Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers

Pivot Points: Gasol's Return Is More Memorable Than His CSI Performance

Hadarii Jones — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:56:44 -0500

Los Angeles Laker coach Phil Jackson alluded to the point that he felt Pau Gasol's appearance on CSI: Miami could have contributed to his recent hamstring injury.

When pressed for an explanation, Jackson offered the theory that all the standing around that Gasol did on the set caused his legs to stiffen and tighten up, and when his part called for him to pull a person from a car, he could have been injured then.

After viewing Gasol's small piece on the show, Jackson surmised that Pau would be better off sticking with his night job, and after witnessing the clip myself, I am inclined to agree.

His talents are much better suited to the hardwood as his return from an 11 game absence can surely attest. His grand entrance had all the drama and tension of a made-for Hollywood moment and Gasol didn't fail to disappoint.

With the pulsating noise of a crowd chanting his name in the background, Gasol proceeded to score eight points in a little over one minute and give the impression that he had never been away.

His seamless transition back into the line-up contributed to a thrashing of the defenseless Chicago Bulls in a game that wasn't as close as the final score indicated.

The Lakers had their mojo back, and the offense and defense finally appeared to play in a rhythm-laced unison. All of the qualities that the Lakers lacked were present in Gasol's return.

Their post defense was much improved as the combination of Gasol and Andrew Bynum dominated the smaller Bulls, and at times, seemed to play keep-away amongst themselves.

The spacing on offense was much better which highlighted Gasol's perimeter passing that led to three assists and helped set up numerous others.

Derrick Rose did score 20 points but his shooting percentage was horrible and this was in no small part due to the help defense that Gasol was able to offer after the Laker guards had been beaten off the dribble.

Pau's presence translated to his teammates to, as Kobe was able to return to his facilitator role, and came a rebound and two assists shy of a triple-double.

Ron Artest was able to play defense more aggressively without fear of getting beat baseline, and Lamar Odoom's return to the bench helped spark a unit that had been otherwise dismal.

Pau's active 24 point, 13 rebound night looked much better than the way he finished up his stint on CSI as a dead body on a cooling board, and it bodes well for the Lakers in the immediate and distant future.

Gasol's performance on CSI was drab and dull and hopefully will be forgotten the moment the show hits the airwaves. His acting was so bad that he had a hard time convincing viewers as a dead body.

His heroic return to the basketball court on the other hand was a grand performance, worthy of an Emmy for best returning player and the timing of it couldn't have been better for the Lakers.

We should appreciate the fact that Jackson was so frank in his critique of his star seven footer's television performance, and we should also appreciate the fact that he along with Gasol, realizes his time is much better spent on a basketball court.

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Pivot Points: Gasol's Return Means All Is Well In Lakerland

Hadarii Jones — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:48:11 -0500

The moment that Los Angeles Lakers fans have been waiting for has finally arrived.

Pau Gasol is set to make his season debut tonight against the Chicago Bulls, and the throngs of purple and gold can rejoice.

It's not clear how much Gasol will play. Coach Phil Jackson estimates about 25 minutes. But to see him in any form of game action will be a joy to behold.

The Lakers haven't tanked in his absence due to the emergence of center Andrew Bynum and the continued brilliance of Kobe Bryant, but Gasol adds an element to the defending champions that seperates them from the rest of the league.

He is perhaps the most gifted seven footer around and paired with Bynum, they should restore the Laker post game to it's previous brilliance.

In his absence, reserves D.J. Mbenga and Josh Powell have received valuable playing time, but the offense has lacked the rhythm and flow that we have been accustomed to seeing.

Gasol's worth extends to the defensive end of the floor as well, as Gasol is a master of positioning. He is, in essence, the Lakers' defensive captain in the paint.

Lakers fans got beside themselves when Los Angeles was able to ride Bryant and Bynum to a quick 6-1 start, but the pain of back-to-back losses quickly brought them back down to earth.

Gone are the proclamations that questioned the need for Gasol, replaced by a hard dose of reality. In order for the Lakers to achieve their lofty goals a healthy Gasol is essential.

Pau brings much more than his considerable skills to the table, because outside of Bryant his intelligence probably runs deeper than any other player on the team.

He understands the intricacies of the triangle offense and is a master at deciphering the many ebbs and flows of game situations.

More than that, he is probably the only player that Jackson really trusts besides Bryant and Derrick Fisher to be a steadying influence if a game is in danger of getting out of hand.

Did I mention that he is among the best post passers in the NBA? His ability to hit teammates in rhythm with deft passes prevents the offense from becoming stagnant as has been the case in many outings this year.

The most significant plus in his return is that Bryant doesn't have to play in the post as much as he has been doing recently.

Kobe, in his eagerness to show off his newly refined post skills, had formed a habit of holding the ball too long which drained the shot-clock and often forced ill-timed shots or even worse, turnovers.

So while the expansion of Bryant's game is much appreciated, the return of Gasol to the post can finally allow fans to breathe an audible sigh of relief.

Finally, the Lakers can begin the task of fulfilling the promise that their exceptional talent suggests. Finally the excuses about an incomplete team will cease to exist.

Finally, the Lakers can truly begin their monumental journey on the road to a repeat. Tonight, Pau Gasol makes his return, the planets are firmly aligned, and just maybe, all is well in Lakerland.

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LA Lakers Should Not Imitate USC Trojans Basketball's Losing Playbook

Paul Peszko — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:42:53 -0500

What do an NBA team and a college basketball squad have in common? They don’t show up to finish a game.

The LA Lakers have unfortunately taken a page out of the USC book over the past week, allowing their opponents to do whatever they want in the second half.

The Lakers had the same problem in games with the Denver Nuggets and the Houston Rockets over the weekend. Then, last night, it almost happened again in a game at the Staples Center with the Detroit Pistons.

In all three games, the Lakers' second half defense resembled the basketball version of the USC Trojans. All three opponents were able to score at will.

On Friday, in the second of back-to-back games, the Lakers offense managed just 23 total, second half points as Denver crushed them 105-79. Coming out of the break, the Lakers only scored eight points, probably their lowest quarter in history.

On Sunday, it was deja vu as the Rockets and Aaron Brooks blew into the Staples Center and handed the Lakers a 101-91 defeat.

Again, the Lakers were dismal in the second half, scoring just 37 points.

In both of those games, the bench was virtually nonexistent at both ends of the court. They were outmatched and outscored by both the Nuggets’ and the Rockets’ reserves.

Kobe Bryant played through both games with a painful groin pull and put up 19 and 18 points respectively, which is a low-scoring game by his usual standards.

Last night, the groin was feeling a little better, and he scored 40 points against the Pistons. But the bench once again nearly blew a 25-point lead.

With the Lakers up 88-63 going into the final quarter, Phil Jackson called upon his reserves to hold the lead so Bryant and the rest of his starters could relax.

Not so.

Andrew Bynum had to return at the 10-minute mark to replace D.J. Mbenga, as the Pistons were grabbing offensive rebounds and getting second chance points off of slam dunks.

With the lead down to 15 and the Lakers in foul trouble, Kobe Bryant was forced to re-enter the game at the eight-minute mark.

The Pistons whittled the lead down to seven points, 98-91. That forced Lamar Odom to return.

With the three starters—Bryant, Bynum and Odom—on the court, the Lakers secured a 106-93 win.

But it wasn’t easy.

All three were winnable games. Yet the Lakers, particularly their bench, lost two of those games. And these games in November count just as much in the final standings as the ones in March.

