Los Angeles (the real Los Angeles that is) was up 34-29 at the end of the first…and didn’t let up. At halftime, the Lakers were up 63-55! And at the third, the Lakers led 92-81, and had fans saying “Dwight who?”

And then, Los Angeles lost the lead in the 4th.

But what’s that, some Pau Gasol/Blake Griffen drama? Looks like someone’s channeling MWP! Defense! Yes! Because no matter how much you try to get back at the Lakers–what do you call that, yes that’s an offensive foul ref, you should call it–the better team will win.

Think you’re ahead with 24 seconds to go? What’s that? A 3 point swish from #24 to take the Lakers score to 110-106!

Think you can recover? What’s that coming now? Some nice defense to throw off Chris Paul’s next shot, some solid free throw action from Gasol.

Think you have some time to call a time out and throw a last second clutch shot? No, you don’t that’s the buzzer…and it wouldn’t be a 3 point game-saving SWOOSH anyway becuase you don’t got King Kobe on your team!

The total from Kobe Bryant? 31 pts, 6 rebs, 5 assts!

And other top scorers helping the Lakers get their 113-108 victory? Bynum, with 36 pts, 8 rebs, Gasol with 12 pts, 7 rebs, and Sessions, with 16 pts, 6 rebs, 8 assts!

Go LA Go!

Get Your Game on tonight at 7:30 PST as the Lakers take on the Clippers!

Mike Woodson – New York Knickerbockers

Riding a very impressive record going in to the final stretch of the season.  Melo’s fresh from stabbing Mike D’Antoni in the back and playing hard on both ends of the floor.  Amare and Lin out providing a nice cushion if the Knicks miss the playoffs for a coach everyone seems to like.  He even has the benefit of being affiliated with Isiah Thomas, a definite positive in New York (the same influence that holds them back).  Sadly, Woodson’s biggest fear is Phil Jackson.  The table is set for his return and virtually nothing should stop the Knicks from making him coach if he is interested.  It would also complete his coaching legacy in the major cities of America, something that would make his next book very interesting.

Mike Brown – Los Angeles Lakers

Benched Kobe last Sunday and followed it up by benching certified fool Andrew Bynum on Monday after his egregious three in a close game with 17 seconds left on the shot clock.  It may be one of the most inappropriate things I have ever seen.  He is a jackass.  Bynum exercised his right to be a buffoon in the postgame: “I guess ‘Don’t take threes’ is the message, but I’m going to take another one and I’m going to take some more, so I just hope it’s not the same result. Hopefully, I make it.”  And I would leave him benched the next game too.  I digress from that idiocy.  Brown came under fire for his X’s and O’s during Lakers struggles (timed with Kobe shooting 38% and leading the team in FG attempts but again I digress) and has had tense moments with his stars.  It should be stated that the Lakers are the third best team in the tougher conference, something that gets swept under the rug.  Brown also gets the crap end objectivity as he led the Cavs to tons of wins and probably maximized what that team could do with the best player in the world and decent players everywhere else.  Brown is continuing his good coaching, extending his defensive acumen to this historically lacking defensive team.  Consistently underrated we will see how far he goes in the playoffs but I severely doubt he is holding this team back.

Mr. “Make It To The Playoffs” Vinny Del Negro, “Lob City” Clippers

Certainly Vinny Del Negro has the most flaws of anyone on this list and the case against him is hardest to ward off.  Still, Del Negro came in and successfully did his job: build a team with cohesion and make it to the playoffs.  Given talent level and the loss of Chauncey Billups, I would be quite content with being the fourth best team in the west.  And honestly, where should they be?  Oklahoma City is first, a team many believe will make it to the finals.  San Antonio led the West last regular season and has better players.  And the Lakers, and their drama, are third but only two games ahead.  Being in fourth and close to third given the teams is close to overachieving but certainly is nothing that should be a fire-able offense.  I imagine another coach will be brought in next season and should do a better job managing minutes and timeouts but again, quality coaching comes in practices and we are not privy to those situations.  As much as I am amused by his successful track record, getting an upgrade is a priority.  Still, firing him with two weeks left in the season couldn’t be more insane especially given where the team is and how little time there would be to install anything substantial.  Del Negro should tell all his critics to zip it and point to the record.

Stan Van Gundy, Orlando Magic

Similar to Mike Brown, people truly don’t appreciate the work of Van Gundy – most notably Dwight Howard who controls the fate of the franchise before he leaves next season (oops, spoiler alert).  Amid turmoil and true talent deficiencies combined with a quirky system, the Magic find themselves third in the east behind arguably the two best teams in ALL of basketball.  His body of work, including a finals appearance means nothing despite molding that “team” into something far beyond what they should be, a potential sleeper.  Many want him gone and that’s all I can really provide for analysis.  What exactly is he doing that is not good enough?  What in general is he doing that is not good enough!?

