coach d'antoni - not actually the problem?

[cranrab]

coach d'antoni's current win/loss record is 10-12 (.454)

in his full 4 seasons with the "7 seconds or less" phoenix suns, the worst start he had after 22 games was 14-8 (.636)

repeat. THE WORST START COACH D'ANTONI ever had to the start a season was .636

that team featured a starting lineup of:

steve nash
raja bell
shawn marion
boris diaw
kurt thomas

that team finished 54-28 and went to the WORSTern conference finals.

 

[cranrab]

coach d'antoni's most frequent fakers lineup has been:

steve nash
darius morris
tobe
pau gasol
dwight howard

steve nash, 2 time MVP
dwight howard, former and 3 time consecutive DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
metta world peace rejoined the starting lineup tonight, former DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR.

so why was coach d'antoni able to do more with less in phoenix?

 

[IT IS WHAT IT IS]

coach d'antoni's most frequent fakers lineup has been:

steve nash
darius morris
tobe
pau gasol
dwight howard

steve nash, 2 time MVP
dwight howard, former and 3 time consecutive DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
metta world peace rejoined the starting lineup tonight, former DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR.

so why was coach d'antoni able to do more with less in phoenix?

Different league, older players, not able to adapt his system to the personnel he has... A real coach coaches to the type of talent he has on his roster. D'Antoni has not been able to do that...

 

[cranrab]

coach brown started off the season 1-4, much of which was played without steve nash. as we all saw, coach brown was fired hastily, in spite of a .621 record last season (taking the PUSSific division).

since steve nash returned, the fakers have gone 3-3.

why didn't coach brown receive the benefit of the doubt? the consideration to assess the team with a healthy roster?

the fakers are STILL a losing team 22 games after a coaching change. why no noise calling for coach d'antoni's immediate ouster?

 

[cranrab]

A real coach coaches to the type of talent he has on his roster.

or maybe he is. coach d'antoni must be at minimum a decent coach if he can turn raja bell, boris diaw and kurt thomas into starters on a successful (winning) team.

thanks for contributing.

to continue with this thread, let's put something else into perspective.

the fakers under coach d'antoni have a slightly worse winning percentage than the 76ers.

the 76ers starting lineup is:

jrue holiday
evan turner
jason richardson
thaddeus young
lavoy allen

no MVPs, no DPOYs, but the 76ers are playing better basketball than the fakers.

 

[gdhow12]

3yrs and 12 million reasons is why he still coaching......Brown wasn't winning games at all he lost every game in the pre-season lock out year also and he wasn't coaching to the strengths of his the talent he had ........ once Nash has played 15 games the Lakers GM has stated he will decide if moves need to be made.....if they have to they will buyout Mr. Pringles they prob dont want to but Dr.Buss wants to win.....Kobe is shooting at a higher rate than he normally does and its killing the team dynamic......I'm a die hard laker fan but this is not team basketball right now

 

[cranrab]

Kobe is shooting at a higher rate than he normally does and its killing the team dynamic

interesting take.

this season, in games where tobe has attempted more than 22 FGAs (his career average as a starter), the fakers are 5-12 (.294)

so there is definitely merit to suggesting that tobe limit his FGAs

furthermore, in games this season where tobe has 5 or more assists, the fakers have a record of 12-5 (.706)



these are SHOCKING revelations. when tobe shoots MORE, the fakers LOSE more. when tobe passes MORE, the fakers WIN more.

absolutely INCREDIBLE.

thank you for helping to move this discussion in a positive direction!

 

[cranrab]

back to coach d'antoni.

in the full 4 seasons coach d'antoni was the suns head coach, the suns regularly lead the league in scoring.

1st in team scoring points per game - 3 seasons
3rd in team scoring points per game - 1 season

in those 4 FULL seasons, there were only FIVE (5) TOTAL regulation games (INCLUDING PLAYOFFS, excluding OT) where any suns player attempted 27 or more FGAs.

repeat. 5 games in 4 full seasons, including playoffs games, excluding OT games.

this season, coach d'antoni has already suffered through 7 games where tobe has taken 27 or more FGAs.



that's a damn shame. how can a coach win, when it's clear that tobe's selfish primadonna glory chasing act is not allowing the team to execute?