Everyone is pointing to the fact that Pau Gasol has missed all 11 Lakers’ games. Things, of course, will change with Gasol starting and Odom coming off the bench. Odom makes the bench stronger.

However, all teams have to deal with injuries in an 82-game stretch. The Lakers didn’t need Gasol on the court to beat the Nuggets and the Rockets. They just needed some extra effort and some heads-up play.

Bryant, as tough as he is, can’t do it all.

The Lakers have a dominant center in Andrew Bynum. If they work the ball into Bynum more and don’t settle for so many of these one-and-done jumpers, they can win games that they otherwise might lose.

In Denver, Josh Powell went 1-for-5, Shannon Brown 1-for-8, Adam Morrison 1-for-5, Sasha Vujacic 0-for-4. Meanwhile, Bynum, the forgotten man, was 8-for-13.

Many more games like that, and the Lakers’ season could be as huge a disappointment as the one the Trojans are having.

Let’s hope not.

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Andrew Bynum: As Important To the Lakers Now As He Is in the Future

Andrew Ungvari — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:23:50 -0500

Don't get it twisted. Believe what you want about Kobe's infamous "Parking Lot Video" from 2007 but Kobe never really wanted Andrew Bynum traded.

Well, he didn't exactly want Bynum traded.

Go back and watch the video again. It's still easy to find. Go ahead. Watch it. Listen to what Kobe says.

Does Kobe say "Ship his ass out!?" Of course he does. But pay attention to the context in which he says it. Listen to what Kobe says immediately after. He says "We're talking about Jason Kidd."

The Orange County dorks who recorded the video (and unsuccessfully tried to sell it) ask Kobe about why the Lakers didn't get Jason Kidd. It is only when they mention that Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak was reluctant to part with the then-19-year-old Bynum for Kidd is when Kobe is perceived to have thrown Bynum under the bus.

It's not that Kobe didn't think that Bynum had the potential to be a great player one day. It's that Kobe didn't want to wait for that day to come. He wanted to win immediately.

Don't forget the video was taken in May—when Bryant was usually too busy practicing for an upcoming playoff game and didn't have the time to hang out at the Newport Coast Shopping Center getting interviewed by street "journalists." It was the third consecutive May when Bryant was home for the summer.

What the "Kobe Video Guys" and Bryant himself didn't understand was that Kidd was making more than $20 million that season and Bynum alone, because he was still playing on a rookie contract, wouldn't have enabled the deal to happen.

The Lakers would have had to include both Lamar Odom and Kwame Brown in order for the salaries to match up. So it's not as if Kupchak passed on Bynum-for-Kidd so much as hesitate to hand over his entire frontcourt for a passed-his-prime point guard.

According to Sports Illustrated's Arash Markazi, "The Kobe Video Guys" say that Bryant went on to say, "How good do you think Andrew Bynum is going to be in 10 years? Are you f---ing kidding me? I'm trying to win this s--- now."

But all that is besides the point.

The point is that Bryant never said anything about Bynum's game or what he felt Bynum's potential was.

It's not that Bynum had much to do with the Lakers championship run last year since he was still trying to recover from an MCL tear in his knee.

Bynum had even less to do with the Lakers trip to the Finals in 2008 when he missed more than half the season, including the playoffs, after suffering a subluxation to his other knee.

The Lakers formula for success in each of these last two seasons could be described as "youthful yet experienced." The 2008 team that lost to the Celtics in the NBA Finals had one player on the team over the age of 30—Derek Fisher.

The team that won the title last season had only two players in their 30s and one of them was Bryant who had just reached 30 the previous August.

This current season is only a few weeks old and already two more Lakers have hit 30—Lamar Odom and newcomer Ron Artest.

A third, Pau Gasol, will turn 30 soon after the conclusion of this NBA season.

Gasol might have played in more basketball games since 2007 than anyone else on the planet. Between two runs to the NBA Finals, the Beijing Olympics, and last summer's EuroBasket Championships in Poland, I dare you to tell me who else even came close.

You could make the case that the size of the Lakers window of opportunity to compete for an NBA title is dependent on the 22-year-old Bynum and how much of a load he's willing to carry going forward.

As Kobe Bryant approaches his mid-30s, will he be willing to cede power to Bynum as he expected of Shaq back in 2004? He may not have a choice if he wants to continue collecting rings.

The biggest shame to come from Bynum's knee injuries over the last two seasons was that both came in January when Bynum was playing the best basketball of his career.

In 2007, Bynum had gotten off to a slow start but seemed to have turned a corner just before the new year. From Dec. 9 up until he suffered the injury on Jan. 13, Bynum was averaging close to 16.5 points and 10.75 rebounds per game.

From Jan. 7 until he suffered his second knee injury on Jan. 31, he was averaging close to 21 PPG and 9 RPG—including a career-high 42-point game.

While some might call Bynum injury-prone, it's really more a case of bad luck and unpreparedness. Someone with a chronically bad back or genetically bad feet is injury-prone whereas having teammates fall on your knee in back-to-back seasons is really just horrible luck.

Had Bynum bent his knees in both instances he probably wouldn't have injured either of his knees to the extent in which he did.

Since Gasol was forced to shoulder much of the load in the frontcourt for most of the last two regular seasons it's only right that Bynum returned the favor while Gasol missed the first 11 games of this season due to hamstring issues.

Just how good has Bynum been in Gasol's absence?

He is one of only two players in the NBA averaging more than 20 points and 10 rebounds a game. The other is Chris Bosh—considered to be the third-biggest prize on this summer's free agent market.

Bynum also trails Bosh by one for the league lead in double-doubles this season, despite playing in two fewer games.

Considering that Bynum is only 22, it isn't inconceivable to see Bynum as a Laker for the next 15 seasons. He should still be around long after Fisher, Bryant, Gasol, Artest, and Lamar Odom are retired.

Bynum represents the bridge from these Lakers to the team's next generation. It is his potential, realized or unrealized, that will chart the course for how much rebuilding the Lakers will require once those other guys are gone.

Had Bynum attended UCONN for four years, instead of jumping to the NBA out of high school, he'd be a rookie right now. Instead he's in his fifth season and no longer looks like a man-child but like a man.

In an era where power forwards like Chuck Hayes, Drew Gooden, and Al Horford are playing center, Bynum should have no problem following in the footsteps of past great Lakers centers as George Mikan, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Shaquille O'Neal—all of whom led the Lakers to NBA championships and all but Mikan won at least one Finals MVP award.

Mikan's playing career ended in 1956 and the first Finals MVP Award was handed out in 1969. With career playoff averages of 24 points and 14 rebounds per game, he surely would have won at least one.

Of course the big question mark concerning Bynum is how well he and Gasol can coexist. Gasol was acquired by the Lakers after Bynum's first knee injury and the two have only played together in 73 combined regular season and playoff games—many of which came with Bynum recovering from both knee injuries.

Bynum is under contract for two more guaranteed years after this one and the Lakers have a team option for a third year in 2012-13 that they'll surely exercise should he stay healthy.

You can bet that Bynum's agent, David Lee, will allow his client to test the free agent market after experiencing testy negotiations with the Lakers over Bynum's current contract as well as failed negotiations last summer with Trevor Ariza, another of Lee's clients.

Until then, Bynum seems like he's on his way to his first All-Star appearance. With Shaq back in the Eastern Conference and Yao Ming out for the year, it seems as if his stiffest competition to get to Dallas will come from the Clippers' Chris Kaman.

