RealGM

It pains me to watch whatever offense the Lakers are running this year. I personally feel Brown should get the boot and that the Lakers should hire Mike D'antoni. I'm not saying we should pick up the pace, I just think his offense would work great with the pieces the lakers have. Hell run the spread pick and roll that the Spurs run. I thought this guy was a descendent of Popovich's system? On wait he is of the old defensive system that doesn't work anymore. I dream of Bynum getting easy buckets like Stoudamire used to, I dream of Kobe's job getting easier running a read offense.

If we run any more, Bynum'll drop a lung...

We DON'T have the personnel to run more.

That said, we suck at pick/rolls and I think the main culprit is Kobe... He likes to face up and take people off the dribble.... He often waives off screens...

So, it's not all Brown's fault... But I agree that some adjustments need to be made...

Sessions is actually pretty good coming off screens... But that would mean the ball would have to be out of Kobe's hands for a while.

1. Because Mike Brown has a very simple, persistent back-to-the-basket offense.
Usually consisting of simply posting Bynum up. Then Kobe/Gasol. Everything else is a read/reaction to the defense. So if that's not there, the post will look for cutters, kick it out for the shot or re-post if there's time on the clock.

2. Personnel.
To effectively run pick and rolls, you need excellent three-point shooters to space the floor and open up the lanes. Otherwise, if defenders crowd or play a soft zone, they'll simply collapse, taking away both passing lanes and driving lanes.

But Sessions is shooting 24% from three this series, Kobe's shooting 28%, Blake is 33%. Devin Ebanks hasn't even attempted a three all series. Think about that, our starting small forward who averages 20 minutes per game hasn't attempted ONE three. That's not good. In fact, that sucks. We had Kapono, but the Lakers let him go.

The only way we can really run more pick and rolls is if Troy Murphy gets more burn (at the cost of some defense), if Pau shoots more threes (actually 2-4 this series), and if our perimeter players pick things up.

Personally, I think our perimeter guys can be better - their percentages are so low because a lot of those threes are contested or pressured, especially with the shot clock running down, because those shots are coming after the post option has been denied.

If we did play more pick and roll, players would shoot a higher percentage because they would be in their trained, comfortable spots in catch-and-shoot situations, without the pressure of beating the buzzer.

But I doubt we start trying to play that way.

One thing is clear, playing more pick-and-roll speeds up the tempo, because of long rebounds and guards being behind the ball. The way we play now, our defense has more time to get back on D because the perimeter players are staying outside forcing the ball into the post.

We will see more pick and rolls vs. Thunder. The bench should run the PNR w/ Gasol.

The Lakers will never run a lot of pick and rolls with Mike Brown as head coach. First of all, we don't have the right personnel to run S/R as a mainstay. Second, Mike Brown doesn't know offense. He's all about defense.

It's a sophomoric way of thinking, actually.

Sure, defense-first is the mantra, media pundits love talking about defense, blah blah blah.

But the best coaches with all their years of experience understand that offense and defense are intimately related. You need to organize both systems in a way that maximizes the talent on your roster. The Spurs have been the gold standard in this.

The Lakers are all about star-power, mega talents, egos, etc. Haven't been great with this issue at all.

What Mike Brown can do is run pick and rolls for the second unit. You really need three perimeter threats for this to work consistently, two forwards at each corner, and one guard at the wing. That's spreading the floor.

The key for this is to give Pau Gasol the green light to shoot that corner three. He's taken it out of necessity, but he needs to have to become a legit threat to burn weak side help. An alternative would be to play Troy Murphy.

The second forward has been a problem. None of our small forwards have been effective three-point shooters, especially during the series. So it's mostly on Matt to hit those open shots (took 14 shots last game). He has to pick it up. Or get Artest back and hope he's been working on his shot. An alternative would be to go small with Goudelock at small forward if Denver is also small.

The other guard is Steve Blake (or Goudelock). But he has to be a willing shooter. Not be afraid of Drew pouting or Kobe reaching for the ball. Just let the mofo fly.

Once the floor is spread, our big man screen (Hill or Gasol) can set the high pick for our guard (Kobe or Sessions). The challenge to this is that Hill doesn't really have that jump shot, so defenses will most likely overplay guard penetration on the S/R. Ideally, this would work on offense if Murphy was in the corner and Pau set the pick.

But Sessions could be wicked after a Pau pick. If baseline help comes, it's a wide open three for Murphy or Blake.

It's worth a try in stretches. Way better than the bleeding that happens when our bench comes in.

But Mike Brown has to be willing to change his substitutions, rotations and be bold. You know, what George Karl does.

Another shackle on Brown's offense is Bynum himself. The big men in Brown's systems are supposed to be versatile. They're not always supposed to run directly to the post. However, Bynum doesn't want to be anywhere but in a position where he can try to score. Sometimes, you can help out your team by being in a position so that your teammate can score.