People often tell me that they don't care for today's NBA. These same individuals claim that basketball was much better back in the day. Of course, "back in the day" means different things to different people. Some miss the excitement of the Jordan era. Some miss watching Larry Legend and Magic Johnson battling on the game's biggest stage. The one thing that all of them have in common (aside from the nostalgia that comes with getting older) is that they are all wrong.
The game of pro basketball has never been better.
If this is true, then why have so many lost interest in the sport? More often than not, people have the same grievances. Some complain that guys don't really start competing until the Playoffs, but that has been the case for years. The majority of people who don't care for the sport, for whatever reason, do not like or relate to today's NBA players. There is another factor at work here.
In a much simpler time many years ago, popular culture gave birth to a phrase.
"Don't hate the player. Hate the game."
That saying changed everything. The 90's were a decade plagued by "player hating" which gave birth to the aughts, a decade of "game hating". You see it happen again and again. When Latrell Sprewell claims that he can't feed his family on $14.6 million dollars a season, people hate the game. When A.I. routinely skips practice after signing a $70 million contract, people hate the game. When guys piss and moan about every foul call, people hate the game. Let's face it; some guys in the league are downright unlikable and I can understand people not wanting to support them. Unfortunately, a lot of truly great basketball was missed as a result. Let's examine the 2000's NBA.
The aughts gave us the best years of some future Hall of Famers. The greatest power forward of all time established himself in that era. There are plenty of guys in the league who can either score, rebound, pass, defend, or block shots. For many years 4-time champion, 2-time MVP, 13-time All-Star Tim Duncan did all of those things exceptionally well. Basketball purists were losing faith in the new crop of shoot-first point guards until a shaggy haired baller from British Columbia made it cool to pass the ball. How can anybody who loves sports not enjoy the way that Steve Nash approaches the game? Him being named the NBA's Most Valuable Player was a resounding victory for all those who still play basketball the right way. We saw a lanky kid from Wurzburg revolutionize the power forward position in that decade. The world had never seen a 7-foot tall low-post presence with the shooting range of a 2-guard and the skill set of a point guard before Dirk Nowitzki stepped on the scene. His talent was unreal and getting to see a humble, hardworking, loyal guy win it all after years of disappointment was truly gratifying. Who can forget "The Answer"? Few were as polarizing as that diminutive David in a game of Goliaths. Whether or not you like the guy, witnessing Allen Iverson carry the Sixers to the Finals with a bruised tailbone, right quad contusion, sprained right knee, sprained left ankle, inflamed right toe, right hip contusion, left hip pointer, dislocated shoulder, bursitis in his left elbow, and a sprained left thumb captured my imagination in a way that transcended sports.
The 2000's also gave us some great teams. Seeing the dominant yet dysfunctional Lakers 3-peat was unforgettable. Shaquille O'Neal was a once in a lifetime talent (on the basketball court, at least) and he and Kobe Bryant may be one of the greatest tandems to ever play together. The Spurs were also a force to be reckoned with in those days. Some said their style of play was boring; I thought it was brilliant. Each and every night, San Antonio played relentless defense and executed their offense with surgical precision. In 2007, three superstars put aside egos and big contracts to win as a team. They did just that. Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Rajon Rondo were all great players in their own right but what stays with me is that despite all of their individual greatness, every game they competed in was a clinic on how basketball should be played. The '04 Pistons with Billups, Hamilton, Prince, and the two Wallace's could be the best defensive unit ever assembled. Watching them absolutely manhandle a heavily favored Lakers squad with 4 future Hall of Famers was quite entertaining.
There were no shortage of awe-inspiring moments in the aughts: Kobe's 81 Point game, Tracy McGrady's 13 points in 35 seconds, the Celtics beating the Nets after being down 21 points in the 4th quarter, the postseason battles between the Lakers and Kings, Dwayne Wade's performance in the '06 Finals, Vince Carter's gravity-defying dunk contest, Robert Horry's numerous game-winning buzzer beaters, and Phil Jackson surpassing Red Auerbach for most championship teams coached to name a few.
