-
-
![Profile picture of Lakers Fast Break]()
Lakers Fast BreakPinned Post
Lakers Fast Break- NBA Playoff Ideas To Make Your Eyes Roll…with LakerTom!
LakerTom from lakerholics.net returns with more insight and opinions as he always does as he and Gerald ponder the NBA’s season and playoff format when the league returns to play on July 31. They break down all the questions being asked about the format, the challenges, and the proposed ideas being bandied a…Read More
![Profile Photo]()
![Profile Photo]()
![Profile Photo]()
liked this
2 Comments-
![Profile picture of LakerTom]()
OK. I see you used the Front-End Editor above to create this post. This timeline is from Youzer, which is a version of BuddyPress, which adds social media features to WordPress and treats entries created by the above Front-End Editor as Activities rather than Posts. You should test using the Gutenberg Editor to create posts. You can make the posts FEATURED and add a FEATRURED IMAGE.…Read More
-
![Profile picture of LakerTom]()
LakerTom wrote a new post
RETWEET IF LAKERS IN 7 pic.twitter.com/lNh0Rw07e1
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) April 28, 2024
-
![Profile picture of LakerTom]()
LakerTom wrote a new post
Game 4: Lakers 119, Nuggets 108
The Lakers finally did it. They snapped the Nuggets' 11-game win streak to make this a 3-1 series. AD had 25 points, 23 rebounds and 6 assists. LeBron had 30 points. AR had 21 pts and 6 asts. DLo had 21/4/4.
Up next: Game 5 in Denver on Monday.
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) April 28, 2024
![Profile Photo]()
liked this
1 Comment-
![Profile picture of LakerTom]()
The Lakers led wire to wire and took Game 4, 119-108, to snap the Nuggets' 11-game winning streak against them and extend the series to Game 5 on Monday. LeBron 30p on 14-of-23 5r 4a 3s; AD 25p 23r 6a; D-Lo 21p 4r 4a; Reaves 21p 6a. Jokic was incredible again: 33p 14r 14a.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 28, 2024
-
-
![Profile picture of DJ2KB24]()
DJ2KB24 wrote a new post
familiar. If we keep shooting and missing 3’s it isn’t gonna go well.
5 Comments-
![Profile picture of DJ2KB24]()
Hanging in there! Fingers crossed for the 4th Q.
-
![Profile picture of DJ2KB24]()
AD doing all he can, LBJ 5TO’s, Reaves 1-6 from 3.
-
![Profile picture of DJ2KB24]()
Missed 3 3’s already!
-
![Profile picture of DJ2KB24]()
LBJ and DLO missed unneeded 3’s, dang it! Get good shots.
-
![Profile picture of DJ2KB24]()
4th Q all LBJ & REAVES!
-
-
-
-
-
-
![Profile picture of LakerTom]()
LakerTom wrote a new post
I hope all of these former Lakers will be at https://t.co/84m3Xn4eID Arena tonight to root for their fellow Lakers to pull off the first comeback from 0-3 deficit in NBA history. https://t.co/q9fuhhIMUG
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) April 27, 2024
1 Comment-
![Profile picture of DJ2KB24]()
Dang cool. Suit em up!
-
-
![Profile picture of MongoSlade]()
MongoSlade wrote a new post
This is the basic problem between the Nuggs and the Lakers. We have to play damn near flawless basketball for 48 minutes…the Nuggs don’t.
![Profile Photo]()
liked this
-
![Profile picture of LakerTom]()
LakerTom wrote a new post
IT'S NOT OVER UNTIL IT'S OVER!
Are odds Lakers could win 4 straight over Nuggets any crazier than odds Denver could win 11 straight over L.A.?
Would coming back from 0-3 vs. Nuggets be any less impressive than coming back from 1-3 against the Warriors?
Start comeback tonight pic.twitter.com/VDmJvpad7G
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) April 27, 2024
![Profile Photo]()
![Profile Photo]()
liked this
3 Comments-
![Profile picture of LakerTom]()
Out of respect for LeBron James and Anthony Davis, one last hurray. Let’s be the first team to come back from 0-3 deficit.
