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Halfway through, we now know - and hope, just what these Los Angeles Lakers are and what they can become.

The Lakers are an offensive team, without question about it. At least, right now that's what they are. We average over 107 points a game and that's what we're going to hang our hats on the rest of the season, to the delight of some and the dismay of others. We can score the basketball in a variety of ways. The triangle offense is probably the most efficient it's been run since Phil came back after the failure that turned out to be Rudy Tomjanovich due to health issues. The legendary coach, Tex Winter, mentioned that Pau Gasol has been an instrumental part of that due to his all-around skill set. Still, after all the fancy offensive success, we definitely have our faults.

Our defense is inconsistent, to say the best. In big games, we usually come to play and with our hard hats on. It's the other teams that seem to give us trouble and it's not their opposing talent just being a thorn in our sides. It's a combination of two things.

Effort: The effort to do the little things defensively, is what hurts us the most. In games against big teams, you see just about every Laker diving to the floor for loose balls, every Laker attacking the defensive glass, every Laker hustling on rotations, switches, etc.

Point Guard Play: A huge issue. At least twice a game, our PG's will get burned on the defensive end, exposing the bigs to foul trouble. Yes, Andrew Bynum should protect the paint a little better, but when there is guards running at him from all angles and on every possession, you can't blame him all the time. Derek Fisher and Jordan Farmar, when he returns, are going to have to put fourth a new energy towards the defensive side of the ball. Hound your man, and play smart. If the PG isn't a shooter, go under screens and give him space so he can't have a layup drill at the rack. Now, if the opposing point guard's mentality is to score or the PG has a great outside shot, like a Jameer Nelson, Mo Williams, and Steve Nash, than we need to fight through screens and contest. No leaving the guard wide open to help against a big guy 20 feet from the basket.

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With that said, our core group has contributed in some sort of way throughout the season so far. Here's a breakdown of each player.

GUARDS:

Kobe Bryant: Our leader, our horse, our franchise player. He's been just that. He started off slow on both ends of the court. Gambling too much for steals really put the defense in jeopardy. Over the past month, he definitely has cut back and started playing his man straight up more. We need that from Kobe. We need him to take the great opposing player on the other team, and lock them up most nights. Now, we can't expect Kobe to score 28 and shut his match-up down every night, that would just be unthinkable over the last half of the season. But we can ask him to play straight up. He's done a good job of that as of late. Also, since the end of November, he's been exactly what we've seen the past couple years, an assassin. Before his finger injury, he was shooting a career high 48.3% from the field. Over the past couple games, he's also gotten his teammates involved, averaging around 10 assists a game. He's chipping in on the boards, doing everything we could ever ask of our Most Valuable Player. To be better in the second half, he's going to need to bring his intensity level up a notch on both sides of the ball, and continue playing good defense. Halfway Grade: A

Derek Fisher: Our second captain. Let's start with the positives. He's been shooting the three at a pretty good clip, and he's done a much better job of actually being a playmaker. He's had high assist totals in a numerous amount of games. He provides veteran leadership that is much needed. In the clutch, when we need a basket, you can usually count on Fish to make the right decision and make the tough shots.

For the negatives.. On offense, he needs to just slow the pace sometimes and cool his jets a little. Too many times this season, he's come down and fired up quick shots. He has to restrict himself a little bit when it comes to that. On defense.. just look above at our PG defense. Halfway grade: B-

Sasha Vujacic: He's been injured a little bit. First with an ankle during camp, and lately with back spasms. But he's been the regular Machine. Firing up shots; sometimes they go in, sometimes they don't. He's been forced to play a lot of backup point guard, and I think he's done a solid job trying to get his teammates involved. But like Fish, he needs to just calm down a little bit and not think we're playing the New York Knicks every game. Make the smart decision instead of the stupid shot. On defense, play a little more off and QUIT COMPLAINING. Halfway grade: B

Jordan Farmar: Been injured the last month, so the grade is based on when he was healthy. He does a good job of pushing the second unit, and he's done a pretty good job taking the ball to the rack and finishing. Also shooting the outside shot nicely. Not really much complaints on the offensive end except consistency. On the defense end though, it's bad. It's a layup line pretty much. He NEEDS to do a better job staying in front of his man. On a positive note on the defense end, he does do a nice job of getting in passing lanes and pushing the ball. That's it that's a positive on the defensive end. Halfway grade: C+

Sun Yue: Grade is obviously incomplete as he's only played in a total of 9 games. Many the times he gets in there and it's garbage minutes and he wants to jack up shots to please the crowd. He's definitely a project, and he shows good fundamental skills. Hopefully it translates in the coming years. Halfway grade: Incomplete

FORWARDS:

