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Well he is, but Ronny is not the answer. We've seen in the past that Ronny is simply not a starting center. Doesn't have the size for it. If we had started him, our P&R D would have been worse, and we would have had to double Duncan more. Plus, Ronny would not have finished those layups any better than Kwame did(it takes a certain combination of length and athleticism to finish contested layups/dunks, and Ronny doesn't have it either.) Add all this up and the result would most likely have been the same.

Starting Ronny would not solve our most pressing problem with Bynum out, and that is the lack of a 2nd playmaker. People think Fisher is doing fine, because of his game against Denver, but as always, it's important to look at the performances as a whole. Over the last 4 games without Bynum, he's averaging 13 points and 44% shooting in 29 min a game, which is not bad, but not great either. However, the one stats that we should be looking at is the 0.5 assists, and herein lies our problem.

Notice that the last 4 games, we have struggled against teams with strong perimeter defenders. What happens is that without a 2nd playmaker, Kobe is forced to make plays mostly by himself. This will be fine if we're playing Anthony Carter all season, but it's not going to work against teams with good perimeter defenders. Even though Bruce Bowen(or Duncan for that matter) is not the defender he used to be, it's negated by Kobe having to play 44 minutes AND trying to make all the plays.

If you've been watching Kobe closely the last few years, you'll see that there is a limit to Kobe's energy(though to be fair, this applies to just about everyone, save for maybe Lebron.) And when he exceeds this limit, his ballhandling starts to get sloppy(due to having to try harder to beat his defender off the dribble), and the lift on his shot isn't the same.

This game was lost in the 3rd when Kobe didn't have enough energy to attack Bowen for easy shots, and when he couldn't, no one could step up. The team was basically trapped naked. A possible solution is to start Farmar instead of Fisher. It would not solve our problems completely, but it would provide us with a temporary band-aid while Bynum's out. If we had someone able to make some high percentage plays in the 3rd, to at least give Kobe SOME rest, we would have had a much better chance to win.

Regardless, despite the loss, I'm actually not that discouraged. It's clear that San Antonio's D is not the same. With Bynum, we win that game handily.

The only problem with kwame is that he still plays for us but morsoe that he makes 9 Mil a year. The people who thought that he would suddenly become a good player under phil seem more upset about him than those who were'nt expecting much, although his defense has advanced.

Ronny does well for what he brings and I think his play was great against duncan yesterday, especially when you factor in who he is going against.


Fisher may be one of the bright spots of the year for this team since he adds a new dimensions to the club that we didn't have last year like defense at the PG , leadership skills and not to forget the effect he has had on kobe to keep him more patient with the rest of the roster as they come along. Its no mystery that after he arrives that our locker room chemistry gets better. He never was a bigtime distributor or even true PG so to discredit him due to that is harsh.


IMO our main downfall ( roster wise ) cannot go beyond Odom and Walton. These two guys make alot of cash and are supposed to be veteran ball player and leaders on this team. You would think that at some point they would stop playing so passively and play like men. They have been in the system for years and have no excuse for their games( moreso odom being more physically talented than walton).

Injuries aside playing basketball is not that hard to do. There is no reason that a 20yr old should have to come in and be our second option due to the lack of heart that the rest of the roster shows. While its good for bynum, odom and walton look as if they are satisfied playing the background. It should say something that somebody with less experience than you can fill a void in three year in the league that you cant in your whole career. A competitive person would at least take that as motivation to step up themelves.

Odom took seven field goal attempts in the SA game. SEVEN attempts for a 6'10 talent who is supposed to be our second option during this stretch. Up until the last three he hit at the end I forgot he was even playing. How is it that he goes unnoticed at 6'10 on the court for most of the games? How is it that MICHAEL FINLEY was put on him and he ended with what 11 points? I dont care if not one play was called for you, finley should have been punished from the tip-off.

Luke is supposed to be this smart player and he looks lost out there. Maybe its the injury and if so sit your azz on the side and let critt play. I give him more slack due to being a inferior talent but he is still a veteran that has shown he can produce some but his heart is not there. He gains no points along with odom by just admitting that they are playing like a bum, do something about it not just sit there talking and joking about that sh**. That should be an embarrassment to you as a professional.



Farmar, fisher, ariza, bynum, ronny, kobe, and at times sasha are the only ones playing with any desperation, heart, and fire out there and the rest show up on a day to day or maybe even week to week basis. I would be humiliated to play like sh** on national television, be constanly criticized and labelled a joke on the internet and in the paper by people who cant step on the court and do a damned thing themselves. Where the HELL is the F***** PRIDE in your own game. Not only do they embarrass themselves but also their fanbase who support them.


