Archive for the 'Lakers' Category

Pistons host Kobe

Published by Matt Watson on January 31, 2008 in Lakers and Previews. 127 Comments

The Pistons battle with female comic book villain Kobe Bryant and the Lakers tonight (7:30, TV20). For the Pistons, it’s their first game of a comfy five-game homestand, while the Lakers are playing their first game of a grueling 9-game road trip.

The Lakers haven’t had very good luck of late, losing four of six games since Andrew Bynum went down, not to mention having Trevor Ariza and Luke Walton join Bynum on the sideline with injuries of their own. The Pistons, meanwhile, are healthy as always. I’ll be at the game filing my pre-game, halftime and post-game observations for HOOPSWORLD, and always, leave your thoughts in the comments.

Pistons gain even though they lose

Published by Matt Watson on November 19, 2007 in From the news, Games, Kings and Lakers. 14 Comments

The Pistons obviously had a chance to win against both the Lakers and the Kings, but I’m not too torn up about the outcome. Why? As a lot of you pointed out in the game comments, it’s November, the Pistons are short-handed and the bench is seeing action.

It’s tough to keep one game in perspective between tip-off and the final whistle, but after the fact it’s kind of nice to look back at the box score and realize, “hey, we learned something new.”

What did we learn this weekend? We learned that Cheikh Samb is far more useful than anyone expected this soon. Here’s a highlight reel I found on YouTube of Samb, Amir Johnson and Jason Maxiell:

From Chris McCosky of the Detroit News:

“His growth as a player, both physically and mentally, has been nothing short of astronomical,” Saunders said. “He’s really progressed as far as understanding what we’re trying to do and his grasp of the game. You know, this is a guy who’s only been playing a couple of years, so he has no bad habits. Everything he’s being taught, it’s nothing but good habits.”

Does this mean that Samb won’t be going to the D-League just yet? From Krista Jahnke of the Detroit Free Press:

“I think we’ve talked a little bit, and I think we’ll hold off for now,” Saunders said. “There’s no question we can throw him in the game. He has a presence. … You’re not afraid to put someone like that on the floor.”

I like the decision. If Samb falls out of the rotation, then giving him 30 minutes a game down at Fort Wayne is probably the best thing for everyone involved, but if he’s able to contribute even five minutes a game for the Pistons, I think it’s worth letting him stay. Why? Because there are residual benefits for keeping him around, including giving him a chance to work directly with the team’s coaching staff, letting him practice against NBA-caliber teammates and monitoring his diet/exercise habits to pack a few more pounds on his frame.

But he’s for real. Like Saunders said, he has a presence in the paint, since anyone driving the lane has to keep one eye trained on him. Paired together with another leaper like Johnson, the results can be comical, as the video above proves. Yes, they both need to work on their timing (if they both go for the block, no one is ready for the rebound …), but that’s what playing time is for, to learn how to get better.

As for Johnson, it’s a little difficult to grade his performance this weekend considering the team ran few (if any) plays for him. In the last two games, he’s combined for 33 minutes, 10 rebounds, four blocks and a steal … and just one shot from the field. In time, maybe that will be something to be concerned about, but considering he’s been playing early in the game with some of the starters, I don’t think it’s a big deal. Plus, his plus/minus rating was +9 and +6 on Friday and Sunday, respectively — anytime a player is in the black during a loss means they were doing something right (or at least, not doing too many things wrong), even if they weren’t the ones putting the ball in the bucket.

Pistons travel to the eye of the Kobe storm

Published by Matt Watson on November 16, 2007 in Around the Internets, Lakers and Previews. 153 Comments

The Pistons are in Los Angeles facing the Lakers tonight, and earlier today Kurt from Forum Blue and Gold asked me a few questions about the Pistons earlier today for his readers. I obliged, and as you’ll read below, he made time to do the same for us …

Matt: There was a silly rumor floating around Detroit that Kobe Bryant vetoed a trade to the Pistons earlier this week. It’s since been dismissed, but as a fan, is there a hypothetical package of Pistons that you would pull the trigger on?

Kurt: Is there one I, trying to channel Mitch Kupchak, would pull a trigger on? Sure, if you gutted your team (say, for example, the deal rumored of Prince, Hamilton, Johnson plus a first rounder and then throw in Stucky and Maxiell, and I’d still have to think about that. Then, how many contracts to I have to buy out as the Lakers, with 14 guaranteed deals right now, to make that work?). The real problem with any deal for Kobe is he has that no trade clause and he wants to go to a contender — he wants to be traded but not to gut the team he’s going to. To butcher a cliché, Kobe wants his cake and to eat it too, but the Lakers want someone to pay for that second cake. And whether it is the Bulls or the Pistons or anyone else, the fair market price (or even something close to it) for Kobe guts the team he is going to, not really improving his current situation. Plus, the fact he went on the “Summer of our Discontent” radio tour weakened the Lakers negotiating stance. (I’m not a big Sports Guy fan, but he makes a good point — Kobe didn’t handle that same situation as well as Paul Pierce.)

