Dwight Howard rips Lakers lack of chemistry

[HammerDown]

If the Lakers weren't so dysfunctional, I'd think Howard is a cancer.

Dwight Howard says Los Angeles Lakers 'have to play like we like each other' - ESPN Los Angeles

Opinions?

 

[wildturkey]

Eh, I think he's just grasping for straws without thinking. He comes up with a different reason every game

 

[Smoke]

He's a dbag.

 

[HammerDown]

Welcome to the site, Wamoc!

Dwight has to know that you don't talk to the media about your teammates. He thinks that's going to help? Like you guys, I think he's feeling the glare of the pressure in LA. Pressure is starting to build.

 

[wildturkey]

And now he's out at least a week with a torn labrum. And Gasol is out with a concussion. WTF? Did Phil put some kind of reverse zen curse on the team?

 

[Smoke]

And now he's out at least a week with a torn labrum. And Gasol is out with a concussion. WTF? Did Phil put some kind of reverse zen curse on the team?

You know he's grinning from ear to ear. The Lakers are a freaking disaster.
It's unbelievable how bad they are.

 

[Shanemansj13]

Now Dwight and Gasol are both hurt. What are Lakers gonna do now?

Kobe gonna have to Kobe of 10 years ago.

 

[Chilipepper]

Kobe is a great player but I blame him for being a guy that got a Nash and a Howard and still wanted to be a ball hog. That destroyed all the team chemistry IMO. Howard is sort of a head case and Kobe instead of being smart and getting Howard motivated Kobe shot the ball like he had nobody on the team he trusted. Even though he had Gasol, Nash and Howard. Kobe had to be the center of attention and didn't want his spotlight taken away not even a little. Kobe was also super sloppy with the ball this season. Like he really didn't care all that much about turnovers.

 

[jayviabay]

Kobe is a great player but I blame him for being a guy that got a Nash and a Howard and still wanted to be a ball hog. That destroyed all the team chemistry IMO. Howard is sort of a head case and Kobe instead of being smart and getting Howard motivated Kobe shot the ball like he had nobody on the team he trusted. Even though he had Gasol, Nash and Howard. Kobe had to be the center of attention and didn't want his spotlight taken away not even a little. Kobe was also super sloppy with the ball this season. Like he really didn't care all that much about turnovers.

He did play a little sloppy and turned the ball over more than usual(it seemed). Gasol and Nash missed a lot of games so he did not have a cohesive unit like you are mentioning.

you also have to include the fact that he had 21 games with 7 or more assists and 11 games with 10 or more assists. To say he wasnt trying to get guys involved or motivated, is an overstatement, IMO. Sometimes turnovers are the result of trying to do too much...

 

[Big Red Slugs]

He did play a little sloppy and turned the ball over more than usual(it seemed). Gasol and Nash missed a lot of games so he did not have a cohesive unit like you are mentioning.

you also have to include the fact that he had 21 games with 7 or more assists and 11 games with 10 or more assists. To say he wasnt trying to get guys involved or motivated, is an overstatement, IMO. Sometimes turnovers are the result of trying to do too much...

The turnovers are important, especially when you consider how Kobe's ball dominance relegated the much more efficient Steve Nash to a spot-up shooter.

I know, I know, Nash was hurt for long stretches as well, but even when he was healthy, Kobe dominated the ball and turned it over at a high clip.

Kobe 2012-13 A/TO: 5.6/3.7
Nash 2012-13 A/TO: 6.7/2.5

Now, who do you think should have been handling the ball and initiating the offense?

The problem was that when Kobe went to being primarily a true SG, he took that as the green light to hoist like no other, instead of facilitating like he would do when he was essentially the PG. It boggles my mind that a 17-year veteran couldn't figure out that the team was simply better and more dangerous when he would pass more and shoot less, regardless of whether he was at the top of the key or on the wing.

