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Archive for November, 2007

Coby Karl Assigned to D-Fenders

Published by Jim Murdoc on November 28, 2007 in Articles. 12 Comments

Not that we care but news nonetheless.

NBA.com: The Los Angeles Lakers have assigned guard Coby Karl to the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA Development League, it was announced today by General Manager Mitch Kupchak.

Karl was signed by the Lakers as a free agent on July 30, 2007. He has appeared in two games this season, averaging 1.0 points and 1.0 assists in 2.0 minutes.

The 6’5” guard from Boise State averaged 14.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists as a senior and was named First Team All-WAC. Karl’s 1,698 career points ranks third on Boise State’s all-time scoring list while leaving Boise State as the all-time leader in games played (127) and three-pointers made (266).

Winter has something to say

Published by Jim Murdoc on November 28, 2007 in Articles. 6 Comments

Consultant wants to see Odom get going and Bryant take better shots.

L.A. Times: Tex Winter always says what he thinks, a privilege he earned way before entering his 61st year of earning a paycheck from basketball.

Now 85, the Lakers’ consultant is a little more removed from the team because he has been battling shingles, but he still has his thoughts and opinions, some of which are surprising, some of which mirror past critiques of Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom.

First and foremost, Odom needs to get back on track, Winter said Tuesday in a phone interview before the Lakers played Seattle.

“On that trip, all of a sudden he hit a wall,” he said. “He couldn’t get anything done. I don’t know if he’s trying to do things he’s not used to doing. It’s kind of hard to put your finger on it. Lamar has to be a scorer and a better all-around player. We need that.”

Winter also revisited a constant theme — Bryant’s shot selection.

“He’s playing a scattered game,” Winter said. “He’s taking shots he shouldn’t be taking and passing up shots he should be taking. He’s trying some real tough shots — I wouldn’t say they’re forced because he can hit almost anything — but he’s not hitting them consistently. He should be taking an awful lot of shots in practice.”

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TLN’s Post-Game Report: Lakers vs. Supersonics

Published by Steve Avery on November 28, 2007 in Avery's Postgame. 29 Comments

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As expected, a win tonight for the Lakers and free taco’s for all fans in attendance!

Chants of “we want tacos” were heard as the Lakers finally held a team under 100 (barely) and won. I’m going to make this very short because I have endless studying to do for a final exam… It’s up to you all to add comments and fill in some details for the others. Now, the bests of the night:

Top 3 Laker performers:

1) Kobe Bryant played superb ball, 35 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists.

2) Derek Fisher continued his amazing play, 3 of 4 from the field and 8 assists to go with his 14 points!

3) Lamar Odom was active all night, he put up 20 points and 8 rebounds.

Lakers Smush of the Day (Note: STD denotes the Laker that played the poorest): Chris Mihm shot 2-10, but had 8 boards and a block keeping him safe tonight. Instead, Sasha struggled 0-3 and took bad shots. Sasha is tonight’s STD.

Key play of the game: Kobe’s And1 behind the back pass to Ronny on the break for the And1.

What to look for next game: Look for a good game. The Nuggets are 9-6, but only 3-4 on the road. Game is Thursday night @ 7:30 PM (the game is also on TNT).

Lakers now are the 2nd youngest team in the NBA

Published by Chris Manning on November 27, 2007 in Articles. 26 Comments

When we sent Cook and Evans off to Orlando, and took in the 22 year old Ariza, it made us a very young team:

SonicsBeatBlog: The Lakers PR department notes that, after trading Brian Cook and Maurice Evans to Orlando for Trevor Ariza last week, the Lakers became the NBA’s second-youngest team in terms of average age (25 years, 158 days). They passed the Sonics, who have an average age of 25 years, 167 days.

Portland, at 24 years, 53 days, is the NBA’s youngest team in terms of average age.

Phil to Kobe: Shoot the ball!

