LA Story: Lakers\Clippers Round Two, By Eric Pincus and Chris Monjoy for HOOPSWORLD.com, Dec 8, 2004, 19:49
With the first month of the season and over, Hoopsworld.com’s Eric Pincus and Chris Monjoy take a look at the current state of the Los Angeles Lakers and the Clippers as they prepare to meet this Saturday.
Chris Monjoy: First off, I want to know your thoughts on the Kareem Rush trade. Do you think this was the right thing to do for the Lakers? I know they picked up Tony Bobbitt, but is Bobbitt really that big an upgrade over Kareem Rush? Plus, they essentially gave Rush away. Two second round picks? Why didn't they just trade Rush for an egg-salad sandwich? He's been struggling, but that's pretty insulting.
Eric Pincus: It’s sad, but it’s the right thing to do. Even though it's buying high and selling low, sometimes you just have to take a loss. Bobbitt is a better fit than Rush. He's coming into his role with a clear head, whereas Rush would never be satisfied being Kobe's caddy. The 2005 Atlanta second round pick will likely be close to 31-34. That's not so bad. Plus, the contract isn't as high as a first rounder. Maybe they can package a couple of second-rounders for a first if they find a suitor. Besides, I'm not a fan of egg-salad. How about a cheeseburger?
CM: Only if it’s from IN-N-OUT. Still, shouldn’t they have tried to get something better for a guy who nailed six three pointers in the close out game of the Western Conference Finals?
EP: With no real offers coming in, it was the best move possible. Better than letting Rush walk for nothing. He’s been struggling lately, too. Look at it like Bobbitt plus two high second-rounders for Rush. If Bobbitt works out, it's a good move. If the picks prove fruitful, it’s also good. If LA doesn't have enough trade bait later because they wasted Rush, then it's a real shame. It's all a gamble. The Lakers went with what they thought was the best deal. I think Rush's trade value was really lowered with his nagging foot injury.
CM: Are the Lakers planning on doing anything to address the point guard situation?
EP: The Lakers didn't seem to have a move available that would bring in more than what they already have with Tierre, Atkins and Vujacic. They looked at Frank Williams but decided to go with Bobbitt instead. Lakers are reportedly looking at a three-point specialist point guard named Greg Minor, probably to replace Tierre Brown, unless a bigger move is coming.
CM: Who’s Greg Minor?
EP: He played guard at Cal State Northridge, and left after his Junior season in 1999 to enter the draft. He wasn’t drafted, but he’s been bouncing around since then, including playing for the Magic Johnson All-Stars for a while. He's an interesting character who claims that he can shoot better than Dirk Nowitzki. He even says he can't wait to get enough money to give some to people who don't even like him. He sounds a little crazy. We'll see.
CM: How are the other Lakers taking the Kareem Rush trade?
EP: I talked to Luke Walton and Devean George the other day. They're pretty upset about losing one of their best friends, but are happy for him as well.
CM: Speaking of Luke and Devean, are they on the trading block, too?
EP: That’s a very good question. I think the Lakers view Cook as untouchable right now with that pick and pop option with Kobe. Luke is available but my impression is everything is on hold until Malone makes his decision, but that may be moot now. George told me he's still three weeks away. Hard to trade a non-last year who hasn't played a single game all season.
CM: Ah yes, now we get to Karl. It is just me, or were the statements Kobe made on that radio program totally innocuous?
EP: I thought that Kobe said the typical team line. I didn't think there was anything wrong with it. Personally I was shocked that Karl took offense. I think Malone wanted a chance to win a ring, but he's a man of honor. He couldn't break his word to the Lakers, so he turned this nothing into something to get him off the hook.
CM: With Malone apparently out of the picture, what are the Lakers going to do at the four spot?
EP: I think this might be a blessing in disguise. If there's no Mailman it just forces the Lakers to establish their future at the four sooner than later. If that means a move when one wouldn't have been made, that could be a good thing. Assuming they make a good deal.
