Lifestyle > Sports & Entertainment

The Official Los Angeles Lakers thread

<< < (391/1745) > >>

LAKERS_FAN89:
15 DAYS BITCH FUCK YALL HATERZ L'UP 8)

Now_Im_Not_Banned:
Lakers Sign Devin Green.

Andrew Bynum Interview.

wcsoldier:
Kwame gonna kick asses next year...

Now_Im_Not_Banned:
Breaking Down the Laker Schedule

By Eric Pincus
for HOOPSWORLD.com
Sep 20, 2006, 18:14 
 
Last season the Los Angeles Lakers were fortunate to have relatively good health.  Though there were substantial injuries to Chris Mihm, Ronny Turiaf, Aaron McKie, Laron Profit and Slava Medvedenko, the team's biggest stars (Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom) missed just two games apiece.  Losing role players for an extended period hurt the team, but overall the Lakers had their star power available night in and night out.  The end result was a solid (though not spectacular) 45-37 season, good for the seventh seed in the West.

Maintaining continuity, the Lakers return primarily the same team they fielded last year.  The subtractions are negligible with Devean George, Slava Medvedenko, Jim Jackson and Laron Profit gone.  Certainly George had been a contributor through the years, but the Lakers won't miss his inconsistency.  There's a chance that Profit could return mid-season (should a roster spot become available), but he is still recovering from a ruptured Achilles' tendon.

The core of new Lakers (Vladimir Radmanovic, Shammond Williams, Mo Evans and Jordan Farmar) should provide the team with additional depth and versatility.  Radmanovic and Williams are capable shooters.  Evans is a scrappy, energetic player who should help improve the team's perimeter defense.  It's hard to anticipate what sort of contribution Farmar will make as a rookie, but long term he could be the best acquisition of the summer.

On the bubble are young prospects like Von Wafer, J.R. Pinnock and yet to be signed restricted free agent Devin Green.  The Lakers already have 17 players under contract.  At this point it isn't clear how any of the three will make it to opening day save the Lakers making a trade (or waiving a guaranteed player).

As it stands, the Lakers have added to the roster while giving up very little.  Should the team stay healthy, overtaking last year's 45-win total should be a very achievable goal.

The Schedule
Although a better team would suggest a higher win-count, the increase is rarely as significant as fans would hope.  The rigors of an 82-game schedule provide each and every team their share of adversity.  It will be the final possessions of just a handful of games that will make all the difference.  It's certainly too early to tell if the Lakers have overcome last year's inconsistencies simply by minor roster upgrades.  LA lost a number of games they very easily could have won simply by failing to execute down the stretch.

November
The Lakers have 15 games in the month of November (including the season opener on Halloween night).  To the team's benefit, 11 are at Staples Center.  Last season the team won nearly 66% of their home games.  Because the opening month is so heavily weighted in LA, the Lakers will need to get off to a fast start.  Last year LA won only 44% of their away games.

Working in the Lakers' favor, the only elite teams they see in November (based on a win total last season of 50+ games) are the Phoenix Suns and Detroit Pistons. 

Predominately home games against reasonable competition, a strong opening month could be as high as 11 wins out of 15.  Cause for concern would be only seven or eight wins.

December
The next 16 games should provide more of a challenge for the Lakers.  A stretch of ten games with eight on the road should prove to be quite difficult.  LA will visit the Dallas Mavericks on the second night of a back to back, with a visit to the Houston Rockets on the front end. 

Another Christmas in Miami will be a nice litmus test against the now World Champion Heat.

When all is said and done the Lakers will have nine on the road and seven in LA.  An 8-8 finish for December isn't out of the question.

January
A slightly road heavy month, the Lakers will play eight of the 15 away from Staples.  The level of competition increases in January.  Once again the Lakers will visit Dallas on the second night of a back to back.  This time the opener is in San Antonio against the Spurs.  The Lakers will also host both the Mavericks and Spurs in LA, along with the Heat.

Other challenges include a visit to Houston off of a game the previous night in Memphis.  A Laker visit to the Boston Celtics won't be easy after playing the previous night against the Knicks in New York.

The Lakers could end January with more wins than losses, but it may closer to 8-7 even if they play well.

The schedule for December and January stresses important it is for the Lakers to begin the season on top in November.

February
The number of games in February is traditionally light (just 12), the Lakers begin the month with the first six on the road.  Though the competition may not be overwhelming, six games in nine days is a challenge for even the best in the league.

It seems that the Washington Wizards are always a challenge for the Lakers.  It won't be any easier with LA visiting the Indiana Pacers the night before.  After a stop in Atlanta, the Lakers will visit the Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors back to back.

Under normal circumstances the Lakers may be able to handle the Raptors with ease (though they too have seemingly improved over the summer).  Near the end of a difficult road trip, the Lakers may find Toronto too much to handle on tired legs.

After four winnable games in LA (Knicks, Cavaliers, Trail Blazers and Celtics), the month finishes with a pair on the road in Golden State and Utah.  It's difficult to tell how improved the Warriors will be with their major off-season move the hiring of Coach Don Nelson.  The Jazz also seem to be a solid team on paper.  The Lakers historically have struggled on the second night of back to backs.

