Lakers Eliminated by Thunder

The Los Angeles Lakers are now out of the 2012 NBA Playoffs.

Like what happened last season, the Lakers have been eliminated from contention in the Western Conference semi-finals. But in stark  contrast the Dallas Mavericks' verteran savvy in 2011, it was the youth and energy of the Oklahoma City Thunder that the Lakers in.

Kobe Bryant did his best "back-against-the-wall" scoring performances with 42 points in Game 5, but it was clearly wasn't enough. Pau Gasol was more aggressive and scrapped inside the paint to get boards, but that also wasn't enough.

Not enough for sure-- definitely not against this version of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Lakers needed to execute for 48 minutes to have a chance in this series, not 45 or 46. There were breaks that would have swung the series completely in the Lakers favor, but faulty late-game execution led to its early exit in the playoffs.

I'm sure there will be plenty of soul-searching happening in the off-season for the Lakers and fans all over are looking for something to optimistic about, but right now for, it's easy to look at what just happened: another fruitless Lakers season.


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Lessons from Derrick Rose's Season Ending Injury

After the first few games of the NBA playoffs, one thing is on my mind: playoff strategy in giving playing time to NBA superstars.

The NBA is a business and it has the responsibility for giving the basketball fans what they want-- and that is a competitive game with the superstars on them. Teams, therefore, should do their best to win games (*cough*Bobcats Tank*cough*). If that means putting the team's best players and stars on the floor during the games, especially in the playoffs.

In the case of the Chicago Bulls, coach Tom Thibideau insisted on playing Derrick Rose in the final minutes of their series opener against the Philadelphia 76ers, even though the game was going into Chicago's favor. In the final minute of the game, Rose tore his ACL and would be out for the rest of the post-season.

We all know tickets prices for the Los Angeles Lakers are some of the most expensive in the NBA and it gets harder to buy tickets when the playoffs come. (If you're looking to find floor seats to the Lakers, good luck-- they're all probably sold out.) So you'd expect the team, particularly Lakers coach Mike Brown to maximize Kobe Bryant to playoff victory.

In the NBA's shortened season, that is going to dangerous territory.

Kobe missed seven games late in the regular season and I think the Lakers should be cautious in playing him 38-40 minutes a game in the playoffs. The better move looks like relying on Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol on the post (like giving them around 30+ field goal attempts per game) and giving Kobe around 32-35 minutes per game.

I'm not saying the Lakers should stifle Kobe, but rather save enough of his energy to go deep in the playoffs. NBA folks know the conditioning regimen that Kobe is going through, but 16 seasons and over 1,300 games (regular and post-season) should get folks scared a bit.


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Lakers 2012 NBA Playoffs First Round Preview

It's hard to believe that the 2012 NBA Playoffs is already next week. It's probably because of the compressed 66-game season and the Los Angeles Lakers have only had their first Metta World Peace incident just last week.

The Lakers are sitting comfortably at third place in the Western Conference, following the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder. The team was able to finalize their seeding in their win against the Thunder last week (the infamouse World Peace elbow game).

The Lakers' first round opponent is still to be determined as the Denver Nuggets and the Dallas Mavericks have yet to lock-up their respective playoff positions. So for this 2012 NBA Playoffs first round preview for the Lakers, I'll take a look at both potential opponents.

Denver Nuggets

The Lakers have a 3-1 advantage over the Nuggets in their regular season match-up and this is looks good for the Lakers on paper.

The Nuggets don't have the size to go up against the Lakers' frontline tandem of Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, and it doesn't help that the Nugs sent Nene to the Washington Wizards last February for the less intimidating Javale McGee.

Nuggets forwards Danilo Gallinari and Al Harrington will get minutes trying to stretch the floor (Harrington has averaged 20+ in the teams' last two meetings), and they may fare even better with World Peace suspended for six games in the playoffs.

But what the Lakers need to worry more about is the Nuggets backcourt. Ty Lawson and Andre Miller have run circles around the Lakers' point guards and this means Ramon Sessions and Steve Blake have to step up their games.

