Beating L.A....So Easy A Caveman Could Do It

Surprise, surprise. The Los Angeles Lakers are in a dog fight in the first round as Oklahoma City routed them last night to even the series 2-2. As a fan of the game of basketball, Los Angeles disgraced the game, themselves, and the Lakers organization. To be honest, the Lakers 1988 World Championship team, led by a 50-year old Magic Johnson, would put up a better fight than the quitters who played. These guys won the championship last year, but packed it in like an Atlanta Hawks team on the road. The Lakers could have and should have one the third game of the series on Thursday. But thanks in part to the "Black Mamba", the Lakers are sitting 2-2 instead of 3-1.


Kobe Bryant's play since his injuries by-and-large has been pitiful to say the least. Quite frankly, pitiful is too weak of a word. Kobe has been playing horrible basketball. Thursday night, the man I dubbed "the best basketball player in the world" was 10-29 from the field, scoring 24 points, dishing out 8 assists, and grabbing 4 rebounds. Many commentators and analysts have called Thabo Sefalosha's defense outstanding. However, no one notices a trend that every player that guards him is now a "Kobe stopper". While on the subject, other guys such as Arron Afflalo and Shane Battier would be considered "Kobe stoppers". Anyone who guards Kobe will stop him. All he wants to do is jack up fadeaway after fadeaway after fadeaway. Not only are they bad fadeaways, but he has an injured finger on his shooting hand to boot. It's ridiculous that someone that talented will act so irrationally. I'm confident that I could shut down Kobe Bryant. He didn't shoot a single free throw in game three and made 1-2 from the line in game four. I have a theory as to why he is willing to shoot fadeaways instead of driving to the basket to shoot free throws. Maybe his favorite song is "My Generation" by the Who. The lyrics go as follows:"Why don't you all fade away? Talking bout my generation. Don't try to dig what we all say. Talking bout my generation." In his mind, Kobe says why don't I shoot fadeaways. It's absolutely foolish for a player of his caliber to settle for bad shot after bad shot. Somebody needs to light a fire in this guy's belly.


As foolish Kobe was for jacking up brick after brick (looking like a bricklayer with all the bricks he shot), Coach Phil Jackson is ultimately to blame. "The Zen Master" has won 10 rings in his career for crying out loud. Why should he care if anyone criticizes him. If he's fired, he's got more money than he could ever spend. Only one other coach (Red Auerbach) is in his league, but he's six feet under (God rest his soul.) Don't give me this Mr. Cool, olay bunk, Phil. You are the coach. You make the decisions. If Kobe Bryant is going to act like a simpleton by playing poor defense (in which he often leaves his man and stands on one spot without guarding anyone) and poor shot selection, why is he in the game? I know if I'm coaching, and a player drops the ball the way Kobe did, he'd be on the bench ASAP. Regardless of caliber, I would not let a player get away with what Kobe's doing right now. In game four, Kobe decides not to shot the ball because people said he shot too much. Jackson should have yanked him out in the game and sent him to the locker room.


Who's next? Oh yes. Why, it's Lamar Odom. Or should I say Lamar "I'll play when I damn well feel like it" Odom. When is this guy going to show up in the series. This guy spends more time falling on the floor than actually trying to play basketball. He drives to the lane (one of the few times in which he will blow past his man), he falls down. He gets a rebound (the few rebounds he manages to get), he falls down. He sneezes, he falls down. What gives man? Where's the New York toughness that this team needs? He's averaging a paltry 7 .8 points and 6. 5 rebounds per game off the bench. Odom is getting out hustled and out played in every phase of the game. Dude, you're nicknamed "the Goods", but you play more like "the Bads". Every Laker fan would love for you to actually play like "the Goods" and show why you earned the nickname. You're essentially going up against college kids. There is no way you should not average at least 10 points and 10 rebounds and 2 blocks per game.

His free throw shooting is not to be desired. With Odom, you'll be lucky he makes one of two from the charity stripe. You can forget about him actually making both free throws. You're more likely to see a dog talk and play in the NFL before Odom actually makes both free throw attempts at the line. I've talked about Chauncey Billups and Steve Nash whining about calls, but at least they'll make their free throws. Odom complains and just throws up bricks.

There's one thing I need to know. Odom is 6'10'', but acts like he's 6'0''. I don't know if I've ever seen anyone who's nearly 7'0'' be afraid or act like he's afraid to dunk a basketball. He loves to do layups. Quite frankly, I think he's either to lazy to jump (just a little bit is require since he's 6'10'') or he's too soft (dunking will hurt his hand).


Pau Gasol has played well, but has to toughen up. He's earned a rep for being soft, and he's certainly living up to the billing. As soon as he's fouled, he often appears to weak to get the ball to the rim. That's why Gasol rarely has and-one opportunities. Like Odom, Gasol whines far too much. If you focused on your game as much as you focus on the officiating, you'd be averaging 24/12 every night. Maybe he'd block a couple of shots per game as well.

