Last night’s demoralizing defeat in Boston is not the sole reason Byron Scott plans to make good on his threat to change his starting lineup. Byron has hinted around it for a couple of weeks. It is less about production and more about effort and desire. What five players want to play hard?
A coach only has one thing to hold over a player’s head: his minutes. Byron is using his leverage to make a point. Whether it will matter is another thing altogether. Truthfully, his options are limited as this Lakers team is not built on versatility and skill but on one year deals. The only starting jobs that are safe are Kobe Bryant’s and Jordan Hill’s.
Nov 23, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Ed Davis (21) guards Denver Nuggets guard Ty Lawson (3) in the first half of the game at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
The Case For Ed Davis: Ed Davis plays hard and blocks shots. He doesn’t sleep walk through games. He averages 7 rebounds in 21 minutes while Carlos Boozer averages 6 rebounds in 26 minutes. Ed Davis doesn’t turn the ball over nor does he attempt shots he doesn’t have the ability to make. The ball doesn’t stick in his hands and he shoots 64%. The problem is Ed Davis can’t defend without fouling. For players who average 22 minutes or less, Davis is second in fouls to Larry Sanders (Milwaukee). He has racked up 64 personal fouls, six less than DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento) who plays 32 minutes a game.
Ed Davis can only score within a limited range. Defenders will sag off of him in the mid-range and rotate to shooters. It will be 4-against-5. Because he’s not a scorer, starting him means starting Kobe Bryant (or Wayne Ellington) at the small forward. Wesley Johnson and Ed Davis don’t have enough offense to be the Lakers starting forwards.
The Case for Robert Sacre: He is the biggest body the Lakers have. If you start him at center, Jordan Hill then switches to the power forward position and has more room to maneuver on offense. Sacre can rebound and put in a 10 footer or a jump hook. Or he can have bad nights like last night when he was 1-10. But Sacre always, always plays hard. He gives effort. It makes up for his lack of skill. His presence around the rim means hard fouls whoever comes close. When Sacre is not being called for an illegal screen, he does a good job at being physical and giving his teammates open shots by picking off guards.
The Case for Wayne Ellington: He is the Lakers most efficient scorer. He makes 50% of his shots. He shoots 39% from three. He only plays 17 minutes and grabs three rebounds. He doesn’t turn the ball over. Starting him at the shooting guard (or small forward) position gives the Lakers another offensive threat and a three point weapon, someone (a) who can come off of screens and (b) a target for Kobe when he is double teamed since teams are still stupid enough to double team a 36 year old 39% scorer. There is no down side to Ellington in the starting lineup. He is a solid defender who plays hard and compliments anyone on the floor.
The Case for Jeremy Lin going to the bench: Jeremy Lin is a better player than Ronnie Price. He is more explosive. He is a better shooter. He is bigger. But as he did in Houston, Lin is struggling sharing the backcourt with a dominant scorer. It is not a surprise that Lin’s best year came playing for Mike D’antoni in a stretch of games when Carmelo Anthony was hurt and he played in the backcourt with defensive specialist, Iman Shumpert. Lin’s aggression comes and goes and opponents take him out of the game when they light him up. He struggles getting into the paint and making passes out to the perimeter. His decision making suffers when he is under stress.
One of Lin’s major weaknesses on defense is fighting through screens. He is not physical enough, nor does he anticipate correctly. The two seconds when he is picked off is the difference between a contested shot and an open shot. Ronnie Price is better at fighting through screens, he is tougher mentally but he is not the shooter that Lin is. But he gets into guys the way Lin does not. Ronnie Price in the starting lineup means (getting torched defensively- but so was Lin) and a lot of open shots. Can he make them? He is only shooting 32%.