40 replies to this topic

[lyk13]

One down, the rest have to step up and play harder to fill the void that Jordan might contribute...

It's all good man, it's not because Jordan isn't playing they are playing better, but they are just working harder...of course will want them to step up as usual even when Jordan returns.

Go Lakers!

[Ken #1 Beloved]

There is no question that Farmar plays better at home than on the road. Also, I think there's some truth to the fact that we are playing better without him, but also some fiction. With or without him, we were getting closer to the Celtics game and therefore had to start fine tuning things. The 2 road losses were a big wake up call, so we needed the Grizzlies and Hornets games as we got ready for the Chowds. Those are games that we would have won with or without Farmar and his generally poor performance on the road, although he did play great in the Magic game before he went down. The main reason we're looking better, IMO, is that Philip loves to play with big guards and this gives him a chance to give Sasha more minutes. Say what you want about his decision making, but Sasha needs minutes to get into a shooting groove and he's a much better on the ball defender than Farmar. We are going to score whether or not Sasha makes good decisions, but with Sasha and Kobe or Fish defending the perimeter, it is an upgrade over Farmar and Kobe/Sasha. However, Fish is 34 and needs more rest. It's still early. The bottom line is that we can get away with it for awhile, but it would be nice to have someone like Ty Lue come in for 10-15 minutes a game.

Edited by Ken #1 Beloved, December 30, 2008 - 10:28 AM.

[G-Small]

Not having Farmar has nothing to do with our current winning streak.

[Ken #1 Beloved]

Not having Farmar has nothing to do with our current winning streak.

100% agreed. This is a long term Fish minutes issue. No more, no less. I would rather have Jordan playing than not have him playing, but it's good for Sasha and, therefore, the team.

[!PAUER!]

What the heck happened to him?

He was playing so well, and so smart at the beginning of the season, I really thought his game had improved.

Then out of nowhere he started rushing passes, turning the ball over, and forcing his shot. It seemed like there wasnt a fast break that he didnt like.

Maybe this time will get his head back in the right place.

[pound4pound]

im not sure about that one chicano...



i think that when you have a team this deep, an injury to a major component simply forced the rest of the team to pick up the slack....there is talent on this squad and with such a tight balance in minutes, farmar's void has been embraced as an opportunity for the rest of the team showcase their 'other' talents



as for the road/home theory, that i completely agree with...unless we're up by 20, i rarely see the 'home' farmar playin his game...its been my biggest concern for jordan since being champions requires a road swagger



perhaps its because he's played in cali all his life...not sure...but he's a different player on the road

[Ken #1 Beloved]

What the heck happened to him?

He was playing so well, and so smart at the beginning of the season, I really thought his game had improved.

Then out of nowhere he started rushing passes, turning the ball over, and forcing his shot. It seemed like there wasnt a fast break that he didnt like.

Maybe this time will get his head back in the right place.

First, the rotations changed and LO was asked to be the leader of the Bench Mob, which was essentially Farmar's role last season once the rotations settled in. Now, LO is the first player off the bench, then Farmar and Ariza. I think the main difference is that he's is being asked to distribute the ball more than he did in the past and to concentrate more on the defensive end, which is clearly his biggest weakness. Therefore, he's pressing more. He has a great chemistry with Sasha, who is the last guy in the rotation. Because of Ariza's improvement, there is little need to slide Kobe over to the 3 and because of that Sasha's minutes have diminished. The bottom line is that no matter who is on the floor, Farmar's role is different than it was last year and because he is still a very young player, he's having a tough time adjusting. Last year he was a more important scoring option for us; this year he's basically our 8th man, with LO and Trevor ahead of him. That's also why Sasha has struggled, too, (as the 9th man) and now that he's playing bigger minutes, look at the difference. Jordan will adjust as the season progresses and the Lake Show will be better for it!

Edited by Ken #1 Beloved, December 30, 2008 - 01:25 PM.

[Mo Rings]

And I think he had knee issues before the game he tore it. EVERY TIME you see Laker fans complain about someone's play (well other than Smush and Kwame, LOL!), it is because of an injury. The Laker organization thinks that announcing minor injuries gives the other team an avenue of attack. They will not announce an injury, or it's seriousness, until forced. For instance,if a player has leg or ankle issues, you make him move laterally as he won't be as quick. If you announce it beforehand, they will do it right from the get-go. If you don't, it will take them a bit to figure out a player is not moving as well as he should.

