cast Howard had - the Magic guys were infinitely more skilled on offense. I know you want to blame Kobe for the world's ills, but you can't blame him for everything that's wrong with the Lakers. They just don't have anywhere near enough talent across the roster to compete for a championship right now. When Steve Blake is far and away the best sub you've got, you're in trouble. They got exactly where I expected them to get with the talent they have. Expecting more from this group is silly.

Those two attributes in bold are directly related. It becomes extremely hard to make entry passes when your defender doesn't respect your jumpshot. Despite what you've read from Clifford-the-Big-Red-GM, NBA defenses are far too good and complex for the "just throw it in to the big guys" offense.

You can still occupy defenders when you can't shoot. You do need at least one perimeter threat though, which the Lakers do.

 

[timschochet]

If/when Duncan gets his 5th.. go ahead and pencil him somewhere on that list behind MJ.

I don't understand the thinking behind this. To me, if you want to be regarded as one of the greatest ever in the NBA, you're going to need to have at least 1 or 2 championships. Otherwise, you'll neve be regarded in the very top tier, and I think that's right. But beyond that, what difference does it make? I mean, assuming you are an NBA fan, you've been watching Tim Duncan for several years now. You know what he's all about. Will it make that much of a difference in your opinion of him if/when San Antonio wins it this year or if they don't? I don't get that.

 

[timschochet]

Also, want to get all of you guys opinion on this: where does Gregg Popovich rank among the greatest coaches of all time? Because I'm wondering if he's not the very best, even better than Phil Jackson or Red Auerbach. Thoughts?

 

[Short Corner]

But Kobe's hoops IQ probably grades out at around three standard deviations above the mean - part of his frustrations with his teammates is his own ego, but part of it is their inability to see the game the way he sees it.

I don't buy this at all. His inability to grasp how a quality big can provide him with easier looks refutes this, IMO. He can't play without the ball which is 90% of basketball IQ. Breaking down a guy, I am sure his mind works on a completely other and is in one of the best. Unfortunately, there is more to the game than that.

 

[Gr00vus]

They do though. They should have spent a large portion of the season running everything through Bynum and Gasol... The Spurs are getting get production for their role players because they are allowed to play and have great leadership from their coach and their star players; something the Lakers do not have.

Sound simple enough. Problem is the Laker role players suck. They can't make entry passes, it's painful to watch them try. They can't shoot. There's no comparison to the cast Howard had - the Magic guys were infinitely more skilled on offense. I know you want to blame Kobe for the world's ills, but you can't blame him for everything that's wrong with the Lakers. They just don't have anywhere near enough talent across the roster to compete for a championship right now. When Steve Blake is far and away the best sub you've got, you're in trouble. They got exactly where I expected them to get with the talent they have. Expecting more from this group is silly.

I don't know how the heck you put the blame on the other Laker guards. Kobe has possession of the ball the vast majority of the time, yet it is the other guys on the team who have trouble making an entry pass.

We all acknowledge Kobe doesn't pass unless he feels like it. That wasn't the discussion. The discussion was of the guys outside Bryant, Gasol and Bynum. And those guys (guards and all) don't know how to feed the post, or pass very well in general, or shoot very well in general (leading to Gunz's astute observation on the relationship between passing lanes and shooting ability). Bynum and Gasol routinely get great position when they go to the low post. Then we all sit there watching some idiot ball fake for 10 seconds of shot clock and then pass it to the guy standing next to them on the perimeter because they can't figure out how to get the pass in to the post. The lanes are there, they just have no idea what to do with them. Steve Nash would have 2 times the zillion assists he already gets working with Bynum and Gasol. Instead it's World Peace treating feeding the post like it's a quantum physics test he didn't even go to class for.If there were thought bubbles we could see over their heads while this is going on it'd be something like:"O.k. Drew's 5 feet from the rim and his guy's sealed off. If I could just...but my defender won't stop moving his hands...wait there...nope now my defender moved his feet...maybe I go high...no good, my defender jumped for a second...maybe a bounce pass...no it looks like that other guy 7 feet away might come on the double team...maybe I'll just shoot the 3...oh wait, my defender turned his head...nope couldn't get the ball back into passing position...is Steve Blake open all the way across the court?...can't tell, Bynum's in the way...I wonder what pimp suit Craig Sager is wearing tonight...is that John Stamos sitting courtside? He was great in my three dads, or whatever that show was...oh hey, now Drew is rolling to the basket for a lob...last time I tried that I hit the side of the backboard, better not...5 seconds left on the shot clock?!?!...I better get it over to Kobe for a cash money contested 35 footer..."

 

[matuski]

They do though. They should have spent a large portion of the season running everything through Bynum and Gasol...

The Spurs are getting get production for their role players because they are allowed to play and have great leadership from their coach and their star players; something the Lakers do not have.

Sound simple enough. Problem is the Laker role players suck. They can't make entry passes, it's painful to watch them try. They can't shoot. There's no comparison to the cast Howard had - the Magic guys were infinitely more skilled on offense. I know you want to blame Kobe for the world's ills, but you can't blame him for everything that's wrong with the Lakers. They just don't have anywhere near enough talent across the roster to compete for a championship right now. When Steve Blake is far and away the best sub you've got, you're in trouble. They got exactly where I expected them to get with the talent they have. Expecting more from this group is silly.

I don't know how the heck you put the blame on the other Laker guards. Kobe has possession of the ball the vast majority of the time, yet it is the other guys on the team who have trouble making an entry pass.

We all acknowledge Kobe doesn't pass unless he feels like it. That wasn't the discussion. The discussion was of the guys outside Bryant, Gasol and Bynum. And those guys (guards and all) don't know how to feed the post, or pass very well in general, or shoot very well in general (leading to Gunz's astute observation on the relationship between passing lanes and shooting ability). Bynum and Gasol routinely get great position when they go to the low post. Then we all sit there watching some idiot ball fake for 10 seconds of shot clock and then pass it to the guy standing next to them on the perimeter because they can't figure out how to get the pass in to the post. The lanes are there, they just have no idea what to do with them. Steve Nash would have 2 times the zillion assists he already gets working with Bynum and Gasol. Instead it's World Peace treating feeding the post like it's a quantum physics test he didn't even go to class for.

IMHO, Gasol should be getting the ball in the high post (which he does on occasion), and play hi/low with Bynum (I don't recall this once lately). Gasol is the best passer on the team, Bynum is the best low post, Gasol can hhit the elbow jumper... no brainer imo.