This Team, Organization Lacks Heart.

[milesfides]

I've been a Laker fan for a long time. Every year, you get a feel for the pulse of the team.

I haven't liked where this team was going all season. Perhaps Phil Jackson felt this coming; he alluded to as much during an interview last year (with Jeanne Buss at his side). Roland Lazenby has been blogging about the organization's transformation (deterioration).

But with Phil Jackson leaving (or pushed out), Lamar Odom quickly cut loose for a trade exception, and Fish callously cut, the priorities of the team was clear. Leadership and character were not among them.

Certainly getting Hill back for Fisher was an upgrade in talent. But you know, winning isn't always about talent. This team may be more talented than the team that won two championships in the past few years.

But heart wins rings. Trust. Sacrifice. Blood, sweat, and tears.

I don't see that in this team. Not in the organization, not in the coaching staff, not in the players.

Jim Buss decided to make this team younger. Start looking to the future. But lose the present. Tonight, Andre Miller. 36 years old. Great point guard, for his entire career. Has outplayed all the Laker point guards. Dominated this game. Because he is a tough mother. He has heart.

Mike Brown is not a great coach. But more than that, he doesn't have heart. I don't know him personally. But based on all the video, sound bites, news articles, demeanor - he does not lead this team. He does not inspire them. He is not a general. The TNT panel talked about how the Bulls share Thibodeau's tenacious character. The Nuggets, George Karl's. The Lakers? They may have inherited Mike Brown's nonchalance.

There is such little grit to this team.

Kobe used to be such a gritty player. Perhaps all that criticism has curbed his traditional razor edge. Unflappable, balanced. So zen. But where's the fire? I want him to light into his teammates, the way he lit into Lebron during the All-Star game. Who cares what other people think or say? Demand accountability, lead by example. No way Jordan would have allowed his teammates to allow so many alley-oops, getting dunked on. You're content with pacing yourself, taking your shots, chasing records. Win some, lose some, always live to see another day? Come on man. You need to play better, play the right way from the beginning, and you need to lead your entire team. There is nobody else. Just you left. You're the only leader in the entire Lakers organization. And you need to sacrifice your game, you need to sacrifice your reputation, you need to sacrifice your zen. And show some fire.

Bynum. What is up with you, man? I don't know where to start with this guy. It's not all about talent. It's not all about touches. Guys like Farried and McGee have limited talent. They don't get any touches. But how is it that they have such a big impact on almost every game they play? Because they have heart. They play so hard. Bynum does not play hard every game. I don't care what the reason is. That's inexcusable. I don't know, this is unworthy of purple and gold. You can win, you can lose. But there is something called the heart of a champion. And that's playing with all you have. It's respecting the game. Respecting the fans. Respecting your team. Respecting yourself.

Steve Blake. Too little, too late. Stop deferring so much. When you weren't playing with Kobe, you were a tough dude. You were fearless. Suddenly you're afraid of him when you're on the same team? You can't play for hugs. You play for rings. You are tougher than that. You have heart. I know you do, because you've played with heart ever since Maryland. If there's somebody who can elevate his game, it's you. Leave it all on the court. The team needs your fire.

Sessions. Be aggressive. Your game is more than being a fourth option. Make yourself a threat. And play some defense. Averaging 2 fouls a game. Bust your ass on D. Your game is nice. But are you more than Mo Williams? Are you more than an average starter? Let's see some passion.

Pau. I don't know, I think you're trying. You've sacrificed. But when you see Bynum becoming passive, how come you're not picking up the slack? You and your passive aggressive intelligence.

Devin Ebanks. You are definitely not Trevor Ariza. I hope you play harder, because thousands of young players would kill to be in your position. A chance to start for the Lakers, little pressure, so much opportunity. All you have to do is play hard. Hustle. How is it that you don't play with a lot of energy?

Jordan Hill. You have heart. I respect you. Keep playing hard.

Barnes. Too bad you're not healthy. Just like last year. You can make a big difference. But your shot is shot. And you can't be your normal disruptive self. But you need health and some sort of skill. I'm not sure what you're giving us right now. You shot 5-14, took the second most shots in the game. 1-6 from three. Well, at least you tried. I can respect that.

