bring Gasol off the bench?

[what would jack bauer do?]

It might help us out. Gasol would probably average 30pts, 15rebs, on >60% shooting. We need to play some grind it out ball all game long to beat this team. Gasol would be free to post, kick the ball out and repost more often; Bynum would dominate the 1st and 3rd instead of the 1st and 2nd only. Plus Odom gives us a little more hustle on the floor in the starting line up. And a start for Odom could possibly jump start his productivity. Plus our 2nd unit won't make me want to kill myself.

It's a crazy idea to have the best big in the game coming off the bench, but our bench is just that awful right now.

[wiff]

Odom isn't jump starting anything as long as he has Ibaka on him.

[ALL HAIL]

Man, this board has cursed my name for continually saying this over the last couple of years.

I completely agree. I just think that Bynum sets a greater defensive tone at the beginning of ball games and Gasol is so versatile and so adaptable that he would have the same productivity coming off the bench.

Remember people, Kevin McHale came off the bench for years. Why? Because it gave the Celtics more balance.

This is the exact same reason the Lakers should bring Gasol off the bench. By no means should this be considered a demotion. Gasol should get the same amount of minutes as he gets now and should get the exact same amount of touches.

Moving Gasol to the bench should be seen as simply being a reshuffling of energy for chemistry and balance sake ... that's it.

[kobeaki]

Odom isn't jump starting anything as long as he has Ibaka on him.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGz3uyCNZCM[/youtube]

[semi-sentient]

I would prefer Bynum come off the bench, to be perfectly honest. Gasol is far too passive as a 1st option, and the last thing we need is for him to give the ball up to those two idiots Farmar and Brown. What we could use is some of Bynum's aggressiveness coming off the bench. Dump the ball into him and let him go to work. You know he's not going to give it up and he's the best post scorer that we have.

Gasol and Odom would improve our offensive execution as far as the starting unit is concerned. His passing ability and movement off the ball would pull Ibaka out of the paint, and he just plays with far more confidence when he's given more time with Kobe and Gasol. He's also a far more aggressive defensive rebounder than Bynum (or Gasol) and is better at boxing out, so I think we limit some of their 2nd chance points.

[ALL HAIL]

Gasol is far too passive as a 1st option.

First time I've heard that one.

How do you explain Gasol's excellent play with Kobe and Bynum out a few months ago? He was throwing up 30/20 games.

I think you're reaching.

You have a point though that Odom probably plays better with Gasol that with Bynum though. I'll give you that one.

[The Skyhook]

Yeah guys lets be real with ourselves. You know the Lakers offense is struggling. It seriously needs balance. I have never been for it before but I think that Lamar and Bynum need to be swapped. Lamar makes the starting unit more fluid and Bynum gives the bench a backbone.

[ALL HAIL]

NO!

Betwenn Bynum and Gasol, Gasol is the guy whose productivity will not not change coming off the bench. If Bynum comes off the bench he is a shell of himself.

With Gasol off the bench, Bynum plays better and Gasol plays the same.

With Bynum off the bench, Gasol plays better and Bynum plays worse.

It's simple math.

[semi-sentient]

How do you explain Gasol's excellent play with Kobe and Bynum out a few months ago? He was throwing up 30/20 games.

What? Gasol doesn't have any 30/20 games. Not a single one. The closest he came was 26/22, and that was with Kobe in the lineup. He had a couple of solid games against the Timberwolves and Nuggets towards the end of the season, but I still don't think he's all that aggressive when he's the #1 guy -- at least not consistently (see Clippers game, and other games where he's leading the 2nd unit no where).

[ALL HAIL]

30/20 was definitely an exaggeration or metaphor for him playing really, really well as the ONLY OPTION while Bynum and Kobe were on the shelf.

I think you're wrong. He is more than comfortable as the first option. During this same time frame, Gasol looked as free as I've ever seen him this year. He had a definite swag about him and guess what ... the Lakers were miraculously winning games.

He'd be fine off the bench the same way McHale was. Bynum on the other hand would fall back into his shell; not rebounding, not defending, and not scoring.

Gasol not Bynum should be our sixth man.

How can we say Gasol is an offensive juggernaut, he's skilled, he's verstile, he's this and that (which I all agree with), yet when the question of who would provide more offensive punch off the bench is presented, we say oh that has to be Bynum?

Gasol CLEARLY would give us the biggest spark off our bench.

[semi-sentient]

Gasol not Bynum should be our sixth man.

How can we say Gasol is an offensive juggernaut, he's skilled, he's verstile, he's this and that (which I all agree with), yet when the question of who would provide more offensive punch off the bench is presented, we say oh that has to be Bynum?

Gasol CLEARLY would give us the biggest spark off our bench.

The thing is, part of Gasol's strength is reduced if he plays off the bench -- his passing ability. Do you want him passing the ball to guys like Brown, Farmar, and Walton, or would you rather him hit a cutting Odom or draw a double team to hit Kobe or Fisher for an outside shot? With the starting unit, we maximize both his scoring and play-making ability, and frankly, I think Bynum is a better defensive anchor which is a big part of the problem on the 2nd unit since no one protects the paint. Gasol is a better man defender, but he doesn't protect the paint worth a damn.

We all know that Bynum is a black hole on offense (but a very efficient one), so I think that works to our advantage because it means less scoring opportunities for Ears, Dribbles, and Broke-back Walton.

[Desiderium]

jordan farmar needs to get going off the bench. hes been a big dissapointment. if only we had the machine...