Pau Gasol: What else can you say about Pau? His intensity and defense has gotten better, and he carried us through the first month and a half. His jumper has been absolutely money, making his transition to the four seamless. He's been that second scorer for us and he's done a surprisingly really good job rebounding the basketball. The only complaint? On rotations on the defensive end, he needs to be better. Halfway grade: A

Lamar Odom: LO's been LO. He's accepted his six man role but he definitely started slow. He's started to pick it up as of late though. His outside jumper has been better, and he's gone to his right hand much more this season. He needs to continue to attack the rack and finish with aggression. He needs to bring us that sixth man punch, and really make an impact on games when he gets in. Take a leadership role off the bench, and be the playmaker that you are. Defensively, he's been pretty good. You can't ask him to guard the dominant front court players one on one, but his team defense this season has been pretty good. His rotations are usually solid. Halfway grade: B+

Trevor Ariza: Trev is one of the reasons we're having so much success right now. He's been bringing a spark ever since training camp. His team defense and hustle has been the best thing about him so far this season. Every memorable play this season.. he's been involved in it. As if all this wasn't enough, he's worked on his outside shot and it's paying off. He's hit more three pointers this season than any of his previous years combined. He's also done a good job defending the quick point guards for us late in games. He shut down Tony Parker in San Antonio during the fourth quarter and really contained CP3 in games against the Hornets. We're going to need much more of that down the stretch. The only negatives? While he can shoot the outside jumper now, in some games, he's been to three happy to shoot it. Try to improve his man defense a little bit, and that's all you can say that he's done unappealing this season. Keep it up, Trev. Halfway grade: A

Vladimir Radmanovic: He's done a good job shooting the basketball, but there's sometimes I think he only cares about himself and his own success. He has his defensive breakdowns like every other year, and plays sometimes that just make you scratch your head and scream cuss words mixed in with "Vlad" and "Radmanovic." Halfway grade: D+

Luke Walton: He never complained early when he wasn't getting his minutes, that's definitely a positive. His outside shooting still hasn't been what it was a couple years ago, but he plays smart. He gets the ball where it needs to be. Defensively, his lack of athletic ability still hinders him a lot. He tries hard, but he just can't get it done sometimes. I'd like to see him take a role of a leader, and just try even more on the defensive end. Continue to make the smart plays. Halfway grade: C+

Josh Powell: Josh has done a solid job for us. I think he's our best mid range jump shooter. Running the pick and pop with him is usually money. He hustles on the boards. I'd like to see him become more of an "enforcer" for us. Besides that, the only thing else he needs, is minutes. Halfway grade: B+

CENTERS:

Andrew Bynum: As everyone probably knows already, I've been a huge supporter of his. He's had to deal with "trusting his knee" and some bone spurs in his foot. But that's not an excuse anymore, and lately, it's starting to show. For the positives. He's added a jumpshot to his arsenal, he's finishing at the rim strong like last season and he's using the shot fake much more. His man defense has been pretty good throughout the year so far. Negatives. As a rebounder, he has to improve. On the offensive glass is where I'd like to see him start to work the most. He needs to stop worrying about transition D sometimes, and attack the glass. He also needs to protect the rim a little bit better. Hopefully these last two games have given his some confidence in this department. Quit worrying about the offensive end all the time, and focus on what we need done. Halfway grade: B+

Chris Mihm/DJ Mbenga: Haven't seen these guys much unless it's been in suits at the end of the bench, or in uniform - at the end of the bench. Love the professionalism on Mihm's part, and love the energy DJ provides when he gets in games. Unfortunately, these guys are playing that role on the team. Halfway grade: Incomplete

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As the second half is upon us, a defensive mentality needs to be consistent. Show more effort, and realize that our goal, the NBA Championship, isn't too far away. Put the clamps down.

Finish.

come on, vladi wasnt THAT bad

hes been the quickest to learn the new defense! vladi's shooting the highest 3pt% of anyone on our team and he earns himself a D+?? he is at worst a C-, i honestly dont think you know how much effort vladi has put into his game over the summer and into this season

D's are saved for players that have fallen well short of expectations, its not as if everytime he's played hes turned into a black hole or a leaking sieve

especially seeing as vladi doesnt bomb the rock every time he touches the ball like sasha, give away bad fouls 30ft out or whine every time a call doesnt go his way and you gave sasha a B! sasha should be a C at most...

Agreed with Akiho. A D+ for Vlad? Then a B for Sasha? If anything Sasha should have a D+, he seems to have only played well as of late and I though Vlad had been very good for us.

Vlad's grade is mostly because of his effort and how he doesn't care for this team at all. We could be up 25 and a blowout, and if he hasn't played yet, he doesn't have a smile on his face. He complains. His STUPID mistakes hurt his grade a little bit too. In the clutch when Sasha's on the court, he usually makes good decisions. He can get a little three happy, but he definitely doesn't leave shooters wide open when the opposing team needs a long distance shot to give them hope.

