Should the Lakers Make a Trade Now?

The situation: The Los Angeles Lakers are struggling against elite teams in the NBA. This season, they have a couple of 3-game losing streaks, and are getting beat by athletic teams. The team's defense is as inconsistent as Ron Artest's shooting.

Therefore, the Laker should make a deal.

Mitch Kupchak is open to it. Lakers legend Magic Johnson embraces the idea. But should they do it?

The way I see it, the Lakers are playing like the 2002-2003 team. This was the team that was coming off a three-peat and virtually sleepwalked though the regular season. The result? The team barely made 50 wins in the regular season and got their asses handed to them by eventual champion San Antonio Spurs. The 2010-2011 Lakers are demonstrating a similar pattern.

The Lakers did not make a trade during that awful season and logic tells us that if the Lakers are following a similar trajectory this season, then not making a trade will lead to a similar conclusion: a playoff exit.

Even if a deal is the solution to the team's ills, who is the one to go?

The most attractive assets right now are Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum. But I don't think the Lakers front office would be willing to trade key parts to the Lakers' championship machine.

If a deal is to be made, it would be one involving Shannon Brown, Steve Blake, or Luke Walton. As far as market value is concerned, Shannon Brown is the highest among the three. It also helps that Shannon Brown has his contract expiring after this season.

If the Lakers were to make a trade before the deadline, I suggest going for an athletic wing defender who can cover guards and small forwards.


Technorati: Los Angeles Lakers

Magic Johnson Meet & Greet in New York

Good news! I received an email invite to a Magic Johnson meet and greet event in New York this weekend. The email said:

Los Angeles Lakers Legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson will be in New Rochelle, NY on Thursday, October 14th at the Steiner Sports Headquarters for a private ‘Meet & Greet.’  Starting at 6 p.m., fans of the NBA Hall of Famer will be able to participate in an interactive question and answer session, take pictures with the star, and get autographed basketballs and photos.  A tour of the renowned Steiner Sports warehouse is also part of the package. 

Johnson, who was voted one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, is a 5-time NBA champion, 3-time NBA Finals MVP, 3-time regular season MVP, 12-time All-Star, NCAA champion, and a 1992 Olympic gold medalist. 

The bad news: I won't be able to go to New York. Argh.


Technorati: Magic Johnson

Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals

HBO is coming up with a documentary called "Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals" and it puts the spotlight on the intense rivalry of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird in the 1980's.

From their NCAA days to their NBA glory years, the two have been linked by competition, friendly and otherwise. The two met in the NBA Finals three times, with Magic coming away with the title twice.

Here's a preview from the HBO site:

Preview

The documentary will run throughout March

Technorati: Magic Johnson

Lakers Start 2009 with Win over Jazz

2009's first game played like a recap of the Los Angeles Lakers' season so far.

The Lakers slammed the Utah Jazz, 113-100, but not after letting the Jazz make the game out of the blowout in the third quarter. The Lakers led 57-43 at half time, but poor defense and uninspired play enabled the Jazz to close the gap 65-62.  The Lakers upped the lead to 16 in the fourth until the Jazz roared back in the fourth. Thanks to key plays by Pau Gasol and Trevor Ariza, the Lakers ended up with the W and a winning streak of five games.

The box score will tell us that the Jazz played the boards better and moved the ball around better, but turnovers from the Jazz and 42 free throw attempts gave the Lakers the edge.

The highlight of the game? Pau Gasol does a Magic Johnson and ran a fast break, dribbled between the legs and shot a no-look scoop pass to a cutting Ariza for the jam:


Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 40 points. The Jazz were without All-Star foward Carlos Boozer. The Lakers will also have a busy week ahead with four games slated.


Tags: Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers' New Guard: Lamar Odom?

 

The Los Angeles Lakers are contemplating to put Lamar Odom into the back court in tandem with point guard Derek Fisher.