Unlike in his previous four seasons, Bynum doesn't seem paranoid of referees blowing their whistles every time he makes the slightest bit of contact—something Blazers fans are seeing with Greg Oden right now.

Healthy, experienced, care-free, and involved, Andrew Bynum seems as if he's finally on his way.

Having won a fourth championship last June and steadily approaching 1,200 career games played, Kobe knows he's got a partner for the rest of his career in the young seven-footer.

Just imagine how he feels about him now.

Andrew Ungvari is a senior writer and featured columnist for Bleacher Report as well as co-lead blogger for the basketball website, SirCharlesInCharge.com .

For up to the minute news on all things basketball and occasionally brilliant thoughts and observations, follow him on Twitter .

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Byron Scott To Coach the Lakers?: You Better Hope Not

Joe Gerrity — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:22:03 -0500

So as most of you know Byron Scott was fired as coach of the Hornets fairly recently. Even more than most NBA fans, Laker Nation was probably a little confused, bewildered, and even angered at the firing, given that as a player he was one of your own.

Anyway, there has been constant speculation over the last few year as to who will replace Phil Jackson when he eventually retires from coaching. The buzz around Byron seemed to get a little louder when he was fired, with many Lakers fans claiming the Byron was simply the scapegoat of an organization in disarray.

Many of you actually WANT Scott to be your next coach.

I’m sure when looking at his coaching resume you point at the two NBA finals appearances in only ten years as a head coach. You might mention his [undeserved] NBA coach of the year (makeup call for CP3 not being the MVP). Maybe you will even show me his all time record of 33-24 in playoff games.

What you definitely won’t point out, or may not even know is…

His Horrible Track Record Developing Young Players

Sure you can point at CP3 and give credit to Scott, but that’s really taking a leap of faith considering his otherwise futile past. Let’s look at recent selections under his tenure as Hornets’ head coach and what happened to them.

Let’s also look at how great a job the Hornets scouting department has done over the years. It’s a shame that Byron ruined this young core for them.

2004, #18, Earl (JR) Smith

This promising high school player was drafted with the full knowledge that he was young and immature. That’s what you get when you draft kids from high school. Byron Scott, coaching a horrible team, let him play almost the whole year (in part due to injuries at the guard spots which left them severely depleted). He ended up averaging 10.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.

The next year with the trade for Speedy Claxton and the drafting of Chris Paul, the backcourt had a lot more depth which allowed Byron to do his thing and put him in the doghouse.

In January 2006, Smith learned why Scott isn’t a good coach. Despite shooting 37% from three for the year on over 140 attempts, he saw just 17 minutes over a 21 game stretch from March extending into May.

He was playing harder on the defensive end, grabbing more boards, getting more steals and shooting more efficiently from everywhere than in his rookie season (where he saw time regardless of how he played), yet Scott saw to it that the 20 year old received awful publicity. It was rumored that the Bulls didn’t even want him in the trade that sent Tyson Chandler to New Orleans and essentially confirmed when Chicago shipped him out without ever playing a game in red.

Sure JR was young, insane and full of energy. Today he’s more mature, still insane and still full of energy. Nearly every basketball stat available shows that he’s a contributor to the upper cusp team in Denver. Last season he was a big part of the team that knocked Byron’s Hornets out of the playoffs.

JR was only the second high school player ever taken by the Hornets. The first, your very own Kobe. Would you want Scott touching any high school prospect after the way he treated JR? It seems that Scott just wasn’t aware of the talent that he had since he just tossed him on top of an already done deal. Byron just didn't want to coach him anymore.

2005, #4, Chris Paul

Now I realize that Paul is awesome, but is there anyone who thinks he would have sucked in Atlanta or Utah? I have a hard time giving Scott credit for Paul since he never had to really mold him. CP3 was NBA ready coming out of college and he backed it up by winning ROY. Scott just grabbed on (like he did with another PG, Jason Kidd) and rode the coattails.

I do wonder what Scott would have done had Paul struggled early like his counterpart Deron Williams did in Utah. Would Scott have shoved him in the doghouse or worse yet, traded him away?

2005, #33, Brandon Bass-

Now I’ll admit, not many thought Bass would turn out as well as he did, but come on. Byron saw him daily for years and he couldn’t figure out that Bass was a player? He barely even gave him a chance on the court despite the Hornets’ frontcourt woes.

He played only 400 minutes in two years. In 2007 he was sitting behind Hilton Armstrong, Marc Jackson and the famous Linton Johnson, still seeing almost no time.

In total he played 50 games for the Hornets over two years averaging a hair over eight minutes per game. His PER? Around an eight with Byron.

At age 21 Bass was thrown aside by the Hornets and found himself on the Dallas lineup where he managed to double his minutes per game en route to career highs in points, rebounds, shooting percentage, blocks, assists and steals. His PER rose to a then career high 16. Since then it has only gone up.

The decision to let him go was simply idiotic considering that Ryan Bowen was brought in to replace him. Now I know some of you will point at the GM for that one, but you know that GM’s and coaches talk about players. If Byron said he wanted Bass (who signed for next to nothing with Dallas), Bass would have been on the team.

Apparently Byron thought that then 31 year old Ryan Bowen was a better option. He backed it up by playing Bowen (a joke of an NBA starter) 12.5 minutes a game for a whopping 53 times. That’s more than he played Bass the two years prior. Why give a 31 year old stiff more time than a promising rookie? The only reason is that he had no idea that Bass would be good. His lack of foresight is a bit of a trend as you may have noticed.

2006, #12, Hilton Armstrong

Now Scott has certainly given Hilton a chance, but why? He never showed much potential in the NBA, is a foul machine, plays lousy defense and sub par offense.

During warm ups he shoots three pointers while giggling like a school girl. During timeouts he watches the cheerleaders dance, rarely even glancing at the coach. In his three years he has show no improvement at either end of the floor, yet Scott continued to play him.

My best guess is that it’s sort of like a “make up call” for messing up on Bass so badly. What’s unfortunate is that Hilton never demonstrated the same potential that Bass did in his limited minutes. Another example of Byron having no clue what he is doing with young players.

2007, #13, Julian Wright

This is a guy who slipped down the draft board and into the Hornets’ laps. They were a solid team, but obviously lacking athleticism from the wings. He was regarded by many analysts as the “steal of the draft”. Scott started out by barely playing him until December when he averaged 13 minutes a night as a reliable bench player.

Then out of nowhere Scott put him in the doghouse. His minutes dropped to only 1.4 per game in January and February. He missed 17 games entirely without injury.

Then in March and April, Scott unexpectedly put him back in every game for an average of 12 minutes throughout the playoffs, until game seven versus San Antonio in which he inexplicably didn’t see a single minute despite the lack of energy on both ends that the Hornets showed.

Then in the summer Byron totally went against everything intuitive about a 6’6, high energy, low basketball IQ player and gave him heavy minutes at the point guard position. Oddly enough Scott stuck with it throughout the summer regardless of how counterintuitive it seemed. The result was a confused young player, unsure of his role.

He regressed through the next year, seeing two minutes some months and twenty the next. With an uncertainty regarding his actual position and future with the team, Wright seemed to just hang in limbo, waiting for someone to tell him what he was supposed to be doing. The decision to make him a PG in his first full summer in the league was simply damaging to the young player.

