Game 68: Los Angeles Lakers (20-47) @ Houston Rocketts (46-21) - 8:00 PM ET

[ALL HAIL]

So if we all agree that this is mostly about Clarkson, why are people (namely C8s and Slav) upset with Walton?

Is it because he had the audacity to get mad at Russ in the midst of this "experimenting"?

Although Walton is complicit in this "experimenting", no doubt, he's still the damn coach.

[iamworthy]

Read on Twitter

[crazyeights]

And anyone worried about D'Angelo's work ethic:

on Backstage Lakers they were showing around the GM for a Day (some Fan Duel contest winner) and Grass-fed Tim showed off the training room white board with each player's weight/body fat% and on the other side the Performance Session Tracker.

There were 2 columns:

# of sessions the last 7 days | and total sessions since training camp

Zubac 14 | 460
Ingram 12 | 434
Robinson 8 | 385
Russell 12 | 342
Mozgov 9 | 319
Randle 12 | 318
Black 10 | 312
World Peace 1 | 308
Nance 12 | 307
Clarkson 12 | 254
Young 4 | 144
Deng 2 | 116
Ennis 13 | 22
Nwaba 12 | 12
Brewer (blank) | 4

[Landsberger]

So it's Luke's fault now? I guess Jim and Mitch have been gone a few weeks so it's on to Luke. This franchise paid a price for staying relevant for 12 out of 15 years. The swing for the fences moves starting with CP3 and ending with Nash specifically put us here. At best those moves keep us relevant but not truly contenders and when the all blew up we ended up in a hole... a deep one. Looking back is no help to figuring out the road ahead.

This team has a long ways to go to get back and I think it's becoming clear that just having a roster of potential isn't the way to do it the best. While I'm not a fan of wholesale changes to this roster I am thinking we need a significant jolt to it.

The lineups we are putting out there are nothing more than evaluation sets to me. It's what you do when you are looking at how to rebuild a roster IMHO. It's not pretty because it's not really designed to be anything more than evaluation of talent. It's an extended audition. I don't think there is any malice in it toward any one player or players. Just because we have 5 or 6 young talented players doesn't mean they are compatible. They need to construct a roster now that they have valuable assets IMHO.

To the Russell "situation". What he can do and how he acts are separate to me. He's got talent and can be a valuable player in this league. Plenty of top stat stuffers have journeyman careers because of the "how they act" part of it. I hope he can get it straightened out but his reaction (albeit very brief) and play after moving to the bench isn't trending in the right direction. To put this on Luke seems to interject a pretty large amount of conjecture into what happened to put him there over what is being seen on the court.

As for who's on the chopping block I'm thinking anyone on the roster is and should be if it makes the team better. We need a star/vet in here to take the brunt of the heat from the fans/media and let the remaining youngsters grow without their every move scrutinized.

[ALL HAIL]

And anyone worried about D'Angelo's work ethic:

on Backstage Lakers they were showing around the GM for a Day (some Fan Duel contest winner) and Grass-fed Tim showed off the training room white board with each player's weight/body fat% and on the other side the Performance Session Tracker.

There were 2 columns:

# of sessions the last 7 days | and total sessions since training camp

Zubac 14 | 460
Ingram 12 | 434
Robinson 8 | 385
Russell 12 | 342
Mozgov 9 | 319
Randle 12 | 318
Black 10 | 312
World Peace 1 | 308
Nance 12 | 307
Clarkson 12 | 254
Young 4 | 144
Deng 2 | 116
Ennis 13 | 22
Nwaba 12 | 12
Brewer (blank) | 4

Good sh*t dude.

Why is Clarkson so low? Too busy counting his new contract money, huh?

I promise you he was top five in total sessions last year when he was playing for a deal.

No disrespect to the dude, but most players who get paid, especially out of the blue like Clarkson, tend to get a little lazy right after.

[crazyeights]

So if we all agree that this is mostly about Clarkson, why are people (namely C8s and Slav) upset with Walton?

Is it because he had the audacity to get mad at Russ in the midst of this "experimenting"?

Although Walton is complicit in this "experimenting", no doubt, he's still the damn coach.