This doesn’t even touch on people like Bill Self and John Calipari, both successful but always unfairly criticized: Self for early exits and Cal for not closing the deal.  Ultimately, exposure to players and the game create the best coaches at home but somehow they never find their way courtside.  Leave it to the professionals and let’s not forget that just because we know more than we did generations ago does not mean that we know what matters.

Vinny Del Negro doesn't fit

Last night, I came across an article in the LA Times about Donald Sterling, the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, supporting Head Coach Vinny Del Negro. Within the article, Sterling is quoted saying “I like him. I usually follow the advice of my people, and I think they care for him, like him and want him to succeed. And I think he will.”

OF COURSE Donald Sterling “likes him,” he hasn’t paid Del Negro jack shhhhh. When Vinny Del Negro was fired, he was owed $2.3 million by the Chicago Bulls. That amount was offset by what the Clippers paid him in his contract. Del Negro had signed a contract with the Bulls that paid him $2 million a year which was tied with two other coaches for the lowest in the NBA and rightfully so, because he was a rookie coach. Del Negro butted heads with management in Chicago and was fired prematurely. He made some obvious blunders in Chicago and had the Chicago media calling him “Vinny Del Idiot.”

So now let me give you a brief history of HOW Del-Negro became an option for the Los Angeles Clippers and the quandary the Clippers are in NOW…

2009-2010: The Clippers had just gotten over a messy divorce with Mike Dunleavy Sr., who had been the Head Coach since 2003 and also became GM for the last two years of his tenure in 2009 and half of 2010. This was supposed to be Blake Griffin’s ACTUAL rookie year, but he missed the whole campaign because of a knee injury. This began the rumblings of Dunleavy getting fired, because he had started losing control of his players.

We thought we had it SO good

Dunleavy had signed the most lucrative coaching contract extension in the HISTORY of the Clippers’ franchise in 2006.  He had signed a five year contract worth $22 million, which was only behind eight other coaches of which six were bonafide hall of famers. If you know anything about the Clippers, you should know that they do not hire high-name coaches or overpay them. Just look at this sorry list of coaches minus Larry Brown and Dr. Jack Ramsey.

So that was a BOLD statement made by Sterling at the time. He was “committed” to winning and not just being a sideshow to the Lakers. It made sense, because Clippers had just made it to the second round of the playoffs and Elton Brand was BALLIN. Of course, Clippers couldn’t maintain respect and from 2007-2010 they got back to their roots of being the laughing stock of the NBA. Dunleavy becomes “DUMBleavy” and “resigns” as  head coach, but still somehow stays on as a GM. These were tumultuous times for Sterling, because he had to fire Dunleavy KNOWING that he would still owe him a lot of money left on his contract. Also, he would have to find a replacement for two different positons.

But the players, fans and the media were too much to handle for Sterling and he decides to fire Dunleavy. Dunleavy gets pissed and decides to take revenge for the remaining money that Sterling refused to pay – about $6.4 million. Sterling claimed that “Dunleavy NEVER intended to finish his tenure as a coach with the Clippers and so he should not have to pay the remaining money.” It was an IDIOTIC attempt to get out of owing money by Sterling.  On June 11th, 2011, Dunleavy was awarded $13.5 million in compensation through arbritation. Basically double the amount that Dunleavy was orginially owed. Sterling loves lawsuits for some reason, just Google it.

Anyways, how do I connect that debacle to Vinny…

Well, the coaching salaries were sky rocketing in 2010, and it would have been difficult to hire a prestigious coach, so Sterling decides to take on “The Del-Idiot” project for his young and inexperienced team. You can search the web up and down and won’t know the exact salary numbers for Del Negro’s contract, because they were never released by the Clippers. As I mentioned earlier, he was owed $2.3 million from Chicago, so what I believe is that Del Negro and the Clippers worked out a deal that would pay him $1.23 million a year for three years with $2.3 million coming from Chicago, which added up to $6 million total over three years. It was Del Negro’s best chance at landing a head coaching gig, so he had to take a pay cut. For Sterling, it worked out great, because he got a coach for basically free and below market value.

First ever CLIPPER SUPERSTAR is born

2010-2011: Blake’s other…OTHER rookie year happens and ALL of a sudden there is a buzz going on in the sporting world. What was overshadowed in the NIGHTLY Blake Griffin highlights was that the Clippers started out 1-13 and were 5-21 at one point. They finished the season 32-50 and a lot of that had to do with getting rid of Baron Davis and acquiring Mo Williams, who was motivated to prove himself. There were times during the year when Del Negro’s substituting patterns and late game execution was questionable, but everyone gave him a pass because they were so young and inexperienced. Also Griffin’s highlights and coming out party was enough to put the deodorant on Del Negro’s staaank.

