Tag Archives: Los Angeles Lakers

by | November 9, 2012 · 4:20 PM

Lakers fire Mike Brown

Doesn’t it feel good to have a head coach? Doesn’t it feel good to have a front office that doesn’t make knee jerk reactions based on fan and media scrutiny? Do you see what star power does to a team?

Friday, around mid-day, the Lakers fired head coach Mike Brown after the team posted a 1-4 record to start the season. They also went win-less in preseason, but preseason really doesn’t matter. It is, however, an indicator.

Five games are all Mitch Kupchak, the general manager of the Lakers, needed to assess Brown, his newly implemented Princeton offense (championed by Kobe Bryant), and the team’s play. Five games. Apparently, in Lakerland that is an eternity and a sign of the apocalypse. In that short time it was decided that the problem with the Lakers was Brown. He is the scapegoat.

Across television, pundits decry the Princeton offense as absurd and that it doesn’t work at the NBA level. Do not listen to these men. In five games the Lakers ran the sixth best offense in the NBA averaging 104.6 points per 100 possessions. Bryant is shooting 50 percent of his shots inside the restricted area because of the movement the Princeton employs. That figure should terrify opposing defenses. Forcing Kobe to shoot deep twos is where defenses are all smiles and happy thoughts about rainbows and horses. If it goes in, that’s fine. It was a low percentage shot, probably with the clock running down. Kobe getting layups (possibly even dunks)? RUN FOR THE HILLS!

So it’s not the Princeton. It isn’t. Period.

But, even if Kobe, and the rest of the Lakers, are getting plenty of shots at the rim, they cannot live on those shots alone. The Princeton offense opens up various shots through constant movement and high screens. Yet, the Lakers can’t seem to connect on any shot beyond the restricted area. They are dead last in field goal percentage from three to nine feet; connecting on only 18 percent of those shots. Second to last on shots within 10-15 feet. Here they shoot 16.7 percent. Luckily, they shoot better on low efficiency two-pointers (16-23 feet) with a clip of 37.1 percent. Their saving grace just may be the three-pointer. Here they connect 52.2 percent of the time.  Not quite what the Mavericks are doing from behind the arc, 72.8 percent, but nothing to frown at.

Don’t let those numbers confuse you, though. The vast majority of the Lakers’ shots are high percentage ones, either at the rim or beyond the arc. Where the trouble lies in their inability to connect from within nine feet and the number of deep twos they take. However, this is a terribly small sample size. It is unlikely that these trends will continue. And with a new coach comes new trends.

The real issue with the Lakers is their sputtering defense. They are ranked 25rd in the league in defensive rating at 107.6. That’s bad, and it doesn’t help their defense when they have turned the ball over on offense almost 18 percent of the time.

Beyond the numbers, L.A.’s bench is bad. Really bad. Perhaps even historically bad (I have not done research to justify this claim). Jordan Hill has been their best player off the bench, scoring 5.4 points per game but is shooting just 39.1 percent. Steve Blake has been forced into starting duty with Steve Nash being out. One of these Steve’s is not like the other.

This is where I could discuss Antawn Jamison, but I won’t.

These are the real issues that the Lakers face. Not Mike Brown’s coaching. Not the Princeton. L.A. just isn’t that good beyond their four marquee players and Metta World Peace (I’m giving him credit because I like him). If they can solve their turnover woes and play some solid defense, which may be too much to ask at this point despite the presence of Dwight Howard, this team can turn it around.

This was an ill-advised move by the Lakers, predicated by fear mongering and impatience. Five game is a horrible metric to judge a team, let alone a coach. Brown will have a job in the NBA again. Maybe not as a head coach but he’ll be back. As for the Lakers, they have no coach and a lot of problems.

They really are a Hollywood drama.

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by | March 22, 2012 · 6:10 PM

Is Ramon Sessions breakout bound?

Stealing that extra bow

I have always been a fan of Ramon Sessions since his days in Milwaukee and his one odd and humdrum year in Minnesota. I remained a fan as career stagnated in Cleveland post LeBron, though his numbers were quite good during his first season with the Cavaliers. Better than those of Brandon Jennings in 2010-11, for comparison. Now, Sessions finds himself on one of the most storied franchises in NBA history and he is primed for a breakout moment. The moment I have long been waiting for. The moment to leap into the spotlight and get the attention he deserves. Or at the very least the 15 minutes Andy Warhol guaranteed him.