Watching us lose on our home court, with that kind of effort, is embarrassing. Especially when seeing how Denver has played all series. No superstars on that team. No prima donnas. They traded all of em away. They just have hard-working, passionate players.

We looked like a bunch of spoiled, arrogant fools tonight. Who got booed by their own fans in the playoffs.

A shame. Disheartening. Infuriating.

Our DNA is all wrong. All wrong.

[tugs]

I feel you miles. imo, players are deferring to Kobe and Drew too much. players are too safe and don't want to risk anything, probably thinking Kobe will be pissed off if they make a mistake.

they can win another championship, but not with this attitude.

[DrewBynum77]

this team got swept by dallas last year, so lets stop this bs about no phil, no fish or no odom (lol, the most inconsistent player in the past years).

This team is simply on the end of their run together. 3 finals and 2 titles would be celebrated by most teams, but we are the lakers.

1 - phil wanted to leave
2 - odom was being traded for a superstar (and we would be favorites to win it all if that happened) and the trade was vetoed and he started acting like a baby again and mitch deserves all the props in the world for dumping this crybaby and getting a pick in return... he even destroyed any chance dallas may have had, so that's a plus.
3 - fisher is garbage. his shooting maybe important for a team full of creators off the dribble but not for us.

Btw gasol is playing as good as I expected. he got his revenge over garnett and he's happy with it...

now, the guy who should be pushing us to the top again, mr. bynum, who contributed very little on the title runs, apparently thinks he's the big version of kobe bryant...

I cannot put the blame on the rookies/playoff rookies.

THE ONLY MISTAKE BY OUR FO WAS HIRING MIKE "CLUELESS" BROWN. That just destroyed our chances. he's **** stupid and clueless. watched dre rape blake without doing nothing.

hiring brown can't be excused.

that's on mitch and jim buss.

[DrewBynum77]

btw, this denver team would probably sweep that injury crippled hornets team that we beat in 6 games.

[Father Time]

This post is like, poetry.

[Wavy Q]

I agree with everything that you said, but would this thread get made if Kobe/Sessions hits the 3 the last second?

[Dr Aki]

that flurry of threes comes half a minute earlier and the lakers dont need to foul in order to extend the game

but the reason why the lakers lost today was because they didnt have an answer for andre miller, not his isolation plays, not his passing and not even his free throws at the end of the game

defense let us down badly today

[Mr 24 eight]

Bynum has a chemical imbalance and needs medication.

[milesfides]

It's true, we lost with Phil Jackson last year. But you can't win every year. We also won 5 rings with Phil Jackson. He won 5 championships out of 11 years.

Of course Phil wanted to leave. He personally admitted on camera he has no relationship with Jim Buss. So that's a fact. It has also been reported that he and Jeanne were squeezed out by Jim Buss. Jeannie Buss has become a case study of women hitting the glass ceiling in professional sports. Google it, plenty of people have wrote about this. Also, Phil has always been more than just a coach; and he expressed a desire for his role to grow. Having Jeannie with him would have a been a logical power couple. But nepotism (and favoritism for sons) won out. Now, Jim Buss has the most powerful voice in the organization. He's in the driver's seat, and the moves he made have little to do with character and leadership. He is about money, youth, and paper talent (claims he has his own statistical system that guides his moves). Jim Buss is not about leadership, character, veteran experience. And neither is this team.

Sure, Phil publicly cited his health concerns. Then again, immediately after his retirement, sources began popping up about his interest in jobs around the league. Think it's idle speculation? From Jeanie Buss to reporters quoting him directly, Phil Jackson is closely following opportunities in the league (most recently, thumbs down to Melo and Stat in NY). Also, Kupchak has been reportedly not happy with how things are being run, and is open to leaving the organization.

That's the Los Angeles Lakers' direction the past 12 months.

