Coach: Phil Jackson 2006-2007 Record: 42-40 06-07 Expected Record: 40.5-41.5 Offensive Rating: 108.2 (7th in NBA, league average 106.5) Defensive Rating: 109.0 (25th in NBA, league average 106.5) eFG%: 51.1% (4th in NBA) Possessions per 48: 93.5 (8th in NBA)
Roster (You'll have to scroll to see it all. Red indicates new player, blue indicates rookie)
Not much that needs to be said about Kobe. He's the best offensive player on the planet, period. There's no arguing that. We saw this summer that he's a pretty darn good defender too when he wants to be.
I've been having a debate with a fellow blogger the last few days about the value of Odom, and I remain convinced that he has squandered his huge talent and is merely a mediocre player. There is absolutely no denying Odom's talent, but he's had 8 seasons to prove to us that he can be a real difference maker, and he hasn't ever done it. Could he break out next year as a Pippen to Kobe's Jordan? Absolutely he could, the talent is there. Am I going to bank on that happening? Not a chance, cause Odom has tantalized us for years with his skills, and hasn't ever lived up to expectations.
I like Luke Walton a lot. He's a terrible defender, but he's perfect for the triangle, and he's one of those guys that you know is going to play hard every night, even after signing his big contract. He's got a better passing eye than most of the league's point guards, and he's a good shooter. Good move by the front office to keep him in town.
Stop waiting for Kwame to arrive, it isn't gonna happen. He's a below-average rebounder, he turns the ball over at an amazing rate, he shoots 44% from the line, and he's not a great defender.
You gotta love Ronny Turiaf's energy, but they might need to tone him down a bit. He averaged an almost comical 7.4 fouls per 40 minutes.
Of course, the big question with the Lakers this year is the point guard position. Derek Fisher is a decent backup, but you don't want him being your starter. Javaris Crittenton is at least a year away from being ready. He's an athlete with great skills, but he's turnover prone and doesn't know how to run a team yet. Jordan Farmar is the guy who is expected to take over the starting spot, but that's expecting a lot from a second-year guy who was a late first round pick and, despite some good moments, was on the whole very bad last year. One other option is Sasha Vujacic, who is another bad defender and not a great passer, but is a tall player and a good shooter, the trademark of the triangle point guard. With passers like Odom and Walton on the wings, Vujacic might be a good option at the point.
X-Factor: Andrew Bynum - Bynum is very talented, but don't get too excited about him this year.
He's only a 20-year-old in his 3rd year out of high school, and his
play actually got worse in the second half of last year after a very
good first half. He's an effective scorer in the post with long arms
and good touch, but he's very right-hand dependent right now and has
had some work ethic and conditioning problems. Defensively, Bynum is a
good shot blocker, but he's also very foul prone. Despite playing only
21.9 MPG, Bynum led the team in personal fouls. These are all common
problems for young players, and Bynum may one day be an all-star
center, but don't expect it to be next year. If he improves his conditioning and becomes a little more disciplined on defense, he could make a real difference to LA's porous D.
Overview
The Lakers' season and their offseason was defined as much by what they didn't do as it was by what they did. They drew criticism for not making a move for Jason Kidd or Mike Bibby at the trade deadline, and plenty of people, Kobe being first among them, were upset by their lack of moves this summer. LA's front office stood pat and refused to trade Andrew Bynum for anyone, despite numerous scenarios that would've brought in all-star players. Bynum's development will ultimately either vilify or vindicate them, but it's hard to justify keeping developing youth over veteran stars during Kobe's prime. As for the Lakers' play last year, they were really good at one thing, and pretty bad at everything else. Luckily for them the thing they were good at was shooting a high percentage (4th in the league in eFG%), which is the strongest indicator of team success. That shooting percentage was good enough to make them the 7th best offensive team in the league. Unfortunately for them, they were pretty bad at everything else. On the offensive end, they were 15th in turnovers, 20th in offensive rebounds, and 13th in free throws. On the defensive end, they were flat-out awful. They were 17th in opponents' eFG%, 24th in turnovers forced, 18th in defensive rebounding, and 20th in free throws given up, all adding up to the 6th worst defensive team in the league.
