Dave

  (2:57 PM)

Oh dear. Having a chat in the middle of the Lakers first three-game losing streak since Pau arrived? Who thought this was a good idea? Let's try to keep the vitriol to a minimum and analytical questions will be rewarded over emotional ones. But if you need to cry out in despair, I'll understand. Hey, at least this losing streak can't be as bad as Mariah Carey on the red carpet. I swear her brooch was eating her dress as the night went on.

ChrisL (moreno valley, CA) [via mobile]

Hey Dave! The Lakers played much better team basketball when Kobe was out, do you think the Lakers would benifit more if Kobe takes less shots? Shoulld the Lakers put the ball in Lamar Odoms hands more? Thanks.

Dave

  (3:00 PM)

Hey Chris, while 26.3 shot attempts per game over the last three games is far too many, I don't know if I want to be taking it out of his hands just to give it to Odom. As Odom said after the Magic game, the ball just has to move more. More looks down low. More swing passes on the perimeter. I am never one to say, "This guy has to take X amount of fewer shots" because you never know what a game will require. That said, I think everybody on the Lakers would like Kobe to dial it back slightly towards facilitator mode instead of keeping it on the dominant Mamba mode he's been in.

Ed Hochuli (Chat Ref)

That's 15 yards for bringing up a crazy pop star's dress, I don't care if you're in LA. Repeat 1st down.

Dave

  (3:02 PM)

Hmm, so I'll need to make up 25 yards in the next four questions. I'll plan accordingly.

Taylor Gipple (Des Moines)

Why did Andrew Bynum say that the team was angry at each other and Phil said that Pau looked sickly? Is there a chemistry problem behind the scenes that we don't know about?

Dave

  (3:05 PM)

The reason this team is verging on a meltdown is because they don't know what it's like to lose. Winning really does cure all and it's tough to advance your individual agenda if the team is winning ballgames. Only losers do that. Whenever Bynum speaks it's great because it's honest and unfiltered, but he usually speaks more for himself than the team. As for Phil talking about Pau, that's just him needling. Oh, and if I was your friend I would nickname you Tay Gipps. Like Taye Diggs. Rolls off the tongue.

Sean (Los Angeles)

Why do the Lakers not contest shots regularly? Sasha (bad shots/ health aside) at least runs at the shooter. There perimeter defense needs alot of help. Guys get to many open looks.

Dave

  (3:08 PM)

I don't know if the perimeter D is as bad as you make it out to be. Ron Artest locks up opposing threes from the wing all the way to the hoop. Kobe got burned against Miami by being slow to close out on Q-Rich early, which allowed Richardson to get into a rhythm by the time Kobe actually did start running at him. As long as they play with energy, their team defense is as good as any team's in the league, however.

Taylor (Des Moines IA)

What do you think of Matt Barnes? Why would someone want to get Kobe mad at them???

Dave

  (3:11 PM)

I think Matt Barnes is refreshing. Sure, he's begging to be put into the Raja Bell/Ruben Patterson graveyard of guys who dared challenge Bryant and then had their careers fall off the face of the earth, but you can't tell me that Sunday wasn't fun to watch. He filled a void for Orlando that they were missing last season against Kobe in the Finals. Toughness is contagious for a basketball team and Barnes brings an edge to that team.

sharad (Jax, Fl)

Please give me your thoughts on this. Could the NBA draw more people to the D league, by having NBA players, play a couple of rehab games, before joining their teams. MLB does it & manny had the seats fill when he played a few last year. I think it would shed a little more light on the d league. Please respond

Dave

  (3:14 PM)

Hey Sharad. Great question. Personally, I would love to see it. I've caught a few D-Fenders games over the last couple of seasons (they play the JV game in the late afternoon to the Lakers' varsity game at night) and it would have been great to see Tony Parker running the Austin Toros and seeing the D-Fenders totally lost as to how to stop him. I think the problem with basketball vs. baseball, is baseball is a non-contact sport. The risk of re-injury is basically nonexistent. If you're healthy enough to play a basketball game, you might as well make it in the NBA and make it count if you're going to risk further injuring yourself.

Adam Stanco (Bristol, CT)

Which of your friends knows the most about basketball?

Dave

  (3:16 PM)

Come on Adam, that's like asking you to pick your favorite daughter. You have solid top-5 status. If anybody wants to see if Adam really does know anything about hoops, check out NaismithLives.com.

Harry (Toronto )

I'm a huge Lakers fan and I follow my home town Raptors with interest so I'll be torn watching the game tonight...anyway, regarding the Lakers, what do you think about possibly seeing Odom run the point a little more given his ball handling skills? Ala Magic, LO is great in transition and I'd like to exploit the match-ups even though we'd give up speed in the half court against the quicker guards...would Phil ever tinker with the line-up?

