supaflash wrote:Luke, Sasha, Vlad in the starting lineup, its no difference.
Why?
Because offense isn't our problem. Luke, Sasha, Vlad, they are all basically the same pieces. They all help the offense in slightly different ways. Start any of them and we'll still score points. We're only the best offensive team in the league.
Disagree. Vlad is purely a shooter - meaning he does little of anything else. Vujacic can handle the ball, play lead guard, push the tempo (only point guard on our team that has properly run the fast break) - basically contribute in other areas that help our team. Luke Walton helps our team completely differently - his pass first approach helped establish Bynum and Gasol.
It's not about how many points, it's HOW we get those points. Because if we're running and gunning, sure we'll score, but we'll also give up points because the uptempo play prevents your defense from getting set, missed jumpers lead to quick fastbreaks as do turnovers. However, if the team executes the half court offense, like the championship Lakers, Pistons, Spurs, and Celtics, the team controls the tempo and allows them to set up their defense and utilize their big men in full force on both ends of the floor.
This is what Phil Jackson was referring to, and what I personally have argued many times, that offense and defense are inextricably related. You cannot say "offense isn't our problem, it's defense" when our inability to execute our offense is a significant factor in our poor defense.
What none of them will do is help the defense any more then the other. Vujacek is pesky for sure but he is also a liability and gives up fouls.
Vujacic has his weaknesses, but he consistently puts pressure on the perimeter and at least does some things to disrupt the other team's offense. Fouling is better than gambling or doing nothing. But one thing you've missed is that Vujacic has been excellent at switching on defense, and his size allows him to better matchup - he had a very nice pressure and close out on Amare (airball) and successfully denied the entry pass to Amare on another switch. His size makes us a stronger team, especially at the point guard position, because our team tends to get killed on the pick-and-roll.
One thing people haven't mentioned while bemoaning the fact Grant Hill got off last night was that many of his baskets came off switches - and he scored at least a few times on Farmar and Fish.
Luke is physical sure but gives up too many shooting fouls and gets burned inevitably. Vlad is the same way but he hasn't actually played that bad of D. He hasn't played great D but he hasn't been awful all the time either.
Shooting fouls? How so? Luke got into foul trouble because he had to foul at the end of the quarter - he was the closest to the ball and the Lakers had a foul to give. Without that one, he would have stayed in the game.
And Luke is an intelligent defender. Not the quickest, but he rotates properly and quickly. And he tries consistently.
In truth though, SF isn't our problem.
PG is. Fish's craftiness can't make up for his lack of foot speed and most disapointingly Farmar with all his speed can't contain anyone. I like the kid and he plays hard, but I'm beginning to feel that Farmar isn't our answer.
http://www.82games.com/0809/BYPOS3.HTMI'm not a huge fan of 'PER' (and Hollinger is a deusche) but it can be useful to show trends. Check that chart and tell me what it shows. Our PGs are getting abused and thats the worst spot. If they get abused it exposes the whole team D.
Both our SF and our PG are problems. Can't dismiss SF, because Phil Jackson just made a significant change in starting Walton for the first time this season. We'll see what happens later. But at least that shows he recognizes Radamn's deficiencies and likes Walton's overall package better.
But SF is still a pickle, because Walton still has to show that he's healthy and that his shot will be consistent - two things that have historically been a weakness. Ariza makes more sense on the bench, which is why I'm guessing Phil went with Walton instead of the more productive Ariza. There's no easy answer, but Luke had 6 assists and one turnover and Bynum and Gasol simultaneously got off - a rarity. That's a good sign.
You pointed out that our PG rotation is one of the worst in the league, and that's why I've been arguing Sasha should get a chance there - and I think he eventually will. He went from being in the doghouse to eventually taking over the lead guard on the second unit, to ending up closing out the game yesterday - along with Fish...but I think the next step would be replacing him. And Sasha played a hell of a game last night, and the most important sign is that he played a disciplined game and was a steadying hand when things got shaky.
Luke and Sasha, if they play well and their roles are maximized, will best fit Kobe, Bynum, and Gasol. It may not be enough, perhaps we ultimately need to make trades, but I think we need to give Luke and Sasha a long look.
