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As the popular saying goes, timing is everything. When we recorded this podcast Friday afternoon ahead of the impending blowout loss to the Spurs, the Lakers looked, generally speaking, like a team trending in the right direction with the postseason on the horizon. Then came San Antonio's blistering 61 percent clip from the field, which actually/improbably built on Tuesday's 60 percent at Staples, and the Lakers suddenly look considerably more vulnerable. But either way, the questions we examined remain trenchant and relevant, if perhaps more urgent than just 24 hours ago.

Again, timing is everything.

The show can be heard by clicking the module, and a breakdown of talking points is below:





- (3:03): With the playoffs approaching, we create a checklist of pressing needs as the Lakers attempt to make a deep run. They include sustained impact from Andrew Bynum and Metta World Peace, team defense, and Ramon Sessions' poise during his first foray into the playoffs.

- (13:00): We debate the importance of the bench's (and in particular, Steve Blake's) production, given the inevitability of increased minutes for the starters.

- (17:05): In both of our minds, no player will make or break the Lakers' playoff run more than Bynum. How confident are we about this reality?

- (18:20): If you believe the Lakers are on a better path than 1-2 months ago, how much credit does Mike Brown deserve?

- (25:40): I make a throwaway joke referencing a semi-obscure bubble gum pop from the 70's... which Brian misinterprets as a joke referencing this better known song by Barry Manilow Neil Diamond... which leads to us doing Neil Diamond impressions. That's just how the K Brothers roll.

Nothing like a lopsided loss to get the Laker Nation a-chatterin'. Plenty of questions tossed our way, including those about Kobe Bryant's time table for a return, how well the Lakers match up in a potential series against San Antonio and the odds of Ramon Sessions returning next season.

Here's a link to the transcript.

Also, as a reminder, if you haven't had a chance to read Dave McMenamin's two part Q and A with Jim Buss, do so. (Part 1 here, Part 2 here.) It's well worth your time.

Go ahead and sing.

Wednesday's win over the Clippers was significant not simply for being a quality effort against a strong opponent, though it was, but for what it did to the standings. The Lakers now own the season series and accompanying tiebreaker over the Clippers, giving them what amounts to a three game lead in the Pacific Division with only 11 games remaining.

Meanwhile, one rung up on the playoff ladder, the Lakers are 4.5 games behind San Antonio for the Western Conference's second seed. Put it all together, and barring the unusual and unexpected, the Lakers likely enter the postseason exactly where they are now, as the third seed.

The team should keep its collective eye on the games in front of them, since the schedule still contains three games against San Antonio, and dates with Denver, Dallas, and Oklahoma City. The goal is to enter the postseason playing at as high a level as possible, and in that regard the Lakers still have plenty of i's to dot and t's to cross. They need to go one day at a time. (Go ahead and sing.) The rest of us can look ahead at potential playoff opponents. The bottom half of the W.C. is tightly packed, meaning any of five teams have a reasonable shot of finishing sixth.

Who should the Lakers want? Is there a nightmare opponent out there? Here are the squads they're most likely to face, starting from the bottom, up... though the order is likely to change almost daily until the end of the regular season.

DENVER NUGGETS

Current Position: 29-25 (8th, 1.5 games behind sixth seed)

Matchup: The problem with Denver hasn't been talent, but health. Basically everyone on their roster has missed games, and in the case of key talent like Danilo Gallinari, a significant amount of them. But the tide might turn by playoff time. Wilson Chandler, who returned from China only to hurt his groin, will soon be back in the lineup. Gallinari (thumb) is practicing again, too. Rudy Fernandez, despite back surgery, could return for the playoffs. Keep in mind, the Nuggets started 14-5, including a win over L.A., and when whole are a dangerous bunch. They have good point guards in Ty Lawson and Andre Miller, a wing who can defend Kobe Bryant (Arron Afflalo), and a ton of depth. Most playoff rotations get shorter, but the Nuggets can still come in waves.

Fear Factor (scale of 1-10, keeping in mind the Lakers have shown an ability to lose to anyone, so all opponents deserve respect): 5 if injuries persist, 6.5 if healthy. Even if Denver gets their pieces back, how well will they fit with so little time together?

