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MORE EXIT INTERVIEWS:

• Ramon Sessions
• Jordan Hill
• Metta World Peace

Second year forward Devin Ebanks began the year as the starting small forward, playing 81 minutes in the first four games before Mike Brown replaced him in the first five with Matt Barnes.

Over the next 52 games, Ebanks logged a total of 73 minutes before a shin injury to Kobe Bryant and Metta World Peace's suspension put him back in the starting lineup for the last 10 regular season games and the first six against Denver in the opening round of the playoffs. In the first five games after World Peace's return, Ebanks played a total of four minutes. Monday night in Game 5, Ebanks served as the backup 3 over a slumping Barnes, playing 16 minutes.

Fair to say Ebanks rode the playing time roller coaster this year, a difficult thing for young players.

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Throughout April and the playoffs, Mike Brown has periodically employed a backcourt of Ramon Sessions and Steve Blake, with the latter at the two and almost inevitably overwhelmed by his defensive assignment. The most recent example came in the first half of Game 4, where Andre Miller continually bullied Blake while matched against him. It's not Blake's fault he struggles in these situations. He's simply giving up a lot of size. All the while, Devin Ebanks, who proved himself capable at the spot while filling in for Kobe Bryant, sits on the bench watching. Land O' Lakers regulars are well aware of my recurrent frustration at Brown's unwillingness to use the bigger/longer Ebanks in these scenarios whenever possible.

In the grand scheme of things, this is hardly the worst move Brown could make as a coach, but it's one I've nonetheless found curious. Thus, after Monday's practice in El Segundo, Brian and I got Brown's perspective on the matter. Below is a transcript of the conversation:

Land O' Lakers: What's the thinking behind keeping Sessions and Blake together, because it seems like, more defensively, it causes some problems? Andre Miller, for example, has been pushing Steve around, although he pushes a lot of people around.

Mike Brown: Yeah, he has. Steve has actually fought him fairly well. He's fought better than Sesh, to a certain degree. But we do that because [it's] more ball handling, more ball skilled guys out on the floor. If you look at last year's NBA champions, the Dallas Mavericks, they played with even two smaller guards in J.J. Barea and Jason Terry. So to have two ball-skilled guys out there, especially with the second unit at times, is good for us.

Part of it, too, is because we know Denver is doubling often and when they double right now, Steve is shooting a little bit better than Matt (Barnes) and/or Ebanks. So that is another reason we do it, because we don't feel like we drop dramatically on the defensive end when we have Steve on the floor instead of Ebanks or Matt.

LO'L: Even in those situations where someone like Miller has that size advantage?

MB: Well, he hasn't done a good enough job to -- knock on wood -- hurt us down the stretch for it to be effective. He hit a couple of buckets [Sunday night] that I thought were extremely tough. Like the one he drove and kind of threw up the play.

LO'L: Sure. Down the stretch, it was much different than during the first half.

MB: Correct. But the first half, stuff's gonna happen over the course of the game. We watched [film] today with the team, if we would have doubled [Miller] the correct way or at least helped out on him the correct way in the first half like we did in second half, then he wouldn't have had the first half that he had. Our first half defense, and in particular our first quarter defense, was not good. That was one of the things I talked with our guys about. Guys didn't do what they were supposed to do defensively in guarding the pick-and-roll, the post-up and pin-downs. We kind of made up our own coverages at times and we paid the price. That's why it was 28-26 in the first quarter, but if you watch the game, every quarter we got better and better, because we got tighter with our coverages and we did it without fouling.

(Editor's note: Later, Brown actually led Brian and I onto the court, and walked us through situations where doubles didn't arrive. He also noted how doubling off a non-scoring big like Kenneth Faried was an option often available, and how generally uncomplicated the approach was.)

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The Lakers may be up 2-0 over Denver in the playoffs, but that doesn't mean there isn't plenty of issues rattling around in the head of the average Laker fan.

What becomes of Devin Ebanks once Metta World Peace returns from suspension? What can the Lakers do to prevent the Nuggets from replicating Game 2's track meet pace? And do LeBron James and Dwayne Wade owe Kobe a royalty check on every chase-down block?

