After a great team win on Tuesday against the Warriors, the Lakers are back at it today against the Bulls. Of course, this game carries some extra significance since with today being Christmas and all that comes with that for both teams.
I’ve always thought the road team was at a bit of an advantage when it comes to playing on Christmas as they’re the ones who don’t have the family commitments that come with having a game on this day. I wouldn’t call it a “distraction” (as a person with a wonderful wife and two small children of my own, that word is a terrible disservice to what this time of year means), but there are certainly multiple responsibilities that come with playing a professional basketball on this specific day. For the Bulls, then, they are surely feeling some of that today while the Lakers, though definitely missing their family, aren’t necessarily going through those same things today. What that means towards the final result of this game remains to be seen, but it’s not something to be discounted out of hand.
As for the game, as mentioned above, the Lakers come in off a feel-good win and will look to ride some of the momentum they established on Tuesday. And while “incorporating Kobe” will likely be a storyline a lot of the pundits focus on, I’ll be more focused on how he looks physically and whether or not he has the ability to separate and knock down the shots he’s capable of hitting. While Kobe’s shot volume has been an issue this season, one of the reasons it’s really an issue is that he’s missing them at the rate he is while forcing the action too often. The key today, then, will be Kobe striking the right balance between playmaker and scorer but, more importantly, finding a way to actually hit a better percentage of the shots he does take. In other words, here’s hoping for a 50% shooting night rather than the 38% he’s been giving over the course of the season.
The other big story, of course, is that this is the first game that the Lakers will face Pau Gasol since he departed for Chicago in the offseason. I don’t need to get into how much I appreciated Pau’s contributions to the team while he was a Laker or how much I think of his game. Those who have followed me at all over the time he was on the team knows exactly how I feel about the Spaniard. In saying that, however, it will be great to see him and Kobe embrace before the game and then see how they compete against each other once the whistle blows. Knowing both of them, they will go at it all night doing whatever it takes to win.
Besides Kobe and Pau, there are other players and stories to monitor. Derrick Rose is looking more and more like the player he once was, flashing the speed, quickness, and athleticism that made him such a terror. There’s also the rise of Jimmy Butler, a player who is making the leap into stardom in his 4th season. Butler has increased his per-36 minute scoring by over 7 points a game and has remained productive on the glass and in dishing assists as well. Beyond those two there is also Joakim Noah — one of my favorite players in the league — and his combination of hustle, skill, and defense from the Center position.
After reading the paragraph above, it’s no wonder the Lakers will be heavy underdogs in this game. The Bulls are one of the better outfits in the league and the Lakers are, well, not. In saying that, though, the Lakers have also saved some of their best performances for teams just like these Bulls — top teams who should literally wipe the floor with them. So, in that respect, anything can happen tonight. I don’t expect the Lakers to win, but, then again, today is Christmas and maybe the team has one more gift for all their fans in this game.
Where you can watch: 5pm start time on TNT and TWC Sportsnet. Also listen on ESPN Radio Los Angeles 710AM.
Simonoid says
Kobe won’t be playing tonight, as per Kevin Ding.
In the name of the festive mood though, I’m gonna bring back one old tradition: let’s get a win for Christmas, for Warren.
gene says
Kobe has a sore arm from shooting so much….
PurpleBlood says
I’m gonna bring back one old tradition: let’s get a win for Christmas, for Warren.
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i second that!
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another nice write-up Darius
Tankyou says
The games Kobe isn’t playing they really should start either Swaggy or Lin. This 1st unit really lacks shot creators big time.
Ko says
Get swag and Booze in before this get ugly.
Tankyou says
Man, Davis is a beast around the Rim, he’s going to get paid next year despite having no outside game whatsoever. It isn’t pretty but they are hanging around, time for the 2nd unit to come in and get us a lead.
Hale says
Blow dunk but good challenge. Still a rookie.
Lin’s defensive instincts are non-existent. I thought he was being unfairly derided throughout his career. 29 games in, I see now.
Simonoid says
Ko – too late. 45-30 now.
Ko says
If Lin and Wes taking most of the shots I might as well start drinking wine and smoking cigars. Looks like another Xmas blowout.
