Spurs-Lakers pregame chat
Andrew Kamenetzky of the ESPNLosAngeles.com Lakers blog Land O’ Lakers and I had a email exchange about tonight’s San Antonio Spurs-Los Angeles Lakers tilt. For my end of the conversation, visit Land O’ Lakers. The game tips at 9:30 from the AT&T Center.
1) What is this occasional chatter about a potentially Phil Jackson-less Lakers team?
Funny you should ask, as Steve Springer tackled this question in an exclusive Jerry Buss interview published today on ESPNLosAngeles.com. There’s also an accompanying article. (And with that, material from the mothership site was cross-promoted in a legitimately organic manner! Bosses, please take note!) Because Jackson becomes a free agent after this season, the rumor mill has everything from plans for a forced -and ultimately rejected- pay cut to interest in securing Byron Scott while available to familial divides prompting the lack of closure.
Buss says it’s all a moot point, because Jackson would wait until after the season even if the extension was formally offered. I tend to believe this. Coaches of Phil’s stature and age typically take their time before committing whenever possible and save a spectacular postseason flame out, it’s hard to believe his job security is truly at risk. (If they won a title, it’s borderline impossible to buy.) You never know, particularly in the crazy, nutty world that is the Lakers organization, but my guess is he’ll be back next season.
Similarly, Brian and I also recently conducted a PodKast with Jeanie Buss where family discord rumors were refuted. (More organic cross-promotion! I am GOOD!)
It depends on how you define “decline.” If you’re judging by pure athleticism alone, Kobe clearly isn’t the same player of three years ago. He’d be the first to acknowledge this, and the reality is apparent in ways like not playing above the rim at the same frequency of the “81” season, much less the Three-peat era. He’s 31 with a lot of wear on them tires. Having said that, the guy is hardly Matt Bonner (no offense to either the Spurs faithful or redheads). He remains a pretty sick athlete and hardly a “liability” in this regard.
If I had to guess, the decline you’re referring to, beyond the natural effects of age, is caused by injuries (ankle, back, finger) this season. In particular, his fractured finger, which I think affects Kobe more than he readily admits, and on several levels. His percentage from the field has dropped markedly since the injury. I suspect the bad finger also affects his handle, making it harder at times to create his own shot and avoid turnovers. Defensively, it hurts the ability to physical D and fight through screens. Bottom line, playing with a screwed up finger on your dominant hand is no walk in the daisies.
Mind you, he still gets on absurd shooting rolls, is averaging six APG in March and remains the NBA’s best player with a game on the line, so it’s all relative. Even if Kobe’s in “decline,” we’re not talking about a roll down a particularly steep hill.
First, outside shooting. Despite having Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom at their disposal, the Lakers are often inexplicably fond of hoisting treys (10th in the league for launches). Unfortunately, they’re not nearly as fond of actually making them. (34.2%, 20th). When created inside-out through the post, the three-ball often falls with better success. But when created along the perimeter (or in particular, as a reaction to the zone D permanently baffling them), the Lakers might as well be spotting up D.J. Mbenga in the corner, since the end result won’t be much worse than when it’s Jordan Farmar, Derek Fisher, Shannon Brown, etc.
Beyond this, I think the biggest issue is a lack of consistent execution. Don’t let the smooth taste of 52 wins fool you. The Lakers really haven’t developed a steady rhythm this season. And it’s gotten worse as the season’s progressed. They’ve grown increasingly sloppy, whether in regards to running the offense, shot selection, taking care of the ball, consistently playing to their strengths (inside-out, measured pace, etc.) and overall focus. To some degree, I think this is the unavoidable result of injuries (Kobe, Gasol, Ron Artest, Bynum). Shifting lineups have killed the chance to improve off continuity, which I consider an extremely important element. Last season, save Bynum (who they were already used to playing without), the Lakers were largely injury-free, and that’s huge in building towards greatness. Not the case this season, an issue compounded by the immersion of Artest into the system and, frankly, a lack of urgency towards the situation.
It’s so important to head into the playoffs with a steady rhythm, and I question whether enough time remains for the Lakers to discover that flow. Doesn’t mean they still can’t win it all, but life grows considerably more difficult in that scenario.
I actually don’t think this is the case. Because Phil is so heavily associated with the triangle and few teams run it, when the Lakers operate outside the system, those sequences tend to stand out like a sore thumb. But the reality is they’ve never been triangular slaves. It’s simply the base for how they operate. The Lakers remain a systematic team. How often they adhere to that system is a situational matter or, frankly, a matter of the players remaining disciplined enough to run it.