The transcript is here.

The three most common ways the word "discipline" is applied to the Lakers:

1) As a verb to convey punishment handed down by the league. The most recent examples include Metta World Peace's current seven-game suspension, or the four-game sentence served at the beginning of the season by Andew Bynum.

2) With the prefix "un" in front of it, and a "d" at the end.

3) As part of the phrase "a team that lacks discipline."

One element that's always impressed me about the Spurs throughout the Popovich/Duncan era is the methodical nature of those teams. Whether up 15, down 15, or in the middle of a close game, they always seemed to be playing exactly the same way. Players become metronomes in high-tops, plugging away towards a common purpose rarely if ever abandoned. Obviously, like all teams, the Spurs will experience mental lapses. But rare are the games where I've seen San Antonio beat itself, and that's in part because, collectively and consistently, they're an exceptionally disciplined bunch.

On the flip side, this is my seventh season covering the Lakers, and even during the winning titles stretches, a disciplined approach has never been their calling card. This is a group with a penchant for inexplicably breaking away from what's working, typically because they'd rather settle for jumpers than make an extra pass to find a better shot. Impatience rears its ugly head on a regular basis. Short cuts will be taken in an attempt to knock out a team in the third quarter, rather than systematically build a lead through four. Minds will wander with a cushion, and that daydreaming allows an opponent to get back into a contest.

In broader terms, the issue would be labeled "inconsistency," but I've always felt the root of the problem is a lack of personal discipline.

Thus, it kind of blew my mind Sunday watching the Lakers play what was certainly their most disciplined game of the season, and perhaps the last few years. When you go down the checklist of matters requiring restraint against the Nuggets, the Lakers passed with flying colors.

- From start to finish, the Lakers controlled tempo through an insistence on forcing their pace and refusing to get sucked into Denver's running game. Shots were launched sensibly within the offense, which cut down on run-out opportunities against an unbalanced defense. They also took care of the ball, turning it over just 11 times against a squad capable of inducing turnovers. And on the occasions where Denver did shift into fifth gear, transition defense was in furious effect, the angles cut off and the lane protected. Even Matt Barnes, playing on a bad ankle, managed to track down Corey Brewer from behind and poke the ball away.

On the season, the Nuggets led the league in points in the paint (53.4) and fast break points (19.8), while ranking third in points off turnovers (19.7). On Sunday, they scored just 44 total in the paint, 19 fast break points and 12 points off turnovers. The Lakers can easily live with those results.

- Defensively, the Lakers were as alert, alive and active. Denvers shooters were rarely left wide open, even by bigs forced to challenge in space or along the perimeter. Rotations were crisp and purposeful. Bynum clearly turned the game upside down with his paint presence, but Pau Gasol and Jordan Hill also blocked a pair of shots. Denver shot a miserable 35.6 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from Downtown en route to a scant 88 points, all far below the seasonal averages of the NBA's most prolific team.

- On Friday, I wrote about the pressure facing Devin Ebanks, Hill and Ramon Sessions while making their postseason debuts. All three are young players, potentially prone to the magnitude of this moment. But rather than attempting to do too much or playing out of control, we saw a trio of composed performances. Unfortunately, Hill is now dealing with a potential distraction, but in theory, this was a nice sign for the less experienced Lakers moving forward.

Again, it was a triumph of discipline, the importance of which can't be overlooked.

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He's not exactly healthy -- asked what causes pain for his sprained right ankle, he replied "Moving." -- but Matt Barnes will play Sunday when the Lakers and Nuggets open up their first round series at Staples Center.

Needless to say (but I'll say it anyway), this is spectacularly good news for the Lakers.

Already down Metta World Peace to suspension, facing Denver's depth and versatility the Lakers could ill afford to lose Barnes, leaving Devin Ebanks as the only available small forward not named Christian Eyenga. Now they have to hope Barnes, so reliant on energy and activity, can press through the pain and play his game, something he wasn't fully able to do last spring while fighting a knee injury. If he can't cut hard, move out on the break, or aggressively crash the glass, Barnes isn't nearly as effective. This is before we talk about the defensive side of the ball.

