4 replies to this topic

[BeeZee]

Written by former head coach Eric Musselman:

A STRONG STARTING LINEUP: LA’s starting five -- Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher, Vladimir Radmanovic, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum -- is among the league’s best. Fisher is a proven winner who makes big shots, works to defends his position, and, thanks to his ability (and willingness) to take charges, gets extra possessions for his team. He’s also a terrific leader, a critical trait for a point guard.

Radmanovic is interesting in that, though a starter, he typically gets 5-7 minutes in the first and third quarters. If he’s playing well, he’ll get additional minutes. If not, Phil Jackson can turn to Lamar Odom, Trevor Ariza or Luke Walton. Depending on the day and the opponent, you could argue that all three are better than Radmanovic.

Though he’s certainly capable of playing center, Gasol is more effective at the four spot. An excellent scorer who can play with his back to the basket and face up from 15-19 feet, Pau can play with more finesse when he’s at the power forward position. He’s also one of the best passers in the league among big men.

Bynum, already the best young center in the NBA, improves every day. Had he not been injured, his presence likely would have changed the outcome of the title series last year.

And, finally, there’s Kobe, arguably the NBA’s best player. Not a bad way to round out a lineup.

http://probasketball...man_110508.html

[LALDynasty]

I got 2 reasons Kobe Bryant Phil Jackson.

[Aceis²FresH]

Great Bench

[Real Deal]

I'll do my five.

1) Improved Defense
It's the most important part of our success. If we don't defend, we are going to need a Kobe and Shaq duo, both being in their primes, to dominate and outscore everyone. Bynum and Gasol don't make up for Shaq, who was much, much, much stronger and more intimidating back then. I don't even think they make up for his scoring (25-30 a game). Improvements from Bynum, Farmar, and Gasol have been noticed, while Kobe and Ariza are still playing the defense they have been known for their entire career, one being a first-teamer, the other a solid defender.

2) Fast-Paced Bench Play
Too fast for most NBA benches to compete with? Definitely. The Lakers' bench contains at least two players who could be potential starters for over half of the teams in the league (Odom, and Farmar may be that good if you look at current point guards from other teams). Also, with the bench tossing the triangle most of the time, teams really have no way to prepare for us, unless they decide to play starters versus starters, bench versus bench, and if that happens, our bench will outscore theirs by 15-20 points.

3) Kobe Bryant
Technically, he's the main reason why we'd win it all, just because he's still the best in the league and draws more attention than any player in the NBA (even LeBron, if you consider the perimeter attention Kobe can get). Bigs can't stay away from him, which gives our bigs the green light to prepare for an open dunk, while bored point guards are forced to help defend him on the perimeter, giving Fisher an open three. It's sad, but not for us.

4) Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum
We dominate in second-chance points. Offensive rebounding, defensive rebounding, it doesn't matter -- Gasol and Bynum have it covered. After Drew pulled down 16-17 boards versus the Clippers (this being against Camby and Kaman, in limited minutes as well), and Gasol working the glass nicely with tips and put-backs, you can't help but wonder what this duo will do against Garnett, Perkins, Powe and Davis this time around.

5) Spacing
Using just the starting five, since they run the triangle more than the second unit, the spacing is good to excellent. Great spacing gives the Lakers more open shots from the perimeter, more area for opposing defenses to cover in the post, less crowding for our guards to attack the rim, more open space for our cutters, and helps with screen and rolls. Defenders get tired quickly, the Lakers don't exert themselves as much on offense, and the game becomes a blowout by the fourth quarter.

[Game]

1 KOBE
2 BEAN
3 BRYANT
4 NUMBER
5 24