Lakers Win Again, Start 2-0 in Vegas

Adam Morrison’s 22 points paced L.A. in its second Summer League win in as many tries as the Lakers defeated Cleveland 88-82 on Saturday afternoon in Las Vegas.

A day after scoring 24 points against Toronto, Morrison converted 8-of-16 field goals - including 4-of-6 from downtown - and pitched in four rebounds with three assists against the Cavs.

Lakers second round pick Chinemelu Elonu (pictured) used his 23 minutes of burn to put up nine points on 4-of-6 shooting, plus five boards and two blocks, a day after he played just 14 minutes.

It was a relatively easy win for the Lakers, who trailed just once early in the first quarter before steadily pushing the lead to as many as 14 in the fourth quarter.

“I thought everyone played hard, we were able to play really physical I thought we did a great job,” said Lakers Summer League Head Coach Chucky Brown to NBA.com. “We need to sharpen up our defense a little bit more and I think we’ll be alright.”

L.A. outshot the Cavs 50.8 to 42.6 percent, and made seven three-pointers to help cover a poor effort from the free throw line (15-of-27, 55.6 percent). The Lakers also held a seven-rebound edge (39-32) and had four players in double figures led by Morrison.

The Lakers’ Vegas crew has Sunday off before a Monday evening tilt with Blake Griffin, Eric Gordon and the L.A. Clippers, set to tip at 8:30 p.m.

Mike Trudell - Lakers.com

Morrison Leads Lakers to Summer League victory

Adam Morrison scored 24 points - including the hit the game-clinching free throws - to lead the Lakers to a come-from-behind 85-84 win over Toronto to open the 2009 Summer League in Las Vegas.

Morrison converted 9-of-17 shots (52.9 percent) from the field and made all five of his free throws, adding five rebounds and three assists to the effort. He made 1-of-3 three-pointers, grabbed three of his boards on the offensive glass and added two blocked shots to his effort as L.A. made up a nine-point halftime deficit.

The former No. 3 overall draft pick in 2006 came to the Lakers via trade from Charlotte in early February and played minimally during L.A.’s title run, making Summer League important for him personally even though he’s signed through the 2009-10 season.

In other news, Lakers second round draft pick Chinemelu Elonu (59 overall) scored two points with three boards and a steal while taking just one shot in 14 minutes in the win, while NC State product Ben McCauley matched Morrison’s 24 points and added a game-high 14 rebounds.

Lakers 2010-2011 Preseason and Regular Season Schedule

Preseason

DATE	OPPONENTT	LOCATION	TIME (Pacific)
Oct. 4th	Minnesota Timberwolves	London (The O2)	12:00pm Pacific / 20:00 Local
Oct. 7th	Regal FC Barcelona	Barcelona (Palau Sant Jordi)	11:30am Pacific / 20:30 Local
Oct. 13th	Sacramento Kings	Las Vegas, NV (Thomas and Mack Center)	7:00pm
Oct. 16th	Nuggets, Jazz or Clippers	Los Angeles, CA (STAPLES Center)	7:30pm
Oct. 17th	Nuggets, Jazz or Clippers	Los Angeles, CA (STAPLES Center)	7:30pm
Oct. 19th	Utah Jazz	Anaheim, CA (Honda Center)	7:00pm
Oct. 21st	Golden State Warriors	San Diego, CA (San Diego Sports Arena)	7:00pm
Oct. 22nd	Golden State Warriors	Ontario, CA (Citizens Business Bank Arena)	7:00pm

