Simple and trivial maybe but today I got what I really wanted with a Laker win.  It wasn't just that it was a win but that the Laker's really dug in, I saw fire in Gasol's eyes as he took it strong to the hole.  I saw a team that played great D and which got in the heads of Boston and broke the streak.  I saw Luke playing great ball.  Trevor playing his normal all out hustle, Lamar was the warrier, Kobe is Kobe, D Fish solid as always, the Machine...well he doesn't quite have the rhythm this year but great D from him.  Overall just a solid effort and a great way to round out my day.  Can't wait for more.

ESPN just announced that Andrew Bynum and the Lakers have agreed on a 4-year extension contract.  I am glad this deal is done, it will keep it from being a distraction through the season and helps cement a foundation for the team moving forward. 

Two games in and you can see the challenge that LA brings this year that will cause match up problems everywhere they go. 

Two Headed Monster #1: Bynum and Gasol - the two seven footers are big, mobile and work great together on defense you collapse on them and

Two Headed Monster #2: Inside/Outside - this year the Lakers have power inside and lots of outside shooting options

Two Headed Monster #3: Starting 5 Awesome, Bench Mob -- could all start for most teams - there are 3 "seven footers" on the bench

Two Headed Monster #4: Triangle and Showtime - watching game one I kept thinking this is show time baby.  So you have great action on the break and then the most potent 1/2 court

Two Headed Monster #5: Potent Offense - Active Defense -- as Vic the Brick told Lamar "Passion in Every Possession" - feelin you man!

Two Headed Monster #6: PJ and Mitch K - this tandem worked some great magic last year and will be a critical factor through a long season.

It was a bit ugly down the end but the Lakers get it done tonight and that is a lot better than the heart wrenching that was game 4.  This team still needs a lot of work but for a young team this was showing some heart.  The Lakers basically lost in every stat in game 4 and while Lamar has been having flashes it just wasn't enough.  Tonight it was Lamar and Gasol playing a much better game, but the team is still lacking in the mesh and chemistry that they had earlier.   The Bench Mob is showing its youth and the Machine and Space Cadet are not cutting it right now.  I love that Chris Mihm got some minutes though he really didn't perform, just a nice kid who has had a rough time back from injury and he has played some solid minutes in the past. 

Now hopefully the youth of the Lakers will give them better recovery going into Boston and that may give them the ability to get in take game 6 and make it that glorious game 7 battle. 

It seems that today's trade must have Kobe feeling great 19 for 28 shooting and 46 points in a sound thrashing of the Raptors is much better than the blown game that Detroit turned into.

Wow, Kupchak really pulls through today with a great trade:

The Los Angeles Lakers have acquired forward Pau Gasol in a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies, it was announced today by General Manager Mitch Kupchak. The Lakers will also receive the Grizzlies second round draft choice in 2010. In exchange Memphis will receive forward Kwame Brown, guard Javaris Crittenton, guard Aaron McKie (who the Lakers signed earlier today), the draft rights to Marc Gasol and first round picks in 2008 and 2010.

Pau is a huge upgrade from Kwame and this could be a piece to push the team to the top of a crowded west.  It is also well in time to get Pau integrated to the team.  Crittenton may be something eventually but Farmar has really come together, D Fish especially with the ability to rest will be solid for a while and there are plenty of hot guards coming into the draft and in general easy to find service there than at center.  The Lakers with Gasol and Bynum also means that Gasol can move out to the 4 spot when Bynum is healthy which is a great scoring position for him so this provides a great flexibility in matchups for the playoffs. 

The bigger cost to the Lakers is the rights for Pau's little brother and the first round picks.  This shows management is supporting Kobe's demands to contend now not just build a future.  You have a nice core of developed and young talent that will provide a good long run.  Overall this is a great trade in my book. 

You go from 5.7 PPG to 18.9 PPG, 5.7 rebounds to 8.8, 1.2 assists to 3 and even bigger from 41% freethrow shooting to 82% that is clutch down the stretch of games and the guy hits 27% from 3 land (not that we need more of those).  This is a great move and if Dr. West got together with his friend Mitch to pull this off I once again tip my hat in thanks but if this is Mitch on his own he has really been showing this year that he learned well.  The trade for Trevor has been awesome and this will be even better.

Two games, two terrible third quarters...two bad second 1/2s...1 Laker team that just isn't mentally there, isn't physically whole, isn't focused on the win.  Still it isn't all Kwame, it isn't just Luke, it isn't just Lamar, and it isn't Kobe not being a team player, and it isn't Phil making a mistake. 

Phil -- why did he play Kwame in third quarter instead of Turiaf?  I believe there are a couple reasons.  First Kwame has to get back into shape and mentally back together and he will only do that by playing.  Second, there is a lot of season left to play and while these games hurt, they won't kill and the two losses may be a better motivator to all.  Third, you can't just were Ronny out.  There are a lot of games and at the rate guys are getting hurt we need him to last down the stretch and into the post season. 

