Real Deal

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/recap/NBA_20130106_WAS@MIA

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/recap/NBA_20130104_HOU@MIL

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/recap/NBA_20130104_PHI@OKC

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/recap/NBA_20130104_IND@BOS

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/recap/NBA_20130104_ATL@DET

...meaning post-Minnesota?

Wait...Garnett finally picking on someone his own size?!?!

Sadly, Gortat is averaging three points less...but on three shots less. Around a 54% FG. Nash and Dwight haven't been running P&R hardly at all, so I'm wondering if Nash even has any interest in doing so with ANYONE on this team, or if this is D'Antoni's call.

Perfect [expletive]ing timing, also. @ Houston @ San Antonio vs. Oklahoma City Goooooooooooooooo Kobe. #HereHeComesKareem

Wow...I figured he tore the ACL, but to be out 14-18 months? Skins fans on Twitter were hoping it wouldn't be 8-12 months...yikes.

Blake does suck, but he's better than any other PG we have not named Nash. Morris had his handful of games where he looked like a good backup, and now it's just a mess with him.

Damn man. Dwight, Nash and Gasol all missing time due to injuries. Blake has been out forever. Hill was hurt. Thank God for Kobe.

The offense is the problem when we're leaning on Kobe to drop 30+ a night and play 40+ minutes. Doesn't matter if we're 6th offensively, we're having to rely on Kobe to dig us out of holes OR keep us on top of teams during games. Nash has had the ball in his hands his entire career...and so has Howard and Kobe. One is 39 years old and just came off of his worst statistical season in years. The other two...one has five championships as a primary option and main facilitator, the other has an NBA Finals appearance as THE GUY (the only guy) in an offense built specifically for a big man's dominance down low. What else does Nash do, then? He shoots. Very well. Why isn't he shooting at all? He's too focused on running his offense here, and that's what's ruining us. It's hurting our team in that we wear down quicker, and Kobe having to do FAR too much is hurting him back on the defensive end late in games, and he's the guy that roams to help Nash and Gasol, two awful defenders. If Nash can't adjust just slightly, to two superstar players who are CLEARLY better than he is...then he's not that great of a player after all. This isn't his team...never was, never will be. If he was the Nash of 2005, and we had a ton of shooters, and Kobe was either super-young or well out of his prime...then okay, let's go with it...but not now.

Just last week, Magic blamed Jim Buss...and part of that was because he didn't want to hire Phil Jackson. He's just saying things to get attention. He's been doing it for a few years, now. Until D'Antoni plays to Kobe and Howard's strengths, and stops trying to run this team around Steve Nash, we will continue to lose games. Kobe and Howard are superstars for a reason: almost ALL of their careers, they have been primary scorers AND are the guys that create for their teammates (Howard not getting credit in statsheets, of course, but he's the reason all of his teammates landed threes). Why does a 39-year old PG have the green light to not adjust, despite being a 50/40/90 shooter, and the two superstars have to change their games? Defensively, it's pretty obvious why we aren't getting it done. We don't have a defensive system in place, and we have three horrific defenders (Nash, Gasol and Jamison) on this team.

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg109/MrsTebow15/Miscellaneous/seahawks.gif

15-18 record right now, 33 games in. http://i45.tinypic.com/2ykjmer.jpg Minnesota just lost Kevin Love again. Utah has been struggling since Mo Williams' injury. Bad thing is, Portland is playing MUCH better than they were to start the season, and Denver is as well. Houston has won 11 of their last 14. Will the Lakers even make the playoffs?

I'd be amazed if that happened. I don't think Jim Buss will go that route, basically showing us that he was a fool for such a hire. It would also be our fourth coach in one season, which is unheard of.

I'll just post what I did last night, over at LakerNation.

Starting not to care. Season is being wasted, and I absolutely HATE Mike D'Antoni right now, along with every player on this team that can't play defense (Gasol, Nash, Jamison, etc). We survived that bad shooting stretch by Kobe, even...but once we put Gasol back in, all hell broke loose. KB dropped 18 in the fourth and we STILL couldn't seal it shut. Howard had 26 boards, and still no win. Just ignorance.

Minnesota can't catch a break. This is good for LA, though, since they do have a better record than we do (smh), but at the same time, I was kind of hoping there would be a way for us to land him in a trade. Sounds like a reach, I'm sure, but I would have never doubted Mitch Kupchak.

It's so sad to see Thabeet out there in garbage time. That's one guy I had a lot of confidence in, and he made me look like I don't know a damn thing about basketball.

Anyone hear that a doctor is putting doubts out there, saying that RG3 shouldn't be playing, or something along those lines? Pretty sure Shanahan is pissed about that...great way to destroy the star QB's mindset coming in.

It is the Thunder, though, lol...but yeah, in the games I've seen Toronto play, no matter who it's against, they usually don't get certain calls that, to me, are clear as day.

LeBron Kobe Durant CP3 Duncan Dwight Melo Wade Basically, he's right where Nitro puts him. It's hard for me to stick any other player over him at this point. Top ten is a definite yes...but top five, at least for me, is most certainly no. Howard may not be 100%, but he's still putting up his career averages (near it, the last time I looked), and Duncan is playing like he's five years younger than he was last season.

DeRozan gets fouled a lot, and the refs look the other way. That double-digit lead could slip, no doubt...but at least the Raptors are hanging around. I think they'd be down by 20+ if Bargnani was out there.