5 THINGS

I love me a good gamble. In the casino craps is my game but I’m also a fan of Hold ‘Em poker and blackjack or roulette with pals. I also love when a coaches gambit pays off big like Darvin ham’s did last night. In what was the not so surprising move of the century Coach ham inserted (finally) Austin Reaves into the starting 5. The ensuing win cannot be attributed to that move alone but it was sensible move that was a long time coming.

1. Austin “Ace in the Hole” Reaves has arrived. This has been the sophomore season the Lakers desperately needed from the undrafted (although that was planned as much as anything) rookie. All his numbers are up across the board: +5 ppg, +6.1 FG%, +6.6 3P%, +3.1 FTA/game (and even that barely reflects the current stretch of excellence at getting to the line) coupled with a +.019 improvement in accuracy, and +5 ppg overall. His defense, with the increased minutes and workload, is still solid albeit not improving statistically. The kid they call the Hillbilly Kobe (which I both love and hate) is here, he’s going to get paid, and fans will revolt if it’s not the Lakers who make it happen.
2. One reason Monty glossed over regarding the free-throw disparity. Yes, the Lakers shot a grip more free throws than the Suns did. Yes, the game was played on our home court…where teams generally enjoy a slight advantage at the line. Agreed…the officiating this season has been wildly varied from game-to-game. An yet… Something that nobody on Phoenix seemed to mention was the vast disparity in three point field goal attempts. 31-17, advantage Suns. The two Lakers who shot the most free throws shot a combined 1-1 from beyond the arc. All of AD’s FGA’s came from inside the stripe and of his 18 total attempts only 5 came from outside the paint. Reaves was even more determined to get to the paint, only two of his total FGA’s were from outside the restricted area and one of those was his lone take and make from three. Should the whistle have been blown more for maybe CP3 or Cam-Payne? Not really, the Lakers paint defense was pretty solid with verticality and CP3 uses his off hand a lot which generally results in a non-call for both himself and his defender. Most of the bench guys are the over-valued “three and D” prototype of which few players a re truly suited for. First it requires that you consistently play above average defense, second that you are an incredible three point marksman. All in all, the Suns fought their way into 20 more FGA’s than did the Lakers, they just couldn’t capitalize on that advantage enough.
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   …Ok they also did get +11 more fouls called on them, as well.
3. Vanderbilt brought his lunch pail last night. I love the hard working cats in the Association, Vanderbilt, Gabriel and, yes, Austin Reaves. Guys who didn’t come in with lofty projections or hype but definitely have the right attitude concerning the work needed to succeed and level up. I love this guy and I hope he plays his way into a big deal next summer after we choose to keep him. 5-5 from the field, solid defense whenever he was on the floor, and doing all the little things a team needs to win. JV should be extended at our earliest convenience next year.
4. D’Angelo looking smooth. If I had to choose between Irving and Russell I will choose the latter simply because he’s, astoundingly, more drama free and more available. The Lakers don’t need more drama to throw in the fire, we’re already Dallas in an NBA jersey as it is. To see where D-Lo has come since his choice to post Swaggy “Nick Young” P. venting about life to now is a lesson in growing up under a microscope. Russell is always cheering his teammates on, brings the guys together when needed, is in the young guys’ ears and is playing in control within the system. He’s had games where he missed his shots, which happens, but he hasn’t strayed from what we’re doing and he’s fitting in as well as could be hoped or expected. Maybe even better. So, while Irving will be the diamond of free agency it’s a glitter that comes with too much blood and pain. Better to go with the ice in D-Lo’s veins.
5. The two versions of AD. In the last game, which I watched via the Spectrum app from the East Coast, Stu Lantz was imploring AD to be more decisive as soon as he’d get the ball. To not let it stick, not let the defense get set, to not let them send the second defender and then make a move (usually a pass at that point). In the 3rd quarter we saw how effective the version of AD that does engage more quickly can be. When he’s playing against the set defense his job is vastly more difficult than when he gets the ball and makes his move. It generally means he’s going up against a single defender, that second one may be coming but is not yet in position which opens up passes to cutters or shooters, and that the rest of his team can make use of off-ball screens and switches. It just makes our entire offense better. But when he gets all philosophical and pauses for a few seconds to consider the moral and spiritual implications of driving to the hole he looks up to find the task a Sisyphusian one in nature. Avoid the boulder and get going downhill.

We are still as likely to be bounced out of the playin as not so the only thing for it is to win and win often. No new heroes, play smart, don’t expect the whistle to keep blowing and go hard.

