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Word on the street was that if Darius Morris had remained at Michigan one more season, he might have been a lottery pick in the first round of the 2013 draft. Instead, he opted to make the jump to the NBA and found himself selected by his hometown Lakers. Between the presences of Kobe Bryant, Steve Blake and (at the time) Derek Fisher, backcourt minutes figured, then proved, difficult to come by. Even by the typical standards for rookies playing on veteran teams with championship aspirations, Morris didn't get much run.

Statistics
19 games, 8.9 mpg, 2.4 ppg, 1.8 apg, .8 rpg, .429 FG, .444 3-PT

Highlights
The early part of his unexpected seven game stretch (1/11-1/22) filling in for Steve Blake. A rib injury to the veteran left Mike Brown no choice but to throw the kid into the fire and for the first few games of this stretch, Morris did a credible job considering the he had yet to log a minute's worth of regular season run. Four assists were doled out against the Cavs and Clips, with seven points to lead all reserves in the local contest. (He even drilled a half-court buzzer beater! The rookie didn't make anybody forget about Blake altogether, but at the very least, we saw glimpses of the potential that prompted the front office to draft him.

Lowlights
The latter part of the aforementioned seven-game stretch. Whether the result of more tape of Morris for opponents to study or simply the rigors of NBA ball catching up to Morris, the more games he played, the more he struggled to make an impact. It's one thing for his scoring to turn inconsistent, yet quite another to log just one assist over four consecutive contests. Morris looked increasingly in over his head, and Brown eventually opted to bench the Wolverine in favor of fellow rookie Andrew Goudelock as a quasi-point guard to provide the reserves a scoring punch.

Prospects for 2012-13
To some degree, this could be dictated by other point guards on the roster. Ramon Sessions (opt out), Blake (amnesty provision/trade) and/or Goudelock (potential free agency) all could find themselves part of new teams next season, which might open the door for Morris to play a larger role. (Assuming the Lakers make a qualifying offer of a little under a million bucks to retain his services, as I expect they will.) Were all three to return, Morris may once again be on the outside looking into a crowded backcourt. And I got the distinct impression from his exit interview playing time is a factor he'll use to weigh his options, should he have any. Darius is rightly concerned with establishing his credentials as an NBA-worthy player, and the process can never begin too early.

In any event, the Lakers could use more youth at this position, which leaves a door open for Morris, assuming he proves worthy of walking through it.

Grade
C

Previous Report Cards

• Christian Eyenga

Rookie Andrew Goudelock began this season as the surprise winner of Kobe Bryant's primary backup at the two-guard. Later, he played some minutes as a quasi-point guard of sorts. He's a considerably more natural scorer than playmaker, but has the literal stature of a lead guard. So what position do the Lakers see him playing sown the road? As it turns out, they may wanna split the difference.

"They see me as a combo guard," explained Goudelock. "They see my size as point guard size but my game as more two-guard. So right now, I'm a two-guard, in the future, I strive to be a point guard who can score. A point guard that can play the two. A better combo guard. I think once I get more comfortable running the point guard position, I didn't run it until this year and I was learning it in the game on the fly. So that's really tough in the NBA. I think once I get more comfortable doing that, I'll be okay.

"One thing that I keep hearing from a lot of people around the league is [I] can shoot really well and there's a need for that. As long as I can shoot, I'm always gonna be okay. But for me to be successful as I wanna be, me tweaking those other areas, it's really important. Nobody wants to be a one-dimensional, two-dimensional player. I strive to be like some of the guys I came up watching. I always watched Allen Iverson, but you know, I don't think my career is gonna be anything like this. You have to be more realistic when you have watch guys and you wanna pattern your game after guys.

"I've always liked Chauncey Billups. Right now that's probably the biggest guy I'm looking to be somewhat like. Just keep trying to get better."

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For any NBA rookie, the inaugural season is a learning experience, but for Darius Morris, this was truly the case. Without the benefit of much playing time (just 169 total minutes over 19 games), the L.A. native wasn't left with much to do beyond gain an education. Thus, he made the most of a campaign spent primarily on the inactive roster, as he explained Wednesday in El Segundo.

