One can evaluate one’s potential for defense as an individual only up to a point. Everyone critiqued
Chris Webber as a defensive liability, but he’s doing well in the Piston team concept. If the Lakers were to play and reward true team defense, many presumed individual infermities would disappear through team defense strategies. Teaming and minutes played would change.

Even though marred by Smush’s play, the Lakers played as a unit earlier in the season. A few times they even played lockdown defense. Whatever it was they were doing, they were winning. if it ain’t broke–don’t fix it.

Right now, it’s broke–and the way to start fixing it is to do something different with the Smusher. That leads to tinkering with the playing times/teaming of the remaining healthy players. We need to somehow rediscover the magic of chemistry that we had at the beginning of the season.

And as soon as everybody gets over the dissapointment of not getting Kidd… we will realize that it was a trade better left undone. Kidd would lock us up financially for the next two years and his production would be decreasing by the day. We’re much better off stickin to the gameplan this season and going after KG in the summer

That means three promising kids (Turiaff, Bynum, and Farmar), four big cripples (Brown, Mihm, Walton, and Radman), two rehabs (Odom and Kobe), and some role players.

The coaches seemingly are managing this ragtag crew as if the cripples were momentarily gone, distorting rotations that had not ever been fully established in the best of times.

Bynum has been getting serious playing time because the coaches have little choice; Turiaff has been getting only grudging playing time even though the coaches have little choice. Farmar has not been even that lucky.

Despite having his moments, Sasha has fared no better than Jordan, McKie and Anderson seem to have gotten lost altogether.

Though far from a toughened veteran, the Smusher has been getting nearly as much PT as Kobe or Lamar. After all, Smush is the only starter that has been healthy all season. Cookie no longer has to throw his jersey at Phil to get his attention. Evans has gotten some extended backup time–but still far less than the Smusher.

If the ragtag Lakers we will have for the remainder of the season are to resemble themselves from earlier healthier times (rather than the Celtics they are about to face), those minutes need some serious tweaking.

Depending on the Smusher to stabilize the starters and close out games is a move of Disneyesque proportions.

Trust me, you don’t want to know anyone beyond that..

BTW, what point guards are out there in free agency, real options? Steve Blake?