khandor’s sports blog

For those of you who might be interested in a “lively” discussion on multiple, inter-related NBA topics:

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Courtesy of …

Amare Stoudemire, Lamar Odom’s “Lucky Game” and What it Means to be a Superstar

Instead of comparing how the Team USA coaching staff used Bosh in 2008 to the way they used the rest of their players, compare how Bosh [himself] played in 2008 vs how he played in 2006 and the impact he had in 2008 vs the impact he had in 2006, in comparison with the other Bigs on the roster [e.g. in terms of MP, St, Rebs, etc.].

 

Other key additions, included Kobe Bryant [a big factor, to be sure], Deron Williams, Jason Kidd, Tayshaun Prince, Michael Redd and Carlos Boozer … who each effected the way the 2008 team played, in their own unique way.

 

————–

 

When I say that Mike Brown was/is a poor offensive coach, I am not repeating the claims of anyone else.

 

My perceptions about the game of basketball are not derived from media reports.

 

Mike Brown is not an elite level communicator.

 

Mike Brown is not an elite level X’s and O’s offensive guru.

 

Mike Brown is aware of his own deficiencies, at least in these two areas, as a head coach, and sought out the assistance of someone like Ettore Messina to “improve” his own understanding of the game, from an offensive perspective, and then delegated responsibility to one of his assistant coaches to run the Cavs’ offensive systems, both, in practices and in games.

 

Mike Brown does not have a “wholistic” Basketball Philosophy, which comes close to approximating a System Of Play, like the Triangle Offense.

 

Mike Brown’s offensive “system” lacks creativity, imagination, versatility and discipline.

 

Conversely, Mike Brown is a very good defensive coach.

 

————–

 

Those who mistakenly thought/think that Bill Belichick was/is a poor offensive coach … are simply idiots. 

 

I pay no attention to idiots.

 

————–

 

Au contraire … there are all sorts of strategies and tactics which an authentically elite level coach can use to overcome the fact that his/her best player may have quit in the middle of a critical contest.

 

Mike Brown used none of these.

 

In fact, the chief reason LeBron James may have acted - and performed - the way he did, when he played poorly vs Boston this year, is BECAUSE of Mike Brown … and, specifically, what he and the rest of his teammates knew about the way they were being coached by Mike Brown, vs how the Celtics were being coached by Doc Rivers.

 

[e.g. the level of disrespect which the Cavs, as a group, showed towards Mike Brown was palpable, as the series developed ... and, IMO, an astute basketball observer could clearly see that the players on their team were exasperated with the way their team was being handled in that series, in comparison with the way the Celtics were being handled by Doc Rivers & Co. LeBron James did not quit in those games; the Cavaliers decided to say "F-U" to Mike Brown because they did not agree with what was going on [A] behind the scenes AND [B] on the floor.]

 

IMO, an authentic elite level coach would not have done what Mike Brown did in the Game 2 post-game press conference; nor, would s/he have done, in general, what Mike Brown did while coaching LeBron James for the last 7 years.

 

Superstar players - e.g. Bill Russell, Oscar Robertson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, etc. - like … and, in fact, crave the opportunity - to play for an authentic elite level coach.

 

In general, they do not despise being “coached” by this person and want to have him fired.

 

khandor

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David Friedman is someone who has written about “the NBA game” extensively, in a variety of different forms, over a number of years.

 

Update:

Since David’s blog has a 4096 character limit, the decision was made to publish both:

a. His response to my comment; and,
b. My reply comment, in return;

in this location instead.

Enjoy!

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[a. David's response to my comment]

Khandor:

My Team USA report card (see link above) details the insignificant roles that Boozer, Prince and Redd had for the 2008 team. Williams and Kidd certainly made solid contributions.

Bryant was the biggest difference.

It should be considered a sign of strength and confidence when a coach seeks out the wisdom of other coaches to increase his understanding of the game. The greatest coaches regularly seek out other coaches to watch how they run their practices, etc.

The word you were looking for is “holistic.”

Brown’s coaching philosophy emphasizes the importance of defense and is based on what he learned while serving as a member of Popovich’s staff on the Spurs (including during their 2003 championship run). Brown publicly stated on several occasions that his first and top priority as Cavs’ coach was to transform the team into an elite defensive squad, which he did.

The “disrespect” shown toward Brown stemmed mainly, if not entirely from LeBron James–a shameful display of immaturity by the self-proclaimed “King.”

Brown’s postgame rant after game two, which was not at all typical of how he usually conducted himself (I was at that press conference and at many others conducted by Brown), was clearly an attempt to rouse the team out of the complacency that had taken hold as a result of LeBron’s indifference (i.e., quitting). Perhaps if the franchise had not coddled LeBron for so long things might have turned out differently.