When big money was only paid to TRUE STARS the rest of the players had to scrap for thier respect and just had a true love for the game. Now everyone is paid out the azz so it dont matter. Now its play like sH** and then put on your $2500 suit, hop into your mercedes and go clubbing with exotic sluts that worship your wallet. This after busting your azz in a contract year to get that money.

This game has to mean something to you as a player or else you wont truley ever recieve the important sh** that is supposed to matter back from it like that feeling of being in a championship parade knowing you're the best. This is the F***** LAKERS baby, not the milwakee bucks or the clippers. We have a tradition of winning not being some half azzed losers. Dont talk to me about wanting to win games and championships but let your game sing another tune because that sh** is obvious to the fans who watch this crap.

A dedicated player stands out from a bum no matter how you line them up. Its apparent that we have a few players on the roster that need to have ronny recomend his doctor to them because there are quite a few that need a little OPEN HEART SURGERY.

Lakers lost their composure. Like they thought san antonio was never going to make a run

Between Odom and Brown, we are paying almost 23 million dollars a season, that is even more than what we pay Kobe. But together, those two can't even average 20 points a game. As a matter of fact, it is not unusual for those two to combine for less than 15 points a game. Those two will have to get the hell out before we can advance to the next step. The reality is simply that they are making too much money, contributing too little, has too low of basketball IQ and doesn't care about how bad they are playing.

Lakers05 wrote:Well he is, but Ronny is not the answer. We've seen in the past that Ronny is simply not a starting center. Doesn't have the size for it. If we had started him, our P&R D would have been worse, and we would have had to double Duncan more. Plus, Ronny would not have finished those layups any better than Kwame did(it takes a certain combination of length and athleticism to finish contested layups/dunks, and Ronny doesn't have it either.) Add all this up and the result would most likely have been the same.

I don't have time to read through the whole long post, but that is WAY off.

Ronny does a great job of finishing around the hoop, has a jumper, dunks it with authority, and can hit free throws. To say he is the "same" as Kwame is completely wrong, Kwame can't do ANY of that besides charge is body towards to hoop while committing a foul or turning it over.

Kwame may be bigger than Ronny, but it's not always about size. When Kwame is out there, his body language and play make him look like he doesn't care if the Lakers win or lose. He doesn't play with a will or urgency to win. Ronny does that ALL the time. You can't over look that.

Nope, the prob is Kwame, the Laks struggle early 3rd quarter. The most easy shots came to Kwame twice off of a lot of energy to get him those easy basket. He blew it twice. It was demoralizing watching that. Had he made those shots the game would have been different.

Kobe was force to be a scorer early on because no one was cutting like the 1st half. No one got open for a spot up three also. I didn't see a person for Kobe to pass the ball to. Everyone just stood still, so Kobe had to drive to the basket to draw the double, still no one cut or spot up for a shot, so he had to shoot the ball and he missed. No one did a d2mn thing to help Kobe out.

I hate that starting line-up. If Sasha or Farmar or Turioff was in that starting line-up, they would of at least spot up for a three or Ronny would of cut, so Kobe can dish it.

The problem is both Luke, Kwame and Odom are passers and defferers and they don't like to take the pressure shot. Fisher is the only other starter that can take the pressure shot, but he wasn't open in at the time.

Turiaf is a terrific finisher.

efg% for inside shots:

Turiaf: 71.8 (47% of total shot attempts)
Bynum: 70.5 (80% of total shot attempts)
Kwame: 56.7 (83% of total shot attempts)

The proper way to read that is that Turiaf and Bynum are great finishers, and Kwame is not. Although Turiaf's percentage is slightly higher, Bynum is a better option because most of his shots come in the interior, while roughly half of Turiaf's shots are inside. Kwame, like Bynum, takes most of his shots at the rim, but he makes 'em only half the time.

No, Turiaf is a much, much, much better finisher, a much better offensive player than Kwame.

Some other differences:

Turiaf is a shotblocker. Kwame is not.
Turiaf can hit jumpshots. Kwame can not.
Turiaf can make free throws. Kwame can not.
Turiaf draw charges. Kwame does not.
Turiaf hustles. Kwame does not.
Turiaf knows how to play off the ball. Kwame does not.
Turiaf plays with passion. Kwame does not.

Touch'e...

So now we know I don't make the dumbest posts. Ronny was finishing great for them and they did great the first half because of Ronny's finishing. Kwame cant stop Duncan on D. Ronny actually blocked a Duncan fade away. You have to double Duncan if they are going into him anyway. The fact that they always lose with Kwame and always win without him doesn't tell you anything?

