Lakers Thread

[rise]

Sasha looks stoned in both of the pics

He always does.

[dare]

And we win, great game by the bench mostly Brown. Steve Blake great shot.

[Bruce]

Could not find tha game on tv, of well. From the looks of it, they are off to a good start. Nice output from the bench.

[Andrew]

The bench definitely came through in this one, hot shooting by Shannon Brown and Steve Blake saved the day.

[Fresh8]

Watched first half then had to bus to uni. Missed the whole comeback. I guess the Rockets sorta went cold and the Lakers went hot. Shannon Brown must have been really hot with 14 points in 6 1/2 minutes. Ah well, game 1 down, 81 to go.

[Andrew]

Pretty much. The Rockets settled for a lot of jumpers in the fourth and went ice cold. They missed a fair few easy ones inside too while everything started falling for the Lakers.

[Stress Fracture]

The bench definitely came through in this one, hot shooting by Shannon Brown and Steve Blake saved the day.

Oh yes. I was watching it from TNT Overtime. The Rockets also missed 4-5 point-blank shots, which could have put the game away for Houston.

[Fresh8]

Ah well, you win some and you lose some. I mean, the Rockets were really hot in the first half... so they were going to get cold eventually

However, seeing Rockets play makes me feel bad for Yao. He seems like a nice dude and I've said in other threads - shame bout his body not holding up. He makes his team so much better by just being on the floor. He's a champ.

[Jackal]

Awesome game by the bench, I like the addition of Matt Barnes, guy is bad-ass and does a lot of little things, the way he fell down on one play had me hold my breath though. Does not want moar injuries.

Shannon Brown seriously worked on his outside shooting. He mentioned that in his re-signing press conference though, that everyone knows about his athleticism, now its up to him to polish the rest of his game, working on his skills.

Steve Blake looked great too, he actually has the ability to keep up with the point guards instead of getting blown by like poor Fish.

Good win, Browns hot shooting had me fist pumping, was an enjoyable start to the season.

[rise]

As much as I hate the Lakers, Odom is one kickass player who really doesn't get credit he deserves. That cross court run for a layup had me going "WOW."

[Jackal]

Who doesn't Odom get the credit from? Everyone praises his abilities for his size, so who exactly doesn't credit him?

Can't be one of us, a few pages back only you can see me praising Odom like mad. He's pretty much my favorite player on the Lakers with Gasol and Bryant a close second. (Actually Gasol & Odom keep changing, I love my bigs. <3) (That's what she said. She's 6, so everything is big. )

[Fresh8]

Looking forward to the next game.

I hope that Bynum is back in uniform asap.

[Bruce]

I'm hoping to watch the next blowout game. I want to see what Caracter and Ebanks can really do.

i like the current additions to the team. I just wish they can get 1 more move done, and that is to dump Walton and his fat undeserved paycheck. Haha

[Stress Fracture]

Good win, Browns hot shooting had me fist pumping, was an enjoyable start to the season.

If you're pumping your fist because of happiness, I'm also pumping my fist......because of anger. Watching Brown hit those 3 straight 3's made me feel sad. The game should have gone to Houston.

[Murat]

Former Jugoslavija guys got the hots.

[koberulz]

You had to quote four images just to say that?

[Jackal]

I'm really excited about the addition of Matt Barnes & Steve Blake, both of them have the ability to (consistently) knock down the three, I mean Jordan Farmar & Sasha could get hot from time to time but these guys are serious upgrades.

Not to mention Shannon Browns outside jump shot actually looks pretty decent this year, he seems to have a better release on it, not as clumsy looking as previous years.

Pau Gasol is just too awesome for words. You can't not love such level of excellence, he may not be brute force badass, but the level of skill the guy has...it's pretty amazing.

Good win. =)

[Fresh8]

I'm just putting it out there that it's been really impressive to see the off-season acquisitions get meaningful minutes. As for Vujacic, he might struggle for minutes this season but from what I have read, he is still in Jax's plans. I'm sure that if Shannon Brown is having a bad night and Kobe needs rest, Sasha will get to check in.

Another win today against the Warriors. Odom and Pau looked awesome on the boxscore.

[Andrew]

If you're looking for a moniker for the Lakers' bench, they've apparently been dubbed The Renegades.

[Fresh8]

If you're looking for a moniker for the Lakers' bench, they've apparently been dubbed The Renegades.

Yep, saw that the other day. I like it.

[Bruce]

I'm really excited about the addition of Matt Barnes & Steve Blake, both of them have the ability to (consistently) knock down the three, I mean Jordan Farmar & Sasha could get hot from time to time but these guys are serious upgrades.

Not to mention Shannon Browns outside jump shot actually looks pretty decent this year, he seems to have a better release on it, not as clumsy looking as previous years.

Pau Gasol is just too awesome for words. You can't not love such level of excellence, he may not be brute force badass, but the level of skill the guy has...it's pretty amazing.

Good win. =)

Definitely love the off season moves. They were able to patch key weaknesses in the team. Farmar was a decent backup PG, but blake I think is a smarter player with a true 3pt shot. Barnes has solid skills, but I think it is his contribution to the defense that benefits the Lakers the most. Although they have not have the hard matchups yet, the Lakers are looking good. I'd like to see Ratliff bump up his ball swatting though.

I would think that craig hodges had a big hand in improving shannon brown's shot.

[dare]

Take a look at the NBA.com MVP race, gotta love it.

[Fresh8]

Pau Gasol is proving that he is a superstar. I remember we've had some debates about how he is a 'sidekick' but once again, I am saying that he is not merely a sidekick. He is more than that.

Pau + Kobe = 6 games to start season with 20+ each. First time since Wilt/West in 1970 according to NBA.com

[Jackal]

Pau Gasol is the best big man in the game at the moment, he's taken over Duncan in the last couple of years so I doubt anyone thinks he's a sidekick anymore. No one in their right mind could think that anyways.

What's more surprising is how consistent Odom has been during all of this, he's actually playing AMAZING (Odom) basketball night in and out. Not just one play here or there, he's doing it all the time.

And Shannon Brown, hot damn that outside shot looks hot. Blake & Brown have it going on from the outside, if Barnes could find his touch they'd be seriously badass. Barnes more than makes up for it on the offensive boards though, the man is a monster between all those taller guys, he just snatches that shit outta there.

I love this team. Seriously. Even Ratliff got a nice block last game. It's a much better team than previous years and just think, Lamar will actually head back to the bench once Bynum's back. It's good though, being that dependable gets the starters some well deserved rest. (Like against Toronto) so that Bryant had enough gas left to come finish off the game.

[Fresh8]

Pau Gasol is the best big man in the game at the moment, he's taken over Duncan in the last couple of years so I doubt anyone thinks he's a sidekick anymore. No one in their right mind could think that anyways.

You'd be surprised. There are people out there who refuse to believe. He was a star before he came to LA. He's just got a bigger profile and a team where he actually fits into. Without Pau, I have no problem saying we would not be defending champions.

As for Shannon Brown, he's been working on his shooting since the first Summer he was in LA. I remember reading articles about Kobe telling him where to improve and he went straight to work. It's great to have seen him grow into the player he is today. Even better after he chose to stay in LA. He made the right decision for the team but if he had decided he wanted to be in New York or Chicago, I think that would have been great for him. He would really have filled a need for the Bulls.

Odom is playing great. Don't know how he will be when Bynum comes back but I hope Jax keeps Odom in the starting five.