When the Lakers signed Andrew Bynum at the beginning of the season, there were mixed reactions from fans and 'experts'. Some expressed relief that Bynum would not have to worry about proving himself with offensive numbers and just concentrate on defense since he was taken of financially. The cynics, on the hand, felt that Bynum was coming off of a serious knee injury and has never played a complete season in the NBA, and at worst he would be a restricted free agent at season's end - so what's the rush to sign this guy. While hindsight is 20/20, this argument is now moot, and the fate of the Laker's championship hopes rests on the shoulders of the much-maligned Lamar Odom...
While everyone knows that Odom needs to step up to make up for the production of a lost Bynum (and I am going to assume Bynum is done for the entire season, including playoffs, as he has never demonstrated himself to be a quick healer), there are few reasons to believe why Odom will actually come through this time.
First, Odom himself is in a contract year. In an interview with Chris Webber following a Lakers win on NBA TV this year, Odom confessed to C-Webb that not getting minutes during a contract year was on his mind, but learned to accept his role on the team. Everyone who knows basketball knows the Lakers are probably not going to be able to offer Odom the $$ he can get in other destinations (e.g. Detroit, Miami). Lamar has a chance to net probably his last long-term, lucrative contract -- he has every incentive in the world to show that as a starter, he can put up 15, 10, and 5 consistently. As a reserve, it was easy to use the excuse that the Lakers offense did not allow him enough minutes to develop the rhythm necessary to have such production -- now is his chance to cash in.
Second, let's not forget how the Lakers began this season. They played tenacious defense and scored the basketball with ease due to their signature crisp passing and sharp-shooting. Although Bynum started in these games, he was still recovering from surgery and was definitely not 100%. In fact, his production was pretty meaningless for most of the Lakers' success for the first thirty games, often not rebounding in double digits and getting in early foul trouble. Bynum started playing like a stud the past 10 games or so and the Lakers look nearly invincible when he did (except against the Diaw-led Bobcats), but it is hard to imagine the Lakers dropping off the map due to this injury.
Combine all of this with the fact that the western conference overall is pretty weak compared to years past, it seems that the Lakers are still primed for a repeat appearance in the NBA finals. Factor in additional playoff experience for almost the entire roster and the emergence of Trevor Ariza's defensive prowess, it is hard to feel too negative about the Lakers' championship aspirations - especially considering that BOS/ORL/CLE will beat each other up just to get out of the east.
Of course with a healthy Bynum, the Lakers would be better off. But there is a reason why the Lakers held on to Lamar, and that was to be an insurance policy because they believe they can still win with him as fill-in for either a Bynum or Gasol injury.
On paper, the Lakers should not worry about the talent on their roster -- their top nine even without Bynum would rival that of any other ball club. The bigger worry, however, is the potential mental letdown from this injury - now we are really going to find out how deep this team really is.
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Monday, February 2, 2009
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Lakers are a 60 win MAX team
Let us be realistic people. The Lakers are not going 72-10, and they are not going over 60 (+/- 1) and here's why
Yes, they have three legit 7 foot big men. Yes they have Kobe "Effing" Bryant. Yes they have the same coach who "coached" the bulls to 72-10. Yes, they are dangerously deep. Yes, their defense and toughness have picked up. Yes, their second squad is capable of playing like the old Phoenix Suns. Oh crap, uhhh.... maybe they are going to win 65 games!
Oh yeah, on paper this team looks delicious. But we are forgetting one key problem. Youngsters + lack of minutes + expiring contracts = problem. The bottom line is, this team is not like the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls had a pecking order, and everyone followed and filled their respective roles - regardless of how many minutes or shots they did or didn't get.
For this year's Lakers, I'm sorry to say I can't say the same thing. Sasha, Jordan, Trevor, Walton, Lamar, Radman, and even Powell are all fighting for limited minutes. Lately, we have seen bad shots and selfish play by some of these players because they are all fighting for the same minutes. Luke, Rad, Trevor, and Lamar all play the 3. That's too many. Someone has to go! No one wants to go. Sasha coming off his injury has not shot well. Jordan has played fairly well, but he still takes numerous shots early in the shot clock. You almost sense that these youngsters all feel like they have something to prove individually, and are not cohesive as a unit. They do not feel like the Spurs of old. Do you really feel these players are selfless? Do you think you could see Jordan Farmar go a game where he only shoots 2 baskets but has 10 assists? Or Sasha only shooting one shot and getting assists and steals?
Ultimately, until the Lakers either make a trade or the pecking order is established - this is a 60 max win team. Thoughts?
Read more!
Yes, they have three legit 7 foot big men. Yes they have Kobe "Effing" Bryant. Yes they have the same coach who "coached" the bulls to 72-10. Yes, they are dangerously deep. Yes, their defense and toughness have picked up. Yes, their second squad is capable of playing like the old Phoenix Suns. Oh crap, uhhh.... maybe they are going to win 65 games!