Re: Odom - Of course Odom handled the failed trade for Paul poorly. But the Lakers could have calmed him down. As if this was the first time the Lakers had an upset player who demanded a trade? No, they got rid of him for money. They didn't get value back at all. It was a financial decision. Just like it was for Fish. Jim Buss wasn't going to deal with the PR fallout of not extending Fish. Trade him while acquiring Sessions, and soften the blow. But Odom and Fish were our two best leaders, our emotional leaders, our veteran leaders, whose sacrifice (Odom) and professionalism (Fish) were examples to the entire team. The kind of sacrifice and professionalism that our current team lacks.

Just look at the direction of this team. From the coaches to the players. Think about the qualities of a championship team, a championship organization. And you honestly ask yourself if the Lakers, from top to bottom, have those qualities.

Again, this isn't about winning or losing. It's about playing hard. And too many Lakers did not play hard tonight. That is a hard fact. A fact that's been reflected all year, throughout every level of the organization.

It's inexcusable, for a championship team. Not about wins or loses. It's about heart.

[TheHartBreakKid]

I hate to overreact and be "that" guy, but if you guys have seen my posts I've always loved Drew as a player but I've hated his attitude this year, and I think all of our "heart" issues begin and end with Bynum. Pau, while being excellent in every way regarding being a good teammate and team chemistry, completely lacks the passion and intensity of the championship years. But my problem is still with Drew...his arrogance, entitlement, and selfishness is clearly evident. I said in a post a while ago that Andrew Bynum doesn't have a championship mindset. I stick by that comment. I know people will call me a hater and bring this up the next time he has a monster 20/20/89 block game or w.e the hell he will do, and I'll gladly eat crow for that game as I'll probably be caught up in the moment, but his attitude has been **** more often than not. Maybe Brown and Kobe should have more control over him, maybe management should have seen this coming and not traded Fisher. Maybe Pau not being a female might help cover this, but I'm convinced that our "heart" issues begin and end with Andrew Bynum.

I remember one play that just disgusted me....Bynum kept asking for the ball in an animated way, but Blake's man kept leaning towards him in the post so Blake couldn't make the pass. Blake realized he was open so he took a three and made it, but Bynum's body language just screamed "I'm unhappy because I didn't get the ball"

[BEazy]

What really gets to me is the lack of shooting from this team. I mean, if the whole plan is to get the big guys to be a threat on the inside they have to have sufficient shooting from the outside. Our two big guys are getting pushed out because Denver is packing the paint and they have no room to operate. Teams are just going to bait us from the outside because they know we can't shoot it on a consistent basis, especially from 3 point which really killed us.

[RocketPower23]

Overreaction IMO. This team has always had head pounding moments even during their championship runs (Rockets, OKC, Denver). Losing a potential game clinching series win is obviously out of the norm for this team, but I'm not that surprised the Lakers layed an egg tonight. I'd be far more concerned if we lose game 6, regardless if we advance eventually.

[TheHartBreakKid]

Overreaction IMO. This team has always had head pounding moments even during their championship runs (Rockets, OKC, Denver). Losing a potential game clinching series win is obviously out of the norm for this team, but I'm not that surprised the Lakers layed an egg tonight. I'd be far more concerned if we lose game 6, regardless if we advance eventually.

True, but I don't think we ever lost a close out game at home during all the championship runs. Don't get me wrong I still expect us to win this series and I wouldn't be surprised if we do it convincingly in Denver, but I completely agree with the OP. The mindset of this team is not at a championship level. Now that's highly my opinion as I don't have stats to back it up. I think this team has what it takes talent wise, in ways that last years team didn't (improved Bynum, Kobe in way better shape, Sessions, and Hill sort of making up for last year's biggest basketball advantage compared to this year which was Lamar).

[RocketPower23]

Maybe, it's a small sample size and it's still the first round. We got blown out by Houston, OKC and Denver before, I doubt at that time we were all thinking we got the championship in the bag. It may be a that this team doesn't have the it factor or maybe we're just not as good; I'm hoping for an inspired performance on the road, something we haven't seen much of this season.

