/ STAFF WRITER
NEW ORLEANS – Nearly every day, they encountered an unstoppable Kobe Bryant, a versatile Pau Gasol and a steady Derek Fisher.
The job description seemed overwhelming. That did not stop Luke Walton and the rest of his reserve teammates to vow to do one thing.
“We took pride in practice when we were playing against the starters,” Walton said. “We made a point to bring it up before we went out there.”
The reserves’ victories in practice scrimmages morphed into steady play against their opponents. Walton, Jordan Farmar, Ronny Turiaf and Sasha Vujacic became known as the “Bench Mob” during the 2007-08 season.