Lakers Bench Mob All But Gone

The scrappy and energetic Bench Mob of the Los Angeles Lakers is all but gone.

A couple seasons ago, when the Lakers starters took a rest near the end of quarters, a young group of subs took the court. Sasha Vujacic, Jordan Farmar, Shannon Brown, Luke Walton, Josh Powell, and DJ Mbenga were all counted on to spell the starters and provide a spark of energy on the offense. The bench never lacked the drive but often was too eager for its own good.

For every high-flying Shannon Brown Dunk or Jordan Farmar fast break lay-up or Sasha Vujacic three-ball, there were ill-advised shots, turnovers, and poor shooting. Fans cheered and groaned at the inconsistency of the Lakers bench.

But in the upcoming season, the Lakers bench is no longer the Bench Mob. Of the players in the group, only Vujacic and Walton are under contract. And Luke Walton will likely be playing very limited minutes because of a sever back injury. Brown is still under contract negotiations, and the rest are going to play elsewhere.

The new bench now features veterans Steve Blake, Matt Barnes, Theo Ratliff, plus in all likelihood, rookies Devin Ebanks and Derrick Caracter. The rookies might get limited tick, but the veterans will take a lion's share of the back-up minutes.

This new crew will not be as energetic as the previous bench teams, but will be tougher on the defensive end and hungry to win a championship of their own. We'll see less of the bonehead plays, but we probably will also see less of the hustle and speedy basketball.

So my hats off to the Lakers' Bench Mob. You had your moments in the regular season and playoffs, excited fans during garbage time, and provided a lot of off-court humor.



Photo: Jordan Farmar (1) splits the defense of Boston's Paul Pierce and Michael Finley (40) for a layup during Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Credit: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times


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Four Keys to a Lakers Win in Game 4

The Los Angeles Lakers are up 2-1 against the Boston Celtics in the 2010 NBA Finals and at this point, nobody is sure how that lead will hold up after Game 4. Both teams have had their hot and cold moments, plus the officiating has been spotty.

If the Lakers are to take a commanding 3-1 series lead, here are four keys that I think are important factors to help them claim Game 4:

• Lamar Odom - Derek Fisher was big in Game 3, but it was the steady play of Lamar Odom that silently buoyed the team in key moments. Prior to that game, Odom was plagued by foul trouble and had limited minutes. If he can stay in the game, Odom will be able to crash the boards and
• Interior defense - Kevin Garnett scoring 25 in Game 3? That was unthinkable at the start of the series, but Pau Gasol struggled to limit Garnett offensively. Rajon Rondo also made a handful of slashes in the lane without much trouble. This puts the onus on the Lakers bigs to put up a tough "D" like the Game 2 loss.
• Bench play - With the exception of the third game, the Lakers bench play resulted in a negative +/- stat. Shannon Brown, Jordan Farmar, and Sasha Vujacic need to produce better whenever they are on the floor, especially with how the fouls are being called in the series. In the second game, Kobe Bryant was hampered with three fouls early and that meant extended minutes for the bench.
• Shot selection - Here's one trend you'll rarely see mentioned: The team that shot better from the field in the first three games won the game. This means that offensive execution and shot selection is vital in the series. Both the Lakers and the Celtics are capable of playing lockdown defense and each must solve the defensive problems presented by their opponent.

No one is sure what type of Game 4 will be, but the Lakers can win it if they will address the factors I've mentioned.


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Lakers Show Toughness in the NBA Finals Game 1

The Los Angeles Lakers are making us forget that they were deemed "soft" two years ago.

From the take-down action between Ron Artest and Boston's Paul Pierce to Pau Gasol's dominance in the low blocks, the Lakers set the physical tone throughout their victory in Game 1 of the 2010 NBA Finals. The Lakers out-rebounded, out-hustled, and out-played their historic rivals in a game that showed how evolved the team has become.

