What do the Lakers need to do?

[Boston C's]

Godbe is testing our faith. Hold on, be strong, and you will be saved.

just stop this nonsense plz...as great as kobe is nobody wins games alone

stupidly enough you hired d antoni HOWEVER if the lakers want to be successful then he should change his system to suit his players...that means playing at a slower pace...this isnt a run and gun team...minus dwight these guys are old so a slower tempo would benefit

o and preaching defense would kinda help too....just sayin

[BEAST Griffin]

Murder D'Antoni.........


Seriously though they'll have to make a trade, even if it's a minor trade. Hire a defensive coach in the off season because they ain't winning shit this year

uh...oh...Lakers fans ready to set L.A. on fire again

[Hank]

throw hand grenades in the homes of every one of their braindead fans while asleep

[Dictator]

Kill pringles and Let Bernie Bickerstaff run the show.

[BEAST Griffin]

they riot when they win i'm going on vacation if they miss the playoffs

[Rubio2Gasol]

"Neuter" D'Antoni.

Let Eddie Jordan figure out the offense with Bernie....combination of quick reads and running the clock along with post up's and iso's. Nash is still effective as he gets to run pick and roll to get the ball to Howard and Pau in better position then proceeds to space the floor.

Or they could somehow find a way to get Josh Smith and a shooter from Atlanta.

Defense: Guards need to press and play the lanes to prevent the ball from getting down the court.

Howard plain needs to be better and have more sense.

Learn to anchor a defense and communicate like a real center.

[obonpaxis]

Hope that '05 Artest, '06 Kobe, '07 Nash, '08 Pau and '10 Dwight meet on another time continuum where they all have healthy backs, knees, balls, and brains.

[KOBE143]

Godbe is testing our faith. Hold on, be strong, and you will be saved.

this

There's still hope.. Have faith in our Lord Gawdbe and maybe someday everything will be alright..

[White Mamba]

Fire the run and gun coach, slow the pace, win it all.

[Boston C's]

this

There's still hope.. Have faith in our Lord Gawdbe and maybe someday everything will be alright..

absolutely...dont change anything and everything will be alright eventually

[White Mamba]

Hope that '05 Artest, '06 Kobe, '07 Nash, '08 Pau and '10 Dwight meet on another time continuum where they all have healthy backs, knees, balls, and brains.

and I'm just guessing Pau goes with the balls

[32MJ32]

I'm not sure its worth trying to use logic when talking about the Lakers on this board, but I have nothing better to do than waste my time, so here's a try:

- They brought in a coach who has a system is based on high pick and rolls, side pick and rolls, and quick shots. He's famously stubborn and wont change it. (Frankly, I don't blame him - they hired him to institute pick and roll basketball and that's what he's doing.)

- Without a guard who has the ability to turn the corner and make the correct pass, usually the "pocket pass" to the rolling big or a skip pass to an open shooter when the defense over rotates, the success of the pick and roll is compromised. The only way to score is if the defense leaves the ballhandler open for a shot. The Lakers do not currently have a fit player capable of consistently making the right pass, Kobe included. Luckily, Kobe is doing an amazing job shot making, or the situation would be even more dire.

- Similarly, the have no guards with the wheels or ballhandling ability to push the tempo and get quick baskets

- Darius Morris is not ready for the NBA and may never be. It's a pick and roll league and I'm not sure I've seen a worse pick and roll player get such significant court time at point guard (ever. Seriously). He's the only PG I can remember who picks his dribble up 30-35 feet from the hoop, regularly, when trying to run a high pick and roll. It's most useless thing he can do in that situation, throwing the ball away aside, and he does it ALL the time.

- The other option is Duhon, who couldn't guard me off the dribble, and I'm 29, work a desk job and haven't played serious ball for like 3.5 years.

- As a result, they've resorted to playing Meeks at the 1... which is just _________

- The rolling big, Howard, is coming off back surgery and is noticeably less agile and explosive than usual. The other viable option is on the bench in a suit with knee tendinitis (Gasol). That has further compromised the success of D'Antoni's system.

- They look slow and disorganised defensively. No excuses here. They just need to get on the same page.

So what do they need to do?

1. Get healthy. Really. This is like 75% of the problem.

2. If they can't get healthy, make a move for a PG who is a better pick and roll player than Morris and a better on-ball defender than Duhon. I doubt that's too difficult. I'd like to borrow from Bill Simmons and ask why we have a D League if there aren't better players in it than Morris and Duhon? What's the point of having one if you can play as poorly as those two have and STILL keep your job?

3. Tighten up defensively. Regardless of whatever offensive struggles they're having, they should at least be able to knuckle down defensively and stay in games.

4. Relax. It's 25% of the way through the season. Starting 9-13 in the NBA is like starting 2-2 in the NFL. It's.. really not that bad. It's only bad if you expected to go 4-0, which is what the Lakers did.

We all need to put the gun down, take the chamber out and slide it across the table. It's not even Christmas

[gilalizard]

Go to the root of the problem:

Fire Jim Buss.

[NoGunzJustSkillz]

This team is going to be scary when and if Pau Gasol and Steve Nash get on the court.

[HorryIsMyMVP]

This team is going to be scary when and if Pau Gasol and Steve Nash get on the court.

So next year...