I agree that great players crave the opportunity to be coached. Perhaps LeBron is not at the level of the esteemed players you listed–not in terms of his obvious, indisputable talent but rather in terms of the mentality it takes to be a champion–or perhaps he has had his ear bent for too long by his high school buddies.

Contrary to what you wrote, Cleveland players other than LeBron (including Ilgauskas and Mo Williams) publicly expressed disagreement with Brown’s firing, with Williams explicitly saying that unless the Cavs hired Phil Jackson this was a mistake.

Thursday, July 22, 2010 1:26:00 PM

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[b. my reply comment]

re: Kobe was the biggest difference for Team USA. - DF 

I agree.

re: Bosh did play well for Team USA in the Olympics - DF [from an earlier comment]

I agree.

re: but Team USA could have won without him. - DF [from an earlier comment]

I agree that “anything” could have happened, if any “one” of the different “parts” to The Redeem Team might have been changed, either, big or small. That’s how it goes in the game of basketball which is heavily dependent on an intangible like “team chemistry”.

re: Team USA would not have won the gold medal without Kobe Bryant. - DF [from an earlier comment]

I agree … but for the same reason the Team might not have won without the services of any of their other [i.e. lesser] players, as well.

re: Other key additions, included Kobe Bryant [a big factor, to be sure], DeRon Williams, Jason Kidd, Tayshaun, Michael Redd and Carlos Boozer … who each effected the way the 2008 team played, in their own unique way. - khandor

Do you agree with this observation of mine?

I wrote “wholistic” for a specific reason.

[NOTE: What I should have done though is put quotes around the word to indicate that the "error" was made with a specific purpose in mind, to illustrate a more subtle point.]

re: Mike Brown is not an elite level communicator. Mike Brown is not an elite level X’s and O’s offensive guru. - khandor

I said these two things about Mike Brown’s ability as a head coach.

re: It should be considered a sign of strength and confidence when a coach seeks out the wisdom of other coaches to increase his understanding of the game. The greatest coaches regularly seek out other coaches to watch how they run their practices, etc. - DF

I did not speak about a “lack of strength” or a “lack of confidence”, on the part of Mike Brown.

I agree with the notion that it’s important to seek out assistance from others when a known deficiency exists in one’s own portfolio of professionally required skills.

Just because Mike Brown happens to know what his “weaknesses” were/are, as a head coach, does not mean that those same areas are somehow also not to be considered as his specific deficiencies.

We agree about Mike Brown’s philosophy and ability, as a defensive coach.

re: The “disrespect” shown toward Brown stemmed mainly, if not entirely from LeBron James–a shameful display of immaturity by the self-proclaimed “King.” - DF

I agree with this observation.

In part, it was a sign of petulance by a head-strong young man … but, not dissimilar to when Kobe played an entire 4th quarter of a [playoff?] game and simply refused to shoot the ball, in order to “show” the ZenMaster tangible “evidence” of what exactly he thought of his dictates to both Black Mamba and the rest of his teammates at the time.

When a petulant player also goes for double-digit rebounds in that same game, however, it is not accurate to characterize his actions as “having simply quit”.

[NOTE: IMO, it would be more accurate to assert that this player did not like how the team was being asked to play on offense at that point in time and expressed his displeasure in a selfish manner. This is the sort of thing that happens all the time in basketball, at every level of the game ... but what was different here is THE WAY in which Mike Brown chose to handle it, i.e. which was basically to do nothing "subtle" about it, and instead, after-the-fact, to try to do the WRONG THING about it, i.e. rant and rave in public in an effort to "rouse" either his "star" player and/or his supporting cast.]

re: Brown’s postgame rant after game two, which was not at all typical of how he usually conducted himself - DF

It is not just how one conducts oneself “typically” which determines if one should be placed in an elite category … but, also, how one actually conducts oneself in an “atypical” moment.

IMO, Mike Brown made a coaching mistake.

IMO, LeBron James was crying out “to be coach” and, unfortunately, Mike Brown … as well as many others in his life … let him down [which is not to say that HE did not let them down, in return, because HE most certainly did].

Father-and-son breakdowns are, in general, a two-way street.

What Mo and Zydrunas said regarding Mike Brown’s dismissal and their loyal support of him does not stand in opposition to the observations which I made. They are merely corollaries.

What I said was speaking primarily to what I observed from the actions [and inter-actions] of LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, Anthony Parker, Antawn Jamison, Delonte West, Daniel Gibson, Jamario Moon, Jawad Williams and JJ Hickson.

