Lakers vs. Suns Game 7

Cruci's Corner

Here’s The Thing

You know what bugs me more than this being one of the biggest collapses in Laker history - the way the Lakers are going out today. On top of that I just think the Suns have acted like schoolyard babies throughout this whole series. There has been no respect from any member of the Suns at any time and that really bugs me. The better skilled team may have won, but the team with the greater character lost.

It was all slumped shoulders and hung heads from the tip. I truly expected some kind of passion out of the guys today. There was more passion and desire coming from the worst of the Laker bandwagon fan than any of the players today and that bugs me.

And I’ll say it again - everyone who was crying and whining about the Lakers being too old or they need to get younger and younger - you’re now seeing the result of a young team. Inexperience has to become experience somehow. This is how it happens. Heartbreaking losses and total meltdowns when it matters most is the direct result of a team that doesn’t know how to win in important games.

To this end, it’s my strongest wish that the Lakers do something / anything to get veteran players in here to show these guys that passing to Kobe and standing around won’t win anything but an early vacation.

I’m sorry to be so down, but this game is whole-heartedly depressing for me as I’m sure it is for all of us that have given everything we have to be behind this team.

I don’t know how many times I’ve said it this year, all I ask for is for effort 100% of the time. I can take a loss if they just do everything they can in the meantime to win. This team has time and time again let me down in this respect and for that I get bummed out.

Now look the future isn’t that bleak. As has often been said, it’s darkest before the dawn and the better days are ahead for the Lakers.

There’s a decent core of talent on this team, but there are also some giant gaping holes that need to be addressed if the Lakers to avoid this kind of terrible playoff debacle.

The shopping list should include first and foremost – a defensive point guard with playoff experience, a big man looking for rebounds and above all any and every player looking to move without the ball and not be a spectator in the Kobe show all season.

Anyway, this is all something for the first article of the summer (which unfortunately beings right now for all of us).

I’m just going to go through the players and give a good and bad for each, and then I’m out for the summer. (Damn I hate typing that)

Kobe Bryant - For all the crap that Kobe has taken this year – not passing enough, passing too much, scoring too much, scoring too little, getting into his teammates’ face, not being active enough, not including players, including everyone too much – the guy has done a good job of growing up. His growth wasn’t only charted by the amount of points he scored (that truly means nothing as we can see as we sit on the sidelines of the playoffs) but in the way he accepted the brunt of the junk thrown his way and turned it not one of the best individual season in recent memory. Couple that individual performance with the way he’s looked for his teammates when it matters most and I think its safe to say Kobe second phase of his career is well underway. The bad part is that second phase starts much as the first, with a disappointing (scratch that HUGELY disappointing) playoff dismissal. Just imagine what he could do if the Lakers can get someone who wants to score alongside him.

Grade: A

Lamar Odom – Much maligned and not all of it unwarranted, Lamar’s season has been a fading affair. At times fading into the fold to get done what needed to be done then at others inexplicably fading into the background when there was little else to lean on. Since the all-star break the guy has been exceptional. He’s done a good job of finding his role within the triangle and seeing just when and where he can make the most of his wide skill set. What really kills me about Lamar is his nature. I know it’s nothing that can ever be changed but for Lamar to truly be a constant factor in the Lakers scheme of things is for the Lakers to get themselves a second scorer. Whether he can or can’t put in 20 points a game is beside the fact. It’s maddening to see someone that can do just that let it go to waste at times, but its apparent that kind of offensive performance just isn’t going to ever happen. Honestly, its no big deal, fine, Lamar could be deadly as the third guy option in the lineup, the real question comes when you look for the second scorer to put Odom in the spot he can play best.

Grade: B

Kwame Brown – The kid has been through a lot in a very short career. A lot of it has been self-imposed, but a lot of it has been because he was simply drafted too high. Too many expectations were put on him at an early age to save a dying franchise. We all know he just isn’t that kind of player or person. So off he goes to the Lakers and a second breath at life. For the most part, he took advantage of the move. His improvement (no small part due to good coaching) has been noted. Its obvious jump from the player we saw in January to the player we see now. The next step for Kwame is to simply sharpen his mental game. Defensively, he has to see help situations better, he has to hold position more often using his natural strength and he really has to learn the art of defensive space to get himself the blocked shots that are there waiting for him. Offensively, he has to, at all costs, finish strong every time he is within arm’s length of the hoop, no more lay –ins, soft hooks, all two hands – all dunks when close. The term 90% mental and 10% physical has never been truer than with Kwame.

