Life as a Laker fan is grand. We are coming fresh off a championship season with almost all of our key players back, with a possible upgrade for the only key player not to return (Artest for Ariza). We also have hopes of even better seasons from young players like Andrew Bynum and Jordan Farmer, as well as a full season from ShanWow. And that’s not even mentioning the launch of LakersHype.com (OK, I just did). If you are a fan like me, you can’t wait for the season to start.
The great news is that the Lakers are the class of the league and most experts are picking them to repeat or at least get back to the Finals. Check any ranking and the Lakers are always within the top 5, mostly within the top 3 (along with Boston and Cleveland) and the most often picked top overall team. Clearly, its good to be a Laker (think Ron Artest doesn’t know that already).
So, here we are a week shy of the start of the season. What are some of the things we should be looking forward to?
How will Ron Artest fit in with the team?
So far, so good. Artest has been doing and saying all the right things. Well… almost saying all the right things, he is called crazy pills for a reason. However, take a look at the preseason games and Artest is not pressing the issue, he is not hoisting the contested jumpers he was in the past and he has been deferring to teammate. Almost to a fault, as Phil Jackson has said he needs to start looking for his own offense. Who would have imagined that Phil would have to urge Artest to look more for his offense?
Alas, the season has not started, and while Artest is doing the right things now, will it stay that way? The prediction here is yes. Artest is now at the point of his career (chiseled veteran) that he understands its all about the ring. Artest is competitive, Artest has a passion and Artest will do what it takes to help the Lakers win it all again. Expect Artest to be the pitbull on defense, a facilitator on offense and to take the open 3 pointers that Ariza took last year, while hitting them at an even better rate. Yes, Artest is a better 3 point shooter than Ariza; even last year with Artest taking bad contested shots, he hit a better percentage of them than Ariza. This year, with more open looks, expect that percentage to rise.
What to expect from the bench this year?
To start the season last year, the Lakers’ bench mob was among the most feared in the entire league. Moreover, it was not a single sub (although you can make a case for Lamar Odom) that caused other teams to pause, it was the collection as a whole. Take a deeper look at the dynamic of the 2nd unit and you can see why. To start the season, the “2nd unit” consisted of Farmar, Vujacic, Ariza, Odom and either Bynum or Gasol in the middle. This group was built to run with Farmar and Odom typically leading the break. But it was the speed of players like Farmar and Ariza that really gave the unit its identity. When Farmar got injured and Ariza and Odom (briefly) moved into the starting lineup, the dynamics changed, and the 2nd unit (now led by Luke Walton) were not the change of pace, push the tempo team anymore.
This year? Farmar and Odom and back in their familiar roles, but what about the rest of the team? If Sasha Vujacic and Luke Walton or Adam Morrison are going to be your wings, you aren’t going to be running as much. But there is another player whose speed could cause havoc similar in mold to Ariza, Shannon Brown. In fact, there have already been several Farmar-Brown highlight fast breaks this preseason. I would also submit, for Phil Jackson’s consideration, a possible 3-guard 2nd unit, with Farmar-Vujacic-Brown on the court at the same time. Although, this would definitely not work for long periods of the game, it could be used for a fast pressing unit to change the pace of the game for a short time.
Can we finally beat the Charlotte Bobcats this year?
Although they are never a great team, the Charlotte Bobcats just seem to have the Lakers number. It doesn’t seem to matter who is playing (you could have the champion team from your 6′2 and under league dressed in the Bobcats uniforms), they just seem to lose. A quick look at the schedule shows that the two games against the Bobcats are February 3 at Home and March 5 in Charlotte. Looking ahead to the March 5 game in Charlotte has all the dynamics of a Laker loss (team that has the Lakers number, 2nd night of a back to back, on the road). But there is no reason the Champion Lakers should lose the February 3rd game at Staples. The prediction here is a split this season (which is at least welcome after losing both games the past few years).
What about the Trailblazers in Portland?
The Rose Garden is a difficult place to play, but championship teams find ways to win. If we can win in Boston, there is no reason to lose in Portland. Another quick look at the schedule shows two games in Portland, January 8 and February 6. Looking ahead to the later game again, it has all the same markings of a Laker loss. The January 8th game, should however be a win (unless the Lakers were partying too hard the night before with me on my birthday). The prediction here, another split.
Who is going to be the best Laker?
This would seem to have an obvious answer: Kobe Bryant. Or if someone wants to take a contrarianview and pick someone else, the 2nd most obvious choice would be Pau Gasol. So what if one of the best experts covering the NBA today, told you there would be another Laker who would be the best player on the team. Your mind is wandering and you immediately think Ron Artest or Lamar Odom. Ask the casual fan and Andrew Bynum is probably the 5th most likely player to be thought of as the best player on the Lakers, but that is exactly the pick that John Hollinger from ESPN.com is making. According to Hollinger’s PER Projection Rankings, Bynum is projected to be ranked 8th overall in the NBA this year, above Kobe at 10 and Gasol at 15 (San Antonio is the only other team with 3 players projected to be in the top 15). So far this preseason, Bynum has been the Lakers leading scorer (although he also leads the team in minutes per game).
So is Bynum really going to be the best Laker? In a word, no. There is no doubt he is probably going to be better again this year, and if he can stay healthy for the whole season, he can really be a force. Also, this year, less is going to be asked from of Kobe and he is going to be saving himself that much more. But when the clock starts clicking and crunch time comes, the ball is going to be in Kobe’s hand. So while the stats might lie and tell you other players are performing better, realize that there is a reason Kobe is considered the best player in the NBA today.
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