The Lakers gave up another mammoth first half to the opposing team…this time to the tune of 75 first half points to our cross hall rivals The Clippers. There would be no epic comeback in this one, however. Yes, the Lakers got themselves to within ten but never seriously threatened the Clippers in the second half as we failed to put in the proper focus or attitude on the defensive end of the court. This has been a problem for some time.

1. One man against the world. I do feel for LeBron, I felt similarly for Kobe when, as his career wound down a lot of his historical accomplishments came against the backdrop of a loss. Still, he’s had as much of a hand in this situation unfolding like it has as anyone else not named Rob Pelinka. James was, again, masterful checking the “Have I scored 40 against you?” box against the Clippers. That box has now been checked for every team in the Association. Everybody has given up 40 to The King at least once. His three point shot was on, and has been of late, which is an encouraging sign from a health and conditioning standpoint. All in all, James just needed more help. Although too late for last night’s history-making game, it does sound like help is on the horizon.
2. The Clipper bench kicked our asses. Whether it was defensive plays by Batum or uncanny accuracy from all over the floor the Clipper bench had it’s way with any line up we put out there. Not surprising as the Clippers are an extremely deep team as they have been for several seasons now. Ballmer spends but they also sign and draft wisely. They only pay two elite salaries. They don’t let homegrown talent walk for nothing. They make better use of players discarded by franchises like us who think they need to make absurd “win now” moves like trading Zubac for Muscala. It’s safe to say that, at this exact moment in time, the Clippers are the better run franchise but it’s not solely because of over-spending. They also do things wisely.
3. 6th Man of the Year race. FWIW we saw a battle of two of the top 6th men of the year candidates (Milwaukee’s Bobby Portis being up there, as well). Last night Powell out-played his rival for the award and continues to be my personal pick, at this time, to hold that trophy up come season’s end. Russ had a pretty off game and was unable to make the kind of impact we need him to do in order to win.
4. Kids get some burn. It was nice to see Jones, Pippen Jr., Swider and Christie play for a few minutes. Unfortunate that it came in a blowout loss.
5. Help is on the way. With the news that Rui and AD are questionable for tonight’s game and Lonnie and Austin are progressing in their individual rehabs the walking wounded team called the Lakers is about to get some much needed bodies back. Here’s hoping we avoid serious injuries for the rest of the season. We don’t have a chance if we don’t.

Lost in the shuffle, likely because it doesn’t fit into the global media world view that the Lakers have but one choice, was Rob re-iterating that he has no intention of trading the 2 available FRPs for players that don’t vault us into title contention. Cross any Spur, Toronto or Indy trade now. Those teams are looking for a fleece job, Rob won’t have it. To that I say “well done Mr. Pelinka. You’re finally doing your job correctly.” Might we see a smaller move? Sure, I could still see a Cam for Lonnie deal, I guess, but honestly I think we already have the better player in that scenario. Why then make the trade? Simply to shuffle deck chairs? Smart teams don’t make trades to make trades because…hey maybe it’ll be, like, way better and stuff? They make trades they borderline know will make them better. Not many of those out there this season and not at the price we can really afford to pay. Personally, I’m pleased with the Hachimura trade because we traded older for younger and smaller for bigger. That’s what made the trade good to great, IMO. If Rui finds his All Rookie team self in the doing and helps lead us to the playoffs it’ll certifiably be a great trade.

I had wanted for Austin Reaves (who wisely wanted to disassociate his old nickname, AR-15, from his NBA career) to take on the moniker ‘True Grit’ last summer. Turns out that phrase has the potential to define this Laker season. This game was a tale of 2 quarters, the second and the third. The Lakers displayed a lot of poise and focus coming back to win an arena we famously do quite poorly at.

