Lakers only have 4 players right now.

[Cman]

NBA: Nothing But Ambarrassment

[LarBrd33]

The Lakers were so undermanned... that Chris Kaman took a nap mid-game on the bench:



Note that they were still beating the Cavs by 23 at that point.

Methinks Cavs are going to shake things up in a couple weeks.

[LarBrd33]

As explained via the Cavs blog:

When a team has only 5 available players and one of them fouls out, they stay in the game with an added penalty -- every foul that player commits is a regular foul plus a technical foul. Truthfully, it's not a very harsh punishment considering the fact that the Lakers would have been playing 4 on 5 otherwise.

[BballTim]

That's crazy. Tank job at its best.

Yeah this is basically what happens when two tanks collide.  Anthony Bennett drops 14, 8 and 2, the Lakers try to play 4 players... it's madness.

  Bennett looking any better?

[LarBrd33]

That's crazy. Tank job at its best.

Yeah this is basically what happens when two tanks collide.  Anthony Bennett drops 14, 8 and 2, the Lakers try to play 4 players... it's madness.

  Bennett looking any better?

I think so.  I just traded for him in my fantasy keeper league... which is why I was watching in the first place.

It's not fair to give up on a 20 year old kid.  He looks like he's gaining confidence.  He's big.  He seems to move well.  He was playing surprisingly good defense.  I think his issues were mostly he was coming off an injury and gained a lot of weight.  That Cavs organization is also clearly a complete disaster.  I'm gambling that Bennett turns it around and makes it into a respectable career.  Also, he looks thinner than I remember from his pictures earlier this year.

[fairweatherfan]

Correction... even the announcers are confused.  Apparently the Foul + Technical only counts if Sacre committs a foul.

I've never seen a player foul out and remain in the game.  Well.. only in Summer League.

It's happened before, but a loooong time back.  Read about a situation like this in a basketball history book.  Some guy finished with 9 fouls or something like that.

EDIT:  Found it - the immortal Don Otten during the immortal Tri Cities-Sheboygan match of 1949.  Only had 8 though.

http://www.nba.com/history/records/regular_personalfouls.html

[317]

i have heard of this rule before but never seen it actually in use. closest i can recall was the year we traded Walter to Phoenix. they only had 12(i think might have even been 11 whatever was the minimum, you now have to carry 13) players but one game they had to suit up a injured player because they only had 7 healthy players. nobody got hurt that game, but someone may have fouled out leaving them 6 players. oh yeah and im 99% sure they still won.

[rondohondo]

reminds me of this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-nylJLVhqQ

[BballTim]

That's crazy. Tank job at its best.

Yeah this is basically what happens when two tanks collide.  Anthony Bennett drops 14, 8 and 2, the Lakers try to play 4 players... it's madness.

  Bennett looking any better?

I think so.  I just traded for him in my fantasy keeper league... which is why I was watching in the first place.

It's not fair to give up on a 20 year old kid.  He looks like he's gaining confidence.  He's big.  He seems to move well.  He was playing surprisingly good defense.  I think his issues were mostly he was coming off an injury and gained a lot of weight.  That Cavs organization is also clearly a complete disaster.  I'm gambling that Bennett turns it around and makes it into a respectable career.  Also, he looks thinner than I remember from his pictures earlier this year.

  Bummer, he would have been worth taking a chance on if we'd traded with the Cavs.

[freshinthehouse]

Did they have 8 players dress for the game?  If so, that happens a few times a year due to trades and/or injury.  Definitely nothing to get fined over.

[saltlover]

Did they have 8 players dress for the game?  If so, that happens a few times a year due to trades and/or injury.  Definitely nothing to get fined over.

Also, the Lakers won by 11.  Tough to fine a team for tanking when they win by double digits.

[barefacedmonk]

He's big.  He seems to move well. 

Can't argue with either one of those points:

During a "Glove Actually" segment for Fox Sports Live, Payton went off on Bennett, openly criticizing his physique and work ethic.

"You came in overweight," Payton said. "You look fat."

Moves well too...(best screen ever!!)

[D.o.s.]

I don't think I've seen an entire team going through the motions as badly as this year's Cavs.

Also, lost in the shenanigans, Steve Blake got a triple double.

[LooseCannon]

Here is a game where it happened in 2010.  It wasn't even the first time that season that the rule was invoked in a Warriors game.

[LooseCannon]

Lakers should be fined for pulling this stunt.  probably no rule on the books to allow for a fine but Silver should start his reign over the league properly by showing that making a mockery of the game like this is intolerable.

no way this was unavoidable.

The Lakers went into their previous game with a 15-man roster and Bryant, Gasol, and Xavier Henry out. 

In the game yesterday against Minnesota, Jodie Meeks sprained an ankle and Jordan Hill suffered a cervical sprain after being hit in the face by Chris Kaman. They did not play today.  Steve Blake played despite rupturing his eardrum in that game.

Rather than dip into the luxury tax, they decided not to sign Manny Harris for the rest of the season.  This is despite him getting 19 points and 8 rebounds against the Timberwolves in the last game of his second ten-day contract with the Lakers this season.

Steve Nash did not play today because it was the second game of a back-to-back.

That left eight players suited up to play.  Nick Young injured his knee during the game. Jordan Farmar, in his first game back since New Year's Eve due to a torn hamstring, left because of cramps. 

Chris Kaman and Robert Sacre fouled out, leaving four players without injuries who hadn't fouled out.

Please tell me at which point this was avoidable.