Regular season

Upcoming Games
October	Opponent	Time	Local TV	Nat TV	Radio
Tue 26	vs Houston	7:30pm
Fri 29	@ Phoenix	7:30pm
Sun 31	vs Golden State	6:30pm
November	Opponent	Time	Local TV	Nat TV	Radio
Tue 02	vs Memphis	7:30pm
Wed 03	@ Sacramento	7:30pm
Fri 05	vs Toronto	7:30pm
Sun 07	vs Portland	6:30pm
Tue 09	vs Minnesota	7:30pm
Thu 11	@ Denver	7:30pm
Sun 14	vs Phoenix	6:30pm
Tue 16	@ Milwaukee	5:00pm
Wed 17	@ Detroit	4:30pm
Fri 19	@ Minnesota	5:00pm
Sun 21	vs Golden State	6:30pm
Tue 23	vs Chicago	7:30pm
Fri 26	@ Utah	6:00pm
Sun 28	vs Indiana	6:30pm
Tue 30	@ Memphis	5:00pm
December	Opponent	Time	Local TV	Nat TV	Radio
Wed 01	@ Houston	5:30pm
Fri 03	vs Sacramento	7:30pm
Tue 07	vs Washington	7:30pm
Wed 08	@ LA Clippers	7:30pm
Fri 10	@ Chicago	5:00pm
Sun 12	@ New Jersey	10:00am
Tue 14	@ Washington	4:00pm
Wed 15	@ Indiana	4:00pm
Fri 17	@ Philadelphia	4:00pm
Sun 19	@ Toronto	10:00am
Tue 21	vs Milwaukee	7:30pm
Sat 25	vs Miami	2:00pm
Tue 28	@ San Antonio	5:30pm
Wed 29	@ New Orleans	5:00pm
Fri 31	vs Philadelphia	7:30pm
January	Opponent	Time	Local TV	Nat TV	Radio
Sun 02	vs Memphis	6:30pm
Tue 04	vs Detroit	7:30pm
Wed 05	@ Phoenix	7:30pm
Fri 07	vs New Orleans	7:30pm
Sun 09	vs New York	6:30pm
Tue 11	vs Cleveland	7:30pm
Wed 12	@ Golden State	7:30pm
Fri 14	vs New Jersey	7:30pm
Sun 16	@ LA Clippers	12:30pm
Mon 17	vs Oklahoma City	7:30pm
Wed 19	@ Dallas	6:00pm
Fri 21	@ Denver	7:30pm
Tue 25	vs Utah	7:30pm
Fri 28	vs Sacramento	7:30pm
Sun 30	vs Boston	12:30pm
February	Opponent	Time	Local TV	Nat TV	Radio
Tue 01	vs Houston	7:30pm
Thu 03	vs San Antonio	7:30pm
Sat 05	@ New Orleans	5:00pm
Mon 07	@ Memphis	5:00pm
Thu 10	@ Boston	5:00pm
Fri 11	@ New York	5:00pm
Sun 13	@ Orlando	12:30pm
Mon 14	@ Charlotte	4:00pm
Wed 16	@ Cleveland	4:30pm
Tue 22	vs Atlanta	7:30pm
Wed 23	@ Portland	7:30pm
Fri 25	vs LA Clippers	7:30pm
Sun 27	@ Oklahoma City	11:30am
March	Opponent	Time	Local TV	Nat TV	Radio
Tue 01	@ Minnesota	5:00pm
Fri 04	vs Charlotte	7:30pm
Sun 06	@ San Antonio	12:30pm
Tue 08	@ Atlanta	4:00pm
Thu 10	@ Miami	5:00pm
Sat 12	@ Dallas	5:30pm
Mon 14	vs Orlando	7:30pm
Fri 18	vs Minnesota	7:30pm
Sun 20	vs Portland	6:30pm
Tue 22	vs Phoenix	7:30pm
Fri 25	vs LA Clippers	7:30pm
Sun 27	vs New Orleans	6:30pm
Thu 31	vs Dallas	7:30pm
April	Opponent	Time	Local TV	Nat TV	Radio
Fri 01	@ Utah	7:30pm
Sun 03	vs Denver	12:30pm
Tue 05	vs Utah	7:30pm
Wed 06	@ Golden State	7:30pm
Fri 08	@ Portland	7:00pm
Sun 10	vs Oklahoma City	6:30pm
Tue 12	vs San Antonio	7:30pm
Wed 13	@ Sacramento	7:30pm