As I’ve mentioned to you before …

You and I agree about many things associated with the game; however, it is some of the more subtle things which we sometimes approach from a distinctly different vantage point.

As the kids say, though:

“It’s all good.”

 

 

The Lakers’ defense gets it done

The Lakers pressured the Celtics all night, making life particularly miserable for Paul Pierce. The defense was all the more stifling because Kobe Bryant continued to play rover, sloughing off Rajon Rondo in the half court to plug holes and double-team the ball. Bryant’s strategy was nothing new, but the Lakers’ quickness to the ball, readiness on ball screens and relentlessness on those traps were unprecedented. Literally. The Lakers’ defensive rating of 75.3 on Tuesday night was their best mark of the season — and far and away the Celtics’ worst offensive output since opening night.

A real key was Phil Jackson’s decision to have the Lakers “trap” more aggressively vs Boston’s “Pick and Pop” offensive action, in conjunction with allowing Kobe Bryant to rotate out, at least initially, to the temporarily “open” shooter … whoever he might be … while consistently “helping off” of Rajon Rondo.

When this version of the LA Lakers plays with this sort of well-coordinated Offense, Defense and Rebounding they are simply the best team in the NBA.

Derek Fisher adds to his fantastic post-season legacy

According to Kobe Bryant, IT was just another case of, “Derek being Derek.”

According to the storied lore of the NBA Finals, and the rich traditions of the Lakers and Celtics franchises, however, IT was so much more than that.

Q. What exactly was IT?

A. To be precise …

IT was simply one of the ALL-TIME great clutch performances in the anals of the game … 

by an aging 4-time champion who just refused to loose last night and, instead, made every single BIG PLAY necessary during the 4th quarter to successfully stave off a desperate rally by the home team to secure a huge Game 3 victory and establish a 2-1 series lead.

Game 3, Mini Movie

Fisher seizes Finals moment yet again

Fisher had stopped a Celtics rally with a jump shot and then a running one-hander and finally an odd-angle bank in the fourth quarter. Finally, he had that end-to-end three-point play, and a stunned silence swept over the Garden. It was over, and Fisher had delivered 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter. He had played an immense part in Allen missing every one of his 13 shots. He had delivered a speech in the huddle at the end of the third that the Lakers were still talking about late Tuesday.

“He’s our guy that pulls everyone together,” Bryant said.

He’s the Laker who pulls everything out. He came to Los Angeles as a rookie with Bryant, a four-year college player out of Arkansas-Little Rock. They bonded over full-court one-on-one games throughout that lonely first season, sometimes resorting to fist fights to settle matters. Bryant has never been closer to a teammate and maybe never understood how much Fisher balanced him until Fisher left for those three seasons after winning three straight titles. Bryant never once missed Shaquille O’Neal(notes), but he never got over the departure of Fisher to Golden State and Utah.

“I had point guards who were nowhere near his caliber in leadership and shot-making abilities and toughness,” Bryant said. “It changes things drastically for me.”

They play good cop, bad cop with the Lakers. Bryant is the tough taskmaster, the ominous authoritarian. Fisher is the self-help guru, the one plowing through books on successful CEOs and managerial styles. “He’s always giving positive reinforcement,” Bryant said. “I’m the opposite. We play off each other extremely well.”

For these Lakers, Fisher has been indispensible as Bryant’s consigliore. As young kids, they grew up together. As thirtysomethings, he’s the one Laker with the credibility of time, of championship pedigree and commitment, who can be an unapologetic truth-teller to Bryant.

“He’s really the only one I listen to,” Bryant said. “We’ve been through it, so he can come up to me and say, ‘Kobe, you’re effing up.’”

This is the reason they’ll walk arm-and-arm into history together, four-time NBA champions now pushing for a fist full of rings.

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Unlike sooo many others with considerable more “talent” … in all diffferent walks of life … D-Fish is a MAN who has ALWAYS gotten IT.

“Life is fast; and, things happen quickly.” - Derek Fisher

“Five or ten years from now, when I’m long gone, I would have hated to feel like I didn’t just do everything I could to help my team, and live with the consequences.” - Derek Fisher 

At this stage of his now illustrious career …

While D-Fish is, in fact, the weakest link on the 2009-2010 version of the LA Lakers; so, too, is he, in fact, made of Titanium fibre … when it comes to Leadership, Poise, and Execution Under Pressure. 

Kudos to the Lakers’ Captain, yet again!