Morris learned while observing opposing point guards from the bench, paying close attention to the "little tricks" in the back pockets of folks like Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook and Tony Parker. He learned from Kobe Bryant and Metta World Peace, the former with whom he forged an additionally strong friendship and the latter a self-appointed mentor. He learned what it took to win a lot of games at the NBA level.

But perhaps most importantly, he learned how to "stay ready," a refrain constantly repeated by players out of the rotation.

"As young players, we kind of embraced that, because you see how quickly things can happen, explained Morris. "I wasn't even dressing and active, and then Steve Blake goes down, I'm thrown into the fire. That right there. Everyone has their little moments. Or Dev (Ebanks), not being in the rotation and Kobe goes out. You would never expect it... It's just something you've got to do. This is your career. You are getting paid to stay ready and not have any excuses."

For his willingness to accept that and other challenges, Mike Brown praised the rookie during his exit interview for growth the coach witnessed between December and April.

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The news isn't exactly surprising, and frankly could have come a week or two earlier. Rookie point guard Darius Morris has been assigned to the D-Fenders, the team's NBDL affiliate.

The 21-year old Morris, who left Michigan after his sophomore season, has been glued to the bench since Steve Blake returned from his rib injury, playing a grand total of 10 minutes since seeing 18 minutes of burn against the Pacers on January 22nd. There just aren't any minutes for him, and if he's not going to play with the Lakers he should be playing somewhere. He'll get to do that with the D-Fenders, as Andrew Goudelock and Devin Ebanks have already this season.

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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Mike Brown can insist he's not worried about the Clippers. Matt Barnes and Blake Griffin can claim there's no bad blood between these teams (if not necessarily each other). And people can debate whether the Lakers and Clippers have entered a "rivalry." Some will say the Clippers need to win more games (or banners) to make this a "rivalry." Others won't be able to agree on what constitutes a "rivalry" to begin with.

But this much can't be disputed. There are stakes riding on this game.

The winner of the Pacific Division is probably guaranteed at least one round of home-court advantage in the playoffs. The runner-up could end up fighting just to make the postseason in a loaded Western Conference. If the Lakers can't snap a three-game losing streak with a win against their Staples Center roommates, they've lost any shot at forcing a tiebreaker. Winning the division would require leapfrogging the Clips, which means making up the ground of four losses in the standings. With only 47 games remaining afterward, the mission's not impossible, but it won't be easy.

Here are four items to watch once the ball is jumped:

1. Bench production

The upside of Metta World Peace's 11 points against Indiana on Sunday? It provided hope of a corner potentially turned, or at the very least, evidence of a concerted effort to park him in the lane that essentially makes or breaks his effectiveness. The downside? It was a stark reminder of how rare such an outburst is for a Lakers reserve. Before this night, the last Lakers reserve to hit double figures was Steve Blake on Jan. 8 against the Grizzlies.

The second unit's struggles to chip in points is an issue during any game, but could be spotlighted in particularly painful fashion against the Clippers. In an extreme example, you have Mo Williams, whose 14.5 points off the bench bests the combined averages of MWP (5.5), Josh McRoberts (3.7) and Darius Morris (3.6), the top three scorers among healthy reserves. There's even a reminder in the form of second-leading bench scorer Randy Foye, whose 7.9 points is hardly eye-opening ... except on the Lakers, where he'd be the clubhouse leader among subs. And despite Williams' presence, the Clippers remain just the 28th-ranked team for bench scoring and 29th for efficiency ... and still beat the Lakers on both counts.

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Before Tuesday's practice, Mike Brown was asked repeatedly about the flagging offense and attempts to create consistent production. He talked about "searching." Searching for good combinations, searching for effective plays, searching for ways to better generate positive momentum.

In the process, he noted one of the major challenges.

"I'm playing a young guy at a pretty important spot, just out of college," Brown said of rookie point guard Darius Morris, taken last summer with the 41st pick in the draft.

"We're relying on him to do a lot out on the floor, as your point guard. Not necessarily to score, but to get guys in the right spot at the right time, and it's not like he can only play five minutes or we can move him along slowly. You've got to play, and you've got to run this team, and you've got to make sure that we're right while you're out there. And then on top of that, I'm trying to figure out the right guys to put around him, and/or put with the second unit, and also what to run," he said.