According to a  report from ESPN, which ironically focused on the Lakers' signing of Sun Yue, the "Chinese Magic Johnson." The addition of Sun Yue still has to make any impact on the Lakers rotations, because since he played point guard in China, that puts the potential PG rotation to Derek Fisher, Jordan Farmar and Yue.

Going back to Odom being a guard, it really is a unconventional positioning in light of moves like Kevin Durant as a shooting guard for Oklahoma City or even Magic Johnson as point guard for the Lakers in the 1980's. Odom does have the agility, but he does not have the speed to run against  shifty guards like Tony Parker and Gilbert Arenas of the league.

My prediction? The Lamar Odom Experiment will result in a trade for a real guard.

Tags: Lakers

With MVP, Kobe Bryant is One of NBA Greats

After twelve seasons in the league, Kobe Bryant has officially achieved the highest individual award-- the 2007-2008 Maurice Podoloff Trophy as the NBA's Most Valuable Player.

The MVP has long eluded Kobe, with a lot of people believing he deserved the awards for the last three years, including MVP candidate LeBron James. Kobe most often failed in the "makes his team better" criteria, something Steve Nash supposedly excelled and something Dirk Nowitzki did last year in Dallas. This year, Kobe has led the Lakers core of Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher and Luke Walton on top of the Western Conference and deep into the NBA Playoffs.

In winning the MVP, Kobe joins the elite group of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Earvin "Magic" Johnson and former teammate Shaquille O'Neal as Los Angeles Lakers who have won the award. (Kareem and Magic won multiple times). You can also add Kobe to the list of players who have won at least three championship rings and an MVP award. That group includes Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Bill Russell and the Spurs' Tim Duncan. The MVP of a dozen years in the making is also proof of the longevity of Bryant's talent and skill.

No doubt, any discussion on NBA greats should definitely include Kobe Bryant, one of the NBA's All-Time Greats.


Tags: Lakers

Kobe Bryant to Win the the NBA's 2008 MVP Award

Finally, the MVP voting body has corrected the error of its ways.

The NBA will present Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant with his first regular season Most Valuable Player award, according to reports. I've been advocating his selection since the start of the year and I've also said my piece regarding why he IS the NBA's MVP this season. As a Lakers fan, I'm happy the league has really recognized Kobe's impact in the game (and that could even include the "makes his team mates better" criterion).

Kobe is set to join Laker greats Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'neal as players who have won the award that cements the reputation of a player as an all-time great.

What's next for Kobe Bryant? The Finals MVP Award.


Tags: Lakers

The Worst 2008 NBA Playoffs Preview

I'm following up a tradition I started last year-- to come up with a very bad, yet sensible prediction of the NBA Playoffs. I was able to predict that the Warriors will upset the Dallas Mavericks and the Jazz would win over the Rockets, but I also picked the Wizards over the Cavaliers and the Nuggets over the San Antonio Spurs, who actually won the NBA Championship.

I'm making the tradition worse by making a playoff preview A WEEK after the games have started. That's innovation for ya. So on to the first round match-ups:

Eastern Conference

1. Boston Celtics (1) vs. Atlanta Hawks (8) - The Celtics have MVP candidate and newly minted Defensive Player of the Year with Kevin Garnett so it shouldn't be a problem for the Celtics. Unless Joe Johnson becomes Kobe Bryant and Josh Smith actually shows up, Boston should get ready for the next round. Celtics in 5.
   
2. Detroit Pistons (2) vs. Philadelphia 76ers (7) - Uspet special! Philadelphia is a gutsy team and will catch Detroit sleeping. Billups, Hamilton and Rasheed will age before our eyes in this series. Sixers in 6.
   
3. Orlando Magic (3) vs. Toronto Raptors (6) - No Kryptonite means no wins for the Raptors, who is using All-Star Chris Bosh against "Superman" Dwight Howard. The Raptors' Euros will have a hard time proving they can play NBA playoff basketball. Dwight Howard will eat the Raptors alive while eating cereal for breakfast, if that's possible. Magic in 4.
   