1. The second quarter. This quarter had everything for the Laker Doubter: a meaningless (at the time) PatBev technical foul) a defense that seemed not to care and poor one offensive possession after another. Dame hit a nigh half court three, burned Beverley at every opportunity and we had no answer for Grant. Going into the locker room at halftime we had given up 71 points based mostly on a 45 point second quarter. Most teams fold in that scenario.
2. The (not really) halftime speech. According to the players Ham walked in, said “You guys figure this shit out” and walked out. Then, and this is the sole reason I can see why we keep him on the team this year, into the void stepped one Patrick Beverley and encouraged his teammates to play with Swag. There are few players that want to step into those voids and there are even fewer that can do it true impact. PatBev did both and this was a fantastic example of how he brings more to the team than will ever be tracked by a stat sheet.
3. The 3rd quarter. The one where we scored 40 points and held Portland to 21 all but erasing the deficit. It took execution, heart and will to make that comeback…on the road…in an arena the Lakers (and LeBron) play as poorly at as any other in the Association. With the win LeBron pulled to .500 (10-10) at the Rose Garden (sorry Modal, you just don’t deserve the naming rights). The Lakers are an abysmal 46-72 in Portland. This game was a loss at halftime just waiting to happen. The Lakers would sputter out, Portland would right the ship and pull away a little bit in the standings and so on. All we had to do was lay down and quit. We did not.
4. Off night for the Lakers bench. They’ve generally been a source of strength, and with injuries pressing many of our bench players into the starting line up this isn’t wholly surprising, but the Lakers bench had a rough go last night. Russ was driving but not getting the whistle and not making shots, Wenyan had more turnovers and fouls (6 total) than points (4) and JTA didn’t get much burn. Max Christie did have a highlight worthy block in the second quarter. I’m not sure Nunn has much of a place in Ham’s schemes, he ought to be traded because, in theory, you could get something for him.
5. Thomas Bryant’s return to form. After a stretch of three mediocre games where he didn’t score in double-digits or rebound the ball very well Thomas Bryant continued his return to NBA relevance with a rousing 12-15 (4-5 from three) showing for 31 points. He showed that he can be a monster on the glass, as well, grabbing 4 offensive rebounds en route to 14 boards overall. Topping my list of “gotta keep after this season” is Thomas Bryant. There are few players with his size and speed that can score and rebound as well as he can…when he sets his mind to it. Like many young players he is prone to having lapses in that department.

Well, well, well, Rob Pelinka made an in-season trade!!!! With the breaking news that we have swapped Kendrick Nunn and three second round picks for Rui Hachimura we have solved one aspect of our line up issues by moving a shooting guard for a small forward and adding some much needed size. While it remains to be seen how much he plays with us I think that, on first glance, this trade makes a ton of sense. Nunn was often the odd man out, had only mildly griped about his role here, but just never really found a niche on the Lakers. The Bone Bruise That Would Not Heal certainly affected his tenure here and we wish him well on his next team.

LeBron and Russ did their level best but with so many key players MIA every game is an exercise in seeking perfection in order to attain a win. Perfection proved elusive, again, and the Lakers fell to the Kings although the game was a hard fought and close affair. Nobody will care, though, at the end of the season how hard the Lakers play because the column will simply have one more ‘L’ in it.

1. The Walking Wounded and no quarter given. The Lakers are down 3 key players (AD, Reaves and LW4) with PatBev making regular trips to the injured list and LeBron often not too far behind. Be it sore hamstrings, balky ankles or a stress reaction in the foot all of Los Angeles is waiting for good news on the Lakers struggle to field a complete line up most nights. While an obvious reason it is still just an excuse for the losses piling up of late. We had a nice stretch against the eastern conference (whom we have more wins against than the west) but have failed to gain ground on the most important teams: or conference and division rivals. We’re 9-16 against the western conference and 1-8 against the Pacific Division. We need to change that tune and fast.
2. 284. That’s the number of points LeBron needs to pass Kareem. ESPN estimates that’ll be in 11 games, I think a game or two sooner. It will be a shame if it comes in a loss, which feels likely at this point, but the Lakers need LeBron to average 30+ every night without AD for us to have even a puncher’s chance. If that’s the case the record could be broken sooner than planned.
3. Russ and LeBron can’t do it all. They need another Laker to score 15-20 points and they need to score them pretty efficiently. Last night no Laker other than Westbrook and James scored more than 14 points (Nunn had 14 in 16 minutes…might be he needs to play a little more coach?). Worse no starter scored in double-figures besides LeBron as Thomas Bryant and Dennis Schroder have fallen from their lofty pedestals they attained on the road trip. Not sure what some of the guys need to do to bring that sharper game to the western conference games but it needs to get figured out ASAP.
4. Why is PatBev playing at all? -16 in +/- and he only took 4 shots while tying Mac Christie in minutes behind Russ and LeBron. For $13 million you need to bring more than a rah-rah attitude and the occasional defensive play. While still topping my list of players that need to be traded to salvage the season it’s worth noting that no team will bring him on for his production, which is anemic at best. I doubt he takes a buyout seeing as this is certain to be his last deal above the veteran minimum so the Lakers may need to swallow some pride and deal him along with a (hopefully) protected FRP. If it takes Nunn or LW4 or even Reaves to get a deal done it should be done. I like all those guys, none of them are keys to the season improving if a better overall player can be had.
5. Bring in some size. Play Damien Jones. Sign Boogie muthafawking Cousins who can at least bang and score as well as Bryant can and will be fresh and motivated. We’re getting killed on the glass and it’s losing us games. Somebody, anybody, in the front office wake up and do some work, man…

