We’ve all seen what has happened to the Lakers since acquiring Pau Gasol – 11-1 overall, including their present 10-game winning streak headed into the weekend. It’s allowed the Lakers to move into the top seed in the West and just four games behind the Celtics for the best record in the NBA.
Despite a torn ligament in Kobe Bryant’s right pinky that requires surgery, he’s playing at optimum level, and they are showing no signs of slowing down with the hope that young center Andrew Bynum is back from his knee injury and ready to contribute before the end of the regular season.
But the guy whose game has opened up more than anybody since the Gasol acquisition is versatile forward Lamar Odom. So often the target for failing to live up to his vast potential as the key figure in the Shaquille O’Neal trade to Miami, the 6-10 Odom has done it all with Gasol in the lineup. Already one of only 16 players to average a double-double this season -- 13.5 points and 10.0 rebounds -- he’s been particularly effective over the past dozen games.
Since Gasol joined the team, Odom has failed to reach double-figures in scoring twice and rebounding once -- averaging 14.6 points, 12.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists. He is the facilitator for so much, finally playing the kind of role without pressure that coach Phil Jackson has wanted. It is Odom who is the lightning rod for success on this team, as is the case with all the best teams.
It isn’t the superstar whose numbers put the team over the top -- it’s the other guy that has to show up down the stretch. Now that we’ve gotten past the Lakers and Odom, let’s look at the other dozen teams that figure to be the battling it out for the key playoff spots in the conferences. We’ll ignore the bottom three playoff teams in the East, if only because it’s painful to discuss playoff teams that have no shot at reaching .500. And we’ll also skip the Rockets, now that Yao Ming is down, they will quietly delete themselves from the West race. There’s no way Tracy McGrady has the physical tools he had last season to carry that team.
Rasheed Wallace, Detroit Pistons: ‘Sheed does everything when he’s on his game, which is why his teammates love him. Yes, they get their points from Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton. Tayshaun Prince does all the little things. But at 6-11, Wallace can dominate the paint offensively and defensively, then step outside and drain a 3-pointer. He’s also an exceptional passer. The key phrase always is … when he’s so inclined. Remember, the Pistons have been in the conference finals five years in a row, the last four with Wallace – which is no coincidence.
Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs: We went over this before with this tough and slick southpaw, but he is the key ingredient that puts them over the top. He hits shots from all angles, runs the break, handles the ball and really opens up the floor for everybody else. On defense, he is renowned for taking the charge – or flopping, if you prefer. At 6-6, 210, he is stronger than most shooting guards with great hands that allow him to dominate a lot of players he’s matched up against defensively, as well as scoring. Injuries and occasional loss of focus have gotten in the way, but he is a big-time winner – just check out his three NBA titles, Euroleague Championship and Olympic gold medal.
Ray Allen, Boston Celtics: We know Kevin Garnett is the one who makes everything go for the Celtics and Paul Pierce is the leading scorer, but it is Allen who will be the key to them winning the Eastern Conference. The 18.7 points a game he’s putting up mark the lowest scoring average in nine years, and he just has raised his field goal percentage the past couple of weeks back up to his norm. Approaching his 33rd birthday in July, his ankles are a major concern. And yet, he remains arguably the purest shooter in the game. His performance late in the fourth quarter of the All-Star game gave the East the win and that is exactly what the Celtics will need to be better than a very good team … he can make them great.
Stephen Jackson, Golden State Warriors: Everyone has their eyes on point guard Baron Davis, and rightfully so. He’ll set the pace and create for everyone. Young Monta Ellis does too. But it is Jackson on both ends of the floor who pushes this team to another level. When he’s getting his hands on balls, running the floor and draining 3’s, they are almost impossible to stop from putting a stranglehold on the tempo. Whatever it is emotionally he brings to the table, his teammates feed off of and gain confidence. He has taken so much flak for his occasional temperamental bursts on the court and knucklehead escapades after hours that people sometimes forget what a special basketball player he is. If he stays focused, the Warriors will be dangerous again.
Marcus Camby, Denver Nuggets: This team obviously revolves around the scoring of Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony, but they do special things when Camby puts up extraordinary numbers. Camby’s blocks and rebounds, along with Iverson’s steals, seem to be the only real defense they play (although Kenyon Martin is coming on strong lately). He is first in the NBA with 4.0 blocks a game and second at 14.1 rebounds per. And there have been special games. In their win over the Celtics, he nearly had a triple double with 11 points, 13 rebounds and 9 blocks. He is not a scorer, but while beating the Jazz earlier in the season, his 8 points told us nothing compared to the 24 rebounds and 11 blocks. Last year’s NBA Defensive Player of the Year, it’s hard to believe he wasn’t added to the All-Star game this season, but Camby doesn’t allow it to be a problem anyway. He’s got the perfect demeanor for this team with two high-profile scorers, and when he’s on his game, they are that much better.