Apologies to Kobe Bryant, but the MVP of Game 1 for me is Pau Gasol. Gasol scored 23 points on 57% shooting, but his game-high 14 rebounds and 3 blocks were more noteworthy. Moreover, his eight offensive rebounds matched that of the Celtics' offensive rebounds as a team. This clearly mirrors the Lakers' intensity in Game 1.

Another huge boost for the Lakers was their bench play. Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown made key plays when foul trouble plagued the starters. Sasha Vujacic was able to help the Lakers maintain the lead by not making a huge bonehead play. A huge game from Lamar Odom was not needed as Andrew Bynum was not in foul trouble the whole game (surprise!)

Game 1's are critical as the team that wins the first game of the Finals usually would go on to win the title. But for now, I'm not yet ready to proclaim the Lakers as the next champs. The Lakers have to defend their home court and beat the Celtics in their home floor for me to really feel better.


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3 Trades I'd Like to See

 
The trading deadline is a few weeks away and as always, speculation on the trades that may happen before the deadline is a hobby most NBA enthusiasts share around this time. Apart from the perceived value of players matching, salaries must more or less be equal for trades to happen, thus it makes the ESPN Trade Machine a nice toy to play around with since it has a comprehensive list of player salaries and an algorithm that verifies potential trades.

I was playing around with the ESPN Trade Machine and looking for nice trades the Los Angeles Lakers would explore to continue their domination of the NBA. The Lakers' most tradeable assets are Jordan Farmar and Adam Morrison. Those two have expiring contracts that are attractive to teams who are excited to take a splash in the free agency bonanza this year.

The Lakers' biggest need right now, if you ask me, is ta reliable back-up point guard who can takeover Derek Fisher's minutes and a reliable big man. Here are three trades I'd like to see involving Jordan Farmar and Adam Morrison:

1. Lakers trade for the Toronto Raptors' Jose Calderon
   
2. Lakers trade for the Philadelphia 76ers' Louis Williams and Royal Ivey
3. Lakers trade for the Golden State Warriors' CJ Watson, Anthony Morrow, and Ronnie Turiaf
   

What do you guys think?


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Lakers Bench to The World: Yeah, We're Still Here

Pop quiz: Which of the following statements about the Los Angeles Lakers-Dallas Mavericks game is fictional?

• The leading scorer for the  was somebody who came off the bench.
• Sasha Vujacic shot better behind the three-point arc than the Lakers' starters combined.
• Adam Morrison (yes, Adam Morrison) finished with the same number of points as Pau Gasol, while netting a 100% shooting clip.

If you answered any of the choices, then you're in for a surprise: all of them happened in the Lakers' drubbing of the Mavericks.

I've always been an advocate of inspired play from the Lakers' bench and the game was a beauty. After the starters built a solid lead in the first half, the usually lackadaisical bench protected the lead and even made it bigger. Jordan Farmar, who led the Lakers in scoring for the game, was superb offensively and D.J. Mbenga protected the paint en route to 3 blocks.

If the Lakers' bench played like this every game, there wouldn't be any need for Kobe Bryant heroics in the end game. Of course, a lot of fans won't be happy with that, but give me a dominating Lakers game any day.


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Lakers Stomp Nets into Record Books

Man, you gotta feel for the New Jersey Nets.

On a night when they were one game away from tying the NBA's record for most consecutive losses to open the season-- a night most teams would consider a "must win"-- the Nets had to face a dominant Los Angeles Lakers squad. How dominant? The Lakers snuffed any hopes of a Nets' victory as early as the first quarter. The play that represented the Nets' misery was that lay-up attempt by Raefer Alston towards the end of the first quarter. He was on his way for an easy shot when Jordan Farmar did his best LeBron James impression and got Alston with a mean chasedown block.

But you really can't blame for the Lakers for being too good because the Nets are bad. And I mean real bad, plain and simple.

The Nets were without star Devin Harris from for a good chunk of the losing streak and his return has not yet yielded a "W." Brook Lopez is solid piece in the middle but is a few years away from being an elite center if you ask me. The rest of the team? Let's just say Lakers benchwarmer Adam Morrison can crack the Nets' rotation.

