The theme of the season is blowing big leads to inferior teams and/or giving up monster quarters to any and all comers. Team Oxygen gave the reeling Kings some life who are now coached by Alvin Gentry after a poor start to the season got Luke Walton fired. The Lakers in the 3 OT’s ran a nascent offense through LeBron which resulted in a lot of lazy threes, poorly executed plays and our now traditional defensive lapses. A win that got away in a season full of them.
- Simple plays are easy to defend. When the Lakers start running their “LeBron dribbles for 19 seconds and jacks up a step back” offense we are a ridiculously easy team to defend. Star power? Wasted. Other 2 superstars? Unused. Motion or basketball plays? Nonexistent. It allows the defense to get set, makes it harder for us to rebound and is just plain bad basketball. When LeBron makes the shot we all go ‘yay’ but it doesn’t have to be this way.
- 5 guys played almost an hour of basketball. I never understand when coaches let the guys who closed the 4th just keep on playing. And playing. And playing, as was the case last night. Get some guys a quick rest, change the look of the lineup, anything to get a fresh approach to winning the game. Looking at the box score it was team AARO and Monk who accumulated a ton of minutes. Bit a recipe for long term success.
- AD has a terrible game shooting the ball. This team doesn’t work well if AD isn’t a force inside or lets himself be relegated to outside jump shot guy. We need him to score inside to open up looks for our three point specialists and open up driving chances for Russ and LBJ. Need AD to regain the form he showed when LeBron was out.
- Russ finding his way. He’s racking up triple doubles, he was our most efficient player in the floor last night and we need him to have the ball in his hands more because Russ uses the team more often than LeBron. He gets guys moving, involves AD in pick and roll action. LeBron has a tendency to dominate late-game possessions and we need to better diversify.
- Excuses have run out. We’re 21 games in. This team is playing the same whether LBJ, AD, Melo or whomever is on the floor. We need our younger guys to start stepping up which both requires them to succeed and for the older guys to step aside at times. Frank has the team’s ear on defense…kinda…but we need a more diverse offensive attack to close out quarters, halves and games. We’re a middle of the pack team right now, at best. That’s pathetic considering the talent level. There’s no way Jeannie and Co. can be happy with the results thus far and so the questions will begin. Frank needs to show them something or he won’t last the season. Offhand I can’t think of a coach that was fired a season removed from winning a title and yet here we are.
This is just a sad state of tinkering with a roster that didn’t need it, aging or oft-injured stars that aren’t getting it done like they once could, and a coach who was never that great to begin with. I don’t see a realistic fix on the horizon. Ariza? Nunn? You really think they are difference makers? Trading THT and bits and bobs for Turner or someone else? Doubt anyone with a quality piece wants them. I just hope they don’t back up the brinks truck to a rapidly fading Lebron like they did Kobe. Blow it up and try and field a club made up of pieces that are actually good today instead of paying for past performance.
Man, I just wish I am healed enough to type with my right hand. But, thank God, you hammered home all there is for me to say. Thanks for the post, Jamie.