 

[Sango]

You can make a case for any coach that has had time to build chemistry with his team and implement his style consistently. That's not happening with the Lakers. I think this might be the one year that I'm 90% on Kobe's side to take the higher volume of shots, since Dwight isn't playing to his potential.

I've noticed that Dwight has repeatedly said in interviews that they play 'inside-out' basketball and that's how they've achieved the W, which has been bullshit for some games. Either way, Kobe's had to be rather selfish in order to keep his team in the game. They don't just magically fall behind by 15.

 

[Diamels]

You can make a case for any coach that has had time to build chemistry with his team and implement his style consistently. That's not happening with the Lakers. I think this might be the one year that I'm 90% on Kobe's side to take the higher volume of shots, since Dwight isn't playing to his potential.

I've noticed that Dwight has repeatedly said in interviews that they play 'inside-out' basketball and that's how they've achieved the W, which has been bullshit for some games. Either way, Kobe's had to be rather selfish in order to keep his team in the game. They don't just magically fall behind by 15.

Whoa? I thought this was 2013. This post seems like it was ripped straight out of 2004,5,6 or 7..

 

[Sango]

Whoa? I thought this was 2013. This post seems like it was ripped straight out of 2004,5,6 or 7..

Meaning exactly what?

I just think that they look like shit out there and if no one takes charge then Kobe will still take the heat. Also, I've been a constant critic of his, simply b/c I don't like the type of shots he takes. Nevertheless the man's talented and a problem.

 

[IT IS WHAT IT IS]

or maybe he is. coach d'antoni must be at minimum a decent coach if he can turn raja bell, boris diaw and kurt thomas into starters on a successful (winning) team.

thanks for contributing.

to continue with this thread, let's put something else into perspective.

the fakers under coach d'antoni have a slightly worse winning percentage than the 76ers.

the 76ers starting lineup is:

jrue holiday
evan turner
jason richardson
thaddeus young
lavoy allen

no MVPs, no DPOYs, but the 76ers are playing better basketball than the fakers.

Never said he was a bad coach, I'm saying he is definitely part of the problem in LA. The teams, and players you are referencing were much younger and could implement his system much better due to their youth. Also, the league was much different then, the players overall weren't as athletic, and the style of play was much different. So, you take a system tailor made for younger more athletic players, try to implement that system with older past their prime players, add a more athletic league, take a coach whose system is not very flexible, and you have a recipe for disaster. Not saying any coach would be a whole lot better though, truth is, the Lakers get early season hurrahs and passes, because they are the 'Lakers', add the Howard signing, and all of a sudden experts and fans overlook their obvious weaknesses as a team and declare them contenders.

Bottom line, this team is definitely at the beginning of the rebuilding phase... sort of reminds me of the Eagles, and by extension the Cowboys, because of name recognition they are 'expected' to be so much more than they are, but at seasons end it always ends up... or

 

[IT IS WHAT IT IS]

coach d'antoni's most frequent fakers lineup has been:

steve nash
darius morris
tobe
pau gasol
dwight howard

steve nash, 2 time MVP
dwight howard, former and 3 time consecutive DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
metta world peace rejoined the starting lineup tonight, former DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR.

so why was coach d'antoni able to do more with less in phoenix?

Great points but...

Steve Nash- 38 yo and what, 7 years removed from that MVP player he used to be.
Darius Morris - Who?!?!?
Kobe - 34 and still playing at a high level. Sure you can point out differences in team record based on obscure statistics, but I would venture to say there are obscure statistics that negatively effect their team about most NBA superstars... the effort to expose those stats about other players is not as strong as the effort given to discredit Kobe...
Dwight Howard - anyone who says he is playing at even close to the level he has in the past (injury is obviously a consideration), is not really thinking clearly
Pau Gasol - past his prime and on the decline, which has been spoken of prior to this season
Metta - again, an aging player way past his prime and those Defensive Player of the year days


To use this theory and to make a contention that they should be performing at an elite level against THIS league at this stage in their careers reminds me of back in the day when Tyson was obviously past his prime, yet everyone was still buying PPVs and his fights were still events, even though the boxing landscape had changed because of what his name USED to represent. Yet, would get his ass kicked by fighters whose talent level years prior would have had them knocked out in the first round...

