Lakers

apollo33 · Jan 23, 2013

Guys its only preseason

tehG l i d e · Jan 23, 2013

http://www.latimes.com/sports/lakersnow/la-sp-ln-lakers-meeting-20130123,0,5793715.story

MEMPHIS -- The Lakers needed to talk. So they did. Loudly.

They held a clear-the-air team meeting before Wednesday morning's shoot-around, with Kobe Bryant very directly asking Dwight Howard if he disliked playing with the long-time Lakers star.

"Guys went at each other a little bit," said a person who witnessed the meeting.

Coach Mike D'Antoni started it by saying he was tired of reading newspaper stories about players questioning his offense or wanting more touches. Bryant and Howard each fell under that category after the Lakers' lifeless 95-83 loss Monday in Chicago: Bryant said the offense needed to slow down while Howard expressed displeasure after taking only five shots.

D'Antoni then told the team to stop worrying about offense and start playing better defense. The Lakers are fifth in scoring (102.6 points a game) but 26th in defense (101.4 points a game).

He then asked players to speak up. Steve Nash went first.

Nash, in his first season with the Lakers, said he didn't care how they played, whether it was via pick-and-roll or fastbreak or whatever. He just wanted everybody to be comfortable in the system. It was seen as a sacrifice by Nash, who played four seasons under D'Antoni's run-and-gun offense in Phoenix and won two NBA MVP awards while doing it.

Bryant also spoke up, acknowledging he could be "hard to play with" and asking Howard if that bothered him.

Howard's answer was unclear, though he did not engage Bryant in nearly as vocal a manner as Bryant engaged him.

"He didn't go back at Kobe," said the person who witnessed the meeting.

It was not known how long the actual meeting lasted, but the Lakers' shoot-around went an hour longer than expected.

Howard was contrite with reporters afterward, saying he was sorry for demanding more touches two days earlier. The meeting seemed to have affected him.

"It starts with me," he said Wednesday. "I have to be more of a player out there on the court and not worry about anything, not complain. Just do what I do best."

After scoring only eight points on five shots against Chicago, Howard kept telling reporters to "look at the stat sheet" after the game.

"That was immature," he said Wednesday. "I shouldn't have done it.

"I've just got to go out there and dominate defensively and make it tough for teams. I just have to get back to doing that and not worry about the offense."

D'Antoni, for his part, told reporters that the team would "maybe slow it down" on offense. He reiterated his defense-first assessment.

“The focus needs to be on the right thing. Our defense has to get better," D'Antoni said.

The Lakers (17-24) are lodged in 12th place in the Western Conference. They play Memphis on Wednesday night.

Howard tried to hit reset on the Lakers' season, which hit its midpoint Monday.

"I think this will be the start of a new season for us tonight. Hopefully our effort and energy is where it needs to be," he said.

D'Antoni used similar words in saying the team was "restarting" its season last week. The Lakers beat Cleveland and Milwaukee but lost three in a row after that.
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professorjay · Jan 23, 2013

The Lakers are playing 82 seasons this season.

mr. 13 in 33 · Jan 23, 2013

The Los Angeles Lakers’ season from hell keeps getting worse and more entertaining by the minute, it seems. Games are being lost, trade chatter is swirling, and management is pointing fingers. After a report came out that Dwight Howard had mocked Kobe Bryant‘s bad shooting games behind his back to teammates, Bryant reportedly confronted Dwight this morning and asked him what his problem was. Howard’s response isn’t known to the outside world, though he did apologize for his behavior when talking to the press today. Per the LA Times: “They held a clear-the-air team meeting before Wednesday morning’s shoot-around, with Kobe Bryant very directly asking Dwight Howard if he disliked playing with the long-time Lakers star. ‘Guys went at each other a little bit,’ said a person who witnessed the meeting. Coach Mike D’Antoni started it by saying he was tired of reading newspaper stories about players questioning his offense or wanting more touches. Bryant and Howard each fell under that category after the Lakers’ lifeless 95-83 loss Monday in Chicago: Bryant said the offense needed to slow down while Howard expressed displeasure after taking only five shots. D’Antoni then told the team to stop worrying about offense and start playing better defense. The Lakers are fifth in scoring (102.6 points a game) but 26th in defense (101.4 points a game). He then asked players to speak up. Steve Nash went first. [...] Bryant also spoke up, acknowledging he could be ‘hard to play with’ and asking Howard if that bothered him. Howard’s answer was unclear, though he did not engage Bryant in nearly as vocal a manner as Bryant engaged him. ‘He didn’t go back at Kobe,’ said the person who witnessed the meeting. It was not known how long the actual meeting lasted, but the Lakers’ shoot-around went an hour longer than expected.”
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http://www.slamonline.com/online/nb...ght-howard-if-he-didnt-like-playing-with-him/

Rodman23 · Jan 23, 2013

redhotrox said: ↑

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Dwight Howard: "I think this will be the start of a new season tonight. Our effort and energy will be better. It starts with me"</p>— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) <a href="https://twitter.com/mcten/status/294152603095412736">January 23, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Dwight on complaining about his 5 shot attempts vs. Chicago: "I shouldn't have done that. That was immature"</p>— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) <a href="https://twitter.com/mcten/status/294153943578210306">January 23, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Dwight Howard apologizes, says he needs to be "more of a player out there on the court and not worry about anything, not complain." <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23Lakers">#Lakers</a></p>— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) <a href="https://twitter.com/Mike_Bresnahan/status/294155198094532608">January 23, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Dwight on his changed mindset: "For me it's not about scoring. It's about dominating. That's more than scoring"</p>— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) <a href="https://twitter.com/mcten/status/294154461318901760">January 23, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Dwight Howard when asked if he was coming back to L.A. next season: "We're not discussing that." Stressed staying in the moment</p>— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) <a href="https://twitter.com/mcten/status/294153797138272257">January 23, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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LOL, Loss Angeles Lakers

cheke64 · Jan 23, 2013

Dwight Howard shouldnt apologized. He needs to fight fire with fire. You need to get pissed if you only got 5 shots!