-
![Profile picture of Buba]()
🙏 Amen
-
-
![Profile picture of LakerTom]()
Lakers in 7. I might be high on this beautiful Saturday morning enjoying the California sunshine.
— QuestFor18 (@HisandHerLakers) April 27, 2024
-
-
![Profile picture of LakerTom]()
LakerTom wrote a new post
ESPN Writer Singles out Real Culprit for Lakers Mess and It’s Not Darvin Ham https://t.co/4vQsOfPnF3 via @heavysan
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) April 27, 2024
Los Angeles Lakers coach Darvin Ham is getting a lot of heat on social media for the team’s inability to solve the Denver Nuggets riddle.
But for ESPN writer Tim Bontemps, the beleaguered coach is just the scapegoat.
“I’m not gonna sit here, Brian [Windhorst] and try to say Darvin Ham has done a perfect job. But let’s look at what to me the real problem with the Lakers is, which is the roster isn’t good enough, which is why they’ve lost [12] times in a row to the Denver Nuggets,” Bontemps said on the “Hoop Collective” podcast on April 26.
The real blame, according to Bontemps, for this Lakers mess should be on Rob Pelinka, the team’s vice president for basketball operations and general manager.
“Rob Pelinka was the one who traded Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who’s beating them now with the Denver Nuggets for Russell Westbrook,” Bontemps continued. “[Pelinka] was the guy who chose D’Angelo Russell over Mike Conley in the second Russell Westbrook trade.[Pelinka] was the guy who chose Talen Horton-Tucker over Alex Caruso and also just decided not to pay Alex Caruso whose under-market value contract at the time has only grown in that regard over the past few years with the Chicago Bulls.”
The seasoned NBA writer, who also wrote for The Washington Post early in his career, added more to the long list of what he thought was Pelinka’s blunders as the top decision maker for the Lakers organization:
-Picking Jalen Hood-Schifino over the likes of Brandin Podziemski, Cam Whitmore and Jaime Jaquez Jr.
-Signing Gabe Vincent, who barely played this season with knee injury
-Turning down options on Malik Beasley and Mo Bamba which could have been expiring large contracts to make a move this seasonSimply Not Good Enough Roster
Bontemps, however, clarified that Ham should come out unscathed.
“I’m not saying Darvin Ham is perfect,” Bontemps said. “Not saying he’s the second coming of red Auerbach. When you look at what’s going on with the Lakers, this team is not good enough. They have two great players in Anthony Davis and LeBron James. And those guys combined to play 147 games this season. The fact that this team is in the play-in mix because of that means the rest of this team around them is simply not good enough to be with the Lakers [and go where they] expect to be which is contending for Western Conference titles and [NBA] championships.”
1 Comment-
![Profile picture of therealhtj]()
He’s right in that. Bad decision after bad decision here. Particularly Westbrook. That decision pushed for by Lebron, AD, and the rest of the Klutch mafia was the nail in the competitive coffin for this squad. Drafting poorly and consistently picking the wrong guys to throw your MLE at only compounded things, but this post-Dr. Buss leadership is going on about a dozen years of misses. Outside Lebron deciding he wanted to live in LA, the Lakers would be going on almost 15 year of irrelevance.
But the other side of the coin is Lebron is simply not good enough any more either. You put Jokic at the head of the roster in his place today, and he’s elevating the other 3 to levels no one thought they’d have been capable of previously. He’ll put them in the best places to succeed and consistently bail them out when he needs to. The overall talent level in the middle of these two squads isn’t that far apart, but the talent at the top is lightyears ahead.
-
-
![Profile picture of LakerTom]()
LakerTom wrote a new post
Lakers would be smart to pursue trade for Jonathan Isaac, who could be the missing piece to complement Anthony Davis.
Nuggets gave up first round pick to get Gordon who was the missing piece to complement Nikola Jokic. Lakers should do same to get Isaac. https://t.co/UG3oIoMITy
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) April 27, 2024
![Profile Photo]()
liked this
2 Comments-
![Profile picture of LakerTom]()
Great article by Tony Jones on how Aaron Gordon has been the best player in the Lakers and Nuggets series. Nuggets used a first round pick in 2021 to trade with Orlando for Gordon.
