It has been quite an interesting beginning to the new year in Tinseltown, to say the very least. However, as we all now, the Hollywood glitz and glam is surely always to come with its fair share of drama. In the short week of 2011, Laker fans saw a still ring-less Mark Cuban fire shots off at 11-time champion coach Phil Jackson, who alongside girlfriend Jeanie Buss, playfully brushed it aside.
Ron Artest announced his yearly gripe with the head coach on how the media perceived him during post game interviews, which also ultimately fizzled. Kobe Bryant was the subject of criticisms from both Jackson and forward Pau Gasol, all having to do with his shooting volume. Many fans have been ready to abandon ship on the season, but to any seasoned Laker fan, we wouldn’t expect anything different.
Few Laker championship seasons have been completely free of contention and drama. Last year Ron Artest constantly butted heads with Phil while trying to fit in to the triangle offense. During the Shaq and Kobe years, their championship photos often camouflaged the growing tension between the two that ultimately ended in Shaq’s departure to Miami.
Next: Familiar With Distractions
Kobe dealt with rape allegations while statistically putting on the best few seasons of his career. In the wide scheme of things, nothing has changed in Laker Land. It’s the same old story with this team; their preseason mindset often stretches through January, which often includes a couple of ugly losses along the way. Many claimed the apocalypse was coming as the Lakers were blown out on their home court during their Christmas battle with the new Big Three.
This still shouldn’t come as a huge surprise though, as the Lakers have limped to a 2-7 record in the last 9 tries on Christmas but still managed to make it to the NBA Finals 5 times out of those 9. The bottom line is, the Lakers like coasting for the early part of their journey and then showing off their potential around the All-Star break and onward. Andrew Bynum is looking great in his early development back to the playoff form the Lakers need him to be. Building a championship team is an endurance race, not a sprint to the finish line.
With that being said, there are some trends the Lakers need to resolve if they plan to keep up with teams like San Antonio, Miami and Boston. Their play of late has been reminiscent of the dreadful Smush-Kwame days, where Kobe fires up 25-30 shots as the team falls behind during long stretches of games. Nevertheless, this isn’t the only reason the Lakers are sputtering. Here are three things the Lakers need to get in order to regain their Championship swagger and return to prominence.
Next: Limiting Kobe’s Shot Total
1. Limiting Kobe’s shot total
Kobe isn’t the 27-year-old high flyer that he used to be, and with one of the most talented Laker squads in recent history, the other weapons have to be utilized. I recognize Lakers Nation is a little sensitive when it comes to our hero Kobe Bryant, but the numbers don’t lie. As a seasoned Kobe takes more shots in games where the Lakers are underperforming as a team, the results don’t end as pretty as they used to.
With a 26-11 record, the eleven losses have come with Kobe taking close to 24 shots per game. The second most frequent shot taker in those scenarios is Pau, with a mere 13.2 shots per game. Kobe’s shooting percentages also trend downwards, from about 47% in wins to 41% in losses. In the more disconcerting losses, looking back on the shot totals makes you cringe.
In the Lakers’ first loss of the season in Denver, Kobe took an astonishing 32 shots, making only 11. He was also 3 for 10 from deep, most of those coming when the game was within reach in the closing minutes. In an embarrassing home loss to Indiana, Kobe was a stark 14 for 33. Of a fresher memory, in the Lakers’ first encounter with San Antonio he missed 19 of 27 shots.
Most of these came during a frustrating stretch of the game where the Lakers could not set up any offense, but instead just watch Kobe throw up brick after brick and let the game slip away. Don’t take this the wrong way: no one is more crucial to Los Angeles sports or has done more for the city than Kobe Bryant. To take from the Dodgers’ mantra, Los Angeles is HIS town, but it is undeniable that he takes some ill-advised shots when the game begins to slip instead of deferring to teammates. He has openly admitted that when he feels the offense slip away, he takes the responsibility of doing more to try to get his teammates into it.
Kobe has seen his fair share of injuries, and to put more stress on a withering knee and a finger that he is still trying to get used to shoot with is irresponsible. The Lakers shouldn’t lean on Kobe to bail us out and make circus shots anymore, but instead rely on him to become the all-dangerous playmaker of which we’ve seen glimpses. Bolstering the bench, utilizing a healthy Bynum and asking more of Lamar Odom should be the concern. Not to mention that 3 years ago the heavens opened and awarded the city a 7-foot Spaniard, and its due time the Lakers involve him more in the offense.
