After an 0-2 preseason, and an opening home loss on Christmas to the Chicago Bulls, the Los Angeles Lakers clearly look weaker than they did last season. But, do they also look better than most expected them to be?
Some well-known sports writers have suggested that the Lakers may struggle making the playoffs and that Kobe Bryant may even ask for a trade.
The off-season and preseason got the Lakers off to a tough start: Kobe Bryant’s divorce, the Lakers’ inability to trade for Chris Paul (or Dwight Howard), Bryant’s injury to a ligament in his right wrist, and the trade of Lamar Odom for a pick. And that’s not even mentioning the other leftover obstacles from last season: losing perhaps the greatest coach in NBA history in Phil Jackson and dealing with Andrew Bynum’s four-game suspension at the start of this season.
The Lakers lost both preseason games to the Clippers, but both games were closer than the box scores let on. Even though it ended 114-95 in favor of the Clippers, the Lakers kept the game close until late in the third quarter. The second game, without the Lakers Kobe Bryant, was closer, 108-103.
What the Lakers learned from Bryant’s absence from the second preseason game is that Lakers forward Devin Ebanks will be a key contributor this season. Although he may need to keep working on his overall game, Ebanks will provide some much needed outside shooting, either as a starter or off the bench.
And, the additions of Josh McRoberts, Troy Murphy and Jason Kapono will help the Lakers address some of their offseason needs: defensive effort (McRoberts), and outside shooting as Murphy shoots 38.9% and Kapono shoots 42.7% career from three-point range. Also, getting Murphy and McRoberts will somewhat makeup for the loss of Odom, but Odom is so versatile that he’s difficult to replace. Rookie Andrew Goudelock also appears to be a lights-out shooter, and based on what he did in college, his ability to shoot and score the rock should help the Lakers if he gets enough minutes.
Most importantly, though, for the Lakers to avoid having a disappointing season, the players and coaches have to consistently be on the same page. Now, not sitting in on sideline and practice discussions, it’s hard to know for sure, but I think anyone who watched the end of the Lakers v Bulls Christmas Day game saw the same thing I did: poor Lakers execution.
Who looked like the better defensive coach in the final minutes? Mike Brown or Tom Thibodeau? Despite losing the game, the Lakers were ahead by 10 points heading into the closing minutes of the 4th quarter. But, the two plays that stand out the most were at the end.
With the Lakers up by one point, MVP Derrick Rose was allowed to drive for a tear-drop layup (one-on-one versus the 37 year-old Derek Fisher) that gave the Bulls the lead. On the last possession of the game, the Lakers looked too much like the Cleveland Cavaliers with LeBron James. The Bulls did the right thing in double-teaming Bryant to deny him the ball, but once he got it, he drove right. And, Bryant drove right into about four Bulls defenders, didn’t even think of passing the ball, and ended up getting blocked by Luol Deng.
Rob S. De France is a College and University instructor of English Composition living in Los Angeles. He has a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Rhetoric, Composition, and Writing. De France has played, coached, and officiated competitive high school basketball in California for many years. Recently, De France, his wife, and another colleague started an internationally read magazine at Shwibly.com.
