(Whew) We made it… The All Star break is upon us and not a moment too soon. This game was cast into immediate “could totally lose” status the moment LBJ was listed as not making the trip and I didn’t mind that at all. Nor did I particularly mind the loss. But when you’re 2 best players are out it shouldn’t come as a surprise that major elements of our game were off. In the end we had a chance to win it (twice) but came up short both times. Seems to be a theme.

1. Big games from expected sources. The three Lakers one would have hoped would step up to fill the void left by Davis, James and Caruso were the ones that did, at least in my book. Huge offensive showings from Schroeder, Kuzma and Harrell kept this game competitive throughout. The trio combined to score 79 points on 34-62 shooting (54.8%), 6-15 from three, 26 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks to 8 turnovers. It might not have been enough to pull out the W but it was a lot of fun watching these guys get a chance to truly shine as brightly as their talent and work can allow them to do when not constrained by a role that better assists the team.
2. Decent games from unexpected sources. Since the role guys were thrust into starring roles that left the scraps for others to fight over. Decent games by Markeiff Morris, KCP and Alfonzo McKinnie were also on the docket which was also fun to watch. In particular I enjoyed McKinnie’s breakout performance as a Laker as I had hope in the off season that he would contribute more than he has been asked to. Morris seems to thrive as a starter and, should we not make a move to replace Gasol with a better player outside the team I would like to see ‘Kieff get some reps as a starter. KCP was perfect from the floor which was nice to see. We’re going to need solid input from both guys if we want to reach the ultimate goal.
3. Biggest positive: no injuries and guys who were injured played. Except for Alex Caruso who was listed as out every player listed as questionable or doubtful played. The last thing we needed was another injury just before the break. Now we can get some guys back on the healthier side of the coin and gear up for the stretch run.
4. Damien Jones might have played his last game for the purple and gold. While it’s safe to say he didn’t get much of an audition it won’t surprise me if the Lakers don’t offer him another 10 day deal. It also won’t surprise me if they do simply because they got such a scant look at what he can bring to this team. While he won’t be asked to do more than provide some spot contributions his athleticism is one of the things this team lacks at the 5 spot.
5. Nice to see Luke. I’m a Luke Walton fan, always have been since he cracked the super team rotation in his rookie year simply because he was a solid passer and made the smart play in front of him. Luke had very kind words for both Kuzma and Caruso I kinda hope the Kings at least qualify for the playin and that he gets a shot at keeping his job. I always hope to see ex-Lakers succeed, except when they play the Lakers, of course.

All in all, this game, like the last few, will not define this team. Anything that happens without LeBron James is relegated to instant footnote status, at best. The same goes for AD on the defensive end. They both are such huge parts of what we do that to measure the success or failure of this team without them is futile. So enjoy the ASB, Lakerholics and we’ll see you on the other side.

As the Lakers limp into the break with concerns on multiple fronts. I wouldn’t read too much into this loss. These teams were both trending in opposite directions: the Suns have been hot and the Lakers, well, not. Once again the three point differential loomed large and further revealed the cracks in the defensive scheme the Lakers have adopted this season, at least for the regular season. The trapping scheme expends tons of energy and as short-handed as we were it’s small surprise the Lakers were spread thin on the perimeter.