Though it's just 12 games, the Lakers could very easily end up winning just six simply based on strength of schedule.

March
Half of the 14 games in March will be away from Staples including a four game road trip against the Suns, Minnesota Timberwolves, Milwaukee Bucks (on the second night of a back to back) and Philadelphia 76ers.

The competition in March is relatively lighter, but with four sets of back to backs including a visit to Memphis and New Orleans on successive nights could make March more difficult than it should be.

An 8-6 record would be reasonable, but this would be the month for the Lakers to make a charge.  A 10-4 record may be difficult, but it's not out of the question.

April
The Lakers finish the season with ten in April.  Once again, half are away, leaving November is the only month of the season where the Lakers have more games at home than on the road.

The level of competition is reasonable though not necessarily overwhelming.  The Lakers see just five teams with one of each home and away against the Clippers, Kings, Suns, Nuggets and Sonics.  The only team in the group that didn't make the post-season last year was Seattle.

Games on the road against the Clippers (though still in Los Angeles), Nuggets and Suns are on the second nights of back to backs.

It won't be an easy month, but the Lakers should be able to make a final push.

A very strong finish would be 7-3, though that certainly won't be easy as every game is likely to have significant playoff implications.

The Bottom Line
Every team hopes to stay healthy and if the Lakers can get another 80 games each out of Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom without any major injuries to any of the contributing role players, the Lakers should be able to finish the 82-game schedule with momentum leading into the playoffs.

One major concern is Kobe Bryant's health coming off of surgery.  To date he's still not cleared for running.  The added depth at guard will need to lighten the load for the Laker star.

If the Lakers are indeed a significantly improved team and are blessed with good health, 50 wins is certainly attainable.

If the summer acquisitions are less than impressive and injuries nag the club, 43 wins could be the downside . . . putting the Lakers right on the playoff bubble for the eighth seed.  A slow start in November could be very costly once the schedule turns more road-heavy.

All things considered, put the 2006-7 Los Angeles Lakers down for an 48-34 regular season record.



I believe we will surpass Eric's prediction, but he broke it down pretty well...Downside was 43 wins. Last year, people said we'd be LUCKY to win 43 games...I say it's gunna be 50 or more, putting us under elite status, finally back where we belong...PeACe

 
 

Now_Im_Not_Banned:
Jackson a positive influence on Brown

By Ross Siler Staff Writer
 
EL SEGUNDO - No matter how low Kwame Brown got last season, Lakers coach Phil Jackson refused to introduce any more negativity into Brown's basketball mindset.

When Brown was struggling with the triangle offense - struggling sometimes just to catch the ball in the post - Jackson tried to break down the game to its basics. All he asked of Brown was to run the floor, rebound and play defense.

Now the Lakers are hoping Brown can put together the pieces and pick up where he left off last season, when he averaged 12.4 points and 8.6 rebounds in the final 18 games with Chris Mihm lost to an ankle injury.

Just a few days before the opening of training camp next week, Brown talked about the importance of gaining his teammates' trust and believing in himself. The difference this season could be as simple as having confidence with the ball down low instead of quickly unloading it to Kobe Bryant or Lamar Odom.

"I think now that when I get the ball, I've earned the trust in them and in myself to go ahead and go to work," Brown said.

General manager Mitch Kupchak said a change of scenery undoubtedly benefited Brown, who came to the Lakers last summer in a sign-and-trade deal from Washington. Even now, though, Brown is far from a fully developed player.

"He has to just be in the gym and continue to work on his game," Kupchak said. "He has all the physical gifts that any player would die to have. But it's been that way since high school. Everybody knows that.

"He made great strides the last 1-2 months last season, but he has to build on that and continue that this season."

Brown walked around all summer with a card in his wallet bearing the numbers 15 and 10. Jackson gave it to him at the team's exit meetings in May, trying to motivate Brown with a goal of points and rebounds he could average this season. 

Asked if this could be a breakthrough year for him, Brown did not hesitate in answering yes. He is only 24, younger even than Smush Parker, yet will be entering his sixth NBA season.

"I don't like saying that because every year I've said that, I've gotten hurt," Brown said. "After my third year, I had a great finish with the Wizards, then I broke my foot that summer.

"I just want to come in healthy. That's it. If I come in healthy with a positive attitude, then I'm good."

Brown spent the off-season strengthening his legs to avoid a repeat of the hamstring injury that cost him 10 games last season. He worked on the jump hooks and short jumpers he hopes will become staples of his game.

When it comes to his free-throw shooting, Brown also might be a changed man.

He shot a career-worst 54.5 percent last season and admitted being wary of going to the line. But Brown is able to laugh at the memory of his unfortunate airballs.

"It's not that I improved as a foul shooter; I improved mentally," Brown said. "Most of the time, I didn't even want to get fouled because I didn't want to go to the line.

"At the end of the year, all they would do is foul me, so I'm like, `OK, I've got to go to the line, so you might as well stand in there and just make it."'  

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page