Rival Report: Lakers.com’s Nick Kioski
January 8, 2008
Throughout the 2007-08 regular season, Hornets.com will be chatting with writers from other NBA websites to obtain unique insights on the Hornets’ opposition, prior to home games at the New Orleans Arena. With the Hornets hosting the Los Angeles Lakers at 7 p.m. Wednesday, we interviewed Lakers.com writer Nick Kioski.
Hornets.com: Good afternoon Nick. Thanks for taking time to fill us in on the Lakers, one of the teams most prognosticators expected would vie with New Orleans for a Western Conference playoff spot. Like the Hornets, the Lakers have exceeded most observers’ expectations in the early going. What have been the biggest reasons behind L.A.’s surprising-to-many play?
Kioski: I think the two things that stand out are the development of Andrew Bynum and the play of the Lakers bench, now operating under the name, The Bench Mob.
Bynum made significant improvements last season, but each step is more difficult and no one could really guarantee that he would take another step this season. Most importantly, his improvement has come at both ends of the floor. On the offensive end Bynum has been the focal point for the second team when he played with them earlier in the season and a relief valve for penetration, punishing help defenders by giving his teammates an easy lob target. On the defensive end Bynum has done a good job stepping out on pick-and-rolls while becoming a reliable shot blocker, an element the Lakers have lacked for a while as teams that penetrate have feasted on the Lakers’ defense.
The bench has been pivotal in keeping starter’s minutes down, bringing excellent energy and in many games, taking slim leads and extending them. The composition of the bench has changed as of late due to the trade for Trevor Ariza (sending Brian Cook and Maurice Evans the other way) and some recent injuries. Certainly foremost on the list of bench performers is Jordan Farmar, who more or less splits time with Derek Fisher and has made a significant leap in terms of his shooting, dribble penetration and defensive tenacity. The evolution of the bench has taken the Lakers from a team of Kobe and Kobe to a team that really puts pressure on teams to play all 48 minutes.
Hornets.com: The last time Kobe Bryant visited the New Orleans Arena, he scored 50 points, becoming the second player in NBA history to tally 50-plus points in four consecutive games. However, this season his shot attempts are down slightly. How do you account for Bryant’s altered approach?
Kioski: His altered approach has to be attributed to the development of the team around him. His teammates have shown that they can support him, convert his passes, play team defense and even take the game over themselves. It gives Kobe the opportunity to be more efficient and his defense is improved this season, after having to focus his energies on the offensive end over the past few seasons. Perhaps more importantly, Kobe’s minutes are down this season as well, so his legs are fresher at the end of games, on back-to-backs and hopefully into the playoffs.
Hornets.com: Lakers 20-year-old center Andrew Bynum has been one of the NBA’s most improved players so far. Now in his third pro season, what have been the biggest factors behind his development and emergence?
Kioski: The number one thing is hard work. Bynum got his own trainer over the summer and significantly improved his body. People who saw him after last season and then at the beginning of this season immediately took note of his improved physique. Bynum is still just 20 years old, so he will add more bulk with time, but his work this offseason was already a big step. Bynum also works with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as well as the rest of the coaching staff to develop the mental side of his game. Bynum has played relatively little basketball in his career so what you see now is from instinct and a pretty raw player. Kareem has worked with Drew on skills like footwork and shooting with both hands, but perhaps more importantly the nuances – how to see the angles and where to move on both ends. Bynum still relies on his teammates to set him up offensively, but he has done a good job of creating the space for them to get him those lobs that lead to easy dunks. Defensively, I mentioned the shot blocking, but Bynum has also started rebounding with more energy, using effort to go with his really long arms.
Hornets.com: Lakers guard Derek Fisher, an underrated performer during L.A.’s championship years of 2000-02, returned to your squad this season. In need of special medical care for treatment of his young daughter’s rare form of eye cancer, Fisher was released from his contract by Utah and eventually signed as a free agent with the Lakers. How big has his presence been during the team’s successful open to 2007-08?
Kioski: There is no doubt that Derek Fisher has been a big part in the development of this team. Directly, Derek has helped shore up our biggest weakness of last season, the point guard position, hitting shots and playing his usual tough defense. He is a useful outlet on the offensive end with his shot and willingness to drive to the hoop. Defensively Fisher bodies up well and makes the opposition work and of course throws in a charge or two a game. Indirectly, many of the young players talk about Derek as a role model for professionalism. Certainly Kobe has to appreciate having Derek’s steady hand by him in the backcourt.