It didn’t used to be like this. The .500 mark, at least for this season, has become the barometer for success. Astounding considering the legacy and history the Lakers have, that LeBron and AD are on the team, and that a lot of the key players in the rotation are still here after the trade deadline. We can go back and forth about what could have been if we had made a move this summer but I don’t think a better move existed. Would the Turner/Heild deal have been better overall for the Lakers than the moves we made? Maybe? At least we would have had more time to incorporate them into our offensive and defensive schemes. Still, in my opinion, I like the larger package of players acquired both for flexibility and overall fit. A such, we lost yesterday and went back to two games under the ever elusive .500 mark.

1. The little things can add up to big issues. Even with all our new guys the Lakers really can’t afford to let the minor details slip from their focus. This was a pretty evenly played game that essentially came down which team made more free throws. That would be the Knicks who beat us in all the hustle and energy stats: both kinds of rebounds, points in the paint, steals, blocks, made and taken free throws and points off of turnovers. Everyone loves to hit that crowd pumping three ball, especially in semi transition before the defense gets set. You can’t let those big, happy-fun-time moments eclipse your attention to detail and doing the basics of the job: rebound, defend, get back in transition and make your free throws.
2. Malik continues to grind. The calls for Reaves to start will continue to grow so long as the Malik Beasley three point shot is as ineffective as it’s been. There’s nothing about Malik that will change the defensive game plan when it comes to the Lakers, especially with LeBron out. Junk the paint, throw a defender or three at AD, and let the rest of the Lakers try and beat you is the recipe that is both tried and true. The hope and theory was an elite three point shooter could alleviate that issue by keeping at least one defender honest. That’s kind of working in that there is a guy who is a step or two off of Malik at all times. I think part of the issue is our sets are pretty stationary for this to really work. If Malik camps out in a spot and doesn’t move from point to point B with the aid of screens he’s fairly easy to defend . Get him in motion and you might start to see a seam or two open up. Of course, once LeBron is back, the same will apply. Junk the paint, keep a guy a step or two off the weak-side shooter, let the superstars fight through the defense all game long. Nothing Malik is doing right now will change that.
3. The learning curve. This was always going to be how it went down. Few head coaches come on like Phil Jackson (55-27, lost in the conf. finals, went on to 3-peat in Chicago after that). Coach Ham was going to go through a learning curve on live TV in an arena filled with thousands for the entire season. That doesn’t really bother me. What does are the statements where he insists he not only did the right thing but that, given the chance, he’d do it the exact same way. While a good chunk of those answers may be just to get through a media session there is also something to be said about allowing the learning process to humble yourself. perhaps that will come more in the summer when the grind isn’t ever-present. I think that Ham, like Vogel before him, has a lot of solid coaching potential and that, for the most part, the coach gets the blame when the issue is really that LeBron and AD have been in and out of the line up all season long, he was handed an ill-fitting roster and did the absolute best anyone could ask for, has to incorporate about half of a new team into the fold on the fly while battling for a playin or playoff spot, and all while LeBron may or may not be back at all this season. There’s an awful lot to like about both Ham’s approach and demeanor and we should all have expected some kind of learning curve. Stubbornness can be a boon and a bust, just ask Russ.
4. AD takes the blame. I have to agree with Schroder: one person does not win or lose a basketball game. It’s culmination of events and moments that allow for the last minute or so to be micro-analyzed. If we had made more shots, gotten more rebounds, or any one of 4 Lakers who missed free throws made the one they missed this story turns out differently. Sometimes I think AD’s heart is in the right place in that he believes he is and should be an alpha-level player but that his default mentality just isn’t quite up to the task. This stretch is a good barometer for the Lakers: what can AD do with this group sans LeBron? So far it’s been to mostly beat teams with keys players missing with some real solid showings against a mostly healthy Golden State (no Wiggins but a returned Curry), a totally healthy Dallas (still the win of the season, IMO) and a solid win over Toronto when it looked like we had kind of decided we weren’t going to win. AD taking the blame would feel better if I though he approached the game with a “I shall kill them…I SHALL KILL THEM ALLLLLLLL!!!!!” mentality. But I don’t think he does. he’s too nice, too laid back and so on. Like Gasol he needs that guy who does have the extra gear almost on command. With no LeBron, however, we just have to hope AD can come up to something like that kind of level of domination. Force the offense to run through you, don’t let it.
5. Time is running out and many factors are aligned against us. 14 games, out of the playin, nobody wants to do us a favor and we don’t hold many tie-breakers. Not a recipe for an easy journey to the post season. There is hope, though. I don’t think Malik can shoot much worse than this, Vanderbilt had a “bad” game by his standards and DLo went cold at the wrong time. We have enough to push through talent-wise. This group just has to want it more than they show some nights. The little things add up, the journey will be tough and all the more rewarding should we come out of it with a deep playoff run, and if we can finally reach, dare I say pass, .500 we can hang with a lot of the western conference teams in a 7 game series with half a LeBron or so. I may not pick us to win it all that way but if we get more than half a LeBron and AD can keep rounding back into form while the new guys coalesce we have as good shot as a lot of teams do. There are so many “ifs” that need to start breaking our way, though.

