.
Gotta give it up to Roy Hibbert.  This is the coolest thing I've seen an NBA player do in a very, very long time.
 
 

Rock it out Roy.  Winning fans left, right & center.  Even Lakerfans.

.

Recently on a basketball forum, I was asked a few questions in relation to the Lakers.  And they did indeed make me think long and hard about the potential hurdles LA's premier sports franchise will face in the coming season...
- Is one ball going to be enough?
- Can 3 guys who are used to being "the Man" learn how to work together?
- Where is the depth on the nearly nonexistent bench?
- Can the coach handle all the egos?
- Which MWP is going to show up this season?
- How will Pau be used & will it be enough now that he is 4th option?

Ok... to answer. Or at least give my thoughts on 'em:
1. Is one ball going to be enough? & 2. Can 3 guys who are used to being "the Man" learn how to work together?
There's a massive difference between what happened at Miami, and what is happening at LA. What's happening at the Lakers is far more akin to what happened at Boston that what occurred at South Beach.

Miami: 3 players (LeBron/Wade/Bosh) joined together with far more overlap. Two wings with very similar games, and a PF who is far more face-up to the basket than back-to. Kudos to them in making it work... but Boston with Ray Allen, Pierce and KG was a jumpshooting 2, a slashing jack-of-all-trades 3, and a PFC. Very little overlap in what they do on the court, if at all. Additionally, they were all on the downside of their peaks, and as such perhaps a little more willing to be flexible than if they'd all been "the guy".

LA. A distributing point who is one of the best outside shooters the game has ever seen. A control-heavy SG control-heavy SG who also has one of the best offensive arsenals in the game. A finesse PF who sometimes plays his best basketball at the anchor... and the best defensive C in the game. Who also happens to play his best game on the offense about 2m away from the basket. Add to that Metta World Peace a small forward who still is one of the better wing-defenders in the game. And who doesn't mind not scoring.
It remains to be seen if they can make it work. It will take some flexibility in particular from Bryant... however, there's absolutely no reason why he couldn't give up controlling the ball, and STILL score 20-23 per game. Nash will have that impact. Kobe's never played with an elite pointman, but I think he's both smart enough and at that point in his career where he'll be willing to defer.


Nash? Absolutely can (not be "The Man" ). He's never really wanted to be, and is at his best when he's scoring less, distributing more.

Howard... it hasn't worked thus far for Dwight, and his best basketball (09?) was when he had talent around him.

The beauty (or... could be) of this team is that they can be anything they want. Jury's still out on Dwight's smarts, but Kobe/Nash/Gasol are all considered to be some of the smartest basketballers on the planet.

3. Where is the depth on the nearly non existent bench?
This question's old, used, and completely beyond it's used-by date. Jamison, Meeks, Hill, Ebanks, Duhon. Oh... and one of usher's faves: CDR. Yup, a Laker. This is the deepest bench LA's had in a decade.

4. Can the coach handle all the egos?
Valid concern... and I agree with the notion that Brown might well be at his best in an assistant's role focusing on D... but here he is. The Lakers have done their best to work this out, and I love the addition of Eddie Jordan to run the offense. Add in Steve Clifford, Bernie Bickerstaff, Chuck Person and Darvin Ham - and that's a pretty good group.
If Brown largely sticks to defense, and lets Jordan run the O... I think it'll pay dividends.
But specifically... the egos. Honestly? I don't think that will be even on Brown's agenda. That's going to fall to the players.
As stated before, 3 of the "big 4" are older, and I think all can see the writing on the wall: this is an amazing team, but it's also one with a very limited shelf-life. Get it done now, or don't bother. They have 2 years...

5. Which MWP is going to show up this season?
Another good question. As long as he plays even solid D, I don't really care. Massive bonus would be if he can hit an open three, because boy... is he going to get some open looks this year.