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PS. If you clink on that last link, above, you might be surprised to hear who the colour commentator was … i.e. “My, goodness.” … for that memorable Western Conference playoff game back on May 13, 2004.

The NBA Finals [v.2009-2010] tip off this evening in Los Angeles.

LEGITIMATE CONTENDERS IN THE NBA PLAYOFFS [as of Thursday April 15, 2010]
TEAM	W	L	W%	EAST	WEST	PDR	PAR	RDR	QR	QIR
Celtics	50	32	.610	4		9	5	25	39	12
Lakers	57	25	.695		1	6	9	7	22	6
LEGEND: W – Wins; L – Losses; Win% - Winning Percentage; PDR – Points Differential Ranking; PAR – Points Allowed Ranking; RDR – Rebounding Differential Ranking; QR – Quality Rating [i.e. PDR + PAR + RDR = QR]; QIR – Quality Index Ranking [i.e. QR/#1-16].

While Rounds 1, 2 and 3 have produced some fair-to-good basketball, this version of the Finals should prove to be an entirely different kettle of fish.

NBA PLAYOFFS 4th Round [FINALS] MATCH-UP
Celtics	50	32	.610		4		9	5		25	39	12
Lakers	57	25	.695			1	6	9		7	22	6
STARTERS
Rajon Rondo Ray Allen Paul Pierce Kevin Garnett Kendrick Perkins				ß à = = =					Derek Fisher Kobe Bryant Ron Artest Pau Gasol Andrew Bynum
+1				Sub-Total					+1
KEY SUBS
Tony Allen Glen Davis Rasheed Wallace				= = à					Shannon Brown Josh Powell Lamar Odom
0				Sub-Total					+1
OTHERS
Nate Robinson Michael Finley Marquis Daniels Shelden Williams				= = = =					Jordan Farmar Sasha Vujacic Luke Walton DJ Mbenga
COACHING
Doc Rivers				à					Phil Jackson
0				Sub-Total					0
+1				TOTAL					+2
Analysis: If Kevin Garnett was 100% healthy and fully recovered from his knee injury of last season, then, the Celtics might actually be the correct pick in this match-up. Although he seems to be regaining some of his former vertical explosiveness and a good deal of his horizontal speed, his lateral quickness and agility are still not back to what they were 2 seasons ago, when he was one of the best defensive players in the history of the NBA.   Conversely, when the Lakers are relatively healthy – which they haven’t been for much of this season - they are simply the best team in the NBA this year. Although the Celtics’ Starting 5 is formidable, the Lakers should be able to withstand the initial on-slaught … if they use their bench players properly … and, then, gradually wear Boston down over the course of a physically grueling series.   Shortening Boston’s rotation should not produce an advantage for the Celtics against this opponent.   Pick: LOS ANGELES has the home court advantage this time and should win in 6 [or, perhaps, 7] games.   [Caveat: If Phil Jackson should happen to get out-coached – e.g. refusing to use Josh Powell vs Glen Davis – by Doc Rivers, then, the Celtics could well capitalize and win this series.]

These 2 teams are quite evenly matched.

The Lakers, however, signed Ron Artest last summer for one reason only.

i.e. To have him defend either LeBron James or Paul Pierce in the NBA Finals. 

If Ron Ron does his job properly, from a physical standpoint, and can play Da Truth to a virtual stand-off, then … all else being equal … the Lakers will be hoisting another championship banner to the rafters when the 2010-2011 kicks off in the fall.

It really is as simple as that.

Enjoy what should be a real hum-dinger of a series!

Is there really still a question about this, in the minds of some hoops aficionados?

LeBron James, 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 League MVP

vs

Kobe Bryant, 2007-2008 League MVP [4-time NBA Champion]

… because there shouldn’t be.

PS. It’s not even close … between #1A and #1, except, of course, for stat heads and those without a highly sophisticated level of understanding of what’s truly most important in the NBA game [i.e. Winning vs Losing]. Wuff, Wuff, Wuff!

In general, Sebastian Pruiti does a terrific job breaking down in-game action in the NBA.

Stopping by his site, on a daily basis, during the season should be a mandatory exercise for all basketball aficionados.

For those who took the opportunity to do just that yesterday …

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Post-Game Adjustments: Thabo Needs To Stay On Kobe

 

Above are two plays with similar situations (a Kobe Bryant pump fake), and you can see how Thabo and Jeff Green handle it differently. Thabo Sefolosha stayed down with his hands in his face, avoiding the foul, and forcing Bryant into a tough jumper. Jeff Green on the other hand bit on the pump fake hard and fouled Bryant, giving him 2 free points.

