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MambaMonk87's Laker Player Analysis and Blog
Posted by: mambamonk87 on Feb 24, 2008 - 07:14 AM
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Let's face it. This team that Mitch has assembled is better than anyone ever could've imagined. Just a year ago we questioned the reasoning behind keeping every single player on our team; even Kobe. Now, we've got a team that's got championship written all over it. But a team is made up of the individual efforts of ALL our players, so here's my attempt at analyzing our squad. It's my first official post so I'll try to be as thorough as possible. I'll be going through the positives and the negatives. And yeah, this is gonna be lengthy. Bear with me.
1. Kobe Bryant
With the acquisition of Pau Gasol, Kobe Bryant seems to be a man possessed. He's been attacking the rim as hard as ever, his defense has picked up (and not just in the fourth quarter), and his drive to win is keeping him in the game with a broken pinkie.
However, if I were to find a negative, which I was hard-pressed to find, it would be that his body may not be able to keep up with his will to win. He's planning on playing through this injury all the way past the Olympics. Although we've all got to admire his warrior spirit, we've got to keep in mind that he's still human. I just hope that he's gonna save some gas in him for the next couple years, and not rush things too fast.
2. Pau Gasol
What an improvement for the guy. His numbers are up, mainly because of the dynamic between him and Kobe. He's on a team that has as much a chance of winning the title as any. Maybe he'll finally win a postseason game? Definitely. His game fits our team to a tee; he's gotten other players involved, most notably Radmanovic. While other players seem to be hesitant to pass to a cutting Radman, Gasol willingly gives up the ball, and Radman's been delivering with some sweet dunks.
One negative is the contract issue. I'm sure the Lakers will do whatever it takes to keep him, but I really don't want to see anyone cut from our roster. Except maybe Mbenga/Karl. But that won't make up for the possible money issues coming up. Another is having Bynum back in the mix. We've all seen how Kirilenko reacted to his lesser role on the Jazz. Although Pau seems to be a lot happier here, he's had a big role on the team thus far. If we get Bynum back, I'm sure our franchise is gonna want Bynum to build on his game rather than Pau, meaning more touches for Bynum and less for Pau. I hope Pau reacts well to that. Disgruntled stars = bad chemistry.
3. Lamar Odom
I know I've vehemently stated my negative attitude towards Odom at times, but it's been justified. I'll start off with the positives: he's been focusing on rebounding (and he's been a devil on the boards), he's been able to get guys great looks (his assists are up), and he gives us an advantage in size for the small forward position.
Negatives: I never want to see the ball in Odom's hands when the game's on the line. I'm sorry, but the guy cracks under pressure. You can't deny that. He's not cracking now because there's no pressure with both Pau and Kobe on the floor, but I just see a possible scenario: 5 seconds on the clock, down by 2. The opposing team covers Kobe, Pau, etc, leaving Odom with the deciding shot. I don't like the chances.
4. Derek Fisher
There's no better point guard for our team. I don't want a Chris Paul, Deron Williams, or Jason Kidd at our point. Quite simply, the Lakers offense doesn't need a distributor like that at the 1. We need a shooter. And Fisher's been shooting. Like a machine gun. Bang. Swish.
Only negative? Hmm...his shot's been consistent, he's a leader, and he's a vet. A seasoned vet. Maybe that he's a player who plays for the ref. Players are not supposed to play in a way that they assume refs will follow. Essentially, one can't play assuming they'll get the call. It's something that happens when you really understand the rules and you've had experience getting those calls. The refs won't always call it, and you shouldn't take the risk. Small negative though; Fisher's been great.
5. Andrew Bynum
I'll base this on the way he was playing prior to the injury. He's a beast. Plain and simple. He's got an array of offensive moves; more so than Dwight Howard. Bynum can dunk it, and then some. Hooks, spins, easy layups, whatever. He's slowly becoming a whole package.
Negatives? He's injured. I don't know how he'll recover from that injury. To be honest, the way he plays, it's quite easy to get injured. It may take a Bruce Bowen type of move to do it, but it'll happen from time to time. Remember Shaq's toe? That was ridiculous, but these big men can be fragile. Also, the money issue again. Will he demand a max contract later on? I hope that he stays loyal to the franchise that stayed loyal to him, but time will tell.
6. Jordan Farmar
He's the real MVP of the Rookie/Sophomore game. He found his teammates, he shot the ball well, and he's quick as Barbosa. His confidence has never been in question; he dunked it on 4 Sacramento Kings in his rookie year.
His negative is that his confidence may be too high. I don't know what our plans are for him; develop him into a role player or allow him to create his own shots. Whatever they are, he's recently been forcing a lot of his own shots. I love his tenacity, but sometimes it just doesn't work. Hence Phil Jackson giving him a comic book aptly named "Short Stuff", reminding Farmar of his stature.
