The Official 2011/2012 Los Angeles Lakers Thread

NothingButTheTruth

Sessions needs to have some of his minutes cut with the 1st team and moved to the 2nd. The bench got outscored something ridiculous like 40+ to 9.

Kobe needs to ALWAYS take (AT LEAST) 20+ shots a game. Bynum needs to learn how to box out instead of simply jumping for the rebound.

northside7

Kobe Bryant benched briefly, unhappy

LOS ANGELES -- Kobe Bryant said he was unhappy after being benched in the fourth quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers' 102-96 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies Sunday night, but he tempered his recounting of the event.

"Of course I was," Bryant told reporters when asked if he was upset about the benching.

Bryant hesitated to elaborate. "Not really," he said at first when asked if he could speak about the substitution, but went on to support Lakers coach Mike Brown when further pressed about the benching.

"It's his decision to make," Bryant said. "He makes the decision. He's the coach. If you guys are looking for a story, I'm not going to give you one. I can't sit here and criticize his decisions. In leading this ballclub, that's something I can't afford to do. I got to have his back. I've had his back the whole season; I can't start doing something crazy now. It wouldn't make no sense."

The Lakers called timeout midway through the fourth quarter after falling down by double digits. During the timeout, Bryant elbowed a chair on the bench after the Lakers had allowed a three-point deficit to start the final period balloon into a 14-point cushion for Memphis with just 5:45 remaining.

Bryant's frustration only seemed to grow when he was subbed out of the game in favor of Metta World Peace and remained out of the game until 1:51 remaining when he checked back in with the Lakers trailing by nine.

A brief, "Ko-be! Ko-be!" chant broke out at Staples Center in the fourth quarter prior to Brown electing to sub Bryant back into the game.

Brown did not provide a specific reason when asked about taking Bryant out.

"I just felt like I needed to make a sub at the time, so I did," Brown said. "It's not one particular thing. I just made the sub, went with Metta, sat (Bryant) for a couple minutes and then tried to go back to him but obviously it didn't work."

Brown played Bryant the entire third quarter and Bryant's 11 points on 4-for-4 shooting in the period helped fuel a 15-0 run by the Lakers as they erased a 14-point deficit. Brown kept Bryant in to start the fourth quarter but the Grizzlies were able to quickly break the game back open and rebuild a 14-point advantage with Bryant on the floor.

"I usually don't like to run him because he ends up playing a ton of minutes," Brown said. "He was at 38 (minutes), 27 (seconds) tonight but I don't like to run him a whole half if I can help it. If I can give him a minute or two here or there, then I will."

It is unusual for Brown to use Bryant to start the fourth quarter, but hardly unprecedented. When the Lakers last played the Grizzlies in Memphis, Brown kept Bryant in for all 24 minutes of the second half plus the full 10 minutes in the two subsequent overtimes as the Lakers erased a 17-point deficit to win 116-111. Bryant totaled 52 minutes in that game.

When Bryant was asked if he would have had any difficulty playing the entire fourth quarter Sunday, he responded dryly, "Yeah, I would have been exhausted."

Bryant's starting backcourt mate, Ramon Sessions, believed Brown's decision was simply about rest.

"It was just one of those things where I think (Bryant) played the whole third quarter and some of the fourth so coach was trying to get his legs under him and it happened to be towards the end of the game," Sessions said.

Brown was ready to put the substitution to bed without addressing it with Bryant.

"I didn't discuss it with him and I probably won't," Brown said. "I treat him the same as everybody most of the time. Obviously he's a superstar and when you have superstars you try to give them some leeway because they've been there and done that, but if I make a sub for somebody I don't feel like I always have to go and explain to them why I made a sub."

Dude was sitting all the way at the end of the bench pissed off as a motherfucka lol

playmaker88

we have been getting gutted on the inside periodically and GLOCk needs some fucking minute .. steve blake should sit 2 rows back

KeepOnPushing

this teams inside Defense has been Shit for 2 years straight now , no improvement at all , Two 7 Footers who let PG's and SG's drive in their face for Layups and Floaters consistently , nobody is scared of those two tall ass softies on defense

playmaker88

KeepOnPushing wrote: »

this teams inside Defense has been Shit for 2 years straight now , no improvement at all , Two 7 Footers who let PG's and SG's drive in their face for Layups and Floaters consistently , nobody is scared of those two tall ass softies on defense

Yep.. I think bynum is feeling himself a bit much.. and Pau has the worst paint effort of a pf ..Im not feeling how hes approaching the game at all

niggas will look at the boxscore on any given night and see he has like 16 and 12 and feel like oh he did his job.. real talk i would have him cryin if he was on my team but Playin street ball but.. You cant really get at him or he shuts down..