With the 106-87 victory, the Lakers have stamped the Nets' 2009-2010 season legacy with a dubious record of tying the Miami Heat (1989) and the Los Angeles Clippers (1999). The Nets seem to be continuing the trend that a sucky team will match the losing record for at least every ten years.


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Lakers Dismantle Rockets in Game 5

After the embarrassing loss the Los Angeles Lakers had in Game Four of their Western Conference Semi-final match-up against the Houston Rockets, the Lakers won convincingly in Game 5, 118-78.

The Lakers completely dominated the Rockets the way they were predicted to do after the Rockets lost Yao Ming-- the Lakers played aggressive defense for the first three where they built their 40-point lead. They held the Rockets to 32% shooting and had a distinct edge in team blocks and steals. Kobe Bryant only played three quarters en route to 26 points and Pau Gasol had another double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds.

What went right for the Lakers? Apart from effectively challenging the Houston Rockets on the offensive end, the Lakers played at a pace that has favored them since the beginning of the season. The Lakers scored at least 24 points in a quarter and shot the ball very well. The Lakers' "bench mob" also made a complete turnaround with Jordan Farmar and Luke Walton giving quality contributions on both ends of the court. Finally, Andrew Bynum came up very big in the first half where he abused Carl Landry and Luis Scola in the paint. (I guess Andrew finally realized that he had a massive size advantage against the Rockets' frontline).

The Lakers finally played brilliantly in Game Five and crushed their opponent the way a team that won 65 games in the regular season should. Now the ultimate question comes up: Which version of the Lakers team will show up in Game Six in Houston? The sharp team of Game Five or the apathetic version in Game Four?


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Lakers Silence Jazz in Game 1

The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Utah Jazz 113-100 in Game 1 of their First Round match-up at the 2009 NBA Playoffs. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 24 points, 8 assists and 2 steals and Pau Gasol had 20 points, 9 boards and 4 blocks.

Kobe and Gasol were expected to dominate the Jazz as they have done in the past, but the surprise breakout performance belonged to Lakers forward Trevor Ariza, who scored 21 points on 8 for 10 shooting and conencted on all but one of three point attempts. Almost everyone expected Ariza to play more of a defensive stopper role, and I think his surprising offensive burst stunned the Jazz, who struggled offensively as a team.

The Jazz didn's put much of a fight in the first half, as they were down 62-40 in halftime. Deron Williams did his best John Stockton impersonation with 17 assists for the game, but he struggled mightily on the floor (29% shooting from the field). Forwards Carlos Boozer & Paul Millsap were the only jazz players who had anything going for them, combining for 42 points.

While the Lakers did win in a convincing fashion, several members of the team did not have quality games. Andrew Bynum was limited to 20 minutes because of foul trouble and erstwhile bench sparkplug Jordan Farmar rode the pine most of the game. Farmar's lack of minutes is an indication that Lakers coach Phil Jackson is preferring Shannon Brown to come off the bench and assume the role former Laker Devean George used to play off the Lakers bench.

Game 1's usually dictate the series (winners of Game 1's usually end up winning the series) and and if this game is any indicator for the Lakers-Jazz match-up, it's going to be a short series with the Lakers coming out on top.

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Los Angeles Lakers in the 2009 NBA Playoffs

I'm finally back to blogging after a busy week, and in the last seven days two things happened in Lakerland: regular season was finished and the Los Angeles Lakers are going into the 2009 NBA Playoffs against the Utah Jazz in the first round.

With the 82-game marathon over, the Lakers can now concentrate on winning the NBA championship. They wanted home court advantage throughout the playoffs, but the Cleveland Cavaliers edged the Lakers by a game to get that privilege. Number One on the Western Conference ain't bad, but this is the place the Lakers were last year.