The Nuggets have the NBA's best-scoring offense and team assists per game, and this means that they play at a fast rate and share the ball. Personally, I these metrics will take a hit in the playoffs as I foresee the Lakers to tighten the screws on defense come playoff time.

Prediction: Lakers in 5

Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks have to demonstrate their championship mettle this season against the Lakers (the Mavs were swept by the Lakers in the regular season). This bodes very well for the the Lakers.

The players that killed the Lakers last season (J.J. Barea and Tyson Chandler) have left the Mavericks and this will put a lot more weight on the shoulders of Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, and Jason Terry to lead the Mavs.

Unfortunately for the Mavs trio, it will be an uphill climb, which is more like scaling a high wall. The Lakers will use their size advantage to frustrate their optential opponents and clog the lanes to prevent the slashing to the hoop. The only chance the Mavs have is if their outside shooting floats in the 50% range.

I am not the only one who thinks the Dallas Mavericks will not repeat as NBA champs this season and I think the Lakers will avenge their defeat, should the two teams meet in the first round.

Prediction: Lakers in 6


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Time to Shelve Kobe?

As of this writing, Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant has missed the team's last six games to rest his injured shin. During that stretch, the Lakers have won four, with those games coming from a winning streak.

Now the big question: Should the Lakers shelve Kobe for the rest of the season? I say "YES," with a blaring megaphone.

Apart from the obvious rest Kobe gets with this move (Kobe is averaging 38.4 minutes per game), it gives the rest of the Lakers to step up and gather confidence going into the playoffs. Metta World Peace, Matt Barnes, and Pau Gasol have notably stepped up their games in Kobe's absence and it even gave long-time bench regular Devin Ebanks some burn.

However, coach Mike Brown must keep in mind the risk of resting Kobe for too long-- it may create an imbalance where the team members need to figure out their roles again once Kobe takes 30% of the team's shots and 38 minutes of PT.

Another factor is playoff positioning. The Lakers are just a half-game ahead of their Staples Center co-tenants and getting third seed in the NBA's Western Conference would be major, since it avoids the dangerous Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers in the first round.

That said, I still think Kobe should hang up till the last day of the regular season. His fresh legs would be more important in propelling the Lakers in the playoffs.


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Should the Lakers Stand Pat? Absolutely!

With the hoopla surrounding the 2012 NBA All-Star Game to be over in the next 24 hours, it's a good time to look at the Los Angeles Lakers in the season's midpoint.

As the team's roster stands, a lot of people from experts (ESPN.com) to oddsmakers (online sportsbook click here) pick the Lakers as reaching the play-offs, but a second-round finish at best. A championship is quite a reach, considering the play of the Miami Heat and the Oklahoma City Thunder (which kicked the Lakers' butts before the All-Star break).

Now the big question is what kind of roster tweak should the team make, if at all? Many folks (including myself) still think that the core of Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Andrew Bynum can compete to reclaim the NBA championship, but there are a lot of voices that echo the opposite: The Lakers must make a deal.

But come on people, what deal out there makes sense? The team obviously can't get a player the same value for, say, Pau Gasol and there are very few players in the Lakers roster that other team wants. Players outside of the Lakers' Big 3 are either too old or too raw.

Dwight Howard would be a great addition to the team, but the team put itself in a bad trading position after Gasol's performance dipped and traded away Lamar Odom.

Here's my message to Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak: Don't pull the trigger. Give this team some time to come together under Mike Brown's system.


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Dwight Howard to The Lakers, Part 2

A week into the 2011-2012 NBA season and the Los Angeles Lakers are a .500 team. While that seems pretty forgivable in the post-lockout context, it's quite unacceptable given the team's talent and history.

The Lakers are considered contenders, but not favorites to win the NBA crown. I feel they need a legitimate presence on both ends to improve their chances to a title. Enter Dwight Howard.

I outlined in a previous post how the Lakers could get Dwight Howard in a three-team trade with the Orlando Magic and New Orleans Hornets. But we all know how the Lakers were screwed by the NBA in the botched Chris Paul trade. Things are also a little more complicated with a key trade piece in Lamar Odom actually getting traded to the Dallas Mavericks before the season started.