This is because Sefolosha has prepared himself for defending Kobe. He probably watched a ton of tape and knows when Kobe is going to throw up a pump fake, and knows when to stay on his feet. Jeff Green on the other hand is covering Bryant for the first time this series, and he was put in a tough position. He doesn’t know when Kobe is going to pump fake and how to handle it, and he bites on it.

If the Thunder are in a similar situation in Game 3, I expect to see Thabo on the court covering Kobe.

====================================

as it turns out, you were treated to a special preview of,

“Exactly how the Thunder SHOULD re-work their individuals match-ups against the Lakers, in order to change a close Away L into a solid Home W.”

———-

To wit:

Pleasantly surprised?

Hmmm …

Los Angeles Lakers 96 [Lead series 2-1]
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER 101
Complete Game Info

After shifting onto Kobe Bryant, in the 4th quarter, Kevin Durant … that noted ”defensive specialist”, who certain stats gurus lambasted at the beginning of the season … was able to hold Black Mamba [i.e. who went for 39 points in Game 2] to a grand total of 2 points the rest of the way in this contest, on 1-8 shooting [i.e. the lone make coming on a driving layup in transition, 00:13.5], with 1 BA and 0 FTA’s - due, primarily, to his unique combination of “exceptional length” and “relative quickness”, at the wing position - in a concerted effort to make the other Lakers on the floor be the ones to beat the Thunder in last night’s game. 

———-

After going 0-for, during the initial few offensive trips, after this defensive “Switch” was made by Oklahoma …

Kobe and the ZenMaster responded, in-game, by having the Lakers’ most formidable scorer turn himself into a willing FACILITATOR, for the benefit of his teammates, i.e. driving into the lane, 1-on-1 against Durant, not trying “to finish plays” himself but, drawing “the help” and then “kicking out” to a series of open perimeter shooters [whose primary job then became knocking down clean "catch & shoots"].

Although the Lakers were able to find a certain degree of success with this tactic …

i.e. reducing an 8 point deficit [4:27, 82-90] to only 2, on two occasions, coming the down-the-stratch [1:03, 94-96; and, 00:13.5, 96-98] …

getting single 3’s from Derek Fisher [3:29] and Lamar Odom [2:00], and two long 2’s from Ron Artest [2:47 and 1:32], were not enough to close the gap which had been opened up, initially, by Oklahoma’s use of Durant [i.e. their best offensive player, by far] in this type of “defensive” manouvre. 

Heading into Game 4, it will now be most interesting to see:

i. If Scott Brooks … who, btw, was voted NBA COTY, on Wednesday … makes the fundamental mistake of begining the game with this same Durant vs Bryant individual defensive match-up, in effect;

and,

ii. What, if any, strategic or tactical adjustment Dr. Phil & Co. chooses to make, in response to the Durant vs Bryant individual defensive match-up …

since it might well be THE “difference-maker” in determing if the defending champs return home with a 3-1 series lead, or are tied 2-2.

———-

Although the internet is filled with ”so-called” basketball experts who seek to tell you after-the-fact exactly what:

i. Team X did against Team Y, or

ii. Player #1 did against Opponent Player #2, or

iii. Coach I did against Opponent Coach II,

iv. etc.,

in order to explain the specific outcome of an already completed game … THE SIMPLE FACT IS … the same thing CANNOT be said when it comes to identifying those relatively few individuals who exist in the on-line hoops community that can accurately tell you, IN ADVANCE, what specific “strategies and tactics” will work for specific teams, individual players and/or coaches, etc., if implemented in a specific game that is about to take place in the immediate future.   

Only authentic NBA experts can do that.

… it says here, is still this one:

LOS ANGELES LAKERS
PG	OG	SF	PF	C
STARTERS
Kobe Bryant 6-6, 205	Sasha Vujacic 6-7, 205	Ron Artest 6-7, 260	Pau Gasol 7-0, 250	Andrew Bynum 7-0, 285
KEY SUBS
Jordan Farmar 6-2, 180		Luke Walton 6-8, 235	Lamar Odom 6-10, 230
RESERVES
Shannon Brown 6-4, 210	Derek Fisher 6-1, 210		Josh Powell 6-9, 240	DJ Mbenga 7-0, 255
EXTRAS/OUTS
		Jordan Morrison 6-8, 205
HEAD COACH
Phil Jackson

Unfortunately …

==========

What’s ailing the Lakers and Celtics? Offense

You might think me full of mess, but the results don’t lie. There is no reason this team should be the 10th-best offensive team in the NBA (down from third in 2008-09), and the reason behind that downturn lies in the way this team has gone away from the triangle offense. It mostly has to do with what I started warning the Lakers and Kobe about back in Behind the Box Scores from early December: Kobe, you’re taking too much on.