Quite a laundry list. Thus far Morris has been (understandably) overmatched and the team has suffered with him on the floor.

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The Lakers dropped to 10-6 Thursday night, with an increasingly disturbing 1-5 record on the road tucked inside, as the Miami Heat dominated almost from the start.

Little went right for the Lakers, save what was arguably Pau Gasol's best game of the season. Twenty-six points on 11-for-19 shooting, eight rebounds, two dimes, one block and much more decisive decision-making.

Here are five takeaways …

1. Monday's problems with the offense carried into Thursday.

It took a 27-point fourth quarter to push the Lakers to 73 points Monday night against Dallas. That they managed to win that game was something of a minor miracle. Against a better Heat team, even one missing Dwyane Wade, the shenanigans of a couple days ago just wouldn't work, as demonstrated by their 37 points at the break. Some of it was bad luck -- the Lakers missed a few shots around the bucket they normally make. Guys were cold, too. Together, Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum, and Metta World Peace scored 17 points on 5-for-19 shooting. Only Gasol (13 points) was in double figures, or at 50 percent from the floor among Lakers taking more than one shot.

It didn't get much better in the third (19 points) but by the middle of the quarter, it was basically academic. Overall, the Lakers weren't able to exploit any advantages inside, or create enough off-ball movement to generate better looks around the perimeter. And, once again, they couldn't hit a 3-pointer (6-20, or 30 percent, some of the "explosion" coming in a meaningless fourth quarter), a trend plaguing the Lakers throughout the season, even in games they've won.

2. Kobe's sweet spots are getting a little less sweet.

In the four games prior to Dallas, Bryant had scored 77 of his 172 points inside 10 feet or at the free throw line. Via ESPN Stats and Information, against the Mavs, Bryant had only one FTA, and it came on a technical foul. Three of his 22 shots came from 10 and in. Tonight, Bryant again had trouble getting to the bucket. Through three (meaning the parts when the game was even kind of in question) quarters, Bryant had 12 shots. One bucket from three feet, another from nine, and the rest of his hoists were in that 16-and-beyond range. This, plus four free throws. It's not that Kobe can't hit the midrange jumper -- no guard does it better -- but easier points have to be found in there somewhere.

A couple of things may be happening. Kobe could be tiring out just a little, or opposing teams could be doing better keeping him out of his ideal spots, knowing the Lakers don't have much by way of counters -- i.e., the offensive issues plaguing the Lakers as a group have finally filtered down to Bryant. Or both. In any combination, it's bad news for the Lakers.

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The Lakers are headed to Florida for a two game roadie with the Heat and Magic. The Kamenetzky brothers are in L.A., taking the collective pulse of the fan base.

Topics tossed our way included the trade value of Pau Gasol, three-point shooting woes and defense.

Here is the link.

In the time I've spent covering the NBA, it was the most polite four-plus minutes of questioning officials I've ever heard. (Perhaps because so much of that time was spent covering Phil Jackson) Nonetheless, Mike Brown made it very, very clear Sunday afternoon in El Segundo that, upon further review, he still thinks the shove Blake Griffin delivered to Darius Morris in the first quarter of Saturday's loss to the Clippers was a dangerous play, one worthy of a call that never came.

With that in mind, he'll be asking the league to review the tape.

While I got the feeling Brown probably wanted to tee off, he didn't, and once again he expressed regret at costing his team a point thanks to the T he earned after going ballistic on the bench. If Chuck Person didn't have the size of a left tackle, who knows where Brown would have ended up? (Other than, as he said with a smile this afternoon, "the shower.")

Apologies aside, I'm sure Brown's players appreciated the show of support, despite his repeated pleas to stay off the refs. They'd rather he stick up for his guys than let a play like Griffin's slide without reaction. From Kobe Bryant on down, the Lakers have been highly complimentary of Brown, expressing a desire to win for him. His reaction to Griffin's push is a good example why.

Arash Markazi joins the fun following Saturday's 102-94 win for the Clippers over the Lakers at Staples.

