It's pretty obvious that Phil realizes that:

1) if the Lakers are going to achieve home-court advantage and have something left in the tank for the playoffs, then Mbenga has to be able to ease Gasol's burden in terms of minutes played

2) Mbenga >> Mihm...by a huge margin

It's obvious that the guy has worked really hard at his game, and the more meaningful minutes he plays, the more he will improve. He's never really played significant minutes before, but the sequence where he trailed Rudy Gay on the pick and roll, caught up to him and blocked his running bank shot, then caught the ball on the secondary fast break and swished an 18-footer, is something that poor Chris Mihm is incapable of doing.

The more the other Lakers play together with Mbenga, the more they'll see what he's capable of and what he's not capable of doing, and the more effective he will be. Yes, it was against the Griz, but Rudy Gay ain't chopped liver.

not sure if this is the type of stuff that gets u into the wotn but i am sure u guys will find this interesting .. i heard it on the radio today coming into work ..

so apparently shawn marion thinks blu-rays are too expensive .. this guy makes how much million a year??

http://www.engadgethd.com/2009/02/28/even-the-nbas-shawn-marion-thinks-blu-ray-discs-are-too-expensi/

Orlando fans boo Hill for bolting for Phoenix after he said he will resign with the Magic 2 seasons ago. Also noted he wanted to play for a "contender".
Karma is a bitch sometimes.

@Anonymous

Yeah, I was going to comment about the reason Magic fans boo Grant Hill being because he left for Phoenix.

But I still think magic fans (I'm a big one) are being douches about it. Hill didn't owe the Magic anything, yea he was pretty much injured for 6 years and the team expected more out of him, but it's not Grant's fault. His contract was up, he could go anywhere he wanted, and he decided to go somewhere else to get a fresh start. I just don't understand why some magic fans feel like he owed us a couple years with a minimum contract. Guys get hurt, and it's not their fault (usually, Monta...), and you can't blame them for it.

The Dude Abides - I added DJ Mbenga's highlights from last night's game so people can see what you were talking about. Also, you're right that Phil definitely has long-term goals in mind with the way he controls the rotations in games like last night's. Still, it does carry the risk that the Lakers could get burned here and there and drop a game or two to teams they really have no business losing to.

I honestly think that Iverson's game is starting to go down since he was first on the Sixers. The money i believe has taken his eyes of the true prize and enjoying the game.

Knee-Mac getting hurt, folloewed by that 8-1 run...reminds me of how the Lakers went on that epic winning streak in '72 after Elgin Baylor retired.

Orlando fans were VERY supportive of Grant Hill the whole time he was injured. I understand the desire to play for a championship, but I think joining a team that is already built for a championship is way overrated. It's tougher, and therefore a lot more meaningful to stick with a tough situation and HELP turn it around then to piggyback a championship after someone else did the hard work. We boo Grant Hill because he took Orlando's $100 million, he took all the suuport we gave him during the injuries, and then he left us when we were down. It seems to us like there should be some obligation for him to reciprocate, and help the franchise when it is down, rather than run off and chase a championship with a team that was already in the conference championship. It's not like he would have been playing for free in Orlando.

Right now the Lakers 2nd unit is undergoing a serious struggle. They're as responsible as the starters for the disasters that just happened in Phoenix and Denver.

So early on Phil decided that this game was well in hand so he decided to give the bench guys a chance to grind through it and hopefully get something going. Phil usually lets Kobe play the whole 1st quarter unless fouls become a problem. Last night while Kobe couldn't miss in the 1st (4-4, 11 points) and went on a little scoring run by himself to put the Lakers up 15, Phil IMMEDIATELY took Kobe and the rest of the starters off the floor.

Side note: We all know that there's no gambling in the NBA, but it stands to mention. The spread last night was 15.5. Every time the Lakers were holding a double digit lead and looking to extend it, Phil would do something wacky substitution wise. I'm 100% convinced that if the Lakers had extended it to 20 or so with 4 minutes left, Phil would have taken out DJ Mbenga and told Adam Morrison to play center or something.
One game doesn't prove anything, and yes, the Lakers by virtue of having the #1 record in the NBA very often have massive double digit spreads in their games. But it seems like Phil goes out of his way to not cover the spread in games like this.

Then again, we all know there's no gambling in the NBA.

Viscant, you really think Phil Jackson is worried about the spread in these games? The guy gets paid over $10m per year to coach, I doubt he needs the money so bad that he'd bet on the other team and take the spread (thus risking a lifetime ban from basketball and a permanent tarnishing of his legacy and reputation). In any event, I think your theory is flawed, especially in this instance, just based on his substitution pattern at the end of the game. With the subs in the Lakers extended their 4th quarter lead up to 21 with about 7:45 left in the game. Phil made no substitutions after that for the next three minutes, when he subbed in Gasol for Mbenga after the Grizzlies had trimmed the lead to 11. If Phil was looking to make sure the lead never got back above 15, why would he take out Mbenga for Gasol like that?

Also, Adam Morrison couldn't have been inserted for Mbenga because Adam Morrison was on the bench in street clothes in favor of Sun Yue (who got a DNP-CD). Speaking of Sun, if Phil really wanted to trim the lead, how come he didn't put Sun or Shannon Brown in once the Lakers stretched the lead to 21?