1. What more can you ask of LeBron James? Nothing. Not one thing, the King is giving a supreme effort night in and night out. Does he miss a defensive assignment or choose not to contest some drives into the lane? Sure, he’s earned that right, in my opinion. He does so very much to make this team go. The man took the scoring onus on himself last night showing aggression in the paint the likes of which we haven’t often seen this season. His 38 points were accrued quite efficiently (he needed only 24 shots) and he still found time to involve his teammates (many of whom could not throw it in the ocean, more on that later). I welcomed the news James is taking the SacTown game off. Get some extra treatment, spend some time with Bronny post-surgery. Ease into the ASB.
2. The walking wounded. With Kuzma out (heel), AD out (Calf), and Gasol out (H&SP) the Lakers turned to their seemingly ever-thinning bench and started Trezz at the 5. This did not go very well. Maybe he started at the 4, I don’t know and it doesn’t matter. I think Harrell is locked in coming off the bench, he looked a little lost (and certainly wasn’t a great matchup for the Suns Ayton) starting. While that’s not necessarily an opinion with much empirical evidence I have many concerns if we end up going to Harrell as the starting 5. We sorely missed Kuzma on both ends last night so here’s hoping he’s ready for the Kings. We may be without Caruso (neck spasms), as well.
3. KCP and Wes Matthews aka Laurel and Hardy. These guys both look utterly lost on the court. Kentavious has a good game then pulls a full turtle and goes back into his shell. A shell likely constructed entirely of the bricks he has been throwing up from all over the court. Feels like the team is trying to get him going but it is just not happening. I don’t think there’s a player on the team that needs this break more than Caldwell-Pope does. WEs has been a bad all season but less is expected. He and KCP combined to go 1-9 (0-6 from three) for a grand total of 4 whole points. That doesn’t cut it when your role is to provide spacing with your perimeter shooting and defense. These are our three and D guys and they’re getting the D alright, a D minus in shooting. KCP and Wes’s play this season is my biggest reason for hoping the Lakers make a move over the break.
4. Defense not fouling. When you’re giving up the three point game (as we will most nights), allowing the other team to be competitive in the paint (as they have been most nights) and you have a propensity for committing 15+ turnovers per game (as we do most nights) you need to defend without fouling. The Lakers have not been the beneficiaries of many whistles this season (we average 17.7 trips to the stripe/game and allow 17.9, we need to create an advantage there) and it’s made the tough games even harder to win.
5. This isn’t broken. All of the issues our team has can be mended with better health, some improved contributions from guys we all expected to do better (specifically KCP) and a rededication to playing with effort. We may need to make a chance to the starting five, I still would like to see THT start over KCP as an example. Rob has plenty of reasons to measure trades as several Lakers are either under-performing, will be difficult to re-sign this summer and a combo of those players may be enough to land a quality player whom we either retain under contract past the off season or can extend without hard-capping ourselves.

That was a very fun game to watch. Over after the first quarter, some LeBron James “LakerTom style” load management (i.e. resting in the 4th) and solid contributions across the board from pretty much everyone who played. The sweetest part was the revenge, sweet, sweet revenge for the last second loss the Dubs dealt us awhile back.

1. 24. The # of minutes LeBron James was on the basketball court competing. That is a wonderful number to see these days and is a vast improvement over his 40+ mpg we’ve been accustomed to seeing since AD went out. The rest of LeBron’s numbers were, as expected, also pretty good: 19 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists. To top it off, despite not playing in the 4th quarter, The King still led the team in scoring. Nice, tidy game. Fun fact: last night LeBron became the 23rd player in NBA history to appear in at least 1,300 regular-season games. Cool synchronicity, that.
2. Happy birthday Alex Caruso. @acfresh21 turned a big old 27 yesterday and put in a solid all around effort, per usual. Alex is generally a great barometer for this team in that if he scores in double-digits, has some assists and rebounds he’ll generally be among the team leaders in +/- and the team will often times be sporting another ‘W’ for his troubles. Check, check, and check. He also played only 21 minutes producing 13 points, 4 boards and 4 dimes along with his usual stout D.
3. Welcome to the Lakers Damien Jones. DJ hammered home his first points as a Laker on a play we’ve been missing the entire season: a lob from a teammate, in this case Dennis Schroder. Jones was an efficient 3-3 before exiting with what looked like back tightness. Not a great sign and a mildly auspicious way to start off his 10 day contract. Another obstacle being that his deal ends mid ASB, not sure how bright a P&G future DJ has but we’ll see.
4. Lakers still struggling from three. Despite a fast start in which we came out nova hot from deep (6-9 in the first quarter) the Lakers made only 5 more in 22 attempts thereafter. Schroder and the bench were the big culprits in this game, Dennis going 0-3 and the bench going a combined 3-13 (Kuzma and Caruso were the only guys off the pine to can a trey). While this didn’t loom large last night (much like the 20 turnovers were also overcome…) it’s an issue for a team with banner aspirations. One can only hope that when AD gets back we’ll be manufacturing cleaner looks and Davis will help up our makes/game.
5. 2 more to go. The biggest goal, in my opinion, for the next two games? Stay healthy. No more injuries. Health will be the biggest factor in our quest to repeat as NBA champs and we haven’t had the best of luck in that area this season. We may win out, go 1-2 or drop both but if we come out of this home stretch in as good a health as possible and get some guys a little better over the break we’ll be doing pretty well for ourselves. Of course, Injury Watch 2021 centers around AD and his calf/Achilles strain. If he comes back on 3/14, great. If it takes longer, so be it. We need him right for the playoffs.