When I first starting following basketball, guys like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, John Stockton, and Hakeem Olajuwon's unbelievable talent, skill, and passion for the game made a lasting impression on me. Pro basketball became my favorite sport and this didn't change throughout the 90's or the 2000's. Right now there are more great players, great teams, and great coaches in the league than ever before, and last season's Playoffs provided some of the most competitive games that I've ever seen. Despite all of that, the player haters and game haters of the world still won't watch, which doesn't bother me at all. Katt Williams did say that it is a hater's job to hate. Perhaps that makes it my job to love the game that much more.
Showing posts with label Lakers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lakers. Show all posts
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
And my wolf pack.......it grew by four.
Saturday night, the Lakers were facing elimination. They were in this situation largely due to the fact that in Game 6, the twin towers Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol ironically came up small against an undersized Nuggets front line whom they were supposed to dominate. Guards Razor Ramon and Steve Blake were handily outplayed by New York castaway Ty Lawson and a 36 year old Andre Miller. Kobe, on the other hand, played with all of the guts he didn't puke up that morning while his teammates appeared lackadaisical and indifferent. Things looked bleak for the Lakers and many wondered how Kobe would respond.
In Game 7, Kobe responded by passing the ball. He regularly threw it to Bynum and Gasol in the post. When they got doubled and threw it back to him, he would let them re-post and passed it right back. Steve Blake and Metta Woldpeace missed numerous wide open shots that night but in the 4th quarter of a tightly contested elimination game, Bryant didn't hesitate to give them the ball when they were open. Bryant trusted his teammates. Bryant trusted that new guy in the suit who has 5 less championship rings than he does. It worked. Worldpeace and Blake combined to hit nine 3-Pointers. Gasol and Bynum combined to score 39 points.
Make no mistake, Kobe still has the ability to take over a game. The 16 year veteran missed the scoring title by a tenth of a point this season. In Game 5, he almost single-handedly put the Nuggets away with his 4 minute 12 point barrage. Far be it for me to claim to know what was going through the gifted basketball mind of Kobe Bryant, but the Lakers won the game and it was truly a team effort. Whether or not it was by design, one would assume that the role players on this team will have much more confidence going into the next round and possibly beyond.
This is a different approach than Kobe has taken in the past. When facing the Pistons in '04, Kobe kept shooting the ball ineffectively even though Shaq was having great success in the low block. The Lakers lost that series. In '06 Kobe petulantly took only one shot in the 2nd half of Game 7 versus the Suns, even though he was scoring at will against their perimeter defenders. They lost that series as well. On Saturday we saw a mature, determined, intelligent basketball player letting the game come to him. He commanded double teams and made the right pass. When the double teams didn't come quickly enough, he took the shot.
Now this squad will face a very talented, very hungry, well rested Thunder team who has already beaten them two out of three times in the regular season. The Lakers' only chance of pulling off an upset lies in their ability to play as a team. When the Lakers are moving the ball and shooting with confidence, they are dangerous. When they let the ball stagnate and their role players become scared to shoot, they are predictable and easy to defend. Which Lakers team will show up in this series? When the Thunder make runs (and they will) can the Lakers stick with their game plan? When guys miss a few consecutive shots (which will happen), will Kobe keep giving them the ball? Nobody with any sense has ever questioned Kobe's individual greatness. Many have questioned his ability to raise his teammates' level of play. Some of that comes from effectively distributing the ball on the court. Some of that comes from being a motivational presence in the locker room and in the huddle. Kobe and the Lakers will face quite a test in this series. Let's see how they respond.
In Game 7, Kobe responded by passing the ball. He regularly threw it to Bynum and Gasol in the post. When they got doubled and threw it back to him, he would let them re-post and passed it right back. Steve Blake and Metta Woldpeace missed numerous wide open shots that night but in the 4th quarter of a tightly contested elimination game, Bryant didn't hesitate to give them the ball when they were open. Bryant trusted his teammates. Bryant trusted that new guy in the suit who has 5 less championship rings than he does. It worked. Worldpeace and Blake combined to hit nine 3-Pointers. Gasol and Bynum combined to score 39 points.
Make no mistake, Kobe still has the ability to take over a game. The 16 year veteran missed the scoring title by a tenth of a point this season. In Game 5, he almost single-handedly put the Nuggets away with his 4 minute 12 point barrage. Far be it for me to claim to know what was going through the gifted basketball mind of Kobe Bryant, but the Lakers won the game and it was truly a team effort. Whether or not it was by design, one would assume that the role players on this team will have much more confidence going into the next round and possibly beyond.