Oh yeah, on paper this team looks delicious. But we are forgetting one key problem. Youngsters + lack of minutes + expiring contracts = problem. The bottom line is, this team is not like the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls had a pecking order, and everyone followed and filled their respective roles - regardless of how many minutes or shots they did or didn't get.
For this year's Lakers, I'm sorry to say I can't say the same thing. Sasha, Jordan, Trevor, Walton, Lamar, Radman, and even Powell are all fighting for limited minutes. Lately, we have seen bad shots and selfish play by some of these players because they are all fighting for the same minutes. Luke, Rad, Trevor, and Lamar all play the 3. That's too many. Someone has to go! No one wants to go. Sasha coming off his injury has not shot well. Jordan has played fairly well, but he still takes numerous shots early in the shot clock. You almost sense that these youngsters all feel like they have something to prove individually, and are not cohesive as a unit. They do not feel like the Spurs of old. Do you really feel these players are selfless? Do you think you could see Jordan Farmar go a game where he only shoots 2 baskets but has 10 assists? Or Sasha only shooting one shot and getting assists and steals?
Ultimately, until the Lakers either make a trade or the pecking order is established - this is a 60 max win team. Thoughts?
Read more!
Ariza Gets It...
A little excerpt from the LA Times that makes me like Trevor a little more...
"The Lakers were a frustrated bunch in the first half, botching several easy chances.
Vujacic barely hit the rim on an open three-point attempt.
It got so frustrating that Ariza and Vujacic had words on the bench and had to be separated by Gasol during a timeout.
Ariza apparently wasn't thrilled with Vujacic's shot selection and wanted more ball movement from him.
'Trevor let it out, and it was unfortunate to see that on the floor,' Jackson said.
Said Ariza: 'It was just a little disagreement. We're all good now.'"
Even with his suspect 3 point shooting, what is the over-under on how many games until Trevor cracks the starting lineup? next game?!
Read more!
"The Lakers were a frustrated bunch in the first half, botching several easy chances.
Vujacic barely hit the rim on an open three-point attempt.
It got so frustrating that Ariza and Vujacic had words on the bench and had to be separated by Gasol during a timeout.
Ariza apparently wasn't thrilled with Vujacic's shot selection and wanted more ball movement from him.
'Trevor let it out, and it was unfortunate to see that on the floor,' Jackson said.
Said Ariza: 'It was just a little disagreement. We're all good now.'"
Even with his suspect 3 point shooting, what is the over-under on how many games until Trevor cracks the starting lineup? next game?!
Read more!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Lakers need to use size...
Friday's loss to the Pistons surely isn't the end of the world for the Lake-show, but the loss certainly identified some vulnerabilities, particularly the team's lack of discipline. After Bynum was deemed healthy this summer, the headlines in Los Angeles blasted the greatness of a Lakers front court that features "3 SEVEN FOOTERS". To the Lakers fans' delight, we saw the benefit of this newer, bigger Laker lineup with Gasol showing toughness and shutting down power forwards defensively, Bynum blocking shots, and the Lakers rebounding the ball with playoff intensity.
However, what we have been seeing in the past few games is a reversion to the Lakers the past couple of seasons. Farmar and Vujacic, in particular, have been making some poor decisions on offense, taking long shots early in the shot clock and forcing the issue. It is one thing for a guy like Vlad to be throwing up the ball on a whim, like Phil said, he's not in there for his defense. Both Jordan and Sasha often assume point guard roles for long stretches of the game and need to accept the responsibility of balancing when to play fast-paced and when to initiate the offense. You need to involve the bigs on offense if you want to make them stay active on defense. Also, if Bynum or Gasol is in, they can probably get better quality jump shots after dumping the ball into the post.
I love the energy by which the Lakers have been playing with, and I know the loss to Detroit is only one game, I just hope the young guys can take something away from it and begin taking advantage of the very talented roster of their team. Read more!
However, what we have been seeing in the past few games is a reversion to the Lakers the past couple of seasons. Farmar and Vujacic, in particular, have been making some poor decisions on offense, taking long shots early in the shot clock and forcing the issue. It is one thing for a guy like Vlad to be throwing up the ball on a whim, like Phil said, he's not in there for his defense. Both Jordan and Sasha often assume point guard roles for long stretches of the game and need to accept the responsibility of balancing when to play fast-paced and when to initiate the offense. You need to involve the bigs on offense if you want to make them stay active on defense. Also, if Bynum or Gasol is in, they can probably get better quality jump shots after dumping the ball into the post.