HOUSTON ROCKETS

Current Position: 29-25 (7th, 1.5 behind sixth seed)

Matchup: Kyle Lowry is back on the practice floor, and could return by the postseason. Obviously that changes the dynamic considerably for the Rockets, given how well Lowry has performed this season. Kevin Martin has also been banged up, but should be on the floor by the postseason. Houston beat the Lakers on March 20th without either one of those guys, so they'd have to be taken seriously. The Rockets don't excel in any one area, but are average to above average in a wide range of key statistical categories, and don't have a lot of clear soft points ripe for exploitation. Luis Scola is still a solid player, Chandler Parsons has earned his way into the starting lineup, and with Marcus Camby and Sam Dalembert, there's at least a little size.

Fear Factor: 5. Houston will force 48 minutes of solid play every game, but ultimately don't have enough top end players to beat the Lakers in a series.

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The Lakers, save a few minutes in the third quarter, gave a sluggish effort Sunday night, and paid for it. They lose their fourth home game of the season -- and second in a week (give or take) -- 102-96 to the Grizzlies.

Of course, the big story was Mike Brown's decision not to play Kobe Bryant for a key stretch in the fourth. Brown didn't provide much of an explanation to the media following the game, for the most part simply saying he felt like he wanted to make a substitution. Nor did Brown believe it was a decision he needed to justify to Kobe, personally. No surprise Bryant didn't enjoy being on the bench, but refused to question Brown's choice. As you'll see in the videos below, in terms of diffusing the issue, it's hard to picture Bryant coming up with a better response.

That fourth quarter sequence will be Monday's big storyline, but had little if anything to do with why they lost and was just one of the things we kicked around on tonight's edition of Lakers Late Night. Among the other big topics of conversation...

• Another poor effort defensively, as Memphis shot 51.2 percent from the floor and still managed to get 14 offensive rebounds. That ain't good. Andrew Bynum said after he was a big part of the problem. No disagreement here -- he only had four rebounds and was awful on the pick and roll -- but he had company.
• The bench, outscored 41-9 by their Memphis counterparts. To be sure, points aren't the best way to measure their performance, but unfortunately when judged by all the better ways, it still amounted to a very poor night. Steve Blake in particular had a very rough go.

In-show video from Brown, Bryant, and Pau Gasol. Click below for more from those three, plus Bynum and Ramon Sessions, who kicked in with a solid-but-quiet 18/5, dulled a little by three turnovers.

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Well, that wasn't fun on any level. Here are three takeaways from the loss.

1) From start to finish, the Lakers were off their collective game.

Typically, a Sunday evening game begins at 6:30 pm PT, but the ESPN broadcast moved the time an hour back to accommodate the preceding contest between the Heat and the Thunder. Athletes are often creatures of habit, which means his highly unusual start time requires an adjustment of sorts. The Lakers, to put it kindly, didn't adjust well.

From start to finish of this game, the Lakers alternated between looking out of sync and flat out disinterested. Offensively, everyone seemed completely disoriented, an odd sight so quickly on the heels of Friday's win over the Blazers, where ball movement flowed like cheap beer at a college kegger. Andrew Bynum enjoyed a dominant first half (18 points on six-of-eight shooting), but he also worked one-on-one, left to create successfully for himself. Clean looks created for a teammate were largely on short supply. (The prime exception being Pau Gasol, whose miserable night was often spent clanging often-exceptionally wide open shots, the type normally drains in his sleep.) This was also a night where we were reminded Kobe Bryant off ball with Ramon Sessions controlling the large chunks of the action will take some time before becoming a consistently smooth operation. Tonight, they didn't appear quite on the same page.

Of course, the Lakers are hardly strangers to slogging their way through ugly, offensively challenged contests. Before the Ramon Sessions era of wide-open scoring, this was basically the only way the purple and gold manufactured wins. Thus, they should in theory be well equipped to survive nights like this one. However, Players and Mike Brown alike have copped to a coinciding decline in lockdown as points have come more cheaply. Tonight was a prime example of the sloppy defense, but without the offense to bail them out. A lack of effort wasn't the entire culprit, a prime example being the night Rudy Gay's night against Metta World Peace. Memphis' small forward was run off screens much of the night, an approach that sometimes gives the bulky MWP trouble. Metta did his best, and worked hard, but was just ineffective.

