HoopWatch

The L.A. Lakers are still supposedly rebuilding, but they are rebuilding in a winning fashion. Phil Jackson has done a very good job in teaching his young team everything that it takes to win. What was impressive during their last season stint was that they were able to push a 54-win Phoenix team to a game seven and to the brink of elimination, even leading 3-1 at one point in the series.

The Lakers have one of the youngest starting fives in the league, with an average age of a shade over 25. They are being led by 27 year old Kobe Bryant. Backing him up are Kwame Brown, 23, Lamar Odom, 25 and Smush Parker, 24. They added free agent Vladimir Radmanovic who will provide more firepower. And they did so without deviating from their rebuilding phase. Radmanovic is just 26 years old.

No doubt this is still Kobe’s team. But as we saw in the playoffs, Jackson has molded these young guys slowly, defining their roles and what they can bring to the team. During the first half the season, Kobe’s role was to provide the bulk of the points, while the rest of the team was still learning. Then, as the season progressed, the production of some of the players improved especially that of Brown, Odom and Parker. Kobe’s shot attempts decreased from 27 during the first half to 22 in the latter half of last season.

Furthermore, Jackson has polished their defense. Jackson has always preached defense ever since his Chicago Bulls days. And the young Lakers did just that in the last 17 regular season games, allowing opponents only 94.3 points a game. Only two teams scored more than a 100, one an overtime game, and the other, well, it was against the gun-and-run Phoenix Suns.

Now they are armed with a full season with Phil Jackson and a playoff experience. They are deadlier than ever. Kobe does not need to shoot more than 22 times per game. He will be getting a lot of help which was evident during the latter half of last season, and in their playoff encounter with the Suns.

Odom is Kobe’s Scottie Pippen. Against the Suns in seven playoff games, he averaged 19.1 points, 11 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.1 blocks and shot nearly 50% from the field. Now those are huge numbers. Jackson has molded him to become an all-around player just as Pippen was (for Jordan). Countless times, he has eased the burden from Kobe.

Brown has also emerged and has proven that he truly deserves being drafted first overall before. With usual starting center Chris Mihm injured, Brown has provided 11 points, 7.6 rebounds and shot a whopping 58.2 percent from the field. He has also scored in double digits 18 times out of 22 games last season. That’s huge for someone who has been forgotten to be a one time first over-all pick.

For a guy who was just trying out a spot in a team roster, Parker has really overachieved. He started for the Lakers the whole of last season. He has provided backcourt consistency and balance for the team. He is one of only six players averaging more than 1.5 three and 1.5 steals a game (a company he enjoys with the likes of Lebron James, Jason Kidd, Gilbert Arenas, Bryant and Eddie Jones).

When these three join forces with Kobe in almost all their games this season, they will be hard to beat. They could become the league’s spoilers and NBA’s biggest surprise!

I predict a regular eight-man rotation for the Lakers each night. The starting center could still be Chris Mihm at first. He will stay there only if he stays health (he never played in a full season throughout his career), and if Brown will not show up with his huge numbers. But I think by December, Brown will take over that starting center spot. The forwards will be Odom and Brian Cook. Brian Cook started some games for Jackson last season, and with the departure of Devean George, it is highly likely that Jackson will start the season with Cook. He may not stay there for long if Radmanovic will fit into Jackson’s triangle, and will prove worthy of that starting forward spot alongside Odom. The guards will no doubt be Bryant and Parker. One thing’s for sure – Odom, Bryant and Parker will always be in Jackson’s starting five.

Maurice Evans will provide some scoring option off the bench. Nevertheless, I don’t think Odom and Bryant will be out of the game at the same time. These two are young and are capable of playing the whole 48 minutes. One of them definitely has to stay in every minute of each game, unless one is injured, one is in foul trouble, or the game is simply lopsided. Brown will relieve Mihm with five or six minutes remaining in the first. Evans may come in in the latter minutes of the first or at the start of the second. And Luke Walton will always be a fixture in every game for the Lakers. Jackson knows him and he likes him. Radmanovic may not play that heavy minutes at first as Jackson will still be testing his mettle. Besides, Cook can do the thing that Radmanovic is good at, which is shooting threes. He is a 39.6 three point shooter. Unless Radmanovic can provide more than just shooting from behind the arc, Jackson may rotate just Walton, Cook and Odom at the forward spot.

The Lakers may advance to the second round in this year’s playoffs provided Bryant, Odom, Brown and Parker will provide their usual production, and if the other players play their roles to near perfection. That’s a good step towards future dominance. The main focus of this team is to rebuild for the future, at most three years down the road, where they could dominate the league once again. For now, they’ll be happy to be in the playoffs again and learn their way to the second round. After all, the Jackson-mentored Bulls did not become the most dominant team in the 90’s overnight. They had to overcome years of frustration, but they never despair. The Lakers are on that same road. Jackson knows how to build a dynasty best anyway. He has started to plant the seeds, and after a few years, he will harvest the best fruits. He will bring back glory to the Lakers. (pics courtesy of lakers.topbuzz.com)