Is Anyone else enjoying watching the Lakers?

[Mauro Pedrosa 1,049]

Oh yes, I hope Carmelo exposes more defensive flaws!

I love Melo

[Zara 74]

Awesome stuff on LAL's carcass so far.

 

However, they are without Nash and Gasol. They are starting Duhon. Health and sanity will return. FA guys will spiral down to them eventually (a la Miami or Brooklyn), over the summer.

 

:shard: till then.

[Soul Bro 1,500]

Is Dwight teachable anymore? ... Or is he "set in his ways?" What if Dwight's back never fully recovers? For me, these questions are legit.

 

And I don't think he's playing like an All-Star this year. I wish the fans didn't vote based out of popularity.

[Soul Bro 1,500]

This back-and-forth with Howard:

Q: Do you feel comfortable in the offense right now?

A: When they call on me, I'm ready.

Q: Is your role clear-cut?

A: Is my role clear-cut? Uhh, we'll see.

Q: How are you most comfortable being utilized right now?

A: How am I most comfortable? Give me the ball.

Q: Where?

A: What do you mean where?

Q: Where do you want the ball?

A: That's obvious, on the block. Where else? I'm not a 3-point specialist.

Q: Pick-and-roll? Dive?

A: On the block.

Not five minutes earlier, D'Antoni said this: "We're still not doing our pick-and-rolls, and that for us is a big staple of what we do, and we've got to be able to solve that problem because Dwight has to be that guy forcing that and we're not there yet."

This is the definition, of course, of a mess. To say they're not on the same page is, well, obvious.

 

http://sports.espn.g...m/nba/dailydime

[Orlando Magic Toaster 26]

It just keeps on giving doesn't it! #Dwightmare

[For the love of the game 56]

Is Dwight teachable anymore? ... Or is he "set in his ways?" What if Dwight's back never fully recovers? For me, these questions are legit.

 

And I don't think he's playing like an All-Star this year. I wish the fans didn't vote based out of popularity.

 

No way that he is. His D (as well as the entire teams) looked bad and has looked bad a lot. As a team, they are letting far too many players get easy layup. As for his offense, well I was suprised that t he scored 20 points last night. Has to be the quietest 20 ever scored. Really nice missed dunk he had.

 

Unlike the Heat big 3, the Lakers main guys are old and or injured. Gasol, when he was not injured looked lost, Howard back is a big question, Kobe's D has shown some signs of worsening, Nash is old and injured and he certaining will not help the team D. So you are right about your questions.

[Soul Bro 1,500]

Unlike the Heat big 3, the Lakers main guys are old and or injured. Gasol, when he was not injured looked lost, Howard back is a big question, Kobe's D has shown some signs of worsening, Nash is old and injured and he certaining will not help the team D. So you are right about your questions.

I think the old and injured comment is very legitimate. Plus, their salary guarantees around these old guys lasts for at least one more year (http://www.basketbal...tracts/LAL.html). So if THIS Lakers team can't win, I believe Dwight will become very frustrated. And I don't think THIS Lakers team will win the championship.

[For the love of the game 56]

I think the old and injured comment is very legitimate. Plus, their salary guarantees around these old guys lasts for at least one more year (http://www.basketbal...tracts/LAL.html). So if THIS Lakers team can't win, I believe Dwight will become very frustrated. And I don't think THIS Lakers team will win the championship.

 

I do not think they have any options for trades to get better either. No one would take Gasols $19 mil + (next year maybe) since he is looking older and slower than last year (when I thought he was beginning to look it). Meta might be movable, but then who do they start at SF? There not moving Kobe and while Howard is tradable, the Lakers pride might prevent that.

 

I posed a question on another thread and never got a response. Has a team every fired two head coaches in the same season? I could honestly see that happening here (or DeAntonio just quiting, say before Christmas even).

 

I am having a hard time believing this, but were last years Magic better than this years Lakers? Seems crazy since they have Kobe, but the records and stats say otherwise.

[BrokenThree 10]

I'm enjoying Lakers' losses almost as much as Magic's wins to be honest. And i can't help but smile every time i see Duhon in the starting lineup :)

Their main problem right now is defense, and i doubt Nash is gonna help them improve in that aspect.

[Mauro Pedrosa 1,049]

I think the old and injured comment is very legitimate. Plus, their salary guarantees around these old guys lasts for at least one more year (http://www.basketbal...tracts/LAL.html). So if THIS Lakers team can't win, I believe Dwight will become very frustrated. And I don't think THIS Lakers team will win the championship.

If they don't win it all this year they won't do it in 2014. Nash will just be older and useless, Kobe will also lose another step

[Ibn Battuta 127]

The Lakers are a mess; I feel a little sympathy actually.

 

Howard isn't setting any screens, Kobe is bringing the ball up and making poor decisions with the ball, everyone is watching kobe and not moving around, the other players try to do their thing when they get the ball; it's just one big free for all. There's nothing resembling a set play or any kind of organized, cohesive activity.

 

You have to blame Mike D'Antoni. They've played enough games to not look completely lost on offense.

[CTMagicUK 1,614]

This Lakers team is more entertaining to me personally than any other I remember because it's so fun to watch teams like the Wizards score on them, yea they won, but it's not exactly a good win for a team that was supposed to be contending for a championship to beat the worst team in the NBA by 6. If the Wizards had had John Wall they might have won.

 

Shaq broke down how Howard should be scoring on TNT one night and it had him finishing with 20+ points even if he only shot 50% from the field and 50% from the FT line and a big part of that break down was the fact that Howard should get at least 3 shots a quarter in the low post. The problem on offense is when they need a bucket, they let Kobe take a long two, when they could just dump it inside and let Dwight bang around and slam it in, or draw the double team and kick out to an open shooter.

 

On defense I think Howard has exposed the secret that his defense may have just been a product of SVG's system. The fact that D'Antoni continues to harp on about Steve Nash shows how little attention he pays to the defensive end. When do the Lakers play the Thunder? I can't wait, especially if Nash is back and has to "guard" Westbrook.