I feel you Cran, and you definitely are knowledgeable and make some great points, but obviously, this is a thread created and an argument created to blame Kobe for the Lakers issues, unfortunately IMO this is definitely not the case... Not this season anyway...

 

[Koach]

Does anyone remember that D'antoni coached the Knicks?

DOES ANYONE REMEMBER HOW WELL THEY'VE DONE & ARE DOING WITHOUT HIM???

He may not be the problem, but why would he be the solution???

 

[Sango]

Great points but...

Steve Nash- 38 yo and what, 7 years removed from that MVP player he used to be.
Darius Morris - Who?!?!?
Kobe - 34 and still playing at a high level. Sure you can point out differences in team record based on obscure statistics, but I would venture to say there are obscure statistics that negatively effect their team about most NBA superstars... the effort to expose those stats about other players is not as strong as the effort given to discredit Kobe...
Dwight Howard - anyone who says he is playing at even close to the level he has in the past (injury is obviously a consideration), is not really thinking clearly
Pau Gasol - past his prime and on the decline, which has been spoken of prior to this season
Metta - again, an aging player way past his prime and those Defensive Player of the year days


To use this theory and to make a contention that they should be performing at an elite level against THIS league at this stage in their careers reminds me of back in the day when Tyson was obviously past his prime, yet everyone was still buying PPVs and his fights were still events, even though the boxing landscape had changed because of what his name USED to represent. Yet, would get his ass kicked by fighters whose talent level years prior would have had them knocked out in the first round...

I feel you Cran, and you definitely are knowledgeable and make some great points, but obviously, this is a thread created and an argument created to blame Kobe for the Lakers issues, unfortunately IMO this is definitely not the case... Not this season anyway...

This!

Dead on with your assessment.

 

[cranrab]

You can make a case for any coach that has had time to build chemistry with his team and implement his style consistently. That's not happening with the Lakers.

coach brown had a winning record his first season with the fakers. coach brown was given all of FIVE regular season games in a new system "to build chemistry" and "implement his style".

but more importantly, it's not sufficient to passively state "that's not happening". there is a reason why after 32 games (approximately 40% of a season) a team is not playing winning basketball.

I've noticed that Dwight has repeatedly said in interviews that they play 'inside-out' basketball and that's how they've achieved the W, which has been bullshit for some games.

Either way, Kobe's had to be rather selfish in order to keep his team in the game. They don't just magically fall behind by 15.

or being selfish takes the team out of the game, and explains how the fakers can fall behind by 15.

 

[cranrab]

The teams, and players you are referencing were much younger and could implement his system much better due to their youth.

i reject the suggestion that the problem is age related.

in general, i reject the "age" theory because of the thread i made about age and the NBA. http://www.bgol.us/board/showthread.php?t=705126

specifically, i reject your "age" explanation because the kind of disparity you suggested does not actually exist.

the age of the phoenix suns starters referenced earlier was:

boris diaw 23
shawn marion 27
raja bell 29
steve nash 31
kurt thomas 33

the fakers most frequent starters this season have been:

darius morris 22
dwight howard 27
pau gasol 32
metta world peace 33
tobe 34

you'd have been better off pointing to the suns' superiority from 3FGA%.

 

[cranrab]

Sure you can point out differences in team record based on obscure statistics, but I would venture to say there are obscure statistics that negatively effect their team about most NBA superstars... the effort to expose those stats about other players is not as strong as the effort given to discredit Kobe...

this is a thread created and an argument created to blame Kobe for the Lakers issues

this is a typically odd BGOL reply, considering the following:

1) this thread title and topic is about coach d'antoni

2) beyond listing tobe as a starter, NONE of my original posts (4) in the thread discussed tobe or his shortcomings

3) it was GDHOW12 (not me) that suggested that tobe was "killing the team dynamic". i only explored and provided evidence for that contention.

why the illogical leap?

