Sorry, even though we played well, we
actually did lose the game down at
Staples Center last night and yes, did
get a glimpse of former Lakers Coach
Phil Jackson as well as a nice look-see
at now NY Knicks coach (formerly a
Laker) Derek Fisher. Our team and
the fans gave him a very nice welcome.
Good to see that type of loyalty too.
It was a rare road win for the N.Y.
team, as they had lost 13 of 15 games
and were 0-12 on the road vs Western
Conference competition. They had lost
their last seven road games. This time,
a 35-point second quarter stacked the
Knickerbockers to a 6-point halftime
lead which held the rest of the way.
Byron Scott (our coach) did not seem
to be particularly upset at the outcome.
He stated that we seemed to be playing
rather selfishly and it showed in our
shooting percentage and of course it
showed in the final score which was:
101-94. We recorded assists on
only 18 of the 38 held field goals.
Lakers forward Jordan Hill, who
has a $9 million team option, had 19
points and 10 rebounds. Our rookie
guard, Jordan Clarkson, experienced
a rare off night with 11 points on a
4-of-12 shooting and one assist.
Our center, Tarik Black posted 10
points and a career high of 11 rebounds.
Lakers guard Jabari Brown finished
with 7 points on 3-of-6 shooting in
what marked his first appearance
since the team acquired him from
the Development league. Our players
maintain that short-term deals do not
have the affect of "not trying to win".
There seems to not be any selfishness
that often comes with guys having only
one year on their contract and wanting
to get paid. Some players concede their
uncertain future does affect them mentally.
Kobe Bryant, Nick Young, Julius Randle,
and Ryan Kelly have guaranteed contracts
for the 2015-16 season, but we still need
to fill up to 11 roster spots. We have 4
unrestricted free agents with 18 games
left to maximize the next contracts. Carlos
Boozer, Jeremy Lin, Wayne Ellington and
Wesley Johnson. They have one free
agent who hopes his season-ending
right elbow surgery will not derail his
NBA future (Ronnie Price). Guess for now
we shall just be waiting it all out. We play
again on Sunday against the Hawks.
Hopeful for another great game (& a win!)
BABS WELLS
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