2011-2012: The unexpected arrival of Chris Paul, who arguably is the best PURE point god in the league. They also signed Caron Butler, brought in Chauncey Billups and re-upped DeAndre “Blake’s best friend” Jordan. The Clippers started building a team that looked like a legitimate threat with TWO possible MVP candidates in Blake and CP3. Del Negro went from driving a Kia (pun intended) to a Lambo. He just wasn’t/isn’t ready for a job that he’s EXTREMELY under qualified for.

Pat Riley Factor

The great Pat Riley once said that a coach in the NBA has the BIGGEST influence on games that are decided by five points or less and player management. Everything else is ALL players.

The Clippers in the last 20 games are 9-11. Out of those 11 losses, five of them have been by “five points or less” and three have been seven points or less; with the other three being blow-out “players have quit” losses. Overall, the Clippers have 13 “five point or less” losses on the year. Their record at the moment is 28-21. Those five point losses can give a coach a pass, if the team is young and still learning how to develop as a team in the NBA. The Minnesota Timberwolves and Philadelphia 76ers are the type of teams that can use that excuse.

However, Clippers are loaded at almost every position with a floor general who specializes in closing games. So why are they STILL struggling to close out?

So...you want me to just dribble around?

That is where Vinny’s inability to communicate a sound offensive philosophy comes into play. His play designs are so simple that nationally ranked high school teams won’t even run them. The offense is very stagnant and a lot of the times, it has to be a heroic play by Chris Paul or a shot clock beating three-point heave by the wings to save the play. They run isolation plays for Blake Griffin, 18 feet from the basket in which every individual in the gym knows that he’s either pulling up or taking a dribble-spin move to the basket. I have no doubt that Blake leads the league in most awkward finishes and shot attempts. He is a great player and an athlete, so a lot of the times it works out, but when ever Blake gets fouled he can’t convert from the free throw line. The players watch Chris Paul, rather than moving with Chris Paul.

Side note…

One of the things people forget is last year when Chris Paul was a Hornet, they started out 8-0 and were 12-3 after 15 games, before injuries started piling up. It was beautiful to watch the offensive movement by those Hornets and the play designs by rookie coach Monty Williams. Starting lineup for that team was Emeka Okafor, David West, Trevor Ariza, Marco Bellinili and Chris Paul. Chris Paul was LEADING the league in assists with THAT GROUP during the run. For his career, Chris Paul has averaged 9.8 assists and has had multiple seasons with over 10+ assists per game.

BUT…

Somehow Vinny’s “offensive” system or lack thereof has dropped Chris’s APG game average by a WHOLE assist to 8.6 this year. That is hard to do to someone who has been a pass first guy his whole life. It is very confusing that with a lineup of Caron Butler, Randy Foye, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan is somehow producing at a lower clip than the Hornet level above. Del Negro also hasn’t been able to develop his younger players, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, who have regressed after showing so much promise last year. AND for reasons unbeknownst to me, I have witnessed DEANDRE JORDAN shooting JUMPERS recently IN games.

Any coach with any kind of basketball IQ would never encourage JORDAN to shoot JUMPERS from 15 ft. The guy hasn’t developed a SINGLE post move and now seems to be becoming lazier on offense and defense. Just boggles my mind…

Blake Griffin: I've stopped listening

The tandem of CP3 and BG was supposed to be the most feared pick-and-roll in the game, but that has not materialized to much. Worst of all, after two years, NOBODY knows what Vinny’s identity as a coach is. He is not an offensive guru, but his teams are always one of the worst defensive teams. He doesn’t manage players that well and has a history of players quitting on him in Chicago and right now with the Clippers. He is not laid back, but doesn’t know how to get in his players’ faces. The worst part about Del Negro is his substitution patterns and the inconsistency behind them. One thing that coaches OBSESS over at ALL legitimate levels is their substitution patterns and tendencies. Vinny repeatedly fails to recognize the importance of subbing at the RIGHT times of the game. He either sits his guys TOO long or subs in guys that make no sense at the worst junctures of the game. During timeouts, they seem to fall asleep when coming out on defense and repeatedly give up easy shots, such as Kevin Love hitting the walk off WIDE OPEN

game winning shot, earlier this year. Also post timeout offensive execution is usually very sloppy.

SO now we have come to this, where ANYONE with a basketball conscious can see that Del Negro has lost control of the team and has been a TERRIBLE coach, but is somehow in the perfect situation. Donald Sterling knows that Del Negro’s just simply not qualified to be a head coach in the NBA. BUT, because he only costs the Clippers $1.3 million with ONE year remaining on his contract, it makes no sense to fire him. They lose ALL leverage against the free agent coaches in the market, if they fire Del Negro now. They would also have to overpay, which Sterling just is not a fan of. The names that have been thrown around to replace Del Negro have been Jerry Sloan, Nate Mcmillan and Phil Jackson. All of these coaches will be well over $6 million a year and with Phil easily over $12 million a year. Make no mistake that Vinny Del Negro will HAVE to go in order for Chris Paul to re-up with the Clippers after next year, which happens to be Vinny’s last year in contract.