Next: Getting Pau More Involved
2. Involving Pau Gasol in the offense
Trying to put this in better terms than what is obvious yields no real success. Pau needs more touches. He also needs to convert on these touches. In the first 15 games where the Lakers were winners of 13, Pau was the talk of the league. His forward play was unrivaled by anyone at his position. Since those days however, Pau has taken a back seat in both the media and statistical views.
In a Western Conference deep with talented forwards, Gasol has to regain his voice and return to his dominant form. Coupled with the first thing the Lakers need to get done, there has to exist a balance between producing at top capacity and playing too many minutes as he was often asked to do early on in the season.
In the Lakers 25 wins, Pau shot 53% from the field while accumulating 20 points a game. In their 11 losses, Pau’s percentage dips to 48% and his point total to 15. At this point, Andrew Bynum hasn’t played significant minutes to argue that he is taking shots from Pau, although when he returns to true form this may be the case. In some more of the Lakers’ ugly losses, trends appear that would lead all fans to agree Pau needs more looks.
In the December opening battle with Houston, Pau played 39 minutes but only managed to get 8 shots. He made only 2 of those shots and accrued a meager 8 points during the course of the game. Games like this destroy the balance that the Lakers need, and shouldn’t happen with so much talent available on the court. In the Spurs game, there was more of the same story: 34 minutes, 9 points on 8 shots.
Teams like San Antonio or Boston who also have reliable forward play salivate when the Lakers play these kinds of games because it represents their chance to steal the spotlight. When the Lakers go away from the triangle offense and rely more isolations and guard play, they get burned; they’ve shown us plenty examples already, being only January.
While it is undeniable that Pau deserves to be a more center part of the offense, it is up to him to be more aggressive. Fans have seen all too many games already where Pau shies away from being physical and tries to rely more on his finesse. Few forwards are as good as Gasol when their backs are towards the basket, and the Lakers have to exploit that if they expect to dominate the conference again.
Next: Getting More Bench Production
3. Improving Bench Play
Laker fans know that the current bench composes one of the best we’ve had in a long while. Owner Jerry Buss has stated this team could very well be the most talented one he’s had over the past 31 years he’s been around (See one of my previous articles, https://staging.lakersnation.com/catching-the-buss-to-the-hall-of-fame/2010/08/18/4/). Nonetheless, with the style that the Lakers have been playing and with the situations they continue to put themselves in, they haven’t had the opportunity to show their potential.
In the Lakers’ 11 losses, the bench is shooting a meager 40.3% while shooting 45.2% in their 25 wins. The bench scores 10 points less in losses than they do in wins (33.3-23.2). It’s clear that when the bench has to play significant minutes in a loss, they’re often forced to take bad shots instead of having the opportunity to set up the offense.
Steve Blake is shooting a poor 38.4% from the field, a result of the inordinate amount of 3 pointers he’s had to take in games where the Lakers are already in a hole. How the Lakers play on the court directly affects what rotations have to come out and play and what role they have to play in. During the Christmas debacle, Ron’s early foul trouble caused Matt Barnes to play early and Kobe’s desire to come into the game while the reserves were still out made them more complacent as he decided to take the bulk of the work. Barnes, Blake and Shannon Brown shot a combined 4-18 as a result and compounded the triangle.
The bottom line is that if the starters don’t set the tempo, Laker fans can’t expect the bench to produce at high levels. In those losses, the Lakers were taken away from the style of ball necessary to win. When Kobe’s multitude of shots didn’t go down, the bench had no choice but to force plays in order to try and come out on top.
If all these things are considered and the Lakers play with less complacency, their third straight title awaits. The drama that has surrounded this team as of late is simply a product of them attempting to stay interested. The reason Kobe, Fish and Pau are still able to give calm interviews is because they’ve been here before. They know what it takes to win, and they know that they are not far from reaching their potential as a group.
At the end of the day, the Lakers are still an elite team, and it is ridiculous for fans and critics alike to think otherwise. If you think other teams in the league don’t constantly look over their shoulders at what will become of the Lakers when they get everything in order, you’re sorely mistaken. It may take more time than normal, but expect to see the Lakers play into June of 2011.
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