[milesfides]

What really gets to me is the lack of shooting from this team. I mean, if the whole plan is to get the big guys to be a threat on the inside they have to have sufficient shooting from the outside. Our two big guys are getting pushed out because Denver is packing the paint and they have no room to operate. Teams are just going to bait us from the outside because they know we can't shoot it on a consistent basis, especially from 3 point which really killed us.

Fair enough, but we still could have won. We could have won ugly. We could have outhustled them. That's what the playoffs are about. That Finals against Boston - game 7 was one of the ugliest games of all time. But one of the best, because you could point out all the billion ways a team could win and a billion ways a team could lose. But when teams are close enough, it's about imposing your will and outworking your opponent. That's the point of this thread. We should have eliminated Denver; they have far bigger basketball flaws than us. But we didn't play with passion, heart, sacrifice. Denver did.

Overreaction IMO. This team has always had head pounding moments even during their championship runs (Rockets, OKC, Denver). Losing a potential game clinching series win is obviously out of the norm for this team, but I'm not that surprised the Lakers layed an egg tonight. I'd be far more concerned if we lose game 6, regardless if we advance eventually.

It would be an overreaction if I were ignoring the rest of this year. But I'm not. Tonight was the perfect example of the malaise affecting the entire Laker organization all eyar. You don't have to be perfect to win a championship, but you have to play hard. Look at this year as a whole. Management and ownership did not put together a team that plays hard. Look around. The playoffs are full of teams that are biting and scratching and playing for each other. The Laker coaches have not able to get their players playing inspired basketball. Mike Brown has shown he's great at backtracking and pretending the players respect him. I see zero relationship between this coach and his players. The players themselves have not played hard. The Lakers have dropped games all year because there has been a lack of mental toughness, a lack of sacrifice, a lack of urgency, a lack of together-against-the-world mentality that characterizes most championship teams. We've lost too many games to teams that play hard.

It's a lack of heart, all year, and tonight was a major test that they failed again.

[rand0m]

I agree to some extent but its tough for me to say but the lakers are not a championship team. On a good day they can certainly look like one but the consistency hasn't been there and the competition is better than ever. Our core is old, Bynum has no heart and we have no outside shooting to compliment our strengths. Kobe is a shell of his former defensive self and our overall team defense is overrated IMO (although our offense is a much bigger problem). Our bench is certainly far from one you'd have on a championship team. If we played just perfect everything could fall together but how likely is that? I also hate to think about how much a difference cp3 would have made. I can't hate the organization too much for that falling through...

[LaLa]

What? We have always played like this, don't you remember the Houston series in 09, we always had the option to suddenly turn it on and destroy the competition. We always had a game here and there that this team didn't even try until the last quarter lol you're complaining like this is the first time this has ever happened. Phil left because of health problems not because of the organization cmon now lol. Its a brand new system, new players, new coaching staff in a shortened season. And Lamar Odom was a cry baby, he wanted a trade? He got it and now his ass is on the street like a bum because he couldn't fit in with the REIGNING CHAMPIONS. I don't regret that trade one bit. And its not like Kobe hates Jim Buss, hell, he even had DINNER with him. This post is almost laughable and has numerous assumptions.

[rand0m]

What? We have always played like this, don't you remember the Houston series in 09, we always had the option to suddenly turn it on and destroy the competition. We always had a game here and there that this team didn't even try until the last quarter lol you're complaining like this is the first time this has ever happened. Phil left because of health problems not because of the organization cmon now lol. Its a brand new system, new players, new coaching staff in a shortened season. And Lamar Odom was a cry baby, he wanted a trade? He got it and now his ass is on the street like a bum because he couldn't fit in with the REIGNING CHAMPIONS. I don't regret that trade one bit. And its not like Kobe hates Jim Buss, hell, he even had DINNER with him. This post is almost laughable and has numerous assumptions.

This sounds reminiscent of what people were saying last season. Did you forget how that turned out?

[Jajwanda]

This team has always been this way. They've always been an emotional, prove wrong team. The only reason they won two titles is because of Boston. If they had faced Dallas for example they would have crushed them.

[tugs]

I'll convince myself that they did this in order to get Ron for game 1 for the next round.