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[licensed to ball]

I swear to god if Pau doesn't stop chillin at the 3 point line...You're not Steve Novak.

GET IN THE DAMN POST >:

 

[essential1]

D'Antoni coaching Friday

 

[mrdieselfuel09]

I'm all for having Sessions back on this team. He was quick to the basket.


In other old related Lakers news....have you guys checked out Shannon Brown? Looks like he found a new home. He's making the best out in PHX.

 

[pmatic]

Watching those offensive videos has me very excited to see what D'Antoni can do with our group of guys.
Also, anyone remember early last year that the Knicks had a Top 10 defense for awhile...can't remember where they finished, but those boys were playing well for Mike.

They were a good defense all year long, even got better when D'Antoni resigned.

Edit:

Now at the rim: Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant is on fire. But it’s not the whirling, twisting fadeaways that have Bryant near the top of the league in every shooting statistic.

What's different seven games into this season is that whether because of improved health, a new mindset, the Princeton offense or something ... he has cut down dramatically on those inefficient long 2-point shots, while loading up on a massive diet of shots at the rim.

As a result, he's one of the most efficient scorers in the league, which has not been his M.O.

HoopData reports that Bryant is attempting just 2.6 long 2-pointers per game, down from a staggering 7.7 just last season. Those gorgeous jumpers that go in about 40 percent of the time have been replaced by something mundane and utterly effective: layups.

Bryant is making 4.6 layups per game -- twice as many as he made over the course of last season and second this season only to James Harden among guards.

That 4.6 number would have led the league last year.

And while he’s shooting more at the rim (6.7 attempts), Bryant is also taking fewer shots altogether. As a result, shots near the rim now account for 39.9 percent of all Bryant’s field goals up from just 16.2 percent in 2011-12.

As a total number, Bryant is also taking fewer 3-point attempts. But when we factor in that he’s taking five fewer attempts per game overall, it turns out that Bryant is actually devoting more of his offense to those high value, long-range shots.

Fewer long 2’s and more emphasis on shots at the rim and from 3 -- factor in a blistering 91.7% free throw shooting and you have the makings of the hyper-efficient Kobe Bryant stat geeks always wanted to see.

So how’s he doing it? And can it last?

Subjectively, there seems to be a little more pep in Bryant’s step than there was at the end of last season. But while his long first lunge to the basket looks slightly quicker, it also seems that Bryant’s intentions have changed. The Laker offense may have been the stated reason Mike Brown was fired, but it’s clear from the film that Bryant had already mastered ways of finding efficient shots within L.A.’s modified Princeton.

Of particular note is how little Bryant is shooting off the dribble. Here’s something we’re used to seeing a couple times a game: Bryant, all alone on the wing, goes into a mesmerizing sequence of dribble fakes and footwork, often with the aim of creating space to squeeze off a pull-up jumper. While Bryant has as much skill as any player, that’s just an extremely tough way to score.

When Bryant attacks from the wing this year, he seems focused on attacking off of close outs, when the defense is at a distinct disadvantage, or with the aid of a ball screen. In both cases, Bryant uses the skill of his teammates to help get loose rather than taking it all on himself.

That isn’t to say Bryant’s one-on-one game has deteriorated, just that he’s been more selective. He’s been absolutely dynamite in isolations and post ups, the two scenarios that accounted for nearly half of all of Bryant’s shots last season. Bryant still does a great job of running down court for early post-ups when there is no defensive help and has almost completely avoided going for difficult fadeaway jumpers over multiple defenders.

If Bryant keeps this up at age 34, it would rank among the finest offensive seasons of his career. Given his age and way stats work -- time and reps bring lots of amazing trends back to earth -- it’s exceedingly unlikely that will happen. But he can still have his best season in terms of true shooting percentage (a stat that accounts for free throws, 2-pointers and 3-pointers). Bryant is currently posting a 66.2 percent -- his best to this point was 58.

If he can do that, it would be a sign that the game is coming easier to Bryant than in recent seasons, most notably in 2011-12 when he posted the worst true shooting percentage of his career. You might remember Bryant also got off to a hot start last year before the grind of a lockout-shortened season began to erode his efficiency.

Bryant should have more rest time this year, though the Lakers still don’t have much in the way of a backup that might allow him to play closer to 30 minutes a night than the 36 he’s playing now.

It’s also worth wondering whether he’ll get these same opportunities after D’Antoni installs his pick-and-roll offense. Will Bryant continue to see the steady diet of mid range post ups? The answer to that question may be a foregone conclusion, it’s hard to picture Bryant unable to get his touches.

The real question is, when he gets those chances, will he continue to muscle his way to the paint? Even if Bryant misses more as the season goes on, so long as he’s getting to the paint at his current pace he’ll continue to draw extra defenders and help the Lakers maintain their league-leading offensive rebounding.

Bryant has admitted to altering his game as his athletic capabilities diminish. So far this season, his mindset has made him the stat geek dream.

