Kobe’s Adjusted Game From Mid-Range Helping Lakers Find Success
When it comes to studying basketball, knowing a player's shooting spots (where he feels comfortable, as is exhibited by his shot attempt totals in that area) on the court is incredibly helpful in breaking down the strengths and weaknesses of…
System Failure: Pau Gasol Must Come Off the Bench
Okay. So this topic has been beaten to death already, but Pau needs, for his sake, to come off the bench. There's no need to get wordy about this. The harsh reality is that Mike D'Antoni has been unable to…
Lakers’ Social Capital All Spent; Intimidation Aura Nonexistent
It's not enough. In the sociology world (yes, it's awesome), there is a term called social capital: the idea that increased human networks allow for greater productivity among people groups. Alex de Tocqueville noted in the 19th century that Americans…
A Regression to the Mean: Kobe Bryant Steps Up the Efficiency
Kobe's start to this season has been, by all accounts, his most efficient game yet. As of this writing, Kobe has hit 55 percent of his shots, and 44 percent of his 3-point attempts, averaging 26.4 points a game. Kobe…
The Not So Fantastic Four: Free Throws, Rebounds, Defense, Turnovers
One of the most common sports jeers, and perhaps one of the most effective, is a mere syllabic enunciation of a seemingly harmless word: Fun-da-men-tals. Had the Lakers played their season opener in that God-forsaken little town of Dallas, that…
Making the Right Choices: Do Top NBA Teams Spend Wisely?
This past week, I watched Moneyball for the first time. Impressive, to say the least. I get it, I'm obviously late on my movies: I don't live in L.A. anymore. But wow! I absolutely loved it. If you haven't seen…
Princeton Offense Bringing Offensive Excitement Back to Lakers
Ender's Game. Heard of it? If not, read it. For many, the tome lies in the obscurity of their middle school classrooms. For others, the title marks one of the greatest science fiction books of all time; a brilliant jewel…
Dwight Howard: From a Change of Mind to a Change of Heart
If you haven't heard of them, I'd suggest checking out The Head and The Heart. They are one of my favorite bands of all time; a highly talented group of folksy looking individuals who've come to together to produce beautiful,…
Steve Nash Addition Opens up Lakers Shooting Options
Basketball is a spatial game. Unlike the increasingly realistic images that NBA 2K12 provides us, basketball is a game that is played in three dimensions: rough, physical, harmonious, balanced, and chaotic. Sometimes we, as fans, get too accustomed to the…
Rebounding is Our Business, and Business is Good
Rebounding, for most NBA players, can be a thankless job. It's not always flashy, it's not always graceful, and more often than not, great rebounders don't receive the respect deserved for such an important facet of the game. Magic made…