[revgen]

1) Having Farmar out is better against teams like Golden State. Our 2nd unit runs the triangle more without Jordan. Which prevents us from falling too deep into Golden State's tempo.

2) However, one thing Jordan (along with Trevor and Sasha) gives us is a "spark" that sometimes we need if the 2nd unit and the triangle aren't working. The fast-pace he and 2nd unit play with gives us a different tempo.

So far, we haven't needed that "spark" yet.

Edited by revgen, December 30, 2008 - 01:49 PM.

[lakerswiz]

it has nothing to do with him being out.

look at the first games of the season when he was playing and we were DESTROYING teams.

[last stand 2.0]

trade farmar

[Ken #1 Beloved]

trade farmar

Farmar & LO for G Wallace and Felton. It works on many levels, but fails because we still have Luke's and Buzz Kill's contracts to deal with. If there was a way to weave Buzz Kill and Nzar Mohammed into the deal, it might be worth looking at. .. even for Dr. Buss.

[kobynum]

^ ken i thought you werer better than THAT, Chicano and others have to realize that Jordan has WON us more games than he LOST us, he is a natural leader and sometimes headstrong but IMO, after LO he is our overall biggest asset on the bench, he will never be a great defender, partially due to his size, but he is a very skilled offensive player, one of our top passers, and he feeds Andrew and others well, the one glaring problem offensively with Jordan is his tempo control. He is a naturally speedy guard who is overall more comfortable pushing the ball, which gives us a lot o fpossesions, more turnovers and our overall defense suufers as a result, but if Fish ever got injured and jordan was out there with the first unit he would appear to be as good as most people think RONDO is

[Ken #1 Beloved]

^ ken i thought you werer better than THAT, Chicano and others have to realize that Jordan has WON us more games than he LOST us, he is a natural leader and sometimes headstrong but IMO, after LO he is our overall biggest asset on the bench, he will never be a great defender, partially due to his size, but he is a very skilled offensive player, one of our top passers, and he feeds Andrew and others well, the one glaring problem offensively with Jordan is his tempo control. He is a naturally speedy guard who is overall more comfortable pushing the ball, which gives us a lot o fpossesions, more turnovers and our overall defense suufers as a result, but if Fish ever got injured and jordan was out there with the first unit he would appear to be as good as most people think RONDO is

Who knows. I think G Wallace is a special talent and from what I've observed of Felton, I think he's underrated. Plus he has an expiring contract. I don't think Farmar will ever be a good defensive player like Rondo has become. However, the more I think about it, leave things alone. How's that?

Edited by Ken #1 Beloved, January 01, 2009 - 05:16 PM.

[kobynum]

well i kno weverybody loves raymond ( corny, and more prefer Gerald, i just couldnt resist it), but team chemistry is key at this point, and LO will end the season a LAKER ultimately so its important that he keeps his act together on the court.

[Maddocks]

last time i seen farmar in the game he was yelling at bynum for his own blown play, bynum looked at him like,"who are you again?" trade him and mihm.

[Ken #1 Beloved]

well i kno weverybody loves raymond ( corny, and more prefer Gerald, i just couldnt resist it), but team chemistry is key at this point, and LO will end the season a LAKER ultimately so its important that he keeps his act together on the court.

That's where I have a problem with LO. He's inconsistent. When he's not in the flow, he's a square peg in a round hole. Meanwhile, Gerald Wallace would add consistent defensive toughness at the 3 and Josh Powell could be worked into the rotation for some more toughness. Felton could be eased into the rotation until he was comfortable initiating the triangle. Gasol, Bynum, Powell, Wallace and Ariza would still make us one of the best rebounding teams in the league, even without Lamar. Remember, our Big 3 are Kobe, Pau and Drew, so LO will remain inconsistent as long as he's the 4th option. I just think that a trade like that would add to the chemistry, not detract from it. But I will say it again; leaving things alone is fine, too.

[lakerfool]

You're right. Farmar would be much better in a D'Antoni type of system.