It’s not about too many shots (though he takes too many shots). It’s about developing a five-man rhythm rather than looking to play fourth-quarter hero through the first three quarters. Hell, the main reason Kobe has had to play fourth-quarter hero so many times this year (and it bears repeating - nobody has played fourth-quarter hero this well since Jordan’s prime) is because of the pound-foolish ways they’ve played. Kobe dominates the ball too much. Simple as that. It’s the reason they’re not pulling away from teams in the second and third quarters.

The amount of shots he takes? That’s not the problem. He could get 30 shots a game while touching the ball for three seconds in every possession. It’s not about shots. It’s about ball movement and keeping the defense on its heels. And the Lakers haven’t kept anyone on their heels this year. All they’ve had is a Kobe-centric offense that teams know is coming, but are sometimes powerless to stop.

Some of the time.

The other times? It leaves them needlessly 10th in offense and with 21 losses already. With too many close wins and a post All-Star break swoon that has seen their play on both ends of the court rank among some of the more mediocre teams in this league.

This team had 70-win potential and has done just enough to win on most nights. But on 21 nights, that hasn’t been enough. Should the Lakers still be the favorites heading into the postseason? I think so. The team’s play, at its best, is still probably better than that of the Cavaliers or Magic at their best.

But that doesn’t mean the Lakers don’t need a major attitude adjustment.

And with the defense falling off the way it has (second in the NBA a few weeks ago, below average in the weeks since), they better get the offense together quickly. Very quickly.

And it starts with the smartest guy in the room. Kobe Bryant.

==========

as long as Phil Jackson continues to:

1. Believe that Derek Fisher’s veteran leadership justifies his inclusion in the Lakers’ Group-Of-5-Best-Players …

i.e. selected from amongst this specific set of 6 players:

Fisher/PG + Bryant/OG + Artest/SF + Odom/PF + Gasol/PF-C + Bynum/C 

… despite the fact that he can no longer defend [primarily] or rebound [secondarily] adequately at the Point Guard position, and has been reduced to being little more than an erratic spot-up shooter, at the Off Guard position, for the bulk of the season;

2. Use Kobe Bryant, as the Lakers’ de facto Point Guard … operating beside Derek Fisher, in their Group-Of-5-Best-Players … in a way which requires that he starts their half-court offense with the ball in his hands, far too many times, coming off the dribble up, and then holds it for copious amounts of time, per possession, while his teammates are establishing their positions:

A. In the Triangle Offense, or
B. Within the alignment for a specific quick-hitting set play, or
C. While he isolates at-length against his own individual defender;

all of which STAGNATES their otherwise exceptional offensive flow; 

3. Leave Sasha Vujacic in the proverbial dog-house, as their best perimeter shooting guard, who has seen his overall PT dramatically reduced since the 2007-2008 campaign …

when he:

i. Took 482 3PT shots;
ii. Made 219 3PT shots;
iii. At a rate of 43.7%;

and functioned effectively as one of most dynamic “catch & shoot/hustle play” artists, with good size and decent quickness, at the Off Guard position, in the entire NBA; 

and, 

4. Stifle the development of Jordan Farmer and Shannon Brown [i.e. the 2 best back-ups on the Lakers' roster, at the PG position], who are solid defenders and rebounders, in arrears of Kobe Bryant;

Los Angeles will remain vulnerable to a 1st, or 2nd, or 3rd, Round upset in the playoffs, and may no longer be an absolutely sure thing to win their 2nd consecutive NBA title.

On the other hand …

If the Lakers are able to get, both, Andrew Bynum/C and Luke Walton/SF back in their line-up prior to the end of the regular season schedule and, then, have The ZenMaster come to his senses … sooner rather than later … about items #1-4 [listed above], there is still a high probability that the Larry O’Brien Trophy will, once again, be spending this summer in the hands of Dr. Jerry Buss.

———-

With only 3 weeks left before the start of the NBA playoffs …

EASTERN CONFERENCE

1/Cleveland vs 8/Toronto
4/Boston vs 5/Milwaukee
==================
2/Orlando vs 7/Charlotte
3/Atlanta vs 6/Miami

WESTERN CONFERENCE

1/LA Lakers vs 8/Portland
4/Phoenix vs 5/Denver
=================
2/Utah vs 7/San Antonio
3/Dallas vs 6/Oklahoma City

it is shaping up to be a wild and wooly post-season, with a number of solid teams in the hunt for the championship, if the Lakers should happen to falter.

