Yannis' Lakers Journal

4:59:46 AM EST
Feeling Happy
I'm extremely happy to announce that this blog has been moved to MostValuableNetwork.com. From now on all the articles that I would usually put in this blog will be going straight to Most Valuable Network - Show Time where I'll be teaming up with Mike Garcia to cover the Lakers year round. I want to encourage everyone to continue reading my work there, along with Mike's, as I happily move onto a bigger writing stage. Thanks to everyone who has read and I hope you continue to.

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2:53:59 AM EST
Feeling Ecstatic

Can't beat Boston, Portland, and Atlanta but we can beat Detroit. That was a great win that this team needed pretty badly. Being 2 games over .500 is crucial going into a 3 game stretch where we have San Antonio twice. The Lakers have to build on this win and start building some momentum. They've got a good chance to get into the 7th, maybe even 6th seed, they just need to capitilize.

His stat line doesn't jump out at you, but it was a pretty good game from Smush Parker. He had the task of chasing Rip Hamilton around screens most of the night and did a pretty good job. He didn't turn it over and he hit open shots, the most important things that he has to do. Kobe Bryant was simply amazing tonight, like always. It's hard to talk about this guy without saying anything I haven't said before. Sasha had some good moments, but they were overshadowed somewhat by some stupid plays, including letting Chauncy Billups hit multiple 3s right in his face.

Lamar Odom was incredible tonight with 24 points, 5 boards, and 10 assists! That's what he's got to do for us to be a good team, and he knows it. Why he doesn't do it more often is beyond my comprehension, but hopefully he'll start to. It was a tough night for Brian Cook, who simply can't guard Rasheed. He had a solid 10 points, but he was simply a liability on defense. He's got Tim Duncan on Monday, so this may be another game where Kwame sees a lot of time. Devean George was huge today, playing great defense, while scoring effectively. Chauncy had 20 points in the first half but only 4 in the second, and some credit should go to Devean who guarded him during the 3rd and 4th quarter.

Chris Mihm played very well today, giving us someone to go to down low when we needed some points in the paint. He got some silly loose ball fouls that he's going to have to refrain from, but overall a very good game from Mihm. Kwame Brown was the unsung hero in tonight's game, shutting down Rasheed Wallace after he got off to such a hot start. Kwame pulled down 12 boards along with playing his very good defense, which is what we need him to do. We beat the best team in the NBA by 11 points while he scored only 3 points. We don't need him to score points, we need him to play defense and rebound. Hopefully tonight was an eye opener for him.

Lakers have to build on this, they've got to know that this is how they have to play in order for them to win. Lamar has to be aggressive, Smush has to be under control, Kwame has to play d and rebound, and we've got to play good team defense. The team defense was superb tonight, and that's why we beat the team with the best record in the NBA by 11.

 

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1:35:27 AM EST
Feeling Happy

Pretty good win over a bad Orlando team, but if we've come to learn anything about the Lakers, it's that a game against a cellar dweller isn't a automatic W. There's a lot of things to like about this game, how we got to the line, the defense, and the crispness that the offense was ran with, but the huge 3rd quarter was the high point. Like usual Laker teams, they tend to slack off in the third quarter, costing them several games this season. Tonight they came out with a huge 38 point quarter that sealed the deal.

Smush Parker had a very nice night tonight. Played good defense which led to some easy buckets for him. He threw up an airball at the line, where he's been struggling tonight, but other than that it was a pretty impressive night for Smush. In a game like this, Kobe doesn't have to dominate with his scoring, and he knows it. He chose his spots on way to a 28 point game with 8 assists. Smush played an efficient 34 minutes tonight, which doesn't leave much time for Sasha. Sasha saw little minutes tonight and turned it over 3 times.

Like Stu said, a typical night for Lamar. 8 points, 12 boards, and 5 assists. This guy simply doesn't look to score. It'll work against Orlando, and it may work against Portland and GS, but it sure as heck won't work against Detroit and San Antonio. He's going to have to start being more aggressive if this team is going to go anywhere past the 8th seed. Devean continues his good play off the bench, though a tough shooting night. He played good defense and had some nice rebounds, crashing the offensive boards hard as always. Brian Cook had 12 points and 5 assists, but only 2 boards. His spot up shooting and help defense are huge assests to this team, but if he's going to become a big time player, his rebounding numbers have to go up. Devin Green also got in the action with a nice tip in during a Lakers drout.

Chris Mihm would have shot somewhere around 60-70% tonight if he wasn't putting a left handed exhibition on. He shot nearly half his shots with his left hand. It's good to be able to use that off hand, but when you're shooting runners and hook shots you're going a bit overboard. He's starting to get back into the flow he was in before he got hurt. The outside jumper is looking really good. He's got to use these next two games as confidence builders to get ready for two huge games against Detroit and San Antonio. Kwame Brown, this guy is something else. Just when you think he's going to sit on the bench the rest of the game after such a poor showing in the first half, he comes out and plays pretty darn well in the second. He played good defense, but most importantly he finished the easy buckets that he usually misses. He had two shots where he got it in with his left hand that looked like prayers, but they went in. He's got to approach these next two games the same way Chris does, because he'll be matching up against Rasheed Wallace and Tim Duncan this weekend, and those two guys are tough to stop.