Hornets.com: Last season, the Lakers were off to a similar fast start, but faded in the second half of the season, partly due to injuries. Along with Fisher, who are some of the team’s other role players you see as crucial to continuing to build on the encouraging first two months?
Kioski: Right off the top you have to look to Farmar and Bynum, both of whom hit the wall last season and have been pivotal to our early success. The rest of the bench will be needed to step up as the games get more intense; that means Sasha Vujacic has to continue hitting those shots, Ronny Turiaf has to bring his energy and his toughness, and Vladimir Radmanovic needs to find some consistency amid his enigmatic norm. He’s not a role player, but Lamar Odom entered the season injured and has only lately found more of a groove. If he can continue with how he has played over last few weeks compared to earlier in the season, his talent can be a difference-maker.
Hornets.com: The team’s 2007 first-round pick, guard Javaris Crittenton, has played sparingly this season, similar to the Hornets’ Julian Wright. Can you update us on Crittenton’s development in his rookie year? What aspects of the game is he working on right now to become a bigger part of Phil Jackson’s rotation?
Kioski: Javaris has played well, but has gotten extremely limited minutes. The team remains very high on him and the only words are positive. Everyone seems to understand that for the moment he is behind Jordan and Derek and his role is to learn. In his limited minutes, you can see how his team defensive game needs some polish. On the offensive end, it takes a while to pick up the triangle, so he has a lot to learn at that end, despite having played in the system in high school. The question is whether the team will send him to the D-League (the Lakers own their own D-League franchise, the D-Fenders) at some point to get him more game minutes.
Hornets.com: The Lakers are one of the NBA’s most well-publicized teams, with plenty of games on national TV every season. Is there anything about the Lakers that we don’t know but should about this team?
Kioski: The Lakers have played well thus far despite Lamar Odom and Luke Walton playing at a lower level than last season and have a number of young players (second-youngest team in the league after the Ariza trade). Those elements create reasons for the outlook to be very bright and also reasons to temper enthusiasm. We face several tough teams at the end of January and then have a brutal road trip to begin February. The Lakers team that emerges from that trip will either be clawing to stay in the playoff race or will be poised to really challenge in the Western Conference.
Throughout the 2007-08 regular season, Hornets.com will be chatting with writers from other NBA websites to obtain unique insights on the Hornets’ opposition, prior to home games at the New Orleans Arena. With the Hornets hosting the Los Angeles Lakers at 7 p.m. Wednesday, we interviewed Lakers.com writer Nick Kioski.
Hornets.com: Good afternoon Nick. Thanks for taking time to fill us in on the Lakers, one of the teams most prognosticators expected would vie with New Orleans for a Western Conference playoff spot. Like the Hornets, the Lakers have exceeded most observers’ expectations in the early going. What have been the biggest reasons behind L.A.’s surprising-to-many play?
Kioski: I think the two things that stand out are the development of Andrew Bynum and the play of the Lakers bench, now operating under the name, The Bench Mob.
|
The bench has been pivotal in keeping starter’s minutes down, bringing excellent energy and in many games, taking slim leads and extending them. The composition of the bench has changed as of late due to the trade for Trevor Ariza (sending Brian Cook and Maurice Evans the other way) and some recent injuries. Certainly foremost on the list of bench performers is Jordan Farmar, who more or less splits time with Derek Fisher and has made a significant leap in terms of his shooting, dribble penetration and defensive tenacity. The evolution of the bench has taken the Lakers from a team of Kobe and Kobe to a team that really puts pressure on teams to play all 48 minutes.
Hornets.com: The last time Kobe Bryant visited the New Orleans Arena, he scored 50 points, becoming the second player in NBA history to tally 50-plus points in four consecutive games. However, this season his shot attempts are down slightly. How do you account for Bryant’s altered approach?
Kioski: His altered approach has to be attributed to the development of the team around him. His teammates have shown that they can support him, convert his passes, play team defense and even take the game over themselves. It gives Kobe the opportunity to be more efficient and his defense is improved this season, after having to focus his energies on the offensive end over the past few seasons. Perhaps more importantly, Kobe’s minutes are down this season as well, so his legs are fresher at the end of games, on back-to-backs and hopefully into the playoffs.
