Game 29 Lakers @ Bulls Pregame Thread

Merry Christmas everyone! It's hard to believe it's been 3 years since Jeremy was cut by the Houston Rockets on Christmas Day, 2011. Boy, have we been on a roller coaster ride ever since.

It's been really tough these past few seasons but I'm still grateful to get to watch him play in the NBA. I know he would be the first to admit he hasn't played up to his expectations, or mine, or many others. At the same time, there is so much "stuff" he has dealt with or is dealing with, that only Jeremy really knows what he is up against.

The Lakers played so well without Kobe, whipping the best team in basketball right now. Granted, it was a trap game for the Warriors and they were due for a stinker. However, last nights game was a good reminder that there is so much politics, agendas, ego's, and other stuff besides pure basketball going on behind the scenes.

Don't get me wrong, Jeremy is far from faultless in his situation. I still see hesitation on many occasions where he has open looks. I can tell it's tough for him dealing with the push and pull of the coaching, his natural instincts, and what shots he knows he should be shooting. His ball handling has always been a concern for me and his handle has to get tighter and he has to be cleaner with change of pace and change of direction. It's not too late as you can see how Steph has improved his handle over the last year or two. In my opinion, his defensive footwork and use of correct angles needs to get much better too with Steph being another great example that this can improve in a short time.

All that being said, the thing that made Jeremy is the pick and roll. You see it plain as day when he gets going with Ed Davis. He needs to run p-n-r with a competent big and that just opens up his game. I don't think it's too hard to see but like I said earlier, there is so much going on behind the scenes. You all did see him in the first half have like 3 easy baskets in one minute going p-n-r with Davis right? Then how many minutes did they play together in the 2nd? Zero. Yes, that's right a big fat zero. That is just not right.

I guess we can all just hope that Kobe plays 30-32 minutes and Jeremy and Ed Davis get opportunities to run p-n-r. Yes, there is always hope! Especially on Christmas!