There's obviously gambling in the NBA, but I think with the amount of money that the coaches and players (the ones who can really make a difference, anyway) are getting paid, it's pretty ridiculous to assume there is point shaving going on. The much more likely reason for Phil's substitutions is what The Dude Abides said it was: just trying to keep all the role players ready for what lies ahead. I don't disagree that this is what Phil Jackson was doing, I just wanted to point out that occasionally it can backfire if the other team is allowed to stay close all game and gain confidence in their shots.

WY: At the same time, Jackson's bench strategery can also work as a form of intimidation, if you put in your human victory cigar midway through the second quarter!

About the letter that Kobe sent to Mihm, I thought he put Luke's name at the bottom.

Honestly, as an Orlando fan, I can speak for all of us when I say Grant Hill can go fuck a desert duck.

We paid him 93 million dollars and supported him for 7 years. His first healthy season? He bolts.

And get this. He bought a house in PHX for $5 mil... when his contract there paid him $3 mil a year. THAT'S OUR MONEY.

So yeah, I'll be classy around him when he shows some class himself.

Although it helps that his house is probably now worth $100,000 and that we got farther in the playoffs last year than his "championship contender" did.

As someone who bets on sports and someone who watches a lot of Lakers games, it's just something I've noticed. As it stands right now, the Lakers are 9-16 against the spread in games where they're favored by double digits and a couple of those were miracle covers by the back end of the bench. In the gambling community it's been a running gag for awhile that the Lakers are somehow shaving and games like last night don't help their reputation any. It's not to the point where people are actually monitoring it seriously, but it's one of those "everybody knows" things about the NBA.

You can look at it a few ways. Phil looking to get his bench more minutes to play themselves out of their funk. Phil not respecting the opposition enough to push Kobe/Pau. The Lakers playing down to their opposition. All of these have merit and some basis in reality.

But the numbers are getting interesting. Next game the Lakers will have Minnesota minus their best player at home. They'll probably be favored by 15 again. It'll be interesting to see who's playing in the 4th quarter with the Lakers up 10 or so.

@ Yams: "Also, you're right that Phil definitely has long-term goals in mind with the way he controls the rotations in games like last night's. Still, it does carry the risk that the Lakers could get burned here and there and drop a game or two to teams they really have no business losing to."

Woe betide the team that lulls itself into thinking it's so much better than everyone else that it can just flip the switch and turn it on only when they need to. See also: '93-'94 Sonics, etc.

So here's the recap from Denver's Sunday game against Indiana from this very site:

"The Denver Nuggets: Okay, so let me get this straight. They followed up their hope-lifting win over the Lakers with a gut-wrenching loss to the Danny Granger-less Pacers? Uh...wow? Troy Murphy (22 points, 18 rebounds) went wild on them, and Jarret Jack (28 points, 7-for-14, 8 assists) outplayed Chauncey Billups. Oh, and it took Carmelo Anthony 24 shots to score 20 points.

Note the 24 shots for 20 points for Carmelo. This was of course followed by him getting suspended against the Pistons due to refusing to come out of the game against the Pacers. His explanation for this insubordination....he had a hot hand. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3952603

Andrei: That hand's so hot, he could grab a can of beer from the fridge and have it nice and cold by the time he walks to the fridge.

CAPTCHA: "implated" so close to a word!

Jundi -- I've read several stories that talk about Marion's fiscal responsibility (buying clothes on sale, reparing his car himself, etc.). He's apparently terrified of going broke someday. Ironically, his behavior in getting traded away from Phoenix may have increased the possibility that will happen.

Faris -- No way Iverson could keep playing the way he did forever. He was bound to slow down eventually. And that's extra bad for him and whatever team he's playing for since he's such an inefficient player.

chris -- Regarding Houston's Knee-Mac-less run: Don't forget that, last season, the Rockets had that record-setting win streak with McGrady but without Yao.

Andrei -- Erk. Yeah, I had seen that. I might have to go back and append Worst of the Weekend...

Last night grizz lakers. Darko takes five shots, three of them get blocked. Free Darko!

Nice job, Yams. Way to represent for the L.A. fans out there.

I like what Phil has done with the rotation, mostly. Getting guys like Josh Powell and Mbenga minutes is great, they need to get their confidence level high by playing well against teams like the grizzlies so that later on, they can be productive against tougher teams. I definitely think Phil is looking at the long-term investment. Also, I like seeing the Sith Lord cheering them on from the sideline. As much as we hear about what an asshole the Mamba is, it's nice to see him actually cheering the lesser guys on the team on and attempting to be a leader.

Bawful - True, which makes me wonder: are the Rockets designed to work best when one of their stars is on the injured list?

CAPTCHA: "ovenfat" - Oliver Miller will be PROUD I tell ya.

Hey, I might be a Lakers hater, but I have a deep respect for Phil's talents. Besides, I'm an old Bulls fan (grew up in IL), so he's in with me.

I'm sure Phil is taking the long view here. And yes, records and playoff races are important, but having your team better prepared is MORE important. I feel confident that Phil would rather lose home court in the Conference Finals in the West as it stands, and in trade have a deeper, more confident bench that meshes with his first unit. That is his style of coaching--he will tune up the best possible team for his playoff run. Remember, the man knows they have a good shot at the title this year. The fans and management expect them to get close or win it. So, Phil is tooling his team for that purpose, as well he should.

The great coaches do this (and have the luxury to do so). Coach Pop does it too. His yearly rodeo trip is designed to get his team sharp for the playoffs, and we'd have to say that he's done an exceptional job.