Hornets.com: Lakers 20-year-old center Andrew Bynum has been one of the NBA’s most improved players so far. Now in his third pro season, what have been the biggest factors behind his development and emergence?
Kioski: The number one thing is hard work. Bynum got his own trainer over the summer and significantly improved his body. People who saw him after last season and then at the beginning of this season immediately took note of his improved physique. Bynum is still just 20 years old, so he will add more bulk with time, but his work this offseason was already a big step. Bynum also works with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as well as the rest of the coaching staff to develop the mental side of his game. Bynum has played relatively little basketball in his career so what you see now is from instinct and a pretty raw player. Kareem has worked with Drew on skills like footwork and shooting with both hands, but perhaps more importantly the nuances – how to see the angles and where to move on both ends. Bynum still relies on his teammates to set him up offensively, but he has done a good job of creating the space for them to get him those lobs that lead to easy dunks. Defensively, I mentioned the shot blocking, but Bynum has also started rebounding with more energy, using effort to go with his really long arms.
Hornets.com: Lakers guard Derek Fisher, an underrated performer during L.A.’s championship years of 2000-02, returned to your squad this season. In need of special medical care for treatment of his young daughter’s rare form of eye cancer, Fisher was released from his contract by Utah and eventually signed as a free agent with the Lakers. How big has his presence been during the team’s successful open to 2007-08?
Kioski: There is no doubt that Derek Fisher has been a big part in the development of this team. Directly, Derek has helped shore up our biggest weakness of last season, the point guard position, hitting shots and playing his usual tough defense. He is a useful outlet on the offensive end with his shot and willingness to drive to the hoop. Defensively Fisher bodies up well and makes the opposition work and of course throws in a charge or two a game. Indirectly, many of the young players talk about Derek as a role model for professionalism. Certainly Kobe has to appreciate having Derek’s steady hand by him in the backcourt.
Hornets.com: Last season, the Lakers were off to a similar fast start, but faded in the second half of the season, partly due to injuries. Along with Fisher, who are some of the team’s other role players you see as crucial to continuing to build on the encouraging first two months?
Kioski: Right off the top you have to look to Farmar and Bynum, both of whom hit the wall last season and have been pivotal to our early success. The rest of the bench will be needed to step up as the games get more intense; that means Sasha Vujacic has to continue hitting those shots, Ronny Turiaf has to bring his energy and his toughness, and Vladimir Radmanovic needs to find some consistency amid his enigmatic norm. He’s not a role player, but Lamar Odom entered the season injured and has only lately found more of a groove. If he can continue with how he has played over last few weeks compared to earlier in the season, his talent can be a difference-maker.
Hornets.com: The team’s 2007 first-round pick, guard Javaris Crittenton, has played sparingly this season, similar to the Hornets’ Julian Wright. Can you update us on Crittenton’s development in his rookie year? What aspects of the game is he working on right now to become a bigger part of Phil Jackson’s rotation?
Kioski: Javaris has played well, but has gotten extremely limited minutes. The team remains very high on him and the only words are positive. Everyone seems to understand that for the moment he is behind Jordan and Derek and his role is to learn. In his limited minutes, you can see how his team defensive game needs some polish. On the offensive end, it takes a while to pick up the triangle, so he has a lot to learn at that end, despite having played in the system in high school. The question is whether the team will send him to the D-League (the Lakers own their own D-League franchise, the D-Fenders) at some point to get him more game minutes.
Hornets.com: The Lakers are one of the NBA’s most well-publicized teams, with plenty of games on national TV every season. Is there anything about the Lakers that we don’t know but should about this team?
Kioski: The Lakers have played well thus far despite Lamar Odom and Luke Walton playing at a lower level than last season and have a number of young players (second-youngest team in the league after the Ariza trade). Those elements create reasons for the outlook to be very bright and also reasons to temper enthusiasm. We face several tough teams at the end of January and then have a brutal road trip to begin February. The Lakers team that emerges from that trip will either be clawing to stay in the playoff race or will be poised to really challenge in the Western Conference.