Tomorrow night should, should mind you be our hardest remaining game of the first half of the regular season. Phoenix is playing great, they’re right on our heels in the standings, are on a 2 game winning streak of their own and are 8-2 in their last 10. With Utah creating some separation in the standings from the rest of the conference it’s imperative that we keep pace with the Clippers and Suns so as to stay a top 4 team. If I was a betting man (not generally speaking…but sometimes!) I’d wager there will be fans in the stands for the playoffs, that the seeding matters in regards to what teams we play and when, and that it would be best to face Utah in the western conference finals, not round 2. 1 game separates us, the Clippers and the Suns. I’d like to stay at #2 (where we currently reside in the standings) and put some pressure on Utah and challenge for #1.

That looked familiar. It was as if, for but a moment, we were back in the playoffs, round 1, and Dame was in a nightmare trapping scenario. Only instead of Rajon Rondo or Danny Green it was Dennis Schroder. Thus endeth the Lakers worst losing streak of the season. We did it wearing a very familiar hat: the one that has a capital D on it.

1. Welcome back Dennis Schroder. We suffered on both ends of the court when Dennis went down. Schroder returned to the Lakers and not a moment too soon. His defense, competitive spirit and moxie were all on full display last night as he was instrumental in bringing flow to our half court offense, relieving some pressure on LeBron, and helping to hound Portland into several miscues during the key stretch in the 3rd when we broke the game open. I’ve been a proponent of handing more of the offense, specifically in the half court when we’re not out on the break, over to Dennis and last night he showed why that makes sense. With the ball in Schroder’s hands it allowed LeBron to either take the spot out on the arc to be a three point safety valve or let Dennis set himself or teammates up for manufactured buckets. Let the point guard do the point guard things, say I. He’ll get better at his forays under the rim a la Steve Nash and he’s no worse from three than anyone else on the team these days (which is to say pretty spotty). But his defensive intensity is a huge cog in the machine that makes this team go and we were the beneficiaries of that last night.
2. Effort cures a lot of issues in sports. Play hard, push the pace, don’t let your foot off the gas. All of those tried and true sport axioms reference effort and we showed a lot more last night than in the 4 previous games. Whether you lose by one at the buzzer or it’s over midway through the 3rd you can hold your head high if you played your hardest and left it all out there on the court. Especially as role player and you don’t play for 30+ mpg. The Lakers showed a lot more hustle on defense and effort in general in the second half and as a result we busted the game wide open. In the first half Dame was splitting double teams with ease, getting into the paint, hitting shots from anywhere he wanted and picking us apart. The second half was an entirely different story. WE trapped Dame, forced others to beat us and won going away. Portland doesn’t have a dynamic inside presence or many guys who create shots by getting into the paint so once we took Lillard away it made Portland’s offense one-dimensional and easy to shut down. A lot of that came from playing with energy.
3. Speaking of energy, more THT. Talen does one thing a lot of other guys don’t: push the pace when he has the ball. Horton-Tucker isn’t content to waltz up the court with the ball, he’ll go one on three or even four, get to the front of the rim and get a shot up. Now, mind you, this is not a career-long method for success in the NBA. THT needs to start to learn 4-5 lessons on both ends (leveling off the ball being numero uno) but I’ll take growing pains from THT just to get his energy on the court. Especially when LeBron sits. WE don’t have nearly the level of defensive experience and playoff/veteran savvy last season’s team had. Not even close. Something that can close the gap is energy. THT and Trezz lead the team in that stat.
4. Speaking of Trezz. Another great game and I’m just about to a place where I think he should start. Anyone who cares to continue to push the theory that he opens the floor or that his positional defense is welcome to expound on your theories but I will politely, but firmly, disagree. Marc just doesn’t have it anymore, I wish he did. I am abig fan of both Gasol brothers, never thought the trade for Pau was as lopsided as most thought and had come around to hoping Marc could carve out a niche on this team. I just don’t see it happening, at least not in the starting line up, Maybe we can get him going against lesser players but in reality I think most second units are built around small ball line ups these days and will just end up running Marc off the floor. If we can’t unlock his passing more than we’ve been able to, if he can’t consistently hit from three when he’s wide open and his impact on the team defense doesn’t improve I don’t see why not starting Trezz doesn’t make more sense. I would say Morris but he’s been pretty terrible on both ends, as well.
5. In closing I want to add this could have easily been our 3rd trap game dropped in a row. We did the job, we didn’t discover a miraculous cure for what ails the team. The warts are still there and plain to see. Three point shooting is an issue, points in the paint against most teams is an issue. Portland is the 2nd worse defense in the NBA, primarily a jump-shooting team and is down more key players than we are. It took a supreme effort in the second half, a playoff level effort, to win the game in the fashion that we did. We lived with the Laker switch through the overtime wins and right into the losing streak we just broke but I don’t think this has shown us anything we didn’t already know. If anything it reaffirms my belief that the type of defense the Lakers seem to want play isn’t really maintainable throughout the regular season, especially one as compressed as this one is. 5 back-to-backs and a lot of travel to the east coast. That is going to sap our strength, tax our endurance and test our resolve. 35 games to play between March 12th and May 16th. The effort and energy we need to play with is going to be harder and harder to come by as the regular season winds along. We need AD back, but we need him back right so when he gets re-evaluated in a couple weeks we have to hope there is nothing but good news from the MRI, from the way his leg responds and how he looks on the court. In my opinion he needs to be as solid as he was in last season’s playoffs for us to have a chance. Maybe even a little bit better, if I’m being honest. We need a lot more from guys like KCP (banged up again last night as he left the game with that hip pointer he took and didn’t return), Markieff Morris (that three point shot must still be in Orlando in the Bubble…) and OG Lakers Alex Caruso and Kyle Kuzma. We need those guys to be more consistent scoring threats, on this team for us to win a 7 game series we need people to perform outside of their roles more. LeBron cannot do it all on his own. We won’t have playoff Rondo. Someone else has to fill the void. Any takers?

