11/8 Los Angeles Lakers @ New York Knicks - Madison Square Garden 3:30 pm EST

[dockingsched]

Russell looks completely disinterested in the play after Kobe gets the ball and Clarkson looks outright frustrated with Kobe.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/brosales12/status/663590620347396096[/tweet]

[Ugly0598]

How has Hibbert been so far this year? Trash? Haven't really had a lot of time to watch much of the Lakers so far this year, so mostly following forums, box scores, podcasts, etc.

[dockingsched]

How has Hibbert been so far this year? Trash? Haven't really had a lot of time to watch much of the Lakers so far this year, so mostly following forums, box scores, podcasts, etc.

Ive enjoyed Hibbert very much. As long as one understands his limitations and that he's not going to move around the floor too well, one can really appreciate the work he puts in to best fulfill his role. One of the bright spots among the team imo.

[Kilroy]

Knick fan here, good game. How come you guys hate kobe so much? Shouldn't you guys want to tank again this season? He is on his way out so enjoy him while it lasts and appreciate him.

I don't think the guys here hate Kobe, I think the thing we realize is that we won't move completely forward until Kobe is gone...simple as that. Secondly the word tank and Lakers don't go together anymore. Doing that does the Lakers no good anyway because even if we're not winning as much we still won't be the 3rd worst team in the league. This team is functional enough to win more than the 21 they won last season, more than the 27 the year before that. Philly is getting the pick regardless...we're not even thinking that this year especially in a draft that will be about as worse as the 2005 draft. After Simmons and about 3-4 other top guys the draft is going to tail off like a dude jumping into the Grand Canyon.

Agreed... And I'd add that the frustration Lakers fans are expressing with Kobe is that we want him to be here and play for a few more years, but only if he accepts a more facilitating role, where he dribbles less, and passes more. Shooting isn't really the problem IMO... Just the shots he's taking suck. So we're faced with what Deep is saying... Basically, it's Kobe OR the Randle/Russell/Clarkson core.
We don't want it, but it's what we're realizing we're left with, and it's Kobe's fault... And No... Nobody's surprised.

[Kilroy]

How has Hibbert been so far this year? Trash? Haven't really had a lot of time to watch much of the Lakers so far this year, so mostly following forums, box scores, podcasts, etc.

Ive enjoyed Hibbert very much. As long as one understands his limitations and that he's not going to move around the floor too well, one can really appreciate the work he puts in to best fulfill his role. One of the bright spots among the team imo.

Me too... He's not the lock down defender I was hoping he'd become in a new setting, but he's been a breath of fresh air in a lot of ways... He seems to bridge the gap well between Kobe, and the rest of the guys, as well... Especially on D.

The Hibbert/Randle pairing needs to be better. But I think they're both figuring it out and little by little it's improving. On paper, that should approach DaJ/Blake levels of defense, but they're not there yet.

[Kilroy]

Russell looks completely disinterested in the play after Kobe gets the ball and Clarkson looks outright frustrated with Kobe.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/brosales12/status/663590620347396096[/tweet]

Kobe has to realize that's a shot they're going to give him all day... Him launching that shot is essentially a Defensive win. For the rest of the season, that shot is never going to draw a double and it's never going to result in a spread floor. And it all comes down to Dribbling... The second he puts the ball on the floor, it's a broken play for the Lakers... If he isn't going to drive, he needs to pass.

To me shots aren't the hot commodity on this team right now... Dribbling is. There should only be a couple people dribbling the ball and hardly any in the half court... I think you can either have a Randle dribble post/drive or a Kobe dribble post/3... Not both and I want the ball going to Randle like 9/10 times if that's the trade-off.
With this team, this should be like one of those no dribble drills in practice.

That said, this is the best passing perimeter team he's played with in over a decade at least, it's not surprising he doesn't know what to do with him yet.
And it was one play... I think Kobe played decently outside of maybe the last 4 minutes. But unfortunately those last 4 mins killed us.

[Slava]

Russell looks completely disinterested in the play after Kobe gets the ball and Clarkson looks outright frustrated with Kobe.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/brosales12/status/663590620347396096[/tweet]

lol, Clarkson was about to walk off the court.

[Slava]

How has Hibbert been so far this year? Trash? Haven't really had a lot of time to watch much of the Lakers so far this year, so mostly following forums, box scores, podcasts, etc.

He's running the floor hard, making himself big at the rim and in general showing a ton of passion holding guys including Kobe accountable for defensive lapses. Him and Metta have been invaluable in terms of leadership and focus.

[Levity]

im sure this was discussed on previous pages, but clarkson is currently our best and most efficient player with the ball in his hands. yesterday, he didnt touch the ball in the first and 3rd quarter until the 8 minute mark. and when he was finally getting into the groove of the game, young replaced him for about 10 minutes at a time. its painful to watch how he is used on offense. he should get around 36 mins a night, with young only playing when hes on the bench, or when the need for the 3 ball is desperate. not only is clarkson our best scorer at this moment in time, hes also our best pick and roll player.

with the treatment of clarkson, i get the idea that the lakers, or at least scott, doesnt see him as a key piece moving forward. but maybe im looking too much into that game.

[Marionettetc]

im sure this was discussed on previous pages, but clarkson is currently our best and most efficient player with the ball in his hands. yesterday, he didnt touch the ball in the first and 3rd quarter until the 8 minute mark. and when he was finally getting into the groove of the game, young replaced him for about 10 minutes at a time. its painful to watch how he is used on offense. he should get around 36 mins a night, with young only playing when hes on the bench, or when the need for the 3 ball is desperate. not only is clarkson our best scorer at this moment in time, hes also our best pick and roll player.

with the treatment of clarkson, i get the idea that the lakers, or at least scott, doesnt see him as a key piece moving forward. but maybe im looking too much into that game.

