And so it goes. The Lakers started the second part of this NBA season on an even worse foot than how we started. AT least when we started the season we got beat by the Warriors. The second half kicked off with a loss to the lowly Kings. Standby traditional excuses, everyone get in position to repeat the company line that this is still going to take time, cue sound aaaaaaaaaand action! Time has ceased to be a luxury the Lakers should feel entitled to. They are running out of it and fast as they have now sunk back down to the 8 seed after dropping the last 2 games and lead the Timber Wolves by a scant half game. Not sure what can be done at this point, Westbrook’s trade value probably could only go lower if he seriously injured himself or was caught pulling off a high society jewel heist.
- The Russell Westbrook situation. I would give up on Russ except for that I generally refrain from disbelieving that the great players can overcome the obstacles placed in front of them. It’s not his effort but his execution that is failing him over the course of the last four games. His shot has gone MIA and doesn’t seem like it’s due back any time soon. The fact that this is happening around the trade deadline only further complicates any trade scenarios one can concoct involving #0. I have faith that this stretch will end for him but it’s not looking like this is working the way any of us hoped and has actually managed to find ways to look worse than I though possible. Vogel and Co. need to figure out a way to get Russ going on offense because if we can get that right he’s otherwise playing decently. Not great, but at this point I’ll settle for good to pretty good.
- LeBron getting fed up. I think this was a game LeBron was hoping for some help on. Missed a lot of threes and didn’t consistently attack the paint like he had been doing. He’s not going to be in full blown attack mode every game and we need to be able to do a better job covering for that. He also is going to wear himself down completely if he keeps playing this much center. I like him at center, I think in most match ups it’s the way to go, but we need to better recognize when the defense needs size and use Dwight. That’s just a reality of a player who is 37 and not accustomed to banging down low all game, every game. Acknowledge the truth and work with it, not against it.
- Reaves looked solid. Love him coming off the bench and would like to see us get him involved with Russ in some P&R more. They run it really well and Reaves can shoot from the outside or roll and finish. For a rookie he’s done a good job not coughing up turnovers and keeps himself in the play. His role should all but be etched in stone and he could be one of the things we have to use to grease the wheels of a trade. If you ask me, I think we should hold onto him, though.
- THT’s short leash. I thought that, in part due to foul trouble but also due to turnovers and porous defense (and in that he was certainly not alone), Talen had a pretty short leash last night. This is the guy we need to figure out how to feature if we want his value to increase. We just saw the Hawks move Reddish for a player struggling to find a role, you telling me THT couldn’t have been a piece the Hawks would want? While it was more likely the draft pick that was the Knicks target we have to figure out if we’re keeping Talen or not and we need him to play well one way or the other.
- Ariza still looks really slow. This was my fear before camp, when people were singling out Trevor Ariza to be the one that could make the defense work because he can play 3 or 4. While he has the size to play the 4, he doesn’t have the strength or speed to compete well right now. he might still be getting into game shape but I think it’s as much the last few seasons worth of injuries to various parts of the body and age that is the true culprit. That’s why I think Frank made the call to start him over Stanley, to see if he could warm up and go rather than warm up and sit then go. AT least for last night it didn’t work out very well as Trevor was basically a non-factor. He’s 8 games into the season so I expect him to get a little better with reps and time but not to the degree that he can massively swing the fortunes of the team.
More and more I feel like this is the year Rob finally does it. I don’t see us ending the season with the team we started and a buyout candidate is unlikely to tip the scales in our favor a whole lot more. This could be the season Rob makes his first in-season trade. While I still think it unlikely we shake up the roster by moving Westbrook I do expect the Lakers to start getting more aggressive. Less smoke, per usual, and more fire. THT, Nunn, Monk, Reaves are all likely players to be moved in various deals. Not sure what the return on that will be but we need to do something because this team isn’t playing well and there’s no guarantee there will be a sea change when AD gets back.
