Lakers' Machine Implodes in Loss to Bobcats

What do the numbers 15-12-14-11 signify? No, they are not tonight’s winning Pick Four. No, they are not the shoe sizes of the Lakers’ bench, but you’re getting close.

15-12-14-11 are the total number of points that the Lakers’ Bench has contributed in the last four games. If you think that’s horrendous like I do, then try these numbers for size.

Four and 24. What are they? The number of shots Sasha Vujacic has made and the number of shots he has taken during this Lakers’ road trip. Oh, and here’s another nice pair.

Three and 15. Recognize them? Try three years and $15 million. Get the picture?

Vujacic calls himself the ‘Machine’ because he thinks he can hit three-point shots from just about anywhere on the court.

The only thing he has been able to hit so far this year is the jackpot he bluffed that crazy wheeler-dealer, Mitch Kupchak, into signing.

Imagine paying $15 million for a broken-down machine whose gears have come grinding to a halt.

I have been warning all along that this day would come.

The starters only had so much gas in the tank. Now that tank is running on empty and wins are going up with the fumes.

The Lakers have lost any chance of homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs due to the abhorrent play of Vujacic and Co., formerly known as the "Bench Mob."

Now they are known simply as the mob, because that is exactly how they play.

Undisciplined, unruly, and unworthy of the lucrative contracts that Vujacic and Jordan Farmar have signed.

Farmar, for his part, has played like he was on the opposing team the past couple of games. For a good stretch tonight, it seemed like he passed the ball off to the Bobcats more than to his teammates.

Josh Powell is another one who deserves scrutiny. He threw up another goose egg tonight. Zero points in 10 minutes. Well done, Josh.

Here’s another number that is astounding—45. How in the name of Chick Hearn can Phil Jackson leave Pau Gasol in this kind of game for 45 minutes?

What was he thinking of? The man needs a night off, Phil. Don’t beat him to death.

In fact, most of the starters need a couple nights off. They need the rest of the season off. Let the mob embarrass themselves.

The starters have done their job. They have won homecourt advantage throughout the Western Conference Playoffs.

There is no way they are going to catch Cleveland to have the overall best record in the NBA. So, rest your troops, Phil.

Sure, there’s a chance that Orlando or Boston could wind up with a better record than the Lakers, but only one of them—mostly likely Orlando—will wind up playing Cleveland.

Cleveland will have homecourt advantage and this year’s MVP, so what are the chances that a team other than the Cavaliers will win the East?

I would say they are awfully slim.

So, take a calculated risk, Phil. Let your starters rest, especially Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.

No more than 24-minutes per game until the playoffs. Let "The Machine" and his mob have the opportunity to either explode and get their swagger back or implode and shuffle off with their tails between their legs.

If you don’t have the stomach for it, Phil, then you don’t deserve that tenth ring.