Though his game is at times methodical and probing, knowing when to and where to get the ball to his teammates, he has flashes of quickness and swagger, pulling up for an open, timely, three or driving the lane in order to collapse a defense and find the open man. In his short time with the Lakers, just four games totaling 100 minutes played, Sessions has shot a whopping 56.7 percent from the floor and 42.9 percent from behind the 3-point arc, both of which, if they maintain present form, would blow away his previous highs in these categories (though that is unlikely based on the rule of averages). He has done all this to the tune of 17.3 points per 36 minutes. Yes, it is an incredibly small sample size and he is only playing an average of 25 minutes off the bench, so take everything with a grain of salt, but something has certainly clicked with Sessions and his new team.

The Honeymoon period is always is always a forgiving time, though. Look at the Knicks since Mike D’Antoni left: they haven’t lost. But Sessions has shown these flashes of brilliance in the past. He showed the same prowess once he became a starter to finish the 2008-09 season in Milwaukee and last season in Cleveland. This is more than just a grace period. This is Sessions melding into an offense, and team, he is comfortable with.

His average of six assists per contest further illustrate that point. This was most apparent in the Lakers’ win against a depleted Mavericks team on Wednesday night. Sessions totaled nine assists during that contest, 36 percent of the team’s assists for the evening. Since joining the team, he has tallied 27 percent of the team’s dimes and 41.8 percent of them while he is on the court. His effort is paying dividends for the Lakers’ offense as a whole. Zack Lowe of SI.com expands on just that:

…in the 100 minutes Sessions has played, the Lakers have scored 114 points per 100 possessions, a mark that would lead the league by a mile, according to NBA.com’s stats tool. The Lakers have been more efficient in just about every way possible during those 100 minutes…

With Sessions at the helm, Mike Brown‘s offense is finally making some headway. Lowe continues stating that the Lakers are also shooting more three-pointers with Sessions on the court, but this is largely do to his expended play with the second unit that does not consist of the Laker bigs looming in the post, where the ball is likely headed on many offensive sets.

Again, despite my wishful thinking, this is only the smallest of sample sizes. If they were to predicate a trend it would be a phenomenal one. Nonetheless, it has put Sessions on the map, being in L.A. has helped but his performance is what has made him note worthy and far more viable than any of the other point guards that Los Angeles has employed this season. No one is talking about Andrew Goudelock, after all.

Maybe it is too early to declare a breakout for Sessions. Maybe my dreams will have to wait. Whatever the case, he has certainly made the Lakers a scarier team. I have no doubt that he will secure the starting point guard role before season’s end as Steve Blake has been a shell of whatever he once was. There is obviously still a learning curve for Sessions with his new team and Mike Brown will likely keep him in a reserve role until he feels that Sessions has a solid grasp of the offense. That is understandable.

This is Sessions moment. Now is the time my oddly self-serving desire to see him explode onto the national scene can be realized. The interesting thing is, with Sessions, he does not even need to be stellar. All he needs to do is perform well in a major market with consistency. At least then the casual fan will understand the impact he can have on the game, they will understand that he is a solid player capable of running the offense on a playoff team. No, he isn’t Derrick Rose or Chris Paul but he doesn’t need to be. A breakout for Sessions is the notoriety that he deserves. Through four games he just may have gained it.

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by | February 28, 2012 · 9:26 AM

Lamar Odom is Being a Little Baby Bitch and Everyone Knows it.

This will always be just too damn funny.

If you live in the Dallas area or are a fan of the Mavericks, you’ve probably heard that Lamar Odom has been having a rough season emotionally.  He was traded from the Lakers, a team he loved.  He’s been performing close to half as effectively as he did last season (14.4 ppg to 7.7, 8.7 rpg to 4.5, and his fg% is 35.7%.  Seriously).  He’s a versatile player, seems to be a nice guy, we all felt a little bad for him.  No one likes to feel unwanted.

So when I heard that he’d be missing the game against the Lakers last Wednesday because his father had a serious illness, I didn’t think anything of it.  Those things happen, personal matters do not revere the NBA schedule as much as we fans do.  Let the guy take care of his dad, it’s one regular season game, and that’s that.  He’ll get back to the team as soon as he can (he also had a 5 day break due to the All-Star Game).

It’s that kind of understanding that makes you feel duped in the end.

As I drove home from work Friday afternoon, feeling energetic and excited, I put on 97.9 The Beat and instead of sweet, sweet jams, I was serenaded by a quote from Lamar Odom’s father.  A quote where he says he had a “stomach virus” and had been alright for a while.  At first, it was almost laughable, the DJ poking fun at how Lamar couldn’t deal with playing against the Lakers.  He was painted as someone who ran into his ex-girlfriend in a social situation and it broke him.