CM: Unfortunately, that may prove to be a big “if.” Let’s talk about the Clippers. They’ve been playing really well this season, but they can’t seem to close out tight games. They just barely beat the Bobcats. Bill Simmons of ESPN.com brought up a good point. In three games, the Clippers had a total of EIGHT chances to win or tie a game in the last ten seconds and went an astounding 0-8. Against the Timberwolves, Rick Brunson ended up taking the last shot. That doesn’t seem like good planning to me…
EP: The Clippers don't execute well late in the game. Rick Brunson, though a good role player, is probably not the guy you want taking the final shot.
CM: Neither is Marko Jaric. But he’s taken THREE final shots.
EP: Corey Maggette would seem the guy, but he doesn't have the best handles. He got stripped at a key juncture the other night by Brevin Knight with the game on the line. That’s his biggest weakness. On the other hand he's great at getting to the line and converting. If had a better handle, he'd be the one you'd want with the ball every time. Alas, you can't really teach handles.
CM: Maggette's poor handle is what will probably keep him from ever getting into the upper echelon of swingmen with Kobe Bryant, Paul Pierce and Tracy McGrady. That’s a shame because he has all the physical tools.
EP: The Clippers are developing Shaun Livingston to be the guy to handle the ball in late game situations. But that probably won’t be this year.
CM: It might not be next year, either. He's got a lot of enthusiasm, but right now, he can't convert lay-ups in NON-pressure situations, let alone, end game scenarios.
EP: My feeling is that Livingston will mature quickly, assuming he returns fully healed from the knee injury. I think things will start to click for him a faster pace than the usual player. I could be wrong though. Either way, the Clippers are going to have their hands full on Saturday when they play the Lakers without Livingston, and now with Elton Brand’s suspension. Add Kaman to the mix too. He's out now after an appendectomy. He was in Michigan to have his high school jersey retired. Some homecoming!
CM: I’m not sure Brand’s suspension was totally warranted. A guy like Sprewell DEFINITELY should have been suspended. I think people forget: he's still crazy. He's still the same guy who choked his coach a couple years ago. Brand, however, just got frustrated at the loose game the refs were calling against the Bobcats. NBA refs are the most inconsistent officials in professional sports. In baseball, football, hockey, the refs/umps may make a bad call, but they call the rest of the game consistently. NBA refs seem like they call the game depending on their mood that night. Though, in all fairness, basketball is tough sport to referee.
EP: I'm not surprised that Elton was suspended. It was in the gray area and the league is more conservative right now after the big to-do in Detroit. I have a better appreciation for the refs than most fans\writers. It's a tough sport to ref and they do it well. It was a pretty loose game, but that’s still no excuse to lose it like he did.
CM: Lucky for them, they have Bobby Simmons. He’s been fantastic. However, a part of me thinks he scores so well and shoots so well, because teams are still sleeping on him. Almost every shot Maggette & Brand take is hotly contested, but Bobby gets a lot of open looks (and to his credit, he knocks them all down). It's kind of like Devean George at the beginning of last year when he was scoring like crazy and shooting 50% from the field because everyone was focusing on Shaq, Kobe, Karl, & Gary. Don't get me wrong, I think Bobby is much better than Devean George, but I'm interested to see what his numbers look like at the end of the season. Obviously, I'm definitely hoping he continues at this pace.
EP: Bobby should taper off at least a little, one would think. A guy who can hit from mid-range is very hard to defend. Just a dozen or so years ago nearly everyone worth a damn shot over 50%. Bobby’s midrange game should give him continued success.
CM: It will be interesting to see how the teams play on Saturday. I think the Lakers, despite what the reactionary media is saying, are still the kings of Los Angeles, but the Clippers are closing in fast!
EP: Sure, but with Just Mikki Moore, Chris Wilcox and Zeljko Rebraca in the front court, the Clippers may have to turn to Bobby Simmons to play power forward. Lucky for the Clippers, the Lakers don't have dominating size like they used to.