Published by Chris Manning on November 27, 2007 in Articles and Kobe Watch. 27 Comments

Interesting stuff from Phil. Seems like he wants Kobe to shoot the ball more…

L.A. Times: “Kobe’s reputation is such that most everybody’s staying down on his pump-fakes, not getting up in the air,” Jackson said. “He just has to get his shot back in order so that he’s taking a shot, not worrying about getting guys up off the floor, trying to create a [free-throw] situation for himself.”

Odom Needs to Improve for Lakers to Contend

Published by Jim Murdoc on November 26, 2007 in User's Take. 51 Comments

Special thanks to Justin Page for writing this take and giving us the privilege to add it to TheLakersNation.com. Again, if you write anything Lakers related and you think that it deserves to be put on the Lakers Nation please e-mail us at articles@TheLakersNation.com.

Lamar Odom is a difference maker for the Los Angeles Lakers. Using one of Hubie Brown’s phrases; he’s a player that’s going to get you 15 points, 10 rebounds, a blocked shot or two, and he defends the painted area well. Not to mention he’s a great team basketball player.

Before I get into Odom’s inconsistent play as of late, I would like to say I’ve become a big fan of his over the past three plus season’s in which he has sported the purple and gold. He plays with a lot of heart and he loves playing in L.A; he’s stated his desire to retire a Laker on numerous occasions.

Last season he played through a torn Labrum injury that would have put many other players in this league on the shelf. And if he hadn’t returned from that injury, the Lakers probably wouldn’t have snuck into the playoffs last year. Without Odom, the Lakers are a team that would finish anywhere from 9th to 11th in the brutal Western Conference.

Odom missed the first four games of this young season, so he only has nine games under his belt, which means he isn’t in pristine game condition. So by no means am I trampling and pouncing on the panic button with Lamar Odom, as many Laker fans are doing right now, when I say that Odom’s inconsistent early season play is really cause for concern for this team. But I’m very close to pushing that panic button.

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TLN’s Post-Game Report: Lakers vs. Nets

Published by Steve Avery on November 26, 2007 in Avery's Postgame. 33 Comments

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Lakers play well. Lakers blow it. Lakers regain it back. Lakers turn ball over and commit clear path foul. Kobe misses free throw. Nachbar missed free throw. Vlad Rad at this point is 0-9 for the game. Lakers down 2 with 3.7 seconds left. Inbound to Vlad for a contested fall away three pointer. Clank. Lakers lose.

Out of everyone to get a chance to win the game, why Vlad? He was 0-9! Did we really need to go for three down by 2? This is a loss that I want to forget. Sorry for venting all my frustration…

Anyways, the Lakers had several moments they played well, but a costly run in the fourth. The Lakers once again had turnover problems with 18, but had 12 steals. The game shouldn’t have even been that close. It shouldn’t have taken a miracle comeback to beat a starting frontcourt of Collins and Allen. The Lakers should have pounded the ball inside to Bynum who was 5-7 shooting. The Nets had nobody who could stop him. Now, the bests of the night…

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Late Lakers run too little, too late as Nets win third straight

Published by Chris Manning on November 26, 2007 in Articles. 3 Comments

A nightmare third quarter, horrible 4th quarter 2nd unit meltdown, Sasha on Carter, and lastly, Vlade 0-10! Add in a clutch free throw missed by Kobe and you had my night. Lakers fans, keep your heads up!

ESPN: The New Jersey Nets have taken to heart Jason Kidd’s comments about the team’s desire to win.

There was no giving in against Los Angeles on Sunday night.Kidd had 15 points, 14 assists and seven rebounds leading the Nets to a 102-100 victory over the Lakers and Kobe Bryant, who had 31 points.

During New Jersey’s recent six-game losing streak, Kidd was quoted in New York papers as saying that the Nets have a habit of “letting go of the rope,” and playing with a “glass jaw.”Apparently, his teammates got the message. They’ve won three straight.

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