What made things even stranger is that some games he would start and see 30 minutes and then a week later he would be inactive. It’s like Scott couldn’t decide which of his rash decisions was worse. Either way he was admitting to himself and the team that he had no idea what Juilians role should be. This a player that he was supposed to be molding into a future starter.

For what it’s worth his PER was 15 in 2007, 13 in 2008 and a pathetic SIX this year. Thanks a lot Byron…

2009, Marcus Thornton, Darren Collison

After George Shinn expressed displeasure with Scott not developing young players, Byron reacted by playing the two draft picks a total of 21 minutes in the first seven games. In their stead he played bench sitting veteran Devin Brown and washed up Morris Peterson.

Since Scott was fired both Collison and Thornton have shown a ton of potential, averaging nearly 48 minutes per game combined. It’s unlikely that either would have seen significant time in Scotts “If you aren’t old then get in the doghouse” system.

To summarize-

Scott allows rookies to see a little bit of time, but at first sign of any inexperience, he opts to instead play veteran players who not only are less talented, but clearly have a lower ceiling.

His inconsistency with confidence causes players to be unsure of what their role on the team is, or why they are losing minutes to begin with. At the same time older players receive consistent minutes despite routine sub par performances.

Another player discarded by Scott who has shined elsewhere is Chris Anderson. After returning from a drug related suspension, Anderson signed on with the Hornets for the end of the 2007-2008 season. Scott let him play only 5 games, averaging six minutes per, but still showing that he was still a freak of nature. His .8 blocks and 1.6 rebounds don’t seem like much, but over 48 minutes that equates to 6.4 blocks and 13 boards.

He signed on the next year with Denver for the minimum contract and went on to lead the league in blocks per minute and provide a valuable interior presence, one the Hornets so desperately needed. Instead of Anderson the Hornets kept (you guessed it) Ryan Bowen, who Scott continued to play.

Again I realize that you might blame the GM for this, but if your coach is playing one guy and letting another rot the bench, which one would you resign? It’s sad that they both cost the same.

There are obviously more things wrong with Scott which I will tackle at a later date, but think about this for a while. How would you like remove young players from the Lakers winning equation? If that works for you, then Scott may just be your guy. If you are looking to win games over an extended period of time, then I would suggest a real NBA coach.

Lastly, you guys need to realize that you are the Lakers. You can get anyone you want to be your coach. There's no reason to settle for some random guy (who has been fired twice) just because he used to play for you. The coach that Buss chooses as a successor should be someone without major flaws.

A few cheap shots since he’s no longer my coach-

He dresses like he’s a metro sexual model in GQ.

He never calls timeout to stop runs.

He constantly sticks with the same lineup, even when they are being slaughtered.

His lineups at times look like he just picked them out of a hat

Crossing your arms does not qualify as a coaching move.

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Kobe Drains 40 For 100th Time In Career

Frank Gasper — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:47:06 -0500

Kobe Bryant has been labelled the best player in the world by millions of fans around the world.

Kobe Bryant hit 17-of-29 shots and a three-pointer for 40 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals in Tuesday's win over the Pistons. This brought him to 40 points 100 times in his career. (For those of you who aren't good at math, that is a lot.)

This is just an amazing record to me. To be able to score 40 points 100 times! That is just astonishing.

I'm sure every single one of you know about his 81 point game, the second most points in a game ever. Next to Wilt's 101 point game.

My question is, is he too old to reach at least 175 games with 40 points. I think he can easily get to 150, but is 175 out of reach?

Kobe is the most clutch player in the NBA, no doubt. He can score at will, and drive to the hoop and hit an almost impossible shot. Kobe is not human. He is just so good.

Kobe reaching 40 points in a total of 100 games is an amazing stat that probably will not be touched for a while. Maybe not even LeBron, he is more of a 30 point, seven assists, seven rebounds kind of guy, and that is why I love him, but Kobe is just a better overall player.

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L.A. Lakers' Pivot Points: Five Potholes on the Road To a Repeat, Part 3

Hadarii Jones — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:11:48 -0500

If the Los Angeles Lakers can manage to escape San Antonio and Denver, who I see as their biggest challenges in the West, their journey will lead them to the NBA Finals where they will face one of three potential opponents from the Eastern Conference.

The first of these teams is Cleveland, which is probably the best match-up for the defending champions. The Lakers hold all of the primary advantages over the Cavaliers, save one. But that one just happens to be LeBron James.

James has jumped to the forefront of conversation when discussing the best players in the league. Outside of Los Angeles he probably gets the nod over Kobe Bryant.

His attributes are numerous and he has steadily improved in most aspects of his game. His man defense is less than stellar, but he makes up for it by being one of the best help defenders in the NBA.

There will be no way for the Lakers to shut him down, but the acquisition of Ron Artest means that Kobe won't have to exert as much energy trying to defend James.

Honestly, Artest will have his hands full, but if the emphasis is placed on another player having to beat the Lakers, then half of the battle is already won. The Cavaliers simply don't have another player capable of picking up the slack.

On the perimeter, Mo Williams would seem to be the logical choice and his jump shot could spell some trouble for the Lakers.

The problem with Williams is that he would be much more of a threat if he used his exceptional quickness to penetrate the Lakers' porous perimeter defense. But for some reason he seems to settle for the jumper far too often.

That plays to the Lakers' advantages and for the Cavaliers to compete, that is something that would have to be corrected. The rest of the Cavaliers' perimeter players are an odd assortment and at a glance do not strike much fear into anyone's hearts.

Delonte West is the most experienced and is capable of being a problem for Los Angeles. But due to the state of his legal affairs, his availability is not a given. The only other viable option is Anthony Parker.

Parker does have size, but his talent level is a far cry from what he would see in Artest and Kobe Bryant. He is much better suited to defend and is not reliable enough to depend on for points.

The paint is where Cleveland could inflict the most damage, as they are able to match the Lakers in size, if not quickness. Shaquille O'Neal is nowhere near the player that he was, but is still capable of playing motivated in spurts.

Shaq would definitely bring his best in a series with the Lakers because to him, a final battle with Bryant would be a chance for ultimate bragging rights.

He is still nimble for a 37-year-old and is wily enough to cause problems for center Andrew Bynum, provided that Bynum is healthy if a match-up were to occur.

Trying to picture Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Anderson Varejao chasing Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol through the paint and around the perimeter is enough to bring chuckles in any visible situation.

They simply don't possess the athleticism or quickness to defend either of those Lakers for an extended period of time. Lately Cleveland has been giving J.J. Hickson more playing time, but his problem is length.

He does have ability, but his lack of height would put him at a disadvantage against the Lakers' towering front line. Jamario Moon is another option and could offer relief guarding Odom on the perimeter, but he too lacks the experience.

The benches for both teams are about even. Cleveland holds an advantage in depth while the overall talent factor is a plus for the Lakers.

Coach Mike Brown rarely receives the credit he is due for merging a team of average players with LeBron James and instilling the defensive principles that make the Cavaliers go.

He is under-appreciated and if he can't produce a championship this year, it may be his final season in Ohio. Although Brown is capable, he is not even in the same arena as Laker coach Phil Jackson.

Jackson may be the best coach to ever stroll the professional basketball sideline. He has as many championship rings as Brown does years of experience.

The one advantage Cleveland may hold is not on the court, but in the mental intangibles. O'Neal is known to get under Bryant's skin and, due to their time together in L.A., knows his tendencies better than any other player.

That does have the chance of back-firing though because the same can be said of Bryant knowing the ways of O'Neal and his weaknesses, which have increased due to age.

