See all 2009 NBA team previews
Los Angeles Lakers
2007-08 Record: 57-25
Cool 2007 Stat: No one has ever had more points (21,619) before age 30 than Kobe Bryant.
Anticipated Starting Five
PG- Derek Fisher
SG- Kobe Bryant
SF- Lamar Odom
PF- Pau Gasol
C- Andrew Bynum
Key Reserves: Jordan Farmar, Luke Walton, Vlad Radmanovic, Sasha Vujacic, Trevor Ariza
Biggest Strength – Size & rebounding
How many teams have you seen trot out…
- C – 7′ 0″
- PF – 7′ 0″
- SF – 6′ 10″
- SG – 6′ 6″
…in the starting line-up? The Lakers are huge across the board, and all four players are strong rebounders for their positions. The addition of Bynum into the starting line-up moves Lamar Odom back to his natural small forward position and adds some much needed toughness inside. This team should easily be the best rebounding team in the NBA. That alone makes them much more formidable than last year because they were only 19th in the league on the offensive boards. Not anymore.
Biggest Weakness – Lack of depth
It’s hard to see past the Lakers imposing top 4 guys, but once you peel away that layer they get pretty thin. I honestly only see two strong reserves on this team: Jordan Farmar and Trevor Ariza. Luke Walton stinks and for some reason always schedules his slump for the playoffs. Vlad Radmanovic showed in last year’s playoffs and especially the finals that he has no clue what his role is. He is on a team with Kobe, Gasol and Odom, yet he still thinks he is the first option on offense. I was shaking my head wondering what the hell he was thinking in that Boston series. Chrs Mihm has not proven to anyone he can stay healthy, and right now he is the only somewhat-viable big man on the bench. That is unless Josh Powell or Didier Ilunga-Mbenga (if resigned) has a break out year. That leaves Sasha Vujacic. Besides the fact that I personally don’t like him, he is a purely one-dimensional player who gets burnt on defense with regularity. Yes, he is a good three-point shooter, but we will see if that continues considering he has only had one good season in four years. This is probably why Kobe decided against missing 12 weeks to have surgery on his finger.
Key Player in ’08 – Andrew Bynum
Bynum looked like a superstar in the making before he went down with an injury. He was averaging 13 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks while shooting 63.6% from the field and dunking everything near him. With the Lakers making no new additions to their team, Bynum becomes the piece that can make the biggest impact. He was the only key player not available in the Finals and would have provided better inside defense. Since he is one of the few young players on the team, he is one of the few with room for significant improvement. Any addition to their win total will depend on the play of Bynum.
Their Thaddeus (exciting player 22 or under) – Bynum, 21
It says a lot about the pressure that will be on Bynum this year that he is not only a key to the Lakers’ success but also will turn only 21 just days before the start of the season. Listen to this stat: The only 2 players EVER to average 13 pts, 10 rebs, and 2 blks per game before their 21st birthday are Andrew Bynum and someone slightly familiar to Lakers fans, Shaquille O’Neal.
Pete’s 2008 Outlook: 1st place, Pacific division / 1st place, Western conference / 1st place, NBA
The Lakers are my pick to win the title this year. They have the MVP, a great 2nd option in Pau Gasol, a legit big man in Bynum and a battle-tested point guard in Derek Fisher. They’ve got some great shooters off the bench, and they return a better squad than the one that made it to the Finals last year. The only thing they are missing is some toughness. I would look for them to make another midseason move for someone that fills that hole, and Kobe will finally raise the trophy sans Shaq (but with Gasol and Bynum).
Dannie’s 2008 Outlook: 1st place, Pacific division / 1st place, Western conference / 1st place, NBA
It’s hard not to pick the Lakers as the championship favorite. Their starting line is the best in the NBA with Bynum back healthy. Kobe will use last year’s finals disappointment as motivation, and I have no doubt he will play at MVP-level again. But, I have concerns about their supporting cast. Not during the regular season but come playoff time. Remember, Andrew Bynum has a total of 55 minutes of playoff experience. When teams key on Kobe even more who is going to step up and make shots out of the 5th, 6th and 7th guy on the team?
