2011-12 Los Angeles Lakers Season Outlook
Los Angeles wasn’t able to offer Phil Jackson a quality finish when they were beaten in the second round of the postseason by the Dallas Mavericks last year. They didn’t even win a game of the series, and now they are trying to revamp the squad a bit this offseason, preparing to rebuild for another run.
The Lakers had a three-team trade lined up that would have paired Chris Paul with Kobe Bryant, while giving up both Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom in the process. The league vetoed the deal however, which left Gasol and Lamar Odom disgruntled in Los Angeles.
L.A. has since sent Odom to the Dallas Mavericks for a trade exception and future draft considerations. Gasol is still with the Lakers, but the team is still trying to maneuver a trade for Dwight Howard. If a deal goes through, expect Gasol to be the main piece in the deal. If Howard doesn’t go to LA, then the Lakers will still have a pretty good big three with Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol going forward.
The Lakers signed deadeye Jason Kapono in free agency, who is a career 43.7% from behind the arc and will help extend the court on offense. They also signed Josh Mcroberts away from the Pacers and his 7.4 points and 5.3 boards will help fill the gap from the dealing of Odom. He won’t be able to replace Odom’s production and versatility, but he can certainly make up a part of those numbers.
The dealing of Odom is absolutely a big blow for the Lakers as he put up 14.4 points and 8.7 boards last year as the team’s main reserve. The Lakers also lost Shannon Brown in free agency and his offensive spark in the second unit would be felt as well.
Bryant still has what it takes to play at a top level, ending up fifth in the nBA in points with 25.3 points while bringing down 5.1 boards and 4.7 dimes last year. This extra time off will only help energize Bryant, who was nursing constant injuries and growing exhausted while trying to pull off a three straight titles.
Gasol needs to become more aggressive after a “bad year” in which he put up 18.8 points and 10.2 boards. He had some off-the-court issues he was working with, but Gasol should come back much more focused and determined this year.
Unfortunately for Bynum, he can’t seem to stay healthy. He missed 28 games due to knee problems last year, but he has played well when he was on the floor. Bynum averaged 11.3 points, 9.4 rebounds and nearly 2 blocks a game before getting injured. He’ll be suspended for the first five games of the season after a flagrant foul to JJ Barea in Game 4 of the Dallas series. For the Lakers to make any sort of noise this season, Bynum needs to remain healthy and stay out of trouble.
Players who could be given significant playing time this season include PF Derrick Caracter, SF Matt Barnes, and SF Luke Walton. Caracter and McRoberts are going to have to try and hold it down early as Bynum serves his suspension. Also, look for Steve Blake to take a few more minutes from Derek Fisher this season. Fisher has been a clutch performer in the playoffs, but he seems to lose a step every year.
Western Conference Prediction: 1st Pacific Division – While the Mavs and the Thunder are teams gearing for the top spot in the West, I believe the Lakers will still have at least one more run for the championship. That is why they are one of the favorites in the odds to win the NBA title. The group of Bryant, Gasol and Bynum when healthy and motivated trumps every other franchise’s big three outside of the Heat. No team is going to benefit from this late start to the season more than LA, who had been playing basketball for almost three consecutive years without much time off. An early exit in the postseason last season will have this team coming back hungry and motivated for another championship.
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