Brian Kamenetzky 14y

Thursday practice videos: On frustration, Andrew Bynum, and more

I'll have more copy and crackerjack analysis later in the afternoon, but for the time being feel free to gorge yourself on these moving pictures from Lakers practice. (Because quite frankly, I'm cranking all this out from the team facility, and if I try to finish it all from here I'll be sitting on the 405 until after dinner.)

As one might expect after a monumentally disappointing 2-3 road trip, the Lakers weren't exactly jovial this afternoon, but neither were they despondent. Naturally, a lot of time was spent talking about frustration, and how much of it the team is feeling. Derek Fisher acknowledged it's a factor:

"There’s overall frustration that we’re not playing the way we’d like to play. We’re not going to allow it to bubble over and become something that derails us from where we want to go.  We know we’re aren’t doing the things we like to do right now, but we have the opportunity and still want to take the advantage of the opportunity to find a way to play our best basketball at the right time..."

Troubleshooting the Lakers' issues, though, is a process. Which, Fish says, only adds to the frustration. But there's no sense of flipping a switch. They're trying to get better now. (Decide for yourself if that's comforting or worrisome, given recent results.):

"It definitely is a process, and I think that’s what we’re finding and maybe where some of the frustration is coming from. I think we genuinely believe that we’re not sitting around waiting to just play better when the playoffs start. We actually want to play better, but it is a process, and there are times when we’ve taken a step forward and then got knocked back... It’s definitely a process, and it’s just not easy to do what we’re trying to do."

Pau Gasol said the mood at practice was pretty good with constructive work done on the floor, though the guys are fully aware of what needs to happen. He talks about frustration as well.

Phil Jackson talked about the progress of Andrew Bynum. While P.J. was a little confused on the timing, it turns out he'll be evaluated Friday, likely after the game (though perhaps before). The hope is he'll be back in a week to 10 days. Jackson said the training staff believes Bynum is healing on an appropriate schedule, and seemed happy enough about the situation to add a little levity.

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