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It’s Time To Step Up

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Having Andrew Bynum out is nothing new to the Lakers.  In January 2008 he injured his knee against Memphis and missed the remainder of the regular season and playoffs as the Lakers made their first trip to the Finals since 2004.  The following season, in some sort of cruel episode of deja vu, Bynum would again injure his knee against Memphis and miss a substantial amount of games – only this time he was able to return to the team and help them win the championship as a spot contributor all while dragging a bum wheel up and down the court.  So, when Bynum came up limping against Minnesota on Friday with a strained achilles tendon and a recovery timeline of at least a week (and likely more), the Lakers will shift back into a familiar mode of playing without its up and coming starting Center.

However, this season things are a bit different.  For one, it is expected that Bynum will be back sooner rather than later (knocking on wood).  For two, Bynum is a better player this year whose contributions are more valued and part of the winning structure of this team.  (For those that question this point, this season is the first since Bynum started to get regular minutes that he’s earned crunch time minutes – at times displacing Gasol late in close games.  In seasons past this part of the game was always Odom/Gasol time or even Kwame/Odom time, but this season ‘Drew has impressed enough that he’s gotten time in these situations.)  And third, this time the injury comes much later in the season with the Lakers only having 12 games left on their regular season schedule while also hitting a stretch of tough games that the team needs to win to secure the number one seed in the West and build some momentum going into the playoffs.

So, all of these factors conspire to create one line of thinking for the Lakers that are healthy enough to play – it’s time to step up.  As we all know, the Lakers are about to embark on a pretty tough road trip.  Five games in eight days against teams that are either trying to fine tune their games for long playoff runs or fighting tooth and nail to make the post season at all.  The only team that is clearly out of the playoffs that the Lakers will face is New Orleans, but even they are expecting the return of Chris Paul and want to use this last part of their schedule as a springboard into next season by winning games and evaluating how their talented PG’s play together.  So what does this mean for the Lakers?  To me it means that there needs to be a sense of urgency when playing this upcoming set of games.  It also means that while all players need to chip in and play good ball, there are four specific players that I think need to fill in the gaps while Bynum is out:

*Pau Gasol  needs to play the exact way that he’s been playing recently.  Against the Warriors, Kings, T’Wolves, and Wizards Pau has really raised his level of play and flourished on offense while rebounding well and playing good defense.  In three of those four games, Gasol has scored over 25 points, grabbed 12 or more rebounds, had at least 3 assists, and tallied a blocked shot in each contest.  That level of production will need to continue and he’ll need to do it while playing heavy minutes on the road – where fatigue sets in faster and easier.  Unlike last season, Gasol has played up and down and has suffered some injuries that have limited his minutes and his overall production.  But if the game against the Wizards is any indication, Pau will need to look back to last season and use those games as a template for what is needed from him.  He’ll need to play 40+ minutes and be the fulcrum of our triple post offense.  He’ll need to play strong and impose his game on the front courts that he’ll be facing.  No small feat considering he’ll face Duncan, Okafor, Chuck Hayes, and Al Horford on this trip – all players that play some very good post defense.  History says that Pau is up to the challenge.  Last season, Phil pushed Gasol hard and never let up on him offering only faint praise all while demanding and expecting strong performances nightly.  And Pau delivered.  Can he do the same on this trip?  He’ll need to (and I think he will).

*Lamar Odom is going to have to play the all around game that all his supporters cite when speaking of his value to the Lakers.  Last night against Washington, Odom didn’t score well, but he filled the boxscore in other categories and was the glue of our front court rotation.  Last season, when Bynum went down, Odom responded with what was arguably his best stretch of basketball in his entire career.  He had a slew of high double digit rebound games and contributed with deft passing and above average scoring for the Lakers.  Considering he’ll be facing off against David West, Josh Smith, Luis Scola, and Jeff Green on this trip, he’ll need to come close to replicating last season’s Bynum-less efforts on this roadie.  I know there are some that still question Odom’s mindset and wonder if he’ll ever be more than a talented tease.  I’m not one of those guys, but he’ll need to prove it again to me and to everyone else.  From an X’s and O’s perspcetive, one way to get Odom playing well is to let him have the ball in his hands more.  What I mean is that the Lakers need to let Odom be an offensive initiator and allow him to bring the ball up.  This takes Kobe and Fisher off the ball and allows them to get their shots within the offense more.  It also allows Odom to be more of a cutter and slasher in our sets because the player that makes the first pass is often the player that cuts hard through the lane after the initial entry.  Odom excels in this role because he is one of the better Lakers at finding creases in defenses while easily making catches and then either scoring or passing to another teammate.  But too often this season LO has not performed in this role because he’s shared the court with other ball dominant guards (namely Farmar and Brown).  Now that LO is in the starting line up, he can take on more responsibility in getting our offense organized, enabling him to be more involved from the outset of games.