Hedo Turkoglu, Orlando Magic: Approaching his 29th birthday in a few weeks, Turkoglu is having his best season in the NBA, and it has everything to do with the success of the Magic. While Dwight Howard is the superstar, and rightfully attracting all of the attention on and off the court, it is Turkoglu that is giving them consistency. The Magic obviously vastly overpaid Rashard Lewis with the maximum salary to give them 18 points and 5 rebounds, but it has been the 6-10 Turkoglu who has made them competitive with the likes of the Celtics and Pistons. He’s averaging 19.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists – proving to be their best playmaker. It also brings to mind what Kings president Geoff Petrie and their coach at the time Rick Adelman said about him potentially being a terrific point guard despite his size. Maybe the point-guard deficient Magic should consider it.
Leandro Barbosa, Phoenix Suns: If the Suns are going anywhere in the playoffs this season, Barbosa has to be productive scoring, defending and running the break coming off the bench. He earned the Best Sixth Man award last season and he has to get back to that level. For all the focus on Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire, plus the acquisition of Shaquille O’Neal, it is up to Barbosa to give them that extra pop. Grant Hill can still score some, but Barbosa takes it to another level. With the loss of Shawn Marion in the O’Neal deal, a lot of eyes have turned to Boris Diaw, but Barbosa hasn’t been as effective this season as he was a year ago, and with Nash showing signs of age, they need Barbosa to turn on the turbo-jets for the stretch run. His scoring off the bench is a necessity for their success.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Cleveland Cavaliers: Even though LeBron James dominates virtually every game the Cavs play, it is Z who can be the difference every night. It’s always been confounding why they don’t run the ball through him in the high and low post more often. Sure, it happens early in the game, but when they keep him involved the entire game, they are really tough to handle. At 7-3, he has amazingly soft hands and a great touch inside and on the perimeter. He is slow and often sluggish on defense and even rebounding on occasion with those problematic feet of his. But he is a terrific offensive player, both scoring and passing, who is underused when you consider what little help James has. Considering he’s averaging 13.5 points, a career-high 9.6 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks, it’s amazing they’ve gotten this much out of him with his 33rd birthday in June. And despite the trade that brought Ben Wallace to help at center, along with Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West for scoring, Ilgauskas gives them balance. They are 9-4 when he scores 17 or more points – that figure is significant as they prepare for the playoffs.
Mehmet Okur, Utah Jazz: On a team dominated by their dynamic twosome of Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer, they are only a special team when Okur is scoring and rebounding. His size and skill level play out like Bill Laimbeer’s younger, gentler brother. He was hurt early in the year and his numbers were down substantially from last year, but they are 10-3 when he scores 16 or more points. He has to rebound on the defensive end, but more importantly he has to spot up and hit open shots on the perimeter. If he’s moving at all and getting open, then they are a much tougher team. Yes, it removed some pressure from him with the addition of the superb shooting of Kyle Korver, but Okur draws a big man out of the post with his shooting ability if he’s hitting the shot. Watch his numbers – if they’re good, the Jazz will challenge for the Western Conference title.
Josh Howard, Dallas Mavericks: When the Mavs won the Western Conference in 2006, they did not lose a game all season when Howard scored 20 or more points … until the NBA Finals. All eyes are always on Dirk Nowitzki, and how he handles the pressure as the anointed superstar and high scorer, but Howard is the one player who gives them that extra pop. He’s the one coming up with the loose balls, taking rebounds and flying up the floor, and hitting 3-pointers. Howard is a solid, if unspectacular defender, but he does have great hands, and good anticipation for slipping into the passing lanes. Most importantly, they need him to score when Nowitzki is having an off night. Averaging 19.8 points and 7.3 rebounds, the Mavs are 19-5 when he scores 20 or more this season. In other words, keep your eyes on his numbers.