Grade: C

Luke Walton – Like him or not, the guy has a permanent spot on this team. No he isn’t the most skilled player in the world, but he has something that is a rare commodity on the Lakers right now, mental acuity. Luke’s basketball I.Q. is second only to Kobe’s and on such a young developing team is vital. I know there are plenty of people out there that think Luke has no business being on this team, but you’re sorely mistaken. The guy has contributed more than shows up in the box score. Players like Luke are hard to come by. I’d love to see Luke – like Kwame – really look to improve on weak side help defense. Being one of the two players that actually use the scouting report given to them, this is Luke’s main defensive hitch. He uses his stature well inside and has decent footwork in the 10 to 12 foot range. Laterally, he’s alright, though beaten too easy through screens with a stronger body. Offensively he’s given far more than I expected of him.

Grade: B

Smush Parker – For a guy with a heck of a lot of talent, he’s another player that certainly needs to sharpen his mental game more than anything else. Far too many times has Smush let a weak game on one end of the court completely take him out of his game on the other end. This is nothing but a mental hurdle. He has the physical capability to be a decently guard in the NBA, but until he learns to stay strong in his head all that talent will go for naught. I love his tenacity and quick hands on defense, but he shoots himself in the foot with a couple things. All of his hand speed is easily taken away with one jab to the side. Lateral motion is something I’ve railed on Smush all year about and Nash took him to task on just that problem. The other giant hitch in his defense, - going under screens. It’s not tough to avoid, but for some reason he feels the need to put himself at an even further disadvantage by ducking beneath each and every screen/pick presented to him. All in all Smush is a shoot-yourself-in-the-foot kind of player right now. He does a couple things well but negates them by letting fundamental mistakes happen without a move to prevent them. I’d love to see Smush back on the Lakers next year and I do think he’ll be here, but his play will be far better served off the bench (and maybe at the 2 instead of the 1)

Grade: C

Sasha Vujacic – I have been quieted somewhat by Sasha’s decent play in the second half of the year. The thing that keeps me from signing on is the fact that I just don’t see a consistent role for him on this team. He lacks the skills of 1, the consistent stroke a good 2 and the size of a 3, 4 or 5. With such a limited skill set, it’s hard for me to see the long term benefit Sasha can bring to the Lakers. All of that aside, the guy has played some really great tough defense, something totally unexpected from a Euro player, but a pleasant surprise nonetheless.

Grade: C-

Brian Cook – I have been a proponent of Cook since day one. I like his instant offense and willingness to do what he has to do to improve his game. Yet, like Parker, he’s a one step forward two steps back guy on the court. For every shot he sinks with ease, he lets the opponent get 2 in with even greater ease. There have been moments of toughness for Brian underneath the hoop, but not enough to be able to lean on him in low post like the Lakers need. He has been absent-minded and incredibly slow to help at all as well. This, despite the hot off the bench shooting he give s the Lakers (a great weapon by the way) has been killing the Lakers when the benches meet. I’d love to see Brian show the same determination he has in shooting and getting to his proper spot on defense. Couple that with only shooting when he has an open set shot and Brian can improve a big chunk.

Grade: C

Chris Mihm – Another guy who a lot of people love to throw blame on. However, next to Kobe there has been nobody on this team that has brought 100% effort to the floor every night like Chris. For all of his foibles, the guy gives everything he has when he’s on the court. His main trouble, the foul curse, comes from Chris simply trying to do too much. He must learn (and really quickly) that he can’t block every shot that is near him. When Chris plays within his game on defense the Lakers become a much tougher team get easy shots by. It would be fantastic to see Chris develop a go-to shot. Too much of Chris’s offense is driven by making a shot up at the last moment possible. If Chris can use his long reach and height in the low post with a turnaround jumper, hook or drop step to the baseline, it would be enormous.

Grade: B

Devean George – I like Devean. I know I’m one of the few, but when healthy he bring energy and strength off the bench. The problem with Devean lies with his sporadic play. When you think you can count on him for one thing, it disappears only to reveal another talent that comes to fore. This is a big problem for a developing team. Right now the Lakers need guys that can be counted on to serve a specific purpose each and every moment of each and every game. Devean has had some good things happen defensively and some good things offensively, but when it comes down to it, he is a hard player to see coming back into the fold next year.

Grade: C-

[b]Ronny Turiaf & Andrew Bynum[b] – They’re young. There simply wasn’t enough play to make any kind of assessment of either player right now. Ronny obviously wants to play more than anything and Andrew has shown a great desire to want to learn and become an important cog of the Laker engine sooner rather than later. Both admirable qualities in rookies, but again not enough information is out there yet to see what these guys can truly do for the Lakers.

Grade: INC

When it comes down to it, the Lakers are young. Young teams don’t succeed in the NBA. What’s needed now is experience – and these guys just got a massive dose of experience in the form of letting a 3 -1 playoff series lead slip through their fingers.

All I can hope is that in this time off each and every Laker looks within themselves to see if they want to be successful in the NBA or just simply play in the NBA.

I don’t like losing.

The Lakers need a team of players with the same attitude.

Have a good summer guys.

Veteran ClubLakers member crucifido writes nightly player analysis for each game of the Laker season.