One of the only times Donald Sterling has ever made sense is when he recently said that he is WILLING to open his wallet and pay max money to Blake and CP3. Although, it makes no sense to fire Vinny Del Negro now, because it is so late in the season, they should relieve him of his duties before the start of next year, barring a miracle playoff run. But, I have no doubts that Clippers will be done by the second round this year.

It is not Del Negro’s fault that he is in this situation, because he has been getting chances out of circumstance and not merit. I strongly believe that this will be Del Negro’s last head coaching gig for a long time in the NBA. He needs to be an assistant and learn the craft before applying it.

So let's #FreeDelNegro.

mE – Sunny Saini

The Lakers should not have won last Wednesday’s game against the Clippers…except for the fact that the family that fouls together, stays together.

More than any other team, you know just by watching that the Lakers are a family…and the Clippers have always been the unwanted stepchild.  True, they are a privileged, elitist, admired, and increasingly dysfunctional southern California family much like the one their own Lamar Odom  married into on national television—but they are a family in any case. They function as an emotionally charged core brotherhood—able to draw from that energy to enact spectacular feats and inspire.  They are such a tightly-knit unit that Lamar Odom admitted to being just “devastated” at the news that he was going to be kicked out of the Lakers family. “No athlete,”  Laker TV’s James’s Worthy agreed in post-interview commentary on the legendary myth of the Lakers family, “has ever sounded so completely torn apart and miserable at the thought of being traded. I’ve never heard anything like it.”

This was made clear in last Wendnesday night’s Lakers/Clippers game as the Lakers attacked the 1st quarter with an energy we haven’t seen in a long time—proving they were not about to let “their family” be shamed in “their house.” And it seemed the refs agreed to be part of the Lakers’–rather than the Clippers’ family–again that night, allowing  Metta World Peace to literally sit on Blake Griffin unpenalized—stunning the Clippers into distraction, emotionally galvanizing the Lakers into action, and turning the tide of the game in Lakers’ favor.

Indeed, after this, the Clippers never quite recovered—Kobe’s 24 points and 7 rebounds easily outpacing Chris Paul and Blake Griffin’s disappointing combined grand total of 29.

Not convinced?

What about the fact this is exactly what happened to the Lakers in the last Clippers/Lakers matchup, exactly what Mike Brown has been complaining about since then? How in that previous Lakers/Clippers game, Blake Griffin’s uncalled technical foul sent the rest of the Lakers into complete mental and emotional turmoil from which the Lakers, led by Matt Barnes and Mike Brown never recovered—shifting the control of game away from the Lakers and handing it, neatly giftwrapped with a pretty pink bow and sparklies on it, to the Clippers?

And was this not the underlying question of the whole rematch on Wednesday—who at that moment, when justly and accurately refeered, was the better team?

So the question is: Did the Lakers win Wednesday’s game against the Clippers…or did the Clippers lose the game to the Lakers…and unfairly at that?

Statistically the win does make a certain kind of sense.  Since the disappointing second game double header against the Denver Nuggets sixteen games ago, the Lakers have only won three games in which Kobe Bryant has not scored 37 or more points. And these have had more to do with fouling against family than anything else. These three games are:

1. The matchup against Pau Gasol’s former Memphis Grizzlies and current home of his brother, Marc  Gasol, in which Bryant scored 26 points.
2. The joyful family reunion with Lamar Odom and the Mavericks, earning Odom a Fisher-led standing ovation, and all smiles and 14 points from Kobe Bryant. This game, clocking in at 74-70, was one of the lowest scoring regular season games played by two recent NBA champions in recent history.
3. The now infamous Clippers/Lakers rematch on Wednesday, January 25, in which Bryant’s 24 points, 6 assists, and 7 rebounds were overshadowed by the drama on the court sparked by Metta World Peace…only this time it was the Lakers who reaped the benefits of the uncalled technical foul.

Which brings us to tonight’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves in which Bryant scored only 35 points.

This game is only the fourth time in 16 consecutive games that the Lakers have managed a win when Kobe Bryant has scored less than 37 points—although one might argue that Bryant’s breaking Kareem Adbul Jabar’s record for most field goals scored of all time (9,936 ) and coming just two short of breaking his own record for offensive rebounds (14) tonight made up for the two point gap.

But more importantly, tonight’s game also marks the first time the Lakers have won a game since that sixth game loss to Denver  when the win has taken place without being able to count on fouling and family on the court for support. And it marks the first clear win that must be credited—no matter how much you may disagree with its actual long-term effectiveness—to Mike Brown’s coaching strategy.  

