Lakers Preview

It feels like yesterday when the LA Lakers owned the NBA. Shaq and Phil Jackson’s Laker years are over and Kobe Bryant is not far off. Kobe played six games last season and had to be shut down early because of a lateral tibial plateau fracture in his left knee. Bryant is in year one of his two year 48.5 million extension he signed in November of 2013. Jurgen Klinsmann was wrong about not selecting Landon Donovan for the 2014 World Cup but he was sure right about Kobe’s contract being more about past production than what he will bring to the court in 2014 and 2015. Kobe will probably score a lot of points although will low efficiency. Kobe also offers nothing on the defensive side of the ball, which makes the contract look worse.

He's baaack. Bryant (above) will be doing a lot of this this season.

            There is just not enough talent on this Laker team to contend for anything other than lottery balls. The Lakers added veteran talent like Miami did with Lebron, Wade and Bosh except they have a 36-year-old Kobe. Steve Nash looks like his career is all but finished as he tries to finish his career on a good note. Carlos Boozer was signed after the Bulls amnestied him. Boozer posted okay numbers (13.7 ppg 8.3 RPG) but had a 14.48 PER and offers nothing on the defensive side of the ball. He can hit the mid range shot and get rebounds but he is not the same player (a la Kobe, Nash) as he once was on the Jazz. Nick Young will hopefully be as fun as last year but I don’t see Swaggy P ever making that 21.5 million dollar deal look worth it at least on the basketball court. Jordan Hill can get boards but not much else and Wesley Johnson will not be able to shoot threes, which is one of the only things he’s good at (36.9%). 

           The Lakers spent the 7^th pick in the 2014 draft on Julius Randle. Randle was the freshman superstar on the Kentucky Wildcats who finished second to UConn in the NCAA tournament. Randle is a 6’9’’ PF who needs to develop a mid range jumper to complement his strong inside game. Randle does not have long arms and will have a hard time scoring in the NBA. Randle has a high ceiling, as he could end up like Zach Randolph without the baggage but could very well be a bust. Randle will need to learn how to score against longer defenders and can no longer rely on bullying smaller players in the post. I don’t think he’s the star the Lakers need but it will be interesting watching him with this group of veterans. Nobody on this Laker team can stop anything on the perimeter and it will be interesting to see which side of the ball they are worse at.

Julius Randle will have a hard time transitioning to the NBA

Question: Will the Lakers be worse without D’antoni?

          Everybody loves to make fun of Byron Scott and his hate for the long ball. Everybody also loves to make fun of Mike D’antoni and his obsession with the offensive side of the ball. Last year, the Lakers put everything into their offense and let teams score all over them. This year, expect the Lakers to shy away from taking three’s and suffer on both sides of the ball. I actually think that Mike D’antoni did a pretty great job with the roster he was given. I don’t see how Byron Scott can do well with this roster.  This Lakers team looks brutal on paper and might be worse because of Scott’s resistance to shoot three pointers.

X Factor: Jeremy Lin

         

This is Lin's final shot at a starting gig in the NBA

This is Jeremy Lin’s final shot at a starting job in the NBA. Many people see him as a sixth man scoring threat, a job he could thrive at. I think Lin has the ability to be a starter. Unfortunately, I’m not sure this is the best place for Lin (or anybody really) to show his potential. Lin’s problem in Houston was that there were too many offensive options for Lin to actually take control of the offense as a point guard. James Harden, Chandler Parsons and Dwight Howard dominated the ball for Houston. The offensive system seemed to fit Lin and showed flashes of Linsanity: scored 31 points against Toronto then the following game scored 34 points and dished out 11 assists against the Sixers. Lin does not have many expectations this year but also has Kobe Bryant taking the role of James Harden. Byron Scott’s lethargic offense will also look to weaken Lin’s effect on the game. The Lakers do not have much to look forward to but maybe Lin can rekindle the fire and help the Lakers win some games. Lin at his best would help ease the pressure of Kobe and would help guys like Julius Randle and Jordan Hill get easy looks. Jeremy Lin at his worst would see Kobe shoot 30 times a game (could happen even with good Lin) and see Carlos Boozer taking the second highest amount of shots a game.

Best Case: Kobe is back and averages more than 25 a game, Jeremy Lin brings back Linsanity, Steve Nash has a strong final year, Julius Randle is legit and the Lakers win 30 games.

Worst Case: Kobe is a shell of his former self, Lin isn’t the answer, Julius Randle is a bust and Byron Scott’s offense is worse than everyone says it will be. Nash can’t find the court.

Bold Prediction: Kobe Bryant averages less than 22 points a game.