Los Angeles Lakers Rosters, Statistics, Records, News, and More!
vclakerfan
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LAKER ROSTER: Lamar Odom
09.23.10
Lamar Odom, a 6’10” 30 year old forward remains the most enigmatic of players. He may give you a double double in points and rebounds, or he may have so few as you can count them on one hand. I believe his inconsistent play frustrates fans, his teammates, coaches, and management. The double-edged sword here is that his potential, like Andrew Bynum’s, is great enough that every trade rumor features him, and his salary is great enough that you could envision the Lakers doing it. Growing up in New York, his favorite player was Magic Johnson. And in his youth, Odom was an AAU teammate of Elton Brand and Ron Artest; his friendship with Ron-Ron would be another reason to keep him a Laker. Lamar was drafted by the Clippers after playing at Rhode Island, then spent one year in Miami. He came to the Lakers with Brian Grant and Caron Butler when Shaq was traded to the Heat. This will be his 12th season in the NBA. He is the Lakers 6th man and his main role is back-up to Pau Gasol at power forward position. He’s also capable of playing minutes at the small forward. Last season, he played in all 82 games, 38 as a starter, and averaged 11 points and 10 rebounds. This summer he was a major contributor on the US Team that won the gold medal in Turkey. He also has a bronze medal from the 2004 Athens Olympics. In case you hadn’t heard, he’s married to Khloe Kardashian.
LAKER ROSTER: Shannon Brown
09.23.10
Over a period of several weeks this summer, I expected to hear that Shannon Brown would be playing for the Knicks or some other team this season. After all, he had opted out of his contract after contributing to the Laker’s back-to-back championships. There were rumors circulating of bigger salaries being offered. He had to know the Lakers, faced with having the league’s highest payroll, would already be making a hefty payment to the league because of the luxury tax. So in the end, after he received an extra year, a little more money and the privilege of continuing to get to play on a contending team, one concludes that it worked out well for all parties involved. I was pleasantly surprised, although the argument could be made that Brown is not indispensable. This 6’4″ 24 year old will be starting his fifth season in the pros after playing at Michigan State. He will have the primary function of backing up Kobe at shooting guard. NBA analysts talk about the Lakers being neither young nor athletic. Shannon Brown must be considered the exception to that statement, because of his youth and his vertical leap of 44.5″. Last season he played in every game, averaging 21 minutes and 8 points for the regular season and 14 minutes and 5 points for the playoffs. One hopes that with improved production from all off the bench, each starter will have a chance for more rest during the regular season and be in better physical condition when the playoffs start.
And after his playing days, Shannon can continue with his side interest of guest starring in music videos.
Check out Toni Braxton http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cETtDC59-I and Monica http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arCTOMGT9do
LAKER ROSTER: Steve Blake
09.23.10
When examining the composition of the team from last season, the Lakers weakest position may have been at point guard. Thus, the Laker’s most important free agent signing in the off-season may prove to be that of Steve Blake. This 6’3″ 30 year old point guard will be playing for his 6th team in his 8th NBA season. My hope is that Blake will be seeing a lot of minutes as the back-up to Derek Fisher, with them playing a fairly equal amount of minutes. Or Blake could start and Fisher could come off the bench. Interestingly enough, both took pay cuts this season. He should be a better fit in the triangle offense than Jordan Farmar, with better 3-point shooting, a pass-first mentality, and a greater commitment to playing defense. Blake averaged 8.5 points and 5 assists in 80 games last season. Farmar averaged 7 points and 1.5 assists in 82 games last season. I read how Blake is not as athletic or as young as Farmar, but I expect him to be more consistent and make fewer turnovers. He was born in Hollywood, Florida. Miami High, Blake’s high school, won back-to-back championships and he won a NCAA championship with Maryland in 2002, where his jersey was retired a few years later. The only thing missing from his accomplishments is an NBA championship, so he should be hungry for his first. He follows the Miami Dolphins and University of Miami and golfs in his spare time.
Here is a good article on Blake http://www.ocregister.com/articles/steve-257796-blake-deceived.html
LAKER ROSTER: Matt Barnes
09.20.10
When reading about Matt Barnes, you often find the terms “defense”, “toughness”, and “outside shooting”. He describes himself as a football player playing basketball. After playing at UCLA, he was drafted by Memphis in a pick from Orlando, then his rights were traded to Cleveland. I don’t find that at all confusing. Really. The Lakers will be his 8th team in his 8th season in the pros. This 6’7″ 30 year old small forward will primarily serve as back-up to Ron Artest, although he could also get some spot minutes at shooting guard. Like the signing of Theo Ratliff, Matt Barnes will be able to provide some defense off the bench. Barnes averaged 9 points and 5.5 rebounds in 81 games last year. He was arrested September 8th on charges of felony domestic violence and for preventing his fiancee Gloria Govan from talking to 911 operators. He posted a $50,000 bail and was released. Govan made a statement a few days after his arrest saying that the charges are false. Sacramento County prosecutors will decide October 18 whether they will press charges. It is possible that the league or team may decide to suspend him for a couple of games, even if no charges are filed. Although that would make me question the presumption of innocence that is supposedly the foundation of our legal system. Fortunately, the Lakers have experience dealing with legal troubles during the season, and should be able to maintain focus. And small forward is a position where the Lakers have depth. Barnes said all the right things in his press conference, that he was happy to be with the Lakers and it was a dream come true. He is hungry for a championship and will contribute coming off the bench in whatever capacity the team says is necessary. Having veterans on the time still looking for their first ring is a good safeguard against complacency setting in. I consider this free agent acquisition a major upgrade, and one of the reasons the bench is much better than it was last season. Lakers Three-Peat!
LAKER ROSTER: Theo Ratliff
09.18.10
Theo Ratliff, a 6’10” center, replaces DJ Mbenga as the back-up to the back-up. Some of my friends didn’t particularly like Mbenga, who played on average 7 minutes per game, scoring 2 points, grabbing 2 rebounds while shooting 47% from the field in 49 games. Last season, Ratliff averaged 16 minutes per game, scoring 3.5 points, grabbing 3 rebounds while shooting 46% in the same number of games. Had the Lakers kept Mbenga, the advantage would have been that he is only 30 and knows the triangle offense, his teammates and the coaches. Ratliff is 37 and playing for his 9th team in his 16th year as a pro, after 4 years of college ball in Wyoming. The guy has been traded for Jerry Stackhouse, Dikembe Mutombo, Rasheed Wallace and Kevin Garnett as part of multiple-player packages over his career. The Laker bench was weak last season, either due to injuries or personnel (Hello, Adam Morrison!), and did a poor job of maintaining leads, let alone increasing them. Ratliff is renowned as being a shot blocker, which may stop opposing players from driving to the rim as frequently and easily as they did last season while the bench was on the floor. With 1,963 blocks, Ratliff ranks 18th in NBA history for career blocks. He needs to realize it’s not important for him to be taking a lot of shots when he comes in. It’s defense and rebounding that wins championships, so focus on those two areas. An improved bench will allow the Laker starters to have more rest over the grind that is the NBA regular season. Given their veteran status, this is an important component in the Laker’s bid to three-peat. Because Magic Johnson was Ratliff’s boyhood idol, that makes him A-OK in my book.
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