Vlad's a solid C at worst. I actually think he has handled this whole situation very well. He's not the type of guy who can offer up a fake smile, but he is not (I acknowledge a few occasions where he has seemed disinterested) allowed to have a great effect on his game.

He's been surprisingly professional. Oh, and isn't he second in the NBA is 3-point percentage?

I know exactly how Tyler feels about Vlade. Frankly, I can't stand the guy, and the fact that he's having a fabulous year from 3-point range doesn't change the fact that he has the basketball IQ of a gnat. If you take that one element away, he gives us absolutely nothing else.

And although Sasha doesn't deserve a B -- I'd give him a C-minus -- he does make up for a lot of his shortcomings by simply playing hard. Frankly, I think he plays too hard at times, which isn't something I'd ever accuse Radmanovic of doing.

Otherwise, good stuff Tyler. I'd give Andrew a B-minus (with a bullet) but your actual assessment is very fair.

Kobe: A
Fisher: B-
Farmar: B-
Trevor: A
Lamar: A
Pau: A
Bynum: B
Vlad: B-
Sasha: B-
Luke: B-
Josh: A
incomplete for the rest

Kobe: A
Fish: B-
Farmar: C+
Trevor: A-
Lamar: A-
Bynum: B
Vlad: C-
Sasha: B-
Luke: C+
Josh: B+

kobe- A
pau- A
fish- B-
Farmar- C
Ariza- A-
Lamar- B
Bynum- C+
Vlad- C-
Sasha- C
Luke- C
Josh- B+

Kobe A- (like to see his shooting % higher..still seems to shoot ill-advised shots from time to time. Still loves to sag off his man, causing his man to light him up from the 3. but overall he has done very well as a leader of this team.)

Pau A+ (Can't ask for more from our second option. He actually carried us in some of the games where Kobe was off. Most consistent player so far.)

Lamar B+ (Good attitude, good locker guy, nice rebounding and a key contributor off the bench. His shooting is getting better)

Bynum C+ (He needs to concentrate on doing his job, rebounding and interior defense, rather than scoring. Takes a lot of bad fouls. In his last two games against the Wiz and the Clips, however, he has stepped up his game. Still needs to prove that he could be effective against the elite players like Duncan, Yao, Dwight, however)

Fisher C (Dissappointing so far. Drives a lot and misses a lot. Made some key mistakes down the stretch that cost us a game (Spurs, for example). To top that, he has been pretty horrid on defense.)

Ariza A+ (MIP on the Lakers so far. His defense, hustle plays, etc has been a key in our success this season. He has done everything the Lakers could possibly ask from him)

Vlad B (Still lazy on defense. Space Cadet for sure. However, he is key in our success IMO because of his presence on the 3s. Provides space for Kobe to operate.)

Sasha C (Where is the Machine? Bad shot selections. Bad shooting. Over aggressive defense. Whines a lot. He has been disappointing so far)

Luke F (Seriously, what has he done for our team? Eats up our cap space while contributing absolutely NOTHING.)

Farmar C (Bad defense, shooting has gone down a notch, runs a little too much. He should slow down and set up the offense and feed our bigs instead of gunning everytime he touches the ball. We are not the Phoenix Suns, and Farmar's no Steve Nash either. Another disappointment)

Powell B+ (Liked what I see from him on the court. With our trio of Gasol-Odom-Bynum, he did not have a lot of playing time.)

Rating Criteria based on:
1. Effort
2. Expectations
3. Performances

Kobe - A. Kobe's been Kobe, nuff said.

Pau - A+. Play has been phenomenal, picked up the triangle like it was a child's toy, does everything right, makes all the right decisions, and has been the great stabiliser to the team, which is an additional nice surprise

Drew - B. Hasn't progressed defensively as we've hoped. Maybe all those post moves and 10-15ft jumpers have turned him into a finesse center. But hey, his presence alone makes the Lakers an elite defensive team on good days and an above average one on bad days.

Lamar - B. Playing the 6th Man role incredibly well despite not being a traditional 6th Man. Someone confounds me that he somehow leads the team in +/- whilst posting next to non-existent numbers so he must be doing something right. Ultimate support hero for the lakers.

Fish - C+. Stabilised the team last season during the Summer of Kobe. But this year, his play has seen lakers screaming for better point defense, and better decision making from the 34yo veteran. At least he's still shooting at a respectable percentage from downtown.

Farmar - C. Hitting the wall earlier? Not coping all too well with the constant demands of the coaching staff who have asked him to not only be THE scoring spark off the bench, but also as heady as a veteran point guard AND be able to stay in front of your man on D, of which he's been so entrenched in Howland's defensive system that he's been slow to adjust and/or accept the new defensive scheme.

