If you were, or are, a Los Angeles Lakers Hater, and there are many of you, life is going to be miserable for the foreseeable future. Kobe Bryant will turn 30 on Aug. 23. That’s right; he’s in the prime of his career. Pau Gasol…he won’t turn 28 until July 7. And that Andrew Bynum kid, the one who the Lakers are still rolling without despite the lack of his presence on the court? Yeah, he will not turn 21 until Oct. 27.
Put down the gun…
As Stephen A. Smith, NBA analyst and ESPN personality commonly says, “It’s all about the Los Angeles Lakers.”
So who can stop the Lakers from running rough-shod over the rest of the NBA this year? There are four candidates:
1. San Antonio – The Spurs are the defending NBA champions. That says enough right there. By the way, Tim Duncan still plays for the Spurs, just in case you forgot. But who is going to guard Kobe come playoff time (these two teams are going to meet in the Western Conference Finals…we all know it)? Don’t give me that Bruce Bowen stuff. Kobe is the one player that eats Bowen up when its crunch time. While Duncan is likely to off set the production of Gasol, he still cannot off set Gasol and Bynum, assuming Bynum comes back healthy from his injury. Plus, there’s Kobe? Forget it. Even Momu Ginobli’s talents are not going to be enough umph, nor Tony Parker’s, as the Lakers have a deep supporting cast around no. 24. Derek Fisher, the embattled one, is the point guard, Jordan Farmar, a solid backup guard, Lamar Odom, often overlooked, is averaging 13.6 ppg and 10.1 apg. Do not look for the Western Conference Finals to reach the seventh game, unless…Bynum is not at 100% due to his injury. That’s the big “if” for the Lakers as the Spurs have Duncan, and everyone that follows the NBA knows that Duncan is a tremendous player.
2. Detroit – Without going into a long diatribe about why just about everyone should dislike the Pistons due to Rasheed Wallace’s on-court antics, just remember that the Pistons epitomize the term “team basketball.” They are unselfish, play within themselves, and play great defense. If Wallace is on, and that is as hard to predict from game to game, they can beat anyone. In fact, the Pistons are a bigger threat to the Lakers than San Antonio, assuming Wallace has a big NBA Finals against the Lakers. But with Wallace, who knows? He might go for 23 one night, then 4 the next. He’s that inconsistent. The X Factor for the Pistons will be one of my favorite NBA players, Tayshaun Prince. His wing span is what? Over 7-feet? It’s ridiculous, whatever it is. As a defensive player, he’s ubiquitous; he plays defense like two people. He can play help-side defense against Kobe, or perhaps guard the world’s best player one-on-one about as well as any player is capable of in the NBA today. And finally, Chauncey Billups gives the Pistons a steadying force at the point guard position. He’s a clutch player that possesses the talent to matchup with the Lakers’ guards, sans Kobe, of course.
3. The Boson Celtics – It’s great that Boston is back in the hunt for an NBA championship. That’s the good news. The bad: the Celtics have not played together for as long as some of the other teams they will face, most notably the Detroit Pistons, come playoff time. Look, Kevin Garnett, he’s a great player, and a sure Hall of Fame inductee. With that said, the lack of experience at the point guard position compared to the Lakers, Spurs and Pistons makes the Celtics a little bit iffy down the stretch. Fortunately for the Celtics and their fans, the addition of Sam Cassell to the Celtics’ roster provides depth and security for Rondo, as well as a mentor for the second-year player. But the biggest issue will be how the Celtics defend opposing teams down low, most notably Centers with the talent to score 15, 20, sometimes 25 points or more in a big game. Believe it or not, the Celtics will have to rely on fourth-year player Kendrick Perkins to hold down the fort in the paint against more talented and more experienced players such as Wallace or Gasol. If I was a Celtics’ fan, that would not give me a warm and fuzzy feeling. Perkins is good, but he’s not an All-Star caliber player. Glen “Big Baby” Davis and old man P.J. Brown are needed to play at a high level to help off set the scoring capabilities other top teams have in the post if the Celtics are going to hang another banner in the rafters. And yes, Garnett is a post player, but he is not a power player. Garnett’s game is about finesse and athleticism, not that there’s anything wrong with that. He’s not, however, going to physically push Wallace or Gasol out of the lane with his girth…
4. And finally, the biggest and most likely cause for the Lakers to not win the NBA Championship this year? Bad luck. Bynum’s injury, perhaps Kobe further injures his finger that will have surgery later this summer, or another injury. Sound ridiculous? Look at their roster again and tell me I’m wrong. The Lakers have a shot to win several NBA titles over the next five years assuming Bynum, Gasol and Bryant play together.