*Josh Powell looks to be the back up front court player that will see his minutes increase the most with Bynum out.  And with that increase in his role, he’ll need to back up the faith that the coaches are showing him with actual production.  Powell is a true professional, and he’s going to get his chance to show that he can make shots when needed and rebound the ball the way that the team expects of its big men.  Essentially, Powell will have to provide more than just a warm body in the minutes that he’ll receive and do it playing both PF and C.  At this point, it’s obvious that the coaches think that that Powell can play some Center (at least against opponents that don’t feature a dominant post player).  And while Josh is undersized to play in the pivot, his offensive game is one that lends itself to success playing Center in our system.  Playing PF isn’t really that different than playing C and Josh will get plenty of chances to play pick and pop on both secondary fast break chances and within the Triangle in our sets that feature the pinch post and sideline P&R.  Powell will also get a lot of offensive rebounding opportunities as Gasol, Kobe, and LO get more attention in our half court sets.  I’m just looking for steady minutes and some good shooting from Powell.  I think he’s up to the task.

*Ron Artest is a guy that we have not needed much offense from this season.  Yes his outside shooting has been nice, but what he’s really been needed for is his lockdown defense on the wing.  Well now, with Bynum out, the Lakers will need Ron to perform on offense and take a more active role in scoring the ball.  Yesterday, in the Wizards game, Ron provided perfect example of what will be needed from him in the scoring department (tallying 16 points on 10 shots).  Against the Wiz, he hesitated less and was more aggressive and sought out his shooting opportunities.  He still took a few too many off balance leaners for my taste, but that is his game and if he’s feeling those shots, then by all means take them.  Even if he hasn’t discovered all the nuance of our sets, we need him comfortable on offense right now so I’m willing to live with some mistakes if he can find that comfort level.  But don’t let this talk of requiring more offense mask the fact that we will still need the defensive minded Artest on this trip.  On Ron’s menu is Kevin Durant, likely some minutes on both of Richard Jefferson and a red hot Ginobili, Joe Johnson (and probably some Josh Smith too), Kevin Martin (with a side of Trevor Ariza), and he’ll even see some minutes on David West.  It was not too long ago that Ron Artest was touted as one of the best two way players in the entire league.  With Bynum out, he’s going to get the chance to show that he’s still got some of that in him.

As I mentioned earlier, playing without ‘Drew is nothing new.  But the Lakers are now at a part of the season where the competition is fierce and their coach expects a lot from them.  In fact, Phil has said that while a 4-1 record on this road trip is “acceptable”, that record is “not what champions look for” and that he wants the team to go 5-0.  Lets see if the team can rise to the challenge in front of them and get the wins that their coach is expecting of them.


Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. TJ says

    if we go 5-0 on this trip the ring is ours for sure, the focus and intensity needed to accomplish this will be extremely difficult.

    the defense needs to be tightened up and we should be battling in the high 80s low 90s.

    i think this trip is the barometer of how we will perform in the playoffs. the players know how “big” this trip is, for me anything less than 4-1 means an early exit in the playoffs.

  3. Aaron says

    2)
    The timetable on Luke Walton is that it has been 4 years since he was an NBA player

  5. Snoopy2006 says

    Exciting news, about the Warriors. They have dedicated fans and such an amazing atmosphere, I’ve always wanted to see what a successful team would look like there. And if Ellison does get the nod, we might finally get there.

  6. Don says

    Hmm I wonder what this means for the team. New coaching staff could do wonders to develop talent

  7. Darius says

    lil pau,
    I think the timeline on Walton still points to trying to return in early to mid April. So, here’s hoping that he’s back for the playoffs, if only as insurance depth on the wing and as another player that can initiate our sets while playing with our back up guards.

  8. Chris J says

    Let’s not presume that the Warriors sale would suddenly result in a change of that franchise’s fortunes.

    After all, Paul Allen’s billions haven’t brought Portland (or the Seahawks) to the promised land, and Dolan’s Cablevision money has done nothing to help the Knicks put a decent team on the floor.

    Cuban’s dot-com cash has made Dallas a regular contender, but he’s not tasted champagne yet, either. (OK, maybe that last one is unfair given how the refs jobbed the Mavs in the Finals.)

    Dr. Buss is probably one of the least-wealthy NBA owners in terms of his non-NBA wealth, yet he’s managed to show that smarts, a steady approach and some sound decisions — along with some luck, and the appeal of Southern California — can far outweigh the efforts of other owners with deeper pockets, especially in a salary-capped era.