 

[cranrab]

Does anyone remember that D'antoni coached the Knicks?

He may not be the problem, but why would he be the solution???

interesting comparison, and thank you for contributing.

let's refresh some people's memories in here, first.

coach d'antoni in his first 22 games as knicks head coach: 10-12, the EXACT SAME RECORD as he has with the current fakers.

the knicks most frequent starters were:

wilson chandler
david lee
chris duhon
al harrington
quentin richardson

no MVPs, no DPOYs, but same results after 22 games.

 

[IT IS WHAT IT IS]

i reject the suggestion that the problem is age related.

in general, i reject the "age" theory because of the thread i made about age and the NBA.

specifically, i reject your "age" explanation because the kind of disparity you suggested does not actually exist.

the age of the phoenix suns starters referenced earlier was:

boris diaw 23
shawn marion 27
raja bell 29
steve nash 31
kurt thomas 33

the fakers most frequent starters this season have been:

darius morris 22
dwight howard 27
pau gasol 32
metta world peace 33
tobe 34

you'd have been better off pointing to the suns' superiority from 3FGA%.

I can appreciate your rejection of my age theory, as that is your right, however, age in years is not the end all when addressing the physical condition of the player comparison. While you are quoting ages, also, quote years of play, games and minutes played as well.. that would be a more complete analysis Sir. Also, Nash may not have started a great portion of the year, but in the teams recent struggles he has been playing, and to not include him as a starter for the 'current' Lakers is a very selective approach at trying to prove a point...

I am willing to guarantee you that, the years of experience and games played will be extremely skewed against the current Lakers...

 

[IT IS WHAT IT IS]

This!

Dead on with your assessment.

Exactly!!!

this is a typically odd BGOL reply, considering the following:

1) this thread title and topic is about coach d'antoni

2) beyond listing tobe as a starter, NONE of my original posts (4) in the thread discussed tobe or his shortcomings

3) it was GDHOW12 (not me) that suggested that tobe was "killing the team dynamic". i only explored and provided evidence for that contention.

why the illogical leap?

Not illogical at all... Your past history proves any Laker related thread you are involved in migrates to a it's Kobe's fault assessment. Proof is, after you initial 4 'set up' posts, you migrate to pulling in stats concerning the Lakers woes as they DIRECTLY relate to Kobe, which is what I pointed out... You didn't take the time to quote any issues with Gasol, Metta, Nash, or Dwight... You specifically sought out Kobe...

C'mon Cran, we both know what it is...

 

[Koach]

interesting comparison, and thank you for contributing.

let's refresh some people's memories in here, first.

coach d'antoni in his first 22 games as knicks head coach: 10-12, the EXACT SAME RECORD as he has with the current fakers.

the knicks most frequent starters were:

wilson chandler
david lee
chris duhon
al harrington
quentin richardson

no MVPs, no DPOYs, but same results after 22 games.

Your research is impeccable!!!
props

 

[cranrab]

Not illogical at all... Your past history proves any Laker related thread you are involved in migrates to a it's Kobe's fault assessment. Proof is, after you initial 4 'set up' posts, you migrate to pulling in stats concerning the Lakers woes as they DIRECTLY relate to Kobe, which is what I pointed out... You didn't take the time to quote any issues with Gasol, Metta, Nash, or Dwight... You specifically sought out Kobe...

any rational person can refute all of this by reading this thread.

4 posts to start the thread, talking about coach d'antoni and the suns. no mention of tobe other than to list him as a fakers starter.

true or false? TRUE

GDHOW12 stated an observation about tobe "killing the team dynamic". i commented on his observation with facts.

true or false? TRUE

you commented on age. i followed up on your opinion with facts.

true or false? TRUE

KOACH commented on the knicks. i followed up on his comment with facts.

true or false. TRUE

my posts in this thread have referenced over a dozen players, a handful of NBA teams, and a couple head coaches. but you have focused on tobe and taken a peculiarly sensitive defensive posture regarding him.

for a person who claims to be a 76ers fan, you have a puzzling fixation on tobe.