Don’t worry, Laker faithful, it’s not all doom and gloom. We’ll see what the ASB does for us, I think we’ll go 2-1 to close out the first half of the schedule and if everything breaks as well as it can we’ll have AD back sometime between the end of March, mid-April at the worst if he has to stay off the court until he clears the docs. At worst well play a half dozen or so games post ASB without AD, at best maybe just one or two. We can withstand that if it means getting him back close to 100%.

That was a hard game to watch. That might have been the worst energy/pride effort of the season. Even without AD and Schroder you need to put the work in, you need to compete and you need to leave your ‘quit’ in the locker room. You need to bring the energy.

1. The biggest difference between this season and last? Health. We had great luck with health last season, I think AD and James missed fewer than 15 games in total, granted the season was 11 game shorter. This season we’ve had key players out (AD, Schroder, and AC) for extended periods, KCP has been banged up and the compressed nature of the schedule doesn’t do our team any favors with the short turnaround. We can point to a lot of isolated issues on the basketball court but, in my opinion, health hasn’t been on our side as much as last season. SO, to that point, the health of AD is paramour. If he’s limited, or worse can’t go, in the playoffs the odds of repeating dim considerably.
2. How do we open up the floor with out our best shooter? It’s become plain to see that this offense doesn’t function for extended stretches without Davis as a release valve. He’s our best perimeter shooter, our best finisher and his impact on the defense is sorely missed, as well, which helps trigger our fast break. Without Davis the Lakers are finding the easy points that were a large part of success last season and earlier in this one very hard to come by indeed. The obvious answer is “someone has to hit some outside shots and it can’t all be on ‘Bron”. But, once again, we struggled to hit from deep. KCP continued his up and down season by going 0-4 from deep, the bench was 3-13 (but the regulars off the pine were 2-10) and Morris went 0-1 but had a decent game in other areas. If the answer doesn’t lie within we’re going to have to make a move, which feels more likely by the day.
3. Talen is a bright spot, or at least as bright a spot as could be found in this game. I loved seeing THT in the starting line up. KCP and Wes don’t work, one would imagine it would be better than it’s shown itself to be but we end up starting slow because teams key in on LeBron. When his shooters aren’t knocking down their shots nothing works for the Lakers on offense, doesn’t really matter who is on the floor. But THT was both decent from three (2-5) and had a solid all-around game. Might have pressed a bit in committing those 3 turnovers and could have shot better (I want him to learn to turn that step back 21 footer into a step back three and live with it and Rudy forces everyone to miss shots, that’s what an elite defensive center with athleticism can do for a defense) but those are the things that happen against elite defenses like Utah. There really isn’t much more that could be asked of from THT in what is, for all intents and purposes, his rookie season as an every game NBA player. If Schroder can’t go in any games going forward I hope it’s THT who gets the call to replace him, it’s the smart move.
4. One of Kuzma and Morris needs to be better off the bench. When Kyle starts, he has a good game. Frank has him come off the bench, not so good. Morris got benched for a spell when we were rolling and his return has coincided with some of our worst basketball of the season. However, ‘Kieff had a pretty solid game last night, especially on the offensive glass. The Lakers can’t have only one of those guys show up every night, we need them both. Trezz plays great off the bench, we need that energy boost off the bench and I don’t think we’d get much more out of him if he started so I liked the notion of getting Morris going by starting him. I just would have rather seen KCP go to the pine and not Kuzma who is, in every measurable way, having a better season than Caldwell-Pope is. So if KCP is entrenched in the starting unit, like it feels like he is, than one of Morris and Kuzma needs to figure out how to better contribute off the bench.
5. The dudes on the Lakers Fast Break podcast gave Quinn Cook a shout out and I wanted to echo that. Cook did all we asked of him, mainly cheer teammates and play spot minutes off the bench. I don’t expect he’ll find his way back to us this time but I also won’t be surprised if he ends up on a contender. Guys like him, solid locker room dudes who know how to be a pro when your number doesn’t get called most nights, are invaluable. But his NGC made him expendable and J-Dud fills that role on our team, as well. SO best of luck Quinn, see you on down the line.

The Jazz look a lot like we did last season. Guys making the smart extra pass, finding the open man, movement on offense. A defensive anchor in the post who sets hard screens, finishes well and defends at an elite level around the rim and in the paint. Reminds me of someone… Someone who was on our team last season… Someone who wasn’t stretch five… Anyhow, we’re not that team this season and nor are we likely to be. The Jazz beat us in every category last night but the way they play off one another is why I consider them to be the biggest threat to us in the west. Seeding might not matter in terms of home court but it certainly matters in terms of whom you play and when. We’re setting ourselves up for a tougher playoff run than need be. Here’s hoping we can right the ship and get this turned back in the correct direction: up the standings.

This train is now headed in the completely wrong direction. First off, I want to give credit to the players who are clearly trying. I thought the overall effort was good. The Lakers are obviously missing Schroder and Davis and, as such, will struggle to manufacture easy looks. Especially when LeBron runs out of juice in, yet another, overtime game. LeBron needs to stay hydrated, get his fruit juice in, keep his system happy.