It was an interesting night on a few levels. First, the Clippers dominated the boards, particularly the offensive glass. Given their relative positions statistically heading in (the Clippers at the bottom, the Lakers at the top), this was a surprise. Among the other topics of conversation:

• Star-caliber performances from Chris Paul and Kobe Bryant, who notched his fourth straight game with 40-plus points. How did CP3 break down the Lakers? Where was Kobe getting his looks?
• Third-quarter chippiness hints at a rivalry that could grow pretty intense given a little time and some context (a playoff series, for example).
• Questions of fatigue. The Lakers played their 14th game since Christmas Day, including Friday night against the Cavs. The Clips, meanwhile, have had among the NBA's cushiest schedules, enjoying two days off before Saturday's tilt, only their ninth of the year.
• The Lakers offense. Kobe has dominated, actually managing to improve on the 37.7 points a night he's posted over the previous six games (while shooting 50 percent on the nose), but as a whole, is it devolving?
• Despite the big night from Paul, Darius Morris acquitted himself well in his third NBA game. Checking CP3 is burly work for anyone, let alone a rookie who could be playing his junior year at Michigan right now.

In-show vids from Mike Brown, Bryant, Gasol, and Darius Morris.



More postgame video below, from Bryant, Morris, Gasol, and Brown.

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It's hard to learn too many lessons from Saturday's 102-94 loss to the Clippers in the first installment of this year's city rivalry games, at least in terms what it means about each team's long term future in the Pacific Division. But if Saturday was any indication, Los Angeles basketball fans will enjoy having two high-end NBA teams operating out of Staples Center.

Chris Paul was spectacular, and Kobe Bryant again hit the 40-point mark. Fans saw a good show and the LAC drew first blood. Here are four takeaways:

1. This has the potential to become an ugly rivalry.

You knew something might be up when the second preseason game between these teams looked a little like lost outtakes of prison hoops sequences from "Oz." A little chippy, to say the least. Saturday, there were more moments of tension. Darius Morris going to dunk on a dead ball, and getting a stiff arm from Blake Griffin underneath, a play nearly sending Mike Brown over the edge. He had to be restrained on the Lakers bench by John Kuester and Chuck Person, while earning himself a T. There was the play where Metta World Peace arm-barred Griffin in the third quarter when he thought Griffin was over his back, then tossed a couple elbows in Paul's unfortunately nearby face. Moments later, there was another scrap involving Paul, Josh McRoberts, DeAndre Jordan, and Morris.

Matt Barnes spent most of the evening looking as if he might take someone's head off. More than normal.

The Clippers did themselves a disservice getting all scraptastic, firing up a fatigued, sluggish Lakers team and turning a comfortable lead into a tight game. More important, they violated the cardinal rule of NBA basketball: Don't make Kobe angry. You won't like him when he's angry.

2. The team still has no offense not directly tied to Kobe's output.

In the first half, Bryant seemed to have the leaden legs of his teammates, missing 9-of-12 shots, most coming from the perimeter, generally fadeing away, generally pretty flat. The third was a different story. He opened the quarter with a 22 footer, then moments later finished at the rim with a nice reverse layup. He set up Andrew Bynum with a slick pass over the double on a pick and roll near the top of the key, drilled a couple 3s, and made seven of eight free throws en route to a spectacular 21-point quarter.

This, plus a few nice defensive plays helping fuel the Lakers in transition. The Lakers got back into the game, and gave themselves a shot in the fourth. Again, Kobe was rock solid with his point production despite Vinny Del Negro throwing the kitchen sink at him, knocking down five of his six shots for another 10 points, finishing with 42 overall on 14-for-28 from the floor.

For those keeping score, that's four straight 40-plus game for Bryant, a remarkable stretch of scoring made particularly so given the once-again high shooting percentage. As a team, though, the Lakers lacked any real rhythm.

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There were some things to like during Friday's 97-92 win over the Cavs at Staples Center Friday night, and other things... not so much. Either way, following an 0-2 start, the Lakers have now found themselves on the right side of the scoreboard in nine of their last 11, pushing them to the top of the Pacific Division. Still, it's a little tough to measure just how good this Lakers team actually is.

We'll find out soon enough. Starting Saturday against the Clippers, the Lakers play six straight against playoff caliber opponents. They'll do it without Steve Blake, expected to miss 3-4 weeks in the wake of his rib injury, but with a red hot Kobe Bryant, who scored another 42 points on 15-of-31 from the floor, his third straight 40 point game and 110th over a 16 year NBA career.