I've come up with a few other scenarios where the Lakers could get Howard using ESPN's Trade Machine.

Scenario 1:

• Los Angeles Lakers get Dwight Howard and Chris Duhon
• Orlando Magic get Andrew Bynum, Derrick Caracter and Matt Barnes

In this trade scenario, the Lakers would be offering the emerging Bynum and expiring contracts to the Magic. Also, the Lakers would be absorbing Duhon's 3-year contract.

Secnario 2:

• Lakers get Dwight Howard and Hedo Turkoglu
• Magic get Bynum, Metta World Peace, and Matt Barnes

This is not too different from the first scenario, except the Lakers would be taking in a bigger contract in Hedo Turkoglu and giving up better talent in World Peace. This seems to make more sense, but any trade involving World Peace is a reach.

Scenario 3:

• Lakers get Dwight Howard and Luis Scola
• Magic get Andrew Bynum, Kevin Martin, and Jordan Hill
• Houston Rockets get Pau Gasol and Hedo Turkoglu

This is a little more complicated and it involves the Houston Rockets, one of the principals of the failed Chris Paul trade. It's been said that the Rockets have their eye on Pau Gasol and this trade gets it done. The Lakers get to replace their starting frontline with new pieces completely.

Scenario 4:

• Lakers get Dwight Howard and Mehmet Okur
• Magic get Andrew Bynum, Anthony Morrow, and Jordan Farmar
• New Jersey Nets get Pau Gasol, Hedo Turkoglu, and Chris Duhon

This now involves teams that are in Howard's wish list and solves a lot of the teams' needs. The Nets get a better supporting cast with Deron Williams after losing out on the Dwight Howard Sweepstakes and the Magic get to shed their unwanted contracts. The Lakers get the best center in the league.

The scenarios are just,well, scenarios and this could change as the trade deadline in March.


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Lakers Notch Season's First Win

Finally.

It took three games before the Los Angeles Lakers got their first win of the season and avoided a 0-3 hole in the standings. They beat the Utah Jazz in convincing fashion, 96-71.

Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol led the way for the Lakers, combining for 48 of the team's 96 points. The Jazz played their first game of the season and looked very rusty. Thirty-two percent from the field and 7% form three-point range paint an ugly picture for the Jazz's game.

The Lakers also got key contributions from Metta World Peace (14 points and 5 rebounds) and their two new power forwards, Troy Murphy and Josh McRoberts (combining for 17 rebounds). World Peace dialed the time machine a few years and showed a flash of the young Ron Artest when he drove the lane and flushed the ball through the hoop strong.

As an added bonus, the Staples Center crowd chanted "We Want Barnes,"a reference to coach Mike Brown's refusal to play the volatile Matt Barnes.


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New Lakers Signings Shore-up Frontline

For a while, the Los Angeles Lakers' frontline was becoming a mess. There was uncertainty in the tenure of Andrew Bynum as a Laker and the departure of Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom in a trade that left the versatile frontline into a reed-thin shadow.

But since then, only Odom was traded and Gasol and Bynum remain. The loss of Odom is mitigated by two new free agent signings: Josh McRoberts and Troy Murphy.

Josh McRoberts is a solid power forward that gets makes the hustle plays and does above average defense. He's pretty adept in deflecting passes in the paint and blocking shots. In limited minutes, he produces on a decent level. His glaring weaknesses are his limited offensive game and inability to get more offensive boards. I see him getting 15-20 minutes a game backing up Gasol.

Troy Murphy's game is more specialized than McRoberts. For a big man, he has developed a long range shooting game that you'd normally find in small forwards and he rebounds at a very good rate. If he's healthy enough to log 20 minutes a game, I'm expecting him to contribute on the three-point shooting and quality minutes backing up Bynum.

That said, both those players have very different games and skills compared to Odom. In Mike Brown's system, those two can be big contributors in the Lakers' pursuit of a championship.


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Unhappy Odom Sent to Dallas

This sucks.