 

[cranrab]

Also, Nash may not have started a great portion of the year, but in the teams recent struggles he has been playing, and to not include him as a starter for the 'current' Lakers is a very selective approach at trying to prove a point.

hardly.

in fact, you would be wrong.

as you pointed out, steve nash has not started a "great portion of the year". including steve nash would be irrelevant and dishonest, especially if i were trying to prove a point.

if it were my intent to not present ONLY THE ACTUAL FACTS, i could have easily included devin ebanks (age 23) and jordan hill (age 25)

even mentioning steve nash would cause one to pause and consider dishonest motivations in this discussion.

why leap frog over chris duhon (age 30), who has started more games than steve nash? "trying to prove a point"?

 

[IT IS WHAT IT IS]

any rational person can refute all of this by reading this thread.

4 posts to start the thread, talking about coach d'antoni and the suns. no mention of tobe other than to list him as a fakers starter.

true or false? TRUE

GDHOW12 stated an observation about tobe "killing the team dynamic". i commented on his observation with facts.

true or false? TRUE

you commented on age. i followed up on your opinion with facts.

true or false? TRUE

KOACH commented on the knicks. i followed up on his comment with facts.

true or false. TRUE

my posts in this thread have referenced over a dozen players, a handful of NBA teams, and a couple head coaches. but you have focused on tobe and taken a peculiarly sensitive defensive posture regarding him.

for a person who claims to be a 76ers fan, you have a puzzling fixation on tobe.

Again, your usual bait and switch response... You have a fixation on Kobe... Did you post any wins vs. loses stats on ANY OTHER PLAYER BESIDE KOBE IN THIS THREAD?!?!?! NO!!!!

Also, I asked you a specific question, concerning games, years and minutes played, since you are the stat king... specifically avoiding stats that do anything other than further your fixation at discrediting a particular player... You cannot say, two 34 year old players are the same physically, when one has played 17 seasons, 1000 games, 40K minutes, etc (generalizations) and another has played 12 seasons, 600 games and 20k minutes... thats just not bright...

So with that, and I really do not intend to try to derail this thread with a back and forth with you...

1. I ask you, Mr. stat man, to post all of the lakers starters (all of them, including Nash in the games he's started) in wins vs. losses, the same types of stats you so immediately posted about Kobe...

2. I ask you, Mr. stat man, to post for the Suns starters we have compared, their (years in the league, games played, minutes played) at the same during the season you referenced...

***please post supporting links to the stats as well, instead of just typing words (even though I doubt you will even address these)

My word, if you can prove by these STAT:
1. That no other lakers stats suffer in loses and Kobe is the primary reason for the lakers decline this season (I only reference this because YOU chose to only include a particular stat on him, just looking for balance)

2. That there was no real difference in the mileage comparison between the two teams at this stage in their careers (comparing the Suns team at at the time of that season, with this laker team this season)

I promise you, I will to your points and opinions as I will stand corrected.

However I doubt if you will even entertain this request, you will more that likely not reply at all, or respond with another bait and switch posts, totally side stepping the requests from 1 and 2, which basically will confirm the contention I made earlier, that you first 4 SET UP POSTS, were a clever disguise to cover yet another thread you created which will evolve into another Kobe blaming session....

Until then, I have nothing left to discuss with you... as it will be obvious your purpose for this thread an any further dialog will be a waste of my time...

Also, nice attempt at reverse psychology with this quote as well...
"for a person who claims to be a 76ers fan, you have a puzzling fixation on tobe."
Nice deflect attempt Dude... but I'm really not that stupid to bite on it...

 

[cranrab]

IIWII, this is an open discussion.

i ALWAYS bring facts to the table.

you bring speculation and questions.

take responsibility for your skepticism and follow up with facts.

i'm assuming you are grown. do your own research and make some factual claims. this is what separates the SPORTS board from BGOL main board.