Last night, rumors started flying that Odom is desiring a buyout of his contract, presumably so that he can go back to the Lakers.  My first thought was, “Let him go!  He hasn’t been productive for the Mavs all season, and there hasn’t been much inclination that he will.”  But the more I sat and mulled it over, there is absolutely no way the Mavericks organization could do that and save face.  Instead of the probable truth, which is that Lamar likes the Hollywood aspect of playing in Los Angeles, it would appear as if the Mavericks organization is flawed.

This is a very unfair situation to place Donnie Nelson and Mark Cuban, let alone the rest of the players on his team.  To be very honest, it doesn’t feel fair to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

Lamar, let me break it down for you:

During your toughest struggles, this city supported you.  Meanwhile, your beloved Lakers organization has forgotten you.  They have their eyes set on Dwight Howard, even if it’s not a feasible goal.  They are cutthroat in regards to moves, and always have been.  Do you really think that if you had stayed, you would be better off?  You wouldn’t.  Right now, you’re playing for the NBA Champions, the team that swept you out of the playoffs last year.  If you were a Laker right now, you would be another piece of big man trade bait like Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol.  At best, you would have sweetened a package proposed to Orlando and you would be playing there, while Kobe Bryant and Dwight team up, once again, forgetting you.  They traded you for pennies.  PENNIES.  They are more interested in signing a retired, 37 year-old Rasheed Wallace (a former Celtic, if that says anything) than getting you back.  It’s over.

I’m sure it’s tough being married to a transsexual, and I’m uncertain of logistics in such a relationship.  But what LA plastic surgeon hack took your balls, my man?

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by | January 14, 2012 · 1:28 PM

Kobe Bryant continues to Burn Bright

Still hungry after all these years

“It’s better to burn out than to fade away” the youth-centric Neil Young quote goes. The line from “Hey Hey, My My” became a mantra for those who felt that their lives were more important in their youth, when they were fully engaged and vibrant rather than seeing themselves age and grow increasingly irrelevant. Yet, with age, there are some that disprove if not completely smash this perceived notion of the young. Kobe Bryant is one of these people.

The Lakers were considered shaky at best as the season began. There were new faces and plenty of lingering injuries. As with all things Lakers, the biggest questions surround Bryant. During the lockout, he traveled to Germany to undergo experimental procedures on his left ankle and right knee. His right knee was the focus of much attention last season as Bryant had to have it drained to reduce swelling on multiple occasions. Then, as the current season began it was discovered that he was playing with a torn ligament in his right wrist. Bryant shoots right-handed.

It was understandable, considering the list of injuries combined with age, and going through a divorce, that some began speaking about  Bryant in the past tense. He has had a remarkable career. No one can take away his accolades and accomplishments. He was a high school kid from Philadelphia who came into the league and was immediately cast under the specter of Michael Jordan. He survived. Bryant casts his own shadow now entirely independent of Jordan’s. Perhaps this is the season that he would fade away.

To imagine that outcome is farcical. This is Kobe Bryant, the most competitive and self motivated player in the game today. Despite his quest for perfection, he is  a flawed individual, like anyone, yet no one is more intense and focused than Bryant. Not for a moment did he think he could not compete at the level he is accustomed to. If anything, the doubters fueled his fire.

The past three games, against the Suns, Jazz, and Cavaliers, showcased Bryant’s desire to steal the league and the headlines from everyone. He scored 48, 40, and 42 points respectively in those contests while shooting a combined 50.5 percent from the floor. By doing so, Bryant is now the oldest player, 33 years old, in NBA history to have three consecutive 40 point games. The most impressive game might be the one against Phoenix where none of his 48 points came from behind the three-point arc. And lest we forget, he did this all with a torn ligament in his right shooting wrist. So much for fading away.

Bryant leads the league in scoring with 406 points and a per game average of 31.2. He also leads the league in usage percentage at 40.1 and why not? Mike Brown has said that he wants Bryant to shoot the ball and he is happy to oblige his head coach. It is no wonder, even with Lob City sharing the same building, that fans flock to Staples Center and religiously chant “M-V-P” for Bryant. With the season he is putting together, it looks as though he is gunning for that award again.

Kobe Bryant will not burn out, nor will he fade away. He exists beyond that. It would be unfair to make judgements about whether he is a better player now than he was in his youth. They are two separate entities with two completely different styles of play. His mind, however, is as sharp and as focused as it may have ever been short of the NBA Finals. With Bryant there cannot be absolutes surrounding the waning years of his career. For now, he is here to stay and amaze the fans that watch him while also enduring a level of worship and vilification that few have. When Bryant eventually leaves the game, he will not be forgotten. Right now, he is reminding us of why that is.