Read more Los Angeles Lakers news on BleacherReport.com

Pivot Points: Lakers, Celtics Facing Questions in Wake of Two-Game Skids

Hadarii Jones — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:34:58 -0500

For two teams that are supposed to be the NBA favorites, the past two games have left the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers looking pretty ordinary.

In Boston, the home loss to the Atlanta Hawks can be pretty much summed up by a lack of rebounding on both ends. The younger, more athletic Hawks just beat up the Celtics on the boards.

The mystery lies in this question: How do the long, experienced Celtics allow themselves to be out-rebounded on their home floor? Good thing they didn't have to search long to find the answer.

It basically boiled down to a lack of attention to basic fundamentals, namely blocking out opponents when the ball was in the air. Coach Doc Rivers basically said as much as he watched his players continuously beaten to the ball by the quicker Hawks.

Although Boston had a discernible height advantage, the obvious difference in athleticism was staggering. It could have been nullified by fundamentals, but the Celtics often found themselves reacting to the Hawks instead of blocking out.

Against the Indiana Pacers the Celtics did a better job on the boards but still found themselves on the losing end.

This is not as perplexing as it may sound because the Pacers are known to bring their best effort against the better teams in the league.

Danny Granger, who led the Pacers with 25 points, looked like he was a step ahead of the exhausted Boston defense the entire evening, and when the game was on the line the Celtics didn't have the energy to come up with stops.

The Celtcs were able to correct their rebounding problem and a little rest should help out their tired bones. In Los Angeles, the Lakers find themselves in a place that they didn't see until December 9 of last year.

Coming off a blowout loss in Denver, the Lakers hoped to find a little relief in the comforts of home but the scrappy Houston Rockets had other ideas.

In a night which saw former Laker Trevor Ariza receive his championship ring, it was the Rockets who looked the part of defending champions while the Lakers just struggled to stay in the game.

A familiar nemesis was once again their undoing as the Lake Show was once again unable to find an answer for Houston guard, Aaron Brooks.

The Lakers' inability to guard the perimeter has always been a problem, but in the last two games it has been magnified, just as the absence of Pau Gasol keeps reverberating like a broken record.

In all honesty Gasol probably wouldn't have helped much this night, as Brooks constantly beat the Lakers from distance and at the rim. They simply had no answer for him.

His exploits left the Lakers looking old and slow and once again exposed as they are incapable of keeping opposing guards out of the paint.

It has become clear that if Kobe is not playing out of his mind, the Lakers are going to have trouble beating teams that are motivated and have quickness on the perimeter.

Bryant re-aggravated a groin injury, and his teammates were once again unable to pick up the slack. Ron Artest and Andrew Bynum did their best with 21 and 22 points respectively, but the lack of perimeter defense was a death-knoll.

The Lakers, reeling after their third loss in 11 games must now regroup and find a way to correct their perimeter problems. It seems easier said than done as they have been vulnerable to penetration all season long.

It seems like other teams have figured out that the best way to compete with the Lakers is to attack them at their weakest point which is their lead guard position.

Someone other than Artest and Bryant will have to step up or the Lakers will find this replaying itself throughout the season.

Bryant has vowed to play through this latest injury, but Lakers fans have to be concerned with how his range of motion will be affected. Groin injuries tend to be the hardest to recover from and are known to linger for weeks.

This makes Gasol's return even more important because the Lakers can ill-afford to engage in battle with a less than healthy Bryant, and a hole-filled perimeter defense.

Boston and L.A. find themselves both coming off of consecutive losses, and the questions from fans and pundits are relentless.

In the Celtics case the answers can be found in a return to fundamental basketball, but in Los Angeles the wounds may run deeper and may have a more complicated solution to the equation.

Although it may be a little early to panic, there is definitely reason for concern in the city of angels.

Read more Los Angeles Lakers news on BleacherReport.com

NBA Landscape: Episode 1

Shaun Ahmad — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:13:38 -0500

A recap of the biggest stories and happenings across the NBA landscape throughout the season. Episode 1 looks at contenders off to quick starts, surprising Suns, rookie phenom Brandon Jennings, and LeBron James rumors.

Contenders Off to Quick Starts

Contenders from the prior season usually get off to good starts unless they make widespread changes. This year is no different as the Lakers, Nuggets, Celtics, Cavs, and Magic are all 7-3 or better through 10 games.

The balance of power among the elite teams seems to slowly be shifting east. It was just a couple of seasons ago when it could legitimately be argued that the seventh or eighth seed in the West was as good as the No. 2 or 3 seed in the East.

Now, the Western Conference seems wide open outside of the Nuggets and Lakers. Though the Blazers, Suns, and Mavericks are all off to impressive starts, none of them look good enough (yet) to unseat the top two teams from a season ago.

The Eastern Conference, on the other hand, seems to have more powerful teams. The Boston Celtics have added depth and are playing playoff tempo defense. The Orlando Magic have started hot and Rashard Lewis, coming off a suspension, has yet to join the party.

The Cavs are always in the conversation with LeBron James, and even Atlanta looks better than last year. The Hawks are 8-2, including a victory in Boston a few days back. Miami isn't on the level of the others yet, but they have shown a strong, young nucleus while winning seven of their first nine.

The contenders are all taking care of business early, and the balance of power may have shifted to the Eastern Conference.

Surprising Suns

Welcome back, Phoenix Suns! Did anyone really see this coming? I didn't. Despite their 46-36 record in 2008-09, they had all sorts of problems, starting with a missing identity.

After trading Boris Diaw and Raja Bell to Charlotte as well as sending Shaquille O'Neal east to Cleveland, it looked like the Suns were heading into a heavy rebuilding phase.

Head coach Alvin Gentry finished off the 2008-09 campaign, following Terry Porter's firing, with a 17-13 record. Still, no one thought that the Suns would begin the season with the best record in the league after 10 games.

While they are scoring just two points more per game than last year, the offensive flow has been much more fluid. Think about how relieved Steve Nash must feel, not having a 350 pound, slow, over-the-hill, egomaniac of a center in the middle.

It's as if general manager, Steve Kerr, took a plunger to the toilet and cleared the mess that he himself created. Better now than never.

Jason Richardson playing like it's 2007, and the emergence of Jared Dudley also helps. It's still early, but keep your eye on the Suns making some noise in the West.

Unexpected troubles in New Orleans and Washington

Early troubles in the Big Easy, though many probably haven't even noticed yet since the Saints' perfect start to the NFL season is the talk of the town.

Regardless, there will be plenty of concerned fans once they realize that the Hornets are only half a game from being tied with Memphis as the worst team in the Southwest Division, have fired their head coach Byron Scott, and are missing injured point guard Chris Paul.

The Hornets aren't getting any consistent production from anyone outside of Paul and Emeka Okafor. With Paul out for a couple of weeks and a new coaching staff, things could get ugly down south.

The Washington Wizards are also off to a rocky start. The injury bug hit the team early with several players being sidelined, including Antawn Jamison. Jamison should be returning any day, but the lack of consistency in the lineup has made it difficult for the team to gel under new head coach Flip Saunders.

Gilbert Arenas has returned from his several surgeries, but clearly has some rust. After winning two of their first three, the Wizards have dropped six straight contests.

While the season is still young, the team might be digging themselves into a hole that they can't climb out of.

Brandon Jennings

The Rookie of the Year award is a lock to go to Brandon Jennings. I don't care if it's only been 10 or 11 games. Jennings is a star.