6. How will Pau be used & will it be enough now that he is 4th option?
Interesting. I think given I expect the ball to largely dwell in Nash's hands, Pau will get fed. I imagine that Nash'll average 12/11 or even 12/12... I'd guess Pau and Dwight will both register around 17/10-12... or thereabouts. Kobe? I'd buy into 20-23/5/5 being a possibility. It just remains to see if he buys into that (my bet's on "yes" ).
I think Pau will be fine, largely because he's a smart guy. Smart enough to look around and see that this is yet another chance to get a another ch'ip. And 3 rings on his resume will look pretty damn fine.

How we doin'?

Oh... and Australian readers who want to bet on NBA should check out Luxbet Basketball Betting!

.
Read that however which way you want...

no comments

. 
  no comments

.
Summertime... and the livin' is easy.
At least, that's what Lakerfans have to be hearing at the moment.  Because, oh boy, what a summer that was.  Mitch Kupchak stated at the start of the off-season that he was out looking to hit a home-run, and I think it's more than fair to say he did (Andy/Brian Kametzky described it as more a "grand slam" - I think that's accurate!). 
With the acquistions of Steve Nash/Dwight Howard (and that's ignoring everyone else that joined LA too), Jim Buss also put to rest any fears that he wasn't prepared to spend to win.  He spent big, and expectations are that LA could win big.
Is there a starting rotation better than the Lakers with Nash, Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace, Pau Gasol and Howard?

That's not to say that anything's a given thing.  Hell, if it were a sure bet I'd go somewhere to get the best odds!) ... but nothing's quite that easy.


However, the Mitch/Jim have taken the biggest deficiencies on the Lakers and turned them around.  Completely.
Point guard problems?  Add Steve Nash. 
Struggling on defense?  Bring in the best defensive player in the game, Dwight Howard. 
Having issues on the bench?  Re-sign Jordan Hill... add Antawn Jamison and Jodie Meeks. 
Outside shooting deficiencies?  How about one of the best shooters of all time - Steve Nash, and sharp-shooting Jodie Meeks? 

Folks?  That is how to hit a home-run.

Now... fans of other teams are in a mad scramble to find fault with the team.  "Age"... "chemistry"... "injuries"... - you'll see those trotted out on a regular basis.
Just saying it doesn't make it true tho'.  The reality is that the vast majority of teams would commit homicide to experience the *problems* the Lakers have.

Exploring...
Injuries: players get injured.  Nash has managed his particular issues for years.  According to all experts concerned, Howard's back is coming along nicely.  I honestly don't believe this will be much of an issue come season's start.
Chemistry: for all the gnashing of teeth and wringing of hands on this, there's not much true concern.  On ESPN's Forecast: 2012-13 Team Turmoi (100 of ESPN's best basketball minds made the decision - there's a contradiction in terms if every I've heard one!), the Lakers only accrued the sum total of 2 votes.  Compare that to the league-leading Knicks (41), Magic (15), Kings (10)... and even the Mavs (3). 
Nope, 2 votes.  Exactly the same as Atlanta and Memphis.
Age: perhaps the only one that could possibly be considered a concern.  Yes, it would be great for the key guys to be younger.  But given the track record of who we're talking (Bryant/Nash), I'm quietly confident that they will continue to perform at the very top levels of the NBA.

Still - no surprises I guess, people are just praying that LA will fall on their sword, and never better if it's a sword of their own smithing.

I have serious doubts of that happening tho'.  Yet again: good to be a Lakerfan.
Oh... and Mitch Kupchak is better than your GM.

. 
Dear God, LA's starting line-up will look like this:

 

That... is pretty awesome.   A starting line-up of Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace, Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard?
You are kidding me!

The final deal ends up being:
LA gets: Dwight Howard, Chris Duhon, Earl Clark...
Philadelphia: Andrew Bynum, Jason Richardson
Denver gets: Andre Iguodala
Orlando gets: Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Moe Harkless, Nicola Vucevic, Christian Eyenga, Josh McRoberts and 5 lottery-protected first round picks (over 5 years).
That's a win, win, win... LOSE.

