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’
Most Improved Player: Sasha Vujacic
The entire team seemingly improved in the third quarter of the season, but no player in purple and gold 
stepped his game up more than Sasha Vujacic. Once mused by Coach Jackson as the best practice shooter in the league, Vujacic is no longer simply an 11:00 a.m. player; Sasha has emerged as one of the team’s most reliable options off of the bench, getting primetime minutes down the stretch of games and proving that he not only belongs in the NBA, but can thrive in it. In averaging double digits over his past 15 games and playing with a sense of confidence he’s never displayed before, Vujacic will no doubt be a huge weapon in the playoffs for the Lakers.
Most Disappointing Performance: Luke Walton
What started out as a disappointing first quarter for Walton is quickly turning into a disappointing 
season. Walton has battled nagging injuries throughout the year and has failed to establish himself on either end of the court. In fact, the forward has only scored in double figures one time in his past 23. Before the Lakers took on the Blazers on Feb. 26, Coach Jackson said that Walton—temporarily starting at small forward due to the injuries of Radmanovic and Andrew Bynum—would not retain his starting job once the team is healthy. Moreover, Jackson said that Luke is no longer a player that is capable of playing 30-plus minutes a night for the Lakers—a true sign of how far Walton has fallen since opening up last season on fire for L.A.
Surprise Performance: Pau Gasol and Vladimir Radmanovic
While All-Star level play was expected of Gasol upon joining the Lakers, his near perfect transition into 
the Lakers’ offense has been one of the most surprising developments of the season for the Lake Show. Since acquiring the talented Spanish star, the Lakers are a jaw dropping 12-2, garnering league-wide respect and in some cases, instilling downright fear into opponents.
Although his strained right calf has kept him out of the last five games, Radmanovic finally returned to the form the Lakers were hoping for when they signed him to a multi-year deal prior to last season. While everyone knows that Vlade can shoot lights out from long distance, before his injury, he finally began to show some of the lesser-known facets of his game—his ability to put the ball on the court and post-up game. His improvements also came when the Lakers needed it most this quarter, as Radmanovic was Jackson’s starter of choice next to Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol on the Lakers’ front line.
Continue reading ‘Lakers Quarterly Report: 3rd Quarter’
Injury Update: Coach Jackson said that Vladimir Radmanovic–nursing a strained right calf–will not play in today’s afternoon matchup with the Mavs, but will travel with the team to Sacramento.
Before today’s game, Jackson reflected on the team’s recent 10-game wining streak, which ended abruptly in Portland two nights ago. After a series of defensive lapses in the opening four minutes of the fourth quarter–many involving pick and roll situations–Jackson said that the team went through a film session yesterday in an effort to avoid a similar problem against Dallas. Jackson also said that despite the fact that the 10-game streak was the Lakers longest since the 2003-04 season, the team knows that many of those wins came against inferior or undermanned opponents, so there is still the sense that they need to prove themselves against the league’s elite.
With injuries piling up on a regular basis all season long for the Lakers, Jackson said that Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom are playing more minutes than he would like at this stage of the season. However, help should be on the way with the hopeful return of Andrew Bynum and the impending return of Radmanovic. Jackson said that the two-day break following Tuesday night’s game against the Kings should also provide some much-needed rest for the team.
Looking ahead to today’s game, Jackson said that the Lakers will undoubtedly have to find a way to combat the matchup problems created by Mavericks newcomer Jason Kidd. With the perennial All-Star on board, the Lakers coach said that Dallas has essentially two strong point guards with Jason Terry still capable of playing big-time minutes for the Mavs.
Before tonight’s game against the Blazers, Coach Jackson said that the team was still unsure when injured forward Vladimir Radmanovic would return from injury. “Given his history, he hasn’t returned quickly from injuries,” said Jackson. “But, we hope that he’s back within five games.”
Jackson spoke at length about the heated race taking place in the Western Conference as teams enter the final quarter of the season. “Out of these teams, it’s probably going to be an injury that is the deciding factor for who will make the playoffs,” Jackson said. One major injury that could shake up the standings has already occurred with today’s announcement that Houston Rockets center Yau Ming will miss the rest of the season to a broken foot.
With twenty-five games remaining in the season after tonight, Jackson said that there are several viable recipients for the MVP award, noting that the Lakers’ own Kobe Bryant is one of the strongest candidates. “I think LeBron is another candidate. Kevin Garnett is obviously another candidate,” said Jackson. “Definitely, Kobe is having an MVP season. “The real value of a super player is that he makes other players better,” said Jackson, in regards to Bryant’s improved team play this season.
Jackson also addressed the increased role that Luke Walton will have to play in wake of Radmanovic’s injury. The Lakers coach said that despite Luke’s likely increase in playing time, there was no guarantee that it would continue after Vlade and Ariza return. According to Jackson, Walton is not a player that can be expected to contribute 30 plus minutes on the court due to his injury history.
With their win Wednesday night against Minnesota, the Lakers pulled down an impressive seven wins on their season-high nine-game road trip. The win also marked the most victories for a team on a continuous road trip with nine or more games since neutral sites were eliminated in 1974-75. Moreover, the Lakers were forced to adjust to the acquisition of forward-center Pau Gasol halfway through a trip with limited practice time.