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by | December 26, 2011 · 5:24 PM

NBA Christmas Wrap

Merry Christmas

With much fanfare and an obnoxious LMFAO ad that was played almost every commercial intermission, the NBA season kicked off in superb, albeit rusty, fashion. Yes, lockout legs could be seen throughout the five games that were aired but that is to be expected with abbreviated training camps. chemistry was also an issue as many teams have a number of new players to integrate into their rotations. Nonetheless, the NBA is back and fans and players are happy. A reaction:

Boston Celtics 104 – New York Knicks 106

Carmelo Anthony looked great in this game. His 17 points in the fourth quarter were the difference and why the Knicks thought it necessary to gut their team to acquire him. Throughout his time in the NBA, Anthony has proven he has a knack for performing in the clutch and he showed it on Sunday. However, the already shaky depth of the Knicks has grown even more unstable with a knee injury to rookie Iman Shumpert which will sideline him for at least a couple of weeks.

As for the Celtics, Rajon Rondo and Brandon Bass, who is finally free from the tyranny of Stan Van Gundy, were the offense with Paul Pierce missing the game. Rondo continually broke down New York’s defense and got to the rim. When Pierce comes back to the lineup the Celtics should be a more rounded offensive unit, until then this will be Rondo’s team.

Naughty: Kevin Garnett choking Bill Walker.

Nice: Carmelo Anthony’s clutch play.

Miami Heat 105 – Dallas Mavericks 94

The Mavericks raised their championship banner but that is all they had to celebrate on Sunday. Dallas came out looking flat and out of sync, in essence, they looked old. That should be no surprise because their entire core is over the age of 30. Rick Carlisle is integrating Vince Carter, Lamar Odom, Delonte West, who played well, and Brandan Wright into the rotation while dealing with key losses across the board. Jason Terry was the only Maverick who showed up to this one.

Miami looked like they were just rolled off of a German assembly line. They were well oiled and fine tuned. What they did to the Mavericks was scary. Say what you will about all the exhibition games this summer but they seem to have kept LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in game shape, that and their complete desire to destroy everything in their path. This was a blowout, like a brand new Mercedes-Benz S-Class versus a Trabant. Not only were the Heat good but they will get better. Rookie Norris Cole turned some heads with his play in 24 minutes of action. If he continues to improve he could supplant Mario Chalmers as the starting point guard.

Naughty: The Mavs’ 37.8 percent field goal shooting.

Nice: LeBron James‘ box score: 37 points, 10 rebounds, six assists.

Chicago Bulls 88 – Los Angeles Lakers 87

Forget Showtime, these are the Slowtime Lakers. That is not a knock on them, however, not in the least bit. This Lakers squad proved to be as scrappy and gritty as any I have seen. Perhaps this is what Mike Brown brings to the team, perhaps this is what a bunch of blue-collar white guys bring to a team, or perhaps this is just what happens when you lose Odom and Andrew Bynum serving his suspension. Nonetheless, I like the Slowtime Lakers. Where they do need to improve is offensive player rotation. Too many times they reverted to Hawks-esque isolation with three players around the perimeter and one near the post.

Chicago played well throughout, with the exception being the third quarter. With the game close, Luol Deng stepped up and made the big plays. It was his defense against Kobe Bryant and his steal late in the game that allowed the Bulls to go on a 7-0 run, capped by Derrick Rose‘s floater in the lane, to win the game. Rip Hamilton started for the Bulls but did not contribute much due to foul trouble therefore his time was split with Ronnie Brewer. Brewer is a solid defender with good court vision and should see more minutes this season.

Naughty: Kobe’s last shot attempt.

Nice: Rose’s floater to win the game.

Orlando Magic 89 – Oklahoma City Thunder 97

Much like the Heat Mavericks game, the final score does not do justice to the thrashing that actually occurred. Like Miami, the Thunder look ready for the season. Very ready.  Oklahoma City pounced on Orlando early and never relented. Their team is largely the same as it was last year so their learning curve is near zero when it comes to knowing each other and how to execute plays…when they are not freewheeling. Speed and athleticism are the monikers of this team and they will serve them well out of the gate. If only they could improve their shot selections *cough* Westbrook *cough*.

Where the Thunder took plenty of questionable shots when they had built their sizable lead, the Magic took even more haphazard shots throughout the entire game. I have said it many times: the Magic’s offense is terrible. There is nothing more that can be said. It looked like they thought that there was a pit of lava inside the three-point line. Get Dwight Howard the ball in the post and let him work.

Naughty: Hedo Turkoglu clearly indulged his gluttonous side during the lockout. Dude is chunky.

Nice: Kevin Durant. Need I say more?

