Is it time for the Lakers to panic?

The loss to the Magic was the first time that I actually began to worry. You simply shouldn't allow a team like the Magic to score 40 points in the fourth quarter. It elevated by concern level from 2 out of 10, to a 3. Then came losses to Utah and Houston. Solid teams, no question, but it was the way the Lakers lost that worried me. The defense was/is actually getting worse. Then the loss to the Cavs really scared me. Chemistry, defense and injuries to Nash and Gasol aside, I don't think the Lakers should be losing games like that, especially in the manner they did; Cleveland never looked like losing that game. As such, I'm now around 6 or 7 on the panic scale!

Uhm, I won't spoil the fun and let you know how the Lakers and Cavaliers went today. But, Mark D'Antoni, asked about the defence, delivered a rant had to be bleeped for the profanities. Same for Kobe, he had to be bleeped too. Ryan, once again, should the Lakers begin to panic? :-(

Mushi, I'm on record as saying I'd prefer the Lakers kept Gasol, so I'm just communicating the reasons why the Smith trade has been mentioned, not advocating it. However, I can comment on the patience aspect with Howard vs Nash though, and it comes down to perception. Howard has a reputation for being a coach killer, lazy and a bit of a goofball. Nash is seen as a hard worker, a professional and team first. So whilst Nash gets the benefit of the doubt and patience, Howard is under a microscope, and whilst he should probably be commended for playing ahead of schedule, the baggage he brings means he's overly scrutinised (possibly unfairly). And when teams are fouling you 5 or 6 minutes before the end of a game, you're even further under the microscope. Especially when you miss more than you make, and the team loses Fair? No, probably not. But it's the reality.

Problem is Ryan even if you aren’t running plays for him why would anyone cover him away from the paint? If teams are able to just sag a big defender right off Smith then you can’t run really run the pick and roll as the staple of your offence because the help defender is already there begging Nash to give it off to osh Smith (no J). Steve Nash’s life insurance is probably voided if he’s forced to run the pick and roll with Howard and smith on the court at the same time. I actually think Smith is a better player as a focal point because if you design plays that allow him space against another 4 or get him cutting to the basket he’s effective. Smith in LA instantly becomes and much worse player. I also just can’t see smith, being dialled in on the defence end under the dual baggage of no shots and d’antoni’s commitment to defence. He’ll give you weakside help – but you’ve got the best help defender in the league already – all the time but playing good D on his man or within the system hasn’t always been his strong suite when he’s not engaged. Would he be a plus over Gasol at that end? Sure, especially if engaged, but the catastrophic damage he will do to the offence isn’t worth it in my mind. You would essentially be looking at a team that couldn’t run it’s own system. I also find it odd that there is patience for letting 38 year old Nash come back to fix the offence but no patience to allow the younger Howard to play himself into shape and change the defence. Remember orlando was an effective defensive team without any really decent defenders.

The road schedule for the rest of this month is a killer given how poorly the Lakers have played on the road, but barring injuries I can't see anyone beating Miami this year.

I don't disagree with any of that Mushi, but I think those looking at it from a positives point of view probably don't envisage Smith being a focal point of the offense like he is in Atlanta. He'd basically be a garbage man, getting offensive rebounds, cutting to the hoop and having Nash find him, etc. So his offensive limitations would be well hidden. Again, that all relies on Nash being healthy though. But Smith would certainly help their defense.

It gets repeated a lot in the media but I just don’t understand why. For the laker’s Smith’s fit is horrible. He can’t spread the floor ‘cause he can’t shoot. He’s a career 66% free throw shooter and sub 30% from deep. From mid range he’s been a 36% shooter over the past three years compared to Gasol being a 44%. Basically for floor spacing he’s a complete train wreck. He does his best work flashing to the basket ,either ball in hand or on a cut whilst Horford, a genuine floor spacing big, drags his man out of the paint. I struggle to see how he and Howard co-exist cause no one is going to cover either of them when the move to mid range to offer the other space. The biggest benefit it gives is that defences is they are now in two minds as to foul howard or let Josh jack up 18 footers. If they grab Smith they essentially will give D’antoni a roster where neither of his starting bigs can hit a mid range jump shot. I’d be more inclined to go for Horford if I was the Lakers because the one small difference in his game to Gasol is the Dirk like mid range jumper which would slot in perfectly For Atlanta it also doesn’t make sense: Gasol and Horford are similar players you look at their production the last three years and Gasol is essentially the 110% version of Al Horford with his additional length allowing him to post slightly higher board and block percentages. The only slight difference in their game is Gasol is able to get better positioning for more looks inside whilst Horford has been more effective from mid range. Plus Atlanta have a sliver of hope that if the lakers experiment doesn’t work, howard gets the blame his logical landing spot is Atlanta with his mate Smith and then they can use their assets to fit pieces around them.

Astro, I actually mentioned it above, but I wouldn't panic too much, or trade anyone, until Nash comes back. Whilst he certainly won't improve the defence, he will make life a lot easier on offence. The Lakers are basically operating without a point guard at the moment, and few teams in the league could motor along without their chief playmaker. The Lakers are struggling, no doubt. But before they make another major decision, they need to see what Nash can/can't fix.