Philly Connection: Kobe Bryant
Everyone knows that Kobe went to Lower Merion H.S., just outside the city limits of Philadelphia. I attended LM’s rival high school, Radnor, and got to see Kobe play once. At the time, it was cool to watch someone so hyped up in the media, but I honestly never thought that Kobe would turn out as good as he is (and it’s clear that NBA teams didn’t either, as he lasted until the 13th pick in the draft). Kobe led LM to a state title his senior season with averages of 30.8 points, 12.0 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 4.0 steals and 3.8 blocks. He is still the all-time leading scorer in Southeast PA history (2,883 points).
They, in my mind, would have been a lock if they added some toughness, [Artest,Marion] or even a J.Dorsey type but it is still hard to pick against them. The Laker/Rockets games should be very entertaining.
The Lakers’ biggest weakness isn’t really their depth – they had one of the best benches at home last season. Their biggest weakness was toughness inside, that was the big reason why Boston was able to dominate the boards last season. Now, granted, the Lakers now are a much bigger team with Bynum back, but they still lack the old-school tough grind it out mentality in their frontcourt.
I agree with everything on this evaluation!! However, they have the depth but they need depth in terms of mental toughness and extra hustle. They lost Ronny Turiaf, who provided a lot of toughness and hustle. I think they missed out on players like Matt Barnes (Suns) and Brian Skinner (LA Clippers), who would certainly give the mental toughness and extra hustle off the bench. Overall, that is the best starting lineup in the NBA, especially if Bynum is 100%. They have one of the best coaches in Zen Master, Phil Jackson. They have Kobe and Fisher(who really showed people why he was important to the Jazz and what he provided for the Lakers last year and will provide again!!)
Biggest advantages are also: Hollywood, lots of nationally televised games, Staples Center has been a tough place to win games(for the Lakers!!), and Jack sits near the opposing team’s bench and harrasses the opposing team’s coach with that nasally voice. (Imagine what Mo has to deal with!!)
Biggest weakness: Hollywood (Distractions), toughness and hustle especially from the bench.
Questions to keep in mind:
How will the team respond if Kobe is ponding going to Russia or Italy next season?
Can they beat the Celtics?
Will Kobe’s decision to not have the pinky surgery haunt him?
I think the L.A Lakers will be 1st in the Pacific Division and 1st in the Western Conference!!
On a side note, the Sixers will split the season with the L.A Lakers (1-1) with each winning on their home floors. Elton Brand will continue to hear some boos from Clipper fans, regardless of who they play at Staples. At Wachovia, it will be sold out and the Sixers will win a close one!!
@Court – Here’s how I think about it. Most teams bench is good at home, that was shown very clearly in the Spurs/Hornets playoff series.
And we are talking about the Lakers this upcoming season not last year. They lost Turiaf (size, hustle, toughness etc) and didn’t replace him. They are hoping Mihm can stay healthy and actually contribute (right now from what I can see, he is the first big off the bench) – to me that is a gamble given his history. What’s make that a bit worse is the somewhat uncertainty of Bynum. How will he play coming off his first injury as a young player? Not having a reliable reserve in the front court in case he has a slow start isn’t smart.
I agree they got beat up inside last year, but that was because Gasol is soft, that isn’t changing, but will be minimized a bit now that he goes to PF. Same goes for Odom. He isn’t a PF and got pushed around a bit, now that he moves back to SF I think that makes the Lakers tougher because at that position he can dominate smaller guys inside and has always been a fantastic rebounder. If Bynum plays the way he did last year they should be fine as far as toughness. He is a beast, tries to dunk everything like Shaq did when he was young and really gets after it on the boards.
But who steps up when Kobe has to pass in the playoffs?
The Lakers size, length, and quickness in the starting lineup make them a better 5 than any of the others.
Odom will go back to his natural position at SF. Kupchak made the steal of the century getting Gasol. Even though he is soft defensively, that guy really knows how to score in the inside!!
Hollywood’s Team
http://www.nba.com/features/lakers_celebs_070309.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teSzEzWTOJk
Where are Philly’s celebrities? LOL Maybe soon people will go watch Sixer games. One day, I will be the Jack Nicholson of the Sixers. One day.
To Laker people and now Sixer people, this legendary performance will soon be our gain hopefully:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBgT3IikIK8
They’ll see him live on St. Patty’s Day and hopefully he will make the Sixers lucky!!
Rob – Are all the links really necessary?