I don't actually believe my armchair psychologist has enough information to be correct

I have two issues:

The organization's crocodile tears about losing big when they're clearly tanking.

What benching of DAR means. If they're showcasing Clarkson/Randle then they're enormously ignorant of the optics regarding Russell. A sizable segment of fans have been actively rooting against him since he was drafted. You know it and I know it and for the most part it's because they simply don't like him, wanted Okafor, think he's a snitch, blah blah blah. OR the benching means that the team is ignorant as to the fact he's easily our best player. OR this means DAR is actually such an ass that he deserves to be benched--which then has implications on what happens next: trade (while quixotically tanking his value) or we have a faulty player as a building block. Neither of which I am stoked about.

That second issue boils down to uncertainty.

Look we're fans and this year has sucked pretty bad.

I just want to know WTF is happening with a team I spend an ungodly amount of time following. I want to know the ship is righted and we're gathering steam. This seems like a bizarre self-inflicted wound that has created a lot of unneeded uncertainty.

[Kilroy]

This is not a statistical matter Slava. This is a chemistry and style of play matter.

There is zero way Clarkson has better chemistry as the PG than Russell. He has tunnel vision, he leaves guys waving their hands all the time. Look at these past two games and tell us that this team has better chemistry than before. Or that there is a discernible path toward a positive style of play.

Clarkson is terrible with his Lin-esque out of control bursts. I used to mention it here to trade before he signed. But those bursts are also what he is good at, double-edge sword. Clarkson's speed is what Walton wants Russell to pick it up too.

Yeah, this team is going to outrun everyone or they're going to be a mediocre and ugly offensive team... Unfortunately, moving the ball well is only half of the equation... You need to be an above average defensive team to have a good pace...

Clarkson pushes the ball... Russell walks the ball down, shouts at everyone what to do... Dribbles... Dribbles some more and then tries to pass into an instant assist. He's good at it... Like a poor man's CP3... But that's not what this team needs... This season. In a couple seasons, that might be a better fit...

So there's another double-edged sword here too.... Russell's defining characteristic as a PG is his 'craftiness'... He uses pace adjustment to create space and throw off defenders... He's not explosive enough to take people off the dribble and create space so he hesitates a bit to get them on their heels first and then pops off them... That's what he's (really) good at... But that also slows down the offense, and impedes ball movement.

For Russell's gifts to be maximized we need to surround him with at least 1 absolutely light's out catch and shoot guy... Preferably someone who also can lock down the perimeter on D, and a dynamic scorer who can create his own shot, along with a defensive anchor in the paint who can also get up and down the court... That could be Ingram, Randle, and Zubac in a year or so... But they need to buy into it... Ingram can't hit the side of the barn, Randle's not committed to playing defense, and Zubac's not quite in NBA shape yet... SO this season is all about D and speed... And we have no D... So Walton is trying to get the pace up...
I think that's why we're trying the JC thing... And in all honesty, from what I saw, I thought the offense looked better when JC was pushing. Just like it looked better early in the season when Ingram was handling the ball in transition and pushing it...

[Landsberger]

I just want to know WTF is happening with a team I spend an ungodly amount of time following. I want to know the ship is righted and we're gathering steam. This seems like a bizarre self-inflicted wound that has created a lot of unneeded uncertainty.

Could it be as simple as rookies make mistakes? Our GM has never done this before. Luke is a rookie coach and has never been in a losing situation before in his entire basketball existence and Magic hasn't made decisions for a franchise before. While the regime change has been deemed a positive there is a downside to having so many people in the structure who have so little experience doing what they are doing.

[TyCobb]

Spot on Kilroy.

Its as simple as that.

[crazyeights]

And anyone worried about D'Angelo's work ethic:

on Backstage Lakers they were showing around the GM for a Day (some Fan Duel contest winner) and Grass-fed Tim showed off the training room white board with each player's weight/body fat% and on the other side the Performance Session Tracker.

There were 2 columns:

# of sessions the last 7 days | and total sessions since training camp

Zubac 14 | 460
Ingram 12 | 434
Robinson 8 | 385
Russell 12 | 342
Mozgov 9 | 319
Randle 12 | 318
Black 10 | 312
World Peace 1 | 308
Nance 12 | 307
Clarkson 12 | 254
Young 4 | 144
Deng 2 | 116
Ennis 13 | 22
Nwaba 12 | 12
Brewer (blank) | 4

Good sh*t dude.

