OFFICIAL: WMC 11/12: draft day WMC'ing

With a team put together a week ago, no starting center and a new coach I am not going to WMC much more than Freethrows... I am encouraged by the young guys and Blake is looking like his stroke may finally be coming back. I also like what Goldielocks brings to the team. Much more positives out of this game for me than negatives.

OK...I was really, really annoyed as to how the game went down today. The boys GAVE it away but feeling much better now reading the positives written elsewhere. Complaints? Gasol's play during the crucial possessions. Love the guy BUT missing two key free throws, a touch foul for an and one then not coming out to meet the ball when Bryant threw him that pass. I agree with those who feel he isn't decisive enough when he faces up with the rock. Oh well...it's only the first game. Ugh.

gcclaker wrote:Gasol's play during the crucial possessions. Love the guy BUT missing two key free throws, a touch foul for an and one then not coming out to meet the ball when Bryant threw him that pass.

not the best way to re-ingratiate himself with lakers fans after last years playoffs or the trade debacle is it? i really wanna get behind the guy...but CMON PAU. MEET US HALFWAY.

Except for giving away the game at the last 30 secs, nothing really to complain about. We know about MWP, I already post about it before the game, expected suckage is expected.

dear Pau, make your free throws

2-6? cmon

How does Pau not know that when you have a ballhandler trapped in a corner, you come to the ball?

Most everyone actually was pretty damn good today, we simply gave the game away.

Only things I'm not happy about are ...

- Ron Artest, or whatever his name is. Seriously, this guy was one of my favorite players when he got here, but I can't even try and defend him. Horrible beyond words.
- Derek Fisher. Blake should be getting all his minutes unless things drastically change. The only reason Rose had a semi-productive day was because Fisher can't keep up with him. I love everything Fisher has given us, but the guy is 37 years old.
- Kobe's turnovers. I don't now if it was the hand or just rust, but they killed us. Other than that, he played pretty great.

Kobe should not be trying to create off the dribble anymore. Seriously, he can't do it anymore. Between the bad fingers and now the wrist? It's been getting bad the last couple years and now it's really bad. This guy is just too banged up, still playing through it, and getting worse. He's going to be a cripple by the end of his career. So hard to watch this.

WMC: Kobe's wrist
If Kobe's turnovers were rust and not the wrist...that should be good news. Unfortunately, I think it is fairly obvious that it's the wrist. I don't know how he managed with all his finger issues...but he did, and that's the only thing that gives me faith that he'll work it out.

WMC: Collapsing down the stretch
Unfortunately, today's ending brings back some really bad memories of how Game 1 and Game 3 in the Dallas series ended. Games we had....and then proceeded to almost methodically lose. Kobe needs to spend some time and figure what this disease is....and root it out. He's ultimately responsible...because it's his team. That's Kobe's key role this year...if this team is going anywhere, he fixes the problem with how this team closes deals and delivers kill shots.

Fortunately for us...I am liking what I am seeing in some of these young guys. They are mentally tough and aren't playing scared. Kobe needs to bring them along and encourage their contributions.

^On that fade-away he canned in the fourth, he fell on it then spent time trying to shake it off. It didn't seem to affect his play on his jump shots before that. Ball handling while he navigate traffic was spotty with those two turnovers. Looks like something that will be troublesome he will have to deal with the rest of the season.

He's going to fall on the wrist quite a bit with the type of shots he attempts. What worried me was the they were saying that Vitti had tried out several things to protect the wrist in case of falls, and none of it was comfortable enough for Kobe....so he decided to just go with a tape job.

If he aggravated or further damaged the tissue in the wrist...it will swell again. And he's gotta play again tomorrow.

^ It would help if he didn't take any more circus shots. He's not 26 anymore. At some point I was hoping he would adopt the MJ mature game. He never has been able to completely let go of the acrobatics.

I don't think I saw Kobe try anything today that an older Jordan didn't use during his second three peat years.

There were no circus shots...the turnaround fadeaway, that's bread and butter MJ, and it's one of Kobe's signature shots.

Kobe just turned the ball over a ton of times. I didn't see him try to force the issue much today -- he just lost the ball a bunch.

In fact, other than the TO's I'd say he played a very smart, efficient game (although I wished he would've pulled up for a jumper at the end of the game).

I'm actually embarrassed for the Bulls that they almost lost to us. they rolled out the same team as their league leading team last year with the addition of a quality shooting guard. We don't have our starting center, our sixth man of the year is gone, Kobe's wrist was jacked up, Artest/Fisher played heavy minutes, and we had a bunch of young 2nd rounders playing big minutes. i always hate to lose, but there was a lot to like tonight.

if i'm a Bulls fan, i would not be happy. they did not impress me at all tonight.

*Agreed... His J was in good form all game. Bryant just didn't have the elevation on that drive.