Meanwhile Kobe admits bricking it and throws teammates under the bus on a regular basis.

A_3PO · Jan 23, 2013

professorjay said: ↑

The Lakers are playing 82 seasons this season.
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No no no! D'Antoni reset the Lakers season after they got clobbered by OKC. Now Dwight Howard says the "new season" starts tonight. The Lakers are playing 41 games.

Don't you have a Twitter feed? C'mon man, get with it.

ScriboErgoSum · Jan 23, 2013

The season begins in the second half apparently.

supdudes · Jan 23, 2013

Can people stop defending the Laker big's? They're HONESTLY not that great.

To be fair, Pau lost his balls and is pretty much injured. But Howard is just plain stupid on offense, and severely lacks the skill to dominate tougher centers. The back surgery really did him in I think, because now he doesn't have his athleticism to fall back on.

redhotrox · Jan 23, 2013

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Howard has left for the locker room, where it's possible he has another issue with labrum injury that kept him out a week.</p>— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/WojYahooNBA/status/294264860315893761">January 24, 2013</a></blockquote>
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A_3PO · Jan 23, 2013

redhotrox said: ↑

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Howard has left for the locker room, where it's possible he has another issue with labrum injury that kept him out a week.</p>— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/WojYahooNBA/status/294264860315893761">January 24, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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I'm not watching. Can someone describe what happened and how bad Howard looked after being injured? I noticed he had a triple-double in the first half (2 pts, 2 rebs, 2 fouls). What an impact player.

redhotrox · Jan 23, 2013

A_3PO said: ↑

I'm not watching. Can someone describe what happened and how bad Howard looked after being injured? I noticed he had a triple-double in the first half (2 pts, 2 rebs, 2 fouls). What an impact player.
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I wasn't watching either so I'm not sure. He's not returning to this game though.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Dwight Howard re-aggravated his right shoulder injury and will not return tonight. He'll be re-evaluated in Los Angeles tomorrow.</p>— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) <a href="https://twitter.com/LakersReporter/status/294268864072650753">January 24, 2013</a></blockquote>
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BigBenito · Jan 23, 2013

Injured in the first game of the season, what a terrible blow. Luckily, there is plenty of time to turn it around... 0-1 isn't the end of the world.

Mr. Clutch · Jan 23, 2013

Dwight has officially checked out.

J.R. · Jan 23, 2013

http://t.co/mN5HEnWS

MEMPHIS -- In order to move forward and turn around their disappointing season, the Los Angeles Lakers attempted to let go of their past frustrations with a team meeting Wednesday.

Prior to the team's shootaround in preparation for the Lakers' game against the Memphis Grizzlies, Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni invited members of the team to air their grievances, according to a team source.

Several players spoke up, including Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant, the 17-year veterans who make up the Lakers' backcourt. Bryant asked Dwight Howard if he was bothered by playing alongside him, according to the L.A. Times, which first reported the meeting.

"I hope it is (a positive thing)," D'Antoni told reporters before the game. "That's the purpose of just trying to move forward, and hopefully it is. We'll see. We're in a rut right now, so the time to stand up, draw a line in the sand would be now."

Bryant acknowledged he could be "hard to play with," according to the Times, and challenged Howard to speak up if he had a problem with it.

Howard was "despondent" and did not offer much of a reply to Bryant, according to a team source.

While a coaching change and injuries up and down the roster have contributed to the Lakers' 17-24 record at the season's halfway point, another major factor in the Lakers' difficulties has been the lack of rhythm between Howard and Bryant.

Following the Lakers' 95-83 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Monday, Howard complained to reporters about getting only five shots, while Bryant was 7 of 22.g

Howard apologized for his comments in Chicago after Wednesday's shootaround, calling them "immature."

One example of the rocky relationship between the two Western Conference All-Star starters, according to a league source, was a game this season when Howard harped to a teammate about the disparity between his and Bryant's shots while sitting on the bench. The teammate called Bryant over so Howard could tell it to Bryant's face, but Howard refused to speak up.

.....
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rolyat93 · Jan 23, 2013

J.R. said: ↑

Howard harped to a teammate about the disparity between his and Bryant's shots while sitting on the bench. The teammate called Bryant over so Howard could tell it to Bryant's face, but Howard refused to speak up
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I ain't sayin he's a b**** ni**a

but he's actin like a b**** ni**a

Gay4Battier · Jan 23, 2013

with the lakers not making the playoffs the ratings are gonna suck

hell yeah fukk u stern!

A_3PO · Jan 23, 2013

The Lakers are 0-1 according to Howard; 2-4 according to D'Antoni.

I suggest they start and end their season before and after their home game against the Pelicans next week.

Easy · Jan 23, 2013

Howard is a coward. He couldn't man up to the truth in Orlando. Now he can't man up to the truth in LA.

Carl Herrera · Jan 23, 2013

Damn it. I should be enjoying the misery of the Lakers and their fans right now, but the Rockets losing spoils all this delicious schadenfreude for me.

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