Los Angeles Clippers 105 – Golden State Warriors 86

If ESPN had their way, this would have been a documentary about Mark Jackson and the greatness of his coaching style. Nevermind the fact Chris Paul and Blake Griffin were on the court, this broadcast was about Mark Jackson, hands down (man down). They showed a clip of him quoting Shakespeare before the game. He was the only coach shown in the huddle, mostly saying cliché motivational shit like “execution” and “focus.” That is all fine and good, but he does have a decent team that the broadcast could have talked about. I think Jackson will be a good coach but that much attention is unwarranted, especially on a nationally televised game. His first coaching milestone was the hack-a-Jordan technique he used on DeAndre Jordan.

The final score is not indicative of how the Warriors remained close for much of the game. Clearly, the Wizards of Lob are the better team but last night they showed chinks in their armor. The aforementioned hack-a-Jordan technique stymied the Clippers offense and brought it to a halt. Luckily, the Clippers have Paul, Chauncey Billups, and Griffin. All played well as they were able to outlast the Warrior. The new look Clippers are a work in progress to say the least and last night they showed it.

Naughty: ESPN’s love affair with Mark “Momma, there goes that man” Jackson.

Nice: Caron Butler‘s circus shot.

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by | December 10, 2011 · 3:13 PM

Chris Paul situation highlights a still broken league

(Honestly, this could be the most stream of consciousness piece I have written but since the site has been dormant for a while it is posted as is.)

WoW

Since a tentative agreement was reached between the owners and the former players union, who have since voted to reform, the NBA has been nothing short of…well, let us say, interesting. Rumors and rumor mongering have swirled, dominating much of the headlines. This is nothing new to the NBA, of course. However, the speed at which they appeared to gobble up coverage was surprising. The two main targets of the rumors are the biggest names to be free agents at the end of the shortened season: Chris Paul and Dwight Howard.

Marquee names appear in free agency regularly, though there are quite a few more players deserving of a mid level exception on that list each year. Yet this firestorm hit swiftly. Howard could go here, Paul there, perhaps both end up in New York or Los Angeles. The absurdity grew daily. There have yet to be actual games played, they begin on Christmas, but there is always something more than rumor. Something more than yellow journalism. It was and is ludicrous. Fans sat through the six-month period of speculation surrounding Carmelo Anthony last season and cringed each time a “trusted source with knowledge of the situation” merely speculated that Anthony would want to play for yet another big market team. He forced a move to the Knicks and used the media as puppets. New York obliged and gutted their roster.

Paul is at the forefront of establishing player power post lockout. Not Billy Hunter, not Derek Fisher. He wants to play in a bigger market. He will not stay in New Orleans when his contract expires and he will not sign an extension there. Dell Demps, the general manager of the league owned Hornets, knows this. Paul is forcing his hand.

A three team trade involving the Hornets, Los Angeles Lakers, and the Houston Rockets that would send Paul to Los Angeles was assembled as soon as teams could actively begin trade discussions. In return the Hornets, who did not want to lose their star player for nothing would receive Kevin Martin, Lamar Odom, and Luis Scola in the deal. Pau Gasol would have wound up in Houston. On the surface the trade seemed reasonable. There was one catch, however. The league owns the Hornets.

Small market owners, namely Dan Gilbert, were enraged that once again a player was dictating where they wanted to play. How dare they have personal freedom! Nonetheless, competitive balance, as shortsighted as it may be, was one of the rhetorical talking points of the owners during the lockout. All star talent flocking to the major markets scares some owners. Gilbert went as far to say that 25 teams in the NBA should just be called the Washington Generals. He may not be right, but he certainly is not wrong. Perhaps, though, he should put the whole LeBron James ordeal behind him once and for all and focus on building a better team. (Oh, and dump the Comic Sans.)

Despite everything that the lockout served to accomplish for the owners, the real power remains with the players. Sure, they will not be making as much money in the long run but what is a few million dollars anyway? They still make more than the average American household will in its lifetime.

Luckily, David Stern stepped in, as the authoritarian he is, to uphold the values of the lockout. He nixed the trade of Paul for “basketball reasons.” The internet was livid, but when is it not, honestly? Stern stepped in and killed the trade as the owner of the Hornets. That is his prerogative. It may not be a healthy move for the league as a whole but it was his to make. He fought for the owners to retake their power during the lockout. With this move he acted on it. It was a maneuver for control.

Since the trade fell apart it was adjusted and resubmitted to the league for approval. (At the time of this posting no news was released about the possibility of its approval.) This time Demps and the Hornets have complete autonomy in the dealings of the Hornets and their ability to make trades.