Prediction
The only real difference from last year is replacing Smush Parker with Derek Fisher, which is a slight upgrade, but not anything special. The hope in LA is that the development of Bynum, Farmar, and Turiaf will help them improve on last year. Since the likelihood of Farmar and Turiaf making a huge jump in their contributions is pretty small, most of the weight falls on Bynum's shoulders. If he can improve his defense and conditioning, the Lakers should improve their defense and be a solid playoff team. If he plays more like the second half of last year than the first, than they will be in danger of missing the postseason. You'll note that I didn't mention Kobe a whole lot in this post, and that's because Kobe's a known entity. You know you're getting 30 wins a year out of Kobe, he's a perennial MVP candidate and maybe the greatest player in the world. The question with the Lakers is how the other guys are going to step up. As far as I'm concerned, the Lakers are one of the teams on the edge of the playoffs, but they're not a legitimate championship contender. They may get in the playoffs, they may even win a series on the back of a transcendent performance by Kobe, but no way do they win 3 series in a row in the West, not gonna happen.
phoenix, that's a fair assessment of the Lakers. The young players need to step up and improve. I had them barely making the playoffs, but it wouldn't surprise me to see them NOT make the playoffs.
I've been waiting on your blog for the Lakers and I have to say I agree totaly with your assesment. Lamar is mediocre at this point hasn't shown he can be a big time player that is expected. I like Walton as well. Turiaf brings good energy. But I wrote a blog about the Turnovers the Lakers tend to make every game, Something you have touched on. Kobe turns the ball over alot and I think that comes from the fact that he handles the ball to much. They need a good Point Guard. Great post you got here.
Last edited by gambitxxx on October 13th at 7:36 AM.
gambit - Kobe actually has the third lowest turnover rate (turnovers per possession) on the team. The reason he has so many turnovers overall is that he's among the league leaders in usage rate (estimated possessions used per 40 minutes). To maintain a high offensive efficiency with the workload he has is rather amazing. I don't think he handles the ball too much, in fact of anyone on the team at any given time, he's the one you would want handling the rock.
I agree with him handling the rock for now but that's why they need a good PG also. with that they can more esily set things up for Kobe and it would help keep the double team from being atleast a lil affective. I love my lakers and am a fan of Kobe also just want him to be able to continue to succeed and bring the lakers back to the championship.
I think Derek Fisher is a huge upgrade on Smush Parker. Will he be able to stop Nash or Parker? Probably not but he'll be a leader and a voice of reason in the locker room.
LA's biggest ? mark is on the defensive side of the ball.
I'm predicting Kobe to set the tone defensively and win DPOY. He has the skills and tenacity to do so, it remains to be seen whether his teammates can pick up some of the slack offensively and allow him to devote more energy wreaking havoc on opposing guards.
LA's hopes do lie with Bynum but I think Radmanovic and Turiaf will have to emerge as solid role players as well.
LA's future is shaky at best, but I think they'll make the playoffs.
On a good team, I'd much rather have Fisher than Parker since he's a solid vet who shoots the ball well and is a solid complementary player. However, on a mediocre team, he's a 33 year old one-dimensional player who isn't going to be a huge difference maker.
As I've said before, defenses are built around big men, not guards. A dominant center can completely change the face of a defense. Great defensive guards cannot make nearly the difference that post players can. For example, Joe Dumars, an excellent perimeter defender, was on some very good defensive teams and some bad ones. Great post defenders like Hakeem and Ewing were never on bad defensive teams. That's why I said that the key to this year is Bynum. If he can be a defensive force, then the Lakers can improve on that side of the ball. If not, they're still going to be bad, no matter how well Kobe plays.
X - I'd rather have Fisher than Parker on any team.
It's nice to have a defensive anchor but not all defensive teams are built upon big men.
Great defensive teams can be led from the perimeter.
A prime example is the Chicago Bulls of the 1990's. Their lone defensive precense in the paint during the 6 championship seasons was Rodman and he was never a shot blocker.
Jordan and Pippen were perennial first team defenders and the first and second lines of defense for the Bulls.
I agree that it won't matter how well Kobe plays if no one else steps up but he has the defenesive skills to make them a very good defensive team, it will depend upon how much energy he has to devote on the offensive end.
Last edited by Hoffman on October 13th at 1:09 PM.
I'm not arguing that I'd rather have Parker than Fisher. I'm arguing that on a mediocre team, the difference between the two is not going to be a huge difference maker. The point guard corps of Fisher, Farmar, Vujacic is not a whole lot better than the group of Parker, Farmar, Vujacic. They're both sub-par.
I've addressed this in the the past also. The Bulls are, like they usually are, the exception to the rule. They were built around three of the greatest non-center defenders of all time (it could be argued that they're the 3 greatest non-center defenders). Even then, the dominant Bulls teams barely crack the top 10 of greatest defensive teams (and that's only since 77-78, before that we can't accurately measure because turnovers weren't recorded, and the early Celtics teams are almost impossible to measure because so many statistics [ORB, TO, BLKs, etc.] weren't recorded). Almost every great defense throughout the history of the league has had a dominant defensive post player. This is not debatable, it is fact. In addition, great defensive big men very rarely play on bad defensive teams, but great defensive guards (as I pointed out with Dumars), often can end up on bad defensive teams.