Kwame -- The guy has never been spectacular, he is far from a double double guy...even a single double guy but he is a good defender, a strong physical presence with decent feet.  Those feet still aren't there.  Remember how well the team functioned with Kwame, Lamar, Luke, Smush, and Kobe for the 1st half of last year.  Now we have two way more consistent guards -- this unit should function and win.  This is why the key thing that is missing is some level of mental toughness.

I believe the team is battered mentally at this point.  They have a bit of a glass jaw, if they take a blow they get all wobbly in the knees and start trying too hard.  Kwame speeds up too much and misses shots.  Everyone passes to Kobe and then stands there expecting him to create.  Lots of turn overs happen, the defense doesn't get the second rotation and then next thing you know all the life is sucked out of the game.  The team has to work beyond this.  In the game tonight with Dallas, Farmar started to fall apart but then in Q4 he started to get it together again and Sasha really showed some mental toughness too. 

We need to get players back, we need to get players into game shape, we need to get players into game mentality not for 2 quarters but for a full game.  The 6th man has to show up Sunday and provide some mental positive energy.  A win at home over Cleveland will set the team back on the path -- a loss, I don't even want to think about it.

Flea has blogged about Laker fans booing Kwame the last game:

i am embarrassed today to be counted among the number who derisively boo our current starting center kwame brown
though i was not at the game, and though i would never boo a laker player, i am shamed
i have been following the lakers since i was a young boy, and have always loved the artistry and image of the lakers

I wholeheartedly agree here.  I am no super fan for Kwame but the guy is coming back after a big injury layoff, is in a tough position because of the bouyancy provided by Bynum this season a rise that has moved him from being the default starter to a 2nd teamer.  Just like Bynum has needed time at the position and lots of training, Brown is going to need some time to get back in the flow, Luke is in the same spot.  The Lakers since the loss of Bynum have really shown to be out of sorts and the loss of rythm is huge.  This is the big fear at this point for the season.  Bynum will come back but, will the team pull together and will Bynum get his rythm back, he certainly isn't going to be improving his game right now. 

Booing isn't going to make Brown play better (unless it is from the opposing team) and it isn't going to make Jackson pull him.  I am not saying the guy gets a big pass and a "wow great game" when his game isn't there but these guys need emotional support, they need positive energy during home games, and they need to know that Laker fans aren't just fair weather fans that walk away if the going gets bumpy.  I have been a Packers fan since I was born practically, that has meant some great years (when I was really little) and some really rough years, and some heartache like this last Sunday, but I am not booing, I am not walking away.  The Lakers are the same for me.  In some way, they are part of my DNA, booing them is like booing myself.

Kwame isn't going to be the best big guy in the NBA but he can be great on defense, moves his feat well, has a positive attitude and this team with Kwame, not with Bynum as starter last year ran a pretty good record and Kwame getting hurt was a big factor in the slide.  Let him get his rythm, hope that this little break has provided some more injury and health healing along with some practice time to get the team back into a flow again because replacing him with an aging semi-retired guy isn't going to do it. 

Here I sit in Las Vegas missing the game I most wanted to see this year but my kids had fun courtside...thanks dad.  This was the back end of the back to back and a short flight up but if tonight is what the rest of the season looks like it was a little scary considering that the Sonics really don't have a strong post presence and are weak at the point.  Getting pushed to OT and squeeking by with a 2 point win after so many blow-outs, a deficit of 10 rebounds and 5 blocks and they let the Sonics outshoot them.  The Lakers must adjust to the Bynum hole, they have to get their other players healthy and hope that Bynum recovers quickly.  On the positive, this is a nice long win streak but I fear the Suns/Nuggets/Spurs/Mavs sequence coming up.  Still the big issue is just the halt to development, the missing of these games during the season when you can learn and work through issues. 

Then maybe we can stop talking about Kobe trades for this season.  I "love" the recurring theme that Kobe could go to the east and get to the finals...great he can go to Chicago and be their LeBron getting to the finals only to get knocked down by the west.  Kobe doesn't want to get to the finals except for the fact that it is the only way to do what he wants which is win the finals.  If the Lakers either as constituted or improved through trades or with more experience can't get through the west then there is no team outside of Detroit or Boston that has enough to do the job.  Bottom line at this point is you have to beat the west and this is going to be matchup, momentum, and chemistry.  The Lakers have made one solid trade so far and I think there are other guys who are inconsistent for the Lakers but can bring the right matchup trades to strengthen the team and give it play-off depth.

In the game opening tonight part of the chatter from pre-game conversations included the statement from Kobe that a) he was happy to not have been traded b) that he doesn't want to be traded and then from Kupchack " We are still looking at trades, that would strengthen the team around Kobe"

All music to my ears. 

Now only if they could make some shots tonight.