Why is Clarkson so low? Too busy counting his new contract money, huh?

I promise you he was top five in total sessions last year when he was playing for a deal.

No disrespect to the dude, but most players who get paid, especially out of blue like Clarkson, tend to get a little lazy right after.

BTW:

Here's the weight/body fat% side of the board:

Black 257.4/13.1
Calderon 191.9/8.9
Clarkson 196.1/11.8
Deng 228/14.9
Ingram 189.9/9.2
Mozgov 258.4/13.4
Nance 235.7/10.7
Randle 256.3/12
Robinson 250/5.3
Russell 197.9/12.4
World Peace 254.5/14.9
Young 214.4/13.6
Zubac 263.8/18.4

[crazyeights]

There is zero way Clarkson has better chemistry as the PG than Russell. He has tunnel vision, he leaves guys waving their hands all the time. Look at these past two games and tell us that this team has better chemistry than before. Or that there is a discernible path toward a positive style of play.

Clarkson is terrible with his Lin-esque out of control bursts. I used to mention it here to trade before he signed. But those bursts are also what he is good at, double-edge sword. Clarkson's speed is what Walton wants Russell to pick it up too.

Yeah, this team is going to outrun everyone or they're going to be a mediocre and ugly offensive team... Unfortunately, moving the ball well is only half of the equation... You need to be an above average defensive team to have a good pace...

Clarkson pushes the ball... Russell walks the ball down, shouts at everyone what to do... Dribbles... Dribbles some more and then tries to pass into an instant assist. He's good at it... Like a poor man's CP3... But that's not what this team needs... This season. In a couple seasons, that might be a better fit...

So there's another double-edged sword here too.... Russell's defining characteristic as a PG is his 'craftiness'... He uses pace adjustment to create space and throw off defenders... He's not explosive enough to take people off the dribble and create space so he hesitates a bit to get them on their heels first and then pops off them... That's what he's (really) good at... But that also slows down the offense, and impedes ball movement.

For Russell's gifts to be maximized we need to surround him with at least 1 absolutely light's out catch and shoot guy... Preferably someone who also can lock down the perimeter on D, and a dynamic scorer who can create his own shot, along with a defensive anchor in the paint who can also get up and down the court... That could be Ingram, Randle, and Zubac in a year or so... But they need to buy into it... Ingram can't hit the side of the barn, Randle's not committed to playing defense, and Zubac's not quite in NBA shape yet... SO this season is all about D and speed... And we have no D... So Walton is trying to get the pace up...
I think that's why we're trying the JC thing... And in all honesty, from what I saw, I thought the offense looked better when JC was pushing. Just like it looked better early in the season when Ingram was handling the ball in transition and pushing it...

If that's the case then why not play DAR as SG off-ball and have Clarkson push?

You can't say defense, because we started Nick Young who aside from maybe training camp has been one of our worst defenders.

[TyCobb]

Russell isnt fat, but he isnt flexible either. Moves around like an old man out there. He needs to do stretching, yoga, etc.

[crazyeights]

Russell isnt fat, but he isnt flexible either. Moves around like an old man out there. He needs to do strecthing, yoga, etc.

Yeah I hope the guys really take their conditioning up another level this summer, because that's been an issue. Could be the fact that we have no in-prime vets really showing them what it takes?

Like the fact that Deng has so little is incredibly disappointing. Isn't that what we signed him for? To be an example?

If only Kob could have practiced the previous two years....

[ALL HAIL]

So if we all agree that this is mostly about Clarkson, why are people (namely C8s and Slav) upset with Walton?

Is it because he had the audacity to get mad at Russ in the midst of this "experimenting"?

Although Walton is complicit in this "experimenting", no doubt, he's still the damn coach.

I don't actually believe my armchair psychologist has enough information to be correct

I have two issues:

The organization's crocodile tears about losing big when they're clearly tanking.

