We all owe a debt of gratitude to the Laker FO for their humanitarian and politically correct decision to employ those less fortunate than those still living. The FO is a shining light showing us the way to greater tolerance, and right thinking! After all, we must not discriminate on the superficial basis, as other franchises do, of their players being capable of playing basketball.

I agree that it's not totally fair to judge with out Pau playing.
Lamar changes the bench quite a bit. I think it shows because they look like a squad with no identity, with out their leader.
Granted, they are not the best bench, nor have they ever been.
But, in reality what team has the mass of talent in their starting 5, and sixth man that the Lakers have? Furthermore, most teams only go about 7 players deep as far as dependable players. And that is with out superstars at every position of the starting lineup.

I'm not making excuse for the bench. I agree, I would like the to be better. But given the Lakers have no money after spending on the top 6. What TALENT are you gonna find for the pay checks the bench get?
Who wants to trade quality low pay check players for any of our bench?

Now I know, some of you will shout bloody murder about Luke's paycheck. Luke aside, the bench is not paid much.

I guess I'm saying... This is the bench the Lakers have, they won with it last year, and they can win with it again. Get Lamar back as 6th man to lead them and it will be good.

I'd like to point out a positive about the bench.

Josh Powell is playing well. If he keeps getting minutes, he could become this years Trevor Ariza.

In a now well-established Laker tradition, let's take the latest snapshot of the performance of the Laker Undead.

Game 5: (at Houston)

Zombie Squad: 16 piddling points; +/- = - 6

Houston Reserves: 28 points


Let's all give them a collective accolade, which in their case can only be demonstrated by intoning a smelly, collective fart...

Even as Zombies, these guys are a laughing stock.

We all owe a debt of gratitude to the Laker FO for their humanitarian and politically correct decision to employ those less fortunate than those still living. The FO is a shining light showing us the way to greater tolerance, and right thinking! After all, we must not discriminate on the superficial basis, as other franchises do, of their players being capable of playing basketball.

I think it's not only bench's guys fault. Coach have also a part. When you have a rotation of 6 guys playing around 30' or so (DFish, Kobe, Artest, Pau Drew, Odom), and you try not to make mixtures with the other guys, you're making the 2nd unit feel like that, like the "garbage-time" unit. So, when you need them for big-time minutes, they use to crash.

And, of course, we don´t have enough talent coming from the bench. I think Brown is what we've already seen, Powell could be an improvement, but with Pau, Lamar and even Artest he will have limited minutes, Walton is what he is, Vujacic is just thinking about girls and houses, Mbenga is going to have more playing time...in the Playstation, and finally Farmar needs to play as starter for 20 games to be sure about him. A. Morrison could be useful if Kobe, Artest, Lamar & Walton got injured at the same time.

NBA has the salary's cap for something. If you want to pay, ok, it doesn´t matter, pay a ton of money in taxes. If you don´t, you still will have a great starter five, with a bunch of warmers coming from the bench. Good 6th men are a luxury, don´t forget Odom. They're overpaid, and happy to be there, to play 8' per night, make a couple of shots, and get another ring 'till the end of the season.

Hopefully, when Pau was back on the starter rotation, we can make better starter/2n unit mixtures.

Tonight the Laker FO went out and spent millions of dollars for a temporary one-night antidote for Tetrodotoxin! We saw signs that on a game-by-game basis, for three or four hours, that it is possible to reanimate some of our bench players from their normal state of perennial zombification!

So, good job Zombie Squad, for tonight not Zombie. However, the antidote is too expensive to be used often. They are doubtless already again in their normal state of total Zombie.

I hate to be a buzz kill, but the correct formula would be -50 + 22. It was a -28 point swing, and the Lakers lost by 26. The whole team played bad.

I blame the Nuggets fans. Are they insane? What are they thinking supporting ALL their players and cheering as if winning games was an amenity that supported the life and well-being to their fandom! They should be fickle and nonchalant, and complain that JR Smith missed too many shots and that they were lucky to get away with this win! Where are the trade demands? Where is the whipping boy? Nonexistent.

These Nugget fans are not true fans. Their deafening cheers and well-orchestrated waves of delightful screaming shows weakness.

I know. I know. Sometimes I just like to pretend to be dumb, just because it looks worse! The fact remains that we would have won on the play of our Starters by 3 points, and instead lost by 25! Had the Zombies played even, we would have won.

I know. I know. Sometimes I just like to pretend to be dumb, just because it looks worse! The fact remains that we would have won on the play of our Starters by 3 points, and instead lost by 25! Had the Zombies played even, we would have won.

Farmar has value, as either a good backup pg or trade bait. Sasha is as useless as a ninety year old at a disco. I pray Mitch can do a Vlad Rad and swindle some gem from another team. We have to hope that Sasha gets hot for a few games which will show off his potential, then "ship his a** out." I am sick of him coming in at key moments, like tonight when we were about nine points down, and mis-firing us out of contention.

I agree with those sentiments....

yup... farmar is whatever and his contract expires after this season. sasha and/or morrison needs to go. i dunno who is gunna take sasha though, haha.

I hate to be a buzz kill, but the correct formula would be -50 + 22. It was a -28 point swing, and the Lakers lost by 26. The whole team played bad.

I blame the Nuggets fans. Are they insane? What are they thinking supporting ALL their players and cheering as if winning games was an amenity that supported the life and well-being to their fandom! They should be fickle and nonchalant, and complain that JR Smith missed too many shots and that they were lucky to get away with this win! Where are the trade demands? Where is the whipping boy? Nonexistent.

These Nugget fans are not true fans. Their deafening cheers and well-orchestrated waves of delightful screaming shows weakness.

Well, how did our fair-haired little hen biddies do last night?

Against Detroit.

The Pissed Ons Reserves: +/- = +8 and a totally dominating 52 points!

Zombie Squad: +/- = - 10, and a piddling 30 points.

We really got an eyeful of the powerfully, mind-boggling total domination that our wimps can instill in the quaking hearts of our opponent. Our Starters spotted them a 28 point lead, and with our fantastically gifted warriors on the floor, Powell, Mbenga, Hot Dog Hero (boy can he chuck up the prayers never answered!), Brick Layer, and Brown, well, they did real well, for them I mean, they managed to keep the other team from coming back too much! With all their battling skills they limited the counterparts (mostly reserves) to coming back from 28 points to a measly 7 points!

Good job, zombies! Zombies, please place a well-aimed kiss on the collective butts of all Laker fans, you wusses!