Contract Status: under contract
After a disappointing first season with the Lakers, including an ill-advised snowboarding injury, Radmanovic finally showed glimpses of why the Lakers signed him to a five-year deal prior to the 2006-2007 season. Vladimir averaged over eight points per game to go along with four rebounds, while shooting an impressive 41% from behind the three point line. As the team’s starter at small forward, the 6’10” Radmanovic provided much-needed spacing in the first half of the season with the Lakers’ new inside-out game courtesy of Bynum. While Vladi’s consistency wavered a bit in the final months of the season and especially during the playoffs, his sophomore campaign was dramatically better than his first with the team.
With Bynum returning next season, shifting Gasol to power forward and Odom to small forward, Radmanovic’s days as a starter for the Lakes are over, at least for the time being. However, that might prove to not be such a bad thing for the forward as he has struggled to meet the expectations of fans and coaches in his first two seasons in L.A. While there isn’t much concern over his outside shooting, Vladi needs to improve on the defensive end if he hopes to see anywhere near the minutes he saw as this season’s primary starter at the three spot.
After a forgettable first season with the Lakers two years ago in which he was immobilized due to a snowboarding injury, Vladimir Radmanovic said in his exit interview that he thinks this season brought an increased comfort level with his offensive game and so to, his new city. Ramdanovic said he had a “good season, but as a basketball player, you’re never really satisfied with what you do.”
Going into this season, Vladi said he felt the need to prove himself somewhat after drawing criticism for his ill-advised snowboarding mishap in 2006-07–a goal he feels he accomplished.
Entering next season, the sharpshooter said that paying attention to the details will be critical in the Lakers’ attempt to duplicate their NBA Finals appearance. According to Radmanovic, simple mistakes such as turnovers often mean the difference between winning an NBA title and coming up two wins short. For his part, Vladi said that he plans on working on his consistency in 2008-09–a feat he said will be made easier by the triangle offense.
What Went Right:
• Kobe had his best shooting night of the series so far, making 12-20 shots en route to a game-high 36 points. Moreover, the MVP came through when it mattered most, making critical buckets in the final three minutes of the game to seal the victory for the Lakers.
• While Bryant’s effort was important, Boston Coach Doc Rivers said that Sasha’s 20 point outburst was the key to the game. Vujacic was similarly clutch too, making the biggest three pointer of his life with just under two minutes to go to create some distance from the Celtics.
• The Lakers played stellar defense on Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, holding the star duo to a combined 8-35 shooting and 19 points. After the game, Coach Jackson singled out Kobe for his defense on Pierce in particular, holding the forward to a series low six points.
• After dishing out 16 assists in Game 2, Rajon Rondo suffered an injured ankle that is threatening his status for tonight’s Game 4. In Game 3, the young Celtics guard only scored eight points to go along with four assists and wasn’t much of a factor on offense.
Continue reading ‘The Finals Game 3: What Went Right/Wrong’
In wake of new allegations from former referee Tim Donaghy that state that NBA playoff series were affected by NBA referees per the direction of league officials–including the 2002 Lakers vs. Kings series that went seven games–Coach Phil Jackson said that he has long felt that the NBA and referees should operate as separate organizations. According to Jackson, NBA coaches are simply seeking balance from referees when making calls.
Jackson also addressed Kobe’s vocal leadership style in the team’s Game 1 and 2 losses in Boston. After Boston pitcher Kurt Schilling–seated courtside for Sunday’s game–publicly condemned Bryant in his blog for yelling at his teammates–the Lakers coach said that he is perfectly content with Kobe’s tactics, even going so far as to say that sometimes, players like Vladimir Radmanovic need an extra boost to kick them into gear on the floor. In Jackson’s opinion, Schilling and others shouldn’t be allowed to sit so close to NBA benches, but the coach knows that the NBA will never take away those seats from the general public.
After struggling through the first two games against the Celtics, Jackson also said that he offered his support to Lamar Odom along with some video to try and help jumpstart his game. For the Lakers to be effective, Jackson said that they need Lamar to reassume his status as a triple-double threat.
What Went Right:
• Kobe led the team in scoring once again with 30, including a stretch in the fourth quarter in which he connected on four consecutive three pointers to nearly put the Lakers back in contention in a game that was quickly becoming a rout at the hands of the Spurs.
• Jordan Farmar continued his Western Conference Finals resurgence with another double-digit effort, this time scoring 10 points to lead all Lakers reserves, including 2-3 from beyond the arc.
• The Lakers showed they can handle the Spurs on the boards once again, beating the San Antonio in the rebounding department by three, 42-39, including an 8-3 edge in offensive rebounds.
• Vladimir Radmanovic played a solid all-around game, contributing nine points and nine rebounds. Moreover, the forward showed an increased willingness to drive his way to the hoop instead of simply relying on his three point shot.
• L.A. played a productive first quarter, matching San Antonio’s early intensity by outscoring them 24-21 in the first 12 minutes. However, the purple and gold were dominated in the second quarter, 28-15, giving the Spurs the lead for good.