Coach Mike Brown still plans to start Ebanks, a smart choice allowing him to maintain continuity with the rest of his rotation, but Barnes is slated for heavy minutes. One of the more interesting things to watch over the course of the series will be the effectiveness of both on the offensive glass. Both Ebanks and Barnes posted offensive rebound rates near the top of the league among small forwards.

It doesn't serve the Lakers for them to be timid, but awareness will be key (with the 3's and the team as a whole). Well executed, aggressive work on the offensive glass will force the Nuggets to stick around the defensive end a little longer, taking some starch out of their transition game. On the other hand, mistakes will fuel Denver's attack.

"You've just got to pick and choose," Barnes said Saturday after practice. "We watched a lot of film on what we've done this year, what's been effective, and there are still times to go to the glass with them. You just have to pick and choose, because [Ty] Lawson's a one-man break, and Andre Miller likes to get the ball out and throw it ahead. So I've just got to be smart about when I crash."

Brown made it clear he doesn't want either to feel limited, but also emphasized judgment. A miscue here and there can be tolerated, but should either string a couple together Brown won't be shy about making substitutions.



Click below for more video from Saturday's practice, including Kobe Bryant, Ramon Sessions, Andrew Bynum, and Ebanks.

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A lot of factors can swing a playoff series. Individual and stylistic matchups. Home court advantage. Coaching. Unconsciously hot shooting. Injuries. Star power. And of course, experience. While oodles of "been there, done that" doesn't guarantee a championship (just ask the 2011 Los Angeles Lakers), it's never a bad thing to be well acquainted with the postseason. To a man, every player I've every spoken with has readily acknowledged the playoffs are an entirely different animal from the regular season. If you're not ready, that shift can be quite the eye-opener.

Over the last few years, we've grown accustomed to the Lakers as one of the NBA's more playoff-ready teams. In 2009, they won the title with a core one campaign removed from a trip to the Finals. In 2010, they repeated with an entire team -- save then-Ron Artest -- armed with at least one ring. 2011 may have ended with a whimper, but on paper, the Lakers' pedigree was perfect: A mix of reigning champions and seasoned veterans (Matt Barnes, Steve Blake) hungry to join the club.

This year, however, the roster composition is fairly different. Beyond the team being down to just four players with championship credentials (low by recent standards), they're not nearly as playoff-tested. In the "Pau" era, the only rotation player with essentially no playoff experience was Shannon Brown in 2009. This season, there are three. Ramon Sessions, Devin Ebanks and Jordan Hill all figure to play notable minutes, and all are making their postseason debuts this Sunday. (Oddly enough, Troy Murphy only has three minutes of playoff experience after 11 seasons, but at least he's a 11-year vet and his minutes will likely be sporadic.) Much is particularly expected of Sessions, but all will be asked to contribute on this elevated stage. There's no real way to comprehend what's in store for them beyond actually experiencing it. But that doesn't mean wisdom can't be imparted. With that in mind, I gathered perspective and memories from some of their teammates who've been there.

KOBE BRYANT
First playoff game: 4/25/97 vs. Portland, as a member of the Lakers

What felt immediately different in the playoffs?
"It's more physical. The game speeds up. The opposition really gets a chance to study your game and take away your strengths, so you have to make sure you have a well balanced attack. You have to make sure you think the game all the way through, because in the playoffs, things don't happen by accident. In the regular season, sometimes they do. In the postseason, they don't."

The Preparation
"Oh, man. I crammed so much. I knew every single play before they were running it. I was so hyped up, man! I studied the entire playbook, and Nick (Van Exel) and them were looking at me like I was crazy. 'What are you going?'

I was like, 'Isn't this what we're supposed to do?'

"Okay, young fella."

"Well, this is what I do."

Were there moments it paid off?
"It didn't really pay off much for me. I didn't play worth a s--- anyway." (laughs) I'm serious. But I learned a lot about the plays and different pro sets and from series to series, it was interesting to see how many teams essentially ran the same thing. So it was a good learning opportunity for me.

