Chris Paul Shows What the Lakers are Missing

It was only a preseason game, but the atmosphere was that of a playoff game. And in the end, the Chris Paul-led Los Angeles Clippers convinced me that they are a legitimate playoff contender.

The Los Angeles Lakers? They need more time to figure things out.

Chris Paul showed little rust and seemed very comfortable with his new teammates. Contrast that to what happened to the Lakers, who were without a dependable point guard and looked lost in a lot of stretches in their first preseason game of the season.

Without Derek Fisher, the team relied on Steve Blake and rookie Darius Morris. By now, we know that Blake is still at best a serviceable backup and Morris is the second coming of Jordan Farmar.

In any case, if you're a betting person, I think you'll agree with me when I say that the Lakers chances to win the championship have dipped a little bit and the Clippers' chances to be in the playoffs just jumped a whole lot. Some sites for online betting (TopBet.com, etc.) have already tabbed the Clippers to get home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Talk about the difference Chris Paul makes.


Technorati: Los Angeles Lakers

Lakers Looking Flat in the Pre-Season

The Los Angeles Lakers have started their title defense with two losses in European preseason games.

The first one was a loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves, 111-92. To give the folks some perspective, a lot of the NBA prognosticators are saying that the T-Wolves will be one of the NBA's doormats this coming season. Last year, this team flirted with the NBA's worst record if not for the ineptitude of the New Jersey Nets. The cherry on top of everything: Even the T-Wolves leadership think that they'll have a bad season.

The second loss was a 92-88 defeat against FC Barcelona, Pau Gasol's former team in Spain. While the final score was closer compared the first loss, the Lakers still shot poorly from the field and two of the Lakers' stars, Kobe Bryant and Gasol shot the ball the way movie villains shoot machine guns. Lakers coach Phil Jackson even emphasized that FC Barcelona is a team that will not be able to compete in the NBA.

Well, it's still the preseason and this is probably not a cause of concern. But one issue that emerged is the progress of Kobe Bryant's knee. Kobe looked subpar, shooting at an 11% clip, and played only a total of 31 minutes in the two games.

Now that's something to worry about.



Technorati: Los Angeles Lakers