Continue reading ‘WCF Game 3: What Went Right/Wrong’
Lakers Forward Vladimir Radmanovic’s play so far this post-season can best be described as erratic. In fact most of his season can be described that way.
The big man from Serbia has a tendency to ignite on the quick, but also is prone to prolonged slumps that can frustrate coaches and fans a like. When asked if he had a better idea to what Vladi will bring on a given night, head coach Phil Jackson replied, “Absolutely not.”
Some have wondered why Radmanovic still sees minutes with the first unit given the team’s other options at the small forward slot.
“This is one of the things I’ve been telling him, is that he doesn’t have to be a scorer for us,” said Jackson. “He runs the court well. He makes the spacing much better for that first unit. And ultimately Luke just isn’t a 40-minute guy.”
Radmanovic was a scorer in Game 5, totaling 15-points on 6/11 shooting and making three of his five three-pointers. That kind of play earned him a spot in the lineup during the fourth quarter that he hasn’t seen in a long time, but the matchups helped as well.
“Actually they started Kirilenko at the four during that period and it was a good matchup for us,” continued Jackson. “I’ve used Vladi in situations in the fourth quarter where he’s bailed us out of games with his three-point shooting and I thought it might be one of those kind of games.”
After today’s practice, Lakers spokesman John Black said that Trevor Ariza has been cleared for full-contact practice. Although the broken bone in his foot has yet to fully heal, Ariza is not at risk for further injuring his foot.
After participating in his first practice today, Coach Jackson said, “He got out there today a little bit and tried to shake off three months of rust, maybe even more…three and a half months…and he’s got time to work at his game and this will give him a little edge about going forward.”
With Ariza potentially available should the Lakers advance in the Western Conference playoffs, Jackson said he isn’t sure yet when he’ll be able to use the athletic forward in live game play.
“We really can’t put a timeframe on it,” said Jackson. “I said a week or two and he said one week so we’ll just see what it’s going to be.”
Continue reading ‘Trevor Ariza Injury Update’
Before tonight’s game against the Blazers, Coach Jackson said that Pau Gasol will suit up for the home team, but he won’t know until he steps onto the floor how much he’ll be able to contribute. “It’ll be up to him a lot of it, if he can come back in the game, how we play him…if the substitute that goes in for him plays well,” said Jackson. “But, we’re hoping to play him 16 to 25 minutes…” Jackson also noted that Gasol has looked tentative in practice this week and has yet to “throw himself into it” yet.
Jackson also assessed the current race for MVP, particularly with regards to the Lakers’ own candidate, Kobe Bryant. Jackson said that this was “Kobe’s best year ever as far as being an overall team player. The judgment that I make is how much better do you make your teammates and this has been one of Kobe’s finer years in that regard.” Jackson also said that he thinks Kobe’s best chance at the award prior to this season was in 2005-2006 when he led the league in scoring and scored 81 points in a single game.
Even with Trevor Ariza out with injury, Jackson said he was content with the Lakers’ recent production from the small forward spot. Jackson praised both Luke Walton and Vladimir Radmanovic, both of which had outstanding games against Washington on Sunday night.
The Lakers rebounded from consecutive losses to lowly Charlotte and Memphis by defeating the Wizards 126-120 in an overtime thriller. After trailing 120-117, Derek Fisher nailed a clutch two from just inside the arc to bring the Lakers to within one of Washington. After two free throws by Kobe reclaimed the lead 121-120, the purple and gold never looked back.
“I thought that a lot of players contributed tonight to the victory,” said Jackson. “Radmanovic (18 points) and Sasha (20 points) in the first half with the three point shooting obviously was pretty traumatic. D.J. (6 points, 3 rebounds) gave us a good game off the bench at center. Luke played a terrific game tonight.”
Despite the win, the Lakers continued their disturbing trend of allowing big quarters to inferior teams, giving up 39 in the third to Washington.
“They played with fury there in the third quarter,” said Jackson. “Again, we gave up over 35 points which is a lot…39 in that third quarter. Stevenson with five threes was a pretty remarkable performance.” Jackson also praised the 27 point performance of Wizards guard Nick Young.
Continue reading ‘Lakers vs. Wizards Post-Game’
The Lakers shellacked the Clippers 119-82, outscoring them by 29 points in the second half to bust open what was only an eight point halftime lead. Seven Lakers scored in double figures, led by Derek Fisher’s 17 (7-11 shooting) after struggling to find his shot for parts of the past two weeks. As a team, the Lakers held the Clippers to an abysmal 38% shooting from the floor while outrebounding them by a healthy 10 boards.
“Every body getting the chance to play kind of gives the team a good feel about playing basketball,” said Jackson.
Kobe Bryant added 16 points and Lamar Odom continued his outstanding overall play, scoring 15 points to go along with eight rebounds and four steals. In his return to the starting lineup, Vladimir Radmanovic chipped in 10 points, including two three point makes.
“It felt good to get back on track,” said Bryant. “During the season you’ll have games like we’ve had in the past, particularly when you don’t have that many practices, you can’t get that rhythm that you are used to playing with. It kind of deteriorates some what so we got a good practice under our belt, came out and executed well.”
Continue reading ‘Lakers vs. Clippers Post-Game’
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