"If you don't do your preparation before Game 1, you don't know what adjustments are coming anyway. You have nothing to base if off of. For me, I did a great deal of studying, so I was able to watch from the bench, see what adjustments they made. See how they played Nick on screen/rolls. How they played Eddie (Jones') cuts. Shaq (O'Neal) in the post and all this stuff. So I learned a lot.

"They're small adjustments, but they're big adjustments. Sometimes the smallest moves give you the biggest returns."

Do you plan to talk with Sessions, Ebanks and Hill?
"Yeah, but the only message is to be fundamentally sound and minimize mistakes. That's really what it's about in every profession. In basketball, all it's about is minimizing your turnovers, controlling the glass, and controlling the tempo. And then everything else kind of gets into the execution of things."

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Lakers fans hoping for Devin Ebanks to get some run will finally get their wish... sort of.

The organization just announced Ebanks will be sent down to the L.A. Defenders, the Lakers D-League affiliate. Having not played since January 31, nor logged double digit minutes since January 13, this move hardly qualifies as a surprise. First and second year players are eligible for a stint in the "minors," so to speak, and franchises typically like taking advantage of this opportunity with youngsters buried on the bench. (And for those wondering, Ebanks in the D-League DOES NOT open up a roster spot, so don't treat this as a sign of a move in the works.)

As a card carrying member of the "I don't get why Ebanks can't crack the rotation" club, I get whatever disappointment may be felt by those hoping he'd get a shot at improving a wildly inconsistent small forward tandem. Personally, I think Devin's skill sets and athleticism provides a unique utility for the Lakers, and he started out the season looking pretty good before abruptly being removed from the rotation altogether. Plus, as one of the few young players on the roster -- and at a position of weakness to boot -- I think it would behoove the Lakers to figure out what they have in him moving forward. But for the time being, Mike Brown is going with Metta World Peace and Matt Barnes, and that doesn't appear to be changing anytime soon. And like I said, Ebanks is a young player, so from a developmental standpoint, he can't afford to take season-long residence in "DNP-County." He needs actual game-minutes, and the D-League will provide just that opportunity.

Better to remove your warmups as a Defender than remain a Laker who might as well be wearing a business suit underneath his during games.

Wednesday night, the Lakers knocked off the Clippers in what was their 19th game of a lockout-shortened 66-game campaign. For those not doing the math at home, one month in the Lakers have already completed 29 percent of their schedule.

A lot of time? No, but by this season's standard not a bad sample size, either.

From a scheduling standpoint, Wednesday also marked a natural dividing line between the home-heavy start and what amounts to a national tour for the purple and gold, as 11 of their next 16 games come away from Staples Center. Put together, it makes for a natural moment to stop and assess what we know about this season's Lakers. When the lockout (tentatively) ended back on Nov. 26, we published a list of 34 questions facing the team this year in the wake of last spring's playoff disaster.

Why 34? Because 20 isn't enough when the league lets you sit around all summer thinking about stuff. Below is that list, each with some answers.

Strap in, people. We've got a lot of ground to cover.

1. Who wins the battle between the well-rested knee of Kobe Bryant (and his ankle, back, finger and general skeletal structure) and a compressed schedule?

Knee? What knee? I thought we were worried about his wrist. (Which, by the way, we’re increasingly less worried about.) Meaning 19 games in, the answer is Bryant in a walk. He leads the league in scoring (30.2), a nearly five-point improvement over last season, while maintaining a solid shooting percentage (45 percent). Asked to carry an almost comical burden in the Lakers offense, at least as measured by his league-leading usage rate (35.9), Bryant has been outstanding. And spry. Very, very spry.

Basically, the man is a running, leaping billboard for German medical engineering.

2. Who wins the battle between the well-rested will of Bryant and the authority of Mike Brown?

The relationship between Kobe and Brown has been a success. Bryant has expressed nothing but admiration for his new coach, praising on multiple occasions Brown’s work ethic and emphasis on defense, noting the team wants to win for him because they see how much Brown wants to win, too. They know he puts in the work.