This is a different approach than Kobe has taken in the past. When facing the Pistons in '04, Kobe kept shooting the ball ineffectively even though Shaq was having great success in the low block. The Lakers lost that series. In '06 Kobe petulantly took only one shot in the 2nd half of Game 7 versus the Suns, even though he was scoring at will against their perimeter defenders. They lost that series as well. On Saturday we saw a mature, determined, intelligent basketball player letting the game come to him. He commanded double teams and made the right pass. When the double teams didn't come quickly enough, he took the shot.
Now this squad will face a very talented, very hungry, well rested Thunder team who has already beaten them two out of three times in the regular season. The Lakers' only chance of pulling off an upset lies in their ability to play as a team. When the Lakers are moving the ball and shooting with confidence, they are dangerous. When they let the ball stagnate and their role players become scared to shoot, they are predictable and easy to defend. Which Lakers team will show up in this series? When the Thunder make runs (and they will) can the Lakers stick with their game plan? When guys miss a few consecutive shots (which will happen), will Kobe keep giving them the ball? Nobody with any sense has ever questioned Kobe's individual greatness. Many have questioned his ability to raise his teammates' level of play. Some of that comes from effectively distributing the ball on the court. Some of that comes from being a motivational presence in the locker room and in the huddle. Kobe and the Lakers will face quite a test in this series. Let's see how they respond.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Showtime they are not
After yet another road loss, a reporter asked Kobe if the offense was under construction. He quipped that,
"We're still working on the blueprints, actually."
Although he was smiling, I'm not convinced that the man was joking.
The Los Angeles Lakers' offense is seriously struggling. In other news, Greece's economy isn't doing so well.
Is this all that surprising? Let's not forget that the team has undergone major changes since last season. Lakers fans need to come to grips with the fact that Adam Morrison has left for Turkey and he ain't coming back. Also, the Phil Jackson regime is gone and they took the triangle offense (and Phil's orthopedic throne) with them. They had a 10 point quarter versus the Magic last week and have scored under 100 points in 17 of their last 19 games. In Portland, the Lakers somehow managed to miss every 3 pointer they attempted, including a woeful 0-5 performance by Steve Blake. Chris Paul is not walking through that door, folks (at least not in a purple and gold uniform) and right now the Lakers seem lost out there.
In the 3 consecutive years where the Lakers made it to the NBA Finals, they had good balance offensively. It was a simple time. They ran the triangle offense using Kobe and Pau as their primary scorers and playmakers. They were the Jordan and Pippen of that team and were used in a very similar manner. Phil rarely took both of them out of the game at the same time. Roles for everybody else on the team were clearly defined and role players did their part. D Fish was there to handle the ball, pass to Kobe or Gasol, and knock down the open shot. His role was simple but not easy. Ron Artest was there to defend the other team's best perimeter scorer. On offense, Phil kept him on a sort leash. He was asked to knock down the open shot and occasionally attack the basket in a clear mismatch situation. Defining Andrew Bynum's role is a bit more difficult. He anchored the defense, clogged the paint, and collected lots of rebounds. It seems as though he was being groomed to be a primary scorer but chronic knee injuries put the kibosh on that.
The Lakers also relied heavily on their bench for scoring. Reigning 6th Man of the Year Lamar Odom was the King of the "Killer B's". Perhaps "Queen B" would be more of an apt analogy but that just sounds weird. Odom was the second unit's primary scorer, playmaker, and ball handler. Shannon Brown was there for alley-oops, put back dunks, and 3-pointers. Sasha Vujacic spaced the floor with his outside shooting. Those 3 players have since left town and while Goldie Loc (Andrew Goudelock) had a nice game the other night, I hardly think that this second unit as it's currently constructed is scaring anybody. Goudelock, Troy Murphy, Devin Ebanks, Jason Kapono, and Darius Morris are all averaging about 3 points or less per game. Al Harrington single handedly gives Denver as much scoring as all of them put together.
What is the "blueprint" for the Lakers' offense? Among the fraternity of NBA coaches, Mike Brown is a well respected figure. As a head coach, he does certain things quite well. Being creative with his offense is not one of them. The way he utilized (or did not utilize) Mo Williams, Antawn Jamison, JJ Hickson, Delonte West, and Shaquille O'Neal in Cleveland seemed strange at times. Some of his decisions regarding substitutions and playing time were downright puzzling. He inherited a Lakers team that has been pretty efficient since Pau Gasol came to town. They currently rank 18th in offensive efficiency.