1. The points in the paint defense is a huge problem. While Marc Gasol is certainly a part of this problem it also does not end there. The Lakers made a choice in the offseason, one I have never fully gotten behind for reasons that become more obvious as the season winds along. We pretty much completely ditched the formula for regular season success on defense we used to earn the best record in the Western conference and went with what worked for 2 and half playoff series in the Bubble. We moved away from a drop coverage defense to a more energetic, thus tiring, man defense. We either chose not to retain or let slip away stellar on-ball defender Avery Bradley (who has subsequently been dealing with a balky leg so call that one even), Dwight Howard (who is essentially reprising his role from last season with Philly) and JaVale McGee (same in Cleveland). Instead we signed energy and more prolific scorers in Schroder and Harrell. We also ended up with Marc Gasol as our 7 foot consultation prize. I would have preferred to sign Howard over Gasol, I said it early, I’ve said it since and I’m going to keep right on saying it. The fact of the matter is what works in the regular season doesn’t always work in the playoffs. The same is true for what works in the playoffs not necessarily being the best recipe for success in the regular season. Especially one as compacted as this one is. The energy this defense requires is not doing LeBron any favors. Furthermore, with Markieff struggling to make an impact on any end of the basketball court consistently the linchpin of that defense usually sits when we need it (and him) the most. Finally, without AD that scheme is borderline unworkable with the players left on the roster. By going all in one type of defense we have left ourselves exposed to injuries, fatigue and reliant on personnel incapable of sustaining that level of defensive intensity for 72 games. Will it work in the playoffs? Maybe, depends on health and chemistry. Two fragile things in professional sport.
2. Free throws and the myriad of issues we always seem to have from the stripe. Should the Lakers, especially the one with ‘James’ on the back of his jersey be shooting more free throws? Absolutely, yes. But we also have to make the ones we get , which we are not doing. We’re 24th in the Association in terms of team free throw percentage. We’re not the dominant paint scoring juggernaut we were last season, punishing teams with lobs, rebounds and put back dunks. We’re still a pretty good rebounding team but the guys finishing those rebounds aren’t getting up for dunks, they’re shooting contested layups, floaters and shots that are more skilled and thus unreliable. So, all of that being true, we need to be better as a team from the free throw line. Without AD our margin for error, even against teams we think should be easy, is very slim indeed (pro tip: it’s the NBA, no team is a pushover, these are pros who play with pride, they’re pretty good at basketball, they deserve focus, attention and respect).
3. We’re playing the modern way, why do we keep losing? In the last few games we’ve upped our three point field goal attempts considerably, shot 44 and made 15 for a decent 34.1% last night, for instance. But, because we sieve points in the paint, we need to hit even more threes than it would seem this team is capable of. James and his tired legs are the biggest culprit here, he went 2-10 from deep and has been cool from deep for awhile now. Kuzma did his job (4-11) and every starter made at least one except Wes Matthews (0-3). I honestly don’t know what we can do to fix this outside of making a trade. The guys off the bench aren’t really considered knock down