Dave

  (3:19 PM)

L.O. is as unselfish as they come and certainly has the ability to play point in some transition opportunities, but Phil isn't about to take his back-up power forward and make him his starting point guard with 18 games to play. That's a panic move and a pretty silly one to make. The triangle doesn't require the dribble-drive capabilities out of a point guard that other offenses do. It's just spacing, court awareness, precise passing and knocking down open looks. I have no problem with Odom taking long defensive rebounds, keeping them for himself and making a decision with the ball on the break though.

Ken (Los Angeles)

I heard that Ron Artest shaved off his yellow-dyed hair already. Do you think Kobe and/or Phil told him to remove it? Or did he shave it on his own?

Dave

  (3:23 PM)

Kobe said he thought it was "awesome" on Sunday, even after they lost the game and Phil chuckled when I asked him if they signed Dennis Rodman to a 10-day contract. Nobody was going to tell Artest to change it. I think Artest got rid of it because he had a bad game and figured it was too much change. Kind of like when the Mavericks wore those silver astronaut uniforms once, lost in them, and never wore them again. (Check out the Nash photo in this link: http://www.nba.com/history/uniforms_mavericks.html)

Anthony (OC)

why can't cuse solve louisville?

Dave

  (3:25 PM)

You had to go there? I've been rocking myself to sleep at night since Saturday reminding myself that Syracuse lost twice to UConn in 2003 too and that season turned out OK.

Collin Barletta (New York)

Dave, why is LeBron so much better than Kobe?

Dave

  (3:27 PM)

Comparing LeBron to Kobe right now is wrong. He's been to one Finals and got swept, only shooting 33 percent in the four game series. Thirty-three percent?! Meanwhile, Kobe has been to six finals and won four championships. LeBron's talent is undeniable and he has the potential to be the best player of his generation, but he has to win at the highest level before he can enter into the conversation with Kobe. That's how it works in the NBA.

MC Welk (SLC)

Who cares about the Lakers? What do you think about the three-way race for second in the West?

Dave

  (3:30 PM)

Well, I think the Lakers care about the Mavs-Jazz-Nuggs race. Say Denver drops to the four seed out of that group, I can tell you that L.A. does not want any part of a second-round matchup with them. I think that out of those three teams, L.A. plays the best against Utah and we still haven't really seen enough from that one game that Dallas won with their new roster against the Lakers to see how a seven-game series would go.

dessy (Cali)

Im a Laker fan but I just dont know why Lakers fans arent fearful of the Cavs like me. THey are the only team that can matchup with the Lakers bigs which is huge. They also have the best player in the game who nobody can stop (Ron has NO CHANCE against him at this point in his career).

Dave

  (3:32 PM)

They aren't fearful of the Cavs because the only way they play the Cavs is in the Finals and a lot has to happen before that matchup occurs. If they spent last season worrying about the Cavs, it would have been a waste of time because the Magic bounced them in the second round in just five games. The Cavs are just a number to L.A. right now as it tries to chase Cleveland for the best record in the league.

Michael (Washington,DC)

Is kobe gonna win it all for the lakers.please respond

Dave

  (3:33 PM)

Wilbon? Is that you?

Allen (Lubbock)

Any news on an NFL team coming to LA?

Dave

  (3:36 PM)

I saw some blog chatter about the St. Louis Rams being a possibility to return, but it's still a ways off. It's hard to imagine a public-funded stadium in L.A. too considering the financial troubles the state of California is going through.

Frank (Dallas)

Who is the healthiest team right now at the top of the West/East? It seems like the injury bug has hit almost everyone.

Dave

  (3:37 PM)

This coming from the guy whose team is on a 12-game winning streak. I should hope that the Mavericks are the healthiest team if they're winning like that.

Jonathan (los angeles)

The Mavs remaining schedule is the easiest in the league, while the Lakers have 11 road games left and 5 quality home team 2 play, they shud b worried about keeping the 1st seed...and the Cavs lost in 6 games to the magic..

Dave

  (3:40 PM)

You're right. Six games. My fault. I don't think worrying about any other team is going to help the Lakers right now, as I just said about the Cavs. Now's the time for the Lakers to prove themselves. We'll see if it happens. The Mavs are irrelevant to the challenge that they face.

Brian (New York)

Who would be a better cast member for Jersey shore: Ron Artest or the Birdman?

Dave

  (3:42 PM)

Got to be the Birdman. He has the hair to rock the blowout. Ron would be great on like Sesame Street. Wouldn't it be great if he was the new Gordon?

Carlos (Los Angeles)

Dave, How cold is the Black Mamba? Not even flinching on that ball fake from Barnes... Impressive....