But on countless possessions, the Lakers were just sluggish and/or lazy whether covering pick and roll, closing out, or especially getting back in transition. (Stop me if you've heard this before). I mean, Hamed Haddadi, he of the 2.1 ppg career average (which actually bests this season's 1.9) connected on five of his seven attempts. That lack of resistance Haddadi encountered from Bynum (among others) was emblematic of the ease with which far too many of Haddadi's teammates operated. Every Laker who stepped on the floor was guilty of miscues, carelessness or blatant apathy.

There were moments of hair-on-fire lockdown, especially during a 15-0 third quarter run. But by and large (Matt Barnes probably being the most deserving exception), the Lakers seemed determined to do as little on possible on D, and paid the price.

And finally, the Lakers just didn't play particularly smart, and that lack of intelligence was exemplified on a late-fourth quarter sequence involving Bynum. With a little over three minutes remaining, Mike Conley missed a nine-footer and the brick went straight to Drew, who to his credit skied for the ball. However, instead of doing the logical thing... like, you know, securing the rock... he emphatically tapped it out to an area of the perimeter where no Laker resided. The ball ended up in the Grizzlies' hands, and was converted into a layup by Zach Randolph.

All in all, it was a night the Lakers would just as soon flush down the toilet.

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L.A. is now in Day 11 of Ramonpalooza, the festival of appreciation aimed toward point guard Ramon Sessions following his acquisition from the Cavs on deadline day. (My Morning Jacket will be appearing shortly on the main stage.) It's easy to go overboard, but his presence really has represented a sea change for the Lakers.

Friday, we noted the ways in which Sessions has improved the team's offense, goosing efficiency with high-percentage shots either for himself or teammates, many coming in transition, plus an ability to get himself (and teammates) to the line. And this was before he made his debut as a starter, lighting up the Blazers for 20 points and 11 assists Friday night at Staples. The game was significant not only for his impressive numbers but how Sessions affected the action down the stretch. In a still competitive game, Sessions dominated the fourth quarter with eight points and six assists as the Lakers piled up 32 points, all while Kobe Bryant happily took only one shot in the final 12 minutes.

It's a brave new world, folks.

Sunday, the Lakers get another good test against the Memphis Grizzlies, the same team L.A. edged in double-OT not even two weeks ago at FedEx Forum. That night, the Lakers were carried by Andrew Bynum (37 points) and Bryant (34) but only had one other player in double figures (Pau Gasol, with 14). Meanwhile, the Grizzlies got a career night from Marreese Speights, one of six Grizzlies with 10 points or more. Normally, when teams meet twice in a small window, the first game can be instructive. Not here.

The Lakers played that night with Derek Fisher and without Sessions. Memphis was missing not only Zach Randolph, but also Rudy Gay. They've also added Gilbert Arenas as a free agent, giving him real minutes in his first two games. The cast on the floor Sunday will be very different on both sides.

With that in mind, here are three things to watch:

1. Z-Bo vs. Pau Gasol.

In five games since returning from a knee injury, Randolph has been solid: 15.4 points and 7.8 rebounds, while shooting nearly 47 percent in about 31 minutes a night. Pretty good, but not the walking double-double he was in a dominant 2010-11 season. At some point, Randolph will round into form. If it's Sunday, the Lakers (and specifically Pau Gasol) have one more tough cover. Friday against Portland, the Lakers, who rarely do this sort of thing, were forced to bring doubles against LaMarcus Aldridge in the first half before order was restored in the second. If the same thing happens Sunday, the Grizzlies -- not a good half-court team offensively -- might find some lanes opening up that would otherwise be closed. The more extra rotations the Lakers have to make, the more wing players such as Gay can attack or Marc Gasol, who needed 25 shots to get 20 points in Memphis, can get easy looks on putbacks and open feeds at the bucket.

2. Kobe Bryant vs. Tony Allen.

Allen is among the league's most active defenders, one of the few guys capable of making Kobe's life truly difficult. On the ball, he can be very hard to beat, but while the Lakers had periodic success with Bryant operating away from the ball at points this season, with Sessions on board they have the means to do it more effectively and more consistently. Closer to the rock, the potential for good 1/2 or 2/1 pick and rolls could give Allen and Mike Conley looks they haven't seen much against L.A. Bottom line, as Mike Brown and Bryant noted after Friday's win, with Sessions the Lakers have so many more ways to attack, making them much tougher to prepare for.