Nice post Jamie, i agree with everything you say. we have a lot of issues but it felt like we could have won that game starting Reeves over Russ. He defends and unlike Russ he hasn’t lost confidence in his offense. if we cant stop em we need to outscore them and with Russ shooting the way he has it makes that hard. i also have to give afrank a lot of blame on this one. where was the in game adjustments. they score 70 in the paint and Dwight gets 15 minutes in which we were a plus 9. Awful coaching.
Hard to keep the faith after a game like that, Jamie. I thought we had turned the corner and efforts like this weren’t going to happen. What the Grizzlies did to us was understandable because they are damn good. What the Kings did to us was lamentable because they’re not a good team.
That loss was a kick in the gut that took away a lot of my hope we could compete for a championship. We’re not close to being in the top-four in the West. We’re a team hoping for a miracle trade and AD to return to the bubble AD. Otherwise, we’re dead in the water.
1. The Russell Westbrook situation. While we win and lose as a team, Russ lost this game for us and anybody who couldn’t see that is a freaking idiot. I’m sorry if he had the flu or is he’s confused trying to decide whether to focus on turnovers or bad shots. He’s playing terribly and taking this team down with him. Lakers have three options: change his role, reduce his role, or trade him. Can’t co on like it is now.
2. LeBron getting fed up. LeBron must definitely be feeling like he’s not getting enough help. He’s having an MVP season at 37-years old and deserves more. Frankly, LeBron has to be the key to get Russ to adjust his game despite how mentally draining that appears to be for him. LeBron is the one who needs to sit down and get Russ aboard a smart plan to optimize his great traits and minimize his weaknesses.
3. Reaves looked solid. Austin is going to be one of those unsung super role players like Jeff Hornacek, an elite clutch shooter and dogged defender who makes everybody around him better. Frankly, there are some good arguments for him starting long-term at the two guard instead of Monk because of his size and defense. Don’t let his look fool you. Kid is shooter with a killer clutch streak in him
4. THT’s short leash. I think short leash is the right rein to have on THT right now. He’s too young to be showcased as teams will want him for what he could become, not what he is right now. Give him his shots but make sure he’s playing in situations where he has chance to shine.
5. Ariza still looks really slow. Trevor never was the savior as the third front court starter. That has to be Turner or Grant or somebody of their skill level or experience. We need a starting 3&D Big to go with LeBron and AD and Russ and AR.
Man, I am still recovering from the sting of this loss. I can’t tell if I was stung by a scorpion, or worse, hit by a hellfire missile from an Apache helicopter. It is the most excruciating pain I have had to deal with since the season began. Forget about the blowout lead we lost to OKC earlier this season. This loss hurts me most as we are now midway through the season and every game becomes more and more important, with the margin for error getting smaller and smaller.
Just when I thought we are turning the corner it becomes more and more evident that we are still stuck in the same place. When we take a step forward we end up taking two steps backward.
Why go away from what was working and resort to taking low percentage three-point shots when the game is on the line? Why would Lebron keep jerking those threes when they were not going in? And worst of all why would Russ take that last three when his shooting was off? And didn’t the coaching staff realize it is important to give Dwight more minutes to help neutralize the Kings’ offense? 70 points in the paint? Now, that is ridiculous on the part of the coaches. To see yet another LeBron’s great effort, Monk’s continuing excellence, and Reaves’ career night all go to waste is a travesty. That pain will linger in me for a while.
This is the time we must play hard for a full 48 minutes of the game to improve our chances to make the playoffs. The West is really bad this year and it’s the worst I have seen in a while, and that’s the saving grace for the Lakers hovering around .500 all season. So we need to make hay while the sun shines. And time and tide wait for no man.
Whatever Rob needs to do to improve this team, I am open to it. But it is becoming so tiring and painful to feel the sting of every loss, and worse, we fans are left in the cold bracing for more losses. My goodness.