How Mitch Kupchak did this, I will never know.  Orlando trade a HoF quality center, and get back... Arron Afflalo as the centerpiece?  Ok, I get that they are trying to bottom out and follow the OKC model - but that not only takes a helluva lot of luck, the likelihood of someone rolling that many 7s in a row again is very, very low.  It's a foolhardy way to operate.  And even if that were the intention, I still have no idea why they didn't take the Brooklyn deal, which included 4 UNPROTECTED picks.  Denver got a lot better, a lot more interesting.  Philly?  Get the second best center in the league, and move him into a home where he's about an hour from where he grew up.

Still, the Lakers - some cojones, huh?
Wait out Orlando, until everything else falls to pieces and it becomes evident to the Magic that they cannot start training camp with a new coach AND Dwight still under contract... and swoop in.  Get their man (Howard) without having to give up too much (Gasol), and not having to take on junk (Turkoglu).
The magnitude of this trade is incredible, not just on implications, but on mechanics/logistics too.  Anyone who cannot see the genius (you know who you are) of Mitch Kupchak has no godly right watching basketball.

Oh.  And not long after the trade goes through Jodie Meeks signed a 2 year/$3 million deal with the Lakers.  A nice addition off the bench.

Sure, the current roster has a small championship window, but the team is well-situated now to make moves beyond that.  And if anything has been self-evident over the past few decades, it's LA's willingness to "make moves".  Anyone who is worried about the Lakers post Kobe Bryant probably can measure their NBA fan-dom by months.

Life's pretty good at the moment. 

.


no comments

.


Ok... frank appraisal.

First of all, I think that LA will be better off for having had a season under their collective belt under a new coach/new system.  The extra time spent in a complete off-season will have a huge impact on the roster knowing what they're supposed to do.  No other team had as big a change in their offensive system as LA did last season, and it's not like last year's off-season went smoothly and without hitches.  Herr Stern through a major spanner in the works, and I honestly don't think the Lakers recovered from that.
But anyway: the roster...

The Lakers start/end with Kobe, so let's start there.
Kobe's been amazing this past season, and it's hard to believe that the guy has played 16 seasons in the NBA and is 33 years of age. He had five dunks in game 5 of the OKC series.  Hell, it can usually go several games without him having one, so the wheels are still there. Of that I am not worried.  And with the reports coming in that he's Deutsch-bound to get a repeat of the "German Procedure" - well, I'm confident.

However... I do think he needs to change his MO with regards to the way he treats his teammates. The calling-out-of-Pau didn't work the way he intended it, and I honestly question whether it's going to work when it's done with the frequency Kobe does it. Calling guys out, if it needs to be done, do it behind closed doors... but in general save that for extreme occasions. I'd love Kobe to become more moderate, and surely a "wily veteran" should be able to recognise what's going to work, and what hasn't... but let's face it: it probably simply boils down to that being who he is.
On the court I really hope he learns to facilitate a bit more... to pick his spots. If he could play like he did in game 5 - well, I don't care. I don't think he can tho', not all the time - it'll be a case of him choosing 'special games'.
LA have to use Andrew Bynum more, and have to put some better scorers around.

Speaking of Bynum: well... he's way up on the food chain now.  Way up.
And with that comes a bit more responsibility. Time to put out a season that silences the critics... and keep quiet off the court until you've done something that warrants actually talking.  Even then: sheesh... I'd love him to let his game talk rather than throwing out media fodder.
Good news is that he can do just that. There have been times this season where he's been better than good: he has been great.  However, there are times when he looks lackadaisical, and disinterested on court... and gets at best a tie against clearly inferior teams/players.
Still - guy's 24 and that's VERY young for a center.

