Why don't the Lakers run plays for Gasol at the end of games

[magic1fan]

Pau hitting clutch shots in a end of the game situation would destroy Kobe's ego, I'm stunned some Laker fans haven't caught on to this yet. Kobe is so selfish, even though he tries to act like he trusts his teammates more, he doesn't.

one of the dumbest things i have read on here in a while.

[KObe Bryant]

Kobe trusts his teammates. Last night was just a bad play and good Defense by Portland. Well I think the lakers don't run plays for Gasol because maybe he could cause a turnover like getting stripped by small guys in the paint. And they're not sure if Pau could nail a mid range shot during pressure. He's used for that pick on Kobe and to find guys like sasha who can shoot wide open jumpers. That's what I think.

[crazyeights]

^Wait is this the KObe Bryant of old? Or was that K0be Bryant? That guy was hilarious, what happened to him?

[MasterRyu]

I cringe everytime someone says that "Kobe is the best closer in the game," because of games like this. Kobe seems to have great bball IQ only for the first 43 minutes of the game.

[hermes]

Bad playcalling by Kurt..

Absurd coaching.. Kurt is not gonna replace Phil..

i don't think we can fully judge Kurt's coaching ability based off this one game, especially when it concerns kobe and like crazyeights said, kobe is in charge out there

[milesfides]

Why don't we run these plays at the end of games?

Because of pressure. The defensive pressure exposes the weaknesses in our offense, the fact that Ariza and Fish cannot create plays, and to a large extent, Odom, and if defenses cover Gasol and deny him the ball, that puts pressure on Kobe to create something.

The bottom line is that the triangle offense requires players to be multi-dimensional, and the fact is that this group of players are not.

And when we get behind by a certain number of points, say more than three, our team, well, the backcourt, will launch threes to get us back into the game.

It may look like Kobe and the rest of the backcourt are playing keep away or selfishly, but I don't really see that.

It's defensive pressure exposing the pretty obvious weaknesses in our offense. I'm sure Kobe and the guards could have done a better job of incorporating Gasol, but after a certain point, it's pretty predictable what our team would have to do to win the game.

Also, just as an observation, Gasol has trouble getting deep position in the post against physical defenders. So when he's thrown the ball, he's at the high post, which allows defenses to load up if he decides to back his man down.

Somebody mentioned Andrew Bynum as a late game option, and I think he has the potential. Because like Shaq, Bynum can get deep position, and either:

1. he gets the ball and scores faster than defenses can help
2. he kicks the ball out when he gets doubled, creating an open shot

Until that happens, expect our guards to try to cover multi-possession deficits from behind the arc.

[magic1fan]

Why don't we run these plays at the end of games?

Because of pressure. The defensive pressure exposes the weaknesses in our offense, the fact that Ariza and Fish cannot create plays, and to a large extent, Odom, and if defenses cover Gasol and deny him the ball, that puts pressure on Kobe to create something.

The bottom line is that the triangle offense requires players to be multi-dimensional, and the fact is that this group of players are not.

And when we get behind by a certain number of points, say more than three, our team, well, the backcourt, will launch threes to get us back into the game.

It may look like Kobe and the rest of the backcourt are playing keep away or selfishly, but I don't really see that.

It's defensive pressure exposing the pretty obvious weaknesses in our offense. I'm sure Kobe and the guards could have done a better job of incorporating Gasol, but after a certain point, it's pretty predictable what our team would have to do to win the game.

Also, just as an observation, Gasol has trouble getting deep position in the post against physical defenders. So when he's thrown the ball, he's at the high post, which allows defenses to load up if he decides to back his man down.

Somebody mentioned Andrew Bynum as a late game option, and I think he has the potential. Because like Shaq, Bynum can get deep position, and either:

1. he gets the ball and scores faster than defenses can help
2. he kicks the ball out when he gets doubled, creating an open shot

Until that happens, expect our guards to try to cover multi-possession deficits from behind the arc.

once again miles breaks it down like no other.

[Erik Eleven]

Inside out is the way to go — in the first minute of the game and the last minute of the game.

Edit: Good post, Miles. Yeah, part of Pau's good longevity in games is due to him not working so hard for low post position throughout games. He chooses not to box out too often. It troubles me.

Other than that, I still think basketball should be played inside out, re-post and repeat, on every possession, and so I don't really care who gets it in the low post as long as it's one out of Bynum, Kobe, Gasol, Odom, Luke — in that order.

[Dexmor]

Nate knows how to guard Kobe? How do you guard Kobe?

[Erik Eleven]

Nate McMillan is one of the three best coaches in the league, in my opinion. He understands how to counteract Phil's system like no other coach. We always seem to fight very hard battles when he's the opposing coach.

If Phil goes and we're not promoting from within, I'd want Nate or Popovic.