Link

 

[tonelow]

I swear to god if Pau doesn't stop chillin at the 3 point line...You're not Steve Novak.

GET IN THE DAMN POST

Yea I really want to see how D'Antoni is going to use Pau. His system works better with a stretch 4 and just one big man being the primary screener/roller. 

I think the pick and pop with Pau is going to be deadly but hopefully he's able to find a way to utilize Pau when he isnt the screener...I hope he isnt just standing around the way Amare used to.

 

[MajinZuub]

Would like to pick up Pietrus. Think he'd be a great fit for the system and a better fit than any of our current wing guys on the bench.

 

[bigmike23]

this is a good *** video to watch. it shows how useless gasol and artest may come in this offense tho. i see why people are back on board with trade him

 

[tonelow]

this is a good *** video to watch. it shows how useless gasol and artest may come in this offense tho. i see why people are back on board with trade him

Yea thats what I was thinking when I saw Amare just standing there, Pau has a tendency to do that also. Hopefully they can find a way to use him in those sets.

I think Ron will be ok, we'll need his defense and he'll get open shots.

 

[ag 47]

Bryant is making 4.6 layups per game -- twice as many as he made over the course of last season and second this season only to James Harden among guards.

That 4.6 number would have led the league last year.

Please baby Jesus, keep that attacking mindset. Nice article btw.

 

[senorroboto2k5]

The Suns would run a lineup of

PG Nash
SG Bell
SF Marion
PF Diaw
C Amare

Correct? Pau's skillset is like a much better version of Diaw's, with a top-notch post game to boot (basically saying, if there's no room for him in the post, he can still flourish as a better version of Diaw at the very least). Dwight can be used primarily as a pick-and-roll player like Amare, without the pick-and-pop option but with more post-up options.

The biggest variables are Kobe and Metta, and how their styles of play will fit things.

Will Kobe be established on the wing, often the weak side, and spot up as the plays develop?

The lack of shooters is glaring - unless you count on Kobe to be dead-eye when he's set up as a spot-up shooter - but Jamison is on the bench and can be inserted in place of someone to give a more Suns-esque look.

 

[xxnamebrandxx]

I would have liked to see Jackson back at coach. Nash should do well under D'Antoni though.

 

[tonelow]

The Suns would run a lineup of

PG Nash
SG Bell
SF Marion
PF Diaw
C Amare

Correct? Pau's skillset is like a much better version of Diaw's, with a top-notch post game to boot (basically saying, if there's no room for him in the post, he can still flourish as a better version of Diaw at the very least). Dwight can be used primarily as a pick-and-roll player like Amare, without the pick-and-pop option but with more post-up options.

The biggest variables are Kobe and Metta, and how their styles of play will fit things.

Will Kobe be established on the wing, often the weak side, and spot up as the plays develop?

The lack of shooters is glaring - unless you count on Kobe to be dead-eye when he's set up as a spot-up shooter - but Jamison is on the bench and can be inserted in place of someone to give a more Suns-esque look.

Yea but Diaws skills fit that system better. He's a better 3pt shooter and a better playmaker on the perimeter. Pau is better inside but we haven't seen two players dominate inside in his system. Im not saying it cant happen, I hope it will, but we really dont know at this point.

 

[bigmike23]

The Suns would run a lineup of
PG Nash
SG Bell
SF Marion
PF Diaw
C Amare
Correct? Pau's skillset is like a much better version of Diaw's, with a top-notch post game to boot (basically saying, if there's no room for him in the post, he can still flourish as a better version of Diaw at the very least). Dwight can be used primarily as a pick-and-roll player like Amare, without the pick-and-pop option but with more post-up options.
.

diaw could play point foward in that offense and could shoot outside, gasol cant do that.

 

[MajinZuub]

Give Gasol a chance in the system before wanting to get rid of him

Pau is a very smart and skilled player and I think he'll be just fine.

 

[pmatic]

Pau can play in any system because he's just that good. However, you can't really compare him to Diaw (or any other player that's played in the system previously). I think D'Antoni is smart enough to make adjustments to his system to put Pau and everybody else in the best position possible. He'll be doing the picking and popping as opposed to Dwight doing the picking and rolling with Nash and Kobe.

 

[stay strong]

Give Gasol a chance in the system before wanting to get rid of him

Pau is a very smart and skilled player and I think he'll be just fine.

I just want pau to be aggressive like he was when we won those back to back titles I understand the lakers are a little tired because they been in the finals for the past 5 years but work is work

 

[CP1708]

Gasol can't shoot now? Mike, the hell you talkin about dude? Guy shoots 18 footers like layups, barely touches the net. And he might be the best passer on the team not named Nash, Pau is going to be way better than what Diaw was.*

* that's IF Pau even cares. That freaking Care Bear may not want to do anything of the sort, so we'll see.


The other piece of it all, Pau can and should split time with Dwight at Center more often than playing PF. This will give Pau both the outside Diaw version of the offense, and the Dwight/Amare part of the offense down low. So Pau should never be left out in the cold in this offense.