Anonymous says
Anybody else see the same Pau that drive us goofy the past 2 years?
Not impressed.
gene says
Against one of the best teams…on the road ..Not Bad.Lin and Young did nothing but it couldve been worse.Hill,Davis,Lin and Young would be a good bench next year.Kobe and Randle as starters.You need 3 good starters to be a playoff team.Clarkson looks like a D league player.Scott must not see anything in practice either to give him any minutes.
gene says
Pau 21 points 13 rebounds…Yea not impressive!! Lol…
Jo says
Wes and Hill doing their Kobe impression as both go 6 for 18.
Guessing who played tonight was not making a difference.
Oh well
Chearn says
HUH?
Kobe4life says
Is this loss Kobe fault too? If Kobe continues to not play much I’m canceled my NBA LEAUGE PASS!!
Oldtimer says
Reality bites the Lakers tonight. Got to admit we need more players other than Kobe, tho rookies will not make any difference.
Shaun says
How many people miss gasol now …. would bw really nice.to.have him on the team still
Ko says
One good thing this Clipper team is not going anywhere this year. Fighting for 7th place right now. I expect Doc to make several moves real soon.
the other Stephen says
@ Shaun,
I think it would have been pretty enjoyable to see Lin and Gasol play together.
nimble says
Kobe is the reason for this loss,he watched the game from bench and eyeballed teammates.
BigCitySid says
-Nice effort, not enough talent to compete against the best defensive team in the league and only Eastern conf team capable of beating any Western conf team in the Finals.
-As a Laker fan, I rec’d an unexpected gift: Kobe & his enablers finally coming to terms publicly with reality. Now it will be interesting to see where things go from here.
-Lakers currently tied w/ Utah for 5th worst record in league at 9-20. None of the four teams below them have more than five wins, and the chances of the T’Wolves, Sixers, Knicks, or Pistons improving and passing the Lakers in the standings are not very good.
-So with 53 games to go, Kobe has passed MJ, Kobe reality has been acknowledged by all, and keeping top 5 protected pick is in a very precarious position. Where do Lakers go from here? How does this affect the next front office meeting? Decisions? Direction?
-Will they become sellers? Do they move Jordan Hill (next year’s $9 mill salary is actually a team option) ? Ed Davis (his $1.1 mill salary next season is actually a player option)? If a team needing instant offense off the bench approached the Lakers about Nick Young, what would it take (unless you believe a guy that’s been moved three times in three years to be untouchable)?
-Should be interesting.
George says
Well, if Kobe sitting a second game to rest isn’t a cold shower wake up call for the FO then I don’t know what is. The FO, drank the Kool Aid, and believed that any team with Kobe Bryant on it would compete for the playoffs. Well, given the fact that the minutes Kobe plays will need to be carefully watched – the playoffs are a distant dream. Conversely, the FO is realizing what we all already knew: at this point in his career Kobe is a complementary player and not an alpha dog.
Assuming that the FO is finally looking at this year from a ‘what’s best for the long term health of the franchise’ vs. ‘what’s best for ratings/what’s best for the Buss kids’ then its time to throw in the towel on this season. The only keepers on the squad are Davis and Clarkson. Young, Hill and Lin have value to teams fighting to compete. I can’t believe that they wouldn’t bring back a fair return of young assets/picks.
Baylor Fan says
It was not good to see Kobe on the bench and not on the court. No one has ever worked harder to come back from an injury. I do not remember Kobe ever voluntarily sitting for two games if he thought there was any chance he could play. His knees, achilles, and back must really be bothering him.
Otherwise, the Lakers played as good as could be expected for 3 quarters and then reality set in. The Bulls are deep at guard and got Gasol without having to give up anyone. It is good to see him be able to set up high and facilitate the offense. The Bulls may be the team to beat in the East at the end of the season. Lastly, for all the comments made about Scott, he is letting the Lakers shoot 3s to their hearts content. This is quite a change from his statements at the beginning of the season.
George says
Big City Sid: Our posts must have crossed paths in the world of moderation. I think we are on a similar page. The FO should swallow their Laker pride – winning an extra 10 games this year means nothing except the likelihood that the teams spends more time in no man’s land (not good enough to compete not bad enough to get the draft picks needed to jump start rebuilding).