On a scale of 1-100, with 1 being “hell no!” and 100 being “it’s only a matter of time,” is Kobe being traded this year?

I’d guess I’d say 33. The thing is, if Kobe looks at some of the strides the young Lakers players have made, the fact he has another borderline All-Star in Odom, the fact the fans here love him more than anywhere else, he’s going to be hard pressed to find a situation that is better once another team is gutted from any trade. The question is: Has his relationship with the front office been so poisoned it can’t be repaired? Despite what Stephen A. Smith will tell you, nobody really knows the answer to that, save Kobe. And maybe even his position could change.

There is no one bad guy in this situation, no black and white answers. Just a lot of people in shades of gray.

Andrew Bynum: better than Jason Kidd?

Today, no. Two or three years from now? Yes. And this is the source of Kobe’s frustration — is the front office building for now or three years from now? There are four guys who speak for the franchise — owner Jerry Buss, his son Jim Buss, Mitch Kupchak and Phil Jackson — and there is clearly a Shakespearian power struggle going on up there. They say they all talk and are on the same page, then with the next sentence contradict each other. And there just seems to be no clear plan for where to take this team — why sign Vladamir Radmanovic to a five-year deal then give Brian Cook (a poor man’s Radmanovic with the same skill set but not as polished) an extension?

Now, to be fair to your question, Andrew Bynum has taken a big step forward this season and you’ll see that tonight. He leads the league in rebound rate, is grabbing 17.3 rebounds per 40 minutes and is shooting 57.1%. His PER is 23.36, second best on the team to Kobe. He worked very hard this off-season to improve his conditioning (dropped the baby fat and put on muscle) and that is emblematic of his good work ethic. This kid is not going to be a Shaq or Greg Oden (if Oden is what we all think), but he can be a very good center. I think the best description is (for your older fans) a Brad Daugherty when healthy. That is hard to come by and can be a key part of a championship team with the right other pieces. There are a lot fewer people on the “trade Bynum” bandwagon today then there were six weeks ago.

The Lakers have a of history snatching up former Pistons point guards, from Lindsey Hunter to Chucky Atkins to Smush Parker. What’s the over/under for how long until Flip Murray is starting for L.A.?

No, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Actually, PG is the place the Lakers are most set. Fisher is a solid veteran, but Jordan Farmar is a young, smart player who is a gym rat — he got a lot better and his shot more smooth this off-season. And behind him is the more talented but raw Javaris Crittenton. The future seems set there, so hopefully no more Smush Parkers to set us back. Then again, read the last question about the front office again…..

Thanks again to Kurt for taking time, especially considering he gave me much more time to respond than I gave him. As usual, leave your thoughts about the game in the comments — yes, it’s another late one (10pm), but it’s a Friday and you worked hard this week, you deserve this. Plus, for everyone out of town, this one’s on ESPN.

Pistons in the zone against LA

Published by Matt Watson on February 9, 2007 in Games and Lakers. 6 Comments

Phil Jackson on Wednesday, speaking about Detroit’s zone defense in an early-season Pistons win over the Lakers:

“Their zone is weak,” he said. “That was probably the worst performance (Nov. 10) I’ve seen a Lakers team play in that building (Staples Center). We couldn’t hit an outside shot. We had no direction.

So what happened in Thursday’s re-match? The Lakers shot 37% while scoring a season-low 78 points, with Kobe Bryant managing just 18 with eight turnovers. So, Phil, did you change your mind?

“Tonight, they had one of my old players over there orchestrating the triangle defense, and they did a nice job,” Jackson said, referring to Pistons assistant Ron Harper. “But the question is if they can do it at that level every night when they need it.”

Hmm… Rasheed Wallace disagrees:

“We learned how to defend the triangle during that championship season (2004),” Wallace said. “It’s not like they do anything new.”

At least Kobe was ready to give praise, even if it comes with just a touch of sour grapes:

“They played like champions,” Bryant said. “They are great defensively, and they get a little leeway because of that reputation. Great teams earn that leeway. We haven’t played anyone else like that this season.”

In any case, Detroit’s defense was obviously working, and as we’ve seen a lot lately, their offense was simply a joy to watch. Four starters scored at least 16 points. Rasheed Wallace and Chris Webber each turned in a double-double and Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton combined for 16 assists. (And don’t forget C-Webb’s sick assist to Tayshaun Prince — thanks Tim!)