I'm waiting for the first dude to say trade Pau and somehow bring in Shannon so I can see PMatic catch his first ban. Gonna be friggin awesome. Dude would come unglued in here.

 

[senorroboto2k5]

I feel like Pau will be out on the mid-post and FT line like he's been, which is where Diaw was often positioned from what I remember. I'm sure D'Antoni will hope that Pau can be a respectable mid-range shooter from out there just like Brown did - that's really what you have to do when you've got another post presence on the court. He won't be a playmaker/ballhandler like Diaw, but he will probably serve similar functions from his spots on the court.

The Marion/Diaw/Amare lineup is the closest thing to compare to the Lakers' current roster. Every other year they've pretty much employed Nash, Amare, Marion, and two proficient shooters (post-Shaq, Gentry turned it into three shooters, much like D'Antoni's Knick video). Much of the basic pick-and-roll game relies on the two/three shooters on the wings, so hopefully the Lakers have that, or the schemes can be adjusted accordingly. Kobe can play off-ball like a hybrid of the spot-up shooter (Joe Johnson or Bell) and the slasher (Marion) possibly. I'm sure Jamison will be used heavily to make the offense work, so hopefully he gets his shot ready.

 

[pmatic]

at CP.

I think Dwight and Pau will have to play separately to maximize their respective talents and the roster altogether. I hope I'm wrong though.

 

[bigmike23]

Gasol can't shoot now?

Mike, the hell you talkin about dude? Guy shoots 18 footers like layups, barely touches the net. And he might be the best passer on the team not named Nash, Pau is going to be way better than what Diaw was.*
 

i knew that was coming

. would u rather have paul in the post or shooting jumpers? i think its no secret his game has gone down the last 2 years when ask to get out the post and shoot a jump shot more. he is not a horrible shooter but u dont want him shooting jump shots all day.

gasol is a better player then diaw but for that system diaw was prefect he could run pick and roll and drive to the lane and hit a open jumper. look at his shooting % he was money with the suns(down right horrible from 3 at times tho so you have me there). diaw would have the ball at the top of the key and run the offense gasol is not doing that. diaw does the same with the spurs at times now.

if gasol is going to play the Amare role and be the main man on the pick and roll then fine it will work, but what happens to D12?

 

[CP1708]

They aren't going to play 40 minutes next to each other each night. They will play a few minutes at the start of the 1st and 3rd together, then one sits. So we can use Pau both ways, out on the perimeter when Dwight is in, and in the post when Dwight sits.

Seems doable, don't it?


P

 

[pmatic]

@ChrisMannixSI The Lakers have been dangling Steve Blake and Chris Duhon in trade talks, source said. Predictably, not a whole lot of interest.

 

[senorroboto2k5]

They aren't going to play 40 minutes next to each other each night. They will play a few minutes at the start of the 1st and 3rd together, then one sits. So we can use Pau both ways, out on the perimeter when Dwight is in, and in the post when Dwight sits.
Seems doable, don't it?
P

Definitely, it's the way it should've been but Mike Brown mucked it up with the players he'd play alongside his post star. You play Jordan Hill alongside Pau for his rebounding and hustle play; you play Jamison next to Dwight to open it up. And when Pau is in there with Hill, Meeks, and Blake or Morris... he's the center of the offense. Run it through him, not run plays to give Hill jumpers at the top of the key.

It sounds like common sense but Brown always introduced a wrinkle or simply didn't get the guys to post up Pau. D'Antoni's love of small ball should make it more apparent to him, though.

 

[senorroboto2k5]

i knew that was coming . would u rather have paul in the post or shooting jumpers? i think its no secret his game has gone down the last 2 years when ask to get out the post and shoot a jump shot more. he is not a horrible shooter but u dont want him shooting jump shots all day.


gasol is a better player then diaw but for that system diaw was prefect he could run pick and roll and drive to the lane and hit a open jumper. look at his shooting % he was money with the suns(down right horrible from 3 at times tho so you have me there). diaw would have the ball at the top of the key and run the offense gasol is not doing that. diaw does the same with the spurs at times now.

if gasol is going to play the Amare role and be the main man on the pick and roll then fine it will work, but what happens to D12?

Gasol can't directly emulate the true "point forward" skills of Diaw, but he can survey the floor from the top of the key and hit a jumper or deliver a pass as the play develops. He's also pretty good at putting the ball on the floor and attacking the basket. He just can't make a play off the dribble quite like Diaw.

Granted Gasol is much better in the post than relegated to the mid-range, but it's a necessary sacrifice if there's another big post presence on the floor. The coach just needs to introduce variety - some possessions should post up Dwight, Gasol, and Kobe; then the rotation should also introduce stretches of Pau or Dwight only.

 

[ballinsam23]

2 questions for Lakers fans:

1. Is Dantoni coaching tonight?

2. Is Darius Morris starting (Blake/Nash injured) ?