LOS ANGELES – The Lakers rose to the top of the Western Conference standings with phenom Andrew Bynum having become a hard-working professional center.
They fell fast and fantastically Thursday night with Kwame Brown in his place.
Brown had such an uncommon run of offensive ineptitude that he had Staples Center fans in the third quarter booing when he touched the ball and cheering when he picked up his fifth foul and had to leave the Lakers’ loss to the Phoenix Suns. With the victory the Suns, who eliminated the Lakers the past two postseasons, moved a half-game ahead of the Lakers to lead the West.
It was the Lakers’ first prime-time test without Bynum, out at least eight weeks with a knee injury, and it was a spectacular failure. Luke Walton, named along with Lamar Odom by Lakers coach Phil Jackson as needing to help fill Bynum’s void on offense, went scoreless in 20 minutes – though he was spared the heckling from fans that Brown (eight points, seven turnovers, no assists) got.
With the Lakers’ defense not showing up either, the Suns made an overwhelming case to reclaim the unofficial title of NBA’s best passing team. Of the game’s first 24 assists, 20 belonged to Phoenix.
The Lakers could not cut the Phoenix lead in the fourth quarter to fewer than eight points until 46.5 seconds remained.
DID YOU SEE THAT?
One of the very few positives for the Lakers in the first half came just before the first-quarter buzzer: Kobe Bryant gave the ball up to Jordan Farmar at midcourt with the clock ticking down, and Farmar pump-faked Shawn Marion before hitting a 3-pointer … and Bryant got a point out of it when he made a technical free throw after Raja Bell elbowed Ronny Turiaf down. That cut Phoenix’s lead to 27-24.
CANADIAN CLUB
As he returned to the game in the second quarter, Nash spotted former Laker Rick Fox sitting courtside and stopped to offer greetings; both Nash and Fox have connections to Canada.
WHAT WAS HE THINKING?
Despite Sasha Vujacic’s strong, full practice Wednesday to show his back is OK, Phil Jackson stuck with rookie Javaris Crittenton in the rotation – and Crittenton was totally overmatched against the Suns. In the fourth quarter Vujacic came in and hit his first three shots, the last one cutting Phoenix’s lead to 79-69, with 10:07 to play.
NEXT
Denver at Lakers, 7:30 p.m. Monday, FSN, TNT, KLAC/570
Hey Coach PJ, you want more touches for your Kwame? Just like you said before the game, he had touches and all of it transform into turnovers. Seven TurnOver, the least.
AS A DIE-HARD LAKER FAN, age 66, from Santa Barbara and the time of watching “Mr. Clutch,” having attended many games with family and friends through the decades, at both the Forum and Staples Center, I just left the following on the Laker’s site, addressed: “”TO EVERY LAKER PLAYER, COACH, AND MANAGEMENT PERSON WHOM WE FANS PAY THE SALARIES OF. . .
To: “Mike Bresnahan/L.A. Times”
From: Dennis Paulson
Subject: READERS SHOULD BOO POOR JOURNALISM, AS WELL, MIKE!
WHEN, MIKE, you write a story such as “Fans’ Ire Brings Out Anger In Players” for the mighty “Los Angeles Times,” you really owe it to the Laker fans being bashed, to allow them to present their own side.
Personally, I’ve been a Laker fan longer than Jordan Farmer’s been alive, so I don’t need him telling me I’m “not a real fan” for booing Kawme Brown.Kobe may think it’s “terrible” for fans to boo a Laker player, but surely he hasn’t forgotten the boos his own behavior brought him throughout this league, not to mention the Summer “booing” he and his video rained down on Andrew Bynum.
Kwame Brown was, astoundingly, a No. 1 draft pick when he came into the NBA, and he played as poorly at center in the last game against the Suns, as Smush Parker did at guard while still a Laker (when he looked like he was nailed to the floor as opposing guards schooled him night after night, until Laker fans finally rained down sufficient boos for Laker management to finally show him the door after last year, and bring Derek back).
Smush was making something like $750,000 a year, which few Laker fans can even dream about making. However, those of us who have, for years, coughed up the ever-increasing prices of Laker tickets not in the nose-bleed section where one needs binoculars, rightly take offense at a player such as Kwame Brown being paid an unbelievable $9.1 million dollars for this single season, when he demonstrates time after time that he can’t catch the bloody ball, can’t dunk the ball competently at 6′ 11″, and despite his seven years in this League, manages to turn the ball over seven times in a critical game for the Western Conference lead, not to mention home-court advantage in the Playoffs.
We read the media stories when present All-Star swingman Caron Butler and guard Chucky Atkins were in the trade which brought Brown and (who could forget) Laron Profit from the Washington Wizards, following Brown’s similarly disappointing four years there. We read that the Wizards’ franchise player, All-Star Gilbert Arenas, had tired of Kwame’s poor game, just as the Wizards, during Kwame’s final year there, suspended him for most of the post-season after he missed a practice and Game 4 of Washington’s first-round series against the Bulls.
Likewise, it’s been widely reported that Brown incurred the wrath (read ‘torrential booing’) of Michael Jordan in 2001-02 and 2002-03–Michael’s two seasons with the Wizards. Would Kobe consider Michael “terrible” for such behavior toward a teammate, or Jackson claim he never heard of such a reaction toward or from a player he’d coached?
WE FANS, MIKE BRESNAHAN, are the ones who actually PAY that bloated $9.1 million 2008 salary to Kwame Brown, and when he demonstrates he’s unable to catch the ball, pass the ball, dunk the ball or make free throws–single-handedly blowing a critical game against the rival Suns, knocking our Lakers out of first place in the Western Conference, and perhaps losing us home-court advantage in the Playoffs–if this replacement performance for Andrew Bynum is any indication of what we can expect from Kwame over these 8 weeks Bynum’s out, then Kwame’s employers have every right to boo a performance which would have judged by all observing as even a poor display of basketball fundamentals at the high-school level, let alone an NBA-caliber, $9.1 million effort.