The good thing about Brown’s strategy is the emphasis on work in the first two quarters. And now, the versatile Bryant, as usual, has adapted the rhythm of his game to concentrate the majority of his scoring in the first two quarters, settling into mid-high 20’s numbers much earlier on. Case in point: This Sunday’s game against the Timberwolves, when Bryant racked up 19 points by the top of the 3rd quarter.

The problem is that Mike Brown and the rest of the Lakers are still expecting Bryant to generate high numbers in the late 3^rd and 4rth quarters as well, still accustomed to his end of game kick, which would put him in the high 30’s/40’s on a consistent basis. Bryant–and Gasol, with 28 points against the Timberwolves–have adapted to Brown’s new strategy, and to his credit Brown has made great steps in utilizing Gasol. But Brown has been slow in adapting the rest of his strategy and players to the change in Bryant’s game and the change in the overall Lakers ballplay…which Brown necessitated!

This is how we get into situations like tonight, where an 18 point lead evaporates into a tie situation as the fourth quarter shot clock winds down to 0. With minutes left, we have seen everyone from the Jazz to the Pacers, the Bucks and now the Timberwolves almost take down the Lakers in this now-vulnerable position. And when the Lakers do manage to pull out a win, it is just barely, clinging with fingernails and gritting their teeth. It’s very very ugly.

So this is what it is right now: When Bryant scores those extra 10 points to bring his total up to the high 30’s/40’s range, the Lakers will win. When Bryant doesn’t, the Lakers lose. In case you missed it, these were the 10 points that would have turned last night’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks into a victory, instead of a loss. (Just for fun, look back at Bryant’s score sheet and add the extra 10 points onto the end of every loss this season. You’ll see the kind of ball we could be watching…if something was being done.)

What this means in the long run is unclear. The question we have in the present is: Will this new Lakers lineup and style be good enough to withstand Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Vinny Del Negro, and the rest of the Clippers the next time around?

And if not, what then?

Because if the Clippers had been able to get past Metta World Peace’s stunt—the trashtalking  and fighting that happened afterwards, the anger at the non-call…if Chris Paul had been scoring …if the Clippers hadn’t gotten lost in that moment and remained the Clippers we’ve gotten used to seeing…the game would have had a very different outcome…and we would be better able to understand what this hard fought—and nearly lost—win against the Timberwolves tonight means for the rest of the Lakers’ season.

If only we could go back to the days when basketball was about basketball and leave questions of emotions for the analyst’s couch. If only the fact that Wednesday night, the Lakers—being athletic, emotionally charged, mentally ready, and focused—were able to beat the Clippers, who lost a great deal of the latter three qualities after Metta World Peace punked Blake Griffin, didn’t matter in a game of basketball.

But the question is one of fairness. Wednesday night, the Lakers did something that changed the tide of the game in a major way, something that they should have been held accountable for, but they were not. And in the game before this one, it was the Clippers who got away with it and  then won the game.

Is that fair?

Maybe that was that the refs’ point. To set the slate clan, to let the rivalry begin again back at zero—so that next time there will be no cop-outs, no-whining, no excuses.

And now that each team has gotten away with a bullshit play and had their day, next time, it will be winner takes all.

References:

http://espn.go.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/110/kobe-bryant

http://espn.go.com/nba/team/schedule/_/name/lal/los-angeles-lakers

The Lakers need to help Kobe.

Yes, we all know this. But the Lakers franchise management isn’t doing anything about it. So we’ll keep saying it until it gets done.

The Lakers need to help Kobe.

Case in point: last night’s game, where, after a slow start in the first quarter, Kobe’s surge in the late 3^rd and early 4^rth quarters saw another 40+ point game to bring his over forty scoring streak up to a grand total of 4 consecutive games. Yet, the King’s 42 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists failed to inspire any action in his teammates to wake up on the court and score; the 10 point gap average in the Clippers favor that held for most of the game resulted in a final score of 94 to 102.

Simply put: When Kobe was on the court, the Lakers scored—to the point that when Kobe’s 4^rth quarter end of game kick brought the game to its closest point ever—78-82, it seemed that the Lakers were still in it, could turn in around. And King Kobe continued to prove his title by stealing Clipper ball, passing down the court, shooting a great game. Why? Because this new Laker lineup too rarely power drives after rebounding, waiting instead for the Clippers to catch them up and shotblock, if any were attempted. Mostly, when the rest of the Lakers finally met Kobe up at the other side of the court where a basketball game was going on—oh my, really?—they stood there, dazed and half asleep.  At one point, in the fourth Kobe passed the ball to Gasol, who completely missed it, because he was LOOKING THE OTHER WAY, ASLEEP!*

Chris Paul, on the other hand, knows that naptime belongs not at the Staples Center but with milk and cookies, and used the fourth quarter to knock out a slew of 3 pointers for a total of 33 points for the game.   It began to seem, as everyone knew it would, that the end of game outcome would depend on two things:

1. if Blake Griffin’s rookie full-out aggressive game had also saved an end-game kick to match the veteran Kobe’s, and

2. if the Clippers strategy would effectively utilize Chris Paul to neutralize Kobe’s end of game attack…which would mean all Blake Griffin would have to do would be rest on the bench until he came in to contain his 10-year injured elder coming off not just scoring 40 plus points in the last 4 back-to-back games, but also being responsible for pretty much all defense, rebounding, strategy, and leadership in the midst of a team—and personal life—in dramatic upheaval.

