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Your World Champion Miami Heat?
09.09.10
Don’t worry, Laker faithful. It’s not that I am rooting for the Miami Heat to win the championship next year. Far from it. My hope is that they will be booed excessively on the road. And in a few days, my blog will state the reasons the Lakers will be successful in their quest for a three-peat. I just want to present the case for the possibility that the Heat could really win it all. Let’s look at 3 areas:
- Coaching
- Talent
- Hunger
I observed during George Karl’s absence from the Nuggets playoff series last year a team without direction, basically a chicken with it’s head cut off. They lacked discipline and focus. I have always felt that Phil Jackson hasn’t always got the respect he deserves. His detractors like to point out that he has won with Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kobe Bryant. They fail to acknowledge that all of these players have been coached in the NBA with the same key teammates, and not achieved the success that they have with Phil. In the last 20 years, 3 coaches have accounted for 17 championships. And the 3 coaches with single championships in that span were Pat Riley, Larry Brown and Doc Rivers. Now Erik Spoelstra is not a proven entity, but you know Riles will step in if the Heat lose 3 games in a row. So the Heat have plan A and plan B set up for coaching for the season.
The Heat were much more successful, despite cap restrictions, in developing a roster than I expected. I thought it would be LeBron, Wade, Bosh and 11 guys that were either as old as the stone age (think Shaq) or no-names. Instead, they have Udonis Haslem, Eddie House, Mike Miller, Mario Chalmers, Da’Sean Butler, Carlos Arroyo, Joel Anthony, James Jones, Jamaal Magloire, Juwan Howard, and Zydunas Ilgauskas. While I don’t believe those guys are the best at their positions, it was more than I thought the Heat would be able to do.
And I know you’re thinking – can you put a team together like that, have it mesh, and be successful in its first season? And I am reminded of the Boston Celtics in 2007-2008, when Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen joined Paul Pierce. I think the Heat have a lot to prove this season. Teams that play the Heat, like those playing the Lakers, will be exerting extra effort because they know they must. So I don’t think the Heat will break the Lakers streak of 33 straight wins. Nor do I think they will hold the best single season record. And I do believe they will lose back to back games this season. The East got better during the off-season, with key free agents either staying in the East or signing up in that conference. I don’t see any team in the West that vastly improved their roster. Although I like the Thunder, with the Lakers strengthening their bench, I think the Lakers will have an easier time reaching the finals this year.
So this year, I will be rooting for the Lakers and whoever is playing the Heat. Three-peat time!
The Derrick Caracter Weight-Loss Contract
09.07.10
So apparently the Lakers have a new way to motivate rookie forward Derrick Caracter to stay in shape, “keep your weight down, and we’ll pay you.”
According to a report on ProBasketballTalk.com,
Caracter has a $473,000 contract this year with $250,000 guaranteed. If Caracter weighs 275 pounds or less on Sept. 10, the contract becomes fully guaranteed.
There is a future for Caracter in “Laker Land,” especially with the team letting both DJ Mbenga and Josh Powell go this off season. If Caracter can keep himself in shape, there is some playing time to be had. And it seems the Lakers are willing to reward him financially for doing so.
This writer knows that for $177k, he’d surely keep himself under 275 pounds. Of course it would take two of him to equal that weight, but I digress.
Maybe the Lakers should have thought about employing this when Shaq still wore purple and gold.
Lakers Off To Fast Start!
10.31.08
The Lakers are off to a fast start this season, thanks to a rejuvenated commitment at the defensive end, as well as a willingess to share the basketball.
The team has thoroughly dominated its first two opponents, a season-opening win against Portland 97-76 on Tuesday, and a demolshing of the Clippers, 117-79 on Wednesday night. The domination has also come on both ends of the floor as the Lakers have allowed just 36.4% shooting from the field, and have outrebounded both teams 100-76.
They have also shared the ball consistently, as evidenced by seven players being in double figures in points against the Clippers, and Kobe Bryant hasn’t been forced to shoulder the offensive load, averaging just 19.5 points and 32 minutes through the first two games. They also dished out 28 assists as a team in the win over the Clips.
The Lakers have one of their deepest teams in years, which should be a recipe for success if they can stay healthy. There are few teams that can go 10-12 deep in their roster and still get healthy contributions from guys at the end of the bench like the Lakers can.
Andrew Bynum in the middle will help a team that was pushed around inside by the more physical Boston Celtics in last year’s NBA Finals. The concerns about the team’s toughness up front should not be an issue this season, as long as Bynum can remain healthy. And the Lakers hope he can since they just signed him to a 4-year/$58 million extension this week.
Eighty-two games is a lot of basketball, but if the Lakers’ start to the campaign is any indication of how this season will go, Laker fans may once again get to enjoy one of those parade thingies down Figueroa in June.
Laker Win Eighth Straight, Rout Mavs 114-103
12.04.03
In a game that wasn’t nearly as close as the final score, the Lakers continued their domination over the Mavericks, as they cruised to their eighth straight win, 114-103 in Dallas on Thursday night.
For the second straight night, Shaquille O’Neal was a monster on the defensive end. He controlled the defensive glass, blocked shots, and forced the Mavs into several ill-advised shots. He finished the game with 25 points, 19 rebounds, five assists, and three blocked shots.
The Lakers took the lead from opening tip, and getting up by as much 27-11 in the first quarter. They led the game 51-42 at halftime, and Dallas never really seriously challenged the rest of the way.
The Mavs struggled from the floor all game, as the Lakers’ defense held the high-scoring team to 37.4% shooting (37-of-99) from the field. The Lakers shot 44.2% (38-of-86) from the floor and made 31-of-40 (77.5%) from the charity stripe.
Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 32 points. Gary Payton scored 17 and dished out eight assists, and Karl Malone added 11 points, nine rebounds, and six assists.
Steve Nash led Dallas with 30 points and eight assists, and was the recipient of two stitches after being hit in the mouth with a Malone elbow in the third quarter. The Mavs played without leading scorer Dirk Nowitski, who has an inured ankle.
The Lakers have now beaten the Mavericks 46 of the last 51 times the two teams have met. The Lakers current eight-game winning streak is their longest in two seasons.
The Lakers next game is Sunday night at Staples Center against the Utah Jazz.
Link: LakerStats.com Box Score
Link: NBA.com Recap
“The Glove” Fits in Lakerland
07.08.03
In the aftermath of Kobe Bryant‘s legal woes, the Lakers have something to celebrate, as All-Star guard Gary Payton has verbally agreed to take $4.9 million to play with the team next season.
Payton’s commitment ends days of speculation that he would get a sign-and-trade offer with Milwaukee, and play for the Portland Trail Blazers, or even sign with the Miami Heat. In the end however, Payton’s desire to win a championship as a Laker was the deciding factor, according to his agent Aaron Goodwin.
Also according to published reports, Payton may end up signing a multi-year deal with the team.
Payton’s verbal agreement may be a signal that future Hall of Fame free agent forward Karl Malone is close to agreeing to play for the Lakers next season as well. Stay tuned!
News Link: ESPN – “Payton to ‘follow dream’ with Lakers”
News Link: ESPN – “Payton signing may mean another L.A. final”
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