Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Doubts
For the first time in over ten years, barring a spectacular the likes of which the Lakers have not had this year, it looks like the Purple and Gold will not be in the playoffs. Five straight losses, two games under five hundred and 3 1/2 games out of the 8th seed, making plans in late April and May will not be the same as preceding years.
Lamar Odom gets a C+. He , when all is said and done, was a disappointment. We knew we weren't getting fair market value for the traded center but at no point did we expect the level of inconsistency I feel these two players have brought to the table. Lamar has been a helluva rebounder. But his fadeaway layups when he attacks (using this word loosely) the hole (and the subsequent crying for a foul to the ref) were probably more harmful than his rebounding was helpful. Not to mention his early season propensity to shooting the 3 ball.
Caron Butler gets a C+. Caron "I'm guaranteed at least one charge per game" Butler had his highlights. But in lies the problem, he seemed entirely too eager to be a second Kobe on the team chasing Kobesque highlights when we could have used his good midrange jumper instead of missed layups or charges.
Chris Mihm gets a C-. Don't even want to give him a whole paragraph. I wanted to like him as much as I wanted to like the two above. But I can't. Weightroom. Two hands. Know when to foul. And lastly, weightroom.
Chucky Atkins was the highlight of our offseason pickups. Though he has faded the past couple of games, his jumper kept us in and won a lot of games for us this season.
Tierre Brown gets a C+. Has been a spark but often is the cause of turnovers due to simple bad decision making
Luke Walton gets a D+. Too hesitant to shoot. Could earn his way to more playing time if he was more willing to take an open shot.
Jumaine Jones B+. Good defense, great hustle. Probably the best pure shooter on the team.
Sasha Vuchachic gets a B-. In his limited minutes, he didn't turn the ball over, and made pretty good decisions when running the team in garbage minutes. Decent shooter.
Stanislav Medvedenko gets a B. If he could guard somebody, he would get 30 minutes a game. His midrange jumper is definitely needed. But his tendency to pick up quick fouls is a liability. Still I have feelings for Slava and know that all he needs is some other tangible to garner some playing time whether it's rebounder, passer, or defender.
Brian Grant gets a B. Despite his complete inability to block a shot, he could body up a player (read: Mihm -> weightroom) and didn't make a whole lot of mistakes. He wasn't the presence we needed in the lane but then again he wasn't exactly replacing the presence we needed in the lane. His baseline 15 footer was pretty consistent. His true weaknesses were more related to circumstances he couldn't control ie his missing knees....
Kobe Bryant gets a B+. You're probably expecting a whole diatribe here but no. He played well.
Vlade Divac and Devean George. I want their asses expelled. Particularly Devean George who was supposed to be back in November, then in January. Now it's the end of the season and this cat hasn't even played. Vlade was a mistake from the get go....salary cap handcuffs these two are!!
Lamar Odom gets a C+. He , when all is said and done, was a disappointment. We knew we weren't getting fair market value for the traded center but at no point did we expect the level of inconsistency I feel these two players have brought to the table. Lamar has been a helluva rebounder. But his fadeaway layups when he attacks (using this word loosely) the hole (and the subsequent crying for a foul to the ref) were probably more harmful than his rebounding was helpful. Not to mention his early season propensity to shooting the 3 ball.
Caron Butler gets a C+. Caron "I'm guaranteed at least one charge per game" Butler had his highlights. But in lies the problem, he seemed entirely too eager to be a second Kobe on the team chasing Kobesque highlights when we could have used his good midrange jumper instead of missed layups or charges.
Chris Mihm gets a C-. Don't even want to give him a whole paragraph. I wanted to like him as much as I wanted to like the two above. But I can't. Weightroom. Two hands. Know when to foul. And lastly, weightroom.
Chucky Atkins was the highlight of our offseason pickups. Though he has faded the past couple of games, his jumper kept us in and won a lot of games for us this season.
Tierre Brown gets a C+. Has been a spark but often is the cause of turnovers due to simple bad decision making
Luke Walton gets a D+. Too hesitant to shoot. Could earn his way to more playing time if he was more willing to take an open shot.
Jumaine Jones B+. Good defense, great hustle. Probably the best pure shooter on the team.
Sasha Vuchachic gets a B-. In his limited minutes, he didn't turn the ball over, and made pretty good decisions when running the team in garbage minutes. Decent shooter.
Stanislav Medvedenko gets a B. If he could guard somebody, he would get 30 minutes a game. His midrange jumper is definitely needed. But his tendency to pick up quick fouls is a liability. Still I have feelings for Slava and know that all he needs is some other tangible to garner some playing time whether it's rebounder, passer, or defender.
Brian Grant gets a B. Despite his complete inability to block a shot, he could body up a player (read: Mihm -> weightroom) and didn't make a whole lot of mistakes. He wasn't the presence we needed in the lane but then again he wasn't exactly replacing the presence we needed in the lane. His baseline 15 footer was pretty consistent. His true weaknesses were more related to circumstances he couldn't control ie his missing knees....
Kobe Bryant gets a B+. You're probably expecting a whole diatribe here but no. He played well.
Vlade Divac and Devean George. I want their asses expelled. Particularly Devean George who was supposed to be back in November, then in January. Now it's the end of the season and this cat hasn't even played. Vlade was a mistake from the get go....salary cap handcuffs these two are!!
Thursday, March 17, 2005
ESPN.com: Page 2 : Who's at fault? Shaq? Kobe? Us?
ESPN.com: Page 2 : Who's at fault? Shaq? Kobe? Us?
An objective article on the Kobe\Shaquille saga? On ESPN.com no less? Unbelievable
An objective article on the Kobe\Shaquille saga? On ESPN.com no less? Unbelievable
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Oddly enough
A while back I was chiding the Atlantic division for having every team on a losing streak....nevermore, every team in the Pacific is on a losing streak as well, granted most of those teams are above 500 but still....
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
Gotta Take the Shot
Luke, Kobe trusted you. With the game on the line, Kobe gave you the ball. Remember being a little kid on the court by yourself, and you dribble as you countdown '5 . . . 4. . . .3. . . 2'? Never did you say 'And he passes!'. NO!! No ! No! and No! That scenario always finishes with and he shoots........he scores!!! And even if you miss the shot, at least a shot went up. I know you're used to deferring to Kobe but you have to know game situations.
With that said, we played a horrible quarter which cost us the game. The other quarters weren't particularly great but we stayed in the game. Time after time this season we've found new and interesting ways to dig ourselves into holes. Tim Thomas and M. Sweetney?!?!?! Who the hell is M. Sweetney? Don't even know this cat's first name but he was bustin' our ass thoroughly!
Frustration mounts and it's only going to get rougher. Boston on Wednesday night. A new and improved Boston at that.....
With that said, we played a horrible quarter which cost us the game. The other quarters weren't particularly great but we stayed in the game. Time after time this season we've found new and interesting ways to dig ourselves into holes. Tim Thomas and M. Sweetney?!?!?! Who the hell is M. Sweetney? Don't even know this cat's first name but he was bustin' our ass thoroughly!
Frustration mounts and it's only going to get rougher. Boston on Wednesday night. A new and improved Boston at that.....