Lakers 2009-10 Roster

2009-10 Roster
NUM	PLAYER	POS	HT	WT	DOB	FROM	YRS
37	Ron Artest	F	6-7	260	11/13/1979	St. John's	10
12	Shannon Brown	G	6-4	211	11/29/1985	Michigan State	3
24	Kobe Bryant	G	6-6	205	08/23/1978	Lower Merion HS (PA)	13
17	Andrew Bynum	C	7-0	285	10/27/1987	St. Joseph HS (NJ)	4
	Chinemelu Elonu **	C	6-10	235	03/11/1987	Texas A&M	R
5	Jordan Farmar	G	6-2	180	11/30/1986	UCLA	3
2	Derek Fisher	G	6-1	210	08/09/1974	Arkansas-Little Rock	13
16	Pau Gasol	F-C	7-0	250	07/06/1980	Spain	8
28	Didier Ilunga-Mbenga	C	7-0	255	12/30/1980	Congo	5
6	Adam Morrison	F	6-8	205	07/19/1984	Gonzaga	2
7	Lamar Odom (FA)	F	6-10	230	11/06/1979	Rhode Island	10
21	Josh Powell	F-C	6-9	240	01/25/1983	North Carolina State	4
18	Sasha Vujacic	G	6-7	205	03/08/1984	Slovenia	5
4	Luke Walton	F	6-8	235	03/28/1980	Arizona	6
9	Sun Yue	G	6-9	205	11/06/1985	China	1

Lakers pull offer to Lamar Odom

Broderick Turner - L.A. TIMES

Lakers owner Jerry Buss, an avid poker player, called Lamar Odom's bluff at the negotiating table Tuesday, following through with his threat to pull the offer to Odom.

The Lakers admitted that the offer Buss presented to Odom and his representatives has been available for over a week, but that because the unrestricted free agent never responded, Buss grew upset and broke off all negotiations.

Espy Awards name the Los Angeles Lakers the best team in sports

The Los Angeles Lakers were named the best team of 2009 during the annual ESPY Awards.

Led by their team captain Kobe Bryant, the Lakers stormed their way to the best record in the Western Conference at 65-17 . They fought tough battles with the Utah Jazz, the Houston Rockets, the Denver Nuggets, and the Orlando Magic to win their fifteenth franchise championship.

Phil Jackson, the coach of the Lakers, was also named coach/manager of the year at the ESPYs.

The Lakers came back from suffering an unfair and humiliating loss by their rivals, the Boston Celtics, in last years NBA Finals to win an NBA title this season. They wanted to establish their role in the NBA as the best team, and now they have accomplished that.

Congratulations to the Los Angeles Lakers in winning this coveted award as well as Phil Jackson. Fortunately for Laker fans the Zen Master will be returning next season to hopefully mirror the recent results of 2009.

Toney Douglas, the next Kobe Bryant?

If you've found your way to my little out of the way corner of the internet, it's probably because of the title of this post. Haha sorry to deceive, I just saw someone say somethin similar on a forum the other day.

Ok, so obviously he's no Kobe Bryant and its safe to assume he will never be, much like all of us humans who can only dream to be that good at anything let alone something that actually pays. While we all might be slightly jealous of those who can burp the alphabet, lets face it that kind of talent will most likely never make you rich.

Ok back to the subject of Toney Douglas, who the lakers traded away to the Knicks in exchange for $3 million along with a future second round draft pick(2011). We all know why the Lakers traded Toney Douglas as well as pg Patrick Beverly, who was the 42nd pick in this years draft. They did not have the cap space available to keep them and resign their free agents.

Having watched Douglas, he looks like he would have been a nice fit for the team had they not been so limited in space. He is a solid defender, a decent shooter and actually has a mid range game. The only problem with him is his height. At 6'2 he's not a true point guard and is too small for a shooting guard. Maybe he would have been better compared to Allen Iverson since neither one of them is a true pass first point guard despite their size.

Here's some footage of the player that the Knicks were so willing to pay 3 million for right to.

Ron Artest press conference

Ron Artest signing video

Artest, Brown sign with Lakers

Ron Artest and Shannon Brown, both of whom agreed to play for the Lakers, each signed their contracts Tuesday night with the team after the moratorium had been lifted.

Artest signed a deal for three years, $18 million, but Artest has the option of extending two more years to the deal for a total of five years and about $33.8 million.

Brown signed the two-year "bi-annual exception" for $4.2 million, with a player option for the second year. He'll earn $1.9 million in the first year of the contract.

Free agents were allowed to sign contracts at 9:01 p.m. PDT Tuesday.

The Lakers took both Brown and Artest to dinner but to separate locations.

-- Broderick Turner L.A TIMES

It's sad that Trevor Ariza had to leave L.A. His tenacity helped get the Lakers to supremacy. It's always hard to loose a player that was so integral in winning a championship. I wish Trevor the best and hopefully we will all get to see him in purple and gold again.