Dave

  (3:44 PM)

Ice cold. I asked him if he saw the replay from the inbounds pass and he said he had. I was like, "You didn't flinch?" Kobe: "Why should I flinch? I knew he wasn't going to do [anything], what should I flinch for?" Pretty crazy.

Sean F. (Playa del Rey, CA)

Hey Dave, first time caller. If you put Jordan Farmar's haircut on Lamar Odom and mixed in Ron Ron's fashion sense, don't you think you'd get Hollywood from Mannequin 2? Pic included:http://www.bestweekever.tv/bwe/images/2009/08/MESHACH-TAYLOR-MANNEQUIN-WURQ-GIF.gif

Dave

  (3:47 PM)

I don't even know what to say, other than ... YES!!!

ben (los angeles)

Dave, I've been hearing all kinds of crap about the Lakes "coasting" into the postseason and then "turning it on". Please tell the ignorant that having the best record is a real incentive. Thanks.

Dave

  (3:49 PM)

It's certainly not coasting. They have reached a crossroads. They still feel like they haven't played their best basketball at any point this year and there's only 18 games left to find it. The best record is a goal, for sure, but the real incentive is to just prove to themselves as a group that they remember how to play like the best team in the league before the postseason starts.

Jonathan (Pasadena, Ca)

Hey Dave, can you please comment on what you think is the biggest obstacle to the Lakers offensive flow? Too many people blame Kobe, but I tend to look at the ineffectiveness of our bigs. Bynum can't pass out of the post and Gasol has been getting stripped way too much. Thoughts?

Dave

  (3:53 PM)

Phil mentioned yesterday that Pau has to be stronger with the ball inside, that's true. But it's not one thing. I think Kobe's mentality is that he comes into the game giving his teammates a chance to get it done. If he senses they don't have it or don't want it enough, he takes over because he's won games by doing that throughout his career. It's not all on Kobe to just give the ball up, I agree. The bigs and really everybody else, needs to play better. Is there one player on the Lakers right now who you would say is playing their best ball of the season? Nope. Artest was getting there and then he went 3-for-19 in his last two games.

Tim (IE)

I've been a Lakers fan since 1979 and seen them win 9 NBA titles which is more than anyone else in that time span. Having said that, I don't have the same championship 'vibe' like last year which bugs me to no end. What's your honest outlook of how they'll finish? You think DAL will take them like HOU did in'86 or CLE like CHI did in '91 in which Jordan ripped out our hearts only this time it's LeBron?

Dave

  (3:56 PM)

Hey Tim. I think if the Lakers get to the championship round, they'll win it. The WC playoffs are going to be brutal and if they can withstand that adversity, then I don't think LeBron or any other Eastern Conference team will beat them at that point. But, I could see Denver beating them before they have a chance to get to the Finals if they keep playing the way they're playing.

frank (los angeles)

ok heres a crazy idea. start Mbenga, frontline dj, pau, ron.dj would rebound better, defend better maybe not score as much but could co exist with pau better. when our bench squad had both lamar and andrew we wouldnt need to see all the hoisted threes from farmar and brown. what do you think. i honestly think its a better line up.

Dave

  (3:59 PM)

You don't start a vet making 900k over your franchise future who is making 12.5 million if they're both healthy. And Bynum is a slow starter as it is. It's tough to get a big body like his going off the bench. Not going to happen.

Jonathan (Pasadena, Ca)

Follow up: if this team falls short of a ring this year, do you break up the Gasol/ Bynum tandem for a more complimentary player....someone who's more defense and rebounded minded?

Dave

  (3:59 PM)

If they don't win it all, yes, I think there could be big changes to the coaching staff and personnel.

Joel Gutzmer (Whitewater, WI)

Hey, do you say "Jeah" a lot dude??

Dave

  (4:01 PM)

Jno. I had to look up what it means. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=JEAH!!!

Scott (ND)

When is Luke coming back? He seems to always be a calming factor for the Lakers.

Dave

  (4:02 PM)

He says he feels the best he has since he last tweaked his back. He is being very cautious and hoping for an April 1st-ish return. The team could use him.

Chioke Hassan (Baltimore,Md)

Dear DaveCould you see Phil Jackson ever coaching in the NCAA?

Dave

  (4:02 PM)

Not a chance.

Brian (New York)

Have you ever had an egg-plant hero?

Dave

  (4:03 PM)

No, but I imagine it'd be fun to order one from a take out joint and sing I'd like an "EGG-PLANT HERO!!!" to the tune of juke-box hero.

Dave

  (4:04 PM)

OK, my time is done here. Enjoy the game tonight. The Raptors are no easy out.