threats from three, they’re playing the right way and taking the open shot in the last 2 games and you can’t ask for more than that. Morris has fallen off considerably from distance and is approaching his career low in terms of % (currently at .309% for a career .343% shooter), Wes is down and shooting one of the worst %’s of his career, save for the season he only played 2 games due to the Achilles injury. Both those guys are being relied on to help open up the floor with the threat of the three ball. Hard to do when there isn’t really a threat worth worrying about. Caruso, while still sporting a healthy looking % has fallen off of late and KCP has been so up and down his season looks like an ugly NBA yo-yo. If we do make a move it really ought to be to bolster our paint D and improve our three point shooting. Bonus fault to our coaches for not creating an offense that generates smart looks, another culprit in a season-long problem.
4. More THT. In 16 minutes THT was 3-4, 1-1 from three with a steal and 2 blocks. His 2 turnovers and 4 fouls are likely why he didn’t play more but at this point what do we have to lose? We’re already on severe losing streak, Wes and KCP are no-shows half the time and THT plays well with both AC and Schroder. He needs to be promoted and it can’t happen soon enough. We’re getting almost nothing from our off gourd on a nightly basis. KCP had a solid game last night, so maybe…hopefully…fingers crossed…he’s moved past his annual slow start or his ankle has turned a corner or whatever the case may be. We need a lot more from our starting 2 than we’ve gotten for a good chunk of the season. If not THT (which I get, lotta growing pains there) I say we go with LakerTom’s suggestion of starting Kuzma. While it weakens the bench it gives us our best five players on the floor (when healthy) to start the games. Kyle can hang with quicker dudes and brings a balanced skill set. Gotta try something, though. This ain’t working and I’m not sure it’ll get all that much better when Dennis comes back.
5. Lakers making a move? We’re currently 3rd in the WC sitting a game up on Phoenix who has countered our 3 game losing streak with a three game wining streak. Assuming we don’t find a miracle cure to what ails this team (mainly missing two key cogs) against Utah we’ll be on a 4 game losing streak when Phoenix gets the Bulls. By the time we get Schroder back, assuming we get him back by Friday for Portland, we could be sitting in 4th place with Phoenix and possibly the Trailblazers just a game behind as well, depending on how their week goes (they have it a bit harder than Phoenix does, they face the Nuggets tonight). So, while Kuzma may have a point in the notion that seeding doesn’t matter, confidence and chemistry does. There are plenty of guys on this squad that didn’t win a ring last season and the boost from that has surely worn off this squad. This is the grind, the dog days of the regular season where trade tumors, the threat of being waived, the All Star break within sight but just out of reach all pile on to weigh you down. It shows on this Laker team. We don’t want to limp into the playoffs as the 6 or 7 seed, we certainly don’t want to have to play our way in (unlikely but depending on how long AD actually sits or effective he’ll be when he returns it’s viable outcome at this point). So we need to start by finding our energy and focus as a team and beating Utah and finish that up with another win on Friday when we (hopefully) welcome Schroder back. Winning will do wonders to clear the stank surrounding the Lakers right now. Then we need to get into the break and take mental vacation from the grind before we close out the regular season.

