Ron Artest suspended one game

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by Kirobaito

http://twitter.com/#!/KevinDing/stat...34850172837888

"Without Artest, Lakers are (for now, at least) listing Shannon Brown as starting SG and Kobe as SF for Friday night."

Huzzah!

Mavs win... by a lot.

[mavs777]

Originally Posted by Dtownsfinest

I was hoping to see Artest chunk up some more bad shots for game 3. Guess I can rule that out.

instead you will get barnes, an even worse shooter, and Shannon Brown who seems to think he is the second coming of Allen Iverson

[jthig32]

Norm was emphatically arguing last segment that Artest being out is bad for the Mavs. Emphatically.

I tried to call in but no one answered the phone. I was yelling at my radio during the entire segment.

I mean, honestly, look at the match ups. This means Stevenson can guard Brown/Barnes, Marion can guard Kobe and Kidd can rest by keeping an eye on Fisher. Also, if Kobe wants to guard Kidd (which was a big factor in the last game), Marion is going to have a big size advantage over whoever is guarding him. That will mean more post options and probably more rebounding. Or Kobe will have to stick with Marion, meaning Kidd will have a MUCH easier time running the offense and Marion will still have a size advantage in the rebounding department.

This also makes it much easier to hide Terry and Barea. Kobe at SF completely negates a big match up problem for us.

This is a very important break for the Mavs. There is absolutely no case to be made for it being good for the Lakers. None.

[SMC0007]

I might give Lamar a shot starting at the 3 if I had to PHIL the coaches shoes.

[LonghornDub]

Originally Posted by jthig32

This is a very important break for the Mavs. There is absolutely no case to be made for it being good for the Lakers. None.

Yep.

[Kidd Karma]

Originally Posted by jthig32

Norm was emphatically arguing last segment that Artest being out is bad for the Mavs. Emphatically.

I tried to call in but no one answered the phone. I was yelling at my radio during the entire segment.

I mean, honestly, look at the match ups. This means Stevenson can guard Brown/Barnes, Marion can guard Kobe and Kidd can rest by keeping an eye on Fisher. Also, if Kobe wants to guard Kidd (which was a big factor in the last game), Marion is going to have a big size advantage over whoever is guarding him. That will mean more post options and probably more rebounding. Or Kobe will have to stick with Marion, meaning Kidd will have a MUCH easier time running the offense and Marion will still have a size advantage in the rebounding department.

This also makes it much easier to hide Terry and Barea. Kobe at SF completely negates a big match up problem for us.

This is a very important break for the Mavs. There is absolutely no case to be made for it being good for the Lakers. None.

Well this is just the starters, I'm sure just like Stevenson, it can be a 5 minute thing to start both halves, this is more or less their elimination game. PJax thinks this is their best lineup without Artest, we'll see, he always has the Odom card in his back pocket. That's the scary lineup with Odom running the point from the 3 spot.

[jthig32]

Originally Posted by Kidd Karma

Well this is just the starters, I'm sure just like Stevenson, it can be a 5 minute thing to start both halves, this is more or less their elimination game. PJax thinks this is their best lineup without Artest, we'll see, he always has the Odom card in his back pocket. That's the scary lineup with Odom running the point from the 3 spot.

But Lamar Odom isn't a small forward. He basically never plays small forward. I'm not real concerned about that.

[Kidd Karma]

Originally Posted by jthig32

But Lamar Odom isn't a small forward. He basically never plays small forward. I'm not real concerned about that.

Boy I missed the boat on this one. He came into the league as a 3. Thought he still had the skills for the 3 spot....but looks like PJax has reworked his game to fit the triangle....actually great news if he hasn't manned the 3 spot for years.

[SMC0007]

Odumb could play SF minutes in this series. He may not be able to run the floor with Marion but he can match up in the half court. I thought I saw Bynum, Gasol and Odom on the floor together last game. Not sure if coach wants to lose the punch and versatility off the bench by starting him but in this matchup he could.

[jthig32]

I think if Odom was an effective SF they would have been playing him there regularly over the course of the last few seasons. He's clearly a better player than Artest, and it would allow them to keep Bynum and Gasol on the court during crunch time.

Think about that for a second...the Lakers think so little of Odom's ability at SF that they bench Bynum for their closing lineup in order to get Odom in the lineup at PF.

I'm not worried about Odom at SF at all.

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by jthig32

I think if Odom was an effective SF they would have been playing him there regularly over the course of the last few seasons. He's clearly a better player than Artest, and it would allow them to keep Bynum and Gasol on the court during crunch time.

Think about that for a second...the Lakers think so little of Odom's ability at SF that they bench Bynum for their closing lineup in order to get Odom in the lineup at PF.

I'm not worried about Bynum at SF at all.

I wouldn't worry about Bynum at SF either.

I wouldn't worry about Odom much at SF as well. Just stating the fact that they could use him there in a bind. The way you put it doesn't give any credit to the versatility and potential to exploit matchups that Odom causes. It's more about the match ups than the position.

[jthig32]

Originally Posted by SMC0007

I wouldn't worry about Bynum at SF either.

I wouldn't worry about Odom much at SF as well. Just stating the fact that they could use him there in a bind. The way you put it doesn't give any credit to the versatility and potential to exploit matchups that Odom causes. It's more about the match ups than the position.

I find it hard to believe that he's going to exploit anything at that position when they've never found any other match up that they liked enough to even try it.

I believe I read somewhere that he's played less than 5 minutes of SF all season.

[mavs777]

he has only played the 3 in 4 games

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by jthig32

I find it hard to believe that he's going to exploit anything at that position when they've never found any other match up that they liked enough to even try it.

I believe I read somewhere that he's played less than 5 minutes of SF all season.

