In a game of matchups, we just can't matchup.

Barnes, Artest, Blakeand now Sessions were better players on other teams, but he they came to LA their games have started to wither away. I really started to think what our role p,ayers would look like on other contending teams. What if Lebron was firing a skip pass to Blake over on the What if Westbrook or Paul saw that Artest hd a 200 pound player guarding him? Would he receive the ball? Yes. What if Bynum had his man sealed with an easy score imminent, would Tim Duncan or Tony Parker deliver that pass? I feel that the answers to all the questions are yes and the score in my Marv Albert voice. Instead I'm watching our team do high post isolations like they've done for years. I'm so frustrated watching this squad who doesn't play together as a team.

Baptist,

We certainly miss LO. Or at least the old LO. I don't know what this one is anymore.

But when you look at this way, last year, with Phil, with Brown (Shannon) and LO, we got swept by Dallas.

Either way you slice it, with Phil, LO and Shannon or this year without, when we get deeper into the playoffs against the top teams, were not doing too good.

If we get wiped out in this series and the playoffs for a second straight year, a loud voice starts to say, "Time for a total rebuild" in my ear.

SPQR: I don't believe in coincidences of players coming to LA and looking like has-beens and we are talking about the very next year too. Better ball movement and unselfish play would help in those regards.

Maraud: this isn't a thread to say rebuild the team, we are done. This thread is more or less some of the things I've observed about the Lakers. Watching the lakers play isolation-post basketball has been painful, there is no ball movement because no one actually drives and kicks on this team. There always seems to be a communication problem on defense and we just can't matchup with teams who actually play together because we just don't play well together.

Mass: you're right, Lamar from last year has been sorely missed and if he played at the same level he would have won us some games because he could have stretched the floor against Denver and some other teams. However Shannon is a player I will never miss. The guy over dribbled, was out of control 55% of the time and is the poster child of a super athlete who doesn't work on his game.

The one matchup that can't ever happen again is Steve Blake guarding James Harden.

Maraud: no need to apologize. I did say I was skeptical that some Of things I saw werer going to change and maybe that's why you thought that I trew in the towel. No doubt that OKC is a strong team and they were buit to battle LA, but I feel LA can compete and ompete well, but how many times do we have to see miscommunication amongst our bigs? How many times do weave to see the offense become stagnant because an isolation set against a premier defender is used? These are major problems against a serious contender.

Harden, Durant and Westbrook all used screens, I say trap the all carrier and make the OKC bigs scorers.

How long is a good question? My answer is that this is a shortened year with a new coach, asst coaches, new D&O schemes, a new PG and some new players on the bench. Both Fish and LO are gone. So many changes that I never even thought that we would make it into the post season so no matter how far we go this year, I am content. I do not know if the FO will blow up this team next year or not. If they do not then this team could come together next year. I hope that they give it a full year and if those problems exist then blow it up.
I look at the Spurs and marvel at what their FO does year in and year out without blowing up their aging team and cannot see why our FO cannot do the same thing. Sometimes you can get younger without a demolition.