I think you're looking too much into it. Yes, it's very apparent that right now Clarkson is the more comfortable playing point in the NBA, but when you have someone who only has the tools to play the 1 in the NBA (Russell) and someone who has the tools to play 1-2, and even 3 (Clarkson) then you have to prioritize making sure the minutes and opportunity for Russell to keep the ball in his hands.

Point being, the Lakers drafted Russell amid other potential future all stars to be their franchise point guard. You don't make that sort of investment in a player and then play someone else primarily for a few wins. It's about long term and not short term.

[Levity]

im completely agree about russel getting a good amount of time dominating the ball, but what irked me is that clarkson didnt touch the ball once, until the 8 minute mark of the 1st and 3rd quarter (and this isnt the first game like that) and by teh time he did, he immediately (arguably, selfishly) looked for his own shot, because the lack of touches before then. i dont want clarkson being our go-to play maker. i like russel in the role much more, but getting him involved early should be a staple of our offense. maybe run plays for him every 3 or 4 possessions.

i never thought his off ball game was something to write home about, but hes been hitting kick out 3s pretty consistently, yet, it feels he only gets those at bailout moments right now. hes become better at cutting baseline and diving down the middle, so at least hes learning to be productive when not immediately involved in the offense.

I understand the best way to get hibberts head in the game is to get him involved early, but the same strategy should be used with clarkson. none of this 2 man game with russel and kobe stuck on the sideline, anymore. the ball needs to be moved more consistently, because our offense, a lot of the times, looks very stagnant.

[chefy12]

so sad seeing kobe play like this man. he's so slow and has no lift whatsoever


https://twitter.com/BallUpNBA/status/663490211385647105

[Marionettetc]

im completely agree about russel getting a good amount of time dominating the ball, but what irked me is that clarkson didnt touch the ball once, until the 8 minute mark of the 1st and 3rd quarter (and this isnt the first game like that) and by teh time he did, he immediately (arguably, selfishly) looked for his own shot, because the lack of touches before then. i dont want clarkson being our go-to play maker. i like russel in the role much more, but getting him involved early should be a staple of our offense. maybe run plays for him every 3 or 4 possessions.

i never thought his off ball game was something to write home about, but hes been hitting kick out 3s pretty consistently, yet, it feels he only gets those at bailout moments right now. hes become better at cutting baseline and diving down the middle, so at least hes learning to be productive when not immediately involved in the offense.

I understand the best way to get hibberts head in the game is to get him involved early, but the same strategy should be used with clarkson. none of this 2 man game with russel and kobe stuck on the sideline, anymore. the ball needs to be moved more consistently, because our offense, a lot of the times, looks very stagnant.

I think there is a lot of general dysfunction in the org from top to bottom because Kobe is still a Laker, and is still for better or for ill a major point of the team's focus.

I suspect much of your (valid) concerns will be absolved after he retires, his current 25m and the expanding cap 20m are spent on younger players.

[dockingsched]

Russell looks completely disinterested in the play after Kobe gets the ball and Clarkson looks outright frustrated with Kobe.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/brosales12/status/663590620347396096[/tweet]

Spoiler:

lol, Clarkson was about to walk off the court.

But in an interview with CBS Sports on Saturday at John Jay College, where Bryant dragged his aching body for a 2 1/2 hour practice between games, he disputed the notion that all of his shots and demands are detracting from the future plan.

"They're one in the same," he said. "Because they learn by observing how I approach it. They don't want to see me approach it as an average player, or approach it as a player who's 20 years in. They want to and need to see that focus and that intensity and that energy and that drive. That's how they learn. They've told me that. They want to see that. That's how they want to learn."

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/writer/ken-berger/25367785/lakers-must-build-more-than-just-a-shrine-for-kobe-bryant-this-season

[Slava]

Russell looks completely disinterested in the play after Kobe gets the ball and Clarkson looks outright frustrated with Kobe.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/brosales12/status/663590620347396096[/tweet]

Spoiler:

lol, Clarkson was about to walk off the court.

But in an interview with CBS Sports on Saturday at John Jay College, where Bryant dragged his aching body for a 2 1/2 hour practice between games, he disputed the notion that all of his shots and demands are detracting from the future plan.

"They're one in the same," he said. "Because they learn by observing how I approach it. They don't want to see me approach it as an average player, or approach it as a player who's 20 years in. They want to and need to see that focus and that intensity and that energy and that drive. That's how they learn. They've told me that. They want to see that. That's how they want to learn."

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/writer/ken-berger/25367785/lakers-must-build-more-than-just-a-shrine-for-kobe-bryant-this-season

God bless him, he has a weird way of rationalizing everything he does. May be that's the secret to not having a conscience.

[zuju]

Russell looks completely disinterested in the play after Kobe gets the ball and Clarkson looks outright frustrated with Kobe.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/brosales12/status/663590620347396096[/tweet]

Their body language tells a lot
However, Kobe is not a player who would not pass the ball to you when you are in a good position to score. As you can see in the pic, when kobe stopped dribbling and held the ball, none of our player was moving or try to take the ball. If you are kobe, what will you do? 1. shot the ball , in or out 2. pass the ball where turnover happens. Well, if it is the request of the young players, I have nothing to say.
It's not like Kobe take the ball all the time and Russel can't learn, Russel have to figure it out, how can he work with guys who likes to hold the ball. He has the intelligent and tools to play off the ball well. You want him to play like a ball hog? What if Russel was somehow chosen to the Dream Team? He cannot complain for not able to touch the ball. It's also a learning process.
Last, I think the team is figuring it out the balance on the usage of ball. Kobe work best with the ball, you can give him some minutes every game with an offensive scheme in place which can be an edge of our team. Yet still some time could be allotted to young players for development etc.