Doesn't mean the questions about Bryant's shot selection, balance, or how he's used offensively have stopped, but those would be asked whether the coach was Brown, Phil Jackson, Brian Shaw or Rick Adelman. They are, in sports terms at least, eternal.

To this point, though, one major concern -- Brown's ability to "manage" Kobe, has been a non-issue.

3. What will Brown's system look like, and how quickly will the Lakers be able to pick it up?

Not totally sure, and not very.

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For the third time this season, the Los Angeles Lakers ventured out on the road, and for the third time they came home empty-handed. Thursday, after a strong start in the Rose Garden, a place where, put mildly, they've struggled, Portland used a red-hot third quarter to give them an advantage they wouldn't surrender.

Final score, 107-96. Here are six takeaways...

1. What they're doing with Kobe inside the offense needs to continue.

Following the loss in Denver, Mike Brown said he and Bryant re-examined how Kobe was getting the ball. The result was a host of mid- and low-post touches against Houston, and more of the same against Portland. Kobe consistently made catches in all his sweet spots, from the free-throw line extended to lower on the block. Perimeter jumpers came on catch-and-shoot opportunities, with off-ball action helping spring him. Only by accident it seemed was Bryant put in stationary isolation.

The results were incredibly strong early. Particularly with the starters on the floor, the Lakers sustained an effective offensive rhythm. The ball moved, players moved, shots for L.A.'s big three were clean and plentiful. Combined, Bryant, Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol hit 13 of their 15 attempts, and while the percentage is a little fluky, none of the shots were the type you'd expect any of the three to miss.

Then the wheels fell off. Later in the game, as the Lakers tried to eat up Portland's lead, the flow wasn't as smooth. Kobe was more often in isolation, and the shots got harder. The Lakers still lack a secondary shot creator to take pressure off Bryant, but the template for Bryant in the offense is there if the Lakers can access it consistently.

He finished with 30 points on 13-of-24 from the floor, plus eight rebounds and three assists. High-end work.

2. The bench, it struggled.

Five points in the first half, nine in the second. As a group, they were 5-of-24 from the floor, and given the total lack of production it's not surprising the Blazers used their collective presence to great advantage. This won't be a refrigerator door box score for Metta World Peace, who finished with more turnovers (three) than field goals (zero). Matchups and ineffectiveness gave Devin Ebanks his first burn since losing the starting small forward gig to Matt Barnes, but he didn't exactly capitalize.

3. The Lakers miss Josh McRoberts.

Troy Murphy was, and will likely continue to be, $1.3 million well spent. Against a team like the Blazers -- who don't have much heft up front but sport plenty of active, mobile players -- there aren't many natural matchups for him. As a result, not only did Murphy struggle to do the things he does well (hit the glass, spot up outside), but he picked up fouls like a lint roller does cat hair. There's no way to hide him defensively. McRoberts, on the other hand, provides the sort of mobility and athleticism that comes in handy given the matchups Nate McMillan's crew can force. L.A.'s depth is still a fragile thing on good nights, and the Lakers don't have anyone on the bench who can replicate McRoberts' skill set at his size.

4. The Lakers aren't yet equipped to go dry like they did in the third.

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Here are your 10 additional things to take away from the Lakers' 99-90 road loss against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday ...

The Lakers led 90-88 with 2:47 remaining in the fourth quarter on Sunday before Denver went on an 11-0 run to finish the game.

Stop me if you've heard this one before.

The Lakers were ahead of the Chicago Bulls by 11 with 3:44 remaining in the season opener, before the Bulls finished with a 17-5 run to end it.

The Lakers were down by just two to the Sacramento Kings with 4:24 remaining before the Kings ended the game with an 11-4 spurt.

And so, New Year's Day felt a little like the movie "Groundhog Day" as the Lakers once again stumbled down the stretch.

"To close out games, you need to be able to execute and that’s something we’re struggling with right now to be consistent at doing, is executing and getting our guys that we want to have the basketball at certain times at certain spots where they can be most effective," said Lakers co-captain Derek Fisher.

