The Optimistic Thread! (TRD's FREEDOM THREAD!)

The Laker Link · by **The Laker Link** on Fri Oct 19, 2012 9:25 am

I know it was only CaChooka's personal made highlights, but from the highlights...I liked what I saw from Jamison, Sacre, CDR, Ebanks, some of the other little guys here and there and then obviously the starters. Nash looked good, Kobe is Kobe, Pau had some moments as well as Artest.

I feel like the odds are good for us.

Can things be fixed? Yeah, the team highlights showed those, and I know not all of that stuff will work out perfectly like the highlights show, but the fact that those things were accomplished in the pre-season.....I feel like they should occur in the regular season and they will be good and everyone will accomplish all the things necessary to make the season successful. It seems like everyone knows what the goal is and wants to fight hard for that, and I think they will, thus why I am not sweating bullets over every little detail of the pre-season.

We'll get 110% from everyone and we will get far. This will all work out.

raviator · by **raviator** on Fri Oct 19, 2012 9:31 pm

Pleasantly surprised by the shooting Ebanks displayed tonight. He keeps it up, could make the bench a little better. Especially if he continues to be aggressive and create his own shots. One can hope...

Doc Brown · by **Doc Brown** on Fri Oct 19, 2012 9:49 pm

Blake set a career high in points tonight. That's got to count for something.

The Rock · by **The Rock** on Fri Oct 19, 2012 9:52 pm

therealdeal wrote:Just a few questions...
1. Where'd you get this?
2. Where's Steve Nash?
3. Why is LeBron James back there next to Sacre?

Goudelock's twitter lol

therealdeal · by **therealdeal** on Fri Oct 19, 2012 9:57 pm

Ebanks looks really solid, just like I was hoping he would. He's averaged 8.5 points per game so far this pre-season so he's BEEN doing a good job, but with a real bench rotation in there of Blake/Meeks/Ebanks/Jamison/Sacre he looked like a solid bench player.

I know people are going to look at Meeks and his stat line and say "what the hell he sucks" but he wasn't really given a whole lot of space. He only had one really nice look and it just barely missed. I think part of the problem is that teams know he's a danger so they don't leave him open. Ebanks got a ton of looks, but part of that is because they aren't going to give Meeks space, they'd rather give Ebanks the shot.

I thought Jamison looked better. The biggest problem is... he looks physically weak. He gets kind of pushed around right now and that doesn't bode well. Usually he'd be able to curl around some guys and get some fouls, but for the most part he's just been bullied down low. His shot is starting to look better and better though.

wcsoldier81 · by **wcsoldier81** on Fri Oct 19, 2012 10:16 pm

Arash Markazi‏@ArashMarkazi
Not only will Dwight Howard likely play Sunday but Mike Brown will try to play the Lakers' starters their regular minutes.

therealdeal · by **therealdeal** on Fri Oct 19, 2012 10:17 pm

Yeah I heard that in his interview. It seems he's trying to get the real game situations started.

I think he should have done that tonight. Along with cutting his crap players.

Rooscooter · by **Rooscooter** on Fri Oct 19, 2012 10:26 pm

therealdeal wrote:Ebanks looks really solid, just like I was hoping he would. He's averaged 8.5 points per game so far this pre-season so he's BEEN doing a good job

Ebanks is shooting well that much is correct, but his defense was not so hot.... He hit more 3's in this game than he has in his career I believe..... If he keeps that up it will be sorely needed because the rest of the guys playing for a position look like do-do.....

Maybe he's turned a corner.... can he do it in 5 minute stretches and do it consistently.... that will be the question. It would be nice to have a positive surprise off the bench for once.......

therealdeal · by **therealdeal** on Fri Oct 19, 2012 10:35 pm

I know you like him, you just have to admit it.

His defense looked just fine too.

therealdeal · by **therealdeal** on Fri Oct 19, 2012 10:41 pm

And one last thing:

I thought it was fun seeing our real bench in there at the end of the game. You can expect it to be a little more mobile with Hill instead of Sacre, but they looked pretty good. I thought Steve Blake did a real solid job of facilitating and I mean that. He still has some bad passes and his shot is God awful, but he's definitely learning a little bit of Steve Nash-ery out there.

