It’s easy to recognize the commencement of an era with a defining moment. And while that point in time might not be determined until it is possible to look back and reflect, I can safely say that the Lakers’ double-digit loss to the Clippers was not that moment. Sorry to burst the enormous bubble of all the Clippers fans, who have substituted their daily pornography intake for the gargantuan posters of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan currently wallpapering the Hotel Figueroa Hotel next to Staples Center, but the Lakers will always be the alpha dogs of Los Angeles.
It will certainly take centuries for the Clippers to even start thinking about catching up to the Lakers; and it would require the relocation of the purple and gold for the Clippers to be handed the metaphorical baton of power over SoCal sports. However, that is not what is at stake for the Lakers right now.
Rather, what is available for the taking is answer to the question, “Who is the best team in Los Angeles right now?” And if you’re the manager, coach or fan of a team that isn’t in the midst of rebuilding, you better be doing everything in your power to ensure that your team is the answer to that question. But unlike the last 30-some years, finding that answer isn’t as easy as “two plus two.” Sometime between Blake Griffin’s arrival and the start of the 2011 “off-season,” Clippers owner Donald Sterling woke up and realized that he no longer had the keys to a Ford Flex, but rather, a Bentley. Now, instead of putting all of his time and focus into not losing money, he is doing whatever he can to put a championship team on the court – something very few managements actually do these days.
But the issue for the Lakers isn’t that the Clippers are suddenly breathing down their necks. For the first time in nearly four years, it’s their lack of personnel. Since the Lakers’ then-deemed heist of Pau Gasol in February of 2008, they have had a team primed for championship contention. However, with each passing game, their roster appears to be regressing to a state in which Kobe Bryant is reverting to his old ways of taking 23-plus shots a night, and the Lakers are slipping from the top of the Western Conference.
The criticism towards Bryant’s recent string of 40-point outbursts comes without validation. His recent shot-selection isn’t what’s putting the Lakers out of games, it’s what’s keeping them in them.
So, why has Bryant seen an increase in shot attempts if Pau Gasol and an extremely improved Andrew Bynum remain on the roster? Surely it’s not due to the aging or injuries of the Lakers’ big men – Bynum is in the best physical shape of his career and Gasol is just finishing the peak of his career. Bryant, on the other hand, is 33 years-old, has 16 years on his NBA odometer and is playing with a mangled wrist, surgically repaired knees and only seven or eight fingers that will actually have any use to him once he retires. And it’s not because Kobe has decided to revert to his 2005-07 ways or lost all trust in his teammates, while attempting to catch Kareem’s scoring record. No, he’s taking all of these shots and scoring a ton of points because if he doesn’t, the Lakers are going to start losing.
Next Page: Why is Kobe taking so many shots?
How come Gasol and Bynum have experienced a dip in touches and points, while Kobe’s shot total has risen considerably? Because they are playing more minutes and thus, are having difficulties getting open position in the post due to fatigue. Gasol is only averaging .3 more minutes per game than last season (up to 37.3 from 37.0), but Bynum is playing 34.7 minutes per game this season (up from 27.8 last year).
When they had Lamar Odom filling in for them, the Lakers could confidently rest Gasol and Bynum in intervals, because they didn’t have to worry about Odom failing to hold his own down low. But when they replaced Odom with Josh McRoberts and Troy Murphy – while both are veterans with solid experience – the Lakers don’t have that same assurance and quality on the floor, which means Bynum and Gasol can’t sit as long. And in a 66-game regular season that is jammed into four months, they need to be able to rest.
Therefore, if the Lakers can’t work their offense through the post as Mike Brown originally intended, the ball has to go through Bryant first (what, did you really think that Josh McRoberts or Metta World Peace were next on the pecking order?). While playing 37 minutes a night at 33 years of age will not bode well for preserving his career for the future, if the Lakers want to remain competitive with the roster they currently have, that’s what it’s going to take.
If their bigs are going to miss easy buckets time and time again down low, and their perimeter players (Barnes, World Peace and Fisher) are going to brick wide-open jumpers, you better believe Kobe is going to start taking more shots. It doesn’t matter if he’s 33 or 63, if Kobe’s on the court and no one else is making shots, I’d rather have Kobe missing those shots than the other guys out there. At least he has proven himself enough times to make me believe that the ball has a good shot at going in the basket. But the thing is, Kobe isn’t missing shots this year. He’s making them, and doing so at a pretty decent percentage (for Kobe, anyways) at 46.4 percent from the field.
The Lakers are suffering from a lack of players who can get the job done when Bryant, Gasol and Bynum are taking a breather. Because the Lakers have absolutely no one who is capable of leading the reserves, their bench has struggled mightily this season, averaging a league-worst 20.7 points through 14 games and gets outscored by over seven points per game as well.
It’s never good to dwell on the past and stray away from the present, but how smart does signing Jason Kapono, Troy Murphy and Josh McRoberts to replace Odom and Shannon Brown look now? I realize that the Lakers were stuck financially, and didn’t have a lot of wiggle room, but if you’re going to trade the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, at least get something in return for him. The nearly $9 million trade exception means nothing for this year if the Lakers don’t utilize it to bring in quality help for their bench. Right now, the Lakers have too many question marks coming off the bench – forcing the starters to play increased minutes, which will ultimately haunt them down the stretch.
This may be preaching to the choir, but having a strong bench is imperative for attaining overall success. If the Lakers can’t confidently play their reserves, or are forced to and suffer the consequences, they’ll be lucky to make it past the second round of the playoffs.
I don’t like Bryant having to score 40 points for the Lakers to barely be a competitive team at all, but if that’s what it’s going to take, then so be it. Anyone who has watched Bryant play before knows that he hates losing more than he loves winning. And if the Lakers are going to lose, he’s going to make sure that he does everything he possibly can before time runs out.