With all that said I cant help but be excited about Ron Artest finally coming to Los Angeles. As good as Ariza is, I think getting Artest for the same price was just too good for the Lakers to pass on. Sure it's not the safest choice and many would say "dont fix what aint broke" but other teams around the league are making moves to improve and every one of them is thinking about ways to match up with the Lakers. Bringing Artest to L.A. should help keep those other teams guessing and just a little bit more unsure of what to expect from the Lakers next season.

Artest may not have been the model NBA player throughout his career but the man can play. He will undoubtedly bring that physical toughness that they lacked even though they won the championship. He shoots around 40% from the three point line, can create his own shot(although sometimes forgets to pass) and can usually guard the best player on the opposing team taking some of the defensive strain off Kobe.

For a team that thrives on skill and versatility Artest could be the steal of this offseason. The Lakers have wanted Ron for a long time now and thats understandable as he's probably the best player in the NBA in terms of his ability to protect Kobe.

Last but not least Shannon Brown's re-signing is very good news. Another tough player that isn't afraid to get physical and play hard nosed defense and has continued to impress for beyond the arc. And who could forget about his ability to jump nearly out of the gym and get the crowd going crazy.

Vladimir Radmanovic Traded for Adam Morrison and Shannon Brown

By Mike Bresnahan - L.A. Times
February 8, 2009

Reporting from Cleveland -- Forward Vladimir Radmanovic, who was once infamously called a "space cadet" by Lakers Coach Phil Jackson, has found a new team to orbit.

In a move that trims $8.5 million off the Lakers' payroll, Radmanovic was sent Saturday to the Charlotte Bobcats for a pair of third-year pros -- forward Adam Morrison and guard Shannon Brown.

Neither Brown nor Morrison, the third pick in the 2006 draft, figure to get significant playing time in the near future, though the Lakers hope they can eventually contribute to an already deep batch of reserves.

They will undergo physical exams in Los Angeles on Monday morning and could be activated Tuesday against Oklahoma City.

Radmanovic started 28 games this season and all 21 for the Lakers in last season's playoffs, though he could never shake his overall inconsistent play. He is ninth in the league in three-point accuracy (44.1%), but a below-average defender and prone to make glaring mistakes with the ball.

Morrison, 24, averaged a respectable 11.8 points a game as a floppy-haired rookie out of Gonzaga but missed the entire 2007-08 season after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in an October 2007 exhibition game against the Lakers.

He has played 44 games this season, including five starts, and averaged 4.5 points and 1.6 rebounds in 15.2 minutes a game.

"He was a prolific scorer in college. After a devastating injury, he really hasn't had a chance to develop as a player yet." Jackson said. "He's a real good spot-up shooter."

Brown, 23, was selected 25th in 2006 out of Michigan State. He averaged 3.2 points as a rookie for Cleveland, spent time with the Cavaliers and Chicago in his second season, and was averaging 4.8 points in 11.4 minutes a game with the Bobcats this season.

"We felt we picked up two players that have upside," Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak said. "We pick up some flexibility down the road with a shortened [financial] commitment . . . "

Radmanovic, 28, had two more years and almost $13.4 million on his contract after this season and figured to have an almost immovable contract. The Lakers, however, were able to strike a deal 12 days before the trade deadline.

Morrison has one more season left on his contract at $5.2 million before becoming a restricted free agent in July 2010. Brown will make almost $800,000 this season before becoming an unrestricted free agent in five months.

Despite saving money by lopping Radmanovic's deal off the books, the Lakers are not expected to be players in the summer 2010 free-agent derby that could include LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. They will still be well over the salary cap, and probably the luxury-tax threshold, and that's without taking into consideration that Trevor Ariza and Lamar Odom will be free agents in July.

Jackson recently said he did not expect the team to make any trades because of their on-court chemistry, but Radmanovic had already been looking in from the outside. He did not play Thursday against Boston and averaged only eight minutes in the previous four games.

Radmanovic was friendly with teammates but grumbled about his playing time. When he was benched after starting the Lakers' first 20 games, he said he wasn't "really happy with it" and "didn't get any heads-up or explanation."

"Vlade was well-liked," Kupchak said. "If he continued not to play, he would have just been more and more unhappy, and then maybe the chemistry side of it doesn't look as good."

