Well, despite how it began and how it ended, it was a great season for the Los Angeles Lakers. It was long too, just not quite long enough. The next few weeks will be pretty hard to swallow. 39 points will haunt this squad, Kobe especially, for perhaps their entire careers. Nothing is guaranteed and despite the enormous potential and talent the Lakers possess, this very well could have been their last shot at a championship.
But that is worst-case scenario thinking.
It’s amazing how one series, or even one game can totally change the perspective of people. Suddenly Lamar Odom’s name is being floated in all sorts of trade rumors. Sasha Vujacic and Ronny Turiaf, the Lakers two main free agents (restricted) who, before the finals looked like for sure they would be resigned, suddenly left Thursday’s exit meetings unsure of their futures with the organization.
They both want to be back, but who knows? Everyone says the Lakers need toughness. I say they need aggressiveness. As previously mentioned in this blog, Pau Gasol was a warrior. Sure, he’s not capable of out-muscling guys like Garnett or Duncan for rebounds. But he went in there and battled. Each of the bigs he faced shot horribly. All of them.
Pau’s aggressiveness waned on the offensive end however, and that’s partly his fault and partly Kobe’s fault. Same with Lamar. He battled underneath, but he’s just not the same size or strength of the guys he was going up against. And his athleticism was matched by KG. Where he failed was on the offensive end.
This offensive failure is due in part to an offense that completely stalled against the Celtics defense. Credit the Cs, but also acknowledge that the Lakers put this team together on the fly. At the beginning of the year, they were rolling with Andrew Bynum. The trade of Brian Cook and Mo Evans happened and brought in Ariza, who was dynamite from the getgo. I honestly thought they had a shot at the championship with that team.
When Ariza and Bynun went down, the Lakers lineup looked vastly different, especially with the addition of Pau.
The Lakers now have a full offseason to work out together. Train together. Bond. Learn the Triangle.
My only concern is that Kobe doesn’t get enough reps with the team due to the Olympics and his impending surgery. We’ll see how that shakes out, but, I can’t reiterate this enough…do not count Kobe out or down.
Well, there’s some good news and some slightly bad news. The good news is that Trevor Ariza’s option has been picked up. Shrewd move. No matter that the Lakers have Walton and Vlad Rad already stacking the small forward position. That’s okay. Ariza is exactly the kind of player the Lakers need to keep. Now, if he can just perfect that corner three point shot…
The bad news, well, quasi-bad news, is that Chris Mihm has not opted out of his contract, which means he’ll be back to eat salary on the disabled list yet again, next season. Mihm has been relegated to third/fourth string (if Ronny stays). It’s crazy to think that not two years ago, he was our starting center.
It pains me to say, but the most expendable person on the roster is Luke Walton, and yet, he will be the hardest of any player to move. I wrote a piece about the Suns last month that talked about shopping Boris Diaw. Apparently there is some mild interest for him in Toronto in exchange for T.J. Ford. Other than that, Diaw trade partners are non-existent. Luke Walton is a similar type of player. He can do everything fairly well, is an adept passer who turns the ball over too much, and plays wildly inconsistently. Luke also has 5 years left on his deal. Ouch.
Vlad Rad, as so eloquently put by Marc Jackson, “Is a player who is talented enough to keep both teams in the game.” Tru dat. Seriously. Vlad Rad can get on streaks where he’ll score 12 points in two minutes, dish out a couple of great dimes and make a crucial steal.
He can also take horrific shots early in the clock, attempt unnecessary passes that result in turnovers, and go 0-9 in a matter of a few minutes.
Both Luke and Vlad had some great stretches during the playoffs, but neither are that good at defense and neither are at all consistent.
I hope Mitch Kupchack maintains the level head that he had over the summer and does not do anything foolish like trade Odom for Ron Artest or Richard Jefferson. As much as Lamar seemingly lacks (consistency, a killer instinct) he brings to the table a skill set that few others, if any, have in the NBA. Don’t trade him.
Kobe believes we have enough. Of course, what the hell does Kobe know?
Don't hit the Panic Button
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June 21, 2008
Jordan Ikeda
Don't hit the Panic Button
Posted by Jordan Ikeda
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