I read this up until the point that you put that Sasha is one dimensional and gets burned on defense every time… that was a clear sign that a Philly guy knows nothing about the Lakers…
Well, not all. But hey it’s a blog and I’m just expressing myself!! Sorry!
LA Ball Talk: You are definitely correct about Sasha. He is an underrated defender. Look at what he did against Kyle Korver and Manu Ginobili. He was assigned by Phil Jackson to hone in on them, because when they’re hot– they’re hot.
LA Ball Talk – How about you enlighten us all as to what else Sasha does besides shoot threes well (2 of 4 seasons in his career) and deliberately try to piss off opponents by getting under their skin?
i think one of the Lakers’ biggest strengths is their bench. they have defense (walton, ariza, vujacic), 3-pt. shooting (vujacic, radmanovic), penetration (farmar), passing (walton, farmar) and size (radmanovic, mihm). even if both mihm and bynum struggle to stay on the court, gasol is a more than capable center and they can go small with either odom or radmanovic in the middle. if they still had turiaf we’d be calling them the deepest team in the NBA.
as for vujacic, beyond his 3-pt shooting (44% last year, 38% for his career), he is an excellent ball-handler for his size (6’7″) and a very active defender. not to mention he’s a career 87% free-throw shooter. while he does foul too often, that’s ok in a bench player.
Opinion on the Lakers bench:
-Vladamir Radmonovic: Is, and has always been, IMO one of the top 5 most single overrated, and useless players in the NBA. I remember following him for his four years on the Sonics just bewildered at his total resistance to improving any facet of his game. Yes, he is 6’9 and can hit 3′s…WWWOOOWWWWEE!!! He also plays NO defense, is a total black hole on offense, is probably a top 3 rebounder for his size and minutes played in the NBA, shies away from ALL contact, has zilch mental strength, and has been known to lash out at teamates and coaches. What a great option to have off the bench!
-Sasha Vujacic: I don’t love him as much as others do, but still like his game well enough. Plays stingy defense and hits threes…I don’t care who you are, that’s a nice asset to have on a team. He also brings some nice energy to the floor, isn’t afraid to get in someone’s face, and isn’t afraid in clutch situations. He’s also young with plenty of room to improve. Is he worth $5 a year? Definitely not…he should be getting 3 years/$10 million. Still a nice guy off the bench though.
-Trevor Ariza: Huge steal for them last season, one of the best tweak trades in the NBA all of that year. Athletic as hell, great defender, hustles on every play and attacks the rim hardcore. If he ever develops a reliable jumpshot, he’ll really be a nice piece.
-Luke Walton: Not sure if it was Dannie or Pete that wrote this, but…”Luke Walton stinks”? Really? I don’t know how or why anyone would say that. I love his game. He’s a true versatile SF, and works his ass off on his game every year. Tough defender, good shooter, excellent at moving without the ball, excellent passer, great BBall IQ. I agree that he can sometimes dissapear, and sometimes has in the playoffs…but whenever he gets minutes he puts up great all around stats and seems to give the intangible chemistry a huge boost on offense. Him and Kobe really work well together too. I don’t know what else you could possibly want out of a role player.
Jordan Farmar: Decent backup PG. Good skill set, I just don’t ever see him as an eventual starter, and I never really trust him when he’s out there. I know they needed to give up Crittenton to get Pau…but that was the real talent out of him vs. Farmar. Granted, Farmar is young, has hit some real clutch threes in the season, and can be a good distributer when he wants…I just don’t get the big deal with him though.
Biggest two mistakes: Ronny Turiaf brought hustle, energy, toughness and rebounding to a team that SORELY lacks it (yes, I’m looking at you Odom, Pau, and Vladamir). I just don’t get why you think you’d feel safe with the definition of a European softie in Vladamir as your backup PF, and let a Reggie Evans bucket & pale type guy like Turiaf go? $4 million a year is a bit pricey, but nothing outrageous.
I also agree with someone else’s comment…why on earth didn’t they go after a Brian Skinner, Jamal Magloire, Lorenzen Wright or someone of similar ilk? Are they really going to rely on Chris Mihm as their regular backup? I like Mihm, but he’s always injured, and is a pretty good scorer and a good rebounder…but he certainly isn’t intimidating. The Lakers desperately need a backup PF/C that can be an enforcer…Radmonovic and a half healthy Mihm do not do that in the slightest.