We also know that Kwame Brown’s lame performance is also a reflection of Phil Jackson’s obvious lack of coaching with him (despite Phil’s own bloated $6 million salary). Why is Kwame so often not in position for offensive rebounds? Why doesn’t he follow all shots the way Rodman did? Why has Jackson not taught him how to catch, pass, dunk, rebound, shoot free throws, and make intelligent decisions in critical games? And if Jackson can derisively criticize opponents and their cities, such as he’s legendary for doing to those in the cities of Sacramento and San Antonio–vocal ‘booing’ to the media on an enormous scale–then how can he be surprised to hear Laker fans derisively criticizing “no-hands” Kwame Brown in the identical manner we’ve heard Phil criticize “scissor-hands” Bowen of the Spurs?
Smush Parker was rightfully booed out of Los Angeles, and Kwame Brown should follow him, if his last game against the Suns is what we fans are shelling out an astoundingly irresponsible $9.1 million dollars for this year. The boos were loud, clear and deserved. Kwame was as terrible as he was when the Wizards sent him home during the Playoffs and told him to stay there.
The boos were also meant for Laker GM Mitch Kupchak, so he will to (1) pursue 6′ 10″ Chris Webber as quickly as possible–before Kwame is allowed to tank this Laker team for the next eight weeks–and (2) have Laker legend Kareem Abdul Jabbar immediately begin working with Kwame Brown, tutoring him the same way he has Andrew Bynum (whose 2008 Laker salary is less than one-fourth of Kwame’s, at a mere $2.2 million).
IN SHORT, MIKE, if you’re going to allow Laker players to disrespect loyal, longtime Laker fans for booing a $9.1 million player for making high school centers look exceptional, then you have a responsibility to let Laker fans doing that booing defend their actions. . .since we are, in fact, the very same fans who are actually paying the bloated salaries of Kobe Bryant, Phil Jackson, Mitch Kupchak, and Kwame Brown (not to mention $13.5 million this year to the inconsistent, often unfocused and disappointing Lamar Odom). Jordan Farmar hasn’t been in the League long enough to grow a beard, let alone tell those of us who’ve been Laker fans longer than he’s been alive, who is, and who is not, a “real Laker fan.”
Coaches need to teach their players fundamentals, or hire tutors who can. Players making $9.1 million a year need to demonstrate they have mastered those fundamentals–including how to catch, pass and dunk the bloody ball at 6′ 11″, or find available players such as Chris Webber who can. And Laker players need to learn to tell the truth: that Kwame Brown has been as big a bust as the NBA has ever picked No. 1 in the Draft, just as he single-handedly blew this critical game against the Suns for the Western Conference lead.
The boos were raining down–both at Staples and in front of TV screens throughout Laker Fan Land–not only for Kwame’s atrocious play, but for Phil Jackson’s failure to get off that bloody innertube and begin coaching Kwame Brown; for Mitch Kupchak to get us a backup center who can actually catch, pass and dunk the ball, and for Kwame Brown, himself, to get the message that he needs to ASK Kareem Abdul Jabbar to school him the way he has Andrew Bynum, now that Andrew is unfortunately down for at least 8 weeks. . .during which time we do NOT want our Lakers to again implode the way they did before our disgusted eyes last season (before ticket prices were AGAIN raised by Jerry Buss, adding insult to injury for those of us who actually pay the wages of EVERYONE in the Laker organization, it should NEVER be forgotten).
Those raining boos heard so often last year for Smush Parker’s on-court demonstration that he had no idea how to stop the ball or guard opponents, are similarly alerting Kwame Brown that we now understand why Gilbert Arenas became so disgusted with Kwame Brown over the level of play he accepts from himself for the bloated salary he MUST back up to the pay window to accept ($175,000 a week for every single week this year, during which economically hard-pressed Laker fans are looking recession and job insecurity smack in the face), and why the Wizards and THEIR fans collectively told Kwame Brown to go home during the Playoffs and stay there. . .if he can’t demonstrate better professionalism, self-respect, basketball fundamentals and their execution than he demonstrated, once again, against the Suns on our home court, for the entire world to see and deride (through the pain, in the case of Laker fans who’ve bled purple and gold for longer, it’s worth repeating, than Jordan Farmer has been alive).
Personally, I’ve not been as disgusted with the play–or lack of it–from a Laker professional baller since Smush Parker managed to enrage all of Lakerland into raining boos until he was dumped on Pat Riley, who’s since, in effect, recognized he must have been in the midst of a senior moment when he picked up Smush from the grateful Lakers .
What those criticizing Laker fans for booing Kwame Brown and his outrageous $9.1 million 2008 salary apparently do NOT want to admit, is that we paying such bloated salaries have a responsibility to call out those not earning it, as any employer does. Raining boos on atrociously poor play of ballers is the only way we can express that disgust. . .the same disgust which drove Laker management to dump Smush on the hapless Miami Heat, where, in case anyone’s not followed his sad story, his forgettable on- and off-court play has similarly turned out poorly, despite Miami paying him $2.5 million this year.
Parker–just as Kwame eventually was with the Wizards, and should be with the Lakers, if truth be told about one who’s so repeatedly demonstrated he cannot competently catch, pass or dunk the basketball, let alone shoot free throws (worse than Shaq, if anyone thought that possible)–has become estranged from the Heat, not only for his poor play, but also because he allegedly roughed up a woman over a $12 valet fee. The conventional wisdom is that just as the Wizards told the league what they thought of Kwame during the Playoff crunch, Parker won’t be wearing the Miami reds again.