For those who have still not heard, the rookie dropped double nickels (55 points) on the Golden State Warriors and had a 29-point third quarter!

He's averaging 25.6 ppg and shooting nearly 50 percent from the field, and 56.7 percent from long distance. I repeat. 50 percent from the field and 56.7 percent from long distance!

Tack on his five assists and four rebounds per game. Forget the rookie of the year award; Jennings is heading for a starting position in the All-Star game at this rate.

Side note: What if the Knicks had drafted him? The LeBron James to New York deal would have looked a lot sexier than it does right now, wouldn't it? Somewhere, Spike Lee just threw up. Speaking of which...

LBJ-Wade-Bosh Rumor is Silly

Like most of you, I'm very over the story that has been going on for three years now about where LeBron James and Dwyane Wade will end up next season. The theories seem to have gotten more and more ridiculous.

Earlier this month, Sam Smith wrote about Kobe and LeBron joining forces in Los Angeles. Give me a break. Those two egos can't fit in the same time zone, let alone the same city.

The trendy rumor for this week is that James and Bosh will leave their respective cities and join Wade in Miami to create their version of the Olympic Team.

Right.

First off, let's remove Bosh from the equation because Marc Stein of ESPN has reported that it appears he will remain in Toronto as he likes the city, and (surprise) likes being the alpha male on the team.

That leaves the James-Wade possibility. Not going to happen for the following reasons:

1) Money . James will get more money staying in Cleveland than he would signing a max deal with Miami. Don't let anyone convince you that the "money doesn't matter" to James. It does.

2) Be like Mike. Though Michael Jordan wasn't from Chicago, he was revered for turning the franchise into a six time world champion. James is from Cleveland, and his ties with the city have been extensively chronicled.

For him to give up on the home team and leave to another city to win a title would diminish his stature.

Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, and of course, Michael Jordan, all won with the teams that they started with. Winning a title in Cleveland is a challenge that James needs to overcome.

3) Legendary Status. Suppose James leaves Cleveland and joins Wade. Now suppose they win two or three titles together while both are in their prime. Keep in mind that Wade already had a title, in a season where he carried his squad.

James will be knocked for not being able to carry a team on his back as the lead guy, and having to take the assistance of another top three player in the game to reach the pinnacle.

He won't ever be considered among the best like Jordan or Bryant unless he wins a title as THE main guy.

Why do you think Kobe Bryant was obsessed (understatement of the year) with winning a title without another hall of fame player on his team? To show that you are the best, it is in a competitor's mindset that you have to lead a team to a championship win.

James will not be given credit for doing that and will forever be ridiculed if he joins Wade.

4) Egos . They may hug and speak each other's praises in the media, but make no mistake about it. Two athletes that each think they are the best in the sport, and whose careers are running parallel to each other cannot, under any circumstance , coexist on one team...especially in basketball.

Working together in the Summer Olympics is one thing. Working together for an 82 game season plus playoffs is another.

James and Wade both think they are better than each other, and as two alphas, they will never be able to achieve success while playing collectively because their mere shared existence takes away from each individual's opportunities for accolades.

So be prepared to see Bosh in Toronto, Wade in Miami, and James in Cleveland.

Read more Los Angeles Lakers news on BleacherReport.com

NBA Power Rankings: Blazers, Bucks and Pacers Surge; Nuggets Go Top

The Daily Hurt — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:02:10 -0500

Milwaukee Bucks rookie Brandon Jennings explosive start to NBA life has made the Bucks relevant again and in first place in the Central division. Meanwhile, the Portland Trail Blazers have quietly won six straight and the Boston Celtics dropped back-to-back games for the first time this season to see them tumble from top spot.

What does it all mean? The week three power rankings provide the answer.

DENVER NUGGETS —While Denver only squeaked by the Bulls and then got caught up in the Brandon Jennings typhoon in Milwaukee, what was most impressive about them this week was how they used defense to stifle the Lakers. Offense is always more fun to watch, but defense is what wins championships.
LA LAKERS —The Lakers went from a 19-point victory at home to the Suns one night, to a 26-point loss on the road in Denver the next. Had the Lakers beaten the Rockets on Sunday night, they'd be in top spot.
ATLANTA HAWKS —Jamal Crawford is averaging 17 points off the bench providing the Hawks with the offensive weapon that's been missing over the last couple of seasons. Atlanta has won three straight and begins a three game homestand on Monday night against the Blazers. I love the way Josh Smith is playing right now. Mature, responsible and unselfish.
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS —Portland has won six straight, but apart from against the San Antonio Spurs, none of their wins have come against playoff-bound opponents. Defensively, Greg Oden's game looks to be coming together, now if he can just provide some consistency on the offensive end, the Blazers will become even more formidable.
PHOENIX SUNS —A thumping loss to the Lakers tempered the Suns' hot start, however, Phoenix has a fairly light schedule for the rest of the month which should keep them among the leaders out West.
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS —The Florida double-header is never easy so that the Cavs went 2-0 in two nights suggests that, after their sluggish start, LeBron has got Cleveland on the right track. The LeBron/D-Wade rivalry continues to live up to the hype.
MIAMI HEAT —In case you missed it, here it is again http://bit.ly/qEPrY3 . Oh, and then he followed that up with this http://bit.ly/2epWTx . Yes, Dwyane it is your house.
INDIANA PACERS —Danny Granger predicted a victory over the Celtics on Saturday night and was good to his word. The Pacers have won four straight and like last year, will be difficult to beat at home. Did anyone expect Dahntay Jones to be Indiana's second leading scorer at 16 PPG?
BOSTON CELTICS —The Celtics stumbled this week and showed a vulnerability against fast-paced teams. An Eastern conference finals rematch at home with the Orlando Magic is a must-watch on Friday night.
MILWAUKEE BUCKS —By now, everyone knows Brandon Jennings went off for 55 points against the Warriors on Saturday night, but did you know that for the week, the rookie shot 9-for-10 from three point range and 60-percent from the field? He's also leading the team in assists.
DALLAS MAVERICKS —The Mavericks overcame a 17-point deficit at home to defeat the Rockets but they couldn't overcome a Spurs team on the road that was missing Duncan and Parker. Dallas gets another shot at the back-to-full-strength San Antonio this week.
DETROIT PISTONS —Will Bynum is a mini-me version of Ben Wallace, but with an offensive game. The Pistons have been treading water without Hamilton and Prince but they face a tough test this week at L.A. (Lakers), Portland and Utah.
ORLANDO MAGIC —The Magic welcome back Rashard Lewis this week and his arrival couldn't come at a better time. Orlando's offense has been inconsistent and with Lewis back on the floor, it will take some of the heat off Dwight Howard.
CHICAGO BULLS —The Bulls begin the first of six straight on the road Tuesday at Sacramento. Chicago scored 60 points in the first half against Toronto on Wednesday but managed only 29 in the second half en route to a loss.
SAN ANTONIO SPURS —San Antonio still hasn't won on the road and dropped their first home game to Oklahoma City on Saturday night. The Spurs leading scorer? Four players are averaging 15 PPG.
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER —OKC burned the Spurs in San Antonio on Saturday night but then couldn't get it done against the Clippers on Sunday night, despite 40 from Kevin Durant? There is so much to like about the Thunder, but consistency continues to be their biggest obstacle.
HOUSTON ROCKETS —The Rockets are easily the hardest team to rank. They lose at Sacramento but win at the Lakers. I love Aaron Brooks's aggressiveness which is tempered perfectly by the calmness of Luis Scola.
SACRAMENTO KINGS —Just what is going on in Sactown? The Kings are 4-0 since Kevin Martin went down. I can't wait to see Tyreke Evans go up against Brandon Jennings in December. How strange does that sound, looking forward to a Bucks versus Kings matchup?
TORONTO RAPTORS —The Raptors spotted the Clippers a 22-point lead before romping home by 15 points on Friday night. Then on Sunday night, Turkoglu missed a buzzer beater against the Phoenix Suns. If Toronto can be at or over .500 by the time they return home on Friday night to face Miami, it will have been a successful road trip.
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS —Losing sophomore Marresse Speights for up to eight weeks is a severe blow to the Sixers. Philly's main problem, though, remains on the defensive end where they have already allowed more than 110 points four times this season. Elton Brand is averaging less than 10 points per game.
UTAH JAZZ —The Jazz will be happy enough with a split in the two games that they didn't have Deron Williams, who's been dealing with a medical issue with his daughter. Hopefully, she is well and D-Will is back on the court soon.
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES —If there's one player I wouldn't sign to replace Allen Iverson, it would be Jamaal Tinsley. The Pacers gave him $14 million to go away, that's got to say something about his character. Must be good enough for Grizzlies owner Michael Hiesley though.
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS —The dub's squeaked out two wins this week. One was against the Timberwolves and the other against the Knicks. It just goes to show the states of Minnesota and New York that even Golden State, with all their chaos and mess can still keep it together enough to beat them.
LA CLIPPERS —Just as the Clippers looked to be getting it together again, they fell apart. To make matters worse, the Clips opened with a home heavy schedule but could only manage two wins from seven games. Sunday night's win over Oklahoma might have been the Clips' best performance of the season.
NEW ORLEANS HORNETS —Chris Paul deserves so much more than what he's getting from Hornets owner George Shinn. Byron Scott was unlucky to get the boot and the best New Orleans can hope for from this season now is a high lottery pick.
CHARLOTTE BOBCATS —The Bobcats are last in points scored and field goal percentage. They have scored less than 82 points in six of their nine games. It makes you wonder how they've acutally been able to win one, let alone three games.
WASHINGTON WIZARDS —Let me get this straight. Earl Boykins hadn't played in the NBA since April 2008, and he comes off the bench to lead the Wizards in scoring in his first game back. It still wasn't enough to stop Washington from losing their sixth straight.
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES —It's hard to believe that the T'Wolves were unbeaten at one point this season. Sure it was 1-0 and their lone victory was over the Nets but the way they have played since makes you wonder how they ever did it.
NEW JERSEY NETS —The Nets remain ahead of the Knicks because they've at least shown the ability to compete, as was proven against Miami on Saturday night, but when you're down, you're down.
NEW YORK KNICKS —Mike D'Antoni will probably survive the season, but he needs to get this team to show some passion and fight. Anything better than what the Knicks have offered so far will be an improvement.