KeepOnPushing

I dont see how you're that tall and cool with guys 6'2-6'4 driving up in your face constantly with layups , dog thats the ultimate disrespect , it's on thing to not be able to guard someone your size maybe they just got the upper hand , but damn not blocking these little niggas shots or even trying to looks lazy as fuck , move your god damn feet and stop saving your energy for offense , thats just no effort

Two things that doesn't take talent to do and never will is Defense and rebounding , u dont need talent to do that shit it's all about effort

playmaker88

KeepOnPushing wrote: »

I dont see how you're that tall and cool with guys 6'2-6'4 driving up in your face constantly with layups , dog thats the ultimate disrespect , it's on thing to not be able to guard someone your size maybe they just got the upper hand , but damn not blocking these little niggas shots or even trying to looks lazy as fuck , move your god damn feet and stop saving your energy for offense , thats just no effort

Two things that doesn't take talent to do and never will is Defense and rebounding , u dont need talent to do that shit it's all about effort

Word up defense is 5 seconds of individual effort on ball.. off ball all you have to do is get in the space and being that tall and having the skills they posess there is no excuses to not be a factor

KeepOnPushing

Nobody even gets in a defensive stance anymore , everyone stands up..and that goes for majority of the NBA , Tony Allen (as much as a he fouls and never gets called for it) is one of the few i see get in a true Defensive stance

all these cats got a slight bend in their knees and hands by their waste , how the fuck they think thats defense

iron man1

smh and not sending guards shit to the other side of the court and your tallest guy on it

KeepOnPushing

they gotta find something to do with Goudlocke , u cant just not play him anymore cuz u got sessions ...give him Steve Blake Minutes or find a way to get him in the game , but u cant just not play him anymore

and i dont understand this Sessions & Blake on the court 2gether and having Blake play the 2 , when the fuck does he ever shoot?? you got a Pass First PG in sessions on the floor with a Pass Only Guard in Blake ...that rotation is fuckin dumb

playmaker88

Like i said bench blake give glock those minutes one he can score.. two while not a pg in the traditional since him being dynamic will naturally lead to greater opportunities than.. hesitate/hold and dish which blake is adept at

CopperKing

glocke should be playing the 2 spot on the second string...with blake

iron man1

Cosign on goud playing with sessions two energy guys that would benefit from eachother jeez brown wtf make sensible adjustments

TheIraq

Panic in Laker land

CopperKing

TheIraq wrote: »

Panic in Laker land

over 1 loss? u dont know laker land

playmaker88

copperkid27 wrote: »

TheIraq wrote: »

Panic in Laker land

over 1 loss? u dont know laker land

this just mere frustration

i can only speak for myself i dont get worried till the playoffs and we are down to by a decent margin in a deciding game then it goes an uh oh

northside7

copperkid27 wrote: »

TheIraq wrote: »

Panic in Laker land

over 1 loss? u dont know laker land

Right here..

TheIraq

Lol theres always panic in LA over the Lakers... Lakers lose could lose 3 straight and Laker fans act like the sky is falling and then the Gasol is soft or the Kobe shoots to much conversation starts

Inglewood_B

TheIraq wrote: »

Lol theres always panic in LA over the Lakers... Lakers lose could lose 3 straight and Laker fans act like the sky is falling and then the Gasol is soft or the Kobe shoots to much conversation starts

its not so much panic as it is we're just fuckin spoiled.

iron man1

so.....no g lock...

DaBull

1 thing bout bynum that is evident is that if he doesnt get enuff early touches, it clearly affects his aggressiveness to rebound and play D

playmaker88

bynum shot a fucking 3...

peagle05

did i see that nigga take a three for no reason?

playmaker88

peagle05 wrote: »

did i see that nigga take a three for no reason?

And mike brown felt like making a sub..

Good choice

iron man1

Gasol beasting