———————————–

Related:

BREAKING NEWS: Kobe [FINALLY] Agrees to a Contract Extension

Sebastian Pruiti does a good job breaking down specific NBA action with his blog, NBAPlaybook.com.

Although it’s taken a while to get to this specific piece of analysis …

Here’s the contribution from yours truly, regarding how the Raptors lost their game earlier this week against the LA Lakers, on yet another clutch jump shot by Black Mamba:

How the Lakers free up Kobe 

[comment #18, in this thread]

According to Kelly Dwyer …

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Kobe Bryant also scored 44 points on 28 shots, a potent night for anyone, much less someone working with nine fingers and all sorts of other ailments.

But he’s shooting too much. You can’t point to that particular night’s shooting percentage and call this a smart deal, not when the Lakers are only managing 101 points per 100 possessions against a rather putrid Memphis defense. Not when the Lakers are currently ninth in offensive efficiency, when they should be first (even with Derek Fisher(notes) around, even with Pau Gasol(notes) missing games) by a long shot.

The ball has to move, others need to be made dangerous, and other options have to be explored. 44 points on 28 shots is great, but you can’t have Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum(notes) combine to take just 10 shots in 56 minutes. Or, 18 fewer than Bryant in 16 more minutes. That’s ridiculous.

And Kobe knows better. In just about every given basketball instance, he knows better. All the greats have known better, and ignored those better instincts to do things his way. Bird did it. Jordan did it. Jerry West did it. But that doesn’t make it right. And you can’t make it a habit. It has to be an occasional dalliance with the very, very wrong.

Not a consistent theme, and that’s what Kobe’s been on about for the last two months or so. We appreciate the grit, the all-world season at an advanced age and on the best team in basketball. We love all these knockout game-winners he’s been throwing in. We know that even if Kobe keeps it up, it might not matter. The Lakers are too good.

Things are starting to turn, though, and it’s up to Kobe to stop it. If you’re a daily reader, you know I’ve been warning about this for a while. He has to let up, he has to involve his teammates, and he has to run the offense. This team is too brilliant for things to be this Kobe-centric; because he’s not waving off Chris Mihm(notes) anymore.

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According to yours truly …

1. If the reports about Ron Artest still struggling to pick up the nuances of the Triangle Offense are, in fact, true, then, there’s a strong, strong likelihood that Kobe Bryant simply doesn’t yet trust his new teammate to execute the proper reads involved with the Triangle, on a possession-by-possession basis, and is therefore jacking-up a pile shots indiscriminently as the better choice of two evils, at least, in his own mind.

2. Phil Jackson’s decision to play Derek Fisher this many minutes, thus far, this season, is costing the Lakers an untold number of points per game, at both ends of the floor … in comparison with the specific skill-sets of Shannon Brown [who is a far superior athlete and a much better defender/rebounder] and Jordan Farmar [who now has a more complete offensive repertoire], at the PG position, neither of whom Phil Jackson happens to trust, just yet, as a key decision-maker coming down the stretch of important games.

3. The best rotations possible for the Lakers look something like this:

OPTION 1

STARTERS
Jordan Farmar, Kobe Bryant, Ron Artest, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum

KEY SUBS
Shannon Brown, Sasha Vujacic, Luke Walton and Lamar Odom

EXTRAS
Derek Fisher, Adam Morrison, Josh Powell and DJ Mbenga

OPTION 2

STARTERS
Jordan Farmar, Kobe Bryant, Luke Walton, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum

KEY SUBS
Shannon Brown, Sasha Vujacic, Ron Artest and Lamar Odom

EXTRAS
Derek Fisher, Adam Morrison, Josh Powell and DJ Mbenga

and involve:

A. Derek Fisher not getting very much burn, at all;

and/or,

B. Ron Artest [i.e. a powder keg player] being used as a “Key Sub”, rather than as a “Starter”;

neither of which are moves that Phil Jackson seems prepared to make at this point this season.

4. Lingering injuries to Pau Gasol, Luke Walton and Ron Artest have robbed the Lakers of the much-needed opportunity to coalesce, as a well-formed unit, with clearly-defined roles that complement one another.

5. Kobe Bryant is shooting way too much … primarily BECAUSE of #1, #2, #3 and #4.

Until Phil Jackson is better able to:

- Recognize that Derek Fisher’s time is now up, as an on-floor leader/key decision-maker with this team … in spite of his ability to knock down open perimeter shots on occasion

- Make better use of Luke Walton [i.e. a solid glue guy] and Sasha Vujacic [i.e. a solid perimter shooter with good size], as important role players, whether as [i] Starters or [ii] Key Subs

and,

- Help Ron Artest, and his teammates, to play more effectively within the confines of the Triangle Offense

 … the Lakers are going to remain in a vulnerable position this year.