Josh Smith would give them a little bit of everything that they need: athleticism, perimeter defence, interior defines, shot blocking, etc. He's also a good rebounder. And Korver would bring some much needed spacing, via his shooting - along with slightly improving the bench. If the Hawks could throw in a back-up point guard, I think the Lakers would be silly not to look at it. But a team with World Peace and Josh Smith would be a gamble - that's a lot of head cases! And as much as Gasol appears the odd man out at the moment, I'd be loath to trade him. He's super smart, tougher than he gets credit for, and is willing to sacrifice his stats for the good of the team. On the flip side, he's 32, on $18 million, and isn't fitting well at present. If I was the Lakers, I'd wait for Nash to return, because he's the key to getting everyone involved on offence, and the partnership of Nash and Gasol would combine two of the smartest players in NBA history.

Can't say yet that its "time to panic". Without Nash on the floor, it's too early to tell what to expect from LA. But there were always question marks about their age and their bench. Just read Ryan's pre-season article on the Lakers and even as a Laker fan he recognised those limitations, so its not surprising that these factors are causing problems. I think what is more concerning as time goes on with this team, is that the pieces just don't seem to fit. Gasol needs more space around the basket to be effective with his low post game (hence why he played so well with Odom), but with Howard there, he's left shooting mid-range jumpers and doing little else. Nash/Blake/Morris etc are all sub-par PG defenders in a league with incredibly strong PGs. Against Parker, Westbrook, Paul, Williams etc they provide little to no defensive resistance, meaning opposing PGs are running riot against the Lakers. Just look at the last two games - Tony Douglas scoring 22pts last night, and the game before Nelson going for 19 and 13. And Jamison is too slow to be effective at SF at his age, so the Lakers have almost no back up for Metta, leaving them vulnerable at the 3 spot against guys like Melo, LBJ, Gay, Pierce etc All this points to a trade and Gasol seems the odd man out. The big question is who they could get in return, and would that be enough to get the Lakers on track and encourage Howard to re-sign?

The trade that seems most reported is Josh Smith and Kyle Korver for Gasol. A Horford/Gasol front court would be a good fit, while Smith works perfectly for D'Antoni's system as he allows the Lakers to spread the floor and run more effectively. Smith is also good buddies with Dwight... But would Atlanta want to take on Gasol's contract so soon after dumping JJ???

Teams that Gasol would be a fit on is basically any team that could use him as a post scorer/facilitator and let someone else bang centres for part of the game. Tornoto and Boston are kind of fits as both would like a banger to help out. I think Bargnani was perhaps born to play alongside Howard and would make the lakers a better team despite being an infinitely worse baller than gasol. But then Toronto is stunting the growth of Valanciunas so hopefully they aren’t that stupid. I could see the Bucks, the Wizards, Phoenix, Charlotte, Cleveland and the Magic all benefiting on court but either the paucity of assets they could send back or the resulting cap position makes it pretty difficult to see them going down that route. Chicago would benefit greatly…but the lakers wouldn’t as they’d just be getting back Boozer plus floatsam, and boozer ahs the same core strengths as gasol, just not at the same elite level. Philly would be interesting as paired back up with Bynum they’d cause some havoc but what do the sixers send back? So You’ve got Houston, as Ryan mentioned, who have a defensive specialist that would work well with Gasol. NOLA, in exchange for Howards running mate Anderson + Aminu and dross, would actually be a decent fit if the Pelicans are willing to spend some cash. I actually think it would help out Davis immeasurably playing alongside a guy like Gasol. Big issue is you need to send back a ton of salary as you need to bare minimum match gasol’s base 19m. Then there is the knicks – I can get ti to work conceptually but really only dolan is going to pay for Amare’s contract right

Sorry I was more going by the argument they don't care about the money. They've done salary dumps before which suggests they will pay for a title but not for the playoffs.

Thats why the writers were sayng the magic exposed dwightmares biggest flaw.... houston also exposed it :-) all you need to do is look at the play by play

HAHA! Avoiding the filing? He's getting on in age, and he wouldn't come cheap due to his contract, but there would still be plenty of interest for Gasol, I would imagine. Houston have always liked Gasol, and the Boston Celtics would love to get their hands on him. And considering his passing skills, he'd fit in with Miami, though they don't have much to offer back in a trade (assuming they want to keep Bosh).

Sorry, Ryan, you got me started. (And I've got boring work: tidying my files - I have 5 filing cabinets in the house.) But where would Gasol be considered a fit?

The Rockets did the same today. With 4 minutes to go, they failed Howard every time Lakers got possession, even in the backcourt.

Lakers were in the bonus wit 5 mins to go in the 4th against the Magic and the magic just sent howard to the line...... insta win

Well, the rumours are that he may not be for much longer! And they did trade him once, only for the league to veto it! But he's a great player, has a high basketball IQ, has won two championships, and has respect for - and from - Kobe (despite their spats!), so unless you're getting some great in return, it would be silly to trade him. He's also earning approx $18 million a year.

Lakers wot winif they give up on defence in the 4th quarter