One reason for hot streak: That bum wrist is getting a little less bum.

Maybe he should ding it up again? The results over his last seven games, including six Lakers wins, have been otherworldly. 37.4 points on 50 percent shooting, plus 5.7 rebounds and five assists. Perhaps it's best not to change a thing?

I kid. In the clip below, Kobe attributes the run to the quality of shots he's been getting since sitting down with Mike Brown following the Denver game on New Year's Day. Certainly Brown and his staff have learned to put Kobe in advantageous positions with consistency, a major improvement over last year. So there's that, plus a healthy dose of motivation brought by playing with the wrist and a totally palpable desire to send a message to anyone who believes (or more importantly who Kobe believes, believes) his time as an elite player has run its course.

My position hasn't changed. As a fan of basketball and athletic achievement, Kobe's play has been amazing and a ton of fun to watch. As someone paid to form an opinion on how it impacts the Lakers, I'm less enthused. Kobe has talked about his scoring as a weapon they can use as needed. Unfortunately, it's one they've fired a lot in the early going. At some point, the Lakers collectively need to find ways to lighten Bryant's load, or the odds of a happy outcome this season go down.

There's time to get it done, but this season in particular time is of the essence. Until they do, though, the fireworks likely continue. There's a reason people like fireworks.



More from Bryant below, on the absence of Blake, Andew Bynum learning to deal with double teams, and more. Video as well from Darius Morris, Bynum, and Brown.

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What should have been a blowout Friday night evolved into an actual game, and the failure to close out was pretty disappointing. Obviously, the bottom line is a record pushed to 9-4, but lapses such as these do provide pause. And if repeated against an opponent such as the Clippers (on the docket Saturday), they'll likely result in a 9-5 record, rather than 10-4. Still, we move forward, with six takeaways from the game:

1) For one game, the Lakers looked like a team drenched in point guard strength.

Ironically, this development took place as their best overall point guard, Steve Blake, watched in street clothes while starting his three- to four-week recovery period from a fractured rib. For a team lacking in both ball handlers and play-makers, this felt like a recipe for (at best) Kobe Bryant shouldering a heavier burden to manufacture buckets for himself and others or (at worst) an inconsistent offense bogging down even further.

But a funny thing happened on the way to Strugglesville. The tandem of Derek Fisher and Darius Morris, the former beaten up 24/7 as the Lakers' weakest link and the latter making just his second appearance this season, joined forces to provide some quality minutes. In particular, Fisher had himself one heckuva night. His first half rounded out with nary a shot attempt or point, but his passing created nine Lakers buckets. Fisher got off to a great start by creating the Lakers' first two scores with dishes inside to Andrew Bynum, then later threw a gorgeous left-handed baseball pass to Pau Gasol after drawing a double-team on a pick-and-roll. He also was particularly in sync with Matt Barnes' off-ball movement, setting him up with a couple of baskets while the small forward ran curls away from the action.

And in a moment I'm sure the veteran enjoyed, given his distaste for the "Fish can't hang with the kids because he's older than dirt" narrative, he stripped No. 1 overall pick Kyrie Irving on one possession with shocking ease, then converted the turnover into a layup for Gasol.

Fisher finished the night with 10 assists (against zero turnovers), the 15th 10-plus assist game of his career, the previous one coming Jan. 11, 2009.

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Dave McMenamin has the news.

Bottom line, the Lakers get some much needed help in the frontcourt behind Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. Gasol particularly piled up minutes in games against Phoenix and Utah without Josh McRoberts and Troy Murphy available, so I'm sure he'll be excited to see them back.

Jason Kapono, who had been with his wife following the birth of twin daughters, will also be in uniform.

Steve Blake's absence -- he's not expected to play Saturday against the Clippers, either -- puts pressure on Derek Fisher, likely to get more minutes, and means a promotion for rookie Darius Morris, who played for the first time this season Wednesday in Salt Lake City. I don't think I'm revealing state secrets when I say the Lakers don't exactly have a wealth of depth at the point, so losing Blake even for a few games hurts.

Hopefully it's not much longer than that, because the guy likely to pick up at least some of the slack in ball handling and facilitiating is Kobe Bryant. He's more than capable, obviously, but has a pretty full dance card already.