Anyhow, some more togh games coming up with no news on when we’ll get Reaves or Lonnie back. AD will likely arrive too late at this point and that will just further coerce the Laker front office to continue their dithering and doing of nothing. Sure hope there is a really good plan for the summer folks or this could be a really long couple of seasons to close out LeBron’s career.

You would have hoped that this would have ended up with James resting for much of the 4th quarter. Second game in a back-to-back, LeBron played 40+ last night, still dogged by the ankle he rolled a few games back. and a tough stretch of games coming up. No such luck but at least we walked away with a much-needed win.

1. LeBron continues to pile on history. The King is just 4 games from tying Michael Jordan for most 40 point games at this age. We needed every one of those points and his 4th quarter was masterful. Un like yesterday when he seemed content to let the team win the game in the waning seconds and faded down the stretch in the second half in general, LeBron kicked it into another gear and made sure the accomplishment wasn’t wasted in a loss like so many already have.
2. Two turnovers. A lesser regarded feat than LeBron’s scoring but no less impactful was the Lakers setting a franchise record for fewest turnovers in a game. Again we needed just about every one of those possessions to generate FGAs and buckets to win the game.
3. Walking wounded. One thing I really admire about this team is how they seem to truly have the “next man up” mentality. The grit and fight thy have is really refreshing from last season. Of course it would help if more of the better guys on the roster could play but no news on when LW4 or Reaves will return to the floor. In their stead Kendrick Nunn has been playing his best basketball as a Laker and Max Christie has carved out a niche’ role. AD is unlikely to play this month so we’ll night to fight on without him and hope for the best. In his stead Wenyan Gabriel and Thomas Bryant have been giving max effort but they simply can’t replicate what AD brings when he can play.
4. The memo was received. After much hullabaloo regarding the officiating last game and this season in general, LeBron got to the line 12 times matching his season high from the Dallas Christmas game. Westbrook also got to the line 8 times. We’ll see how long this trend lasts.
5. The next ten games can make or break the season. 6 out of 10 on the road, 5 of those on the back five. The opponents are all quality with San Antonio being the only pencil it in win and Portland being the only other team under .500 besides and the Spurs. Those 10 games will also be the last ones before the trade deadline. We play Milwaukee on 2/9 hours after the deadline ends. How the Lakers fare in this stretch will go a long way towards defining this season. Do we fall to superior opponents and fall out of the playin and playoff picture? Do we tread water and hover around .500 like we have for much of the season? Do we exceed expectations and win 6 or 7 games in this stretch? I am not one of those folks who sees a trade on the horizon since the Lakers created another self-imposed obstacle in the “we want someone to be around for 3 years, and be a superstar, and no other team will outbid us and our meager haul for this player either”. This is what we’re rolling with for the season, LeBron can side whine all he wants but it changes nothing. Fans and media can express disbelief at the missteps and inaction but they’ve made it pretty obvious at this point that they don’t want to make a trade unless it’s a gift-horse. Don’t see that happening.
   
