Last night showed a culture problem IMO.From the comments made after the game players don’t feel comfortable being themselves on court.Maybe that is a direct correlation as to why players suddenly can’t shoot when they get here but revert to their norm when they leave.I don’t know if it’s a coaching issue or a star player issue but it was presented as internal in interviews.
i said it (differently) in the other thread: role players play scared here, they play hungry in better organizational climates.
Trade Lebron for Dame straight up. Then flip D'Angelo and Rui for Jeremi Grant. The Lakers vs Bucks Finals will be epic!
I have personal experience with how players can become totally different when feeling uncomfortable. I was coaching a team in 10 game tournament over a few weeks.We started 0-6 which surprised me because these kids had talent.After watching tape I realized I was the problem because these kids were so worried about where they should be and how they should be there they were having zero fun. Starting with game 7 I told them to forget everything we had worked on and just go play and have fun which resulted in them winning the last 4 games including the team that was 9-0 in our last game.So yes players can become extremely unproductive when worried about how they should be playing instead of just playing.
I am fully convinced and 100% on board with changing coaches ASAP. I suspect we are losing Lebron and we are looking at his last year in a Laker uniform. I suspect he will bail as soon as he can. Ham, has gotta go!!
Personally I do not think Lebron is going anywhere. But regardless, yes let's get this coach out of here. Ham has no excuse for the underachieving this season. Last year he overachieved in some ways but we kept all of the same guys who got us there and he's totally mismanaged them, they have turned against him for good reason, and his lack of strategy and savvy both in offense and defense is killing us. I'd love to see Handy get the reigns for the rest of the year. At least our players respect him, and for good reason.
It would need to be Handy too, I think, or he might really get pissed. Reports were he was miffed somewhat for not being entertained as a possibility for the job after Frank was scapegoated. Interim coach would be a perfect trial. He has the cachet to get in anyone's face. And who knows he always has a knee wrap or something on these days .... maybe the one on one training is starting to be a thing on him physically.
Lakersball is back!!! This group seems to enjoy playing alongside one another. Lots of veiled shots from the players about “coaching” and “anyone that knows basketball” tells me all I need to know as to who’s the real problem.
He played great off the bench …. great energy, scored well, has some offensive skills besides 3 point shooting for sure and worked hard on D.
What went right: great fourth quarter, AD’s D was otherworldly, Reaves came through and so did Dlo and Lebron. Strong back to back wins on the road. Wrong: worrisome news about Vando. We need him badly.
Right: the overall team D. Yea, they were missing OG and Julius, but we were missing our two best defensive specialists not named Anthony Unibrow Davis. They played D like they effing cared. Esp. in the 4th. Knicks barely cracked 100. Max's defense looked good. Maybe 'cuz he gettin' more minutes. Right: Rui starts in place of Taurean, and T-Prince played like the 6th Man of the Year. Okay, maybe that's overdoing it a touch but still: good game from Prince. Sorry Darvin: but ya gotta admit it: your guy T needs to come off the bench. (Watch Prince start in Charlotte...) Right: AD 4 for 12 from the field, only cracked 10 pts with garbage mins FTs. I don't care: his offense will always be there when we really need it. 12/18/5 with 4 blocks and a steal: he looked like Bill Russell. I've already ruled out Vando for the season and hope to be pleasantly surprised. Less painful that way. Hey, it worked with Gabe Vincent. I'm not ready to forget Cam though. Not yet. Gawd we need that kid back and healthy... Wrong: Same as at the end of the game in Foston: why can't we play like this on the regular? 'Cuz we all know what this has looked like so far: wins on the road against the best team in the NBA, then a Top 5 power-ranked team with a 9-game winning streak. Then: someone like the Hornets might blow us out. Hey: that's how this team has rolled so far this year. Admit it. We got the Hornets now. Better win that damned game. 'Cuz home to play (lose?) DEN, Pels, and then the real dogfight - I'm not joking - the 6-42 Detroit Pistons, a game in which, were I a betting man, I'd take the Pistons and points.
How do you beat the Knicks and Boston ( no LeBron no AD ) on the rd then lose to the Spurs to end their 13 games losing streak ?