5 Rotation Changes Mike Brown Must Make Immediately

This article will look at five rotation changes that Mike Brown must make immediately. 

Despite the fact that the team has already played a quarter of their season, Coach Brown has been tinkering and experimenting, trying to find the perfect rotation for his new-look Lakers. This has been easier said than done given the team’s new personnel, trying to learn a new offense and lack of practice time.

But the fact Brown is still trying to find perfect combinations for his rotation means there’s still time to make some much-needed changes. Here are five changes Brown needs to make as soon as possible.

5. Play Jason Kapono More Minutes

The Los Angeles Lakers are currently tied for 28^th in the NBA in three-point field-goal percentage, shooting just 28 percent from beyond the arc. Only the lowly new Orleans Hornets shoot a worse percentage from three-point range

Jason Kapono was signed this offseason in hopes of quelling the team’s woes from downtown, which date back to last season (the team finished last season 17th in the league in three-point field-goal percentage). But thus far, Kapono, much like many of the team’s reserves, has failed to receive consistent minutes in Mike Brown’s rotation.

I understand he is considered a liability on defense in certain situations. But Kapono was signed to do one thing and one thing only: improve the team’s three-point shooting. And after the quarter mark of the season, making three-pointers is still one of the team’s greatest weaknesses.

It makes sense for the former UCLA Bruin to get more minutes.

4. Play Devin Ebanks More Minutes

After coming off the bench for the first 20 games of the season, Metta World Peace made his first appearance in the team’s starting lineup Sunday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Maybe playing more with the likes of Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum will elevate World Peace’s overall play, which, to this point, has been below average. He is currently averaging career lows in points, rebounds, steals and assists, in addition to his usually strong defense taking a turn for the worse.

If Brown’s experiment with inserting World Peace back in the starting lineup doesn’t pan out, it could be time to give Devin Ebanks, who actually started the first four games of the season, more playing time.

Whether it’s inserting him back in the starting lineup or having him come off the bench to relieve Matt Barnes, I believe it’s time the Lakers use one of their youngest, most promising prospects a little more.

It’s hard to imagine him being any worse than World Peace has been to this point.

3. Start Steve Blake Instead of Derek Fisher

Steve Blake has been sidelined the last three weeks with a rib injury and could miss up to three more. But when he returns, I think it’s time Mike Brown moves away from Derek Fisher as his starting point guard. Not to say he can’t still be valuable at times, especially at the end of ballgames, where D-Fish is notorious for hitting clutch shots.

Before his injury, Blake was in the process of having a bounce-back season, averaging seven points and shooting 40 percent from the field, which is an improvement from his four-point-per-game average and 35 percent shooting from the floor last season.

Also, Blake was getting the lion’s share of minutes at the point guard in the fourth quarter before being sidelined.  With a 12-9 record and tons of uncertainty going forward, the team needs to start their five best players.

2. Reduce Minutes for Pau Gasol, Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum

In Sunday’s win against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum played 42, 42 and 36 minutes, respectively, in addition to averaging 38, 37 and 34 minutes for the entire season.

Gasol averaged 37 minutes last season, but Bynum and Bryant only averaged 27 and 33.

Much of the blame for the heavy minutes can be attributed to lack of stellar bench production.

Last season, Gasol played extended minutes at the center position with Bynum sidelined, which could have helped lead to Gasol’s lethargic play in the postseason. Bryant’s nagging injuries and aging body are always a concern with an increase in minutes and, given the fact that Bynum has never played this many minutes in his career, is scary enough in itself, especially given his injury history.

To make things worse, despite the Lakers'  three best players receiving heavy minutes, the team is only 12-9.

1. The Biggest, Best Change Could Be to Quit Changing so Much

After bringing a new offensive scheme to town, lack of a traditional training camp thanks to the lockout and not having hardly any practice time thanks to the accelerated schedule, Mike Brown has been playing the role of mad scientist, tinkering with different lineups and substitution patterns.

We have seen the coach start three different small forwards (Devin Ebanks, Matt Barnes and Metta World Peace), try both Darius Morris and Andrew Goudelock as his backup point guard, including Morris as Kobe Bryant’s backup at shooting guard for a number of games, play Pau Gasol closer to the perimeter than he has at any point in his career and play Troy Murphy, Jason Kapono and Josh McRoberts inconsistent minutes off the bench.

As I mentioned above, this is somewhat of a byproduct of the lockout shortened season. But Brown needs to find a rotation and stick with it. Otherwise, the team’s play, like it’s rotation, will probably remain inconsistent.