Relax Kwame bashers...let Kwame get in better shape and get more confidence in his knee/foot/ankle.

Kwame was the not the problem versus the spurs...it was that the offensive forces kobe/odom/walton/fisher..went absolutely cold in the 3rd quarter while the Spurs shot lights out from 3 point land. That was the difference in the game..and thats it.

milesfides wrote:Turiaf is a terrific finisher.

efg% for inside shots:

Turiaf: 71.8 (47% of total shot attempts)
Bynum: 70.5 (80% of total shot attempts)
Kwame: 56.7 (83% of total shot attempts)

The proper way to read that is that Turiaf and Bynum are great finishers, and Kwame is not. Although Turiaf's percentage is slightly higher, Bynum is a better option because most of his shots come in the interior, while roughly half of Turiaf's shots are inside. Kwame, like Bynum, takes most of his shots at the rim, but he makes 'em only half the time.

No, Turiaf is a much, much, much better finisher, a much better offensive player than Kwame.

Some other differences:

Turiaf is a shotblocker. Kwame is not.
Turiaf can hit jumpshots. Kwame can not.
Turiaf can make free throws. Kwame can not.
Turiaf draw charges. Kwame does not.
Turiaf hustles. Kwame does not.
Turiaf knows how to play off the ball. Kwame does not.
Turiaf plays with passion. Kwame does not.

IMO, those numbers do not prove Ronny as being a better finisher than Kwame, as Kwame takes many more inside shots than Ronny. If one was to assume that Ronny would finish at the same rate if he attempted as many inside shots as Kwame, then we must also conclude that Ronny is also a better finisher than Bynum, and that's clearly not the case.

I am watching the game and have to scream this,KWAME IS A 7FT PILE OF DOG CRAP, NOT EVEN WORTHY OF FERTILIZER!!!!!!!!!!!!

i saw one play today where kwame backed down dampier and made a quick reverse and blew past erick for a open lane

BUT INSTEAD OF SLAMING THAT **** DOWN tomahawk style two handed

THE MAN DECIDES TO clunck it against the glass real hard and wasted his effort to get to the rim.

I have seen that happened almost too many times, kwame blows past his opponent but to only to finish weakly with a layup that either clanks off the rim or he gets fouled.


Theres also another play where devin harris literaly did a under hand layup just a few feet of him it wouldnt have taken that much effort to either block that weak garbage without elevating much or send the little man to the ground with a hard foul.

One positive to note about his game today

he hit two consecutive freethrows right after he stroked a 15fter ronny style.

lol signs of him becomming the next cookie?

Like hell he is, he misses too many shots that we've seen Drew throw down hard. Kwame doesn't understand that dunks especially from the center position can and does demoralize a team.

Teams like Phoenix and Dallas that have no defensive presence in the middle lose hope of stopping players like that. During our 3-Peat years TNT analysis Doug Collins use to always point out how the Lakers wore down teams with Shaq constant pounding in the middle. Slowly Drew is becoming that presence. Kwame is not that because he doesn't read the defense, he rushes the minute he touches the ball.

Our 3rd quarter problems are related to Kwame, not being able to start the offense off with him hurts us we become too predictable. Teams know we have to start off with Kobe or Fish taking a jumper.

I've been watching this game for 30 years and I know you need a solid big man in the middle to get that ring period.

I have to say although Kwame is still total crap he hasn't fumbled the ball as much. Now he needs to work on finishing around the rim and jumping so he can contest shots and grab rebounds.

He seems pretty sluggish while boxing out his man and that had a pretty direct impact on the game today. Had we rebounded like we are capable of, this game would have been in the fridge by the 3rd Q.

are yall kidding me? Did you all even watch the 3rd quarter? It was simply just like the spurs game offensively... we just didn't hit any shots in the 3rd.

Kwame only played 5 minutes in the 3rd and that was when the Lakers just weren't hitting their shots or turning the ball over on offense.

I agree he is not jumping at all on the defensive end. It is definitely affecting his rebounding and shot altering. I don't know if he is scarred due to what happened to his knee/ankle previously or he simply is not able to yet coming back from injury.

I think he has played decent enough in all the games except the suns game. The real problem is Lamar not doing anything at all in my opinion. Luke too. together they played 54 minutes 8 points, 6 boards and 4 assists and 3 turnovers.

Last night, Farmar and Kobe were the best options on offense and sadly, Kwame/Turiaf were the next best options...

by the way its not fair to compare Kwame to Bynum... so stop doing it. We know Bynum is what he is...no need to compare.