BGOL will be here a while. take your time and come back to the table when you're better prepared to discuss the topic.

 

[cranrab]

Again, your usual bait and switch response.

Also, nice attempt at reverse psychology with this quote as well...
"for a person who claims to be a 76ers fan, you have a puzzling fixation on tobe."

Nice deflect attempt Dude... but I'm really not that stupid to bite on it...

i see. i NEVER bait and switch in anything i do. not my style. hasn't happened in this thread. just fact upon fact.

also, no reverse psychology required for you. it's apparent from the words you type.

again, i didn't bring up tobe. GDHOW12 did. i examined his claim and moved on. just as i did your flimsy "age" claim. just as i did KOACH's knicks reference.

but you fixated on tobe. FACT.

 

[IT IS WHAT IT IS]

IIWII, this is an open discussion.

i ALWAYS bring facts to the table.

you bring speculation and questions.

take responsibility for your skepticism and follow up with facts.

i'm assuming you are grown. do your own research and make some factual claims. this is what separates the SPORTS board from BGOL main board.

BGOL will be here a while. take your time and come back to the table when you're better prepared to discuss the topic.

i see. i NEVER bait and switch in anything i do. not my style. hasn't happened in this thread. just fact upon fact.

also, no reverse psychology required for you. it's apparent from the words you type.

again, i didn't bring up tobe. GDHOW12 did. i examined his claim and moved on. just as i did your flimsy "age" claim. just as i did KOACH's knicks reference.

but you fixated on tobe. FACT.

1. I ask you, Mr. stat man, to post all of the lakers starters (all of them, including Nash in the games he's started) in wins vs. losses, the same types of stats you so immediately posted about Kobe...

2. I ask you, Mr. stat man, to post for the Suns starters we have compared, their (years in the league, games played, minutes played) at the same during the season you referenced...

***please post supporting links to the stats as well, instead of just typing words (even though I doubt you will even address these)

My word, if you can prove by these STAT:
1. That no other lakers stats suffer in loses and Kobe is the primary reason for the lakers decline this season (I only reference this because YOU chose to only include a particular stat on him, just looking for balance)

2. That there was no real difference in the mileage comparison between the two teams at this stage in their careers (comparing the Suns team at at the time of that season, with this laker team this season)

I promise you, I will to your points and opinions as I will stand corrected.

However I doubt if you will even entertain this request, you will more that likely not reply at all, or respond with another bait and switch posts, totally side stepping the requests from 1 and 2, which basically will confirm the contention I made earlier, that you first 4 SET UP POSTS, were a clever disguise to cover yet another thread you created which will evolve into another Kobe blaming session....

Until then, I have nothing left to discuss with you... as it will be obvious your purpose for this thread an any further dialog will be a waste of my time...

I'm done with you Dude... Just as I though... Continue with your thread Sir...

 

[cranrab]

although i offer absolutely NO evidence to refute anything you've said, i disagree with you.

where i'm from, rational adult discourse means i can offer my fanboy based opinions and pass them off as fact.

moreover, not only am i NOT obligated to offer proof in my rebuttal, i also can also demand that you research my speculative and false position on my behalf.

got it.

 

[gdhow12]

The coach is not the problem the TEAM is the problem there is not a cohesive effort on their part.....you do not know what team is going to show up game to game....Kobe is shooting way too much but he is the only consistent thing the team has right now Metta is a close second in terms of effort.....Gasol fails to adapt to and assert himself.....Howard does not play defense he may be injured but I say he should have taken his time to recover rather than rush back from injury he was not required but he did non the less and his results have been subpar....Nash is not running the team with authority his first pass usually is to Kobe if he is open and that does not stimulate other players offensive output.....this is a game of rhythm and if that is not established earlier its hard to dig out of a hole....Metta is the second best player on the roster at this point due to his effort and desire to play D....Morris should not be starting.....and Jamison has been discarded like he is trash.....I'm not a NBA coach but I am a fan with common sense and can see this team played better and with more effort under Coach Bickerstaff.....the team has some issues that will not be easily fixed with a trade or system change.......my 2cents

 

[IT IS WHAT IT IS]

got it.

