[JNixonParticipant]

Lakers:

 

Kobe Bryant- Obviously, pre-season doesn’t matter much to a guy like Kobe lol. He played early and looked rusty and I think he may have a (relatively) slow start to the season, as it’s obvious he (deservedly) rested a lot this Summer. He is starting to save himself for another playoff run.

 

Pau Gasol- Also was lackluster today. He was a bit sluggish and picked up some unnecessary fouls at times. He will be fine though clearly.

 

Ron Artest- He played his gritty style. He didn’t stop Super Cool Beas from scoring much, but he flashed really active hands and forced turnovers when Beasley tried to take him off the bounce.

 

Shannon Brown- Looked good. His jump shot, which has always been nice, was falling and he played good D. He will continue to make athletic plays on both ends, and make jump shots at a decent clip next year. He fits in well in the triangle as a combo guard, which hides his lack of true playmaking skills and mediocre handles.

 

Steve Blake- He will certainly play extended minutes next year. He actually should get right around the same amount of time Derek Fisher gets. He played quick and showed leadership ability. I think he’s a good fit for the triangle, as he is a good passer and spot-up shooter. He’s not more than a pest on D, but he’s no liability. He can defend quick PG’s better than Fisher can.

 

Lamar Odom- Played pretty good. He dribbled too much sometimes and is a very mediocre shooter, but he has the obvious versatility and really gave Kevin Love all he could handle at times off the dribble. I liked that play were he made Beasley fall that led to the high-step behind the back pass LOL, but Derek Fisher kinda ruined it by getting it blocked.

 

Devin Ebanks- Ebanks looked raw, but he has potential. He has great size and length at the SF spot, and even shows some potential to play point-forward in spurts. He also has potential on D, but right now he’s not smart enough to take advantage of his tools on that end. He gets up some shots by being out of position (Mike Beasley was too much for him when they matched up). He needs to get a better jump shot and most importantly get a better basketball IQ, so I don’t expect him to play very much next year. He’s a developmental prospect.

 

Derrick Caracter- Struggled to play D, and is very foul prone. He also had trouble getting his shots off, as he’s undersized and not all that athletic, which showed when he matched up with that Pec guy and Darko. He looked sluggish, which sucks because he looked very lively in Summer League and I’d hate to see him give in to his weight issues. He won’t play much next year I don’t think, he is another developmental prospect. He seems like a D-Leaguer for a year.

 

Sasha Vujacic- Looked inconsistent as a shooter again, but he’s not going to be a Laker in the long-term.

 

T’Wolves:

 

Mike Beasley- Looked great scoring the ball, really got in the zone in the 3^rd quarter. He made a smooth turnaround jumper, looked outstanding pulling up from about 17 ft, and made shots at the rim and drilled a transition 3. He didn’t rebound well, or pass the ball hardly ever, but he showed intensity on D that I’ve never seen from him. If he can play D like that for 82 games (I VERY seriously doubt he does though lol), Beasley would be a serious steal for the T’Wolves. He does need to take better care of the ball though, as he had quite a few TO’s, mostly due to trying to do too much off the dribble.

 

Kevin Love- Outstanding. He rebounded super good as usual, made some crazily outstanding passes (that outlet pass to Corey Brewer was disgusting. He threw it from the foul restriction zone to a little behind the 3-point line smh), and he scored it well. He should get about 17 ppg and 12 rpg next year, and around 3 apg too. He looks impressive.

 

Luke Ridnour- He played quick and really looked good in transition. He is a good passer and a decent shooter, but he’s not very strong at all, which hurts him finishing around the rim and on D. He should be a serviceable starter until Flynn gets back, and he should see good time even when Flynn returns. He’s the best passer on the T’Wolves roster.

 

Corey Brewer- He did good in transition and made some nice plays in off-ball D, but he’s a terrible and out of control ball-handler. He’s also still not a very confident (or good) shooter. He will play next year, but just how much remains to be seen. I think his time will decrease some.