Read more Los Angeles Lakers news on BleacherReport.com

Pau Gasol's Injury Is Exactly What Andrew Bynum Needed

Will Ayers Jr. — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 12:23:35 -0500

The Lakers 7-2 start without star big man Pau Gasol should serve as a wake up call to everyone around the league who believed Andrew Bynum could not be a dominate big man in the NBA.

One of the reasons for Bynum's emergence is the absence of Gasol. Bynum has become the second option in the triangle offense, which has made the fourth-year big man more aggressive.The 22-year-old center has averaged 20.9 points and 11.9 rebounds through nine games, which is why the Lakers sit atop the Pacific Division with the Phoenix Suns.

Bynum's biggest impact has come on the boards. In games against potential playoff opponents like Dallas, Phoenix, Oklahoma City, and Denver, Bynum averaged 9.6 rebounds on the defensive end.

Stopping second chance points is exactly what you need in a conference that plays home to seven of the NBA's top 10 scoring teams. This is something that many had concerns about following Gasol's hamstring injury.

Bynum has also dominated the Western Conference's premiere centers. Against Chris Kaman, Erik Dampier, Nene and Channing Frye, Bynum averaged 21.2 points and 13.2 rebounds.

The budding star also held them to an average of nine points in each contest. These early numbers are a reflection of Bynum's new and improved aggressive play, something that he always seemed to lack.

If Bynum continues his stellar play, he will probably make his first All-Star appearance, a nightmare for teams trying to dethrone the defending champs.

It will be interesting to see how Gasol and Bynum gel because the Lakers now have two legitimate second options in the low post. Either Bynum will revert to his passive demeanor or he will solidify the Lakers as the best low post team in the NBA.

Regardless, this is an issue that any coach in the NBA would love to have.

Read more Los Angeles Lakers news on BleacherReport.com

Laker DJ Mbenga, In Stable Condition After Vicious Dunk In Denver

Matt Smith — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:08:14 -0500

Los Angeles Lakers back up center DJ Mbenga was posterized so viciously last night in Denver it should be against the law, unfortunately for Mbenga he was going against the LAWson. In fact the authorities were searching for one Tywon Ronell Lawson aka "Ty" to bring in for questioning.

I haven't seen a Denver little guy violate someone that bad since Robert Pack use to hurt peoples feelings in the 90's. Lawson looks like the truth and I'm sure quite a few teams that passed up on him in the draft will regret that decision.

If this were an And 1 game instead of the NBA, after that dunk one of the Nuggets, probably Kenyon Martin would have thrown the ball into the stands, And 1 MC Duke Tango would be yelling on the mic "OHHHHHHH BABY!", the ref's would have escorted Mbenga to the locker room and the game would have been called, regardless of whatever time was still on the clock.

In fact the second half the Nuggets played loosey goosey and treated the Lakers like an And 1 opponent, or for any old heads out there, like the Washington Generals. The last time I remember the Lakers catching a beat down like this was against the Celtics in Game 6 of the NBA Finals in '08. Not a pleasant memory.

I will at least give Mbenga credit for trying to contest the diminutive Lawson's dunk and for not reacting like Anderson Varejao did after D-Wade assaulted him on Thursday. Mbenga took his like a man and kept on playing while Varejao tried to get back and just looked silly.

If you haven't seen these facials, here's a link for both.

Lawson's link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgUMJFqctiA

Wade's link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uRN7iJ5CqQ

Both were vicious and early candidates for dunk of the year but I'd give a slight edge to Wade for the full extension and flush followed by the stepping over Varejao (which was reminiscent of Iverson stepping over former Laker Tyronn Lue in the 2001 NBA Finals). Lawson does get high marks for being 5'11 and cramming one over a 7 foot shot blocker.

Ok Nuggets fans, enjoy that one, you got that, this does not make up for losing in the Western Conference Finals but I'm sure you enjoyed that butt kicking punctuated by Lawson's dunk.

Read more Los Angeles Lakers news on BleacherReport.com

Pivot Points: How Bad Was the LA Lakers' Loss to Denver? Ask Johan Petro

Hadarii Jones — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 11:49:22 -0500

To say the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Denver Nuggets on Friday night would not be doing justice to the word lost. I can think of a few better words like, battered, bruised, demolished, annihilated...take your pick from any of these.

How bad was it? Denver reserve, Johan Petro made his grand entrance with six minutes left in the fourth quarter, and the significance in this is that Petro is a more athletic version of Laker reserve Adam Morrison.