Childish and typical for you... quote all the rhetoric you want, doctor posts all you want, whine and bitch about Kobe all you want but the fact remains, and a stat you can't doctor, manipulate or change is:

And most importantly!!!

I'll send you some Kleenex when he's giving his acceptance speech... may even purchase you a ticket to his Jersey retirement ceremony!!!

Enjoy getting full of your Hate youngin...

 

[IT IS WHAT IT IS]

Oh, and one other thing for you to chew on during this season where obviously your insane obsession with this man blinds you is:

With all your obscure stats, he's currently ranked #3 in player efficiency this season behind only Durant, and LeBron (unlike you, here's a supporting link if you need it... I just don't type shit... http://www.nba.com/statistics/player/Efficiency.jsp )

I know you will try to qualify some pitiful rationale as to why we should discredit this stat, or, qualify how this stat is an effective way to gauge LeBron and Durants performance, but not Kobe's...

That's just your way... it's also funny how you are so oblivious to how pitiful your obsession is with this man, however anyone who disagrees with you is either a fanboy or a stan... more obsessive stalkish behavior actually, sort of like a jilted ex-girlfriend... pitiful...

So do what you do, doctor my posts, or try to slant what you will, I am truly done with you on this one... I don't debate too much with the mentally unstable... I'll leave that to the casts of criminal minds...

 

[RunawaySlave]

in those 4 FULL seasons, there were only FIVE (5) TOTAL regulation games (INCLUDING PLAYOFFS, excluding OT) where any suns player attempted 27 or more FGAs.

repeat. 5 games in 4 full seasons, including playoffs games, excluding OT games.

I don't give a shit about the rest of it (you know me) but this is an absolutely amazing statistic. Especially in today's game
Right on Mr D'Antoni! If nothing else, at least you preach playing team basketball. That's what the game's all abut to ME

 

[Diamels]

Meaning exactly what?

I just think that they look like shit out there and if no one takes charge then Kobe will still take the heat. Also, I've been a constant critic of his, simply b/c I don't like the type of shots he takes. Nevertheless the man's talented and a problem.

This is the excuse that was used when the Lakers were said to have no talent. Now you have team that is loaded with All Stars, 2 defensive players of the year and another MVP and Kobe still has to shoot his team out of trouble Question: If they look like shit now are they going to look better down the road with Kobe hijacking the offense?

 

[IT IS WHAT IT IS]

All jokes aside, I have an extreme level of respect for Cran, his opinions and his statistical breakdowns. Some times you have to fuck around a little bit, which is what I do sometimes... However...

As much as we are referencing D'Antoni's Suns days, and the relative success those teams had, the mark of a great coach is to either adjust his scheme to support his CURRENT personnel, OR, get your Superstars to buy into your new system (i.e. Phil Jackson when he came to the Lakers).

The reason why I still say the responsibility is on D'Antoni, is, he's not been able to do that. If they continue to lose, is management going to fire or trade Kobe? Not at all, doesn't work that way. In NJ, D Williams is playing like relative shit, but, he is still employed, Avery Johnson isn't...

With the Lakers, Kobe is Kobe, always has and always will be, you aren't going to get much change out of him after doing something the same way for 17 seasons, having one of the most celebrated careers ever, AND winning 5 titles to which with all of his regular season success in Phoenix, D'Antoni has none. There are limits to what any Superstar as successful as Kobe is going to change for THAT coach... Phil, maybe so, because they are on the 'same' level, not THIS coach.

With Kobe having his most efficient season maybe ever to this point, I believe it's the coaches job to build his offense around that... as opposed to trying to change it. Not caping for Kobe, just using common sense. If he doesn't he will be one and done in L.A., just like Dwight, who is realizing how difficult it is to play with another tier one Superstar. The reason it worked for Pau is because he came in knowing he wasn't a tier one superstar, so he adapted to the L.A. team dynamic, culture and won a chip doing so. Unfortunately, as long as Kobe is in L.A., this is his team! 5 championships has earned him that right...