Ariza3 · by **Ariza3** on Fri Oct 19, 2012 10:55 pm

ebanks proved himself tonight. really shot well. blake did a good job too running the 2nd unit. looked a little more together and fluid tonight.

they almost won the game too for us vs a starter ROY tyreke evans (whos coming off the bench for some stupid reason) so thats a good feeling.

starters looked a little better chemistry wise...cant wait until sundays game where we'll have our full starting lineup and can see what it will look like instead of sacre.

KB24 · by **KB24** on Sat Oct 20, 2012 12:44 pm

This team has been getting maltreated so far in the post-season.

There really is absolutely no reason to be overly optimistic. The Kings suck, we also mostly played Kobe, Gasol and Nash....absolutely zero reason why they have been getting owned and boned by crap teams.

nthydro · by **nthydro** on Sat Oct 20, 2012 12:48 pm

KB24 wrote:This team has been getting maltreated so far in the post-season.

There really is absolutely no reason to be overly optimistic. The Kings suck, we also mostly played Kobe, Gasol and Nash....absolutely zero reason why they have been getting owned and boned by crap teams.

C'mon man don't hold back...tell us how you really feel :man10:

therealdeal · by **therealdeal** on Sat Oct 20, 2012 1:24 pm

KB24 wrote:This team has been getting maltreated so far in the post-season.

There really is absolutely no reason to be overly optimistic. The Kings suck, we also mostly played Kobe, Gasol and Nash....absolutely zero reason why they have been getting owned and boned by crap teams.

There's lots of reasons.
1. They don't care, so they're not really trying.
2. What they ARE trying is really just the Princeton offense and other stuff that will be toned down once the season starts.
3. They're still very raw together so building chemistry will take time.

4. They seriously don't care at all.

Weezy · by **Weezy** on Sat Oct 20, 2012 2:00 pm

KB24 wrote:This team has been getting maltreated so far in the post-season.

There really is absolutely no reason to be overly optimistic. The Kings suck, we also mostly played Kobe, Gasol and Nash....absolutely zero reason why they have been getting owned and boned by crap teams.

I think a very revealing mistake in your post is why you're so upset, you're just confused, it's not the post-season it's pre-season these games don't actually matter in the slightest. There, don't you feel relieved now, it's October not May, maybe you're getting this unseasonably warm weather in Germany too, it is confusing. :man12:

In all seriousness though, there are legit concerns, the offense looks pretty bad at times, we still lack athleticism and some shooting, and Brown is still our coach. But there are also reasons for optimism to me, main one simply being this

Nash, Kobe, MWP, Pau, Howard. That's our starting lineup, and no they haven't looked great, but nothing's going to get me down with the potential they have and just knowing that the FO pulled that off this summer. Think about our roster top to bottom last season, then our current one, it could be (and was) a lot worse.

KB24 · by **KB24** on Sat Oct 20, 2012 2:27 pm

wow...that was a bad mistake lol.

Anyways, I'm not scared...but you have to be slightly concerned with how they are losing these games. Of course if doesn't mean anything but damn, at least try. These games are not just for practice, they are also there to build up your competitive spirit.

I know with a veteran teams, guys like Nash or Kobe probably don't need that. But it still would be good if people would be trying to play....successfully.

Weezy · by **Weezy** on Sat Oct 20, 2012 2:38 pm

I am slightly concerned, mostly that the concerns about our team being old could be legit against fast, young, athletic teams, and about Potato Head messing things up. I'm just holding out until I see how much Dwight coming back helps the team. I see him opening things up on offense a lot, getting tons of dunks and lobs from Nash and even Kobe and Pau, and being a huge difference maker on defense. I think we're forgetting how good he really is by dismissing his return as not THAT important. He's a 3 time DPOY, always top 5 in the MVP race, and can put up 20/20 games on a good night.