Still, despite some weakness (see below) the Grizzlies constitute a very solid test for the revamped offense. They'll be at full strength, making them the best defensive team the Lakers have seen since acquiring Sessions, more effective than a Dallas squad missing Shawn Marion. Moreover, no team in the NBA is better at forcing turnovers, and Synergy rates them as the league's second most productive team in transition, meaning mistakes on the offensive end won't go unpunished.

3. L.A. vs. expectations.

Memphis is a dangerous team, one nobody will want to see in the postseason -- unless perhaps the postseason started today. The Grizzlies have dropped five of six overall, including Saturday afternoon to a slumping Clippers squad, and four of five on the road, and are just 9-14 outside Memphis overall. Perhaps it's because they don't score much, averaging only 91.2 points on the road compared to 99.1 at home. Nor have they been very good against teams over .500, going just 10-17. All told, Memphis' talent says it's a game the Lakers could absolutely lose, while the numbers say they really should win.

Very big, very hard fought win for the Lakers tonight in Memphis. 116-111 in double OT.

On tonight's show, we review all the high points, including:

• Massive games from Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum.
• The importance of a big comeback on the road -- L.A. was down 17 in the third -- against a good team (even one missing two of its three best players in Zach Randolph and Rudy Gay).
• The dynamic between Bynum and Pau Gasol. How much does the presence of one impact the other?
• Dwight Howard's "roll the dice" comments tonight following Orlando's win over Miami. He now says he wants to stay in Orlando through the deadline. Does that impact L.A.'s plans heading into Thursday?

No Zach Randolph and no Rudy Gay? Ultimately, it was a bit too much of a problem for the Grizzlies, who hung very tough without two of their three best players, even forcing 10 bonus minutes of basketball to decide the contest. Lesser names like Tony Allen, Marreese Speights and Quincy Pondexter were clearly up to the task of filling those gaps. Plus, a gritty showing from a squad that made the playoffs without Gay last season, and has thrived all season without Z-Bo or Darrell Arthur shouldn't be shocking. But ultimately, the absence of a true go-to option grew increasingly evident against a Lakers squad at full strength. Luck can only be pushed for so long. And in the meantime, the Lakers eventually capitalized on these fortunate circumstances.

Here are four takeaways from the win.

1) The Lakers barely survived Pau Gasol waiting a long time before showing up at all.
From start to finish, the presences of Andrew Bynum and Kobe Bryant were felt in BBQ Country. Bynum was about as dominant as can be humanly expected. Only three misses in 18 tries from the field, plus seven makes in eight visits to the charity stripe. Thirty-seven points in all, and in a variety of ways Memphis found impossible to stop. Lobs sequences. A sequence where the ball moved from Kobe at the high post to Pau at mid-post to Drew at the rim proved particularly hard to stop. Spins toward to the bucket after backing down his defender. Drives off a face up. He was as unstoppable as one can be, a nice extension of his go-ahead bucket in the final seconds against Boston. For his part, The Mamba poured in another 34 points, the gaudiest figure of a very well-rounded stat line. Overtime was reached after he drilled a 3-pointer to force a 95-95 tie, then he set up Gasol on a running dunk for another two points. Kudos would be in order for the nearly 52 minutes of run alone.

The two also joined forces on a great hustle play when Bryant sprinted to track down an ORB off a missed corner three, then fed Drew on a cut for running dunk.

Gasol, however, lagged mightily in a game where his talents were needed. After three quarters, he had just five points on 2-for-8 shooting, two rebounds, three assists, and a pair of turnovers to match two blocks. Defensively, he didn't appear particularly engaged, whether matched against his brother Marc or Speights. His overall energy was low, which was disappointing as the Lakers were trying to shake their road woes. Some slack was picked up as bonus basketball began, but it was nearly a matter of too little, too late.

Granted, Gasol wasn't the only starter who didn't take over in Memphis. After a quick start that allowed him to reach the 10,000-point mark for his career (congrats!), Derek Fisher did very little, then found himself benched down the stretch in favor of Steve Blake. Metta World Peace clanged treys as if he were getting paid by the miss (technically speaking, I guess he is) and beyond a few hustle plays, the small forward was pretty much a non-factor. More was needed of them as well.

However, Pau is a different caliber of player, which creates much higher expectations. He didn't meet that bar, which left far too much in the hands of his fellow "Big 3" members.