A lot of this will be resolved if we get Anthony Davis back solid and healthy. Some of it will improve just by getting Dennis Schroder back, as well. I’m not sure what moves Rob is planning but you can bet he’s seeing what we’re seeing and more. The one thing I know to be true is this: when we’re healthy I take the Lakers in a 7 game series over anyone in the NBA. It’s just that “healthy” caveat that is worrisome…

Go Lakers.

That series was over even before it started. Losing Jalen Brown was the end of their run.

The Lakers are hurting these days. AD is sidelined, KCP hasn’t looked right in weeks, Schroder is out for a few… That leaves The King and his Court of role players. His shoulders are indeed broad, his endurance truly mighty but he be only one man. So, in a not surprising turn, the Lakers lost to Brooklyn last night. But this game mattered more to the NBA hype machine than it did for the identity the Lakers are striving to create as a team. So, in short…

1. Anthony Davis update: AD will be out 4 weeks, minimum. That’s a huge hit to the Lakers. Davis has gravity on both ends of the court as an ALL NBA defender, major offensive talent and a player possessed of elite skills. There is simply no replacing what AD brings without shipping out major talent and even then the return on that investment is likely to pale in comparison to what a healthy AD means to the Lakers. Health is the biggest obstacle that the Lakers will face, when healthy our talent, skill and focus is enough to go head-to-head with any other team in the Association. Getting AD right needs to be priority #1 for the franchise and it sounds like they’re taking a conservative approach. Here’s hoping they get it right.
2. Schroder out due to Health and Safety protocols. The Lakers are one of handful of teams that have not missed games due to COVID-related issues. With Dennis we have a total of three players that have had to go through the NBA H&SP process and for the Lakers this couldn’t have come at a worse time. We really could have used Dennis to match up better with Kyrie and to put more pressure on the defense against Brooklyn. Unfortunately he wasn’t cleared to go and that job was left to guys more suited to fill a role than fill the stat box. Hopefully it’ll be a quick turnaround and we’ll get him back by the end of the weekend.
3. Kuzma stepping up on a nightly basis in different ways. Kyle is the official Swiss Army Knife for the Lakers. He defends, he scores, he rebounds, spaces the floor and is doing all of that without forcing the issue of his own personal offense. I truly can’t say enough about haw far Kuz has come this season. Last night he was the 2nd best player on the floor after The King. He and Marc Gasol were the only Lakers to hit multiple three pointers and Kuzma led the team in rebounds. Loving everything about Kyle’s game these days.
4. The bench did not step up last night. With so many key guys out the old adage ‘next man up’ comes into play. Unfortunately nobody on the Laker bench got the message. They all basically played to form: Trezz doing his damage in the paint, Caruso playing gritty, THT driving to the rim, ‘Kieff missing open three pointers, but with Schroder and Davis out we need more from all of those guys. Not-a-one could muster an average (to say nothing of an above average) game to support LeBron. The normal bench rotation couldn’t hit from deep (Morris, Caruso, THT went a combined 0-5). The more heralded Laker bench was outscored 35-28 (but that’s not an accurate picture of how dominant the Brooklyn bench was, our key off-the-pine guys only contributed 19 points, Quinn Cook and Alfonzo McKinnie tossed in 10 in garbage time). When guys go down we need more from the guys who are trying to push through to another level in the NBA.
5. LeBron “I just want my damn respect” James. How LeBron only went to the line 6 times is something mildly astounding to me. The fact that the Lakers only shot 14 free throws to Brooklyn’s 24 was another sore spot in a game full of them. Trezz? 0 FTA, mainly plays in the paint and takes hits on his put backs. Should have had, by my count, two ‘and-1s’ and a straight trip but got nothing. Also got called for a foul on one of the cleanest blocks I’ve ever seen. Kuzma? 0 FTA and in a game where he had 5 offensive rebounds, hard to see how he didn’t garner at least one trip to the line. LeBron being LeBron was “rewarded” for his hard play and tenacity with a meager 6 trips to the stripe. The Lakers are not a whiny organization like Dallas or other NBA franchises that repeatedly and publicly gripe about free throw disparity. Maybe it’s time that changes.

