8 replies to this topic

[Armenian24]

So now that the panic button has been hit officially, and by that I mean even the media is coming out with different scenerios for us to get better. Im hearing dwight trades pau trades even some kobe trades! so with all that said do you guys think the players will finally come out with some sense of urgency and actually put up a fight? i think when your back is against the wall you have no other choice but to start swinging. so what do you guys think, maybe the players need to play with a chip on there shoulders to actually perform.

Edited by Armenian24, January 23, 2013 - 09:26 AM.

[viision11]

Well at this point, we aren't making the playoffs. So I don't know if we will ever see a true sense of urgency. I see them mailing it in like they have been from day 1.

[Armenian24]

Well at this point, we aren't making the playoffs. So I don't know if we will ever see a true sense of urgency. I see them mailing it in like they have been from day 1.

i think if players start holding themselves accountable and stop blaming everything on the system even though it is flawed then maybe we could lock in and make a hard push

[viision11]

Yeah, I don't think that is gonna happen. These guys are in too deep to all of a sudden make it work. What is worse, all of a sudden winning under D'Antoni and really having your effort questioned for the first 41 games OR waiting til he gets fired AND then stepping it up.

i think if players start holding themselves accountable and stop blaming everything on the system even though it is flawed then maybe we could lock in and make a hard push

[Nego]

Nothings changing

[Armenian24]

Yeah, I don't think that is gonna happen. These guys are in too deep to all of a sudden make it work. What is worse, all of a sudden winning under D'Antoni and really having your effort questioned for the first 41 games OR waiting til he gets fired AND then stepping it up.

id rather have him fired and for that to happen cause itll just prove that jimmy is an idiot and coach was the main person holding them back from performing

[West Coast]

Problem is this team has had it's back against the wall since the third week of the season and have yet to respond.

Is it possible the latest flameout could turn into a real, consistent push? Sure but the problem is that "playing hard" isn't the only issue.

We still have coach issues and personnel issues.

[viision11]

Yeah this is Jim Buss's fault. SMH.

id rather have him fired and for that to happen cause itll just prove that jimmy is an idiot and coach was the main person holding them back from performing

[djcovi]

I think it's too late for that, I think they've just accepted the situation and are going to ride it out. I think Kobe will play his ass off until the end, so will Metta, Nash, and Clark. Then the guys who will always at least give their best effort are Meeks (if he ever plays again), Morris, Duhon, Sacre. Problem is, those guys aren't good enough and don't see enough time on the floor to make a serious impact.

Dwight and Pau should be our biggest strength (besides number 24, obviously). Our size should be killing teams. Pau Gasol and DWIGHT HOWARD. We all saw what he did in Orlando, and I think he is capable of doing that here with us. I think we're using him improperly. His turnovers aren't the problem, he actually averaged slightly more turnovers the last two seasons. What he did get was 3 more shot attempts, and I think it shouldn't be that hard to get Dwight the ball enough for 13-14 shots per game. That should be how we play, inside-out with some pick and roll mixed in. Simple basketball. Same with Pau, when he plays center he plays much better. Hopefully he accepts that 2nd unit role and performs.

The problem though isn't just getting our bigs more involved. Unfortunately, we've seen both of those guys check out throughout the season. One quick thing about Bynum; remember that game when he was posting up and he wanted the ball, but our guy (may have been Sasha) wasn't feeding him, so Bynum yelled "GIVE ME THE [expletive]ING BALL!" Not the best decision, but my point is Dwight needs to be more hungry. If you feel you're not getting the ball enough, don't check out. Demand the ball, like Kobe does when he is posted up. Sounds selfish, I know these guys all have to make sacrifices but it should be pretty easy to get Dwight around 14 shots per game. That should be a no-brainer.

Back to the topic though, I think Kobe and Metta always play with a chip on their shoulder. Nash always gives 100%, and so do some of our role players. One guy we really really needed effort from this year was Antawn, but he had that stretch of games which he did literally NOTHING. The other two guys are Pau and Dwight. I don't think either will give us consistent effort, and without that we'll continue to lose games.

And I don't think that D'Antoni deserves all the blame, but it's obvious that his system isn't working and he probably lost the team somewhere along the way. We coulda kept Mike Brown and saved money if the other option was D'Antoni. Wrong choice, should have been P-Jax or Nate Dogg. Or Brian Shaw should have been hired from the start, instead of Jim Buss trying to distance himself from the triangle so he could carve out his own Lakers legacy. Bad move Jimmy.

Edited by djcovi, January 23, 2013 - 10:02 AM.