Big back-to-back coming up with the biggest question being will AD play in both? If not and we lose one (or both) all the hope and optimism will deflate out of the balloon and fast. Win out, get to .500 and come back home for a decent stretch of games and…you never know. Go Lakers.

Last night two important things happened: the Lakers honored an all-time great human being in Pau Gasol and the current iteration of the team won a key game. The win, coupled with some key losses, moved the Lakers into the playin round at 9th place. While nobody associated with the Lakers should be satisfied with where we’re at it’s still a benchmark we needed to reach in order to have a shot at the playoffs.

1. AD in full on beast mode. The fragility of Davis, his willingness to play through injury, and his general ability to be available has been questioned to no end mainly because he’s often injured, unavailable to play, and that happens a lot. Last night I honestly wondered if he would play after taking that elbow to the nose. I hoped it wasn’t serious but also thought the Lakers might exercise caution and maybe get him X-rays before sending him back out. Whether any of that happened or not is moot because AD came back out before the half. It was a good thing he did because Davis powered the Lakers to this win by gobbling up rebounds and scoring inside. This is the player we need for a few months to have any chance at all of making serious noise this season.
2. Coaches can’t seem to get Malik on track. I want this guy to succeed as much as any Laker. The team option this summer is going to be a massive quandary for an organization that will also potentially have to pay Reaves, Walker IV, Hachimura, and D’Angelo Russell. $16.5 mil is a lot for a streak shooter who doesn’t also defend or create or score from more than one area of the floor. Some of it is in Malik to make his shots but it also comes down to creating a scheme he can succeed in. Currently that scheme is someone drives and kicks it out to Malik whose defender they hope sagged off. Coach Ham should breakdown some of Golden States sets that free up Steph and try to incorporate some screeners to free up Beasley because we will need him to succeed at some point. I’m sure for his financial reasons he’d like to succeed, too.
3. Reaves gonna get paid. Austin has played his way into an $8-10 million deal with the only question being from whom. He’s shown he can be a de facto point guard this season, can get his shot from inside and out, and is a decent enough defender when paired with Davis and a ball hawk defender in the back court. He has been crucial in all our wins since LeBron went out and we often lose when he has a bad game. Reaves is at the top of my “gotta keep” list and I would let Malik and Mo walk to retain his services. His last test, executing at a high level in the playoffs, could be looming and if he passes that he could start to creep up towards a $15+ million contract this summer. Love to see these kind of guys succeed, hope the Lakers don’t cheap out again when it comes time to pay the piper.
4. Hachimura’s midrange Magic. Personally I love Rui’s game. I could stand to see him get after it better on the glass and on D but he’s still young and who knows what could happen if we had a whole summer and camp to develop and better utilize his skill set. Rui and Reaves were both huge in last night’s win making shots and rising to the challenge.
5. Viva Gasol. I’ve always been a huge Gasol fan, even on Memphis. I’ll never forget the moment Insaw we had traded for him: The pizza lounge at Harvey’s hotel and casino in Lake Tahoe (Nevada side obvi) moments after attending a Phish concert. It was also a great concert but that moment made me believe that the Lakers would a) keep Kobe in the fold b) were actually serious about winning c) would contend that season. While he didn’t threepeat due to Boston being ready for NBA Finals intensity he did help lead us to back-to-back titles and got his revenge 2 seasons later. I was never for one second in favor of the trade for CP3 that was revoked by Stern. You don’t trade big for small especially when the bugs are elite passers and can score from anywhere. Pau ended up adding the three point shot to his arsenal and having a lengthy post Laker career. I’ll always think the Lakers did wrong by he and LO but it’s all water under the bridge now. The Lakers did right by Pau last night and he didn’t disappoint with what was both an emotional and inspiring speech.
   

Toronto coming up Friday. We are, in some small way, now in control of our destiny. Win and you hold position and hopefully move up. Lose and you go back to relying on someone else to help you by beating a key opponent. I like being in control so let’s see if the Lakers can win a few games in a row.