Trevor Ariza stares down KG during an '07 game 

Ariza strips the rock from former Celtic James Posey during the 2008 NBA Finals.

For those of you who watched the halftime special on Trevor Ariza during Game 3 of the NBA Finals, you'd realize why it is he plays with a sense of purpose every time he steps on the basketball court.

Just like Lamar Odom, he's been competing night in and night out with tragedy etched permanently in his subconscious. And like Odom, he's responded in these playoffs by proving to everyone why he is such an integral piece to this new Lakers Dynasty.

Largely unnoticed much like a stealth bomber, Ariza has slowly but surely secured his spot as the Lakers' starting small forward for years to come. And this was not by mistake folks. This was by design. This is the Lakers' way, and this is what separates the purple and gold from the rest of the pack.

The Lakers build dynasties, protect their assets, and keep their players happy. Other teams split up their rosters the moment adversity strikes (are you listening Phoenix fans?), while other teams fail to protect vital organs (James Posey - Boston Celtics). Wanna know why the Lakers never seriously pursued the free agent Posey last summer? I guess we now know the answer to that one.   

As tradition goes, Lakers management have always had an uncanny eye for spotting talent and then developing it. From Byron Scott, Kurt Rambis, A.C. Green, Eddie Jones, Nick Van Exel, Derek Fisher, Rick Fox, and now to Ariza, time and time again the Lakers continue to dumbfound competitors with their war room savvy and scouting expertise.

I can recall responding to numerous blog comments back in 2006 and 2007 when people once said that guys like Luke Walton, Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic, Andrew Bynum, Odom, and Ariza were better off playing in the NBDL. But this blog isn't about that so let me get back to the topic at hand. All I'm saying is "I told you so..."

Now back to Ariza...

The guy is a beast, if you know what I mean. He's a load defensively. He intercepts passing lanes like Coop and Pippen. His anticipation abilities are so great he should be playing cornerback in the NFL. He mans up just when you think his lanky build couldn't keep him from getting run over. Most of all, the guy isn't scared of anybody.

And I haven't even talked about his emerging offensive game. What he did in the third period of Game 4 is all the proof you need. Because if you've been watching Ariza all season long, you'd notice that he worked incessantly on his outside shot all summer and studied the intricacies of the triangle offense so religiously that he's perfected his role to the point that The Zenmaster hardly even talks about him. The Philosopher Jackson is speechless.

By practicing every day with the great Kobe Bryant, he's developed an intensity that's only getting stronger with each playoff series.

What makes the ultra-athletic Ariza such a great success story is that no one could have ever expected him to shine like this. He came into the league with such raw talent that many experts claimed he left college too early. What these experts failed to see was Ariza's character and motivation level. And the Lakers didn't miss any of this.

Maybe you don't remember, but as soon as the Lakers traded Mo Evans and Brian Cook for Ariza in 2007 it didn't take long for Trevor to make an immediate impact. After his second game with the Lakers, I remember telling a buddy of mine that his court instincts reminded me of Coop and if only he could improve his outside touch...

So look what we have now.

And if you blink, you might miss the development of the next vital piece to the Lakers' Dynasty - Shannon Brown.

The LAKERS ASSAULT CONTINUES...