The best Laker line of the week comes from former Eagle/overrated solo artist Joe Walsh, who on his current tour, according to the LA Times Steve Harvey, has changed some of the lyrics to his best-known song, “Life’s Been Good To Me (So Far):
I’ve got a limo
Ride in the back
I watch the Lakers
They suck without Shaq
Today is another of something we will see a lot less of next year, the Lakers on a national broadcast. This time it is against Sacramento. Following on my new trend of seeing what kind of starting five you can make from guys on the IR of the Lakers and whoever they are playing, we have a very good team putt together: Bobby Jackson at point, Tony Bobbit at the two (this is a problem), Lamar Odom at the three, Chris Mihm at the four and Brad Miller at the five. Not bad.
Sacramento has clinched a playoff spot, but unfortunately they get my favorite NBA title dark horse in the first round, Dallas. If they are to have any chance in that series or the playoffs at all, they are going to need to get healthy and have Miller near 100% (he’s expected back about the start of the playoffs).
The Kings still have good perimeter play with Mike Bibby, Peja and Cuttino Mobley. In fact, in the last 10 games it has been Mobley who has been the Kings’ second best player (behind Peja) — he’s been shooting 54.3% (eFG%) in that span.
With Miller out, we’ll see if the veteran (read: old) Laker frontcourt of Brian Grant and Vlade Divac can take advantage. Stopping the four and the five has been Sacramento’s defensive weakness this season already (opponents PER at the four is 17.9, at center 17.7, and that was mostly with Miller healthy).
The last Laker game against Seattle — even though the Sonics were shorthanded — showed flashes of what we had hoped to see from the team all season. I’m not sure we’ve seen it for two games in a row for a while, but it would be nice to know they can still do that.