The main issue is that LA need to get more athletic, and do so now - whilst there's still some left on Kobe's odometer.  Avoid getting 'older' guys - that did not work at all with McRoberts/Murphy/Blake/Barnes/et al.  You want to gamble, head to a Poker Blog.  But it's time to stop taking chances on squeezing minutes from guys who for all intents and purposes have all but finished their basketball careers.
(might be a bit unfair to put Barnes in there - he was doing VERY well up until his injury... but his play in the playoffs was completely abysmal)

Gasol...
The Lakers have one of the most overloaded rosters $-wise, so there's very little opportunity to add things via free agency, so the only way this roster changes is via trades.
Guess what Pau? You're gonna be it! 
In his exit interview with Mitch Kupchak, Pau pretty much said he did not want to be the third wheel on the team - he wants to go, LA pretty much have to trade him.  I have no doubt that this happens in the off-season.

Listening to NBA Today a few weeks ago, Ryen Russillo texted an unnamed NBA Exec. regarding Gasol's market, and got a reply:

• Houston: would give them their best players (Russillo speculated that this would mean Martin/Lowry)...
• Atlanta would do Josh Smith... 
• Chicago would do Boozer (Russillo immediately dismisses this)... 
• Indiana might do Hibbert/West...
• Memphis maybe Zach & something...
• Milwaukee: Jennings, Gooden & a pick...
• If Miami wins the whole thing, would they do it with Wade?
• Would Minnesota do it with Love (Russillo dismisses this too)...
• Brooklyn: Wallace/Lopez...
• Knicks - Stoudemire/Lin (Russillo dismisses this too)

Russillo then talked to Chris Mullin about Gasol's market value. Mullin's reply was immediate:
"Oh he's highly coveted."
"Still?"
"Oh absolutely. One of the most versatile big men, most skilled big men in the league. You can play him all over the floor, not just the low post or high post. He's a gifted passer. So I think his market will be very high."

Russillo questions him then on Minnesota/Love. Mullins says that it's "interesting"...

For me, on those ideas:
- Martin/Lowry... do it.  If LA could (as reported by some) get Scola as well?  Giddy.
- Josh Smith... sheesh... dunno. Maybe.
- Boozer. Ugh. Hell no.
- Hibbert/West... I very much doubt that's available.
- Zach/+? Interesting. Possibly yes... depends what the "+" is.
- Jennings/Gooden/pick. Depends on where the pick is!
- Wade: I doubt Wade would ever be available... and far too much overlap between Kobe/Wade.
- Love: I also can't ever picture Minnesota willingly trading Love.  But hell, if they would...
- Wallace/Lopez, whilst Wallace would be a good fit, and you could probably move Lopez... both are too injury-riddled.
- Hell no. Stoudemire???

The rest of the roster... I like what Ron Artest (can we call him Metta World Peace ever again?) did end of the season/playoffs. There's very little value in moving him, and no value in amnesty-ing him.
Jordan Hill - I actually like what he's got. Guy's still new to the NBA (kinda), and could be very handy moving forward.
Ramon Sessions - bit of a reality check: he's not elite. No newsflash, huh? Still, he's markedly better than what LA was running at the point. If they can upgrade, great. If not, well... it is what it is.
Andrew Goudelock/Darius Morris/Christian Eyenga/Devin Ebanks - still really young. Who knows? They're never going to be much beyond bench fodder tho'. I think.
Barnes - never the same coming back from injury. Hard to say what he will be moving forward.

Blake/McBob/Murphy - complete and utter junk. Hell... tempted to put Barnes in there too. Goudelock/Morris/Eyenga/Ebanks could well be in there as well, but time will tell I guess. If they're at the very end of the bench, fine.

LA will move Gasol, of that I am certain. 
And Kupchak has shown a willingness to move pieces, and an ability to pull rabbits-outta-hats.  
LA are going to need some good rabbits in the off-season if there's to be any chance of any semblance of competing in the 2012/13 season.

.
no comments

.
End result: Metta World Peace gets 7 games for his elbow hit on James Harden.
Whilst it's more than I think was warranted, but not as bad as I thought it might be. Stern trying to walk tightropes again - balancing act: what's fair vs public outcry.
Leading into the suspension, just before "7 games" was announced, Kobe Bryant's take on the situation:



As usual, to the point...