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As John Hollinger noted Monday afternoon (Insider required), the Western Conference has gone a little squishy as teams for a variety of reasons have piled up losses. Denver, the Clippers, Dallas, Houston, Portland, and Utah have all suffered either significant bouts of mediocrity or full on slumps at points over the last few weeks, pulling the lower rungs of the playoff ladder a lot closer to .500 than typically seen in the W.C.

Even the Lakers, winners of seven in ten, lost to the Pistons and Wizards last week, and nearly dropped a game to a Kevin Love-less Timberwolves squad.

A quiet exception to this southward inertia has been the Memphis Grizzlies, who have gone 21-10 since a 3-6 start despite the fact star power forward Zach Randolph has played only four games thanks to a knee injury. (This after losing key frontcourt backup Darrell Arthur to an Achilles injury before the start of the season.) On any floor, tonight's matchup against Memphis would be a tough game for the Lakers. In what is sure to be a raucous FedEx Forum, where the Grizzlies are 15-5, it's an even bigger challenge, particularly given how the Lakers are so flippn' awful away from Staples.

To gain a little extra insight into Lionel Hollins' crew, we hit up Red Coleman of 3 Shades of Blue, a great resource for scratching your Grizzlies itch.

1. The Grizzlies aren't at all impressive offensively, but are very solid at the other end. What accounts for their success, and how do you think they'll approach the Lakers Tuesday?

Memphis has a commitment to playing defense that permeates everything they do. It's similar to the mindset that Tom Thibodeau has instilled in Chicago, really. Tony Allen is the spark plug for this, but everyone buys into it completely. That's why everyone is active and attentive on that end of the floor.

I think the Grizzlies will approach this game like they do any other -- stick your man, disrupt the passing lanes, and box out when the ball goes up. That's fundamental basketball, so there is no reason to expect them to change. They'll pay special attention to Kobe, of course, but it will still just be solid, team defense that is employed to try and hold him in check.

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Brian and I have spent a lot of time recently debating the likelihood of Dwight Howard getting traded, whether to the Lakers or otherwise. I think he will be. Brian doesn't. However, we do agree if Howard relocates before the deadline, it'll come down to the wire, unless the Magic experiences a seemingly unlikely tailspin. Until that time arrives (or doesn't), the Lakers are a team in need of help, and the trade exception from the Lamar Odom deal provides the flexibility to obtain a player without sending one out in return.

One such candidate I've recently pondered is Grizzlies reserve guard O.J. Mayo. From a skill set perspective, he addresses some glaring needs: Mayo is a wing capable of creating his own shot and connecting from outside, plus serving as a reasonably reliable play-maker. He's hardly a panacea, particularly on the defensive end, but at the same time, the Lakers have considerably more issues scoring than stopping, and beggars can't be choosers. Mayo could provide a real shot in the arm. He's been shopped by the Grizzlies before, and would actually be a Pacer right now were it not for last minute snags.

I've wondered over the last couple weeks if the Griz might be willing to pawn him off simply for the privilege of no longer paying his salary. From there, it's a matter of the Lakers picking up a $5.6 million tab, and unless the front office is already writing off this season, they'd have to consider it.

Now, though, it seems this scenario may not be likely. Via Ronald Tillery, Commercial Appeal:

Truth is, Griz management isn't seriously thinking of dealing Mayo nor is his possible, restricted free-agent status this summer a major concern. Mayo likely will remain with the Griz this season because of his productivity and the Grizzlies' ability to control his future with the right of first refusal on contract offers.

Although Mayo is eligible to negotiate a long-term contact extension with Memphis by Wednesday, the Griz aren't compelled to agree to a deal or trade him at the moment.

"It remains to be seen whether something happens or not," Griz general manager Chris Wallace said about a Mayo contract extension. "If it doesn't happen I wouldn't read much into it. We didn't extend Rudy and re-signed him. It's a floating situation. I wouldn't say (Mayo) is a lock to be with us after this year and I wouldn't say he isn't. There's so much ground to be covered between now and July."

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The Lakers didn't win pretty, but there's no category in the standings for aesthetics, just victories. Despite turning the ball over 27 times, they still knocked off the visiting Memphis Grizzlies Sunday night, 90-82. It's the team's sixth win in the last eight tries. Following the game, we fired up the Lakers Late Night machine, hitting on the following topics...

