Assessing the Lakers Season Thus Far
All things considered, the Los Angeles Lakers' season has been far better than expected. What started out with a dismal preseason performance with a pouty Kobe demanding a trade, has turned into a well-oiled team in second place in their division (only 2.5 games behind Phoenix) and with the 7th best record in the entire NBA. Kobe has been Kobe-like, leading his team in scoring, assists, and steals. Lamar has been a good second fiddle, averaging 14 points and 9 boards per night. And the young Andrew Bynum has been averaging a double-double, with 12.8 points and 10.1 rebounds per night. He's really developed well since last season.
This year's personnel offers the best rotation for this team since 2004 when Malone and Gary Payton were starting alongside Kobe, Shaq, and Rick Fox. This year, they have Derek Fisher back at starting PG, with the up and coming Jordan Farmar backing him up. The dynamic Trevor Ariza is starting and is backed up by the very dependable Luke Walton, a player that doesn't have the most talent but whose basketball IQ is immense. Seriously, when is the last time you saw Luke Walton make a bad play? A terrible pass, or a bone headed move like dribbling over the half court line, double teamed, then picking up his dribble? Or taking an ill advised shot? Luke just plays smart and doesn't try to play above his potential.
You have Lamar starting as a lanky yet effective PF and Bynum anchoring the center spot. And backups Sasha Vujacic, Vlad Radmanovic, and Chris Mihm are good enough to be starters on maybe 25% of the teams out there. I wouldn't be surprised if the Lakers backups - Farmar, Sasha, Luke, Vlad, and Mihm - as a starting five could actually beat some of the lower tiered teams' starting fives. I'd take them over the pathetic T-Wolves or the banged up Heat or the dysfunctional Knicks any day of the week. Plus if those five were the actual starting five of a team, it would be the first time five white guys started an NBA game since 1974!!
I think the Lakers can keep up their high level of play as long as they don't lose any key components to injury. Could this be the first post-Shaq year that the Lakers advance out of the first round of the playoffs? There's still a lot of basketball to be played in this season, but the way things are looking now, that definitely seems like a possibility. What's more, the Lakers have a young and very talented nucleus with Bynum and Farmar. Hopefully these two remain Lakers for many more years to come.
While I don't think the Lakers have a strong enough roster to get too far in the playoffs this year, I do believe that they're just a key offseason acquisitions away from taking the next step.