4. Cleveland Cavaliers (4) vs. Washington Wizards (5) - I know this is not a popular vote, but I believe in the Washington Wizards. They still can win with Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler and a recovering Gilbert "Agent Zero" Arenas. But thanks to DeShawn Stevenson's "over-rated" remark, LeBron James is dominating them. Nonetheless, this is the second upset of the first round as I see Gilbert Arenas stepping up. Wizards in 7.
   

Western Conference

1. Los Angeles Lakers (1) vs. Denver Nuggets (8) - Carmelo "DUI" Anthony is not primed to play in the highest level and Allen Iverson will be grounded in this series. The only way the Nuggets can win this series is if Kobe Bryant gets affected by "sexual assault" chants in Denver. Lakers in 4.
   
2. New Orleans Hornets (2) vs. Dallas Mavericks (7) - How the might Mavericks have fallen! Mark Cuban should now seriously consider firing Mavs coach Avery Johnson. If he can't win with reigning MVP Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd, your team is as good as the Golden State Warriors-- out of playoff contention. Chris Paul is the best non-MVP this season.
   
3. San Antonio Spurs (3) vs. Phoenix Suns (6) - Wow! Two of my most hated teams are playing. End of story. Spurs in 6, not that I'd care anyway.
   
4. Houston Rockets (4) vs. Utah Jazz (5) - I pity the Houston Rockets. Their best chance to advance to the playoffs is shelved due to an injury and now their playoff hopes are put on the shoulders of a player who has NEVER advanced to the second round (although Tracy McGrady has once remarked how good it must feel). The Jazz are competing against the Spurs as "The least watchable, but effective" basketball team. Jazz in 6, and another first round exit for T-Mac.

There you go-- the worst 2008 NBA Playoffs preview.


Tags: NBA Playoffs

The Lakers Make a Fashion Statement: The Return of Short Shorts

Normally, I would feel bad when I make a prediction that the Lakers will win and then end up wrong. But the game against the Celtics, although a bad loss for the Lakers, was a fun game to watch.

The reason: The Lakers make a fashion statement as a team.

This is kinda different when one player suddenly wears tights or when a time headbands were fashionably new-- this is the bold move no one person would do. Think about it, go back to the era of Magic Johnson and sport a pair of short shorts. Here's a picture that would summarize the "look," from the players' point of view:



What must have gone in Derek Fisher's mind while this shot was taken? It must have been like: "Geez, whoever suggested this throwback idea must be on crack."

Here's a little snippet from YouTube to remind everyone how it was, 20 years ago:

While the players wearing the shorts must be very peeved, I think this would be the ultimate throwback move.

Tags: Lakers

A New Lakers Dark Age in the Horizon?

Remember the 1993-1994 season? The Lakers were led by veteran Vlade Divac and upstarts Nick Van Exel and Sedale Threatt. James Worthy was in the tail end of a Hall of Fame career and Magic Johnson coached the team, with poor results.

That was the last Lakers Dark Age. Things were bad-- no marquee players (leading scorer Vlade Divac averaged 14.2 points), no success (33-49 regular season record) and no playoffs. While the Lakers were able to recover, a new Dark Age is dawning.

Kobe is unhappy and there's is a good chance he will be traded this season or the next, and given how the Lakers front office drops the ball on big trades, I'm sure the Lakers will get not maquee player in that transaction. With Andrew Bynum three more years away from becoming a force and no other young player surging, I see the 2009-2010 season a big black hole, probably a lot worse the 1993-1994 season, with the powers of the league placed in the Western Conference.

For franchises in the league for a long time, they are aware things are in a cycle-- you have good years and bad years. I guess the trick is shortening the waiting period between the good years. Just ask the Boston Celtics.

Tags: Lakers

The Two NBA All-Stars Theory

There has been the prevailing thought that an NBA team needs at least two All-Stars to win a championship or even make any waves in the league. Given that there are five starters in a team (Center, Power Forward, Small Forward, Shooting Guard, Point Guard), there would be ten distinct combinations on how the All Star team mates will be distributed:

1. Center-Point Guard - This type of team produced a handful of titles and featured a high scoring center and a pass first point guard. This is combo relies on the defense of both and the point guard setting the big man for easy buckets.
   