Yes, Kobe is superman, heir to MJ, truly the greatest player in the game right now. But he can’t spend the entire compressed season being a one man basketball team against the rest of the NBA.  Even MJ had Scottie Pippen, Rodman …And anyone remember Phil Jackson?

The Lakers have gotten lazy. They signed Kobe on to do the work of 2 players, and got used to it. Then 3 players. And that was normal. Now, it seems the Lakers are expecting Kobe to do the work of 4 men on a daily basis. And coach them too. Is this even reasonable?

But we get disappointed when he can’t do this every night.

Yes Kobe is the star. Yes he’s a basketball genius—mentally smart, physically smart, and mature, with exceptional leadership abilities, worth ethic, and heart. But if the Lakers management expect their strategy of Kobe-does-it-all to succeed this season, they are in for a world of pain.

And last night, all that became crystal clear.

There was a complete lack of coaching organization on the court from the Lakers. The team looked lazy and unfocused, in contrast to the dynamic and focused Clippers. True the Lakers have been working, the Clippers had been resting. But it did seem that after Griffin’s uncalled technical foul set the tone for the evening, Mike Brown joined Matt Barnes in reacting emotionally and never came back to regain focus and strategize his team. It was right then, in the first quarter, that Brown gave control of the game to the Clippers…and never got it back. Brown made little effort to call plays, effect defense, change up the rhythm of the game. Clippers players—most notably Chris Paul—were left wide open and unguarded. Major holes in defense/offensive defense, and non-Kobe offense were seen throughout the game all night. It did not seem like Mike Brown was running plays; the game was playing Brown and Brown had no strategy.  

Channeling Phil Jackson, Kobe directed his team in a quick burst of plays that shot the Lakers up the scoreboard, worrying the Clippers. But Del Negro pulled out Chris Paul to neutralize Kobe’s 3 pointers, and Mike Brown had neither strategic coaching genius nor second support genius player to pull out in exchange.

Watching the Lakers right now is like watching the Bulls in the last days of MJ—the star is playing star ball, serving up spectacular plays and high point-games, but the rest of the elements aren’t measuring up. Lakers management is acting like they want to kill the franchise when Kobe retires and give the town to the Clippers. The Griffin/Paul team led by Del Negro’s intelligent coaching is only growing stronger, and if you’re not building and moving forward, you’re moving backward…especially when other people are building.  I love King Kobe and his Lakers, and even though you’re probably about to throw up as you admit it, we all have realized that if the Lakers  management doesn’t wake up and do something fast—not end of season fast but next day  fast—Sir Paul and Sir Griffen are poised to stage a coup, and LA will belong to the Clippers.

*Hon. Mention Morris, and his deep buzzer beating 3 pointer to show rookie potential. But if the franchise in turmoil can’t focus to develop him, he may begin to look elsewhere. Mike Brown, meanwhile, was blank-faced, mouth gaping fish-faced and silent most of the game.

Cybill Shepard in "The Last Picture Show."

Some film buffs like to convince anyone who will listen that the 1970s was the best decade for filmmakers. Does that mean it was the best decade for audiences, too?

Maybe.

By the ‘70s, many who had grown up watching old movies on television had learned to worship important movie directors. As the American studio system withered, the fashion of the day elevated certain foreign movies, selected American classics, a few films from the underground scene, etc., to a level above most of their more accessible Hollywood counterparts. Thus, the ‘70s was the decade for repertory cinemas/art houses.

In that pre-cable TV age, much of the current-release domestic product was viewed by the film aficionado in-crowd as laughingly naive or hopelessly corrupt. For better or worse, it was an indulgent era. It was a time in which the so-called “auteurs” of filmdom offered up what evidence they could to support the notion that the best directors of the day were visionary impresarios who could control the production of their work from start to finish.

To pick just five favorites from this horn-of-plenty time is too tough, even for cynical old me. The category is too broad. So, I’m splitting it between foreign and domestic product — five of each. All 10 I’ve seen several times over the years.

Conveniently, by offering up 10 titles this time around, it makes up for my skipping last week. Whether that will realign my dented karma for the holiday season remains to be seen. (No, I won’t be making a list of my favorite Christmas movies next month.)