The Orlando Magic have a big decision to make on Jonathan Isaac, who’s missed three years and is on a non-guaranteed expiring contract for next season.
Jonathan Isaac could be the perfect fit for a second big who can shoot the three and guard 1-5 to complement Anthony Davis. Lakers should offer one of their first round picks and matching salary to get Isaac. He is the perfect front court mate for AD.
-
![Profile picture of therealhtj]()
When the he!! was Isaac an even willing 3 point chucker? He’s been demoted for his lack of O.
-
-
-
![Profile picture of MongoSlade]()
MongoSlade wrote a new post
ESPN Sources: Juwan Howard has agreed to join the Brooklyn Nets as an assistant coach. Howard spent six NBA seasons as a Heat assistant before returning to Michigan for five years as head coach. Howard arrives as part of Jordi Fernandez’s first staff. pic.twitter.com/RMjNVgpiel
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 26, 2024
1 Comment-
![Profile picture of therealhtj]()
That’s a relief. I say make a statement and let Phil coach this last game. Why put off the inevitable when you know Busslinka will throw Darvin under the buss anyway?
-
-
![Profile picture of LakerTom]()
LakerTom wrote a new post
In all seriousness, Myers would be the perfect candidate to return the Lakers to glory days.
He could win more championships and triple or quadruple Lakers market value.
Won't happen, of course, until Jeanie sees the light gets rid of her homies. https://t.co/9fT5cxCveZ— LakerTom (@LakerTom) April 26, 2024
2 Comments-
![Profile picture of MongoSlade]()
Not sure he’d want to go from the deep pockets of Joe Lacob to a penny-pincher like Jeanie.
-
![Profile picture of therealhtj]()
He also wants to wet his beak – if you ain’t coming with some equity, you can stop right there. Those Busses can’t even agree on a dinner order, much less something like that.
-
-
![Profile picture of LakerTom]()
LakerTom wrote a new post
When the Lakers front office thinks about how to build championship team, I hope they look at the Nuggets, who spent a FRP each on Aaron Gordon & Michael Porter Jr.
Lakers need to do same for starting POA guard and modern center. Forget 3rd superstar. Get elite pieces that fit.
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) April 26, 2024
1 Comment-
![Profile picture of therealhtj]()
They had up and coming stars on manageable deals while assembling a team. When you’re throwing 100mm on two aging guys, already wasted a bunch of assets in a handful of foolhardy decisions, there’s little opportunity to make those moves. I know you’ll continue these mental gymnastics, throwing out the probability of Lebron’s continued decline and AD’s revert to the norm of 30-odd missed games per year. The ONLY reasonable solution is to set a fire to this trash heap and build it back up from the ashes.
-
-
![Profile picture of LakerTom]()
LakerTom wrote a new post
Darvin Ham receives harsh chant from Lakers fans as Nuggets take 3-0 lead https://t.co/dvGTJrVobU
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) April 26, 2024
Los Angeles Lakers fans have seen just about enough of Darvin Ham.
The Lakers made it 11 straight losses to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday, falling in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series 112-105. Once again, the Lakers blew a double-digit lead (as they already had in both Games 1 and Game 2) and brought to themselves to the brink of elimination as Denver took a commanding 3-0 series advantage.
In the final minute or so of the fourth quarter with the Nuggets on the verge of victory, Lakers fans busted out a harsh message about head coach Darvin Ham.
They started chanting, “Fire Darvin!” and could be heard doing so on the TNT broadcast.
Jovan Buha of The Athletic confirmed that “Fire Darvin!” was indeed what was being chanted.
Ham is in his second season as head coach of the Lakers and has led the team to a respectable record of 90-74 (.549) as well as a Western Conference Finals berth. But they were already swept out of the playoffs by the Nuggets last season and are now in grave danger of meeting the exact same fate this time around.