• Turnovers and defense. The former were plentiful, the latter was good. Take out the tallies Memphis gained on the break, largely provided by L.A.'s generosity, and they basically couldn't score in the half court. Mike Brown was pleased with the team's effort defensively, just not the carelessness.
• Kobe Bryant was stellar Sunday, with 26 points on 11-of-22 shooting, plus nine dimes. Once again, he received the ball in his comfort zones, and was set up for a host of catch-and-shoot jumpers. I asked Brown if he's at all worried about the load Kobe currently carries, and (as you'll see), he's not. Why? Because they're doing a much better job putting him in positions to succeed with the least amount of effort.
• As was the case Friday against Golden State, Matt Barnes was again outstanding. No surprise, he's wrapped up the starting gig at small forward.
• This was the team's 10th game in 15 days. How much does fatigue play a role, and can anything be done about it?

In-show video from Brown and Barnes.



The postgame video is below. Clips from Brown, Pau Gasol, Josh McRoberts, and Barnes.

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They say you don't get style points for a pretty win, which, by extension, means you don't lose points for an ugly win. And that's fortunate, because the Lakers otherwise might have ended the night with -2 on the scoreboard. The W was secured, but they didn't look so hot making it happen.

Here are five takeaways from the game:

1) Kobe Bryant played an exceptionally well rounded, efficient game.

I was curious to see how Kobe's game might be affected by the presence of Tony Allen (among the best in the league at defending Kobe) and his wrist, which might leave him susceptible to the former Celt's relentless, hawking D. It took just over four minutes, however, for this issue to be rendered dead in the water. After getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar on a turnaround J from Kobe, Allen had to sit with his second foul. Right on cue, Bryant made both of his free throws, then set up Matt Barnes for a three-pointer, a clear announcement of this being a strong night in the making.

Whether setting up teammates to the tune of nine dimes or putting up 26 points on a clean 50 percent shooting, Kobe was aggressive, but also under control and worked extremely hard to involve his teammates. During the first quarter, he ran pick-and-pop to perfection to perfection with Troy Murphy, putting the stretch forward in perfect position for a long deuce. Later, he manufactured an alley-oop for Pau Gasol and set up Steve Blake for a corner three via a cross-court fastball tossed with enough heat and accuracy to make Mariano Rivera jealous.

And I specifically used the Yankees pitcher for the baseball parallel, because Bryant also went into "closer" mode, albeit not during the literal last minute. With 4:38 remaining and the Laker lead down to five, Kobe drilled back-to-back J's from 14 and nine feet, creating enough separation on a night where the fourth quarter turned muddy.

There was even a toe dipped into the fountain of youth. The Staples Center faithful was whipped into a frenzy after Bryant drove the baseline past Rudy Gay, then threw down a reverse jam with the authority of his days in a #8 jersey.

Good stuff.

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The Lakers again sit one game above .500 as their roller-coaster season pushes forward. Save for the home victory over Denver, they've yet to beat a team universally viewed as good, and it's hard to say that Sunday's opponent, the Memphis Grizzlies, qualifies as such. For many NBA scribes, including yours truly, this was the sexy pick for "dark horse contender." But myriad injuries -- most notably Zach Randolph's torn MCL -- have led to a 3-4 start.

Still, Rudy Gay, Marc Gasol, Mike Conley Jr. and O.J. Mayo can all do damage; Tony Allen (a must-follow on Twitter) is capable of making Kobe Bryant work hard; and Lionel Hollins is a good coach. Plus, I don't think it's going out on a limb to say -- or at least hope -- the Lakers aren't firing on all cylinders at the moment.

For more perspective on the Griz, we called upon Chip Crain, who runs the TrueHoop Network's 3 Shades of Blue blog. Here are his thoughts on five questions about the Grizzlies.

Land O'Lakers: How drastically has Zach Randolph's injury affected the Grizzlies, whether in production, presence, etc.? For that matter, the frontcourt is pretty thin, with Darrell Arthur also hurt. How has this changed the way the Griz operate?

Chip Crain: Z-Bo’s injury hasn’t affected the Grizzlies any more than the Lakers' losing Kobe for at least six weeks would. It’s a huge loss to lose your All-Star player and dominant paint player. Throwing his injury on top of losing Arthur, a key bench player for the Grizzlies, has left a huge hole at a position that was an area of strength heading into the season.