The Lakers were outscored 27-19 in the fourth quarter, allowing Denver to shoot 10-for-17 (58.8 percent), including giving up a 7-0 edge to the Nugget in fastbreak points.

"To win close games, in particular close games on the road, No. 1, you can’t play from behind the entire time, but No. 2, you have to be able to execute down the stretch and we weren’t able to do that which led to some of the runouts that [Danilo] Gallinari got out there at the end," Fisher said.

Pau Gasol could only shake his head at Los Angeles' 3-3 record to start the season.

"Those three losses were three games that we could have had. It’s very unfortunate when you let a team off the hook like we have in these three losses," Gasol said. "With this team and the talent that we have, we should have a little bit better record than we do now … Hopefully we’ll finish games off better than we have."

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I'm not going to say it's completely because of us, but since we've sort of figured out how to work the fancy new Lakers Late Night Machine, the purple and gold are undefeated.

You're welcome, Los Angeles.

It was another robust show, following Thursday's 99-82 win over the Knicks at Staples. Among the topics of conversation:

• A very strong defensive performance from the Lakers, holding the Knicks to 31.3 percent shooting.
• Kobe Bryant's health, and his strong game Thursday.
• Bench depth.
• Andrew Bynum's return, just in time for a stiff portion of the Lakers schedule.

Video from Mike Brown, Bryant, Devin Ebanks, Pau Gasol, Metta World Peace, andTroy Murphy.



Postgame Video below, from Brown, Bryant, Murphy, Pau Gasol

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LOS ANGELES -- Perhaps as a way to make sense of the Los Angeles Lakers' horrendous showing against the Sacramento Kings or maybe as a way of explanation for seeing early-season a box scores that read Denver 115 - Dallas 93 or New Orleans 97 - Boston 78, Mike Brown and his friend have come up with a theory.

Age isn't just a number. It's an accurate win-loss predictor in the early stages of this lockout-shortened NBA season.

"I was talking to a buddy of mine that’s an assistant coach at a really good team in the East," Brown said before the Lakers hosted the New York Knicks on Thursday. "We were talking about the win-loss records for some of these teams and he brought up an interesting point.

"He said, 'Hey Mike, you know it’s funny about this?' He said, ‘Right now, on any given night, the advantage goes to the young, athletic, talented teams that just go play ball because they’re playing on energy and athleticism and right now not everybody in the league is in shape. Not everybody in the league is on the same page and it doesn’t bode well for teams like Boston or Dallas or teams that are older that don’t necessarily play like that, with that type of energy.' So, it was an interesting comment and I thought about it and there may be some truth to it. I don’t know. But it was very interesting that he brought that up."

The Mavericks and Celtics have both started the season 0-3. Lakers fans should read that last sentence and file it in their minds under "It could be worse."

"It’s always a surprise to see teams like that struggle, but at the same time you got to give them some time to kind of let them get back in shape and things like that," Kobe Bryant said before the game.

Indeed, last season's Finals MVP, Dirk Nowitzki called the Mavs "old and slow and out of shape" after the loss to the Nuggets.

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Here are your 10 additional things to take away from the Lakers' 96-71 home win against the Utah Jazz on Tuesday ...

The Lakers finally checked a notch in the win column Tuesday after going o'fer in new coach Mike Brown's first four games on the sidelines (two preseason, two regular season) and Pau Gasol put an end to a longer and just as dubious streak in the process.

Gasol scored 22 points, which may not seem like a tremendous total for a four time All-Star with a career scoring average of 18.8 points per game, but it had been a while since Gasol topped the 20-point plateau while wearing a Lakers uniform. You have to go all the way back to April 10 against Oklahoma City for the last time Gasol did it, which was 15 games ago (five regular season, 10 playoffs) for the Lakers. Gasol scored 26 in a loss against the Thunder. You have to go back even further for the last time he scored 20 in a win, 22 games to be precise, when Gasol went for 20 when Los Angeles beat Dallas on March 31st.