His substitution for Carmelo Anthony mid-way through the fourth quarter meant that either the Nuggets were getting blown out or that they had put the game out of reach, and in this case it happened to be the latter.

It's not like the french-born Petro is a horrible player; it's just that much like Morrison, he has been unable to realize his potential. His extended play highlighted several things for the defending champion Lakers and none of them were positive.

Kobe Bryant scored 19 points on 7-17 shooting, but when being defended by Nugget guard, Aaron Afflao he was only 2-10 from the field. Naturally, Afflalo has now been designated the latest version of the "Kobe stopper."

This is nothing new for Bryant, as he has seen various versions of this model throughout his tenure in the NBA, but now the designation will hold until Kobe is able to prove other-wise.

The Lakers were due for a let-down after winning six straight games all without power forward Pau Gasol, and they were in the second game of a back-to-back after blowing out the run-and-gun Phoenix Suns.

The atmosphere in Denver was electric, as the Nuggets were looking for a measure of revenge from last year's dismissal in the Western Conference finals, and they were welcoming back suspended guard, J.R. Smith.

Even still, the manner in which the Lakers were beaten is totally inexcusable. The lack of effort displayed by the men in purple and gold should be shown in instructional videos of how not to play the game of basketball.

Consider the two teams went to halftime with the Nuggets holding a 58-56 lead and the Lakers only managed to put up 23 points after the intermission. Twenty-three points? On some nights Bryant manages to get that in a quarter.

This was definitely not one of those nights, and the Laker defense, unbelievably, was just as stagnant as the offense.

Denver guards Chauncey Billups and Ty Lawson, repeatedly beat their counterparts to the rim and Lawson had a dunk over seven footer, D.J. Mbenga that is sure to be replayed over and over for the rest of the season.

Trying to find Laker positives in this game is similar to trying to tell an ugly girl that you would rather date her friend, in other words, an exercise in futility.

Laker center, Andrew Bynum did continue his torrid start to the season by chipping in with 19 points and a game high 15 rebounds, but for the Lakers that was about it.

I guess if you were really reaching you could say that Morrison won the battle of seldom-used reserves by out-scoring Petro two points to zero, and he logged more minutes with twelve to Petro's six.

As far as battles go, at least that was an area that the Lakers prevailed, but as far as the game goes, on this night, they without a doubt lost the war.

Read more Los Angeles Lakers news on BleacherReport.com

NBA's 10 Best Bench Warmers: Who is Riding the Pine in 2009

Stephen Brotherston — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:17:14 -0500

Every season in the NBA a new crop of bench warmers joins the world of the under-worked and grossly over-paid! The dressed but will never play guys lost in their coach’s doghouse and the suit styling millionaires the coach won’t even risk getting into the game by accident. Many of these (un)lucky employees of NBA teams have very familiar names and some might even surprise at just how far they have fallen in so short a time. But some are just lucky veterans that are still collecting on contracts that extended longer than their ability to play. For the start of the 2009-10 season, please welcome the top 10 NBA bench-warmers. May some of them find the opportunity to be useful before the season ends.

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Top 5 Current Signature Moves in the NBA

Aaron Navarro — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:13:02 -0500

In this day and age everything is expanding. Apple Inc. will not stop creating new portable music devices and laptops, and snack companies are finding new ways to reduce calories from our dearly beloved potato chips. Depending on how you look at it, change can either be good or bad. This logic can be applied to the NBA. Keeping things traditional seems to rock the boat steady, but spicing things help once in a while doesn't hurt too. One of the ways in which the NBA has changed is the way players play the game. They understand the fundamentals of the game, but add their own twist to help give it some flavour. With each player represented by one signature move, it is hard not to go all sparkly eyes whenever it is displayed. Any who, here are the current top five signature moves in the NBA.

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Cold-Blooded: 10 NBA Players With Ice-Water In Their Veins

Hadarii Jones — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:09:35 -0500

With the shot-clock winding down and the sound of the crowd pulsating in your ears, these are the type of players whose hands you want the ball in. They operate as if the crowd ceases to exist and the only sound they hear is the steady beat of the ball off the hardwood. Going through their motions with controlled energy, they silently size you up before going in for the kill. The snap of the net as the ball passes through it is more an expectation than a consequence and they drift back down the court poised to strike again. These are the players with ice-water running through their veins, and to borrow a phrase they are cooler than the other side of the pillow. Nothing frazzles them as they carve you up with the precision of a surgeon. They thrive off of energy, whether it's positive or negative, and if it's the latter, be prepared for their supreme concentration. There is nothing that pleases them more than to hear the air go out of an arena after they have hit you with a cold-blooded move, they live to silence the crowd. Let me know if you agree or disagree with my picks and feel free to offer alternative choices, after all, I'm sure there are others with the dagger mentality that I may have missed. So sit back and relax as I take you on a journey through the land of the cold, calculated killers, or as Reggie Miller would exclaim, mama there goes that man!

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Will Andrew Bynum Be The Top Center of the Next Decade?

Matt Smith — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:51:14 -0500

I know it's early in the season, but have you seen Andrew Bynum?

This young man is coming of age, showing skills, solid footwork, and great hands, he's got the look of an All-Star. So I ask this question, knowing I may be putting premature pressure on the big fella: can he be the best center in the league?

As of now that title belongs to Dwight Howard aka Superman 2 and deservedly so.

Howard is the best defensive big man in the league and is an explosive athlete who is developing his offensive game. Howard is also a gold medalist and the leader of a franchise which comes with much more pressure than Mr. Bynum has to deal with.

That being said, when I look at the current level of both players and their potential to improve (if both remain healthy), I see Bynum having more upside. It seems to me that Howard relies on his superior athleticism to dominate his opponent while Bynum looks to have superior touch and footwork. Being the better athlete can be effective, but that doesn't last as long as having great skills.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, it has been well publicized, has been Bynum's personal coach for a few years, and it appears to have paid off. Bynum, the youngest player ever to be drafted to the NBA, has developed quite the offensive game and is only getting better.

On the defensive side of the ball Bynum needs to improve his effort. He seems to like scoring more than defending but he has the ability to be a shot blocker.

So let's look at the tale of the tape:

Howard has been starring in the league and has a head start on the development curve, is the more explosive athlete, is stronger, and is a better defender.

Bynum is the bigger player, has better footwork, touch, and offensive range, but needs to work on his defensive intensity. He needs a little bit of a mean streak when defending the paint.

Both look like great rebounders, Howard is the better shot blocker, and Bynum the better free throw shooter.

Another true center that could enter the discussion is Portland's Greg Oden. He is already a great shot blocker and defender, but he needs to develop his offensive game. As of now he seems to be behind both Bynum and Howard in his development.

Who do you think will be the best big man of the next decade? Please comment, I would love to hear your opinions.

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Over Or Under For Suns At Lakers?

bill duke — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:12:41 -0500

There are only two games on the NBA schedule tonight. One features the Phoenix Suns at the STAPLES Center to play the L.A. Lakers .

The teams both rank in the NBA’s top 10 when it comes to points scored. Phoenix averages an association-leading 112.3 points per game.

The Lakers are seven and a half-point favorites with a total of 221. In the last 10 matchups between the two, the over has cashed seven times.

However, in the Lakers’ last 12 home games, the total has yielded one over, 10 unders and one push.

In the Suns’ last nine road games there have been six unders.

In the Lakers’ last 10 games when favored by eight points or less, the total has gone under eight times.

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