Last edited by xphoenix87 on October 13th at 4:09 PM.
If Kobe plays out of his mind on defense, he can maybe raise them from a bad defensive team to a mediocre defensive team, but they can't be an upper-level defensive team without Odom, Brown, or Bynum stepping up as a legitimate defensive presence. Even if Kobe shuts his man down completely, he isn't going to go down and swat shots from the weakside, and he's not going to dominate the defensive glass. Big men can completely change the face of a defense, guards can't.
Just to cite myself, a lot of the arguments I used for this come from Dean Oliver's "Basketball on Paper" (which is an excellent read). The idea that big men fuel defenses is pretty intuitive, and the statistics really support it.
The addition of Fisher isn't going to make LA immediate title contenders but I do think it will be worth + 4 wins onto last seasons total.
I think you are underestimating the cancer that Smush Parker had become. He was horrible PG and never understood how to direct his team in the triangle. He took too many chances on defense and exposed LA's porous interior far too many times.
I understand and agree with your point regarding the impact of defensive pivot men. Basketball has and will always be a big man's game but I do think you are underestimating the impact that a DPOY caliber guard can make.
Let me give you another example: Gary Payton. The 95-96 Sonics were devoid of a solid defensive pivotmen and advanced to the NBA Finals in large part because of Payton's DPOY campaign. He and Nate McMillan, not Shawn Kemp, were the anchors of Seattle's defense.
Well, we'll see about Fisher. Parker is definitely not very good. However, in Fisher I see a guy who is 33 and has been a below average player for all but 3 years of his career (2000-03, when he was nailing 3s off kickoffs in the Shaq/Kobe machine).
First of all, it's difficult to evaluate who is a more valuable defender in a given year, since defensive statistics are terribly lacking. Having not watched that Sonics team, I can only look at what I have in front of me, and that leads me to think you're wrong about that Sonics team.
Payton was a very good defender, and his teams were very good defensively from 92-93 to 98-99. However, you're selling Kemp's contributions short. In the 95-96 season you mentioned, Kemp was a good shot blocker and excellent defender, and Ervin Johnson was a very good rebounder and one of the league's best per minute shot blockers. Kemp and Johnson were 2 of the top 5 in the league in defensive rating (a flawed stat, but still a decent indicator). Even more indicative than this though is the fact that Seattle was a top 10 defensive team for 6 years with Kemp and Payton, but in 98-99, with Payton still making defensive first teams, Kemp left the team and they fell to 26th in the league in defense (I realize that was the strike-shortened season, but the Sonics never got back to being a top 10 defensive team without Kemp in the years after 98).
Kemp never made an all-defense team and averaged a modest 1 block per game over the course of his career.
Payton made the first team for nine consecutive seasons.
I'm not saying he was Jim Mcilvaine but he was no Hakeem Olajuwon or Patrick Ewing.
Kemp left the team after the 96-97 season, not the 97-98 season, and the Sonics still managed a 61-21 record, good for 1st in the Pacific Division, ultimately losing in the Western Conference Semifinals with Vin Baker and McIlvaine down low.
I stop reading this article as soon as he said Kobe is the best offensive player on the planet....give me a friggin break!!! What a moronic statement. There are several players that do far more for their team offensively without alienating their teammates. i.e. Wade, Lebron, Nash,Carmelo...etc.
Lebron doesn't alienate his teammates, he just scores all the points for them in the last quarter- and 2 overtimes of the playoffs. Lol, LBJ doesn't have to alienate those clowns they just suck- sometimes alienating your team mates isn't that bad. Who saw Varajao's sloppy attempt at a lay up the final seconds of the playoffs was hilarious and his clumsy #### missed. Lebron was looking at him like dude, why didn't you pitch the ball out to me and let me take the shot haha
hoff - you're right, I misread the roster when I was flipping through the seasons.
The fact that Payton made all-defensive teams and Kemp didn't doesn't mean that he was the more influential defensive player. What it means is that Payton was the much better defensive player for his position. If I'm right and post players have a significantly greater impact on a defense, that means that a post player who isn't quite as good a defender can be the more influential player than a guard who is a better defender. Also, Kemp averaged 1.5-2 blocks during his prime, and in addition to that was an excellent rebounder.