Radmanovic found himself in the franchise's doghouse when he came back with a separated shoulder after a snowboarding accident in Utah during the 2007 All-Star break. He initially fibbed about his injury, saying he slipped on a patch of ice while crossing the street in Park City, but eventually came clean and was fined $500,000 by the Lakers while sitting out seven weeks because of the injury.

Saturday's trade increases the Lakers' roster to the league maximum of 15 players, but are they done before the Feb. 19 trade deadline?

"I wouldn't say that I'm out there making a lot of calls," Kupchak said. "We've got the best record in the league right now. We've just had a great road trip and hopefully we can end it really strong [today in Cleveland]. I'm not sure we want to address anything more than continuing to win as many games as possible and hope to get Andrew [Bynum] back. I don't think there's a deal out there that can make us a better team."

The REFS and the magic strike again

Accountability, that's the word of the day. Sadly, I continue to watch Laker games and can't help but feel infuriated and ripped off by the 3 smallest assholes on the court. In case you didn't notice the title, I'm talking about the refs. WTF is going on that the referees feel the need to screw the Lakers over at nearly every chance they get?

Sure, being a ref is not the easiest job and there are always going to be missed calls and errors but it's getting to the point now where I dont even want to watch the games because I know that if the lakers don't completely destroy a team, the refs will probably destroy them.

There are always going to be those tough calls that could be easily and honestly missed but where is the consistency? One would think that since the lakers can be consistently victimized by bad calls throughout whole games that just as often they would get the benefit of some bad calls.

I hate to say it but I'm at the point where I would like to see the opposition get screwed by little whistle-blowing nazis every time they meet the Lakers.
All I'm really asking for is fairness and consistnecy. It's a sad day when myself, a die-hard Lakers fan could referee a Laker game more fairly.

Where's the accountability? I know that there are people whose jobs are to review all the calls made by all the refs but do they actually do anything? I've never once heard of a ref getting fired for suspicious, or neglegent conduct(obviously besides that moron Tim Donaghy, who was cought gambling on games that he worked)

Tim Donaghy is a prime example of what could possibly happen when some little jerk with a whistle has too much power. Was he just the tip of the iceberg? Who knows, but something is going on here. Maybe its just hatred for particular teams, maybe it's betting, or maybe there is some form of sydrome that seems to impair the vision of referees 4 feet away from a player like Pau Gasol getting hit on the arm by the huge hand of Dwight Howard. Now unless Dwight's hands (and ELBOS) are visible only by t.v. I'd say somone has one of those problems listed above. It is somewhat magical how that same ref that goes blind when the lakers had the ball can suddenly view the most minute of touches when Orlando had the ball.

I can't even count the amount of times I have seen Gasol or Kobe get hammered with no whistle only to send a player on the opposing team to the line for a weak foul or no foul at all.

The NBA needs to make some friggin changes. Maybe do like the NFL and give the coaches a few challenges to use when they see fit. Or some limited instant replay. I hate anything that slows down the game too much but I am sick and tired of seeing teams getting shafted by one or many bad calls.

I guess the Lakers just have to step their game up and stomp teams so badly that the refs can't determine the outcome. In the end, things will probably never change, unless it starts to loose money for the league. As I type this line, the replay airs on the news and is over as soon as it began, if only karma worked that fast.

I just hope that the Lakers and the refs do a better job when they meet Boston or whoever it might be in the Finals(I'm still pissed about games 1 and 2 last year).

Lamar Odom : Injury Update

It looks like there might be a silver lining in what appeared to be an ominous black cloud looming over the Lakers. Yet another Laker player suffured an injury during last nights 116-105 loss to the Hornets.

Lamar was examined today by the Lakers physician Dr. Steve Lombardo and MRI results show a bone bruise to the knee which is relatively good news as opposed to the previous inclination that it was a hyper-extension of the knee.

Lamar is listed as day to day and will not play in tonight's road game against the Warriors, who might prove to be a tough matchup for a back to back game considering their fast paced offense.

Hopefully the Lakers will do what they didn't last night and power the ball into Gasol and Bynum.

Analysis: Hornets prove to be worthy adversary for Lakers

By Dave McMenamin, NBA.com

LOS ANGELES -- The Hornets got their third shot to audition for the role of the Western Conference's supporting lead. This time, New Orleans came away with the part after a 116-105 victory over the Lakers on Tuesday night at Staples Center.