 

Wesley Johnson- He made athletic finishes and showed active hands off the ball on D. He’s not strong or a shot-creator, but he should produce next year as a shooter and transition player. He looks like a swingman, and he should be able to easily play some spot minutes at SG. I’m not sure why people write that off completely.

 

Martell Webster- His jump shot looked cash. He is a much better athlete than he’s credited for, and he continues to play solid, yet unspectacular D on ball. He’s not a shot-creator really, but he can shoot off the bounce and he’s deadly when open. He will play a bunch next year.

 

Wayne Ellington- Ellington probably won’t see as many minutes as last year, but he can score and he’s got pretty good quickness too. He likes to slash more than shoot, which is weird because he was always more of a shooter in college. He’s not a very good defender or ball-handler though at 6’4.

 

Darko Milicic- He isn’t going to score a lot, but he is a good passer and a shot-blocking presence at 7’0. He has great physical ability. Seems like a relatively good fit beside Kevin Love and Mike Beasley, mostly for defensive purposes.

 

 

 

 

 

[Stojakovicfor3Participant]

No Tolliver? He played very well.

Sasha just sucks. Simple as that.

[stanford hoops]

I agree with everything except it should be added that caracter looked very good on the boards which is what his role will be off the bench while bynum gets healthy. Also theo looked good as a big body,rebounder, shot changer

Also brewer might struggle playing as much as last year because all the guys ahead of him can shoot

[llperez]

lakers didnt get after it defenisively. Minnesota was getting quality looks all game. But give minnesota credit. They have a lot of guys who were hitting those shots and overalll as a team i think they will be much tougher then last year. Still dont see them getting 30 wins though. Also liked what matt barnes brought. He didnt force anything and make sound decisions and ended up with like 8 points i believe.

[goneParticipant]

Did that guy Pekovic play for Minny??

[JNixonParticipant]

Yeah. He’s got a wide body and he was OK, but he’s not athletic, talented or energetic enough to play for more than limited spurts.

[McWinningParticipant]

Do you think theyll start Martell Webster ov Wesley at least for a little while?

Wesley to me should not play shooting guard.

[JNixonParticipant]

It’s hard to say, but I’d say Webster if I had to guess. Webster does everything Johnson does, but he’s stronger and a more solid defender and shooter.

[TheWizardParticipant]

Only saw a portion of the last half of the game, but Martell Webster looked solid. As soon as I started watching he started just draining everything he threw up. Lie JNIXON said before, the preseason doesn’t mean a whole lot, but Webster definitely impressed me.

Also, I think it is so ironic how last year many people thought that Pekovic was going to have a big impact in the NBA and was going to be a guaranteed starter. I definitely think he has a long way to go on his game before he can play extended minutes in the NBA, but with David Kahn even Darko became a starter, so I guess anything is possible.

[tonyl33Participant]

After watching today’s game, I think the Wolves look a lot better than they did last year.  This year team is playing a lot better as a team then they did last year.  I think it has to do with Big Al holding the ball to long and not a fit for Kurt’s offense.  I think Wes is going to start at the SG and Webster is better off coming of the bench as a 6th man.  Webster will be able to come off the bench and attack and score in bunches.

[bballguruParticipant]

The lakers are boring, tired of seeing them, their style of play is boring, its old time for something new and exciting…I will be happy when kobe takes a dive which should be soon his act is old also. same old facial expressions and dumb looks at the refs and other players. easily the nbas most annoying and boring star ever.

[marcusfizer21Participant]

Vujacic plays basketball because its the only reason why he can be around with naked guys in the shower… He’s a Fag G oT…. Sorry Laker fans, he’s the only Laker I want to punch in the face in their roster… I’m over Ron Artest…LOL

[stanford hoops]

from what ive read it will be wesley so webster can provide spark off the bench and they know a vet is more likley to be better off the bench and still have confidence then a rookie. they said it on nb tv as well. personally id start webster after the performance he had but thats one game and all through camp it was said wesley was the better player

[Author]

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