October 9, 2010

Lakers Looking Flat in the Pre-Season



The Los Angeles Lakers have started their title defense with two losses in European preseason games.

The first one was a loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves, 111-92. To give the folks some perspective, a lot of the NBA prognosticators are saying that the T-Wolves will be one of the NBA's doormats this coming season. Last year, this team flirted with the NBA's worst record if not for the ineptitude of the New Jersey Nets. The cherry on top of everything: Even the T-Wolves leadership think that they'll have a bad season.

The second loss was a 92-88 defeat against FC Barcelona, Pau Gasol's former team in Spain. While the final score was closer compared the first loss, the Lakers still shot poorly from the field and two of the Lakers' stars, Kobe Bryant and Gasol shot the ball the way movie villains shoot machine guns. Lakers coach Phil Jackson even emphasized that FC Barcelona is a team that will not be able to compete in the NBA.

Well, it's still the preseason and this is probably not a cause of concern. But one issue that emerged is the progress of Kobe Bryant's knee. Kobe looked subpar, shooting at an 11% clip, and played only a total of 31 minutes in the two games.

Now that's something to worry about.



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