My five favorite American films of the 1970s are:

“Chinatown” (1974): Directed by Roman Polanski; Cast: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston

“The Conversation” (1974): Directed by Francis Ford Coppola; Cast: Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Cindy Williams

“The Last Picture Show” (1971): Directed by Peter Bogdanovich; Cast: Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd

“Manhattan” (1979): Directed by Woody Allen; Cast: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Mariel Hemingway

“Wise Blood” (1979): Directed by John Huston; Cast: Brad Dourif, Harry Dean Stanton, John Huston

Yes, I left a lot of very good movies off the list. This isn’t easy. But it‘s just a game, so don’t feel bad if your favorite wasn’t mentioned. Instead, make your own list.

My five favorite imported films of the 1970s are:

“Aguirre: The Wrath of God” (1972): Directed by Werner Herzog; Cast: Klaus Kinski, Helena Rojo, Del Negro

“The Conformist” (1970): Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci; Cast: Jean-Louis Trintignant, Stefania Sandrelli, Gastone Moschin

“Day for Night” (1973): Directed by François Truffaut; Cast: Jacqueline Bisset, Valentina Cortese, François Truffaut

“The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie” (1972): Directed by Luis Buñuel; Cast: Fernando Rey, Paul Frankeur, Delphine Seyrig

“Seven Beauties” (1975): Directed by Lina Wertmüller; Cast: Giancarlo Giannini, Fernando Rey, Shirley Stoler

Now it’s up to the reader to leave off a list of favorites from the film-rich ‘70s in the comments section, to expand the conversation. Happy Thanksgiving Day.

Klaus Kinski in the title role of Werner Herzog's film, "Aguirre, the Wrath of God."

For this week’s list of five favorite films, the common denominator is craziness. In each of the movies on the list below, the main character is as nutty as a fruitcake. In each that character’s madness is what drives the story.

To narrow the field, I’ve limited it to movies that are essentially about a person who appears to be getting steadily more detached from the supposedly sane reality around them. Since it’s tricky to find anything like a sane world in the midst of war, movies that are set in that particular brand of bloody madness have not been included this time.

Below are my five favorite films with crazy protagonists, which are presented in alphabetical order:

“Aguirre, the Wrath of God” (1972): Directed by Werner Herzog; Cast: Klaus Kinski, Helena Rojo, Del Negro

“Network” (1976): Directed by Sidney Lumet; Cast: Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway, William Holden

“Repulsion” (1965): Directed By Roman Polanski; Cast: Catherine Deneuve, Ian Hendry, John Fraser

“Taxi Driver” (1976): Directed by Martin Scorsese; Cast: Robert DeNiro, Cybill Shepherd, Peter Boyle

“Wise Blood” (1979): Directed by John Huston; Cast: Brad Dourif, Harry Dean Stanton, John Huston

Brad Dourif as Hazel Motes in John Huston's "Wise Blood," based on the novel by Flannery O'Conner. Photograph: Kobal

– F. T. Rea

The Bulls have been so good of late some people are forgetting that Vinny Del Negro was almost fired (and I still think he will be by the end of the year).  The team is playing so well, it’s hard to remember that this team still has some holes that need to be filled.  Let’s ignore, for a moment, that the Bulls would love to trade for Bosh right now.  My question is, what other moves could the Bulls make to fix their problems and become a better team?

First, I think you need to identify what the flaws are of the Bulls.  To me, those are obvious: a lack of 3 point shooting and a low post scorer.

What trades could be made to fix these?

3 Point Shooting

Here are a few trades that could work:

James Johnson and a second round pick to the Wizards for Nick Young

Why?  JJ has shown some promise lately and he figures to be an interesting player – he can handle the ball, play in the post, beat people off the dribble and his jumper is getting decent.  Defensively, he’s strong enough to play the 4 and athletic enough to play the 3.  This sounds like a young Antawn Jamison, so who better to mentor him than the original?  The Wiz are loaded with wing players and could use some solid big men to develop, so I can see them taking a chance on JJ.  Young is an athletic 2 with decent size (6’6) who can get to the rim and shoot the 3.  He’s still on his rookie contract for a while, so he would come cheap and may be able to grow with Rose.  This move could really help both tams by giving the Wiz some more depth and giving the Bulls a young 2 to pair with Rose.

Hinrich, Salmons and Gray to Portland for Steve Blake, Andre Miller and Martell Webster

Why?  Miller isn’t fitting in with Portland since he is taking the ball out of Roy’s hands at the end of the game.  The Blazers tried to get Kirk this past offseason in a 3 way deal that would have netted the Bulls Carlos Boozer.  Utah wasn’t interested in trading with the Blazers who signed Paul Millsap to an offer sheet which Utah matched, thus costing Utah a lot in luxury tax.  Portland has also lost Oden and Przybilla to injuries, so they could use some size.  The Blazers have also struggled for years to find a 3 that can work in their system.  Sounds like the Bulls players are great fits, but why would the Bulls want this group?  Blake is a free agent at the end of the year, has a Hinrich like game and is shooting really well from 3.  Webster is a 3 point gunner who is young, on a reasonable contract and can maybe play some 2.  Miller led the league in assists one year and may be a good mentor for Rose.  The Bulls replace their backcourt, gain 3 point shooting and also save money in the process.  Win-win.