We're lucky to have Ronny Turiaf on our team. This guy is something special, the energy, hustle, and entusiasm he brings is invaluable. If Kwame had the heart of this guy, he'd be an all-star. Ronny goes out there and makes it tough to take him out, but Phil manages to find a way. Tonight he was excellent, scoring 10 points and 4-5 shooting including some nice outside jumpers and a hard one handed jam. It's great to see a guy whose gone through so much in the 10 months go out there and do what he loves so efficiently. Him and Andrew Bynum are the future for this ball club at the big man positions. Andrew got some run in today, but seemed a bit out of it and did nothing really to report other than a nice offensive board.

The Lakers have to win these next two games. Portland and GS are not playoff teams, and neither will the Lakers be if they keep letting the easier games go. Winning these next two would put them 3 games above .500 and give them some breathing room for the next very tough upcoming two games on Saturday and Monday.

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11:17:34 PM EST
Feeling Worried

That's definitely not how you want to go into the all star break, losing to one of the worst teams in the NBA at home. When you give up 114 points to the Hawks, you don't deserve to be over 500. There is obvious gaping holes in the Lakers lineup that must be addressed.

If this wasn't a cry for the managment to make a move, I don't know what is. They simply have to get something done. They let players into the lane at will, don't rebound hard enough, and out point guards have trouble hitting wide open jumpers. Sasha is obviously a practice player. All you ever hear about is how great a shooter he is in practice, he can't buy one in a game. It's hard to pin point what the problem is, because the form is good, the follow through is there, they just don't go in.

If we keep this roster like it is, the chances of us making the playoffs are not very good. We don't have the shooters or defenders to make it. Mitch better be working the phones like his job depends on it, because it does.

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2:03:05 AM EST
Feeling Happy

From now on I should be right back on track with my post game analysis for every laker game. I've missed writing about them, so I'm really glad to start back up, and what better way to start than with a victory.

With their recent struggles the Lakers needed to go into the all-star break with some wins. Matching up against Utah and Atlanta in their final two games makes things a bit easier. Tonight the Lakers had the game under control for most of the time, but it was one of the uglier controlled wins I've seen in a long time.

Someone get Craig Hodges on the phone quick, because Smush looks lost at the line, he finished 5-10 for the night, and was 2-6 at one point. The form is off, it's not smooth, and he's getting zero legs in it. Other than the free throw woes, Smush had a very effective night. Broke loose for some highlight reel dunks and played pretty good defense. On the scouting report for the Utah Jazz, it must have mentioned poor ball protection because Kobe was playing the passing lanes harder than he has all season. His previous career best for steals in a game was six, which he tied in the first half, along with tying Jerry West's record for steals in the half. He finished with seven, setting a new career high, in a sub par game for Kobe standards. The six days off will be good for him, because it seems he's tiring a bit. The last two games he's had some issues from the field. Sasha Vujacic did a great job tonight, hitting some big threes, going at the boards hard, and finding the open man.

Very nice game for Lamar Odom, who hasn't faired too well against Andrei Kirilenko in the past. A lot of the time he found Mehmet Okur on him, and he attacked him each time. Too many times we see Lamar avoid a mismatch, but that wasn't the case tonight. Against Andrei he took him right into the post and used his body to void his shotblocking ability. Two rebounds and an assist away from a triple double, Lamar gave the Lakers the type of game he needs to have in order for them to win games. Brian Cook got 15 points off of 11 shots. He continues to hit the outside shot with consistency, which is a great addition for the triangle offense. Unless the Lakers make any trades at the deadline, he's going to have to step into the second scorer role. Devean George continues his good play off the bench, hitting some big shots during laker slumps.

Kwame's had some bad nights as a Laker, but tonight was definitely his worst. Almost everything that touched his hands went right off it, he couldn't buy a bucket, and maybe one or two of his shots actually made it off the rim. It's tough to make a case for a guy who refuses to go to Kareem's workouts. If Kwame doesn't get it together pretty soon, he's going to have to say hello to Phil's doghouse while Andrew gets his chance. Speaking of Andrew, he would have had a great night tonight had the refs not given him a heavy helping of rookie treatment. He had a few three second calls and a ticky tack moving screen call. Didn't get to show much from the low block because for some reason he's avoided like the plague on offense. If they're willing to dump it into Kwame down low, Andrew should at least get SOME touches.

With the trade deadline coming the 23rd, the Lakers need to look to make some moves. Though tonights game was under control by the most part, some glaring holes were evident. They lack a go to scorer down low and someone who can finish off interior feeds. If they Lakers could manage to get someone who can do that at the deadline, a six seed is very attainable. The hard part of their schedule is out of the way. If they can bring in a player or two who can contribute, they're in prime position to climb up the standings with the easy second half schedule they have.

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9:16:42 PM EST

Due to some trials going on in my life right now, I won't be updating much, if at all for the next month or so. Please read some of the other great Laker blogs at RoundballBloggers.com for laker related news.