Jose Calderon: Toronto Raptors: There was not only hand-wringing going on in Toronto over the well-being of point guard T.J. Ford when he took yet another bad fall on his already delicate spinal cord, but what would happen to the Raptors chances of competing in the East. Calderon picked up the ball and ran the club without missing a beat and featuring extraordinarily effective numbers. Although 12.7 points 8.7 assists and 1.0 steal aren’t special numbers, his clutch play and shooting percentage really are. Consider that he’s shooting 54 percent from the field, 46 percent from 3-point range and 92 percent from the free throw line. In fact, those kind of numbers scream that as the season progresses, he probably should be shooting the ball more than nine times a game, and start scoring in the 15-point range. On the other hand, they are only 11-9 when he scores 15 or more. Just know that his consistency is the key to what makes Chris Bosh and everybody else on this exceptional 3-point shooting team work.
David West, New Orleans Hornets: The drums are beating louder for Chris Paul to be a serious MVP candidate as long as the Hornets remain in the Western Conference race for one of the top four spots. Rightfully so, considering his consistently great numbers. And yet, West earned his spot on the All-Star team, and at 19.7 points and 9.0 rebounds, he is on the verge of joining that exclusive 20-10 club as well. Not only does he score and rebound, but he blocks 1.3 shots per game. West has had at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in a dozen games this season and they’re only 7-5 in those games, but it’s also an indication of how much an effect he has on every game he plays. When he was preparing for the remarkable 2003 draft after an All-American career at Xavier, he was informed at 6-9, 240, he was too small to be a power forward and too slow to be a small forward. So he slipped to 18th in the draft … lucky Hornets. If he plays well, the Hornets will continue to be a factor – even in the first playoff hunt for the young guys.
Bynum went down hard after stepping on teammate Lamar Odom’s foot and was helped off the floor during the third quarter of the Lakers' one-point win over the Memphis Grizzlies Sunday night. It was their sixth win in a row – their longest win streak since the 2003-04 season – and raised their record to 25-11, a half-game out in the race for the best record in the Western Conference.
So what does this mean to the Lakers? Well, they lose their 20-year-old center, who has been improving seemingly every week to the adult stats of 13.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks. Now they turn to the notorious bust that was the first pick overall in the 2001 draft, Kwame Brown.
Physically, there’s not that much difference on paper – Bynum at 7-foot, 280, Brown at 6-11, 270. The difference is the way they play, as Bynum is seemingly growing every game, while Brown has consistently underachieved akin to a shrinking violet.
It would be easy to compare this to last season when the Lakers got off to a great start, only to have injury after injury pile up – leaving the bulk of mid-season almost solely to Bryant as the aircraft carrier from the opening tipoff to the final buzzer. By the time everyone returned, they were already done.
This year has been different. They are deeper and more experienced with the additions of Derek Fisher and Trevor Ariza. That’s shooting from Fisher and defense from both, with Bynum growing into more of a force daily.
Consequently, they’ve progressed (both individually and as a team) during this process – Bryant included – so the short-run isn’t really the issue. They’ll be OK, and weren’t likely to win the West anyway. This is about the big picture. They have an overgrown kid in Bynum who is full of life and love for the game – and has become a protégé for no less than legendary center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
The concern is how this will affect the growth and confidence he has developed this season as he has begun to dominate the interior at both ends of the floor. Hopefully, this is just a minor derailment. And maybe, just maybe, Bryant, who was so willing to part with Bynum for anybody this summer, will appreciate his young center for what he is instead of bemoaning what he isn’t.
Rasheed Wallace, Detroit Pistons: ‘Sheed does everything when he’s on his game, which is why his teammates love him. Yes, they get their points from Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton. Tayshaun Prince does all the little things. But at 6-11, Wallace can dominate the paint offensively and defensively, then step outside and drain a 3-pointer. He’s also an exceptional passer. The key phrase always is … when he’s so inclined. Remember, the Pistons have been in the conference finals five years in a row, the last four with Wallace – which is no coincidence.
Josh Howard, Dallas Mavericks: When the Mavs won the Western Conference in 2006, they did not lose a game all season when Howard scored 20 or more points … until the NBA Finals. All eyes are always on Dirk Nowitzki, and how he handles the pressure as the anointed superstar and high scorer, but Howard is the one player who gives them that extra pop. He’s the one coming up with the loose balls, taking rebounds and flying up the floor, and hitting 3-pointers. Howard is a solid, if unspectacular defender, but he does have great hands, and good anticipation for slipping into the passing lanes. Most importantly, they need him to score when Nowitzki is having an off night. Averaging 19.8 points and 7.3 rebounds, the Mavs are 19-5 when he scores 20 or more this season. In other words, keep your eyes on his numbers.