"[I was] just trying to be more active," said Gasol who had totals of 14 and 15 points in L.A.'s two losses to start the season. "Trying to make myself more available to my teammates and then just attack. I have to get more to the line like I did tonight and just be aggressive. Obviously they might throw different coverages here and there, but I just need to continue to be more aggressive and it pays off."

Gasol went 10-for-12 from the free throw line and shook off any discomfort he felt in his right shoulder after mildly spraining in while fighting through a screen Sunday against Chicago.

"It still bothers me a little bit, but it felt better [Tuesday] than it did [Monday] and it seems like it’s under control," Gasol said.

Now, the leaders of the Lakers' team -- Brown and Kobe Bryant -- would like to see Gasol take control more often.

"He has to. He has to," said Bryant who should know something about it after scoring 26 against Utah, his third straight game of 25-plus points while playing with a torn ligament in his right wrist. "He’s got to do it. He’s got to be aggressive. He’s got to take shots. We want to keep coming to him. He’s just got to look to score."

Brown said Gasol is a facilitator by nature from years of the Spanish National Team running its offense through Gasol in the post, and he even called Gasol's passing game "off the charts" for the three assists he picked up against Sacramento, but he'll certainly take the scoring version of the big man.

"He was very aggressive and we need that aggression out of him," Brown said.

Gasol was just as effective on defense, picking up five blocks and harassing Utah's Al Jefferson into a 2-for-16 shooting night.

"It gives me more confidence," Gasol said. "It gives me a path to follow and it feels good play at the level that you know you’re capable of playing and you’ve been playing for a long time. Now it seems to me that I found a good path and I just got to stick to it."

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You can read about it here, but if reading is to painful, just close your eyes and listen.

Following L.A.'s second loss in as many tries in as many days, we look at what went wrong Monday night and what went right (namely Metta World Peace), potential roster shortcomings over the long haul, what Andrew Bynum's return might help fix, whether Pau Gasol requires fixing, and more.

Up until the point in the game where Kobe Bryant turned the ball over with less than 20 seconds to go rather than waiting for a Chicago foul, the most shocking sight of the Lakers' season opening loss to the Bulls on Sunday was Bryant being subbed out for Andrew Goudelock in the first quarter.

Eight days before the Bulls game, Goudelock was assigned to the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the Lakers' D-League affiliate, for a game. Six days before the Bulls game, the Lakers played their exhibition opener against the Los Angeles Clippers and Goudelock received the dreaded DNP - CD.

Yet, there he was on Sunday, playing 13 meaningful minutes in a game that actually counted.

The shocking part about it was that Goudelock, selected No. 46 out of the College of Charleston after a four-year NCAA career when he averaged 18.4 points, seemed like the lowest guard on the depth chart. Darius Morris, selected five picks ahead of Goudelock in the second round, was supposed to be the rookie that would play time this of year at point guard with the 37-year-old Derek Fisher having to deal with a rapid-fire condensed season.

Goudelock can thank the Clippers' DeAndre Jordan for opening up an opportunity for him. While Goudelock sat out the first exhibition game, it was Jordan who blocked Bryant and caused the Lakers star to hurdle to the ground and tear a ligament in his wrist while trying to break his fall. Suddenly, the Lakers were without a backup 2-guard for the second exhibition game while Bryant sat out to rest the wrist and Jason Kapono was plugged into the starting lineup in his place.

Even though Morris did some good things with 11 points, three rebounds and three assists in his preseason debut, he was a point guard with two other point guards in Fisher and Steve Blake ahead of him on the depth chart.

But Goudelock, who was fourth in the country with a 23.4 points-per-game average his senior year, certainly knew how to fill it up.

"When we drafted Goudelock, we drafted him to see if we could develop him into a point guard and when I realized Kobe wasn’t going to play in that second preseason game, I said, ‘You know what? This kid has played well as kind of a 2-guard.’ Because, in order for him to get some reps, we threw him in as the 2-guard during practices," said coach Mike Brown after Goudelock's six-point performance Sunday, when he went 2-for-3 on 3-pointers. "He’s just another ball-handler out on the floor. He’s a very good shooter, he can create his own shot and he’s a four-year college guy that’s not afraid."

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