  9. Craig W. says

    Call me crazy, but I am not a Don Nelson hater. This year has been injury city for GS’s big men and Don has had to stay with small-ball. He will always be fast, but he doesn’t have to be small if he has his players back. This would be a fantastic offense for Farmar — opps! they already have a couple of pretty good guards.

  11. Simonoid says

    Darius, fantastic job with all the game previews, recap and the occasional but ever so refreshing fast break thoughts. Know that many readers are busy digesting every word of every post, so keep it coming.

    And Phillip, good job on scouring the interwebs every morning, so thank you for that, but know that there is a reason for the Lakers single digit win last night: they wanted me to get my ten bucks for betting against them covering the spread. As we all knew they probably won’t.

  12. Simonoid says

    Just adding on the my previous post that is awaiting, all we need now is a mobile version of this amazing blog, so I can visit on my iPod much easier. =P

  13. Darius says

    Simonoid,
    Thanks for the kind words for both me and Phillip. I too appreciate the links that he’s putting up each morning. And, an iPhone app, huh? I’ve got one of those too and I just use Safari to access the site, but that’s an interesting thought….

    RE the Warriors: Here’s hoping that there is some sort of change but that it’s actually for the better. Living in Oakland, I know that the fans are hungry for a winner and that the already steady support would only grow if that team could get its act together. I do agree with Chris J though that it will take more than just Ellison’s fat wallet. Smart people need to be put in place and a vision for the organization must be put in place and followed through upon. Besides lucking out by getting some of this era’s transcendent players, it’s no coincidence that teams like the Lakers and Spurs have ruled the past decade because those are the teams with little to no turnover in coaching and front office personnel that had patience and vision to execute a plan. The Warriors do have some good, young talent but it needs to be cultivated and nurtured in a system that suits their abilities. Not that Nellie doesn’t have a plan. But he also jerks some players around and doesn’t reinforce their growth with patience and discipline. Too often it seems the mad scientist in him takes over and it allows for some players (Baron and Jackson when they were in the Bay; Monta and Maggette now) to do whatever they please while guys like Randolph, Wright, and Biedrins seem to get the short end of the stick when it comes to understanding of their mistakes and the minutes that come along with that.

  14. Congo Cash says

    where’s the love for Mbenga??

    Powell’s jumper is hardly ever on point, and Mbenga brings shot blocking and I’d trust his “Cash” jumper over Powell right now. He should be getting more minutes while Bynum is out.

  15. Snoopy2006 says

    8 – No one’s presuming anything. But it’s been shown, over an extended period of time, that the current ownership is inept. With a change, there’s at least a possibility that the state of the team will improve.

    The point isn’t how wealthy the new ownership is. It’s simply that a change was needed for there to be even a hope of long-term improvement.

    Darius hit it all – a champion franchise needs to have that unique plan and cohesiveness. But even if we aim lower, a simply competent front office could turn the Dubs into perennial playoff players, and that would be exciting enough. I just want to see some playoff games in the Bay Area, to be honest. But I don’t want them to have too much of a vision – they’re in our conference, after all.

  16. R says

    15 – good points, all.

    Ellison would be a significant ownership upgrade for the Warriors. He’s not merely wealthy, but has a proven track record of success in fields other than his primary route to wealth. He was instrumental in returning America’s cup to US custody, for example.

    I assume one of his first moves as owner would be to replace the Warriors coach and FO with, well just about anything that breathes would be an improvement!

  17. Rudy says

    “The timetable on Luke Walton is that it has been 4 years since he was an NBA player”

    LOL….Aaron that’s hilarious. I’ve never been a big Luke Walton fan. The bad part is that we’re stuck with him for the next couple years too. This guy had 1 good playoff series against the Suns and Dr. Buss rewarded him with a long term deal.

    As for this road trip, there’s no way we go 5-0. Honestly I’m hoping for 3-2. There’s just some hungry teams out there trying to secure a playoff spot. I just hope to see us play hard and smart.

  19. robinred says

    We should be hungry for a championship

    _________________

    Well, yes, but the championship won’t be decided on this trip.

    Paul is back and NO buried Dallas. SA edged OKC; I they want to get up to 5 or 6. No one wants 8. The Lakers need to do two things:

    1. Stay healthy
    2. Hold #1 seed in west

  20. ray says

    The Goal for this roadtrip should be 5 – 0. Realistically think it will be 4-1.

