I agree with the Lakers hitting plenty of big shots. But in the same breath Herb only called 5 timeouts with 4 seconds to go. I think as a coach he should be more involved and use the TOs to get the players heads back into the game. I really think it has to do with bad coaching and substitutions.

FTs is every teams worst nightmare.

herb is learning on the fly. they are playing VERY hard for him and that's all you can ask for now. you can complain about in game calls down the stretch of games when wins/losses mean something. but for right now, he's establishing a rotation, trying to incorporate 2 new players, and is trying to get them to play defense. i have no problems at all with herb now, and would have no problems if he was the coach next season.

Playing hard is one thing for our So call defensive unit ( didn't know we had one), but not smart, and thats the thing between winning and losing.

Defense is all about effort and commen sense. Ariza may bring loads of energy, hustle play, some steals, but he's far from being a smart player. Not dogging the knicks, but in all reality, Kt, Marbury, and maybe penny, Are the smartest players you want on the floor, the rest make to many mental errors. Ariza Gambles way to much on the defense, especially going for steals, and is to eratic at times going to the hole. It's all part of maturing, but just not when the games in the balnce.

Herb is learning a rotation, but it's not as if they just brought him in, he's been here for ever, it's really no excuses, other then a solid playbook. But he knows who's capable of doing what, there strengths, and weakness, the efforts. His job is to bring it out of them, not play around with a rotation ( despite injuries) for 7 weeks, 3 months into a season.

JVG( hate always using him as an example) was hired in march, and didn't proceed to lose 18 of the next 20, and he didn't toy around with the rotation for 20 games.

Herb is a big "Question Mark". Right now he deserves to be fired, if we make the playoffs, He deserves an extension.

I'm glad the coach is only making a few dumb moves as opposed to our previous coach, who would only make dumb moves.

I think Herb has been fine. And against the Lakers, I thought the interior D was actually pretty good for once. That was watching it in person and on the TV rewind. It's the perimeter D that was really bad. Atkins and Butler hit a million 3 pointers.

I don't think herb is the answer, IMO, he's just to soft...

Also, it is hard to take a group of guys who were accoustume of playing for ofensive minded coach and try to tell them to go out and change their game and now play defense, especially if 4 out of the five starters are not known for defense....

Wasn't Lenny & chaney, harping on how bad we play defense, always talking about that comes first. You ever onder why ever coach in every sport preaches defense first yet there teams are you usually last in that department.

Simple because they can't ( or don't know how to) make this guy's buy into there philosophy, and thats the sign of a mediocre coach.

This team is for real. They have the taste of blood in their mouths and they will be playing with a lot more confidence from this point on.