2010-11 Season Previews: Los Angeles Lakers

Crazy Uncle Ron-Ron, how I sort of, but not really, miss you.

The NBA Season is fast upon us, so its time for the Pick and Scroll to begin previewing each team. We're going to go in order from worst previous record to best.  As much as I personally hate to say it, the Lakers have been the best team in basketball two years running.  Does this team have enough gas left in the tank to get Phil his 4th three-peat?

2009-10 Record: 57-25
Additions: Matt Barnes (FA), Theo Ratliff (FA), Steve Blake (FA), Derrick Caracter (Draft), Devin Ebanks (Draft)
Subtractions: Adam Morrison, Jordan Farmar, Josh Powell, D.J. Mbenga

The Los Angeles Lakers are going for a third straight championship, and its hard to argue against them doing it too.  Nobody in the West really stands out as a threat to them right now, and they've shown that they can handle both the Celtics and Magic.  The Heat are new, but the Heat also lack size, the Lakers's strength.  An underrated story of the summer is how the Lakers have gotten better themselves.  Look at those subtractions.  Those players could have not been on the team last year and they still likely would have won the championsip.  Now look at the players they've added.  Those are solid rotation players, starters for some teams.  The Lakers weren't stagnant.  They saw the rest of the league improve and did so themselves, strengthening a once weak bench.

Perhaps the biggest question for the Lakers is how long Kobe can keep it up.  He has so many miles on that body and he's played through so many injuries already that it seems inevitable that we'll begin to see a dropoff in his production as well.  Kevin Pelton of Basketball Prospectus (buy it if you haven't already) is one of those who thinks this will be the year.  Still though, I don't think a dropoff, if there is one, will be that dramatic.  He's only 32, and increased depth and less of a focus on the regular season could mean that he'll get to rest up a bit more.

Along with Bryant is a focus on Andrew Bynum's knee issues.  Bynum can be extremely productive when healthy, but he's constantly hampered by knee issues, a huge concern for the team especially considering how young he is.  This team probably wouldn't have beat the Celtics last year without even a gimpy Bynum.  So it's concerning when Phil Jackson says that Bynum might end up having to be a situational player.

Pau Gasol will continually be looked at as the Robin to Kobe's Batman no matter what he does, but he might end up being the most important part of this team.  I called him an unsung hero this summer and I still think he is.  There isn't a better Power Forward in the game right now, and he took his whole game to another level last year.

Let's not forget the rest of the players returning to the crew.  Ron Artest and Lamar Odom are the best of the rest.  Odom is one of the league's best sixth men, a starter and possible All-Star on any other team in the league.  Consistency is the key with Odom, but his defense, rebounding, and versatility combined with Pau and Bynum is a big reason so many teams have trouble with Los Angeles.  Artest, for all his faults, is a strong defender, and can be a decent offensive option at times as well (although he often picks the wrong time to try to be the offensive option).

The Lakers were able to retain Derek Fisher and Shannon Brown after some uncertainty and that helps as both were key members to the team.  Fisher routinely steps up his game during the playoffs, and his shooting has saved the Lakers on more than one occasion.  Brown is a tad overrated in my opinion, but as a bench player he does well as a scoring punch off the bench.  He's a disaster when asked to create however.  Luke Walton missed most of last season and as much as I like to bag on him, he's a good fit for the Triangle, excelling at finding the open man.  Sasha Vujacic needs to rebound after a terrible season.  His whole purpose is to shoot, and shoot well, and yet he only shot 30.9% on the season.  He's an expiring contract, and I wouldn't be surprised to see the Lakers try to move him to cut their tax payment down.  He's not a critical component of the team.

The new acquisitions could be the difference maker this year.  Barnes is an enforcer type who can rebound the hell out of the ball and defend as well.  Blake is a younger version of Fisher, who works so well in the Triangle system.  He's an ideal backup for Fisher, and possibly better overall.  Ratliff is an experienced vet, added to the team for his defensive credentials, and unlike Mbenga or Powell of years past, might actually be regarded by Phil Jackson as a viable option as a backup center.  Their draft picks were also pretty nice.  Caracter was considered a high-risk but high-potential pick, but for a second rounder there is almost no risk. Ebanks was also a solid second rounder, and could end up being the new Trevor Ariza. The similarities are remarkable, right down to resemblance.  Both rookies had a good Summer League.  I don't expect them to get much playing time this year, but they're in a good place to start their career, learning from some of the best in the league.

This is still a ridiculously strong team, and I don't see anyone in the West toppling them this year, barring a big trade somewhere.  Nobody can match up with their talent, size, skill, and depth.  Out of the East, Boston and Orlando are the only ones that I could see giving them a run for their money.  Miami's biggest weakness matches up with LA's biggest strength, so even though I haven't seen them play eachother yet, I think Los Angeles could take care of them in a series relatively easily.  So to all other teams looking for a title, the Lakers aren't messing around.  If you want it, you'll have to take it from them... no small feat.

Projected Win Range: 53-58