After the NBA shot down the deal that would have sent Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers, Pau Gasol to the Houston Rockets, and Lamar Odom to the New Orleans Hornets, it left a bitter taste to the players involved in it.

Nobody took it harder than Odom, who spent seven seasons with the Lakers and the reigning Sixth Man of the Year. He felt that he was unwanted by the team that he helped win two championships in the last two years.

This prompted him to request a trade out of the team and Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak obliged. Odom was sent to the Dallas Mavericks for a salary exception an draft picks.

As a fan, this is utter crap.

How do you replace a versatile big man who's always a threat to a double-double?

Some will argue that Odom will be less effective in Mike Brown's system than he was in the Triangle Offense. A double-double threat? A lot of people see an inconsistent power forward.

The way I see it, this deal is disadvantageous to the Lakers because 1) they give up a trade piece that could be packaged with other players to obtain an All-Star (like Dwight Howard), and 2) There's no immediate replacement for Odom's production. Yes the team saves salary, but the Lakers have never been about penny-pinching.

If this is the last deal the Lakers will make in the off-season, then we'll see more of Derrick Caracter off the bench. And that is NOT a good thing.


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Lakers Get Screwed By NBA Again on Chris Paul Trade

A couple of hours ago, I was already playing scenarios in my head with the trade of Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers. With Pau Gasol going to the Houston Rockets and Lamar Odom going to the New Orleans Hornets, the team's thin frontline was a great thing to think about.

However, the Lakers got screwed by the NBA. Again.

Yahoo Sports reported that the deal was blocked by NBA commish David Stern. Why? Because the New Orleans Hornets is a team owned by the NBA (it's in the process of being handed over to a new owner) and the rest of the NBA raised hell because the Lakers supposedly got better.

Are you kidding me? The Lakers got better in this deal?

By sending two-thirds of the frontline that won the 2010 NBA championship, the Lakers lost their edge on defense and rebounding. Between Gasol and Odom, you're looking at 20 rebounds a game and 3 blocked shots. Yes, the Lakers get a top-flight point guard, who does he feed the ball into the post to? Derrick Caracter? You might as well count that as a defensive rebound by the opponent.

My point is, you can't say outright that this deal was lopsided in the Lakers favor.

If the deal does get permanently killed, then the Lakers' problems would be chemistry, since Odom and Gasol will have a cloud hovering over their heads all season.

Damn you, David Stern.


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Dwight Howard to LA: Will It Work?

With the NBA rumor mill churning again, fans are speculating what deals their teams will make. As a Laker fan, I have my eye on the big free agent prize: Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard.

If the Los Angeles Lakers were to get Dwight Howard, it would be through a blockbuster trade simply because the team doesn't have salary cap space. (In case you've forgotten, the Lakers have a league-high $91 million payroll).

Which trades make sense?

First, I propose this trade:

• The Los Angeles Lakers get Dwight Howard and Hedo Turkoglu
• The Orlando Magic get Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom.

It makes sense for both teams because the Lakers get the prized center and give enough talent back to the Magic. What also makes it appealing is that the Magic are rid of Turkoglu's albatross of a contract (3 years left with around $11 million per year).

I also have this trade idea:

• The Los Angeles Lakers get Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu, and Trevor Ariza
• The Orlando Magic get Andrew Bynum and Chris Paul
• The New Orleans Hornets get Pau Gasol, Jameer Nelson, and Steve Blake

This is obviously harder to pull off because the Lakers lose their backup point guard and give up their frontline in one fell swoop. However, this becomes more attractive for the Magic and Hornets because they get All-Stars in this trade.

So, what do you think of these trade ideas?

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NBA Season to Start on Christmas Day

Folks wanting to see Kobe Byrant wearing a Los Angeles Lakers jersey this year instead of the exhibition threads will finally get their wish-- the NBA lockout is all but finished.

After five months of seeing no NBA, this is huge for the fans. I personally want to see how this season will play out after the Lakers were edged by the Dallas Mavericks in the last playoffs. Will Kobe get his sixth NBA championship? Will Pau Gasol erase the bad memories he planted on fans in the 2011 playoffs? Will Andrew Bynum be an All-Star? Will Mike Brown be a good replacement for Phil Jackson?