[The Skyhook]

Yeah Drew would thrive with the bench. He loves to score and just think about all the scoring opportunities he would get being the benches first option.

And if they don't give Drew the ball he can always just pull one of these

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mOzQnwhqFE[/youtube]

Give me the F...ing ball!

[ALL HAIL]

Semi, your math is off my friend.

FIrst of all, if Gasol were coming off the bench, he'd come into the game after three or four minutes. My point is that just because he's a sixth man doesn't mean he ain't playing with the first unit. That being said, your point that Gasol needs to be passing to Odom not Farmar or Brown is moot. Regardless though, the second unit could benefit from Gasol's passing just as much as the starters. That's some new math you're doing.

Second of all, you suggest that Bynum plays better intimidational defense (I agree) so he should come off the bench because the second unit needs that intimidation more than the starters. Again, your math is twisted and you're reaching.

The starter need Bynum's defense just as much as the second unit.

If anything you should (more times than not) begin games with your best (or near best) defenders and bring the better offensive punch guys off the bench.

That's why Parish started and McHale came off the bench.

That's why James Edwards came off the bench and Laimbeer and Mahorn started

That's why Afflalo and Jones started in Denver while JR Smith came off the bench.

Again, this is how it happens most of the time but not all the time.

1 + 1 = 2 my man.

[semi-sentient]

My math is just fine, and really, neither of us can know for sure one way or another until we actually do it.

What we know is that we've gone to consecutive Finals Gasol and Odom playing the bulk of their minutes together, and quite frankly, they were most effective on both offense and defense. There is no proof that we'd be better with Gasol off the bench as opposed to Bynum.

The thing is, Bynum does not create plays for others. He looks to score when he has the ball, and that's what I'd want him doing on the second unit. Him being a constant threat on the inside is going to open things up for Farmar and Brown who are most effective as spot-up shooters. Walton can then utilize his strengths and be the primary play-maker and possibly the other post up option (I think he's an underrated post player -- when healthy).

Gasol, on the other hand, scores more efficiently when he plays closer to the basket (obviously), and he also does wonders for Odom's game. Those two just seem to play extremely well off each other and communicate better.

I can see the benefit of bringing Gasol off the bench, and really, I'd have no problem with that as long as one or the other does, but I think that we'd be better off with Bynum being the primary option off the bench.

[chefy]

not gonna happen

[ALL HAIL]

not gonna happen

Yeah the difference between me and you is that I don't comment on things based on whether or not another man decides to do it.

I comment on things based on whether I would do it and if it makes sense to me.

You're right, Phil would probably never move Gasol to the bench, just like he might not ever move Fisher there.

The fact that both of those aforementioned things will probably never happen should not deter someone from commenting that it should.

Likewise, people like yourself should not justify an objection to someone else's suggestion by stating "not gonna happen." As if to suggest that because Phil won't bench Gasol or Fish for that matter, people like myself should refrain from commenting on it (however "out the box" it is).

[Kilroy]

Gasol, Odom, Bynum all need to start to get any kind of momentum going...

Who would you rather have starting?

To me, it comes down to Bynum or Odom... Bynum has been dominant inside this series, and would be more so if anybody could get him the ball.

Odom has been pretty much useless... Again.

Do you reward a dude for disappearing when his team needs him most, or do you put the ball in the hands of the guys who've been effective?

Personally I'm tired of 'Mr. Versital' when he's also 'Mr. Inconsistant', and of all our reasonably valuable trade assets, I want Odom utilized the most.
Before this series, I would have driven to LA to make sure Bynum caught his plane to somewhere else... But the young guy showed up for the playoffs... He's one of the few who have.

But just for S***s and Giggles, it would be kind of interesting to see how Bynum/Odom mesh with the rest of the starting lineup...

Honestly, at this point, I think it's time for one of our big 3 to go... I really don't care who it is... I think Gasol is our most efficient Offensive threat, and Bynum is our biggest threat on both ends of the floor... Odom is a nice matchup luxury.

I think if we could find a player who could open the floor and get the ball to our twin towers, we'd be in good shape. If not, maybe it's time to go to One Tower and spread the floor better.

[semi-sentient]

Odom has been pretty much useless... Again.

Do you reward a dude for disappearing when his team needs him most, or do you put the ball in the hands of the guys who've been effective?

It's not about rewarding Odom, but about putting him in a position to be more effective. He's useless off the bench, and he has been all season long. We need more production from him, and we're not going to get it by having him play with the scrub posse.

By bringing Bynum off the bench, we're effectively making him the 1st option and actually getting him more touches. Right now he has to share the ball with Gasol and Kobe.

I realize that Odom is inconsistent, but the only time he's actually been consistent is when we have him out there with Gasol and Kobe. They make him better, and what we need is to maximize our talent.

Bynum is going to give us more production than Odom off the bench, and Odom will contribute more with the starters.

[ALL HAIL]

Bynum is going to give us more production than Odom off the bench, and Odom will contribute more with the starters.

Okay that's fine.

But who will give us more production off the bench between Bynum and Gasol?

You use history as evidence to suggest that Gasol is better than Bynum ("since his arrival-two Finals, one ring, etc.), but refuse to use history in evaluating Bynum's complete lack of passion and drive when he comes off the bench.

Who really knows? No one including Phil Jackson, but I have the feeling that Gasol would be the one that would be the MOST productive coming off the bench while Bynum an Odom would both improve their games as starters.

Just my two cents.