What benching of DAR means. If they're showcasing Clarkson/Randle then they're enormously ignorant of the optics regarding Russell. A sizable segment of fans have been actively rooting against him since he was drafted. You know it and I know it and for the most part it's because they simply don't like him, wanted Okafor, think he's a snitch, blah blah blah. OR the benching means that the team is ignorant as to the fact he's easily our best player. OR this means DAR is actually such an ass that he deserves to be benched--which then has implications on what happens next: trade (while quixotically tanking his value) or we have a faulty player as a building block. Neither of which I am stoked about.

That second issue boils down to uncertainty.

Look we're fans and this year has sucked pretty bad.

I just want to know WTF is happening with a team I spend an ungodly amount of time following. I want to know the ship is righted and we're gathering steam. This seems like a bizarre self-inflicted wound that has created a lot of unneeded uncertainty.

I feel you dude, but, regarding the crocodile tears, what do you want them to say to the press when they're asked questions?

Even I have to lie a bit when someone asks me if my wife is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.

Lying is a necessary evil of tanking. They're playing a game by tanking, but he's still a coach, so it still does upset him to see lazy play, so he speaks on it when asked. Sue him.

The uncertainty part is just an illusion craze; it's a false need to feel like we've all got our fingers on the pulse and vision of this organization, but in reality, none of us have enough information.

[crazyeights]

I agree with that illusion bit.

That's why I tended to give Mitch and Jim the benefit of the doubt.

But now I'm just left with the doubt

[TyCobb]

Russell isnt fat, but he isnt flexible either. Moves around like an old man out there. He needs to do strecthing, yoga, etc.

Yeah I hope the guys really take their conditioning up another level this summer, because that's been an issue. Could be the fact that we have no in-prime vets really showing them what it takes?

Like the fact that Deng has so little is incredibly disappointing. Isn't that what we signed him for? To be an example?

If only Kob could have practiced the previous two years....

I know my body wasnt close to how good it is now than when I was 20. He has the frame, its just he overthinks things because he is so smart, that he puts off the dedication it takes to the tool (your body) that lets you carry out your thoughts.

Once he pays more attention to his conditioning, like you said, then he'll take off. Although I did think he got out of the overthinking and just doing once Lou Will was traded, but Walton had a quick trigger this time because of what I mentioned earlier of holding back his desired pace.

[Kilroy]

Clarkson is terrible with his Lin-esque out of control bursts. I used to mention it here to trade before he signed. But those bursts are also what he is good at, double-edge sword. Clarkson's speed is what Walton wants Russell to pick it up too.

Yeah, this team is going to outrun everyone or they're going to be a mediocre and ugly offensive team... Unfortunately, moving the ball well is only half of the equation... You need to be an above average defensive team to have a good pace...

Clarkson pushes the ball... Russell walks the ball down, shouts at everyone what to do... Dribbles... Dribbles some more and then tries to pass into an instant assist. He's good at it... Like a poor man's CP3... But that's not what this team needs... This season. In a couple seasons, that might be a better fit...

So there's another double-edged sword here too.... Russell's defining characteristic as a PG is his 'craftiness'... He uses pace adjustment to create space and throw off defenders... He's not explosive enough to take people off the dribble and create space so he hesitates a bit to get them on their heels first and then pops off them... That's what he's (really) good at... But that also slows down the offense, and impedes ball movement.

For Russell's gifts to be maximized we need to surround him with at least 1 absolutely light's out catch and shoot guy... Preferably someone who also can lock down the perimeter on D, and a dynamic scorer who can create his own shot, along with a defensive anchor in the paint who can also get up and down the court... That could be Ingram, Randle, and Zubac in a year or so... But they need to buy into it... Ingram can't hit the side of the barn, Randle's not committed to playing defense, and Zubac's not quite in NBA shape yet... SO this season is all about D and speed... And we have no D... So Walton is trying to get the pace up...
I think that's why we're trying the JC thing... And in all honesty, from what I saw, I thought the offense looked better when JC was pushing. Just like it looked better early in the season when Ingram was handling the ball in transition and pushing it...

If that's the case then why not play DAR as SG off-ball and have Clarkson push?

You can't say defense, because we started Nick Young who aside from maybe training camp has been one of our worst defenders.

