The Lakerhead

Lakers Salvage First Win Out of Road Trip, Survive…Grizzlies?

It has come to this.  Late game heroics by Kobe Bryant to save the Lakers from losing to the 9-17 Memphis Grizzlies.  That close to a three game losing streak, and 3 out of 3 losses on the road with Chris Paul and the Hornets hosting in New Orleans tomorrow.

Pau Gasol out-dueled his brother Marc Gasol.  Pau had 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists to Marc’s 8 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists.  It is surreal to see two brothers in the NBA, even if it’s not from my family.  The odds are mind boggling (but they must help if you’re 7 feet tall, right?).  It was a bittersweet homecoming for Pau, who was met with a mixture of cheers and boos.  The only player to lead the Grizzlies into the playoffs couldn’t win a game in the postseason all by himself (Brian Cardinal and Stromile Swift is all by yourself), and thus, couldn’t win every heart in Memphis.

The saddest news came earlier today.  Doctors recommended Jordan Farmar operate on his torn lateral meniscus (left knee).  With Farmar and Ariza on the court, the Lakers had two active feet and hands off the bench that forced steal after steal.  Farmar also ran the ball well on the break.

Now, the Lakers will have to extend veteran Derek Fisher’s minutes more than they would like, or promote The Machine (Vujacic doesn’t sleep, but if he did, he’d dream of shooting three’s) to heavier minutes.  Either proposition doesn’t sound nearly as beneficial to the team as Farmar off the bench.

All Laker fans can hope for is a quick (currently estimated) 6-8 weeks of recovery for Farmar, and for this to be nowhere near serious enough to take away his youthful speed and jumping ability.

It is safe to say playtime is over for the Lakers.  If they are to beat a good Hornets team on the road tomorrow, and the Celtics on Christmas Day, a different team has to show up.  The Lakers that showed up in the beginning of the season, demoralizing teams with an unbeatable offensive and defensive combination.