The Utah Jazz aren't as week as experts perceive them to be. They are physical and they have the usual Kryptonite against the Lakers: The Jazz has a superb point guard who can play the pick and roll (and more). I have no doubt the Deron Williams will give the Lakers fits, so I want to see Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown pick up the defensive intensity.

Kobe Bryant may not be this season's MVP, but he definitely will be the best player in the series. He has found success playing against the Jazz this season. The better thing now is that Kobe has two seven footers in the paint to dish out to when he's double (or triple) teamed: Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum.

The keys to this series? This can turn out to be one of the more physical series in the first round, I expect Jerry Sloan to rough up the Lakers with defense and pressure. But this could be short series because the Lakers have the inside presence and the game's best closer to overcome the challenges the Jazz can muster.

My prediction: Lakers in 5.


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Lakers Sweep Rockets for the Regular Season

The Los Angeles Lakers notched their 60th win of the season with a victory over the Houston Rockets, 93-81.

Reigning NBA MVP Kobe Bryant played facilitator for most of the game, scoring 20 points efficiently and dishing out 7 assists. Pau Gasol led the team with 23 points.

With the win, the Lakers have swept the Rockets for the regular reason in all of their four meetings of the season and have gained ground on the Cleveland Cavaliers for the best record in the NBA (The Lakers now only trail the Cavs by one game). If the Lakers can get the best record, that will be huge for their title chase.

The growing concern for the Lakers now is the poor play of the bench. Only reserve center DJ Mbenga provided a spark off the bench. Luke Walton, Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic, and Josh Powell all combined for a measly 13 points and shot 18% as a unit. Seeing Luke Walton blow jumpers and Jordan Farmar make defensive lapses really irks me because I've seen these guys play at their best.


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Jordan Farmar & Pau Gasol in "NUMB3RS"

Jordan Farmar and Pau Gasol appeared in an episode of NUMB3RS a few days ago.

"Pi Triangle"? The Triangle Offense is confusing enough to learn, and then you add a constant like Pi to mess it up? Classic line by Jordan Farmar at the end of the clip. :P


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The Lakers are Playing into Dominating Form

Come on, admit it, the Los Angeles Lakers are looking very good these past three games. No, make that dominating.

So dominating that the San Antonio Spurs pulled out their starters in the whole fourth quarter because Spurs coach Gregg Popovich though that the game was well out of reach.

Things seem to be looking great in La-la Land these days: The Lakers are on top of the Western Conference with no rival of the same caliber in sight, Jordan Farmar has returned from his injury, Kobe Bryant is getting rest, and Andrew Bynum has morphed into a monster in the last games.

Speaking of Bynum, he played very well in the Spurs game that his effect on both the offensive and defensive ends were felt: he was getting to the line and altering the forays of Tony Parker in the lane. Heck, he even swatted a Tim Duncan shot in the third quarter. I think strong performances until next week will earn him a ticket to the All-Star Game in Phoenix.

I think the Lakers should focus in winning as much as games in the regular in order to secure the home court advantage against the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic in the playoffs. But if the Lakers continue playing this dominating fashion, home court advantage may not be necessary. :P


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Lakers Defeat Wafer-led Rockets

The Los Angeles Lakers struggled to beat a depleted Houston Rockets team.

How depleted, you ask? No Tracy McGrady and no Ron Artest.

With the absences one Rocket stood taller than Yao Ming-- Von Wafer. Yup, Von Wafer. The same guy the Lakers drafted in 2005, bounced around the league the past few seasons, has found a home in Houston. Wafer scored a career high 23 points in the 105-100 loss to the Lakers.

The Lakers were bailed out by a deep three courtesy of Kobe Bryant with 27 ticks left in the game. The Rockets failed to execute down the stretch and it enabled the Lakers to win its 31st game of the season.

--

The Lakers have been suffering a lot of injuries as of late and Lamar Odom's return in the Houston game was a breather. The Lakers have been without Jordan Farmar, Luke Walton and Sasha Vujacic. Thanks to the Lakers' depth, the team is still winning games with three key players on sickbay and Josh Powell getting extended PT.

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