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This LA Lakers team still has more than enough “top flight NBA talent” to win the championship this season … if Phil Jackson is actually prepared to do what’s necessary to bring this about, given his level of loyalty to D-Fish, and his still-developing relationship with Ron Artest, Shannon Brown & Co.

What the Lakers have right now, however, is a significant TRUST issue, and it’s up to Dr. Phil to fix it, over the course of the next 4 months.

What can the good folks who run Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd. [MLSE] possibly have to learn from an individual owner like Jerry Buss?

Buss has put up some numbers by Roland Lazenby [January 17, 2010]

This season marks the 30^th anniversary of the self-made Buss acquiring the Lakers and the Great Western Forum from Jack Kent Cooke in a deal so stunning that Sports Illustrated hired accountants to investigate how Buss arranged the financing. After scratching their heads for weeks, the accountants conceded defeat. They never did figure out his fancy tricks.

Buss immediately recognized that he better listen to then-Lakers GM Bill Sharman, who advised that Cooke’s organization draft an unorthodox guard named Magic Johnson.

Magic propelled the Lakers to the league championship in the first season of ownership by Buss, who promptly told the television audience that he had worked so long and hard to win the championship. It sounded ludicrous, but Buss was talking about his years amassing the wealth and know-how to acquire the team.

He always said he bought the club just because he couldn’t get the tickets he wanted. Buss immediately understood that he should listen to Sharman, a Hall of Famer as both a player and a coach.

To this day, the low-key Sharman’s influence within the Lakers remains a key factor, despite the fact that he’s well into his 80s. Each season he writes a report on the team and its personnel that is to be read only by Buss.

“Sharman has always had considerable influence,” team consultant Tex Winter confided last year.

That may help explain the numbers that Buss has put up in three decades of ownership. His Lakers teams have won nine titles and appeared in the league championship series another six occasions, In his 30 years of ownership his teams have played for the big cheese 15 times, numbers not even close to being matched in the modern NBA, or any other modern pro sport.

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Lesson #1.

Find a highly respected former player and coach, who is a member of the Basketball Hall Of Fame, and retain his services as a ”special consultant”, answerable to no one else but you.

Lesson #2.

Listen closely to what this special consultant actually has to say about the game, itself, and the people who happen to play, and coach, and GM, it.

Lesson #3.

Prioritize ‘championship success’ above all else.

Lesson #4.

Do exactly what your “special consultant” tells you to do.

Lesson #5.

Stay the heck out of the way …

by occupying yourself with whatever sort of distraction might be necessary to keep your fingerprints off the day-to-day operations of the team, even if this means embarassing yourself by spending ‘quality time’ with a bevy of bouncing beauties less-than 1/4 of your own chronological age …

except, of course, when the REALLY BIG decisions MUST get made, usually involving OBSCENE amounts of $$$, in which case you become a “tough as nails” ruthless barracuda who …

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Lakers’ Buss knows when to hold’em [March 2, 2008]

has done whatever it takes to bring this city [Los Angeles] a championship.

“What’s kept me going is my competitiveness,” he says. “I really, really do want to win.”

We forget this because, as he walks through the Staples Center tunnel with a colorful shirt and a laughing date and a pleasant handshake for everyone, he seems like just another L.A. dude.

We forget that he had the smarts to help engineer the NBA’s deal of the season by getting rid of Kwame Brown . . . because, well, you see that seemingly empty house across the narrow street from his house?

“Kwame Brown lives here,” Buss says, shrugging. “Seriously. We used to hang out. We’re friends.”

When is the last time an owner admitted that his team makes him cry?

Jerry Buss says that when the Lakers are playing well and Staples Center is rocking and the city is embracing his baby, he is moved beyond words.

“It’s a tearful experience sometimes,” he says.

His team can also make him so mad, he will storm out of his box in silence.

“I’ll say, ‘I’m sorry, I’m just so angry now, I can’t talk,’ ” he says.

Jerry Buss doesn’t own the Lakers, he lives them, from filling the front office with his family to filling some of his players with unabashed love. Maybe this is one of his secrets? The team isn’t run by him, it is him?

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Presto!

PS. The Los Angeles Lakers [32-9] pay their only visit to The Big Smoke this season on Sunday, January 24 [i.e. later on this week]. Raptors fans should mark the date down on their calendars as, unfortunately, Showtime, doesn’t happen in these parts with the degree of frequency that befits a world-class city like Toronto.