There will be a power struggle throughout the season and likely for seasons to come. The lockout was only the beginning. Players, specifically the all-stars, know they have the ability to force trades and can readily make their opinions known to the media and fans via Twitter. They can whip up a story in 140 characters or less. Owners still have the final say but when they know a player will leave in free agency they must react so that they are not left empty-handed. In the present situation, Paul knows he is in control despite what the commissioner did and the media eats it up while spinning rumors of their own.

Not for one second are all the people who cover the NBA to blame. No, that is far from the truth. In actuality only a few stir up the rumor mill for their personal gain. Most of those who cover the sport want to dissect games and plays, wins and losses. The situation before all of us is perplexing. The balance of power is being restructured in the NBA and in the way in which it is covered.  Paul and Howard have, not by their own doing, caused the storm of the shorted season. Combined they have trumped the madness that surrounded Anthony and training camps are only in their second day. One would think that this feat would be astounding but it is not. Not in the 24-hour sports news cycle. Not in a world were Twitter breaks every news story. This is how it is going to be from now on. It is not pretty but it must be accepted as a fact of life. Players dictate their fate and rumors will spew forth uncontrollably because of it.

Getting flustered will change nothing. Filtering out the garbage is the only thing a fan or writer can do. Sometimes it will be hard but there is no other choice. Soon games will be played and the rumors will ride shotgun instead of driving. At least we have basketball.

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by | July 10, 2011 · 7:22 PM

NBA Lockout Day 10: Lakers Willing to Change

Ettore Messina is ready to shake things up in LA.

As rumors swirl and the pundits debate on whether or not Kobe Bryant will be playing in Europe during the lockout, his team just added a Euro brain to their staff in order to keep the championship ball rolling.

The Lakers announced just last week that they will be adding European coaching legend Ettore Messina as a consultant to new head coach Mike Brown.  It’s a full-time position that will call for Messina to accompany the Lakers for games and practices at both home and on the road.

Both the Lakers and Messina have one thing in common: basketball success.  Messina was named one of the Euroleague’s top ten coaches of all time in 2008 as well as European Coach of the Year in 2006 and 2008 in addition to Italian Coach of the Year in 1990, 1993, 1998, 2001 and 2005.

Messina coached Virtus Bologna to two Euroleague titles in 1998 and 2001 with the latter one coaching Manu Ginobili.  He also ran Benetton Treviso (where he replaced Mike D’Antoni) and CSKA Moscow and won two more Euroleague titles in 2006 and 2008.

He has been in talks with NBA teams for head coaching positions for the last few years but never got the opportunity.  It was speculated that he signed a deal with the Toronto Raptors after they fired Sam Mitchell in December of 2008 but they ended up going with Jay Triano and Messina remained in Europe.  It hasn’t been speculated as to whether they talked with him after firing Triano at the end of the season but they have since hired on Dwane Casey as their new head coach.

He is now coming off of a two-year contract with Real Madrid who had been pursuing Rudy Fernandaz just last week.  Hoopsworld reported that Messina had been offered the deal in May but perhaps in light of the deal with Fernandez that fell through, he is now ready for the position.

In fact, it all makes sense.

Every off season for the past five or six years, Brown would travel overseas to stay with Messina for a few weeks at a time.  The position became open with the departure of both head coach Phil Jackson and his assistant Tex Winter.  Winter suffered a stroke in Manhattan, Kansas in 2009 but has been recovering very well.  Additionally, the coaching legend will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame on August 12, 2011, an achievement that everyone in the Lakers association thought he deserved for some time.

It isn’t anything different for a new head coach to bring a sort of security blanket along with him when assuming his new assignment.  We seem them do it all the time with veteran players and assistants in order to help them adjust to the new job.  Do you really think Tom Thibedeau wanted Brian Scalabrine to play or rather serve as support on that bench?

Additionally, Messina has accepted the fact that the road to coaching is a long one that calls for years of work as an assistant.  The NBA is a different beast and will take him some time to get used to.

He really does seem to be the right guy for the job too.  Winter’s was known for his triangle offense that essentially fell apart in the playoffs.  The Lakers defeated the New Orleans Hornets in the first round due to their ability to bang them in the post with David West looking on from the sidelines.  However, their offense was frustrated and shut down as the Dallas Mavericks’ zone defense that didn’t bite for the double team.  Subsequently, Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum couldn’t find themselves open in the post.

It’s important to remember though that both Bynum and Odom were one reason the Lakers did so well last season.  Odom went home with the Sixth Man of the Year award and Bynum started to look like the beast we thought he would be.  Messina’s well known for his tendency to focus on player development especially in the post.  He is also known to have a deep admiration for Kobe Bryant.