Although the trip started out a bit rocky with a one-point loss to the Pistons in a game the Lakers should have won, the team rallied to win their next three games, beginning with a 121-101 blowout of the Raptors.
Clearly energized by news that 2006 All-Star Pau Gasol was on his way to L.A., the team hammered the Washington Wizards behind 30 points from Kobe. Bryant in particular seemed to play with an extra step after hearing that a bona fide star was preparing to join him.
Continue reading ‘Grammys Trip In Review’
Published in Andrew Bynum,
Chris Mihm,
Coby Karl,
DJ Mbenga,
Derek Fisher,
Injury News,
Jordan Farmar,
Kobe Bryant,
Lamar Odom,
Luke Walton,
Sasha Vujacic,
Trevor Ariza and
Vladimir Radmanovic .
Here’s a quick look at every Lakers’ health status as the team heads to Detroit to start the longest road trip in team history.
In alphabetical order…
Trevor Ariza
Still recovering from fracturing the fourth metatarsal in his right foot after landing on teammate Derek Fisher’s foot in practice on January 20th. Expected to miss another 6-7 more weeks. Did not travel with the team.
Kwame Brown
As healthy as he’s going to be during the course of an 82-game season.
Kobe Bryant
As healthy as he’s going to be during the course of an 82-game season.
Andrew Bynum
Still recovering from a subluxation of the patella and a bone bruise of his left knee that he suffered in the January 13th game against the Memphis Grizzlies. Expected to miss approximately 6 more weeks. Did not travel with the team.
Continue reading ‘Road Trip Injury Roundup’
Before today’s showdown against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, Coach Phil Jackson finally had some good news to share on the injury front; injured forward Vladimir Radmanovic will suit up for today’s game. Jackson also said that Chris Mihm will travel with the team on their upcoming nine game road trip and will hopefully return to the floor sometime around the middle of that stretch.
Jackson said that the team has yet to sit down and decide whether or not they will renew replacement center DJ Mbenga’s 10 day contract that expires after this Tuesday’s game against the Knicks, but did praise Mbenga for his attentiveness in the limited time he’s been with the Lakers.
Looking ahead to today’s game and the always exciting battle between LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, Jackson said that no matter how many years a player has been in the league, it’s still difficult at times to resist the urge to go mano-a-mano against certain players. However, Jackson said that while Kobe is still baited at times, his individual play comes with more of a team mindset now.
As the injuries continue to pile up for the Lakers–Trevor Ariza the latest casualty–Coach Jackson said that certain players’ roles are bound to change. “It’s going to be one of those things,” said Jackson. “We’re just going to have to work our way through this. Unfortunately for Trevor, he was playing really well.” In Ariza’s absence, Jackson said the team will likely have to rely on Lamar Odom more at small forward.
However, Jackson did supply some rare positive news on the injury front, revealing that Vladimir Radmanovic has been able to participate in more exercises on the floor in recent days. While he has not begun running yet, Jackson said he is making solid progress. Injured center Chris Mihm has also begun more strenuous exercises and may be ready to return when the Lakers embark on their nine game road trip starting in Detroit.
In looking ahead to tonight’s game, Jackson said, “This is a game that is absolutely needed because this is a small team.” With the undersized Najera playing behind Marcus Camby, the coach said that tonight would likely present a “situation in which Ronny can play some center and probably well.”
Jackson also said he expects Kwame Brown to recover from being booed throughout the Lakers’ loss to Phoenix last Thursday. According to Jackson, there will no doubt be a certain amount of anxiety for Kwame, but the team’s willingness to look for him inside will not change.
I’m sure TNT was hoping that tonight’s game would be between the first and second place teams in the west, but after the Sam Cassell take over on Tuesday night, we’re looking at a matchup between the first and sixth place teams. Welcome to the Western Conference.
Still, plenty is at stake tonight. A win could put the public-at-large on notice that the loss of Andrew Bynum isn’t the end of the season. A loss puts the Suns back on top of the Pacific Division, the Western Conference, and gives them a shot to tie up the season series. It’s a big game (and aren’t they all) with a lot at stake, but we’ve got a long way to go in the season.
Phil Jackson indicated after practice yesterday that Chris Mihm is still at least a week away from returning to practice and even when/if he returns the Lakers could use some help on the front line. Losing Andrew essentially takes the Lakers back to the starting lineup from early last season (with an upgrade at point guard & deeper bench) that was pretty successful. Lamar Odom is looking even farther back, hearkening to the 2006 Playoffs where the Lakers.
Lakers trainer Gary Vitti spent detailed exactly what happened to Andrew’s knee and the recovery process.
It could be quite some time before Bynum can begin rehabilitation exercises to strengthen the muscles around his knee. The plan is to increase Bynum’s leg strength in order to prevent another kneecap injury.
“Right now, he can’t do a whole lot,” Vitti said. “He has a big, swollen knee joint. It’s probably full of blood, which is not good. Blood is not good in a place that it doesn’t belong. It belongs in your vessels. When it leaks out of there it has (bad) effects to other tissues. So we’ve got to get that out of there.”
Vladimir Radmanovic is expected to miss more time. The hope is that he’ll be available for the Lakers 9-game road trip that starts at the end of the month.