If Davis’ contract truly is at his option then I wonder if he should be dealt as well. He is playing so well that his next contract should be sizeable. If the FO is averse to keeping him at say 5yrs/25 mil then they should trade him.
Ko says
Without Kobe and Nash on the court that’s $34 mill. Almost half the cap. Talk about reality bites! Weird to play the guy 36 a game and just now figure there is something wrong. Laker management just a few steps behind?
Robert says
Baylor: “It was not good to see Kobe on the bench and not on the court.” I understand your point, but if Kobe does not play tonight, and I doubt he will, the smart move would have been for him not to make the trip at all. Sitting on planes and NBA benches is not good therapy for the body.
George: I understand your point as well, but if the FO is just waking up at this point, then we are in worse shape than even I thought.
BCS: Not sure to what reality you are referring. The extension was a very bad move and I (and others) have said so many times. Some defended it, but I think they “came to terms” with its ill advised nature this summer. As far as Kobe and his body is concerned: The extension was signed when Kobe was injured and nobody knew what he could or could not do. If you showed any doctor or fan what Kobe is currently doing, could anyone have expected better? Further – you can’t have it both ways on the tank/pick discussion. Do we win more games with or without Kobe? You obviously realize we can’t trade him. Dumping guys like Hill, Young, and Lin is a consideration, but then again – how is this different than what we could have done last year with Pau, Kaman, Hill, Young, etc.. I do not understand your “unexpected gift”. So somehow if Kobe sits out more games, this benefits us how? You do realize that we pay him and it counts against our cap either way? Are you somehow thinking that Kobe sits and the team is going to get better? Again so what is your point with the pick/tank discussion? What exactly do you want the team to do? The time for this discussion has long since past. The FO botched this up, and the number of games KB play for the rest of this season does not change that. In fact if he sits out a large number of them, it just makes their actions even more questionable. I want to see Kobe play out his last years, but I have no delusion, that him moving up the record lists, helps us get closer to a championship. However having Kobe in street clothes does not get us closer to a championship either. If you and others prefer watching the Lakers without Kobe and think they are more “fun”, you are entitled to your opinion, however do not try to make it seem like there is some cosmic significance where now everyone will realize that Kobe is the worm hole at the center of everything, and now that we have, the Lakers can get on with things. Kobe is under contract until the end of 2016 – worm hole or not. And whether he wears #24 or wears spiffy threads on the bench, we will be paying him $24 million per year against our cap.
tankyou says
I agree with most of these comments regarding open to trading, but for what? Draft picks? Kobe is still on the books next year and at this point assuming he plays, his body isn’t going to magical recover. So expect Kobe to be worse than this year, or basically just sit out lots of games in addition to reducing his minutes. So next year is a wash also, the non kool-aid drinkers pretty much saw that no matter who they brought here to “put around Kobe” it wasn’t going to fly.
So FO needs to tread carefully here, they easily can lose Ed Davis, if they want Lin on the cheap they aren’t playing him in a manner that suggests they do. So I would assume Lin/Davis are gone for sure, probably add Carlos Boozer to that list, basically this team will be gutted yet again. Clarkson still doesn’t look like anything but a 2nd string combo guard to me, maybe a decent player–but not someone to build our future around. Clarkson doesn’t have the upside of Randle who is only 19, Clarkson is 22 not that he can’t improve a lot, but I would not put him on the untouchable list either.