Nice post guys, I look forward to the other previews!
Random:
Dannie/Pete…any interest on maybe starting a ReclinerGM fantasy league?
Dave T, that was me. They missed out on Brian Skinner (LA Clippers), Matt Barnes(Suns), Devin Brown (Hornets) and not to mention a couple of former Lakers in Maurice Evans (Hawks) and Devean George (Mavericks).
Now offensively as a bench, the L.A Lakers are great and fun to watch. Their creativity and play making ability on offense is incredible and that Triangle really comes alive!! I do agree with you about the lack of energy on the boards, the lack of defense at times, the lack of toughness, and the lack of hustle necessary for playoff intensity.
Where are the lakes in Los Angeles?
Who is the mascot for the L.A Lakers? If I had to decide, Jack Nicholson would be.
The Laker girls have always been the best dance teams for a long time!!
@Dave T – I am assuming your comment about Radmonvic being a top 3 rebounder for his size and minutes played was a big typo. He is power forward size and isn’t a great rebounder at any minutes played (reb/36m is 6.1).
I honestly don’t see where people get Sasha being this great defender. I just don’t see it. He is a good three point shooter off the bench and if you need a guy to piss off an opposing teams better player he is your guy.
Luke Walton stinks, I said it. He is a very very good passer. He does a decent job scoring when he has a smaller guy on him. He is an average shooter at best and below average three point shooter. But for a team that has needed better play from reserves in the playoffs to help Kobe get over the hump he has come up pretty small and that is what I focus on when review a championship caliber team. This team is playing for a championship, showing up during the regular season and only playing well at home, then disappearing during the post season isn’t going to cut it at this point.
Again just my opinion.
@Dave T/All – The Recliner GM fantasy basketball league is an interesting and good idea. Are other people here interested in doing something like this?
Last year Pete and competed against either other one on one fantasy basketball. Sadly, he beat me out of a couple bucks, but it was fun.
Dannie:
Wow, thanks for pointing that out…that definitely was a typo, and I definitely meant Radmonovic is one of the most disappointing rebounders for a guy his size. There are just some players I hate every facet of, game and personality in the NBA…he is one of them.
Dannie, I’m with you that Luke Walton is not the most prolific scorer in the world (although his shooting has improved a bit), but given 25-27 minutes he’s a 10 pt, 5 rbd, 5 ast type of player, which is pretty rare in the NBA. I see Luke Walton, Boris Diaw and John Salmons as slightly similar players…their strength is their IQ, passing and versatility, but none can be relied on for regular scoring output. That’s a great thing to have off the bench though.
Also, using your logic about having a good regular season and then dissapearing in the playoffs, wouldn’t Iguodala also “stink”? I understand that the spotlight is more on everybody once a team gets to the playoffs, but in all fairness to the guy, his minutes were cut by a good 10 mpg in the playoffs, and he wasn’t used at all like he was in the regular season. I think overall he had a down year last year…but “stinks” is a bit harsh. I know I’d take Luke Walton over Willie Green any day of the week, that’s for sure lol.
Dave the difference is quantity of disappearances. If Iguodala puts together 3 straight years of poor playoff performance absolutely I will be the first to say he stinks – and I am sure I won’t be alone. The regular season is nice for the ride. But as a Philadelphia fan who has seen enough nice regular seasons on fall short of the real prize, I am am more critical of guys that don’t play well when the chip is on the line.
He had one bad series, not multiple series and in multiple years.
Dave – Don’t you think there is a reason his minutes are cut in the playoffs? If he played equally well in the post season as he does in the regular season I don’t think that would happen. Playoffs you are suppose to have the best contributors on the court more often, tightening up your rotation. If Walton is losing minutes its because he isn’t performing.
I’ve never done it, but I’d give fantasy basketball a shot.
it would be pretty neat to have a reclinergm fantasy league…
horrible post you know nothing about basketball, how the hell can you even think the Lakers are not a deep team from top to bottom they have more options then any other team in the league by far and Sasha is the main man off the bench after Farmar the guy shot over 40% from the 3pt line last season and only improving
LAKERS IS STILL THE BEST TEAM IN THE NBA!!!