-
![Profile picture of LakerTom]()
LakerTom wrote a new post
Windhorst: Lakers' Anthony Davis Blamed Darvin Ham for G2 Loss with Postgame Comments https://t.co/3OQjyU2UrS
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) April 26, 2024
Los Angeles Lakers star center Anthony Davis made pointed comments about the coaching in the team’s devastating Game 2 loss to the Denver Nuggets, and one expert believes they indicate a deeper problem with head coach Darvin Ham.
While debating Davis’ comments on Thursday’s episode of First Take, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said they show that the big man feels that Ham should be held accountable for the Lakers blowing a 20-point lead and falling into a 0-2 hole in their first-round playoff series.
“You guys are dancing around your point, which is that Anthony Davis blamed Darvin Ham for this loss,” Windhorst said around the 5:20 mark. “That is exactly what he did. He did that very clearly with those comments.”
-
![Profile picture of LakerTom]()
LakerTom wrote a new post
If the Los Angeles Lakers’ season ends with a sweep in Game 4 of their first-round series against the Denver Nuggets, Darvin Ham is going down with the same guys who got them there.
“I’m not changing my starting lineup,” Ham said Friday after L.A. had a film session in lieu of practice.
Down 0-3 against the Nuggets a year ago in the Western Conference finals, Ham took D’Angelo Russell out of the starting lineup for Game 4, which L.A. lost 113-111.
This time, with Russell going scoreless on 0-for-7 shooting in Game 3 (0-for-6 from 3) and seemingly disengaged from the team in the fourth quarter Thursday as he sat on the end of the bench by himself while L.A. huddled, Ham is sticking with his point guard.
“You want to give your players a chance to make good for themselves,” Ham said. “There were questions about that after Game 1 and you saw what we did in Game 2. He got back in the gym, as he’s always done, and worked on his stuff. And he provided a great source of income in Game 2. Although we came up short, he was one of the reasons we were able to be in the game.”
Indeed, Russell — who declined to speak to reporters Friday again after also declining to do so in the postgame window following Game 3 — shook off a 6-for-20 shooting performance to start the series by scoring 23 points in Game 2 and tying a franchise record for playoff 3s in a game, going 7-for-11.
“You have to trust your players,” Ham said. “And just believe in them. And when they see that belief, then they tend to perform at a high level.”
Lakers forward Rui Hachimura said Ham showed clips of L.A. playing at a high level in the first quarter of Game 3 — jumping to an 8-0 lead and holding a 33-23 edge heading into the second — to let the Lakers see how they can hold their ground against the defending champs, despite Denver having now won 11 straight games in the matchup.
“We watched it and we talked about how we were going to continue that,” Hachimura said. “Just the same energy, same way we communicate, [the way] we do everything on the court.”
Hachimura said that the Nuggets’ continuity of their roster has been the difference-maker.
“We just don’t have enough experience,” Hachimura said, alluding to the fact that much of the roster came together at the trade deadline about 15 months ago. “They’ve been together for like five years.”
So, Hachimura was asked, even though the Lakers are on the brink of being swept for the second straight year and L.A. is a franchise that prides itself on its 17 championships as the standard, is this group worth keeping together to gain that experience?
“In my opinion, yes,” Hachimura said. “We have the guys here. We have the talent, for sure. I don’t think anybody can beat us, just the talent-wise. We just got to put everything together. … We have the guys that can beat any team in this league.”
Any team except Denver.
The Lakers will get a crack at it again Saturday (8:30 ET, ABC) for a chance to extend their season.
If not, they’ll begin an offseason during which many more questions about the viability of this group staying together will swirl.
“Guys are irritated, frustrated, fed up, ready to make a change in terms of not continuously going down this road,” Ham said. “And the overall theme [today] was just our mindset. [We can] belabor the problems and what’s gone on up to this point or shift our focus to, ‘How do we stay alive?'”
A win Saturday would provide life to the season for a few more days, at the very least.
“We’ve played some good basketball against Denver, it’s just that we haven’t been able to pull these out,” Ham said. “So hopefully tomorrow will be different.”
-
![Profile picture of Jamie Sweet]()
Jamie Sweet wrote a new post
1) This going to get worse before it gets better. We lost the series in the first 2 games, have to win 1 in Denver and the “easiest” 2 chances were the first games of the series when we had been in Colorado a couple days before and acclimated to the altitude. Sweeping Denver fro here out? Please.