And then there's Metta World Peace (formerly Ron Artest). Is there anything cooler than seeing "World Peace" in a basketball jersey?

Whatever the answer to those questions, they will all unfold on Christmas Day 2011.


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Mike Brown: The Lakers' New Coach

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So much for fixing the Los Angeles Lakers.

The team announced that the new coach will be Mike Brown, the former Cleveland Cavaliers coach who (mis)handled LeBron James in five seasons.

I thought Brian Shaw would have been a better hire, to ensure continuity from the Phil Jackson era. The Lakers' management seems to like to go to a completely new direction. Jim Buss (son of team owner Dr. Jerry Buss) made the decision to hire and I think he's crafting the team the way he sees it.

The initial negative fan reaction from the Mike Brown hire and the spite sent towards Jim Buss is understandable-- Mike Brown, with all due respect, is a far cry from Phil Jackson. Jim Buss, for his part, is doing his darned best not to look like Don Sterling 2.0.

What do I think of the hiring?

It's clearly all about the immediate future for the Lakers. Brown's contract coincides with the expiration of the contracts of Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. (I think Andrew Bynum will get an extension and Lamar Odom will be dealt in the next few years.) Brown is meant to extract the best defensive effort from that bunch while the window for championships are still open.



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Weak 4th Quarter Doomed Lakers in Game 1 vs. Mavs

The Los Angeles Lakers as chokers? Choking has not been a work associated with the Lakers and this is bad time to attract that label.

The Lakers lost against the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of their second round match-up because the couldn't close. It's as simple as that.

Whether it's Kobe Bryant's missed three in the dying seconds, the careless fouls that led to Dirk Nowitzki shooting freebies, or the costly turnovers that let the door open for the Mavs in the final minute. These make a good study for closing games in a weak manner.

As a fan, I was expecting the Lakers to learn from their mistakes against the New Orleans Hornets in the previous series. The team did play well in the first thirty minutes of the game and were on their way to a comfy home win but the lead crumbled. By the time the fourth quarter started, momentum had shifted to the Mavs.

In the final quarter, the Lakers only managed 16 points on seven field goals. Seven! This output is the worst fourth quarter the Lakers have had in the 2011 NBA playoffs. Someone kick me in the shin right now.

But this is still a seven-game series. The Lakers have more opportunities to give Andrew Bynum more involvement in the offense, put Ron Artest back into the flow, and Pau Gasol to find his spine back.


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LA Lakers-Dallas Mavericks Match-up Preview

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I'm very much looking forward to the second round match-up of the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 NBA Playoffs. Why? Mainly because it the Mavs are a team that the Lakers haven't met in their previous championship runs.

But how do the teams stack up against each other? Here are my key points for the playoff series:

• Mavs must pick their poison in defending Kobe - Kobe Bryant has had success against the Mavs in the past and this series will continue that trend. In the perimeter defensive roles, Dallas can throw Jason Kidd, DeShawn Stevenson, and Shawn Marion to defend Kobe. The Matrix can probably make it hard for Kobe, but that means leaving Ron Artest against smaller defenders inside. In the Hornets series, Artest showed that he can produce in the paint.
• Dirk will prowl the perimeter - Did you see how Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol crowd the lane in the Hornets series? The same will happen in this round and this means that Mavs All-Star Dirk Nowitzki will dwell in the perimeter to get his baskets.
• Sixth Man battles - The series also features two of the last three winners of the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award: Lamar Odom of the Lakers and Jason Terry of the Mavericks. While both have different playing styles, each of them are expected to bring offensive spark off the bench. Which sixth man will help his team more?
• Euro Big Men - I'm also looking forward to the match-up of the two best European players in the league right now: Gasol and Nowtizki. I expect Pau to cover Dirk a few times in the game (I expect Odom to defend Dirk from the outside). Looking at the NBA Statscube, Dirk has struggled a bit when Pau Gasol is on the floor.
• Mark Cuban versus Phil Jackson - Apart from the battles that will be fought on the basketball court, I'm expecting some zinging happening outside. The outspoken owner of the Mavs has history against the Lakers coach and I'm sure we'll read a lot of quotables from the two.

