By: Jeff Girouard
So in an attempt not to pull a jinx of monumental proportions, I decided to hold off on any predictions about Kobe’s health in a Weekend Laker Report until I got to see him play on Sunday. Well after intense around the clock therapy, Bryant went and dropped 32 on the hapless Clip show in a 113-92 Laker victory. "We did a good job staying on top of it and making sure that it was good enough for me to go out there and play and help the team. I didn't sleep. I was doing therapy for 24 hours, iced it down, had a weight-training session for my legs, kept stretching and doing what I needed to do.”
He didn’t sleep.
Are you kidding? Without naming names, I ask: Would your franchise player go to such lengths in a 36 hour period, just to play the Clippers? The man treats DNP’s like the plague. He had decent elevation of his jumper and seemed pretty active on D. By the second half he was skying for rebounds (8 on the night) and sinking ridiculous and 1's. Critics will question his shot selection until the day he’s enshrined in Springfield, but no one can ever question his toughness.
After a hot start the Clips have struggled as of late. A quarter of the way through the season and Elton Brand’s absence has taken its toll. Even in Brand’s “down season” in 06-07, you could pencil him for 20 and 10 with a couple blocks. Chris Kaman has filled in admirably this year and as the Clipper’s most formidable post option you knew he was going to come out firing Sunday. Chris ended up with 18 points and 16 rebounds in the loss. His 20 year old counterpart grabbed 9 boards and had 14 points on an efficient 7 of 9 shooting. Though statistically Kaman may have gotten the better of him, Drew’s defense including 6 impressive blocks proved to be the difference. His length challenged Kaman from the outset, forcing him to miss 7 of first 8 shots. As a result, the Lakers were able to build an early cushion and never really looked back.
Luke Walton also had a nice game shooting a solid 6 for 6 from the floor. In Friday’s loss his over-dribbling and ill-timed turnovers cost the team down the stretch. He’s also struggled shooting the ball this season so Sunday’s perfect night had to have boosted his confidence a little.
I’d like to acknowledge the play of Sasha Vujacic. Yes, the Sasha Vujacic. He has certainly endured his lot of hecklers and criticism in his short professional career, but believe it or not his play this season has been...gulp... not bad. He’s actually putting up some decent numbers this season. After cleverly flying under the NBA radar for the past few seasons as a shoot first point guard that couldn’t shoot, Sasha has reclaimed his shooting percentages and is starting to see regular playing time. He’s shooting 45% from the field and a respectable 38.5% from the land of three. In the post game interview Sasha revealed the secret to his most recent success.“Whenever he (Coach Phil Jackson) gives me that confidence that I can let it go and play certain minutes... between 15-20. I’m happy and I like to develop.” There you have it folks. Contrary to popular belief, Sasha Vujacic does in fact like to develop...and he wants 20 minutes a game.
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