Messina has been described as a top-down boss who likes to call the plays and is hard on players that don’t pull their own weight.  It has yet to be seen if he is ready to take a more backseat role for the organization and let Brown call the shots.

A lot of things could change with Phil Jackson and Tex Winter no longer calling the shots in LA.

Jackson was known for a highly lackadaisical style of coaching that allowed his own players to run the show but it seems like those days are over.  As stated above, the triangle offense is essentially dead in the NBA with the loss of Winter in LA and Kurt Rambis in Minnesota.  Even Brown has come forward and stated that they will not be running the triangle.

The plan is for the Lakers to run the ball up the court in order to conserve time on the shot clock.  Brown wants the ball up the court within three or four seconds with the hope that the offense will either develop a play or simply drive the lane.  Defensively, he wants his team staying spread out and attacking the ball.

Although it does seem a little basic and nonspecific, Messina is a good guy to bring in.  He is known as a tactical mastermind that loves to attack opposing coaches’ game plans.  At times, his teams have been known to run and gun for one game before turning into a squad relying primarily on their defense and half-court tactics.  He’s coached several types of ways and will be good insight for a team that is transition.

It does seem kind of funny for a team to be undergoing such transitions especially in the midst of a lockout that prevents them from doing much at all.  Bryant has always had his voice heard on this squad and they can’t even convene with him right now due to the lockout.

Additionally, if this team wants to move forward, it’s dire that they make a move for a point guard worth sneezing at.  The laid back system is gone and Brown needs someone running the floor.  Without free agency, they can’t go after anyone.  They draft hometown boy Darius Morris from Michigan in the second round but he’s only 20-years-old and is lacking athletically.

This team was supposed to cause some damage in the playoffs last season but were ultimately swept in the second round.  Now, they essentially lost most of their identity with Jackson retiring and by leaving what made them so successful for so long.  However, if ever a time to make such drastic changes, it’s now.

Bryant only has so much time left as a threat in the league and it’s time for them to utilize him appropriately.  Their system is broken and it’s time to change it up with more balance that doesn’t rely on him as much.  Additionally, a lot can change in this league during the current lockout with the possibility of contracts being highly limited in the future.  This may result in an influx of Euro players and style coming to the NBA and Messina may help with that.

During this confusing time for the NBA, one thing is for sure: a lot may change.  The Lakers are a staple of the NBA that has set the bar for success for so long.  They understand that it’s time for them to adapt.  This hiring will give them to ability to move in many directions while they groom what could be a future coach in the league.

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by | June 1, 2011 · 2:01 PM

Shaquille O’Neal is Retiring

Retirement calling

The Big Aristotle announced that he is planning to retire in a video he posted on Twitter Wednesday afternoon. Twitter, as we all know, is a better form of direct communication that actually informing the team that he plays for that he planned to retire. He has always been the most quotatious and possessed the most social media savvy. Shaquille O’Neal played 19 professional seasons after being a standout at LSU. He has career averages of 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game.

O’Neal asserted his dominance in the league early on in his time with the Orlando Magic taking the expansion franchise as far as the NBA Finals in 1995. It was not in Orlando where he would find his ultimate level of success.

O’Neal left the Magic in 1996 to join the Los Angeles Lakers where he would form, along with Kobe Bryant and head coach Phil Jackson, the first NBA dynasty of the 21st century winning three consecutive championships from 2000 to 2002. During this time, O’Neal enjoyed the most fruitful statistical production of his career.

However, not all was well in Lala Land and the O’Neal left the Lakers. He would win just one more title throughout the remainder of his career and shortly after that would see dramatic dips in his performance, playing time, and relevancy as he bounced from one team to another. That is not what he will be remembered for though.

O’Neal will be remembered for his dominant play during much of his career. He will be remembered for the new backboards that the league had to begin using because he kept toppling them with his strength. He will be remembered for his numerous “Shaq-isms” and for his 15 All Star appearances.And he will be remembered for being a Miami Beach police officer and for dancing with the Jabbawockeez. And let us not forget, he will be remembered for his numerous movies (Blue Chips was awesome) and rap albums.

The accolades that O’Neal has received are numerous. He was the NBA Rookie of the Year in the 1992-93 season, he has three All Star Game MVP’s, three NBA Finals MVP’s, and the NBA MVP. To go along with the hardware, O’Neal was also selected to the All NBA First Team eight times during his career. Internationally, he was a member of the bad-boy Dream Team 2 which took home the gold medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

He scored 28,596 points over his career which places him fifth overall in NBA history. His 13,099 rebounds are good for 12th all time. He is a shoo in for a first ballot Hall of Fame induction.

Now that he has retired the only question is “what’s next” for O’Neal. One can only hope that he will join TNT so that he and Charles Barkley can establish what would be one of the best duos that television has ever seen.