So far, the Grizzlies have responded by moving Gay and Sam Young to power forward at times and playing a faster tempo. It has worked so far because Mike Conley, who sprained his ankle against OKC in the second game, returned, and the team was able to push the tempo without dramatically increasing turnovers. It is not a long-term solution, however. Neither is Marreese Speights, for whom the Grizzlies traded after learning of Randolph’s injury, but they had to have someone to put next to Gasol.

LO'L: Mike Conley made a pretty drastic leap forward last season after most people roundly mocked his contract. (He also had a habit of carving up the Lakers.) Has that evolution continued, and do you see him as a potential high-end PG in the making?

CC: As I said, Conley has been instrumental in keeping the Grizzlies' heads on tight and managing to win games (2-0 since Randolph’s injury was revealed). Conley is not a big-stat point guard. He’s not going to shoot a bunch of shots, nor does the Grizzlies' offense set up for huge assists, but he keeps everyone focused and on the same page. What Conley lacks in stats he more than makes up for in composure. It’s difficult to measure composure in a box score, but the team is plus-40 when he is on the court since his return.

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Taking a glance at the NBA standings two weeks into the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season can be pretty confusing.

The defending-champion Dallas Mavericks are just 3-5, while the Deron Williams-and- Jerry Sloan-less Utah Jazz are 4-3.

Boston and it's Big Four of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo is just 4-4, while the Cleveland Cavaliers, a team that went 19-63 last season, is 4-3.

Will everything come out in the wash as the 66-game season continues, or are these records and early indicator of what to expect come playoff time?

It was a fair question to ask Saturday on the eve of the 5-4 Lakers playing the 3-4 Grizzlies. Both teams made the second round of the playoffs a year ago, but neither has looked too hot coming out of the gate this season.

"This whole thing is just kind of wacky," Mike Brown said, pointing out how Portland beat the Lakers by 11 on Thursday and then lost to Phoenix by 25 on Friday. "Anything can happen on any given day. That’s what I’m starting to figure out here."

Brown said he doesn't know where the Grizzlies stand. Yes, they took Oklahoma City to a Game 7 in the conference semifinals last spring, but they just lost Zach Randolph to a tear of his MCL in his right knee and could be without Z-Bo for up to eight weeks.

"Where are they going to settle? I don’t know," Brown said. "Do I think they’re a playoff team with Randolph? Yes I do. But the reality of it is, I’m not sure."

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Pau Gasol and his kid brother Marc Gasol have a unique relationship.

Pau plays for the Lakers, but it was Marc who the Lakers actually drafted with the No. 48 pick in 2007 before trading him to Memphis in February 2008 to acquire Pau.

The 31-year-old Pau will face off against the 26-year-old Marc for the 11th time in the brothers' careers Sunday when the Lakers host the Grizzlies.

"I’m not sure what’s the record," Pau said after practice Saturday. "I’m up, I think I’m up. I’m ahead on our matchups. We usually have better teams than they do. I’m still ahead and hopefully we’ll continue that this year. We want to continue to win and beat them because they got us, I think twice, last year if I don’t remember wrong."

Pau's memory was correct. The Grizzlies beat the Lakers on Nov. 30 of last season, 98-96 and again on Jan. 2 by a score of 104-85 but Pau holds a 7-3 series record against Marc.

Pau's numbers have been just as dominant as the Lakers' .700 winning percentage in the series. Pau is averaging 15.9 points, 10.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists on 50.4 percent shooting against his little brother. Marc is averaging 10.6 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists on 42.4 percent shooting against his older bro.

When asked how much trash talk he and Marc exchanged, Pau responded: "Zero."

"We don’t really talk about it," Pau said. "We don’t talk about the game. We don’t talk during the game much. We’re just focused on trying to compete and trying to go at each other if we have the opportunity when we do."

So far this season, Marc has been playing as well for the 3-4 Grizzlies as Pau has been for the 5-4 Lakers, if not better. Marc is outpacing Pau in rebounds (10.3 to 8.7), steals (1.4 to 0.8) and blocks (2.3 to 1.9) per game, while Pau leads in points (17.1 to 14.0), assists (2.1 to 1.7) and shooting percentage (57.3 to 56.1).

Lakers coach Mike Brown has only seen the brotherly battle on tape so far and said he is looking forward to seeing it live.

"It’s an interesting matchup and they are similar types of players because they both are very, very skilled," Brown said. "Marc is a little bit, obviously, bigger than him but I’m happy to have Pau."

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