back slowly away from the window....!!!

[kobeaki]

seriuosly guys, and gals, we have some issues....our guard play, our defense, especially our offense.


but i think we'll be okay. i really do. we need a stumble. we need to "forge the iron will" (couldnt help it , vic)

i hate how were playing, i hate how we are defending, i hate our rotations, and i hate that we are losing to sub-par teams. and losing badly to good ones.

but lets be real. we havent been exposed, like say , a team that plays over their heads and comes down to earth. we are better than this and everyone knows it.

we have been playing at a high level for most of this season, excepting the last month, even then we play well in spurts.

i noticed one thing, outside of the usual guard issues, pau, kobe-ron the chuckers;

our shooting, from anywhere on the court. our shots just aint falling. thats really the issue. wide-open, contested, doesnt matter, they just havent been staying down.

to that i will pose a quick question, with all due respect to craig hodges( our shooting coach), craig doesnt like flying. wont do it. scared to death of being on an airplane.

so when we are on the road, in a shooting slump, and our shooting guru is back in l.a., dont ya'll think that is a problem?


other than that, we will be fine, me thinks. were a little out of sync, and our shot has gone cold. luke is coming back soon which may be just enough bball iq, to help us right the ship.

[Magicontinues]

Well I am worried. This team is the worst 3 point shooting team we've had in along time, and we need that to beat teams in the playoffs. We are also very porous defensivly, Ron is overated at this point in his career, Ariza just was a more athletic, better fit for us. I hope I'm wrong and we are still a great team, but it's going to be harder to repeat this year, much harder.

[kobeaki]

Well I am worried. This team is the worst 3 point shooting team we've had in along time, and we need that to beat teams in the playoffs. We are also very porous defensivly, Ron is overated at this point in his career, Ariza just was a more athletic, better fit for us. I hope I'm wrong and we are still a great team, but it's going to be harder to repeat this year, much harder.

i hear ya. big time. though all the teams were likely to face in the playoffs, sans the cavs, have the same type of weaknesses or flaws we do. i.e., they are highly exploitable too for their own reasons.

example, denver without karl/martin they look lost, the mavs are going through similar issues as us right now.

there is still 2 weeks of season left, for our potential foes, thats a lot of time for an injury, or to get cold.

i guess what i am saying is in order to judge what the lakers are doing, we have to also look at what our competition is doing too.

[Mindflayer]

If Bynum is not back at close to 100% we are done. Pau Gasol is not a center and every PG in the league drives right by him as they do Fisher. We have zero interior defense when opposing centers or PF's start to bang Gasol.

I also agree with Magiccontinues. Our 3 point shooters suck. Every team doubles us on the inside and dares us to shoot the three. We get wide open looks and either brick them or pass them up for a forced dribble drive shot. Stop F'n hesistating Artest or shoot after the guy closes because that may be what you are used to.

[kobeaki]

If Bynum is not back at close to 100% we are done. Pau Gasol is not a center and every PG in the league drives right by him as they do Fisher. We have zero interior defense when opposing centers or PF's start to bang Gasol.

I also agree with Magiccontinues. Our 3 point shooters suck. Every team doubles us on the inside and dares us to shoot the three. We get wide open looks and either brick them or pass them up for a forced dribble drive shot. Stop F'n hesistating Artest or shoot after the guy closes because that may be what you are used to.

ever since that 1/2 season with rudy t. this entire team , regardless of roster, have been three chuckers....i wish ron would stop, but it worked for him last season in houston so .

our d is "ole" style, but has been since shaq left, and even then wasnt great.....but is the poor shooting that is really killing, imho. luke could be that tiny tweak to get our rythym back, our chemistry is just a tick off, a few degrees off "top dead cneter" if you will...it wont take much, and if we dont....the failure will be epic...

this is dangerous year, btw. kobe can opt out, phil is in his sunset either way. it could be similar to 2004 if we dont right the ship. it will be a crazy summer either way...

[kobeaki]

and no thoughts on our shooting guru never being on the road with us , eh?

[The Skyhook]

God how I hate this phrase. "We're done" No the Lakers are not done and they will not be done. COme playoff time the Lakers will become a different animal.