Frank Dux wrote:I'm actually embarrassed for the Bulls that they almost lost to us. they rolled out the same team as their league leading team last year with the addition of a quality shooting guard. We don't have our starting center, our sixth man of the year is gone, Kobe's wrist was jacked up, Artest/Fisher played heavy minutes, and we had a bunch of young 2nd rounders playing big minutes. i always hate to lose, but there was a lot to like tonight.

if i'm a Bulls fan, i would not be happy. they did not impress me at all tonight.

I'm sure they have a ton of excuses (some valid for sure). Away game on Christmas, players are out of shape, haven't played together in a while, everyone's rusty, and can't make shots.

I really didn't expect us to win today anyway with no Drew and having a new system and new players not used to eachother yet, but that we almost still won and choked it away really sucked. My main complaints would be way too much Fisher, way too much Artest, no Barnes at all, and Kobe turning the ball over like mad. There's no reason to dribble and dribble and dribble against 2 guys, to go 1 on 2 constantly, if you're doubled pass the damn ball.

Blake should be in the game as much as possible, with Fisher in only if he is gasping for air. Doubt this happens though. MWP can stay on the bench, hate watching him look so lost out there.

Not really mad about the loss, defense looked pretty good and Kobe struggled with the wrist as expected. Pau though, really?

I didn't see the collapse (I had to go to dinner when we were leading by 9) but from what I saw in the first 3.5 quarters was that our defense is way ahead of our offense.

Kobe's wrist is going to be a problem all year I'm afraid. He needs to figure out what he can do and more importantly what he can't with it.

Pau's play seemed to taper off as the game went along. I don't know if he was tiring or not but his first few minutes were inspiring and he failed to keep that intensity for the rest of the game.

I would like to know from ones who saw the whole game: did we go Kobe isolation on the final few possessions? I'd hope we can find another way to close out games.

EDIT: I just saw the last few sequences and the Kobe jump pass with less than 24 on the clock was not a smart move. His explanation wasn't any better either. It was a poor decision and an even worse execution. Pau had no chance at that pass moving forward or not. It's almost like Kobe didn't want to shoot free throws to close it out.... truly puzzling decision.

gcclaker wrote:OK...I was really, really annoyed as to how the game went down today. The boys GAVE it away but feeling much better now reading the positives written elsewhere. Complaints? Gasol's play during the crucial possessions. Love the guy BUT missing two key free throws, a touch foul for an and one then not coming out to meet the ball when Bryant threw him that pass. I agree with those who feel he isn't decisive enough when he faces up with the rock. Oh well...it's only the first game. Ugh.

Me, too. I'm pretty PO'd about it still. Choke job indeed, good title.

kray28 wrote:
WMC: Collapsing down the stretch
Unfortunately, today's ending brings back some really bad memories of how Game 1 and Game 3 in the Dallas series ended. Games we had....and then proceeded to almost methodically lose. Kobe needs to spend some time and figure what this disease is....and root it out. He's ultimately responsible...because it's his team. That's Kobe's key role this year...if this team is going anywhere, he fixes the problem with how this team closes deals and delivers kill shots.

Fortunately for us...I am liking what I am seeing in some of these young guys. They are mentally tough and aren't playing scared. Kobe needs to bring them along and encourage their contributions.

^^ I agree with Kray all the way. I'm very disturbed in Kobe's lack of clutch play dating back to Dallas. I'm worried that the guy may have just turned that corner between age and injury where he simply cannot do what he needs and wants to do in order to close out games now.

I'm not ringing any death knells about the guy. He's still an absolute monster of a player. Who else could go out there with a torn wrist ligament and still score 28 points against a great defensive team like the Bulls? I'm not saying Kobe isn't still great. What I'm worried about is the fact that he can't close any more - or not on the level he and we are used to.

And no one is picking up that role. Pau faded much harder than Kobe did. He just disappeared, missed free throws, didn't make the stop on the last play.

I guess we need to groom Bynum to be that guy, but Kobe and Pau will have to actually give the kid a chance in those moments. We'll see.

I liked the second half defense effort, not the first half. That was at least heartening. Plus the kids played well. Murphy came alive in the second half too.

Drew has mental toughness. He WANTS to be in the closing lineup. I'm sure we'll never have to worry too much about him in that regard.

As we choke on
We remember
All the trades that
had been severed

As our team changes
To whatever
We will still be
Champs forever...

...right?

What happened to Kobe taking one or two dribbles then pulling for the J, postin up people ? Way too much overdribbling .

Mike Brown was talking about getting him the ball in his sweet spots , I didn't see that at all.
Same for Pau , he was as much outside the paint as on the low block.

The offense will have to get a LOT better ... the D in the 2nd half was very solid but the Bulls are a very predictable team offensively with little firepower outside Rose.

Another WMC, other forums lack the knowledge possessed by most of CL's members making it tough to have a legit discussion with anyone outside of these boards. We seriously have the highest BBIQ of any board out there. The amount of stupid I've been running into over at RGM is appalling. At least the Laker board there is pretty savvy.

I could see the game, started 11PM in Europe and needed some sleep.

Pau's number were not impressive but how did he look during the game. Was he the same Pau we had during the Playoffs or is he back to his normal self ?