[:: LAKERS 2014 THREAD | POLL: Who Should Coach Next Year? ::]

[daddyrabbit251]

Peković > Love

 

[VinMillerHearn58]

Shawne Williams has given us some solid minutes tonight with his rebounding and defense.

 

[daddyrabbit251]

Pau > Love

 

[sb]

 

[daddyrabbit251]

Good team win.... Surprising defense

 

[trueprada]

ok pau

 

[mrdieselfuel09]

Pau adding some swag to his arsenal. #ilyke

 

[blastercombo]

lakers now > lakers with grandpa kobe

 

[VinMillerHearn58]

 

[CHAOSE57]

On pro tank but I'd allow this W, pretty interesting game

 

[airedweezy]

dam work looks like i missed a good game

 

[vindeezy]

^u did...catch on lakers compacto some time

Youll be able to see the nick young show. But who am I to say....im a nick young stan.

 

[laker4lifeman]

View media item 704002
Jacket looking like it belongs in Nascar

 

[VinMillerHearn58]

Biggest concern is when Kobe comes back, does he conform to what this team is doing currently w/o him? Or will he differ to his "we need to get Pau the ball" and force feed him, playing the 2 man game. We know he's stubborn, and I feel like he has to conform to this team. We all saw it tonight, this team plays free w/o him out on the floor.

 

[BIG LEEMELONE]

A few things....

this team refuses to die and continues to improve. Gotta respect their pride to not give up on the season and play hard regardless

Kendall marshall. 4th lottery pick (3rd in 4 months) on this squad acquired for absolutely nothing. They seem easy to get. The season long experience of scratching, clawing, bleeding, fighting for and maybe even making the playoffs? slightly more valuable

almost forgot this was a .500 team without kobe

re: kobe's k....it doesn't stop us from keeping this roster and making key upgrades

 

[nikeall]

Darius morris is god awful i can't belive that

 

[VinMillerHearn58]

View media item 704025

 

[CP1708]

Love hits the open market, Mitch better be sending every LA slunt he can find Kevin's way.

25 and 13 on 9 of 16, IN A QUIET GAME. All those lame so and so > Love look dumb as hell.

He went 29-16-9 against the best team in the West a few nights ago. In a W.

25 a night. Leads the NBA in rebounding (13). 4 assists per game. Efficient shooting. Can hit from 3. Makes his free throws.

And 26-27 when he comes free.

Mitch, don't miss on this. Get this man. 2015.

 

[sb]

Love hits the open market, Mitch better be sending every LA slunt he can find Kevin's way.

25 and 13 on 9 of 16, IN A QUIET GAME. All those lame so and so > Love look dumb as hell.

He went 29-16-9 against the best team in the West a few nights ago. In a W.

25 a night. Leads the NBA in rebounding (13). 4 assists per game. Efficient shooting. Can hit from 3. Makes his free throws.

And 26-27 when he comes free.

Mitch, don't miss on this. Get this man. 2015.

co-sign. need some love in LA.

 

[darthska]

I mess w/ Nick Young.

That 4-pt play, his demeanor...

 

[swaggyless p]

 

[had pants]

 

[had pants]

I mess w/ Nick Young.

That 4-pt play, his demeanor...

 

[pmatic]

Mike D'Antoni will keep Lakers respectable

So, Kobe Bryant will miss at least another six weeks with a fracture in his upper left shinbone near the knee.

You know what that means? The Los Angeles Lakers will be competitive — as they were when they went 10-9 while Bryant was out with a torn left Achilles tendon to start the season.

You know why they'll be competitive? Because Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni often gets the most out of players and teams who are underdogs.

He's done with a host of players throughout his coaching career, most notably point guard Jeremy Lin, who starred for D'Antoni's New York Knicks during a mesmerizing stretch in February 2012. It could be a guy such as guard Chris Duhon, who had his best season (11.1 points and 7.2 assists a game) for D'Antoni's 2008-09 Knicks.

Take Lakers guard Xavier Henry, who is having the best season of his four-year career this season under D'Antoni.

Henry is averaging 9.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and one assist and shooting 43.2% from the field and 37% on three-pointers. The three 20-point plus games Henry has scored in his career have all happened this season with the Lakers, including a career-high 27 against the Portland Trail Blazers.

"I've enjoyed it here," Henry told USA TODAY Sports. "They put you in a spot to succeed. If you can score, he lets you score. If your thing is defense, you'll get opportunities to do that. You can give him your opinion and he will give you his opinion. He's a players' coach."

Henry was a seldom-used reserve in his first three seasons — the first year with the Memphis Grizzlies then two years with New Orleans. He played just 12.5 minutes per game in 50 games last season.

"In my previous three years, I was worried about doing everything right just to stay on the floor," Henry said. "It's hard to play like that. Here you can just play through a mistake. Now, I can play carefree. That's why I enjoy it.

"Here, they actually just let you play. They don't say, 'Do this. Do that.' They say, 'Go play your game and we'll tailor it as we go on.' He doesn't let you go out there and go crazy. But they at least let you show what you can do."

With Bryant out, Henry will get even more of a chance.

"It's evolved where I'm trying to make less mistakes now but still play my game and not look over my shoulder," he said. "It's better to err on the side of aggressiveness."

Look at what Lakers big man Jordan Hill is doing. He's almost a double-double guy at 9.4 points and 8.1 rebounds a game in 21.2 minutes per game.

Hill, 26 and on his third team in his fifth season, wasn't ready for those minutes and that production in 2009-10 for the Knicks, but D'Antoni saw something. Hill, too, is having his best season, averaging career highs in points and rebounds and shooting 58.9% from the field.

"If I can get 30 minutes a game, I can average a double-double. I'm relentless on the boards," Hill said. "Every miss is an opportunity for me to beat the opponent to the ball.

"I just want to help my team out in any way possible and win as many games as possible. I'm a competitor. I go down to the paint, and I like to play hard and I like to play rough."

Hill has had 11 double-doubles in his career — four with the Lakers this season.

For all the grief D'Antoni takes for what he doesn't do, he also doesn't get enough credit for what he does do. He does a lot with a little. He's adept at taking castoffs and making them productive.

Link

 

[essential1]

If we get around 35-45 wins (which seems likely), MDA will probably be top 3 Coach of the Year voting...


I know a lot of you don't like MDA, but he really isn't a bad coach.