If the Lakers continue to play solid defense and make it hard on the Dirk Nowitzki it will be a short series. As I've mentioned in my second round NBA Playoffs predictions, I'm expecting the Lakers to win in 6.


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What We've Learned about the Lakers-Hornets Match-up So Far

The first round match-up between the Los Angeles Lakers and the New Orleans Hornets is knotted at 2-2 as of this writing and many people are surprised. Except for me.

I predicted that the Lakers will need six games to eliminate the pesky hornets. Why? Because the Lakers have struggled in the first round of the playoffs in the last five years. Their record of 16-11 in the first round of the NBA playoffs since 2006 says something about the team's slow start in the post-season.

Another thing we're seeing right now is the Lakers' inability to contain top flight point guards.One only needs to look at how Tony Parker, Mike Bibby, Steve Nash, and Chris Paul run around the Lakers' defense. Paul has been superb in this first round, reminding point guards everywhere that playing the Lakers will make you look Hall of Fame-worthy.

One thing I've been surprised with is the Lakers' vulnerability with injuries four games into the playoffs. Andrew Bynum had his customary injury scare, but Kobe Bryant has been bothered by a bum ankle. If the Lakers are to win it all this year, they have to overcome health issues, apart from the strong opponents.

Finally, NBA Sixth Man of the Year Lamar Odom has shone flashes, but he hasn't been as effective against the smallish Hornets frontline. The same can be said against Pau Gasol. In the last four games, the two Lakers forwards have been very disappointing across the board, considering that they are capable of doing much more damage.

Game 5 will be a couple of hours from now and we shall see if the Lakers will bounce back.


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Do The Lakers Need to Rest Kobe?

Kobe Bryant was scared $#@-less.

Kobe feared that he would be done for the season when he sprained his ankle awkwardly in very crucial game against the Dallas Mavericks a couple of days ago. Kobe went out, but went back in and thankfully not in a wheelchair *cough*Paul Piece*cough*. Kobe seems to be good enough even though he's hurt the same ankle in a previous game.

But from the start of the season, there has been a recurring theme for the Los Angeles Lakers: keep Kobe fresh for the playoffs. And Phil Jackson seems to subscribe to that notion as he cut Kobe's minutes significantly. To put this in perspective, Kobe's playing time this season is his lowest since becoming a starter for the Lakers in his entire career. This seems to support the idea that with Kobe's age and mileage, a three-peat would be realizable once he's in top condition.

With the playoffs looming in the horizon and the Lakers just games away from the Mavericks for the #2 spot in the Western Conference, resting Kobe now would be crazy.

But think about it, the Lakers have fifteen games left, and after their game against the Orlando Magic, the team will face the Minnesota Timberwolves, Portland Trailblazers, Phoenix Suns, and Los Angeles Clippers. All of these teams, with the exception of the Blazers, are lottery-bound.


Maybe it's time for the Lakers to rest him in that stretch. The Lakers match-up well against the upcoming teams and they can afford to play through Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum in the post.

But knowing Kobe, he's a warrior. He'll play through this. So I suggest avoiding low-cut shoes to prevent turning his ankle in the coming games.


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Camelo Anthony to the Lakers?

Carmelo Anthony for Andrew Bynum? This is just pure baloney.

Why on earth would the Los Angeles Lakers go for a scorer when they already have the game's most lethal scorer in Kobe Bryant? If this trade were to happen, the Lakers are giving up their biggest advantage over the rest of the league: their size.

Fine, Andrew Bynum is turning out to be an injury magnet, but he has been a decent defensive anchor in the middle. His offensive game is not dominating, but he takes up space in the middle to give space to the perimeter forays of the Lakers' guards and even forwards (Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom can shoot it from beyond 15 feet).