Again it's about the match-ups, not the position. I was then referring to your comment about them playing Odom over Bynum.

[mavs777]

The consensus from LA seems to be that Odom is not quick enough laterally to guard 3s

[Kirobaito]

MFollowill Mark Followill
RT @LakersReporter Phil Jackson declined to name a starter at SF ... But Lamar Odom said it would be him.

Looks like Jackson's trying to play some mind games. Luke Walton will start at SF, Brown at SG, and Kobe will come off the bench. Just you watch.

[jthig32]

Well, obviously color me surprised if Odom does start at SF. But I don't expect it to work out very well, and it will take away minutes for him at PF.

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by mavs777

The consensus from LA seems to be that Odom is not quick enough laterally to guard 3s

Fwiw, not all 3's are the same. Besides LA is down 0-2 in this series, maybe their judgment isn't that sound Idk how many times or ways one can say, it's not about the number 3 or the words Small Forward as much as it is WHO they are guarding or matching up with.

[mavs777]

Originally Posted by SMC0007

Fwiw, not all 3's are the same. Besides LA is down 0-2 in this series, maybe their judgment isn't that sound Idk how many times or ways one can say, it's not about the number 3 or the words Small Forward as much as it is WHO they are guarding or matching up with.

Marion is quicker than him, hope we are able to run early and often.

[alexamenos]

Originally Posted by joemoeschmoe

I'll be watching for a Brown explosion though.

This is a real possibility around my place tonight as I had some nasty mexican food for lunch.

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by jthig32

Well, obviously color me surprised if Odom does start at SF. But I don't expect it to work out very well, and it will take away minutes for him at PF.

I do in the end agree with this.

[LonghornDub]

I love, love, love that the Lakers are having to make a major alteration to their starting lineup in their biggest game of the season. We'll see what happens, but I love it.

[SMC0007]

yeah, gotta love it. We have been able to deal with this kind of issue in the past and in this series and here we are up 2 games coming home. It's gonna be interesting either way.

[dude1394]

Odom gets their best 5 on the floor...But I would go with someone else.

[Underdog]

Kidd: Odom makes Lakers 'a little better'

DALLAS -- The Dallas Mavericks don't necessarily think that Ron Artest's suspension for Game 3 will hurt the Los Angeles Lakers.

Dallas coach Rick Carlisle and point guard Jason Kidd pointed out that Artest's absence, which is his punishment for a blatant cheap shot at J.J. Barea in the final minute of the Mavs' Game 2 win, might mean more minutes for Sixth Man of the Year Lamar Odom.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson has been coy about who will replace Artest in the starting lineup, but Odom said after shootaround that he expects to get the assignment.

"Odom will probably play more, and he's one of their best players," said Carlisle, whose team took a 2-0 lead in the series with a pair of wins at the Staples Center. "That could be a positive thing for them."

Added Kidd: "It probably puts Lamar on the floor a little bit more. Maybe that makes them a little bit better in that sense, because you're talking about an All-Star who puts a lot of pressure, being able to handle the ball and shoot the 3. We'll see what they do differently, but they've still got Kobe [Bryant], [Andrew] Bynum and [Pau] Gasol, so we've got to be ready."

The 6-foot-11 Odom, who plays primarily power forward but has perimeter skills, is averaging 10.5 points and 10.5 rebounds this series. He struggled in Game 2, when he scored only six points on 3-of-12 shooting and the Lakers were outscored by 18 in his 26 minutes.

Artest has had an awful series, averaging only 6.5 points on 27.8 percent shooting.

The media notes list Shannon Brown as the starting shooting guard, with Bryant sliding to small forward, but the Lakers have other options in Matt Barnes, Luke Walton and Odom. The sight of Odom at small forward would be a different wrinkle for Jackson's Lakers.

"He hasn't played 3 for us," Jackson said. "I don't know if he's ever played 3 for me. But, you know, in a catch-all, he could do it tonight."

The tall trio of Odom, Gasol and Bynum isn't something the Lakers have utilized this season. That threesome played less than three minutes together all season.

However, Odom doesn't anticipate it being a difficult adjustment to play with the Lakers' two skilled 7-footers. Odom pointed out that the Mavs rarely run isolation plays for small forward Shawn Marion, so he wouldn't be "on an island" defensively.

"I don't think it will be much of an adjustment," Odom said. "We know how to play basketball. We'll try to make the floor as small as possible, make them beat us over the top. It's a pretty big frontcourt."

link

[ech1997]

I've been rooting for the Lakers for decades and I think you guys have a lot of cause for enthusiasm in your forum. LA is in a BIG hole and Ron Ron didn't help us!

I really do NOT have a good feeling about this series. HOWEVER, if they can pull this one out, I think their momentum will be unstoppable. Check out this piece at The Daily Hat Trick talking about champions of the past digging themselves out of holes like the Lakers are in. If the ROCKETS did it, why not L.A.?

[mavsfan1000]

Odom played great at the 3 but we still won. I think Odom is more dangerous to us than Artest at the 3. He is too big for Marion and Marion has yet to exploit his speed advantage over Odom. Probably due to lack of dribbling skills and poor perimeter shooting. I wonder if Phil will start Odom at the 3 in game 4.

[Kirobaito]

Minutes for the Lakers 5:


Gas 36, 33, 40
Byn 29, 37, 37
Bry 35, 38, 38
Fis 31, 32, 35
Odo 31, 26, 42

The Bs off the bench basically got their regular time combined. Basically, Odom played a lot more, and everyone else played a tad bit more.

[j0Shi]

Lakers had no one to stop Peja in the 4th. I guess that suspension worked pretty well for us

[DirkFTW]

Do the Lakers bench Gasol for Odom for Game 4?