Also like Odom, Gasol rarely makes his two free throws. He stands at the line, blows into his hand, and proceeds to jack up a ridiculous brick. Unlike Odom, Gasol is typically capable of making one of two free throws.

He's averaging 18.5 points, 11 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 blocks per game. However, in game four Gasol looked like he was in Los Angeles. He was nowhere to be found. He finished the game with a lousy 13 points and 4 rebounds. The bottom line is Gasol, Odom, and Bynum have been manhandled by the Thunder's bigs.

Andrew Bynum. Boy, where do I begin? Let's see. Try getting tougher. Bynum is the only big, check that, player in the NBA who gets hurt against the bottom feeders. The last couple of years he was hurt playing against Memphis. This year, he injured his Achilles against the lousy Minnesota Timberwolves. Is it too much to ask for you to play 82 games in a season?

Bynum also needs a mean streak. If he doesn't have it, he never will, unfortunately. Hey, I'm an optimistic guy, but he's been in the league 5 years, and a mean streak can't be taught. Included in the mean streak are monster dunks. If you go in with authority, you'll have fewer dunks blocked. No one wants a part of a hoss who will punish the rim (just ask Dwight Howard). When Superman goes inside for a jam, no one will challenge him. This same statement, honestly, can be applied to Odom and Gasol as well.

Bynum needs to also use his head more. Although some of the fouls he picks up are not his fault, most of them are. Stop lunging at people and use your height to go straight in the air.

Defensively, Ron Artest is doing a great job, for the most part. The one thing he needs to work on his is outside shooting. If Kobe drives (which is occassionally) and kicks it out to you (instead of feeding it in to a big for an easy dunk or shot, which he very rarely does), you need to knock down the jumpers on a consistent basis. In this series, Artest is shooting 30 percent from the field, 13 percent from beyond the arc, and 50 percent from the charity stripe. These numbers are awful. Where is the Artest that was a scoring threat in Houston? That Artest played lockdown defense and played well offensively.

Father time is not on Derek Fisher's side. Fisher is clearly not a starter anymore. After 13 years in the league, Fisher obviously isn't the same Fisher from 2000. Nonetheless, as witnessed by his heroics in game four in the finals last year, Fisher can be a valuable asset. However, his decision making is flat out pitiful. For instance, at Denver a few weeks ago, Fisher tries to jack up a game winning three over a 6'8'' Carmelo Anthony. Gee, what do you think would happen? Over course it was blocked. Without Kobe, Fisher should've looked to see the mismatch to his right. Chauncey Billups switched with Anthony. Billups was guarding Odom. If Fisher recognizes the mismatch, he passes to Odom. Odom will post up. Fisher and Odom are the only two players on the right side of court. This means Carmelo will have to come with the double. Odom could kick it out to Fisher for a wide open game-winning three. But, this is what happens when you don't have a true point guard. It's sad to say, but Fisher is the best the Lakers have. Those guys on the bench are...dreadful.

This bench is the worst bench I've ever seen. Everybody wants to be the hero that scores 20 plus points. No one wants to be the guy who gets his hands dirty. The players clearly do not understand their roles. At UCLA, Jordan Farmar was considered the man. Who would've thought, four years later, he'd be a mere afterthought. Guys like Russell Westbrook, Arron Afflalo, and Darren Collison (his backup for one season) have surpassed him easily. All Farmar wants to do is score. He doesn't know how to get his teammates easy baskets, he doesn't know the meaning of defense, nor can he rebound well. In essence, he's no use to this team.

Shannon Brown provided a nice spark last year. I thought the Lakers had someone who they could keep around for another decade. But after watching him this year, I'm having second thoughts. He's playing through a thumb injury and I'll give him credit for that. Some guys on the team would be in the hospital with a thumb injury. However, why would Brown take awful shots with a thumb injury. He might take 11 shots off the bench, but make only 3. Who are you all of sudden, Kobe Bryant? Don't get me started on defense. He's not as bad as Farmar (I don't think it's possible to be worse than Farmar), but he has trouble stopping penetration by point guards. If I'm Brown and Farmar, I'd work with Kobe, Artest, and any other great defender to improve my defense so I wouldn't be a liability to the team.

Luke Walton is the only guy on the bench that knows his role. He knows he'll never be a 20-plus per game scorer like his father (Hall of Famer Bill Walton), but he knows that he can earn his keep by getting rebounds and setting up his teammates with nice assists. Most of the shots he takes are high percentage in which he's wide open or when the shot clock's winding down. Walton will always be okay as long as he knows his role and his limits in terms of what he can and can't do.

Adam Morrison. Huh, what can I say about the dude? He was billed by some as the next Larry Bird, but has been a complete bust so far. Can he turn it around? Maybe, but it won't be with the Laker nation. All Morrison has been is the richest cheerleader in the league who's making about 6 million per thanks to his number three overall selection four years ago in the draft.