2) Would you rather get swept and have it end, mercifully, at home? Or do you want to go out listening to Colorado shout “WHO’S YOUR DADDY?!” at a maniacal pitch? My vote is the sweep, nothing to be gained from a moral victory at this point.
3) This Denver team reminds me of the Gasol/ Bryant Lakers when flanked by Lamar, Fish and a defensive ace SF who could score in the clutch. Hard to load up the defense, especially when Kobe was open to passing the ball, and they were a great rebounding team. Remember when Rui was super focused on rebounding? Yeah, me neither. Feels like a lifetime ago.
4) No one is immune, there will be blood. Something will change this summer for sure now. What that looks like is, as of now, a mystery. I’m sure speculation will run rampant. The thing is, it’s not one thing. It’s like 7. I know we’ll hear how injuries affected everything. Tell that to the Knicks, 76ers and Milwaukee. I get it, we’ve been banged up all season. Feel free to attend the Pity Party but we have had AD and LeBron playing in the vast majority of the games. Maybe Vando, if he was scoring like he showed he was capable of doing, could have altered some of this but I’m personally not seeing what more of Vincent or Wood or Cam would have brought to the table. All of them are one-dimensional and not elected at a role like the role players in Denver are. Simple as that. Can’t just blame the coach and ignore the on-court focus of multiple players (LeBron and Rui have gotten back footed so
much in this series they could star in a film produced in the Valley if ya know what I mean) or the GM/owner who focuses far too just h in wattage or voltage and not enough on Ohms or resistance. This team lacks grit and looks to the refs to bail them out far too often.
5) I guess I did have a lot to say. While I’d like to avoid a sweep, the gentleman’s sweep will be far more embarrassing so just as well to get it over with.![Profile Photo]()
liked this
8 Comments-
![Profile picture of DJ2KB24]()
Hey JS or whomever, if LBJ just walks out the door, what is the Least $$ he could take from another Team. I see callers like Miami, Philly perhaps Warriors? NOT SAYING he won’t play for nothing. just if he agreed to take the least he could be paid by NBAPL and NBA. PLMK when you can. : )
-
![Profile picture of Jamie Sweet]()
The vet minimum. Less than $3.5 mil (TBD but it’s projected at $3.33 mil)
-
![Profile picture of DJ2KB24]()
Thanks JS. I thought that, but was not sure. So LBJ can go to win a Chip or stay and make more $$. I remember what Robbie Benson said to his mean coach .”I don’t need your Scholarship. I can go anywhere I want!” It’s funky, but fun movie. Those last lines were classic!
-
![Profile picture of therealhtj]()
He’s shown no willingness and in fact has gone on record as saying he won’t take less than the max. I wouldn’t expect any less of him. But I also wouldn’t expect to be much more than a low-to-mid 40’s wins and early playoff exit team if you’re paying ultra max money for a guy who doesn’t elevate his team any more. He’d need to land somewhere he can be the 2nd or 3rd option if championships were an actual desire.
-
-
-
-
![Profile picture of Buba]()
I am out of words for how disappointed I am right now. I am preparing myself for another long off-season, but something definitely has to change. Also, do we even have a bench?
-
![Profile picture of DJ2KB24]()
Hang in there BB! We really knew all season that we had too many Inconsistent Starters (save LBJ and AD) and Benchers. I did not expect LBJ and AD to be, to a degree, the healthiest and most consistent players. We are wasting LBJ years just like we did with Kobe. I don’t want LBJ to leave, but for him, he’s got the whole basketball world in front of him for perhaps 3 years. He’d be perfect for Miami, Philly, OKC and even Denver.
-
![Profile picture of Buba]()
Thanks for the words of encouragement, DJ.
-
![Profile picture of DJ2KB24]()
: )
-
-
-
-
- Load More Posts
Very nice post, Gerald. Like the embedded audio. I’m surprised you got the read more to work. I’ve had problems with it. Also, don’t know how you created a post without a title, since I’ve tried to make titles required.