Carmelo Anthony is a proven shot-maker and go-to-guy in the clutch, but he needs to dominate the ball almost the same way Kobe Bryant does and this type of redundancy is not the material championship teams are made of. In getting Anthony, the Lakers would become the NBA's most unstoppable offensive force, but it is not on offense the Lakers need help with-- it's their defense.

If you ask me, the players who are worth getting for Andrew Bynum would be Dwight Howard, Blake Griffin, and Kevin Love.


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L.A. Lakers Second Quarter Report

It seems I'm creating the habit of making analyses of the Los Angeles Lakers 2010-2011 season a few games late, but it's better late than never, right?

Anyways, the Lakers are sporting a 32-13 winning record (.711 winning percentage), and are second at teh suddenly tough Western Conference. Since my last report, the Lakers have gotten a 15-6 record. They follow their conference nemesis San Antonio Spurs by five and a half games, but lead the Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder by three games.

Following my good-bad format in the first quarter season analysis, here's how the second quarter of the season looked for the team:

The Good

• Ron Artest - In the first twenty games of the season, Ron Artest looked like a slow-footed version of himself. He was able to turn around this January, with better long-range shooting and improved tough guy defense on opposing team's wing players.
• Lamar Odom - This guy should be an All-Star period.
• Andrew Bynum - The team has worked Andrew Bynum into the rotation gradually, and it has been paying dividends for the team. Bynum, while foul-prone, is able to alter opponent shots inside and get blocks himself. This month, Bynum has improved his numbers significantly across the board.
• Interior Play -  Even thoough Pau Gasol has slid a bit, the trio of Gasol, Bynum and Odom has been giving opposing team fits by sharp passing and good rebounding.

The Bad

• The Bench - What the heck happened to the Killer B's? After raving about them at the start of the season, the bench players have faded away. The trade to acquire Joe Smith has yet to bolster the bench effort, especially with Matt Barnes out with an injury.
• Lack of Quality Wins - In the acid tests in the last twenty-something games, the Lakers have failed. The team lost to the Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, and Dallas Mavericks.
• Defense - The Lakers have struggled mightily with quick teams because their transition defense is spotty. This 2010-2011 still can't shake the reputation of getting abused by quick players and teams.
• Shot Selection - The team is turning it around in the last ten games, but when the Lakers were losing, they were settling for outside jump shots. This affected the Lakers' offense and disrupted the play of the bigs.

Over-all, the Los Angeles Lakers look far from winning their third straight championship in the season's second quarter. From my perspective,the team has yet to display quality play against quality teams.


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It's 2011 and the Lakers look like Chumps

Happy new year everyone! I took a short break during the holidays and it's good to be back to blogging again.

While the holidays was great time for touchy-feely moments, the last couple of weeks hasn't been good for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Since the week of December 20, 2010, the Lakers' record is 2-4. The defending champs are sporting a .333 winning percentage at a time when their competition (the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat in the East, plus the Dallas Mavericks and the San Antonio Spurs in the West) have compiled pretty good records. Given the high expectations for the team, the Lakers are looking more like chumps than champs.

What's ailing the team?

If you ask me it's a bit surprising that it's in the offensive end that the Lakers have shown lackluster effort. In the last six games, the Lakers have only averaged only 88.5 points. This is very far from their season average of almost 104 points per game.

The losses, the Lakers looked enamored with the outside shot-- preferring to look to shoot the three-ball than pound the ball in side. I wouldn't blame the Lakers completely for doing so because Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum have not been that dominating in the paint.

The play of Kobe Bryant has also not been up to par. Yes, he is scoring like Kobe Bryant of old, but his other numbers like rebounds, assists, and shooting percentage have been up and down. He can dominate any part of the game, but he can't seem to will the Lakers to victory in the last few games. I suggest Phil Jackson manage Kobe's minutes back into the 28-32 range and play Lamar Odom more.

Finally, (I know I'm going to make this sound a cliche), but the Lakers have not been putting the clamps on the defensive end, especially in the second half. To whit: in the last five games, the Lakers have allowed their opponents to score more in the second half than the first half.

If this trend creeps into the All-Star break, we're looking at the Lakers sporting a playoff exit ticket rather than a three-peat.


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