Sasha Vujacic needs to stop mouthing off to assistants and work on his jumper. Had I been Brian Shaw, I told him to yell at me when he could knock down an open jumper. I suspect, Vujacic would've been given the 'ol heave-ho (the proverbial pink slip if you will) if he had a regular 9-5 job. You simply do not mouth off to your coaches. If you're not in the rotation, don't moan and grown and feel sorry for yourself. Man up. Show the coaches you're a team player that will do anything to help the team win. Show a great work ethic in practice, and don't just waste space on the court. Despite this, Vujacic looks to be the best defender off the bench who's presence is sorely needed in this pathetic effort against Oklahoma City. His shot looked like it had improved before he went down to the ankle injury.

D.J. Mbenga and Josh Powell seldomly play meaningful minutes. Both guy could be helpful in terms of bringing energy. They just need to make sure they make the most of opportunites. They should block or try to block shots, use their fouls, and don't take 15-foot jumpers knowing you'll make only 1-5.

In all my years of watching basketball, this is the laziest Laker team I've ever seen. Actually, they're the laziest team I've seen in the NBA. Those guys are clearly dogging it defensively. They love to play olay defense in which the point guard blows by them, and breaks down the defense. This style of play will land your big men in foul trouble. Do they care? No, of course not. I'd actually feel guilty if I made the amount of money they make, and I didn't put in a maximum effort. In this lousy economy, it's hard to fathom a guy getting a fat contract, and he isn't giving it his all. Every guy on this team appears selfish. Everyone wants to be the guy that scores 30 points. No one wants to accept his role. Instead of crisp ball movement, the ball will be passed around the perimeter. A brick is usually shot. The opposing team gets the ball out in transition and it results in an easy layup or dunk.

Kobe needs to work on efficiency. Dwayne Wade dropped 46 on Boston and took 24 shots. With the way Kobe's playing, he'll need to shoot the ball 40 times to score 40 points. Of course, if people criticize his shot selection, he'll simply not shoot the ball. In game four, Bryant had 12 points on 5-10 from the field. He nearly led the team in steals.

While I'm on the subject, Kobe's entire game is flat out a disgrace. He stands around too much on defense. He leaves his man wide open for easy three point shots. He apparently doesn't want to shoot free throws anymore because he refuses to drive the ball. There is no way Kobe could not blow past Sefolosha for a layup. The few times when he does drive, he tries a fancy reverse layp and misses the layup. Should I dare say it? Maybe Kobe doesn't have it what it takes anymore. Maybe the "Black Mamba" is washed up. Maybe Kobe is just too old. Injuries be damned, his play at this point is flat out inexcusable. I look bad for calling him the "best in the world" and lays an egg on the court. I should face facts. Kobe Bryant and the Lakers do not have the heart to repeat as champions.

As an opposing coach, I would get my point guard to push the ball and constantly penetrate. I know the Lakers are lackadaisical. I'd use the point guards to feed the ball to the bigs and kick out to the guys who can actually shoot. On defense, I'd play Kobe one-on-one. Since he doesn't want to drive it to the rim, I'll allow him to shoot fadeaways all game. No one else can make a basket and the bigs are too lazy to fight for position for an offensive rebound. You'd think if Kobe nor Fisher will feed the post, they'd at least bang inside to fight for offensive rebounds and putbacks. As long as you have quality talent, you'll be alright. Following this game plan should result in a 25 point loss if the Lakers play their lethargic, heartless, gutless ways.

Granted, I don't consider myself a Lakers fan. I pull them because my parents and brother are die hard fans. I respect the organization for taking a nice approach by actually acquiring quality players through a variety of ways and not just buying them (Cough, cough. New York Yankees.) It's sad to see a team with so much potential and talent play with no energy, heart, and effort. This team is so lazy. It looks as if the team wants to win, but they want to do the least amount of work that's required with it. They might build up a 20 point lead in the second quarter. As a fan, I'll think the Lakers will run the team right out of the gym. However, they squat on the lead and will only win by 8 or 10 points. They lack a clear killer instinct. We saw it against Houston in the 2009 Western Conference Semifinals last season. Yao Ming is injured in game three. You'd think they'd win the series in five games. Wrong. They played around and won the series in seven. They should never want a series to continue because the team like the Rockets last year could have caught fire. Los Angeles might be in trouble this year. If Oklahoma City, whose confidence is through the roof, catches fire and steals game five, the Lakers will actually need angels for them to win the series.


That's why I respect guys like Joakim Noah and David Lee. I'm not saying this because they went to Florida, but because they are going to give an all-out maximum effort. They will leave their hearts on the court. They may not be the biggest, strongest, fastest, but no one will out hustle these guys. They aren't the only guys. DeJuan Blair (San Antonio) and Paul Millsap (Utah) are 6-7 guys who will hustle.Hustling, effort, heart, tenacity, and wanting it more is why David Lee manhandled the Lakers in their annual trek to Madison Square Guarden for 31 points, 17 rebounds, and 4 assists. I cannot believe I'm actually saying this, but the mighty Los Angeles Lakers could learn a lesson or two from the Gators.