Sasha - C. Still not afraid to bomb all night, pesky defender who gives away over aggressive fouls 30ft out and whines a bloody lot for a pretty boy.

Ariza - A+. He's been THE spark, THE hustle guy who has replaced sasha in crunch time. His play has felt like a mini-pippen at times. One of the few players that has won games based on hard work and determination.

Vladi - C. Don't understand the flak he cops on this board. Sure he's a little space cadety at times, but you have to mention that he was the quickest at picking up the new defense but opposition teams always seem to pick on vladi the moment he turns his head to get a grasp on things on the defensive end. However, his 3PT% is sky high, which is very, very important to the lakers, every time I see a rainbow from vladi, I think it's going in.

Luke - C-. Hasn't had too much PT due to injury. But he hasn't complained, and his insertion into the lineup has always highlighted the strength of the triangle to find open shooters. Phil has used him as a catalyst or a reminder to the players on the court that the triangle thrives on good passes, good timing and good IQ.

Powell - B+. Has done well every time he's stepped on the floor, even turned a game on its head (vs SAS), which is rarely. Has clearly supplanted Mihm as 4th big in the hierarchy.

Mihm - C-/Inc. Somehow, Chris has let Josh in front of him in the big man pecking order. Despite a few more years of triangle experience and a half-season last season, full training camp and another half-season of fitness, he has been been supplanted. Even his garbage time play has been fairly benign.

Sun - D+/Inc. The Crowd cheers every move he makes because he's taken over Coby Karl's role as the human victory cigar. Needs to get stronger, quicker, faster, smarter, more confident, whatever... Needs to work hard, now and into the off-season if he is to see any court time on a regular basis.

Mbenga - Inc. No-show, simply hasn't been needed even when 3 lakers were down injured and he was forced to dress.

Good job Tyler, that's a lot of work bro. Anyway I'll give my thoughts on what I see from each player the good and bad.

Kobe: Scoring and rebounding / must improve shot selection at critical points in games

Fish: Timely 3pt shooting before Jordan went out / minutes will be cut once Jordan returns

Farmar: Gave 2nd unit speed and change of pace guard / Has to defend and read floor better

Trevor: Has been like nitro, provides better energy than Ronny / Keep working on his J

Lamar: Didn't grasp role at first and struggled because of it / Has now accepted role and flourishing

Bynum: Slowing coming back, 2nd half strength will be key / Has to defend middle with force now

Vlad: Keeps floor spaced, plays when motivated / Losses focus to easily,slowly killing life as Laker

Sasha: Streaky, clearly the X factor the rest of the way/Can open up his J better with drives

Luke: Team is more dangerous with his passing/ must provide some O and D to be respected

Josh: Hasn't got enough minutes, has played well when given minutes

Mihm: Insurance only at this point

Mbenga: Insurance only

Sun: Sorry fellas but he's a waste of money...............this is on Mitch

DEEP3CL wrote:Sun: Sorry fellas but he's a waste of money...............this is on Mitch

but for 440k (880k inc lux. tax), the lakers are probably making twice that in jersey sales in china!

and is definitely an attempt to engage LA's Asian community

hasn't anyone seen the sun jersey's worn by Asian's at the games? even I can see them on television coverages

Sun's definitely around for the cashcow aspect, why else would they release coby karl over sun yue?

this is even more important considering the crisis and the lakers growing payroll

from a b-ball perspective yeh, he's a waste of space, but from a business perspective? he's probably gold

so yeh, im objecting to you calling sun a waste of money

Although the LAkers' record is one of the best. I give the team a solid C+. Have I been spoiled, like we all have with "W's", hell yes, but that does not mean that I could back that crap they call defense, I have to be objective. I played, organized college ball and although I love the LAkers, I have to say that this team has their holes, and if opposing teams actually study tapes, they'll be able to spot the squads vulnerabilities.

Josh P. should play more. Ariza should play more. Mihm, Luke, Vlad Rad and Sasha are all situational players, which is obvious, but the first two players mentioned should get more PT.

Mine are pretty close to all of yours Tyler

Kobe: A
Gasol: A
Bynum: B++
Odom: B-
Ariza: A+
Fisher: B
Farmar: C
Walton: C+
Sasha: D
Vlad: D


The player I have been most disappointed with is Sasha.. His shot selection is worse than last year, his defense is worse than last year... He has pretty much taken a step back in every aspect of the game

Nice post OP. Vlade gets a C, those threes are perfect, but nothing else. Sasha a solid D grade, the most dissapointing Laker based on potential. Farmar C, thought he would be better as well, pre injury he needs to step up his own ofense when he initiates.