I've gotta say, our team is looking a lot better as of late. Sure it's a shame we didn't find a rhythim earlier, but we look solid. We're just losing those really close ones with the elite teams, which I can't be mad about. But we have to win the ones against the god awful teams... And kudos to Kobe. He's found a really good balance, and thank god for Byron coming to his senses and not running Kobe down to the dirt like he was in the beginning.
I feel like the beginning of the season would have been a whole lot different if Nick Young was healthy.
What is good is that fact that since Kobe adjusted his game Lakers games became closer, no more 20-30 pts losses, all the role players are involved. Keep it up, limit Kobe's mins to 30-32 and maybe we can win 30 games. With this roster, in the West, I will be happy.)))
And Ryan Kelly at the same time. He would have been hitting his shots and having his timing. Stupid to run them 100% insanely that hard the first day of practice. I've been whining about that ever since Kelly hurt the first hamstring that day. Would have been a lot different as you say. Nick has been great.
10-20 games in, the team was getting destroyed left and right. Last 10 or so games, the team has actually been keeping in games with top teams. I like what I'm seeing so far chemistry wise, it'll be good for the future of this team and Byron. We are still another star away from being a playoff team, but I like the direction this team has moved this season.
Still optimistic for Mitch waiting until teams get desperate towards trade deadline to deal a player/or players for picks. Add the top-5 pick on top of that, but if we dont get the pick im not extremely sad because thats about another 5 million on the books, you can sign someone solid or pretty much cancells out Nick Youngs salary which is not a bad way to think about it.
It's hard to be down on the team the way they've been playing lately. At times we do look like we are missing a player or two from being a playoff team. A better managed Kobe will also do wonders as well. A couple weeks ago it looked bleak but man this team got together and fought hard. At least we aren't the Knicks right now.
I liked the 4th quarter last night...playing all of our young guys, getting time to see them develop and grow with each other. Jordan Clarkson had a nice game...he displayed some real nice things about his game.
Jordan really needs some confidence against the NBA level guys. Obviously, he excels against the lower D-league competition. He has a lot of talent and promise, but it won't do any good without any swagger to go along with it.
With Wes and Swaggy down (Price too?) at least we get to see some other dudes gettn much needed playing time.
I hope Clarkson pans out, I wonder what he has to do in order to start next year. If Randle and Clarkson can start next year, also the top 5 pick somehow pans out as a day one starter or is traded for one, with a couple great signings atleast well be in the playoff hunt while watching a younger squad form.
I care but damn give these guys time this year so if they're healthy next year they're shining for us. Silver was Stern's henchman. He knows they screwed us not only with basketball reasons but at the time probably also cluing in the Clips just how much they needed to bid to barely wind up on top for Billups as well, when he was still pretty good before the achilles injury that only Wilkins and Bryant came back from well. (anyone else?) At least that's my conspiracy theory. So he freaking owes us one of the top 3 ping pong balls, like the bleep hole Gilbert in Cleveland somehow keeps racking up. No matter how far down in the lottery odds we are.
Time for a little optimism...I made a statement about a month ago that my confidence in Mitch is 'wavering,' but he's the only remaining optimistic part of that FO that I have, and I still regard him as one of the better GM's in the NBA; he's really good at what he does. I should give him the benefit of the doubt. I started looking back when he took over officially in 2000 and all the moves he subsequently made, and it got me to think about this year, this summer, and the future. I started to think of that top 5 pick, Houston's 1st rounder, and our two 2nd rounders, and about the 27 million we'll have during the summer. I started asking myself, 'can you imagine what Mitch could do with those assets?' I mean the possibilities heading into the summer would be enormous and given that potential flexibility , we could expedite this rebuild faster than we all thought possible; I'm not suggesting it would be done over the summer, but it would take a lot less time and put us in a position of not having to endure another horrible season that we're going through. Call me crazy, but I see all this as totally plausible, and I know the season is still far from done, and I'm not totally depending on that top 5 pick to improve us, but it would sure help; Come on, Silver, give us that pick and watch Mitch go to work. We won't have to tank year after year or sit on our picks like Ainge will do for forseeable future (I do like what he's done.) Nevertheless, Mitch operates on a whole other level and will put us in a position to succeed right away. That's what he does; his track record proves it.
Bet no one thinks I could bring something positive to this thread, retroactively, concerning Dwight Howard's time as a Laker. Or wonder where the hell I was going with it if I said FREE THROWS. But the rare excellent article from Bill Plaschke that I posted in the Kobe thread this morning, one half of pretty much thought of Dumb and Dumber duo of him and T.J. Simers at the L.A. Times. (Simers not dumb but annoying and not thought of kindly here from most during CL days.) But posting Bill's article got me thinking about when Dwight's FT shooting here was sucking as it always has, Simers got this little publicity stunt going where it was taped with his daughter in a free throw contest against Dwight. Oooops!! There was something about him doing that while under their employ that made the Times "no likee T.J. Simers" any more and he was gonzo. Poof. It's a positive thing with regard to Lakers' coverage.... right? Thanks for sucking at FTs Dwight. http://gamedayr.com/sports/video-dwight-howard-housewife-free-throw-contest/
I remember seeing this when it first came out. But you know what's hilarious about this video today? In the video TJ's daughter tells Dwight, "Kobe things your soft". At the time of this video it was cute and maybe a little funny that she said that. Now its perfect, but of the Kobe-Dwight altercation that happened during opening night and Kobe actually calling him soft in front of the world. SHE WAS RIGHT!
The only positive I can think of is that things can't get worse. from here it's just signings,draft picks, development and Kobe coming back again.