 

[Chilipepper]

Kobe had a Nash and didn't let him excel what he did best. Handle the ball and make assists. Kobe couldn't stand not to have the ball in his hands the whole time. So Kobe was the assist man which in the long run was a bad Idea. Nash would of got into the flow and done a great job if was given the time to get it together. Then when there were complaints about Kobe being a ball hog. So then he would go into a shell for a half or whatever and not take a shot instead of going with the flow and playing a within himself and contributing with scoring. So Kobe would just go complete opposite which hurt the team too. I'm a huge Kobe fan but he played bad team ball all year IMO. The year they beat the Celtics and the Magic he played much better team ball. This year could of been great because his shot was really on. @Big red slugs I like your last post and agree 100%

 

[Shanemansj13]

DH is a dbag and needs to get out of LA. Kobe is injured, no doube he will be back--but how much does it affect him at his age. Nash is old and injury-prone, and plays absolutely no defense. Artest abd Jamison are aging and at the end of their careers. They do have some young talent though. And they have absolutely no team chemistry, coach included.

Talk about a dysfunctional team!

 

[Big Red Slugs]

Pretty easy to identify the trolls around here.

Shane, you officially won the second-ever BRS Ignore List Award.

Congrats :second:

 

[jayviabay]

The turnovers are important, especially when you consider how Kobe's ball dominance relegated the much more efficient Steve Nash to a spot-up shooter.

I know, I know, Nash was hurt for long stretches as well, but even when he was healthy, Kobe dominated the ball and turned it over at a high clip.

Kobe 2012-13 A/TO: 5.6/3.7
Nash 2012-13 A/TO: 6.7/2.5

Now, who do you think should have been handling the ball and initiating the offense?

The problem was that when Kobe went to being primarily a true SG, he took that as the green light to hoist like no other, instead of facilitating like he would do when he was essentially the PG. It boggles my mind that a 17-year veteran couldn't figure out that the team was simply better and more dangerous when he would pass more and shoot less, regardless of whether he was at the top of the key or on the wing.

I agree totally, and of course nash should of been the initiator of the offense. Thats why i said Kobe was trying to do too much which is a negative in a team sport

 

[Vitamike]

What is the comparative sample size BSR?

 

[Vitamike]

Kobe had a Nash and didn't let him excel what he did best. Handle the ball and make assists. Kobe couldn't stand not to have the ball in his hands the whole time. So Kobe was the assist man which in the long run was a bad Idea. Nash would of got into the flow and done a great job if was given the time to get it together. Then when there were complaints about Kobe being a ball hog. So then he would go into a shell for a half or whatever and not take a shot instead of going with the flow and playing a within himself and contributing with scoring. So Kobe would just go complete opposite which hurt the team too. I'm a huge Kobe fan but he played bad team ball all year IMO. The year they beat the Celtics and the Magic he played much better team ball. This year could of been great because his shot was really on. @Big red slugs I like your last post and agree 100%

Chilipepper, you sound very familiar, could our paths have crossed once before? Or maybe another indirect question, do you reside in Hawaii?

~ Vita

 

[OutlawImmortal]

I felt like it was a freak year for Nash, he never got injured during his career and then the hamstring thing was bad luck. Matt Kemp for the Dodgers had hamstring issues last year and it really bothered him in a sport where you run a lot less, and a whole lot less than a point guard.

I rarely saw Nash give it up to Dwight this year btw...

The problem was that when Kobe went to being primarily a true SG, he took that as the green light to hoist like no other, instead of facilitating like he would do when he was essentially the PG. It boggles my mind that a 17-year veteran couldn't figure out that the team was simply better and more dangerous when he would pass more and shoot less, regardless of whether he was at the top of the key or on the wing.

