Lakers v Nuggets

[westkoast]

Where to start?  Well, lets start by saying both squads played sloppy, inconsistant basketball.  They really didnt look like they were playing to win but rather who could play the least crappy and get the W.  The Lakers of course happend to play less crappy than the Nuggets thanks to George getting under Anthony's skin and getting him to try to be the hero with 9 ticks left on the clock in regulation.    All around it wasnt a pleasant sigth and was MUCH different than the ball the Nuggets played against the Spurs the night before (except of course them having a mental breakdown late in the game like the night before).

--Lakers defense got a D- last night.  They were not trapping like they were in the pre-season.  They were not talking to one another which led to easy buckets and the transition defense was HORRID.  Just to put into perspective how many dumb mistakes they made......there was one play where Brian Cook boxed out Chris Mihm which allowed Camby to grab a rebound and get a putback.  If only I had a photo of the look on Phil's face when they called the time.

--Lakers offense looked out of sync at times and looked very solid at times.  Really was back and forth for the most part.  They were however doing a good job of shifting the ball around from side to side.  If only they chose better shots.

--The poise of the team, for being so young, was nice to see late in the game.  They went down 4, responded and tied it up.  Went down a few more in OT and Odom/Kobe responded like the leaders of a team are suppose to.

[WayOutWest]

The Lakers seemed to play in spurts, I'm surprised they pulled out a win.

I don't care how well George played last night, I wish upon a star EVERY night that he was not a Laker.  

Slava and Cook are a waste of a Laker roster spots.  

Mihm works hard but he just doesn't have the talent.  He will probably hold down the Laker starting C spot and that's just SAD.   I think they need to throw the rook in there and see what happens.

Smush had a very good night, he reminds me of Peeler in his Laker days.  Seems like a fearless type of player.

I tend to forget how talented Odom is as a player.  I've seen Odom go at Garnett like he was a CBA scrub.  I don't know why Odom can't be more consistent.  IMO he's the most talented SF/PF combo in the league but I would take KG and Marion over Odom any day of the week.  Odom's problems are mental, he's a weak person with a weak mind and weak heart.

Kobe was Kobe, clutch shots when they needed them but I don't like him always settling for jumpers.

I still have hopes for the Euro white trash playing PG/SG, he seems to have some talent and guts.

[westkoast]

The Lakers seemed to play in spurts, I'm surprised they pulled out a win.

I don't care how well George played last night, I wish upon a star EVERY night that he was not a Laker. 

Slava and Cook are a waste of a Laker roster spots. 

Mihm works hard but he just doesn't have the talent.  He will probably hold down the Laker starting C spot and that's just SAD.   I think they need to throw the rook in there and see what happens.

Smush had a very good night, he reminds me of Peeler in his Laker days.  Seems like a fearless type of player.

I tend to forget how talented Odom is as a player.  I've seen Odom go at Garnett like he was a CBA scrub.  I don't know why Odom can't be more consistent.  IMO he's the most talented SF/PF combo in the league but I would take KG and Marion over Odom any day of the week.  Odom's problems are mental, he's a weak person with a weak mind and weak heart.

Kobe was Kobe, clutch shots when they needed them but I don't like him always settling for jumpers.

I still have hopes for the Euro white trash playing PG/SG, he seems to have some talent and guts.

This is almost sad to say but I feel more comfortable with an 18 year old rook at the center spot than I do Chris Mihm.  His main problem is he cannot move his body/feet and that limits what he can do on the offensive and defensive end.  It also causes him to reach out and get easy fouls.  He looked better last year only because Kobe made it a point to get him involved and pretty much all but put the ball in the basket for him on most of the plays.

George played very well last night.  I know you dont like em very much but I am liking the defense he has been playing in the pre-season and especially last night.  As long as he plays good defense that is all I am worried about, so far he has done that well.

Odom is learning his new role and will improve.  That I can guarentee.  He is doing a little better job of understanding when to cough it up and when to take it to the middle of the paint.  Still has alot of work to go in that department but his decision making is improving over last year.  He has the toughest role on this team.

Did you see Sasha run to the bench to cry?   :cry:  Too funny.  I felt bad for a minute because he really is trying very hard but is making alot of small mental mistakes that PJ will not stand for.

Classic moment: Sasha loses the ball at the half court line because it slipped outo f his hands, camera flashes to PJ, he has this look on his face like 'this is going to be one hell of a season'

[Laker Fan]

Nothing pretty about last nights win, not looking forward to this season, I just hope that by sometime past mid season they will be at least on the same page. With the way they didn't play defense, it's a wonder Carmello and the boys didn't drop 120 on them, it was only Denver's ineptness that prevented it from happening.

[Guest_Randy]

IMO, the Lakers aren't about this year -- they're about several years down the road.  They are trying to see how these young guys will develop and only time and experience will tell that one.

Odom -- why is this guy so consistent.  One time he is taking the ball to the rack like he is the greatest finisher in the game and the next play he looks like Greg Ostertag trying to attack the rim.  I'd also like to see him focus more on defense.

Mihm -- a COMPLETE waste -- I'd rather see Bynum getting quality minutes than see Mihm blow the pass, the block, the shot, the dunk, the rebound, etc.

Bynum -- it's wayyy to early to tell and he is soooo young.  He does have some moves and I think he shows a lot of potential.  But this league is FULL of guys who have shown potential.  Still think it was worth the risk for the Lakers to take him -- there certainly wasn't anyone else left in the draft who is going to be a player to build around.

Speaking of players with potential who haven't done anything with it, that brings us to Kwame Brown!  Wow, talk about Jeckyl and Hyde -- unfortunately, he's a lot more Hyde than he is Jeckyl.  He'd make ONE good move and then not play for several more plays.  Kobe NEEDS to get in his face -- PJ certainly won't.  Maybe Kareem will!

Okay, Cook can shoot the ball and he did make one good defensive play but he just doesn't seem to get the defensive scheme.  Too many times he was out of position and his man was scoring.

George isn't one of my favorite players but he is a better defensive player than most of the guys on our squad.  

Slava is a waste of roster space.  Walton, the guy is a crowd favorite and a tremendous passer and a smart basketball player but he needs MORE than that to help the Lakers.  He is a defensive liability, has a slower first step than anyone in the NBA (well, at least any other SF) and he isn't consistent from outside.  Basically, making him a waste of a roster spot as well.

Sasha -- man I thought this guy had potential at one point but he look HORRIBLE last night.  It wasn't bad enough that he lost the ball and made poor decisions when he was guarded -- he lost the ball when he WASN'T being guarded.  

Smush Parker -- this guy was WORTH watching last night.  He is definately fearless and I loved it when he posted up Boykins last night (okay, that's not saying much) but he showed some smarts offensively by recognizing the mismatch and taking advantage of it.  He was fearless and very active on the court -- played some pretty good defense too -- esp. on a very quick PG.  I'm looking forward to seeing him play more.  

Kobe -- Kobe was Kobe.  In fact, I thought, at times, he was a little too unselfish last night.  Buckner was playing him pretty physical but I would have liked to see Kobe show Buckner that he couldn't contain him.  But Kobe was more interested in getting other guys involved than dominating -- which is great -- to a certain extent.  I would like to see Kobe defer to other players at time -- but like Magic, when those players aren't stepping up, it's time to step up and show them the way.

You KNOW that PJ doesn't like his roster when he lets young players (esp. rookies) like Bynum and Parker play significant minutes.  I think the Lakers have a shot at making into the playoffs this year -- but what I'm looking forward this year is watching to see if these young players continue to develop.  

I'm not sure that fans can ask a lot more than that this year!