"I thought over there they probably felt that we couldn't beat them and I thought we had to try to prove a point to not only them, but to ourselves," Hornets coach Byron Scott said.
Not that you can blame Los Angeles for that arrogant line of thinking after it went into the Big Easy twice already this season and rode big early leads to two easy victories.

Counting those wins, L.A. was 19-1 against the West this season, having made quick work of Denver, Phoenix and Portland twice apiece and Dallas, Houston and Utah once each.
It was starting to look like the Lakers' only competition this season in the West would be the challenges that the 14 guys in purple and gold presented each other in practice.
Now they're 19-2 in the conference and maybe, just maybe, a worthy No. 2 has emerged.

"We try to tell our guys it's not a statement game, it's just a game," Scott said. "If we win the game we're still second best in the West right now, if we lose the game we're still second best, so really there was no pressure."
Sure, if the Hornets lost they would still have the second-best record in the West, but an 0-3 mark instead of a 1-2 showing against the Lakers would put New Orleans light years away from L.A., if only from a psychological standpoint.

During a stoppage of play in the first quarter, Chris Paul chatted to Jason Segal of Forgetting Sarah Marshall fame and went on to play like he had forgotten all about those previous two home losses to the Lakers.
Paul's 32 points, 15 assists and zero turnovers and David West's career-high 40 points and 11 rebounds might have been the lines that sealed it. But to be the team that's going to take the Lakers toe-to-toe when the rest of the conference has looked like not-quite-ready-for-prime-time players, it takes more than two guys.

"Their two All-Stars are going to do what they have to do, but they have complementary players around them that allow them to do what they do," said Kobe Bryant after his 39-point effort went to waste because of the Hornets' 22-6 run to finish the game.

New Orleans is fully equipped to contend with L.A. -- or any other team in the conference. From the transcendent star in Paul who finished second to Bryant in last season's MVP race; to the All-Star sidekick in West, whose 15 points in the fourth managed to somehow out-sparkle Kobe's 20 in the third; to the token feisty defender and the oop-end of the best alley-oop going these days in Tyson Chandler; to the guys who make the Hornets the third most accurate team (39.1 percent) from three in Peja Stojakovic and Rasual Butler; to the savvy ring-wearing vets in James Posey and Antonio Daniels. The pieces are there. Sure, they are thin in the depth department with their bargain-basement back-up big men bunch of Melvin Ely, Sean Marks and Hilton Armstrong. But even the Lakers' talent pool isn't looking quite as bottomless as it used to.

The recent rash of injuries -- including Jordan Farmar's torn lateral meniscus in his left knee, Luke Walton's sesamoiditis in his right foot and Lamar Odom's hyper extended right knee -- have transformed the Lakers' Bench Mob into the Bench Maladies.

The Hornets might not have started the season as sharp as last year when they snuck up on the league to the tune of 56 wins (the second-best record in the conference) and lost an epic seven-game series with San Antonio in the second round of the playoffs, but Lakers coach Phil Jackson still thinks they're a group that his team has to watch out for.
"I'm anticipating them somewhere in the [conference] semis or in the conference [finals]," Jackson said.

Los Angeles (27-6) was put on notice by New Orleans (21-10) and there's one more team in the conference the Lakers have to worry about: those perennial Spurs.

San Antonio (23-11) takes the casting couch against L.A. on Jan. 14 and will get its first chance to be the team to write in another main character into the West's script for this season.
"We know we're going to be chasing them the rest of the year," West said.
Before Tuesday, it wasn't much of a chase. But the Hornets just made their scene-stealing debut and the Western Conference should be real interesting until the end credits.

Luke Walton to miss 2 weeks with foot injury

Luke Walton, the recently starting small forward for the Lakers is back out of the lineup with sesamoiditis, an inflamation of two smal bones behind the big toe.

Walton should be out for at least two weeks while former starter Vladimir Radmanovic gets the chance to remind Phil Jackson why he was picked to be the initial starter.

Although Vladimir did not start in last nights game against Portland , he came in following Ariza and scored 16 points in 18 minutes.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out Vlad's role in the starting line-up, he's there to stretch the floor for the 2 bigs and Kobe, but he really needs to display a consistent work ethic while on the floor, particularly on the defensive end. The guy can sometimes show some very tough and energized play and then seem to disappear.

I like that Ariza was the starter in last nights game despite the fact that I think he's a better fit coming off the bench because competetion usually breeds tougher and more determined play.