Bonus point: who the &$%# is going to step up at the 2?! Last night our 4 guards not named Quinn Cook or Alfonzo McKinnie contributed a grand total of 22 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists (thanks mainly to AC and THT), 3 steals, and 1 block to 7 turnovers and 8 personal fouls. That’s a meager 5.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.5 dimes per player. Both KCP and Wes Matthews turned in total dud performances. AC needs to find a little more aggression on offense. THT needs to find that slower gear again where he lets the game come to him but credit the kid for balling hard all night. Depending on how long Schroder is out we’re going to need a lot more from the main rotation guards. I’m looking at you Kentavious, Wes, Alex and Talen.

You know the drill, you make the fold over desk holder for all the Valentines you’re going to get in school, take home far too many chalky ‘Be Mine’ candies that end up in all nooks and crannies of the house and the folks spend all night getting yours ready for you to give out. Here are my Laker Valentines.

1. LeBron James “Love U”. What isn’t to love about the season The King is turning in? It defies logic, it defies modern sport science and there’s no sign of it stopping any time soon. While he may not lead the league in any single category, win MVP or receive the accolades from pundits he ought to it doesn’t matter to me to me. James is having one of the best season’s for a sporting figure his age in any sport. Except, maybe, golf.
2. Anthony Davis “U R Special”. Anthony Davis has been the first one to critique his play on both ends of the court. That’s what you want to hear from your superstars. Nobody likes to see the highest paid, most-talented, up-and-coming best player in the league whining about the coach or his teammates. AD does not disappoint on most nights, especially when he’s healthy. Like LBJ he may not win the gaudy end of season awards that make the cover of magazines or inspire Zach Lowe to write nice things about you on ESPN+ but if he’s holding another Larry-O in June I don’t think he’ll care.
3. Alex Caruso “U Rule”. There are few players that impact a basketball without scoring the way Alex does. It’s why he’s my favorite player these days. If there’s a role player that defines the Laker team values at this point in the franchises history it really is The Carushow. His defense helped win a banner, and could do so again. He started hot from 3, came back to Earth, and promptly didn’t let that effect his game in any way.
4. Kyle Kuzma “Be Mine”. Everyone is starting to take notice we have been talking about here pretty much all season long: Kuzma has found a peace on the court that he didn’t have in past seasons. Whether it’s extreme focus on rebounding at an elite level, playing within the offense or continuing to improve his overall team game Kuzma is having his best season of professional basketball.
5. Frank Vogel “U R Awesome”. Someone who gets far too little credit for the success the Lakers are enjoying is coach Vogel. The Coaching Carousel we were forced to ride since Phil retired has come to a stop. That it would ever have landed where it did was so far beyond anyone’s wildest guess that I ever read or heard is kind of on par for this version of the Lakers. Thanks Frank, your hard work does not go unnoticed.

Looking to continue the win streak tonight but it’s bound to be a tough one. Denver is still looking for some playoff payback and is likely to come out gunning. If we can stick to our defense, maybe hit a few more three pointers than we have of late and weather the opening salvo I still like our chances. Of course that’s true most nights. Go Lakers.