Because a Shooting Guard should be able to shoot? Russell is 100th in the league among guards that play significant minutes in TS%... Although JC is better over all, he's worse from outside... Young was 18th.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/psl_finder.cgi?request=1&match=single&per_minute_base=36&per_poss_base=100&type=advanced&season_start=1&season_end=-1&lg_id=NBA&age_min=0&age_max=99&is_playoffs=N&height_min=0&height_max=99&year_min=2017&year_max=2017&birth_country_is=Y&as_comp=gt&pos_is_g=Y&pos_is_gf=Y&force%3Apos_is=1&qual=mp_per_g_req&c6mult=1.0&order_by=ts_pct

[ALL HAIL]

Russell isnt fat, but he isnt flexible either. Moves around like an old man out there. He needs to do strecthing, yoga, etc.

Being the junkie that I man, I recently watched an old Bulls/Sixers game from the days when Jeff Hornacek was their starting PG (next to Hersey Hawkins -- after the Barkley trade), and what I found is that, although I was making a comparison of Hornacek to Russell because they were jumpshooting big guards who can play PG and weren't high-flyers, actually damn-near thirty year old, "slow-ass" Jeff Hornacek was a thousand times faster than twenty year old Russ. Believe me.

As much as guys here think he can just workout in the summer and become quicker, the reality is that he'll never be even average athletically.

Yoga will definitely help his flexibility and resistance to injuries, I completely agree, but, like you said, he's got old man feet.

He'll have to conquer this slow-footed, unathletic demon mentally, through will, more than anything else.

Old-ass Magic, during his comeback with The Lake Show, was beating guys up the floor with the ball in his hands because he "wanted it", Larry Bird would get to loose balls faster than guys twice his forty time because he wanted it too.

Russell needs to stretch, but he also needs a hypnotist to shrink his head. If not, he needs to somehow convince himself that it really does matter every time down the floor.

[danfantastk32]

Lying is a necessary evil of tanking. They're playing a game by tanking, but he's still a coach, so it still does upset him to see lazy play, so he speaks on it when asked. Sue him.

That's my thought. Perhaps D'angelo went out after a time-out and did the exact opposite of something Luke asked? I've seen some real bad defensive plays with DLo. We're pretty terrible all around, but I remember a few times where D'Lo just didn't even sort of try. I'm wondering if Luke's trying to force these guys to do certain things for the remainder of the season. If you flat out refuse, then he's gotta put his foot down. Maybe D'Lo is upset about the tanking? Maybe he and Luke don't see eye to eye?

Listen....I remember some concerns on D'Lo out of college that there was a little "entitled attitude" to his game. He had his run ins with Scott. Scott brought up his work-ethic...attitude a couple times. Perhaps it's not even an 'attitude' thing, but just his strong will. Strong will is one of those things that often gets label 'attitude' when it comes from younger guys. I feel like Scott benched him after a streak of good play. Maybe D'Lo just goes rogue...gets his, and while it looks good...it ticks these coaches off.

The only other theory I have is that we're trading him. There's a buyer, and it's been decided. So we're trying to see if Jordan is a viable candidate moving forward. I don't buy that Luke doesn't like him. That we just wanna "see clarkson more". Or that Luke's just sorta 'di**ing around with the roster'. This is clearly not good for Russell, and his/Luke's relationship. You have to imagine that the Lakers understand that. So it's either "I don't care....he's gonna listen to me, or else".....or its "doesn't matter anyways".

The uncertainty part is just an illusion craze; it's a false need to feel like we've all got our fingers on the pulse and vision of this organization, but in reality, none of us have enough information.

Agree. Although I think when a team has a good, clear, plan...fans can figure it out pretty quick...at least the basic gist of it. Look at all these people here. How much Lakers we watch, read, etc. If nobody has any idea where/what the team is doing...I think it's a safe bet they don't either.

[Princeinrevolt]

Even though this is no excuse, it is worth mentioning.

Luke Walton decided to bench D'angelo Russell in the worst possible time. He benched him on the second night of a back to back, which many considered a schedule loss. And then the next game he had to play against Patrick Beverly, the most annoying defender in the league.