7. Sasha Vujacic
The Machine. Just like Fisher. Bang. Swish. 'Nuff said.
He just needs to work on controlling the tempo. He rushes like a madman down court. I love that he brings the ball up that fast, but man, sometimes your teammates can't keep up. He dribbles it straight up the middle too, not allowing another player to cut. It's been bugging me. Of course, when he finishes it, I leap from my seat. And he's gotta work on his passing. Some of them...ew.
8. Ronny Turiaf
If you've noticed a slight "decline" in his play, don't worry about it. It's not a decline in his play, it's that players don't need to look to him to score anymore. We've got Pau to do that. Ronny just brings the energy and the ridiculous ability to block shots.
I never want to find negatives with this guy. He's my favorite type of player; an enthusiastic one. If there's a negative, it's that Kobe doesn't look for him anymore! C'mon Kobe, throw Turiaf a bone! Oh, his tendency to foul. He's so anxious to jump for the block that he's caught in the air a lot. No biggie though. We've got Pau and Bynum too so foul trouble barely hurts us anymore (I love our depth).
9. Trevor Ariza
He's been one of my favorites since UCLA, and when he arrived to the Lakers, I was anxious to see what he could do. He's paid off big time; great slasher, quick to the basket, defends the perimeter better than anyone on our team (I say that because he's lankier than Kobe), and has been learning to shoot from the wing.
One thing about him is his injury history. He's not injury prone, but there were concerns about him when he first arrived. A bone fracture in your foot affects your game immensely. I'm sure he'll take it slow, but the way his game is shaped, he'll be taking a lot of bumps (even bumps like Grant Hill xD). Let's hope he develops his 3 pointer.
10. Vladimir Radmanovic
Our resident space cadet. One of our best spot up shooters. Another bang, swish. And he's a decent ballhandler when driving to the hoop.
But on that note, is he always off balance or something? Does he rely too much on leaning on the defense? And does he forget about the help defense lurking behind him? Seeing him get blocked makes me laugh sometimes. You're trying to dunk on Amare?! C'mon young fella. Come back from space. But seriously though, I'm just hoping his consistency with his shooting continues, because he's gonna get a lot of looks.
11. Luke Walton
Our new scapegoat. He's been getting better though. He's been working on his overall game, and that spin move he does? It really sets up other players. He draws defenders and gets them in position, opening up a lane to pass for the easy dunk for Pau and eventually Bynum. His shooting's returned, but he hasn't been taking the 3 so much. It's not a bad thing, because we've got plenty of shooters. And Luke usually finds them.
His problem is his mental game. We've gotten rid of Kwame, and now we see a similar trend with Walton. If he doesn't do well right when he gets in, he's easily discouraged. He shouldn't be though; he's got a great contract guaranteeing him years of service to the Lakers. I hope he remembers that.
12. DJ Mbenga
Eh. Positives? He's big. He's determined to make this contract count.
Negatives? He's just big. Not much to his game. His defense is slightly overrated. How many fouls does he draw? Again, not too big a deal because of our depth, and I guess he adds to our depth.
13. Chris Mihm
Wanted to follow Mbenga with Mihm. Mihm is basically Mbenga but with a better (much better) offensive game. Don't believe me?
http://youtube.com/watch?v=hixRBmCs-28
Remember how he played before the injury? He was decent. Heck of a lot better than Kwame. At least Mihm could shoot. Adds to our depth, but is pretty expendable.
14. Coby Karl
I saved him for last because I don't really understand this Coby Karl situation. Is he just there for fans to cheer for? And I mean, we only cheer for him because he's only in when we blowout the opposing teams.
Sure, he did great during his stint in the D-League, but really, the NBA is a whole 'nother level. I hope Phil works his magic on him the way he did with Sasha and gets Karl into the right mindset. At least he can dunk?
Anyway, again, this is my first blog, so please be courteous. I'm a meek individual and I don't think I can handle criticism. Especially criticism on forums.
Lakers4life. Amen.
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| MambaMonk87's Laker Player Analysis and Blog | Log-in or register a new user account | 5 Reviews/Comments |
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Re: MambaMonk87's Player Analysis
by JamFan on Feb 25, 2008 - 02:44 PM
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Mamba, Great article, great analysis.
It's nice to have somebody else beside me contributing articles because sometimes the article page looks like one very long JamFan blog. I do need help cause I can't always write as much as I would like. JamFan
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Re: MambaMonk87's Player Analysis
by Dave on Feb 26, 2008 - 06:54 PM
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Excellent Lakers blog article Mambamonk- I second what Jamfan said- it's nice to hear another perspective!
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