Isn't that what we wanted though? Kobe to be able to go 1 on 1 with Nash controlling things and an incredibly strong post presence with Dwight and the most skilled big in the league Pau. Kobe wasn't supposed to be the PG again this year but Nash's roller coaster ride of a season kept making him change roles when the Lakers needed it. Dwight wasn't at 100% most of the season, Pau was being passive most of the season, Nash had a weird year, Jordan Hill was hurt and he was our main energy guy off the bench, Antwan stunk it up for a good part of the year then got it together in the 2nd half, Meeks wasn't the knockdown shooter we thought we were getting, Blake played well when he wasn't hurt, Earl Clark played great for a stretch then went back to being okay. So you tell me who was Kobe supposed to pass it to on most nights? He could facilitate all he wants but it won't do you any good if no one is hitting their shots. The stats are misleading because as I've said in the pass, when the team is hot Kobe gets 10+ assists and when they're not it makes him look like a ballhog because he has no choice but to hoist the team on his shoulders. Kobe had a ton of turnovers in the 4th quarter, most of time when he was tired, but how many times did the Lakers just stand around and watch him try to win the game by himself. The chemistry has been terrible since day one and I know you guys don't like the injury talk but when half of your team is out in the playoffs it has to acknowledged.


Not to mention this is all in a scheme that doesn't cater to your second best player in Dwight Howard. Lakers were doomed as soon as Kobe went down.

 

[OutlawImmortal]

Im pretty sure it's the general consensus in the Laker organization that without Kobe's "ballhogging" the Lakers wouldn't have even made the playoffs and would have been even more embarrassed than we are right now.

 

[Big Red Slugs]

Isn't that what we wanted though? Kobe to be able to go 1 on 1 with Nash controlling things and an incredibly strong post presence with Dwight and the most skilled big in the league Pau.

We wanted/needed the Lakers to play like a team. That does not, can not, and will not ever happen when one guy decides to go 1-on-1 for 4- to 6-minute stretches of the game. It kills both the offense and defense.

What we needed was a good coach to identify the players' roles better, then maybe we could have mixed it up more evenly like you described.

Ultimately, we missed out on playing to our strengths a lot this season, and I think that was down low.

Kobe wasn't supposed to be the PG again this year but Nash's roller coaster ride of a season kept making him change roles when the Lakers needed it.

Kobe ran the point even when Nash was healthy. It's inexcusable they couldn't get this hammered out, and I lay the blame on D'Antoni being a sorry leader, Kobe being a sorry leader, and Nash being a sorry leader.

Someone needed to step up and make the right decision. We ended up with Kobe making the wrong decision, unfortunately.

So you tell me who was Kobe supposed to pass it to on most nights?

The open man. There are always 4 other NBA players on the court at all times. Just play basketball, the right way. How can you deny how effective the team was when Kobe did that, as opposed to when he tried to do it on his own?

The stats are misleading because as I've said in the pass, when the team is hot Kobe gets 10+ assists and when they're not it makes him look like a ballhog because he has no choice but to hoist the team on his shoulders.

I see the correlation differently. I think the team was hot precisely BECAUSE they were involved.

Kobe had a ton of turnovers in the 4th quarter, most of time when he was tired, but how many times did the Lakers just stand around and watch him try to win the game by himself.

The standing around by Kobe's teammates is not a new phenomenon this season. Kobe is the common denominator throughout the years, not his individual teammates.

The chemistry has been terrible since day one and I know you guys don't like the injury talk but when half of your team is out in the playoffs it has to acknowledged.

Agree, I just think it gets overdone a bit. More than anything, it just bothered me that D'Antoni not only let the excuse drag on all season but he actually went out of his way to bring it up over and over again. No coach does that. It was a transparent, sorry attempt at covering his own butt.

Not to mention this is all in a scheme that doesn't cater to your second best player in Dwight Howard. Lakers were doomed as soon as Kobe went down.

Of course they were. But please recognize that the Lakers were doomed unless Kobe played the right way anyway.

 

[Big Red Slugs]

Im pretty sure it's the general consensus in the Laker organization that without Kobe's "ballhogging" the Lakers wouldn't have even made the playoffs and would have been even more embarrassed than we are right now.

Have to disagree.

Basketball is a team sport. I don't want to seem like a Kobe hater, but just look at the Lakers record post-MEM meeting, where Kobe was told to pass more and shoot less, and compare that record to the Lakers record before that meeting. And if you look at Kobe's stats after that meeting, you cannot come to any other conclusion than the fact that the Lakers were/are a much more dangerous and successful team when Kobe shoots less and passes more.

But basic basketball knowledge should have told you that anyway. Sorry, just being real.