Post scoring

This one is tougher.

Salmons, Thomas and James to Utah for Boozer, Korver and Wes Matthews.

Why?   Korver hits 3, Matthews is cheap and Boozer is good.  Plus, all are free agents.  Utah would get an athletic 4 in Thomas, cap space in James and a good 2/3 in Salmons.  Why won’t it work?  Utah would give up almost all of their expiring deals, thus making them likely to stay in the luxury tax for a team that might make the playoffs.

Salmons and James to the TWolves for Al Jefferson and Wayne Ellington.

Why?  Al Jefferson is a scoring 4 who is forced to play the 5 for the Wolves.  On the Bulls, he could fit right in with Rose and make the team good now.  The Bulls would still have money in the offseason too and may be able to do a sign and trade for LeBron, Wade or Joe Johnson.  Plus, Ellington has been solid.  The Wolves would get rid of Jefferson’s contract and free up more time for Kevin Love while also getting a 2 they desperately need.  And they’d clear up a ton of space, allowing them to go after some free agents of their own.  Why won’t it work?  Al Jefferson will be very valuable this next offseason for teams who need a 4 and can’t get Bosh, Amare or Boozer.  Minnesota is stockpiling talent and probably won’t move just yet.

I know, the scoring big men ideas are terrible, to say the least.  Feel free to offer better options!

Thank you for reading!

I was invited to the Chicago Bulls-Sacramento Kings game tonight, and man, did they really dump their pants harder than any team I’ve ever seen.  I witnessed the worst collapse of any sports team I’ve ever seen.  I’ll admit that it was really entertaining at the very least.  I had a great time — my Bullies rocked it for the first 28 minutes with a D-Rose slammajam while Joking Noah’s showed me that NBA players can still go all out with his northie-esque hard-nose play.  For God’s sake, CHAPU RETURNED TO THE UC!  Seeing my main man come back was enough to ensure a good time, but the basketball I saw tonight redefines the term “flaccid”.  Two bad teams were playing for their coaches’ jobs and neither coach showed that they could lead an organization to a anything worth writing home about.

Soon to be former Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said after the game, “It’s frustrating.  It’s difficult.  But what are you going to do?”  This guy can not be serious.  His team looked seriously lost and all he could do was stroke his sweet crop of hair.

Stick to 6th man, Vinny

I know if I was the coach, I could not have talked to the media without popping a blood vessel, let alone say that there’s nothing he can do but keep working hard.  There obviously needs to be a change somewhere and, Vin, I’m lookin’ at you.

All I wanted was some good basketball and a Big Mac for Scootie’s birthday tonight.  Instead, I got a ‘big nuts’ dance (start watching at 1:14) from Kings rookie Tyreke Evans.  How we blow a 68 point first half  and 35 points second half lead, I may never know.  I do know that it’s a good thing Michael’s found a murder in Savannah because I’d be a little blue otherwise.

I’m not sure if Coach Del Negro picked anyone on the team to be the go to guy, but it didn’t really look like it.  Everyone on the team was hawking up shots, and very few of them were going in, which is partly a testament to the defense of the Celtics.  However, if this team is going to win games this season, they need to start working on their teamwork in spreading the floor as they are a pure jump-shooting team.  What does this mean?  It means that to back up starters Rose and Deng, they need to start jump-shooting threats (Ben Gordon and/or Nocioni?)  Then, try to get one of these guys hot early and ride that person through the end of the game, whoever that may be.  If Gordon or Deng get hot early, they can be devastating.  The offense of the Bulls should be focused around these two guys, not the rookie Rose or the inconsistent Thomas.

The Bulls are still a team trying to find themselves, so we’ll see if they can learn from today’s disaster.

Why Vinny Del Negro? Some reporters say that he is cheap. I agree with this one but remember it doesn’t mean he is no good as a coach. This maybe Del Negro’s first coaching job but for the Bulls any coach is worth the try.  The only question is whether Del Negro can give each player in the Bulls line-up a defined role and able to accept it or be rejected by the team.

It is always interesting to see an upcoming team to be paired up with a first time coach. Both the players and the coach are trying to establish themselves in the league and are eager to win.  Good thing for Del Negro is that this bunch of players that the Bulls have are eager to bounce back from a pathetic performance this season.  These guys know that they are good as they were able to reach the playoff the year before. Another thing that works for Del Negro is that the Bulls have a 1st over-all pick in this year’s draft.

I hope Vinny Del Negro does a great job and that Paxson will give full commitment to Del Negro and give the players a chance to blossom in Del Negro’s system.