[kobeaki]

God how I hate this phrase. "We're done" No the Lakers are not done and they will not be done. COme playoff time the Lakers will become a different animal.

thats what im saying! also, watching our two biggest west rivals tonight, the mavs getting spanked at home, and denver not the same team they have been all season, tells me that our foes are having the same woes we are, at the very least...only playoff team without doubt this year, RIGHT NOW, is cleveland, and maybe that is just a train that cant be stopped this year.

but ill say this right now, if cleveland is gonna get the title, id rather we not be the ones they beat, i cannot handle all the "shaq" bs again.

[laduane1]

I just do not think many teams can beat the lakers in a 5 or 7 game series. Last year Houston got hot vs. the Lakers and we lost a game by 40 or something like that. We got back on our feet and learned from the experience and ended up winning the round and winning the championship. So the hard bumps in the road to the championship will be there. We get passed them and go onto the next game, untill the Lakers are officially out of it. We are always in it.

[H00PDREAMS]

Ummm don't the Lakers have the west in a virtual LOCK? We have one of the best starting 5 in the world. The same team from last year is on the roster minus 1 guy, basicaly a wash. We are pretty much a big fat de ja vu all over again. And Every NBA coaching staff Knows that. Other teams are just trying to survive just so they can face the Lakers at the end of the day. You think the Lakers could loose more than a game at home!? They have to be beaten more than once to top. The list of NBA teams that can do that today is very very small. Should we really be terrified of the MAVS or Nuggets!? Look east for our real opponents. Cs,Cavs,Magic thats it... One game at a time one series at a time folks!

[Edrees]

us laker fans are just very pessimistic i noticed. we are so used to winning, face some adversity and we think we're gonna get swept in round 1. i agree that we have some major issues, but we'll get to the western conference finals and likely the finals. what i'm concerned about is whether we can win the finals or not, but people around here are freaking out like we can't win a single playoff game.

[kobeaki]

us laker fans are just very pessimistic i noticed. we are so used to winning, face some adversity and we think we're gonna get swept in round 1. i agree that we have some major issues, but we'll get to the western conference finals and likely the finals. what i'm concerned about is whether we can win the finals or not, but people around here are freaking out like we can't win a single playoff game.

which was the point of my topic, we do have flaws, for sure, but i think we'll be ok, granted if we get our ish together...

[H00PDREAMS]

Kenny Smith said that the Mavs or the Suns would love to switch records with the Lakers but then what? They still wouldn't be able to beat the Lakers in a 7 game series. Why cos Lakers are just the best team in the west and in the Finals it will be a hard task to beat the Lakers at home. The Lakers can win games on the road when it matters. 40 Games in 40 Nights Already is what they are thinking fellas... and Ladies. Let's get it on!:wink:

[Mamba Venom]

lets get it on wink usually means we are not talking about basketball

Go Lakers

[kobeaki]

lets get it on wink usually means we are not talking about basketball

Go Lakers

i dont know, my girl often touts her ball-handling skills, and when we are no where near a b-ball court!

[DEEP3CL]

Man I'm so tired of seeing these " Our PG and Defense Sucks" threads. Why do you young fellas over react to every single lose we take ?

Once and for all the Lakers use a scheme defense......not man on man. Man on man Fish is stronger than any guard in the league, no he isn't as fast as they are but he doesn't have to be. Anybody who's ever played organized ball on any level will tell you that coaches teach positioning more than raw speed. You guys are under the impression that Fish get blown by. Fact is the NBA is predicated on help defense and teams must have all 5 guys knowing their assignments.

This is why you'll see guys using the word "assignments", they have to know where to be. It's not about covering a guy signal coverage. Start watching the "off " the ball action, and you'll see guys positioned badly out of place. This is why it looks like the Lakers struggle on defense.

Remember basketball is a business it's not like you can just go get anybody at any time.....don't work that way. Trades are way harder to make in todays NBA than it was 25 years ago.

[H00PDREAMS]

lets get it on wink usually means we are not talking about basketball

Go Lakers

What! You couldn't handle this - SON!

[Jase]

lets get it on wink usually means we are not talking about basketball

Go Lakers

i dont know, my girl often touts her ball-handling skills, and when we are no where near a b-ball court!

Giggidy!