I love the energy by which the Lakers have been playing with, and I know the loss to Detroit is only one game, I just hope the young guys can take something away from it and begin taking advantage of the very talented roster of their team. Read more!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Lakers almost blow load early err...early lead
The Lakers pull out what at once was a blowout game tonight.. ..but boy was it an ugly game. Once again, the Lakers offense stalled and Kobe jacked up ill-adivsed shot after ill-advised shot until finally draining a 3 pointer with a hand in his face. The Lakers obviously still haven't found their offensive groove yet 7 games into the season, but already we are seeing the same pattern of lapses on offense rearing its ugly head. In years past this would have meant the opponent creeping back and overtaking ala game 4 of the finals last year, but what's promising is that the Lakers' D has improved vastly this year.
The Laker's suffocating defense is going to be the real difference maker this year. The one thing the three-peat Lakers had in common with this current group is that they both had the tendency to blow big leads and let teams back in games. The thing that the three-peat Lakers had that the current group did not until this year is defense. Whatever it is that makes the Lakers go through offensive droughts, I don't know, but if they can continuing playing the defense the way they've been playing, they can ride out those dry spells and hold off the opponent; something they couldn't do last year.
The other promising thing is the intensity that the Lakers have shown thus far. Pau Gasol, in particular, has shown that he's not afraid to back down this year. In tonight's game C3PO, arguably one of the cheapest players in the league, tried to intimidate Gasol, but Gasol didn't back down.
It's still early in the season and the Lakers have already shown signs of vulnerability despite the 7-0 start, but if they can continuing executing and playing with intensity like they have in stretches so far, I'm predicting 60+ wins.
Read more!
The Laker's suffocating defense is going to be the real difference maker this year. The one thing the three-peat Lakers had in common with this current group is that they both had the tendency to blow big leads and let teams back in games. The thing that the three-peat Lakers had that the current group did not until this year is defense. Whatever it is that makes the Lakers go through offensive droughts, I don't know, but if they can continuing playing the defense the way they've been playing, they can ride out those dry spells and hold off the opponent; something they couldn't do last year.
The other promising thing is the intensity that the Lakers have shown thus far. Pau Gasol, in particular, has shown that he's not afraid to back down this year. In tonight's game C3PO, arguably one of the cheapest players in the league, tried to intimidate Gasol, but Gasol didn't back down.
It's still early in the season and the Lakers have already shown signs of vulnerability despite the 7-0 start, but if they can continuing executing and playing with intensity like they have in stretches so far, I'm predicting 60+ wins.
Read more!
Lakers vs Hornets Preview 11/12/08
Mikey chimes in on his prediction for tonight's game, and what he is betting on.
Mikey's Preview:
Wow. Things haven't been going so well, but that is probably because I've been betting on the over/under rather than the lines. Yesterday, I put in a very nervous 5 unit bet of -5.5 Lakers against Dallas. After a nail biting ending, Lakers managed to cover.
Tonight is a tough one. Lakers are on a back to back on the road, and they are facing a tough team in the Hornets. CP3 has been a terror this season, and I expect him to light up the Lakers tonight. This match up is interesting, because we'll find out if Bynum and Ariza will make the difference on defense. Can the Lakers hold NO to under 100? Lakers are underdogs this game at +1.5. They were 6-1 ATS last season in back to back games. I'm pulling for the Lakers to pull me out of the red. Time to place a monster 7 unit bet on the Lakers pulling of the victory, and going 7-0!
Final Prediction: 7 Unit real money Bet Lakers +1.5
Mikey's Laker Real Money Bets:
1-3-0
(6 Units)
Mikey's Laker Pick with Non-Real Money Bets:
2-7-0
(5 Units)
Read more!
Mikey's Preview:
Wow. Things haven't been going so well, but that is probably because I've been betting on the over/under rather than the lines. Yesterday, I put in a very nervous 5 unit bet of -5.5 Lakers against Dallas. After a nail biting ending, Lakers managed to cover.
Tonight is a tough one. Lakers are on a back to back on the road, and they are facing a tough team in the Hornets. CP3 has been a terror this season, and I expect him to light up the Lakers tonight. This match up is interesting, because we'll find out if Bynum and Ariza will make the difference on defense. Can the Lakers hold NO to under 100? Lakers are underdogs this game at +1.5. They were 6-1 ATS last season in back to back games. I'm pulling for the Lakers to pull me out of the red. Time to place a monster 7 unit bet on the Lakers pulling of the victory, and going 7-0!
Final Prediction: 7 Unit real money Bet Lakers +1.5
Mikey's Laker Real Money Bets:
1-3-0
(6 Units)
Mikey's Laker Pick with Non-Real Money Bets:
2-7-0
(5 Units)
Read more!
Big Game Tonight for the Lake-Show
Going 6-0 is nice, but this is a chance for the Lakers to put their stamp on the young season. A chance to beat the arguably #2 team in the West, on the road AND on a back-to-back, will definitely place the Lakers as the class of the league.
Won't be easy though, with CP3 still feeling the sting from his MVP-snub last year...this should be a good one tonight Read more!
Won't be easy though, with CP3 still feeling the sting from his MVP-snub last year...this should be a good one tonight Read more!
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