The point remains, unless Bynum really steps up, the Lakers have no one who brings nearly the defensive presence Kemp did.
Jason - I don't particularly care about alienating his teammates, that statement simply said that when it comes to putting the ball in the basket, Kobe is far and away the best. Nobody draws as much defensive attention as Kobe, and nobody uses as many of his team's possessions, yet he still posts very high offensive ratings.
Agree with the assessment, Lakers might squeeze in to the playoffs but that's where it will end with this line - up. Don't disagree with Kobe being the best, can't stand the guy but one hell of a ball player. Like Bruce Bowen, dislike would vanish when they would be on your team.
Keep in mind that the Lakers made the playoffs the last two years despite being a very young team and having lots of injuries. With another year of experience under their belts they could go deep into the playoffs if they're all healthy...
lakers should trade kobe,i think its best for both camps..lakers can be so much better than they are now with whatever it is they are gonna get from trading kobe..lamar odom must at least try to be better to make an impact,he's too soft..
..and i'll have to agree with xphoenix87 that defenses are built around big men.guards and forwards with mediocre defenses can always funnel their men into a waiting center with shot blockng ability thn still their team defense will look good but you cannot funnel your man into a waiting bruce bowen or even mj and still produce the same result..that's the reason why centers with good timing and defense are at a premium come draft time.but if u ask me,i would love to have a great center and a lockdown defender guard much like the spurs
Well bud...you may not care about him alienating his teammates, but its the prime reason they have not improved as a team. Part of being a team leader is helping your teammates succeed. Its very sad that Kobe hasn't really become a smarter player over the years. The bottom line is that he really just doesn't get it. The Lakers actually had a record last year that tied for the 8th and final playoff spot (They were placed 7th by way of a tie-breaker). They were immediately out-classed and ousted from the playoffs by a team that understood the team concept. Until Kobe can truly let go of playing for stats and personal glory, he will not be successful.
As far as the past 3 championship wins...That dirty truth about those championship years is that they were a result of Shaq being at the top of his game and dominating the league over that span. Kobe really was a role player during that period. He hit a few clutch shots, but so did Fisher and Horry. A lot of players would be in possession of 3 rings if they would have been inserted into Kobe's spot. D Wade, on the other hand, truly lead the Heat to their championship. He worked within the team concept and actually lead that Heat team to the promise land. Kobe could really learn a lot from a guy like Wade. Peace...
Jason - Kobe's supposed alienating of his teammates does not come into play when I'm considering whether or not he's the best offensive player in the game. He's the game's elite scorer and an underrated passer. He's actually got a decent assist rate and has a very low turnover rate for someone who uses so many possessions.
Hate to break it to you, but Shaw being the driving force behind those championship runs isn't a secret, it's a pretty well-acknowledged fact. However, those Lakers teams don't win three straight without Kobe. To dismiss him as a role player is simply ignorant. from 2000-2002, Bryant used 26, 31, and 30 percent of the team's possessions. Shaq used 31 percent in all 3 years. Kobe was far from a role player, even most elite players don't use 30% of their team's possessions. The fact that Shaq and Kobe could both be so efficient while shouldering such a large load allowed players like Fisher, Fox, and Horry to be very efficient in smaller roles. Could you plug other elite players into Kobe's spot on that team and still win 3 rings? Probably, because that Lakers team was so incredibly dominant with Shaq at the helm. However, to write off Kobe as a role player is just dumb.
The Lakers' failures in the last few years aren't Kobe's fault, they're the fault of a completely and totally inept front office that has surrounded him with one of the worst supporting crews in the league. The fact that this team was 7th in the league on offense with such a sorry bunch around him is an indication of Kobe's offensive prowess. This team is mediocre because they can't defend a paper bag, not because Kobe doesn't share the ball enough on offense.
Look, I'm not a Kobe supporter by any means, and I vehemently disliked him for a long time. However, as an objective observer it is painfully obvious to me that Kobe is the game's most terrifying offensive force, regardless of whether or not you think he's a jerk to his teammates.
By the way, here are some people who agree with me, and I'm rather inclined to trust them.
"I give him all the respect in the world. He is the No. 1 player in the league, by far. It’s like that. With a player like him, he just wants that challenge. He’s just that fierce competitor. He doesn’t want to get out-showed. He’s the one who everybody’s afraid of."
-Gilbert Arenas
"I think Kobe Bryant should be at the top of the (MVP) list. His game is unstoppable."
