He was decent for us during his last stint. During the period of injuries, he really was carrying the load. I think his energy is great for this team.
I think the big thing here is not so much that he plays good team defense but that he buys in and at least tries to play team defense. He can harass the ball handler and make effort. That will help chemistry and make us better. Now if he turns out to actually be a good team defender Ham will be not only COY but looking like a hall of famer.
Our coaching staff is fine the way it is, lol. There wasn't much clamoring for an upgrade last season. We'll be just fine.
I have been very supportive of Coach Ham. I am going to be very disappointed if he starts Russ without him earning it. If Russ earns it great. Reaves has all the qualities a good point guard needs, court vision, selfless, great passer, can score, decent three point shooter, PLAYS DEFENSE, blocks out and fights for rebounds. I know he could play 1-3 but I like him at point.
Reaves is not a starting caliber PG. Not sure if he ever will be, that doesn't mean that he can't be a star in his role, just like Caruso. I think he will end up being a better all around player than Caruso. Maybe not the same caliber of a defensive player, but a better all around offensive player.
Well, he definitely set some things in motion. Defense looked more focused, Russ more motivated. The 2nd half units were, uh... horrible. But it's preseason, so whatever. He did a nice job in the first half, hopefully we'll see more of that.
I liked what I saw for the most part, especially from AD and Russ. I know it is only one game but that is all we have to look at. Kind of blocking out the second half and just focusing on the first. Agreed karacha, the defense was much more focused. I liked the design and intensity. We didn't see intensity like that last year in the regular season. AD looked good and I liked the tech. Might as well start working those refs now...lol. One of my favorite things and I was really looking for this, was fighting through or around screens. Russ played some help d a couple of times and rotated. For me the second half was unorganized and hard to get much out of it. I did like that Swider came out firing looking for his shot. He was thinking on defense and blocked out some. I can't imagine he won't get some minutes. His shooting fills a glaring hole for us. He is going to be a weapon down the road.
Ham’s offense > Vogel’s offense. Finally we are running an actual system of some kind. Sure, things will revert to LeBron doing his thing at times, but for the other players, having an actual offense for them to get easier looks matters.
Not to sound like an a**, but it's more than just a system of some kind. There's a lot of detail and nuance here.
Can’t praise Ham enough for managing the locker room. The mix of personalities and the disappointment of last season don’t seem to be impacting the team at all. The energy and effort is definitely there.
This is why I'm so excited about Coach Ham. I believe he is our long term solution as a coach. He is establishing and going to keep a positive culture. He knows what he wants and the type of players he needs to pull it off. He is putting in detailed systems both on offense and defense. Like Elgin says he is managing the locker room. Laker basketball is going to be fun to watch and we are going to be a winning franchise again. If you have time dig through that playbook.
Ham reminds me of Bernie Bickerstaff Sr. Personable yet tough. Hope he sticks and Pelinka James does not screw around with the roster...exercise a bit of patience.
Yeah, that was me half joking, a shot at Vogel running absolutely nothing. Imagine me rolling my eyes as I say “an actual system of some kind”. Clearly we have gone from the most basic of basic to something with a lot of substance. A**
I really like what he's doing right now. And yes, AD playing center should always be under consideration... in this modern NBA he is a center. The only problem is his health, but he gets injured even if he plays the PG, so IDK.