I just don’t see who they could trade these guys for that would give us anyone decent in return? The Suns and Cavs are the only two teams that perhaps could give us a decent player or a pick that may be worth it. Lin/Hill definitely could help a bunch of contending teams, so I’m sure they can move them if they want to. But draft picks and next years free agency class realistically means the team is WORSE next year than this year. This hodge podge group actually can hang with the best teams in the league when they play hard and pass the ball alot. So as a competitive team, the one we have now will be better than whatever trades they make in the short run. Trades most likely would lead to better chance to tank both this year and next year. For some this would be a good thing, for people that enjoy the Lakers being competitive and winning sometimes–this would be bad. It’s a pretty interesting position to be in, but its beyond clear that Kobe isn’t even a stop gap and certainly not a “last hoorah build around him guy”. If Kobe wasn’t getting paid next year a ton of money, I would bet he walks after this season. His recent interviews I think show that he is coming to the realization his body can’t handle the NBA grind, no matter how tough minded he is. I doubt he wants to have to try and shoot 25 shots a game next year and be a laughing stock in the media as his efficiency decreases even more. I don’t see Kobe wanting to be up for the 6th man of the year award either playing 20mins a game and still having to skip lots of games. But 24 mill is a lot of cash to walk away from…
Oldtimer says
BCS – I think they should try to re-sign Hill @ $15M for 3 years, if declined then offer him in a package trade with other players too; b/c I think he’s just like any PF mid tier stars w/ upside worth $5m a year only. Re-sign Davis, Wellington, Price for longer contract at a bargain rate. Of course retain Kobe and Swaggy P. Continue betting on Clarkson and Randle. Add three mid tier stars via trade or pick up plus draft picks. That’s my idea of rebuilding than overhauling on what works or what could work if they are in the company of better players. If you don’t resign them you lose them like the previous season.
Anonymous says
Well – If you are looking for trade partners there are plenty:
1) The Clippers are looking for a scoring wing (Young)
2) The Cavs need a post player (Hill or Davis)
3) The Warriors need a post player Hill or Davis
4) Any number of competing teams need a back up PG/SG (Lin)
And no, it would not bother me to trade within the division. As long as the Lakers get quality assets in return. The Lakers are currently horrible. They are at a minimum 2 to 3 years away from being competitive.
That my friends is the reality of all the mis-steps the FO has taken since the veto.
rr says
Young’s contract may be hard to move; giving Young four years was a mistake, as many of us said at the time. Lin and Hill can be moved, but people shouldn’t overstate their value. Davis has the most market value on the team right now, if you don’t count Randle.
And, yes, BCS needs to ratchet down the bragging, unless the people he is referring to are specifically the Lakers’ VP of Basketball Ops, GM, and Coach. Most of the people here who were defending Kobe’s contract at the time are either gone or are much quieter about things, and several of us here opposed it from the beginning. In addition to that, it was universally derided outside of LakerLand from the moment it was signed, so being against is not some mark of shrewdness or prescience. And again, BCS is about as objective about Kobe as the TH staff is. Not a go-to guy on Kobe analysis, as noted above.
“What exactly do you want the team to do?”
As the question suggests, other than trying to move Lin and Hill, there isn’t much that they can do. As far as Kobe, I will just say the same thing that I and a few others said last week: he shouldn’t be overused or shooting 30 times as part of some tanking plan, and I don’t think the FO is that Machiavellian anyway. He should be utilized the way that DS and others have described, and if the Lakers end up with the 6th-worst record and lose the pick, then that is what happens. As I said earlier in the week, the FO neither fully committed to competing nor to tanking, and being 9-20 is the result.
That said, another thing that I think BCS is wrong about is the likelihood that some of the other low lotto teams will improve. Utah (they have caught the Lakers at 9-20) and Charlotte have been playing better, and I think Minnesota and Detroit will as well. All of those teams have more talent than the Lakers do. The problem may be that other teams, like Denver, will start off-loading players.
rr says
I agree with most of these comments regarding open to trading, but for what? Draft picks?
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Sure. If any contenders are willing to give up a late 1st-rounder for Hill or Lin, do it.
Robert says
Nice post rr. The Machiavellian move would have been made 2 years ago, which would have been to blow the team up and either let Kobe walk or sign him to far less than what he makes. Trading what few useful players we have now for picks would be a no brainer move if you had truly given up on the season and were trying to build for the future. Of course if the FO is “undecided” and is still (as you said) trying to make our team into a Frankenstein sequel, then by all mean let’s do nothing, and let the players walk at the end of the year. Kobe randomly taking games off here and there will go well with that, because it will create two entirely separate versions of the team, which can be debated on talk radio.
I have no issue with which one of these versions anyone may prefer as long as they do not pretend that either somehow gets us closer to a championship.