Kurt Rambis returns as Assistant Coach of Lakers

[NOODLESTYLE]

Glad to see Kurt back.

Dan D'Antoni is like a tag along, wherever Mike goes, he goes. He was there in PHX, then in NY even when Mike Woodson became the defensive coach and left when Mike D'Antoni got fired, and now in LA. Unless Dan gets an offer he can't refuse or quits, he'll probably be wherever Mike is. He was also coaching the summer league team.

[Slava]

Dan coached the summer league team and they were pretty good. The team only lost to the eventual winners, Warriors in the semis and even that game was pretty close, they did this despite the lack of any lottery talent and may be two guys with any NBA experience with one of them being Sacre, who I thought was relatively poor. He is a good coach.

[NOODLESTYLE]

Here are some parts of a Q&A with Dan last season:

http://www.insidesocal.com/lakers/2012/ ... s-offense/

How would you evaluate the Lakers offense right now?

“We’re going through a faster paced offense than more half court. That’s 10 years of one way of playing and then a week or two trying to change mindsets. You can be successful the other way, but also successful running. We think running provides a good way toward winning a championship and an entertaining way to get there. Championships can be won many ways. It’s not any one way. Everyone tells you they got the right way. I’ll show you last year’s champion and they probably did it some other way. It’s a matter of our guys perfecting what we do and being confident in what we do, buying in offensively and defensively. Feel good, play hard as you can, get a break or two and win a championship.”


I saw you compared the Lakers’ development to the alphabet. Where are you?

Out of 26 letters, we’re at A, B, C and D. We’re just getting it where we’re down the floor and getting the spacing. When you have a concept, there are basic moves where there are six or seven options. If we have 10 concepts, we have one out of the first five. If you put it in too fast, you get confused and you end up not doing the first thing well. If you don’t do the first thing well, which is the pick and roll, if oyu don’y get that right, that takes time. You have to get that and start branching off. As they grasp the concept, the main things we’re emphasizing is spacing, pick and roll and running it with force. Once it’s open and that force comes to the basketball and the defense starts reacting to it. Right now we haven’t had that. If you look at our line, points in the paint, it’s not where it should be.

What feedback do you give your brother?

I don’t care if you’re brothers or not, everybody has a different opinion. Everybody thinks their opinion is right. Just ask anybody. They’ll tell you you’re right and everybody else is wrong. I throw an opinion out and hten he makes that decision. Some people, if you want o keep your job and are worried about him liking you so you keep your job, you might watch what you say. I don’t need to do that. I just tell him. He understands basketball and is smart. He’ll pick and choose. He’s strong. Our family grew up competing against each other. He’s strng willed. He’ll take what he wants and not take what he wants.


How important is it to piecemeal the offense instead of throwing everything at them at once?

You can’t do that. That’s like saying we’re going to go out and read Shakespeare when we can’t read yet. It’s going to take a while. I know it’s a hurry up business. But it’s not something you go in and say it’s done. They weren’t a running team when we came. I wish it came yesterday. But the reality is you have to evaiuate day to day. As they get the initial concepts, then you teach the other concepts. How to make backdoor cuts, when to dribble out to the perimeter etc. We’re staying with the basics a heck of a lot longer. I hope management understands.

Summer League:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anZ6qlpW4qU[/youtube]

[kblo247]

Lakers assistant Kurt Rambis will focus on improving the team's defense, which he says "never really gave them a chance to win [last season]."

And that was when they had Dwight Howard, Metta World Peace and Earl Clark, all of whom are gone. The Lakers have a new projected starting lineup of Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Nick Young, Pau Gasol and Chris Kaman, backed up by Steve Blake, Jodie Meeks, Wes Johnson and Jordan Hill. Opponents are already forming a layup line.
Source: ESPN Los Angeles
Jul 30 - 1:54 PM EDT


Real ****, Hill ain't a starter and Dantoni, Rambis know it. So yeah, hill ain't starting in this ***** at all, Kaman is and I'm okay with that in the sense Pau will be in Dwight's role and Kaman will be in the role of Pau shooting the ball which he is noticeably better at, but I agree with the decision as you can't bank on a guy made of glass and who can't even log big minutes while healthy

[NOODLESTYLE]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGtFyk7IeLA[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhHEpevkD1E[/youtube]