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by | May 7, 2011 · 9:02 AM

To Live and Die

Threes were flying

“It was all about three-point shooting for the Dallas Mavs,” Jalen Rose said on Sports Center minutes after the Mavericks defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 98-92 to take a 3-0 series lead. Yes, the Mavericks did connect on nine more three-pointers than the Lakers did but it was this trigger-happy shooting from behind the arc that almost cost Dallas the game.

Spanning the entire third quarter and up to just before the 6:11 mark in the fourth, the Mavericks were in “hero mode” from three-point land. No matter what the situation, Dallas looked to take a shot from behind the arc. For the most part this stymied ball movement and made for quick offensive possessions. At times they did get an open look but it, more often than not, did not connect. In that span of time the Mavericks were 3-12 from deep. One of those misses was, however, a 42 foot heave by Corey Brewer as time was expiring in the third.

During that stretch, the Lakers were able to increase their lead to eight points, which was the largest lead by either team during the game. Dallas almost shot it self right out of the building. They were not relying on what they had done in the previous two games which was moving the ball to find a mid range jump shot.

Los Angeles was making it tough for Dallas to find the open looks they had in the first two meetings. They were double-teaming for much of the game, something they had not previously done, thereby forcing the ball out of the high post or baseline so that the Mavericks would have to operate around the perimeter. It was working well. That is until the 6:11 mark of the fourth quarter.

That is when the three-point shots began to fall for the Mavericks and that is when they made their run. From 6:11 until the two-minute mark, the Mavericks made four of their five three-point attempts, the last one by Jason Terry from the corner gave Dallas the lead at 91-89. Lamar Odom would tie the game on the next possession but that would be the last field goal that the Lakers would make and they would only score one more point for the remainder of the game.

The long-ball will not always be there. That is not to say that they should abandon it altogether, but rather they must not rely on it so heavily. In the second half of the game, Dallas had 18 three-point attempts compared to only 11 two-point attempts. That is not a recipe for success on most nights. They must get more looks from inside the arc.

The old adage about three-point shooting remains true. Dallas almost shot themselves into the loss column. However, they got hot at the right moment. They really were all about the three-point shooting in game three. In game four they need to find another way to beat the Lakers. They are still the defending champions and will scrap with their backs against the wall. Dallas should not get comfortable. They more than anyone should know that a 3-0 series lead means little. They have seen a lead like that become a seven game series. This, however, is not the same team. This is a Mavericks team that no one has seen before.

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by | May 6, 2011 · 2:15 PM

Enter the Mamba

Looking to Kaczynski the Mavs

Coming into Dallas with his team down 0-2 to the Mavericks, Kobe Bryant knows that it will be an uphill battle to get back into the series and revive any hopes of the Lakers advancing to the Western Conference Finals.

“It’s just about doing what we do right. We haven’t done it right,” Bryant said. It is clear that Bryant is referring to his team as a whole and not just to himself in particular. There is not much more that the Lakers can ask of Bryant as he has performed remarkably well in the semi finals.

In the two games against Dallas, Bryant has averaged 29.5 point on 46.7 percent shooting. However, he has picked and chose when he wants to contribute elsewhere. In game one he did not record a single assist. In game two he had three. He grabbed five rebounds in the first game and did not have any in the second. The rebounding numbers should not concern anyone. He is out there to score. Los Angeles has plenty of players whose job it is to be window washers.

It is apparent that Bryant still has the resolve of a champion and has displayed it thus far. Yet, his team has not followed suit. Yes, the Lakers have been the better rebounding team, but their scoring has been sub par. Los Angeles has an effective field goal percentage of .440 against the Mavericks. Dallas, on the other hand has one that stands at .510. The Mavericks are getting good open looks against a Lakers defense that is second guessing itself and not operating as a unit.

Coupled with that is the Mavericks’ high free throw shooting percentage. Putting them on the line is just as dangerous as leaving them open for a jump shot. For the series they are shooting 81.3 percent from the line. The Lakers are only shooting 70 percent.

Bryant is the alpha and omega of the Lakers. He has been for some time. Ultimately it will be him having to shoulder the burden of his team’s eventual success of failure. That will begin tonight as he will be forced to play more at the small forward with the suspension of Ron Artest. It will also mean that he will have to play more as the bench will likely be down a man as Lamar Odom expects to start.

The Lakers must come together. Pointing fingers does no good, they are a team and they will all experience the same end result. It is up to Bryant to rally his teammates together to make one last push, if he cannot do that, their fate will be playoff elimination and a summer replete with questions.

Image via @Stevallica

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