Let's start with the obvious. This Lakers' offense is still built around 2 players. Are they holding up their end of the bargain? Kobe is still the primary scorer and playmaker on this team. Nowadays the league's leading scorer is doing way more scoring than making plays for others. One could argue that this is in part due to the poor outside shooting from his teammates. Matt Barnes, Derek Fisher, Steve Blake, and Troy Murphy haven't found their shooting touch and no one is ever going to mistake Metta World Peace for Steve Kerr. One could just as easily argue that Kobe has been taking too many bad shots and not looking to pass the ball enough. This season Kobe is shooting more jump shots than ever and generating less assists per game. Pau Gasol has not looked like himself either. He is not establishing himself in the low post as much and, as a result, he is not scoring very efficiently. Lately he has been settling for outside jump shots. The biggest downside to this is that we have seen much less of that great passing from the low post that he was known for. Without Kobe and Gasol consistently setting up their teammates, this offense looks very mediocre.
One bright spot has been that with limited touches Andrew Bynum has shown flashes of dominance. Limited being the operative word. Is it finally time to give Bynum the oppportunity to be a primary scorer? The Lakers took Bynum in the first round and (until recently) resisted every offer to trade him. He is the only Laker aside from Kobe and Bynum that is able to create offense without having to be left open. Could his low post scoring be the answer to the Lakers' offensive woes? Could getting him the ball more help guys like Fisher, Barnes, World Peace, and McRoberts find their mojo? The only way to find out would be to give him the ball a lot more than they have been. Phil Jackson seemed to want Bynum to eventually become the focal point of the offense but it never actually happened. The offense has always run through Kobe and Gasol. Trying to change that now would be perceived as either foolish or incredibly bold.
What should Mike Brown do? He is their head coach and the buck stops with him. Brown knew when he took this job that anything less than a Finals appearance would be viewed as a failure. At 12-9, the Lakers are the 8th seed in the Western Conference and would be out of Playoff contention with another loss or a Spurs win. Mike Brown is a defensive minded coach and fixing this offense will be a difficult task for anybody. Will he have the chutzpah to tell Kobe to stop shooting so much? Can he tell Pau that he will be benched if he keeps settling for jump shots? Will he be willing to take a player out of the game that's not hitting open shots, even if that means replacing them with a worse defender? Much has been made of the lack of practice time due to the lockout. This is especially challenging for teams attempting to learn new systems with new coaches. I imagine that this is a factor but I have doubts that this offense is going to fix itself without being shaken up either through personnel changes or scheme adjustments. Make no mistake. There is plenty of basketball left to be played, plenty of time to make trades, and plenty of opportunities for Mike Brown to prove his doubters wrong. Let us see what "blueprint" Mike Brown is constructing.
"We're still working on the blueprints, actually."
Although he was smiling, I'm not convinced that the man was joking.
The Los Angeles Lakers' offense is seriously struggling. In other news, Greece's economy isn't doing so well.
Is this all that surprising? Let's not forget that the team has undergone major changes since last season. Lakers fans need to come to grips with the fact that Adam Morrison has left for Turkey and he ain't coming back. Also, the Phil Jackson regime is gone and they took the triangle offense (and Phil's orthopedic throne) with them. They had a 10 point quarter versus the Magic last week and have scored under 100 points in 17 of their last 19 games. In Portland, the Lakers somehow managed to miss every 3 pointer they attempted, including a woeful 0-5 performance by Steve Blake. Chris Paul is not walking through that door, folks (at least not in a purple and gold uniform) and right now the Lakers seem lost out there.
In the 3 consecutive years where the Lakers made it to the NBA Finals, they had good balance offensively. It was a simple time. They ran the triangle offense using Kobe and Pau as their primary scorers and playmakers. They were the Jordan and Pippen of that team and were used in a very similar manner. Phil rarely took both of them out of the game at the same time. Roles for everybody else on the team were clearly defined and role players did their part. D Fish was there to handle the ball, pass to Kobe or Gasol, and knock down the open shot. His role was simple but not easy. Ron Artest was there to defend the other team's best perimeter scorer. On offense, Phil kept him on a sort leash. He was asked to knock down the open shot and occasionally attack the basket in a clear mismatch situation. Defining Andrew Bynum's role is a bit more difficult. He anchored the defense, clogged the paint, and collected lots of rebounds. It seems as though he was being groomed to be a primary scorer but chronic knee injuries put the kibosh on that.