If we still suck after a few weeks or so of Howard being back and the bench playing in its normal rotation, then I will be more concerned. Once I know our players are fully trying for real and the games start counting and if we start losing those games, then I'd be concerned. I still go back to the 2000 Lakers, lot of new players, sucked in preseason, but once things started counting they steamrolled the regular season, and eventually won it all.

nthydro · by **nthydro** on Sat Oct 20, 2012 2:58 pm

For veteran teams who's core players have been together a while, preseason games don't mean much. But we have a lot of new players and a new system to learn so we need to take advantage of the preseason to build chemistry and unity.

Ariza3 · by **Ariza3** on Sat Oct 20, 2012 3:38 pm

i thought ebanks obviously looked good. but steve also looked like he had more confidence in his shot when he did shoot it aswell as his ball handling. hope this game gave them both a confidence boost for future games. meeks needs more consistent minutes/rotation thats all.

Rooscooter · by **Rooscooter** on Sat Oct 20, 2012 4:59 pm

Ariza3 wrote:ebanks proved himself tonight. really shot well.

Not sure I'd use that phrase..... proving yourself on THIS team would be doing that when Kobe is in foul trouble in game 6 on the road somewhere...... having a good pre-season game is what I'd characterize that as.....

He did well on offense.... he was lost a lot on the defensive end but so was most everyone else. Good step forward for the kid.... lets see if it's more progress or reversion to the mean in the next game before we say he's proven anything....

therealdeal · by **therealdeal** on Sun Oct 21, 2012 8:48 am

KB24 wrote:wow...that was a bad mistake lol.

Anyways, I'm not scared...but you have to be slightly concerned with how they are losing these games. Of course if doesn't mean anything but damn, at least try. These games are not just for practice, they are also there to build up your competitive spirit.

I know with a veteran teams, guys like Nash or Kobe probably don't need that. But it still would be good if people would be trying to play....successfully.

Yeah I agree that they should be trying harder, but the fact that they aren't and we know it is what keeps me from freaking out.

I think with the regular season now officially around the corner and Dwight coming back you can expect the team to start looking to win.

dwighthowardsdad · by **dwighthowardsdad** on Sun Oct 21, 2012 8:56 am

Kobe looks in mid-season form. He's moving off the ball well and creating easier oppoturnities for himself to either score or get to the line. Metta's effort is great early in the season. He's shooting three at a decent clip, playing good defense, and showing all around good effort. Sacre has been a suprise.

Overall, I seen glimpses last game where we can be really good; however, it might take some time. We're installing a new offense with new players and it looks like we're all not in sync together, yet. We'll ge there, so I won't freak out if we lose a couple in a row or get challenged by teams that we think we should blow out just because of our talent. It's going to be a process...

nthydro · by **nthydro** on Sun Oct 21, 2012 11:22 am

therealdeal wrote:
KB24 wrote:wow...that was a bad mistake lol.

Anyways, I'm not scared...but you have to be slightly concerned with how they are losing these games. Of course if doesn't mean anything but damn, at least try. These games are not just for practice, they are also there to build up your competitive spirit.

I know with a veteran teams, guys like Nash or Kobe probably don't need that. But it still would be good if people would be trying to play....successfully.

Yeah I agree that they should be trying harder, but the fact that they aren't and we know it is what keeps me from freaking out.

I think with the regular season now officially around the corner and Dwight coming back you can expect the team to start looking to win.

You guys are like polar opposites of each other. One is always cup half empty, the other always cup half full.

The Rock · by **The Rock** on Sun Oct 21, 2012 9:06 pm

- Dwight was off the charts
- He runs the floor extremely well and it opened up the floor for the team
- Kobe looked great
- Pau looked solid
- Meeks 2 3s in 1st half playing next to Duhon

lakersyunowin · by **lakersyunowin** on Sun Oct 21, 2012 9:07 pm

first night for our starting five playing together. looked great at times...confused at others. it'll all get better in time.

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