Three supposed solid teams: Denver, Utah, Orlando...1 has proven to be a fake, 1 (Orlando) is a bit of a surprise, and 2 have been problems for the Lakers.  On any given day any team can be hot but in the last couple games, the Lakers just haven't seen to have an answer.  Last night Lamar had a solid game, Bynum wasn't just blown out by Howard, one of the few.  Still it wasn't enough.  Utah went crazy a couple nights before...without 2 of their starters.  The Lakers need to dig deeper now, work better as a team and get on the same page. Most of them have been together a few years and the jelling is helping but there needs to be more.  This team needs some practice time before they fall into a pit of doom.

The Lakers have made great progress since last year but tonight showed that there is still room to go.  It also showed how well the Jazz have pulled together driving forward from last season.  This may be a match-up that the Lakers really want to avoid in round one unless they make some trades and really continue to progress from team chemistry.  Deron Williams as noted by Sir Charles last night is part of the key that separates the Jazz and all other elite teams from the next tier.  The Lakers have a battle tested guard in Derek Fisher and a greatly improved Jordan Farmar but neither is currently a match here and while doing much better on rotation this year, the Lakers are often poor once the initial guy is beat.  It was the second night on a back to back for the Lakers and a game at elevation but the starters were rested, the team didn't execute especially when it came to taking advantage of places they had them: in the post for one and a poor effort on the boards. 

How the conversation has shifted from the first time these teams played at the beginning of the season -- turning on solid defense and an awesome effort off the bench, once Phil made the shift to Walton the first half stabilized and in the second Sasha was awesome.  Oh for consistency but with a back to back heading to Utah tomorrow the ability to rest Kobe and Lamar all 4th Q makes tomorrows game a little less daunting.  That was a great thank you to Phil for resigning and this is a stretch where the Lakers have a tough schedule and it is a great time to make a statement.  The Lakers really won tonight by cranking some defense and clamping down on turn-overs it was playing with energy and heart and the bench changing it up with a solid blow when the Nuggets went to the zone.  There are still issues in the team but I believe they can get above the 7-8 that Charles thinks these guys are on path to one and out.  A 5-6 could be there and while they may not be in current form an "elite" team that can make it all the way out of the west they are continuing to make solid strides and with a couple more trades or the consistency that confidence can bring and this team can make a run.  Oh how I want a Lakers/Celtics battle.  Reggie come out of retirement for the Lakers, a cool 15 off the bench and a nice drive to work it would be awesome.

The LA Times has just reported that Phil has resigned this is awesome.  Hopefully it is a move that will help solidify Kobe for that time period also though it will really take the team executing consistently well.  They have flourishes now and the youth in particular have really stepped up but not in a consistent fashion.  Radmonivich will never be consistent nor will Sasha.  I am not sure that Lamar is ever really going to be quite the number 2 option that he needs to be.  Which brings that back to management assembling a solid package that works well together around a Kobe centered team, with the master of the rings, the most competitive and talented player in the NBA we could get on with winning a few more championships to close that gap to the Celtics...and wouldn't it be sweet to do it while beating those guys.

Value wise this is Areza for Evans. Cook can score on occasion and his quick 3 ability when he is on will be good for Magic, his defense...well it is right up there with Rashard...actually no he isn't anywhere near that but Evans defends fairly well. Lakers get youth? Don't need that. This gives salary flex, gives them another solid UCLA bred defender and I like seeing them strong defensively because you automatically have offense with Kobe with solid support this year from Lamar, Farmar, Walton, and Fish. It gives them more flexibility in going small and it should help put them in better trade position cap wise.  Question will be how well he fits to system and what is Kupchak's larger plan to dramatically improve the team.  I believe this is more about positioning for other moves than anything else.  Even without moves, the team is playing something fierce against strong teams and on the road, that is impressive for early in the season. 

Wow, what a night of great games tonight.  The Lakers came out strong, faded in the middle of Q2, stayed down but not out through Q3 then bam! The Lakers take over and how?  Defense.  Farmar did the Kobe bring it on lock down defense.  Detroit had changed the game on the Lakers by moving to the Zone and here against a tough team a young Lakers squad realizing that they weren't going to win through offense did it by applying defense which leads to...easy offense.  The energy in the game just coming through the TV was awesome, how I wish I was there in Staples.  Kobe has from a day to day operations perspective really moved beyond all the trade blather to drive a team that has been together, a team that was solid initially last year and which could really form into a strong unit this year.  Management, work on that trust thing with KB24 and keep looking for some trades that can strengthen that team.  Things will loosen up by mid-year on the market.  What was best with this game was not only defense establishing offense but only 9 turnovers.  If this team takes care of the ball, plays solid D the energy will drive them -- 41 points in the 4th Q.

ArmchairGM site has this interesting post on the best trade the Lakers can make with Kobe.  I love this part, if only the press etc. could talk about it in these terms:

If you look at the Lakers' roster, you'll see that Kobe would fit perfectly. There are young layers with"tremendous upside potential" or "TUP" (Andrew Bynum, Jordan Farmar), a strong veteran core (Lamar Oden, Derek Fischer, Luke Walton) and a legendary coach in Phil Jackson.