   Notable teams:
   
• 1982 Los Angeles Lakers (Kareem Abdul & Jabbar-Magic Johnson)
• 1971 Milwaukee Bucks (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar & Oscar Robertson)
• 1970 New York Knicks (Willis Reed & Walt Frazier)
• 1963 Boston Celtics (Bill Russell & Bob Cousy)
  
  
2. Center-Shooting Guard - Inside-Outside threat. This combo has a strong 1-2 punch in offense and good interior and perimeter defense.
   
   Notable teams:
• 2000 Los Angeles Lakers (Shaquille O'Neal & Kobe Bryant)
• 2006 Miami Heat (Shaquille O'Neal & Dwayne Wade)
• 1972 Los Angeles Lakers (Wilt Chamberlain & Jerry West)
• 1966 Philadelphia 76ers (Wilt Chamberlain & Hal Greer)
• 1995 Houston Rockets (Hakeem Olajuwon & Clyde Drexler)
  
  
3. Center-Small Forward - This combo is pretty rare and often would depend on the versatility of the small forward to create damage inside and outside.
   
   Notable team:
• 1983 Philadelphia 76ers (Moses Malone & Julius Erving)
  
  
4. Center-Power Forward - "Twin Tower" teams have strong interior defense that often would produce blocks or altered shots. Rebounding is also a strength.
   
   Notable teams :
• 1999 San Antonio Spurs (David Robinson & Tim Duncan)**
• 1978 Washington Bullets (Wes Unseld & Elvin Hayes)
• 1986 Houston Rockets (Ralph Sampson & Hakeem Olajuwon)*
  
  
5. Power Forward-Point Guard - Not very different from the Center-Point Guard combo, but potent nonetheless.
   
   Notable Teams:
• 2005 San Antonio Spurs (Tim Duncan & Tony Parker)
• 1998 Utah Jazz (Karl Malone & John Stockton)*
• 1996 Seattle Supersonics (Shawn Kemp & Gary Payton)*
  
  
6. Power Forward-Shooting Guard - A very rare success, teams would opt to have a Center-Shooting Guard tandem, as this mix has historically produced little synergy. While hypothetically this pair will be faster and better scorers, very few teams found were built around it.
   
   Notable team:
• 1993 Phoenix Suns (Charles Barkley & Dan Majerle)*
  
  
7. Power Forward-Small Forward - This combo presents flexibility and versatility-- both forward roles can be interchanged to create mismatches.
   
   Notable team:
• 1984 Boston Celtics (Kevin McHale & Larry Bird)
  
  
8. Small Forward-Point Guard - Basing on NBA history, no team has won a title or even reached the NBA Finals exclusively with this pair. While it is hard to understand why-- a point guard can create tremendous opportunities in the open court and half court for the small forward.
   
   Notable team:
• 1988 Los Angeles Lakers (James Worthy & Magic Johnson)
  
  
9. Small Forward-Shooting Guard - The hardest to match-up, in my opinion. This dynamic duo undoubtedly has the capability to dominate the backcourt and the frontcourt opposition with pressure on both ends.
   
   Notable Teams:
• 1992 Chicago Bulls (Scottie Pippen & Michael Jordan)
• 1999 New York Knicks (Latrell Sprewell & Allan Houston)*
• 1968 Los Angeles Lakers (Elgin Baylor & Jerry West)*
  
  
10. Shooting Guard-Point Guard - This pair earns its money from the perimeter. Good outside shooting and lane penetration give opponents a hard-time. This team usually make good pressing defenders.
    
    Notable teams:
• 1989 Detroit Pistons (Joe Dumars & Isaiah Thomas)
• 2004 Detroit Pistons (Rip Hamilton & Chauncey Billups)
  
• 1992 Portland Trailblazers (Clyde DrexlerTerry Porter)*

* Did not win NBA championship
** Lockout shortened season