The Lakers also relied heavily on their bench for scoring. Reigning 6th Man of the Year Lamar Odom was the King of the "Killer B's". Perhaps "Queen B" would be more of an apt analogy but that just sounds weird. Odom was the second unit's primary scorer, playmaker, and ball handler. Shannon Brown was there for alley-oops, put back dunks, and 3-pointers. Sasha Vujacic spaced the floor with his outside shooting. Those 3 players have since left town and while Goldie Loc (Andrew Goudelock) had a nice game the other night, I hardly think that this second unit as it's currently constructed is scaring anybody. Goudelock, Troy Murphy, Devin Ebanks, Jason Kapono, and Darius Morris are all averaging about 3 points or less per game. Al Harrington single handedly gives Denver as much scoring as all of them put together.
What is the "blueprint" for the Lakers' offense? Among the fraternity of NBA coaches, Mike Brown is a well respected figure. As a head coach, he does certain things quite well. Being creative with his offense is not one of them. The way he utilized (or did not utilize) Mo Williams, Antawn Jamison, JJ Hickson, Delonte West, and Shaquille O'Neal in Cleveland seemed strange at times. Some of his decisions regarding substitutions and playing time were downright puzzling. He inherited a Lakers team that has been pretty efficient since Pau Gasol came to town. They currently rank 18th in offensive efficiency.
Let's start with the obvious. This Lakers' offense is still built around 2 players. Are they holding up their end of the bargain? Kobe is still the primary scorer and playmaker on this team. Nowadays the league's leading scorer is doing way more scoring than making plays for others. One could argue that this is in part due to the poor outside shooting from his teammates. Matt Barnes, Derek Fisher, Steve Blake, and Troy Murphy haven't found their shooting touch and no one is ever going to mistake Metta World Peace for Steve Kerr. One could just as easily argue that Kobe has been taking too many bad shots and not looking to pass the ball enough. This season Kobe is shooting more jump shots than ever and generating less assists per game. Pau Gasol has not looked like himself either. He is not establishing himself in the low post as much and, as a result, he is not scoring very efficiently. Lately he has been settling for outside jump shots. The biggest downside to this is that we have seen much less of that great passing from the low post that he was known for. Without Kobe and Gasol consistently setting up their teammates, this offense looks very mediocre.
One bright spot has been that with limited touches Andrew Bynum has shown flashes of dominance. Limited being the operative word. Is it finally time to give Bynum the oppportunity to be a primary scorer? The Lakers took Bynum in the first round and (until recently) resisted every offer to trade him. He is the only Laker aside from Kobe and Bynum that is able to create offense without having to be left open. Could his low post scoring be the answer to the Lakers' offensive woes? Could getting him the ball more help guys like Fisher, Barnes, World Peace, and McRoberts find their mojo? The only way to find out would be to give him the ball a lot more than they have been. Phil Jackson seemed to want Bynum to eventually become the focal point of the offense but it never actually happened. The offense has always run through Kobe and Gasol. Trying to change that now would be perceived as either foolish or incredibly bold.
What should Mike Brown do? He is their head coach and the buck stops with him. Brown knew when he took this job that anything less than a Finals appearance would be viewed as a failure. At 12-9, the Lakers are the 8th seed in the Western Conference and would be out of Playoff contention with another loss or a Spurs win. Mike Brown is a defensive minded coach and fixing this offense will be a difficult task for anybody. Will he have the chutzpah to tell Kobe to stop shooting so much? Can he tell Pau that he will be benched if he keeps settling for jump shots? Will he be willing to take a player out of the game that's not hitting open shots, even if that means replacing them with a worse defender? Much has been made of the lack of practice time due to the lockout. This is especially challenging for teams attempting to learn new systems with new coaches. I imagine that this is a factor but I have doubts that this offense is going to fix itself without being shaken up either through personnel changes or scheme adjustments. Make no mistake. There is plenty of basketball left to be played, plenty of time to make trades, and plenty of opportunities for Mike Brown to prove his doubters wrong. Let us see what "blueprint" Mike Brown is constructing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)