    —————————–

    Re: Warriors. I would be excited for the Warriors to get a new owner. I don’t think a new owner would hurt them as badly as this one. Especially if they are looking for men like Jerry West to run the organization. While Jerry even said it was just a rumor and he hasn’t spoken with anyone from the Warriors organization, the fact that it seems they will look for that caliber of management will be good for the Warriors. They are a rabid fan base up there, no matter how bad a team they are.

  21. Rafael says

    I used to have that kind of opinion on walton, but I changed my opinion a bit
    The problem with walton imo is that our bench is horrid at defense(walton included) and his crappy defense gets even more glaring. But I’ve learned to appreciate that, in the least, he brings ball movement to the offense

  22. Chownoir (was J) says

    #12 and #13, Simoniod and Darius, am I missing something about your discussion of the mobile version? I use the mobi link that’s on the contact section of the sidebar? I find that very easy for reading the posts.

    I have a palm and access it pretty cleanly through that link. Alternately I also access the site through the regular browser if I want to see all the comments at once.

  23. Darius says

    #22. No, you’re not missing anything. The idea of an iPhone app was raised and I just found that idea interesting. That’s all, really.

  24. Aaron says

    Rudy,
    As soon as I posted that I realized I should have wrote “3-4 years” so it would be more like an actual timetable. Oh well… I screwed up the joke. I just think its funny when people bring up Luke Walton as if he was a rotation player with us this year. Its like asking when Josh Powell is going to return if he got injured.

  25. Simonoid says

    Chownoir – hmm, I’ve read this site everyday since 2007 and I swear I’ve never noticed that. Either way, that sounds neat.

    Except I’m in Canada and it won’t send to phone. Any chance you could give me the URL?

    Darius – that’ll work for now, I guess. But an iPhone/iPod Touch app remains intriguing. Oh well, it’s not anything pressing. You’re already doing too much for this site.

  26. Simonoid says

    BTW – anyone notice that the new version of Opera (10.50, the super quick one) doesn’t allowing for posting?

  27. ken says

    very very tough to go 5 and 0. Houston could be the toughest of them. Brooks vs Fish is like the turtle and the hair. Also Martin has found his game.

    I would be ok with 3-2 and thrilled with 4-1.

    As for Walton. Has anyone done less for more in the past 5-years?

  28. jeremyLA24 says

    I’m glad to see the optomism in Phil Jackson when he said we should go 5-0 but I have to say that I really liked last year’s mentallity the whole team had where they took one game at a time. I don’t know if that was the true mentallity of the team or if that was just what they were saying to the media but it made it seem this team was much more head strong through the season and playoffs. I just don’t want to see them lose to SA at the beginning of the roadie and just lose all self esteem for the rest of the trip.

    (RE: To boredom of late season Lakers)
    I would say I am on pins and needles until this SA game. This road trip is going to be a real test of where this team is at after taking care of the “league’s less” in an impressive winning streak. On top of that, these are games that are going to show what it’s going to be like if we have to go into the first round without Bynum. (Especially since the average talent level we’re playing against this roadie is about a 7/8 seed Western team.) The journey leading up to the first round is going to be very exciting if not as exciting as the first round itself.

  31. Ryan says

    5. Snoopy. Yes it is good news for Warrior fans. The first piece of business for the new owners will be to fire the entire front office including the coach. Then maybe they can start to turn the franchise around. Curry has looked good this season, particularly in the second half of the season, which gives them something for the future.

    I expect Odom to step up. He seems to almost always step up when it is required of him. He played really well last two years without Bynum and this year when Pau or Bynum missed this year.

    Hoping Bynum has a quick recovery and has not lingering issues with his Achilles tendon. His size inside is nice to have and will be missed if he is not healthy. He and Gasol were finally finding a little bit of chemistry together on the offensive end. Some nice high low action with Gasol in the high post and some offensive rebounds batted around between the two of them.

    5-0 would be really nice, but I’d take 4-1 as long as they play hard in all the games.

  33. exhelodrvr says

    Don Nelson is innovative. But that has actually kept him in the “good” category, instead of becoming a “great” coach. He doesn’t want to accept that his general strategy is very unlikely to be successful in the playoffs.

  34. VoR says

    @27 Ken- so in the fable of the tortoise and the hare – it is the tortoise who wins. Are you saying you believe we will come out on top in the Fish vs. Brooks battle? 🙂

    Glad to see that you have come around on Fish. 🙂

  35. Matt R. says

    Did anyone hear Jerry West’s interview on 710 ESPN last night?

    They asked him about Lazenby’s book and if he had read it and responded to the effect of, “No, because I’m putting out my own biography so that it will be told by me and not people who watched me and it will be true.”

    Ouch.