LOS ANGELES LAKERS
by ClipperSteve of Clips Nation
Recap Rewind: If there's a more schizo team in the NBA, I don't know who they are. A few days after beating Utah in Utah (second best home record in the NBA), the Lakers turned around and lost to Sacramento (9-20 road record) in Staples Center. Seriously, what is that? It doesn't help that everyone who plays the forward position is hurt (more on that below), but it still doesn't explain how this team continues to play well against the best teams in the NBA while losing to some of the worst. Defense continues to be the problem, as they gave up 116 points (including 53 to the backcourt of Bibby and Martin) in losing to the Kings. Of course they turned around and played well in Phoenix, holding the Suns below 100 before losing 99-94, a moral victory if ever there was one. What's that? There are no moral victories? Never mind.
Notable news: Oh those darn injuries. The Lakers were without de facto starting small forward Maurice Evans against the Kings, but got Kwame Brown back in the same game. So of course they lost Lamar Odom, perhaps for the rest of the season, to a torn labrum late in the game. Odom will decide after at least two weeks off whether to have surgery now, or to try to play again this season. Meanwhile, Luke Walton was scheduled to see a doctor about his sprained right ankle Monday. In case you didn't know, Odom and Walton are the Lakers' starting forwards, and second and third best players. Vladimir Radmanovic found out exactly how expensive it is to go snowboarding in Utah. Let's see, you've got to rent equipment, you'll need airfare, then there's that fancy Park City hotel and lift tickets. Oh, and the $500K fine for being an idiot. And if all that weren't enough, Smush Parker and Phil Jackson had a tiff during the Suns game. Not the right time of year to be working on those interpersonal relations.
Fast Forward: It's a busy week for the purple and gold. They have road games Tuesday and Wednesday in Minnesota and Milwaukee, followed by a game against the Sixers in Philly. These are all winnable games against teams below .500 - just the kind of games the Lakers tend to lose. They conclude the week back in Staples for an ESPN game against the molten-hot Mavericks.