-Amare Stoudemire (note: this is a guy who is a direct benificiary of Nash's offensive skills)
"He's definitely the best player in the NBA -- to me. I don't know if winning the (MVP) award is important to him or not. But he has three (championship) rings and that's what it's all about."
-Lebron James
"To me he is the best player in the world right now. That guy doesn't know fear at all. He doesn't care. He would have won it for the Americans single-handedly."
-Dirk Nowitzki
I do not deny Kobe's overall popularity with fans, the media and players. I do, however, stand by my comment that Kobe was a role player/facilitator on those championships teams. (his role did increase over that span). I believe opposing teams now welcome the fact that Kobe will take shot after shot and not allow his teammates to find any kind of rhythm. Kobe will go 12-30 and be awarded his charity throws everytime a defender breaths on him. (Ever notice how he begs for the ball in end-of-the-game situations that call for the defender to foul the offensive player? Gotta love the constant "stat-padding") The good teams have really learned how to use Kobe's style of play to dominate the Lakers. I notice that you are a big stat guy. Stats should be something that come naturally and in the flow of the game. Lets face it...someone like Jordan could have scored 50 a night before breaking a sweat. He realized very early on the value of involving his teammates and getting them into their rhythms. He trusted them...and guess what happened?
You don't want Fisher as starting Point Guard?Someone obviously has not been paying attention to Derek Fisher's performance in the two pre-season games. We're not talking about a broken up Sam Cassells here. Fisher is entering the season in the obvious best condition of his career, and shooting dead-on. He's a savvy veteran who understands how Phil likes the team to play and what makes Kobe tick. You're right. The young guys are not ready. Some of them by their performance against Golden State, will never be. Fish is. So give him some respect.
The Lakers will be in the playoffs guaranteed because KOBE wills them to the playoffs.
And as far as our debate with Odom goes, like I've said, this is the year for Lamar to prove that he is no longer the inconsistent "Odumb" that we've come to know.
He has to do it for himself, if not for his late son.
"Win L.A." is the new chant that replaces "Beat L.A."
The time is now for Los Angeles. Forget the Angels. Forget the Ducks. Disregard the overrated Trojans. The Dodgers are already forgotten.
Jason - Role players don't use 31% of their team's possessions and score 28 points a game. Role players don't make first and second team All-NBA. Role players don't end up in the top 10 in FGs and FTs. Kobe was not the most dominant player on that team, but he was by no means a role player.
Don't whine about foul calls, especially not when you're touting DWade. Star players get calls, it's always been that way. You know why Kobe wants the ball at the end of games when teams have to foul him? Because he's far and away the best FT shooter on his team, and he wants to win games. That's what superstars do, they want the ball in their hands to ice games.
Good teams beat the Lakers because the Lakers aren't a good team. Kobe was the only player who was even above-average last year. It's a miracle they even made the playoffs.
Chaos - Preseason means nothing. For every player who looks good in preseason and then goes on to play well in the regular season, there are 3 who go on to play badly. Fisher is a fine role player who can make a difference on a good team, but he's 33 and did not play well when he was given a big role in Golden State.
Diz - LA could be as high as 6th and as low as 10th. The Lakers were lucky to make the playoffs last year. If Bynum doesn't become a defensive difference-maker, they'll be very hard-pressed to make the postseason, Kobe or not.
If Odom had given any kind of indication in his career that he would stop wasting his talent, then I'd be more willing to bet on him. As is, he's had 8 years, and has been nothing but mediocre.
Good defense by the Los Angeles Lakers drama boys, if only we could patch up the difference, this will be a Los Angeles good season. They are running, switching in defense, rebounding see those efforts. We don't have yet the Lakers team down.
I which I could see some Lakers games live. I was looking for tickets all the good seats on ticketmaster were taken I had to check broker. And man you don’t want to do that especially for the Los Angeles Lakers. Thanks god there sites like Ticketwood which work as comparators here is the site Lakers tickets
http://www.ticketwood.com/nba/LosAn geles-Lakers-Tickets/index.php.
I like slam dunks that take me to the hoop my favorite play is the ally-hoop,
I like the pic n roll,i like the given goal its basketball yo, yo lets go!
Go Lakers Go!!!
Last edited by britneyasbourne on November 3rd at 4:13 AM.
r that he's a pretty darn good defender too when he wants to be.
od shooter. Good move by the front office to keep him in town.
With passers like Odom and Walton on the wings, Vujacic might be a good option at the point. 
ere flat-out awful. They were 17th in opponents' eFG%, 24th in turnovers forced, 18th in defensive rebounding, and 20th in free throws given up, all adding up to the 6th worst defensive team in the league. 