You’d have liked to see the bench get more action, but Antonio McDyess (13 minutes) and Carlos Delfino (17 minutes) each chipped in five boards while Lindsey Hunter (19 minutes) picked up three steals. Jason Maxiell played just five (quiet) minutes. Besides, you know how the Celtics whittled their way back from the would-be blowout on Tuesday? You don’t want to give the Lakers that kind of breathing room — Kobe is capable of pulling his team out of any deficit with just one hot quarter.

Part of the reason McDyess didn’t see as much action was because of a sore back. From the Free Press:

McDyess, who played with back spasms in January, often clutched at his back as he ran the court. … After the game, he said he’d suffered a bruised rib on his left side in Sunday’s game in Cleveland.

“I kind of got a bruise,” he said, “and it wasn’t that bad, but it never went away. The pain never went away.”

McDyess said he was hit in the rib going for a rebound. He asked for coach Flip Saunders to take him out in the fourth quarter because it hurt when he turned his torso.

McDyess doesn’t think he’ll miss any full games, and this just might open up more minutes for Maxiell, which I think we all would like to see.

It happens everywhere. Spotted in Need4Sheed’s recap was a mention of a Brian Cook/Phil Jackson flare-up. From the LA Times:

With the game slipping quickly out of the Lakers’ reach, Cook and Coach Phil Jackson argued after Cook dropped his warmups in Jackson’s lap upon being inserted into the game during a Detroit free throw with 1:25 left in the third quarter.

Cook had barely reached his spot at the end of the free-throw line when he was yanked in favor of Andrew Bynum.

…

“I gave him an exhortation, a ‘hurry up’ type of thing, and he dropped his warmup in my lap, and I just said, ‘Take him right back out of the game,’ ” Jackson said. “We talked about it after the game. He apologized. That’s not in character for Brian to do that, but he’s frustrated. He hasn’t been playing in the regular rotation. There’s some things about that that’s not unnatural.”

After Cook was yanked, he stewed at the end of the bench and talked with a couple of assistant coaches and teammate Luke Walton, who tried to calm him down. Cook thinks it was an accident, but obviously he’s not going to win any wars with Jackson, who holds as much cache as any coach in the league.

If a Pistons player did this to Flip Saunders, fans in Detroit would be up in arms, half blaming the player for not respecting the coach and half blaming the coach for not commanding respect of the team. But the truth is, these types of things happen everywhere, even to some of the most respected/winningest in league history.

Pistons 93, Lakers 78 box score [ESPN]
Pistons stick with zone [Detroit News]
McDyess nursing sore ribs [Detroit Free Press]
Lakers have a Cook-out and get burned [LA Times]
DBB Preview: Pistons vs. Kobe, Mike Tyson and Phil Jackson

Pistons vs Kobe, Mike Tyson and Phil Jackson

Published by Matt Watson on February 8, 2007 in Lakers and Previews. 9 Comments

Free Kobe

Phil Jackson has always been a bit more enlightened than your average coach, and one of his traditions is to give his players books on long road trips. Well, he didn’t this year, and after a recent loss he explained why:

“I told them, ‘You guys wouldn’t read the … things anyway,’ when I went off on a little outburst on them the other day. ‘All you guys can do is play video games and watch porn movies.”

What’s that have to do with Mike Tyson? Um, I’m not sure. What’s Kobe Bryant have to do with female comic book villains? How about you make the connection in the comments. For a more intelligent preview (though, from an LA perspective), check out Forum Blue and Gold.

Pistons right ship against Lakers

Published by Matt Watson on November 11, 2006 in Games and Lakers. 1 Comment

Tayshaun Prince: bad picture, but great nightThe Pistons got back on track with a convincing win over the previously-unbeaten-at-home Lakers. With Rip Hamilton sitting with a hyperextended elbow, Tayshaun Prince took the reins to lead the Pistons in scoring — he shot 12-of-25 from the field to tie his career-high with 31 points. That was nice to see, especially since Prince had been struggling the past few games, not to mention the fact he got to do it in his old backyard in front of about 45 friends and family. How hot was he? He scored 18 in the third quarter alone, matching what the five guys wearing yellow did.