Thanks,

Yannis

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2:37:12 AM EST
Feeling Happy

Nothing better to put away a five game losing streak than a two game winning streak. Blowing out Philly and then beating a tough Clippers team in their building (well sort of). In this winning streak, Kwame has been inserted into the starting lineup. This move was primarily made to give Kwame some confidence, bolster our bench scoring, and help the defense.

In his two starts at the 4, Kwame has done a good job. The story of the winning streak however is Kobe Bryant's 49 ppg average, putting him in the top spot in ppg over Iverson. He's simply willing this team to win and he makes the game so much easier for everyone else.

Brian Cook, who did everything to keep his starting spot, is back coming off the bench. Even coming off the bench, Cook needs to get 12-14 shots. His spotting up ability is simply incredible and with guys who can penetrate like Lamar and Kobe, he gets open shot after open shot. He's becoming one of the most reliable shooters we've had in a long time. It took a few seasons, but Cook looks like a great sleeper pick(24th overall), good job Kupchak.

Chris Mihm has looked pretty good so far in 06. He's done a good job in staying out of foul trouble, and finishing strong above the rim. We're a better team defensively when he can keep him out there on the floor. Him along with Kwame and Lamar gives us one of the biggest front lines in the NBA, and a very strong advantage on the boards.

Decision time is coming for the Lakers, Tuesday is the deadline to sign second round pick Ronny Turiaf. Bill Bertka has been keeping an eye on him, saying he's about 75%. Turiaf is too good of a talent for the Lakers to let go play overseas. He can contribute to this team, not right away, but in time. Cutting Devean Green, who averages .9 points and 1.1 rebound wouldn't hurt the team in the least.

So with the Clippers and Warriors having 17 wins, the Lakers are very much in the thick of it in this division. Catching Phoenix, who will be getting Amare back within a month or so according to reports, may be too much. They need to take care of business at home Monday night against a hurting Indiana Pacers team in order to start breaking away from the pack.

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7:23:52 PM EST
Feeling Chillin'

Right now the Lakers are struggling, they've dropped 5 straight. Kobe Bryant was suspended for two of them, and the other three were all close. Phil Jackson couldn't have been more right when he said the Lakers are young and dumb. That's the most fitting discription of this team I've heard yet.

The mistakes that we made in the 4th quarter, of both games, were just incredible. Whether it was missing free throws, giving up wide open layups, and just complete lapses during the worse times.

Kobe Bryant would have helped, but even his incredible basketball IQ may not have been enough to make up for everyones lack of it. Basically, this team doesn't need any major changes. Though I've waivered on this point as of lately, I feel as of right now we can't let go of Lamar Odom. Ron Artest would be a great nab, but not at the cost of Lamar.

We should continue to shop our expiring k's, try to get a perimeter defender or another guard. This team has the potential to make some noise in the playoffs with some major tweaking, but as of right now we'd have to adapt and fill to our roles a lot better and a lot quicker than we've shown so far.

Philly will be no tough out, that's for sure. Igoadala gave Kobe fits in their first meeting this year, but mostly because Kobe let him. If he plays a smarter under control game, he could torch Andre. But considering how his teammates played against the Jazz, a Kobe shot storm is probably on the horizon.

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1:02:31 AM EST
Feeling Chillin'

Being that the Lakers were 1-4 in the second games of back to backs, there wasn't a lot of hope for them going into this game after such a loss yesterday. The Lakers had a big lead but managed to give it up come the end of the third quarter. They ended up with a chance to tie it just like yesterday with a 3 at the end but the play went astray, much to the anger of Kobe Bryant.

According to 570 AM Kobe Bryant was livid after the game, throwing down a tv monitor and lashing out at Lamar Odom. First Phil called out Lamar and now Kobe. It appears that his days in LA are coming to an end. He's yet to turn into the solid number two option that we've hoped. Not sure who we could get for Lamar, but the first solid name that comes up will probably be taken.

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9:56:45 PM EST
Feeling Sad

Being that it was Shaquille O'Neal, letting a game like this slip through our hands is really tough to swallow. Even more so than the loss to the Houston Rockets last Sunday. It's tough to take anything really positive from this, because we had a lot of guys play under their capability. Kwame Brown was outstanding on the defense, but his offense is just terrible right now. He's got to get to work with Kareem and develop some go to post moves, because right now everything looks too fast and out of control.

Sasha Vujacic can't let today's poor game get to him, but you can't help but think he will. It took him up until the Utah Jazz game to develop some confidence in his shot and his ability to play. After laying an egg like today in such a big game and having Kobe Bryant rip into him, it may be awhile before he gets back to where he was. Smush Parker has been through too many ups and downs in his road to the league to let one game like this bother him.

Chris Mihm had a pretty darn good game for the 20 minutes or so that he was able to play. The guy is in foul trouble so much it's almost laughable. He should be rearing and ready to go tomorrow against Washington until he gets in foul trouble again.

It sucks that we lost this one, but we go 2-1 on this 3 game trip it's a successful trip. We've got to go out there and make sure we don't let today's loss effect us against Washington. We're only a game behind Phoenix for second in the division, and we're going to need to get as much ground on them as we can before Amare gets back.

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