It’s not a good time to be a Lakers Hater…But that’s the world as we know it right now. The Los Angeles Lakers are on top, and will continue to be on top for the foreseeable future. Deal with it, Lakers Haters.
Put down the gun…
As Stephen A. Smith, NBA analyst and ESPN personality commonly says, “It’s all about the Los Angeles Lakers.”
So who can stop the Lakers from running rough-shod over the rest of the NBA this year? There are four candidates:
1. San Antonio – The Spurs are the defending NBA champions. That says enough right there. By the way, Tim Duncan still plays for the Spurs, just in case you forgot. But who is going to guard Kobe come playoff time (these two teams are going to meet in the Western Conference Finals…we all know it)? Don’t give me that Bruce Bowen stuff. Kobe is the one player that eats Bowen up when its crunch time. While Duncan is likely to off set the production of Gasol, he still cannot off set Gasol and Bynum, assuming Bynum comes back healthy from his injury. Plus, there’s Kobe? Forget it. Even Momu Ginobli’s talents are not going to be enough umph, nor Tony Parker’s, as the Lakers have a deep supporting cast around no. 24. Derek Fisher, the embattled one, is the point guard, Jordan Farmar, a solid backup guard, Lamar Odom, often overlooked, is averaging 13.6 ppg and 10.1 apg. Do not look for the Western Conference Finals to reach the seventh game, unless…Bynum is not at 100% due to his injury. That’s the big “if” for the Lakers as the Spurs have Duncan, and everyone that follows the NBA knows that Duncan is a tremendous player.
2. Detroit – Without going into a long diatribe about why just about everyone should dislike the Pistons due to Rasheed Wallace’s on-court antics, just remember that the Pistons epitomize the term “team basketball.” They are unselfish, play within themselves, and play great defense. If Wallace is on, and that is as hard to predict from game to game, they can beat anyone. In fact, the Pistons are a bigger threat to the Lakers than San Antonio, assuming Wallace has a big NBA Finals against the Lakers. But with Wallace, who knows? He might go for 23 one night, then 4 the next. He’s that inconsistent. The X Factor for the Pistons will be one of my favorite NBA players, Tayshaun Prince. His wing span is what? Over 7-feet? It’s ridiculous, whatever it is. As a defensive player, he’s ubiquitous; he plays defense like two people. He can play help-side defense against Kobe, or perhaps guard the world’s best player one-on-one about as well as any player is capable of in the NBA today. And finally, Chauncey Billups gives the Pistons a steadying force at the point guard position. He’s a clutch player that possesses the talent to matchup with the Lakers’ guards, sans Kobe, of course.
3. The Boson Celtics – It’s great that Boston is back in the hunt for an NBA championship. That’s the good news. The bad: the Celtics have not played together for as long as some of the other teams they will face, most notably the Detroit Pistons, come playoff time. Look, Kevin Garnett, he’s a great player, and a sure Hall of Fame inductee. With that said, the lack of experience at the point guard position compared to the Lakers, Spurs and Pistons makes the Celtics a little bit iffy down the stretch. Fortunately for the Celtics and their fans, the addition of Sam Cassell to the Celtics’ roster provides depth and security for Rondo, as well as a mentor for the second-year player. But the biggest issue will be how the Celtics defend opposing teams down low, most notably Centers with the talent to score 15, 20, sometimes 25 points or more in a big game. Believe it or not, the Celtics will have to rely on fourth-year player Kendrick Perkins to hold down the fort in the paint against more talented and more experienced players such as Wallace or Gasol. If I was a Celtics’ fan, that would not give me a warm and fuzzy feeling. Perkins is good, but he’s not an All-Star caliber player. Glen “Big Baby” Davis and old man P.J. Brown are needed to play at a high level to help off set the scoring capabilities other top teams have in the post if the Celtics are going to hang another banner in the rafters. And yes, Garnett is a post player, but he is not a power player. Garnett’s game is about finesse and athleticism, not that there’s anything wrong with that. He’s not, however, going to physically push Wallace or Gasol out of the lane with his girth…
4. And finally, the biggest and most likely cause for the Lakers to not win the NBA Championship this year? Bad luck. Bynum’s injury, perhaps Kobe further injures his finger that will have surgery later this summer, or another injury. Sound ridiculous? Look at their roster again and tell me I’m wrong. The Lakers have a shot to win several NBA titles over the next five years assuming Bynum, Gasol and Bryant play together.
It’s not a good time to be a Lakers Hater…But that’s the world as we know it right now. The Los Angeles Lakers are on top, and will continue to be on top for the foreseeable future. Deal with it, Lakers Haters.
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