Blog #5

The Laker's start of the season was similar to watching a Ferrari stall out while still in the driveway. It was unexpected, awkward, and you had to wonder if the driver knew what they were doing. Those at the at the Staples Center Tuesday night were expecting the new look Lakers to have some great ally oops, some fast breaks, and more importantly a win. They would be disappointed as the Dallas Mavericks beat the Lakers easily 99-91 and were up by as much as 15 in the game. The game was surprising for a few reasons, the first being that the offense was so slow, the Lakers front court was not dominant, and the Mavericks played so well despite not having their best player Dirk Nowitiski.



Grades

Dwight Howard	C	Howard looked like the dominant force that the Lakers were expecting early on. In the third quarter however, he got manhandled by Eddie Curry who might be one of the least athletic big men in the game. Howard was as advertised unfortunately that brought upon the same old bad free throw shooting (3-14). I expect a few Hack-a-Howard scenarios later on this season and his inability might cost the Lakers a few games this season.
Pau Gasol	B+	Gasol had the best game as he led in scoring with 23 and also added 13 rebounds and 6 assists. He had some nice passes and looks like the most comfortable player in this offense, but for the Lakers to succeed he will not be leading the team in scoring very often.
Meta World Peace	F	While Meta World Peace looked in far better shape than last year, his game did not show any improvement. He was almost completely useless as he only had three points in 37 minutes and two of those came in garbage time. World Peace has to get his game together soon, because teams will primarily focus on the other four superstars so much that he might want to change his name to Meta Wide Open Three.
Kobe Bryant	B+	What foot injury? Bryant showed little signs of the injury that had kept him off the court in the last week. It was business as usual for the Mamba who took less shots, but was by far the most efficient player in the game scoring 22 on 11-14 shooting.
Steve Nash	F	Nash did not look at all like the general on the court that he has been his whole career. He did not put any pressure on the defense, consistently looked to Brown to call plays, and did not make any nice passes with only four assists in the game. The offense that Coach Mike Brown has in tact with this team almost completely takes Nash out of his element, which was apparent as this was his only game where he had than 10 points and 5 assists while playing over 20 minutes.
Bench	D	Hill was a bright spot as he was aggressive on the boards (4 offensive rebounds) showing that he is a workhorse and gives the Lakers that much more of a dynamic front court. The rest of the bench however, provided no spark when the team needed them and got outscored 37-17