   A win is a win but we need to start moving up the standings sooner than later. All of these 2 steps forward, 3 steps back aren’t going to be enough to get us to where we need to be. The Lakers need to start moving up so that they can try and rest LeBron as much as they can. If AD comes back and if his foot injury doesn’t come back and if we can make it work with he, Thomas Bryant and Wenyan Gabriel bolstering LeBron in the front court we have an OK foundation. The team will need to reverse the injury luck, big time, to have any shot of any kind. That has always been the key, nothing has changed.

While maybe not surprising in that very few Lakers were healthy enough to play in this contest, the loss to Denver means the Lakers come to the halfway point of the season at 19-22. Not many games separate them from this or that seeding, which is good. The Lakers haven’t been very healthy this season and seemingly can’t depend on much of the roster being available on a game-to-game basis.

1. Too few healthy bodies. We don’t need to overly dump on the team after the loss to Denver. Jokic cruised to an easy triple-double, we competed hard but Denver just has too much firepower for us to keep up with. Solid games from Russ, Nunn and TB. Dennis did not have a great game, supporting cast isn’t enough to contend with the juggernaut that is Denver this season. They are going to be dangerous in the playoffs.
2. Wenyan Gabriel has perfected his role on this team. I am really loving the energy and enthusiasm Wenyan brings from last season to this Wenyan has carved out a nice little niche on the Lakers. Out of the league the Los Angeles AARP, er…Lakers, of last season desperately needed youth and energy on a team built on aged legs. Enter Wenyan Gabriel who didn’t really “wow” anyone but played hard and did what was asked. This season he has shown that he can take and make the open corner three that they leave him open for. His rebounding and hustle can change the dynamics of a game and he pairs great with Russ and LeBron because he’s willing, like Thomas Bryant, to do the dirty work.
3. The defense has completely fallen off without AD. That was, to a degree, to be expected, but the general slide back to 19th in defensive efficiency has coincided with LeBron playing out of his mind to mask the porous D. No LeBron, Lakers give up 122 and only score 109. In general the Lakers have been getting by forcing the pace and scoring in the paint all season long. When AD comes back we’ll see how that impacts that end because it’s unlikely the Lakers can just score their way through multiple 7 game series.
4. Max Christie played great. The rookie had a pretty complete game after being thrust into the starting five due to injuries. Max had that jump shot working and canned 2-3 from three, 6-8 overall. His defense was decent and he filled in ably, as one would hope, going to be hard for him to get floor time when the medical unit empties out so it’s nice to see him showcase himself a bit.
5. What the Lakers need to do to close out the season strong. Get and stay healthy. That’ll take care of a lot of issues if AD, LeBron and Russ can all stay on the floor and produce for most of the rest of the season. Since getting back in the rotation Nunn has shown he has something left in the tank. The Lakers could still package Nunn and the inconsistent and underwhelming PatBev for a player or two of impact. With the news that Sarver has veto power still, for some reason, on any Jae Crowder trade I doubt he comes to us (in-division and conference rivals don’t generally help each other out, either). We need a play like that, though. I don’t think we have the chutzpah to get in on the potential O.G. sweepstakes or players of that caliber, we’ll need to focus on lower hanging fruit which will be players with a more one-dimensional skillset. That could be Eric Gordon or someone like that. Oft-injured, stats trending down as they age, wants to compete for something.

If we make the playoffs, maybe even just the playin, and Russ continues as he has been I don’t see another serious 6th man of the year candidate. If AD comes back, and more importantly stays back, and we make the actual playoffs I can see him and LeBron as potential MVPs and AD as a potential DPOY. The west is that wide open and in that much chaos. Unexpectedly but that is exactly why they play the games. All the meaningless predictions and polls have to be put to the fire of reality. As a result the Lakers aren’t in a hole so deep there is no hope. They just need to get the best players back and playing consistently and they have a legit shot at something I did not think was at all possible when the season kicked off: a playoff berth. Not a playin, a true playoff spot. Here’s hoping the trends we’ve seen since the 2-10 start are what this team is truly capable of.