Flip Murray started at the two for Rip, scoring 10 in 38 minutes, which also opened up time for Lindsey Hunter to back-up Chauncey at the one. Hunter played a season-high 20 minutes with six points (his first of the season) and three assists. Nazr Mohammed struggled with his shot (2-9 from the field) but still grabbed 10 boards (six offensive!) with five steals in 23 minutes. We also saw the season debut of Dale Davis, who grabbed three boards in six minutes. Sadly, it came at the expense of Jason Maxiell, who earned his first DNP-CD“Did Not Play - Coach’s Decision” of the season. Count on him getting some burn tonight on the second half of the back-to-back.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Detroit’s play was their defense, and in particular, their zone defense. Kobe Bryant clearly isn’t completely back in gear, but I think the fact he had just two points on 1-4 shooting through three quarters says something. He finished with a flurry by scoring 17 in the final quarter, but by then the game was already well in hand. Austin from HoopsAddict.com I don’t think we’ve mentioned the site enough on DBB, but I’ve become a daily reader of HoopsAddict. It’s nice and skimmable, with enough material for me to glance at what I don’t care about and still have a few meaty nuggets that interest me. General NBA fans would be wise to check it out if they haven’t already. describes how it went down:

For the majority of the match up the Pistons set up in an unusually effective zone defense with Tayshaun Prince stationed in the middle operating as the quarterback. Head coach Flip Saunders has never been one to shy away from trying to integrate zone defences into his teams, and was one of the first coaches to truly welcome the rule change that enabled them to do so back during his tenure in Minnesota. Taking the pressure off of the guards to lock down their opponents on the perimeter enabled the Pistons to get out and run. Sitting in the center of the zone with the reach of Inspector Gadget and vision of Sherlock Holmes, Prince was able to orchestrate the defense with ease and was the prime benefactor of the consequently fresh legs on offense. After a solid first half Prince would only add to his performance, going ballistic in the third quarter scoring 18 points, and eventually tying his career high of 31.

So there you have it: the zone defense can work. Other random thoughts:

  • Lakers rookie point guard Jordan Farmar looked good: nine points, five assists in 22 minutes; starter Smush Parker better watch his back.
  • I can honestly say I’m shocked that Mo Evans finished with 21 minutes — I can’t remember one thing he did but apparently he played almost half the game. He finished with two points and two boards.
  • Jon Barry and Mark Jones tried talking up Luke Walton, but I commend papa Bill Walton not taking the bait. He reminded me of Bob Griese doing Michigan games back in 1997: if you didn’t know any better, there wasn’t any reason to think he was calling his own son’s game.

    • Pistons 97, Lakers 83 box score [ESPN]
    Pistons Zone Defense Renders Lakers’ Byrant Useless [HoopsAddict.com]

    Will Kobe be Kobe?

    Published by Matt Watson on November 10, 2006 in Lakers and Previews. 3 Comments

    This whole trip out west hasn’t gone too well for the Pistons, and it’s not going to get any easier tonight against the Lakers. Kobe Bryant is rounding into form, sophomore Andrew “Baby Shaq” Bynum is a potential match-up problem in the middle and X-factor super-sub Mo Evans is a terror off the bench. OK, I made that last part up. To the crib sheet:

    Subplots: Kobe, the self-annointed female comic book villain, hasn’t exactly been himself the first week of the season. Will he drop his first 40-point game of the year on Detroit? Or will we he give us a 15- or 17-point performance like he offered up to Seattle and Minnesota earlier this year? We’ll see, but considering how guys like Michael Redd and Deron Williams have been able to break through our perimeter defense, I won’t be surprised by anything.

    Los Angeles: where Detroit recycles their extra point guards Hey, didn’t you use to play for Detroit? No, not you, Mo, the other guy, the one with the funny name. Yeah, Smush Parker. What is it about L.A. giving so many of our bench guys their starting point guard job? The tradition started with Lindsey Hunter in 2002, Chucky Atkins in 2005, and Parker last year. (OK, it’s not the best analogy — Parker played just 11 games for the Pistons in 2005 — but it’s still a little odd…)

    What happened here last year? The Pistons stunk, that’s what.

    Can Nazr please play longer than 20 minutes? Maybe. Flip Saunders, who’s apparently compelled to let the opposition dictate the matchups, may not have a choice but to keep the big man on the floor, at least if the 7-foot, 280-pound Bynum is on his game. Bynum had a 20-point, 14-board performance against the T-Wolves earlier this week, but immediately followed it up with a two-point, five-board game against the Blazers. Inconsistency like that comes with the territory with 19-year-old kids. Of course, if Bynum is on his game, I could also see Saunders giving Dale “Tazr” Davis his first minutes of the year now that the ole’ hamstring has healed up.

    Speaking of Andrew Bynum, remember this from last year?

    So, if Rip can’t play… *gulp* Yeah, I know exactly what you’re thinking: how am I going to watch 30+ minutes of Flip Murray without going insane. But here’s what I’m thinking: playing alongside Chauncey Billups, Murray won’t be bringing the ball up the court, so he simply won’t have the chance to dribble for 20 seconds before heaving up a shot (or, worse yet, running up the court and heaving up a shot with 20 seconds left on the shot clock). At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.

    The game’s on ESPN for all you out-of-towners. See you in the comments for pre-/in-/post-game talk.