Wow. After a unexpected break-out season, the Lakers had an usually quiet off-season. In the pass few years, Phil Jackson, Shaq, Kobe, Jerry Buss, Tex Winter, Lamar Odom, Kwame Brown, Smush Parker, Jim Buss, and Andrew Bynum all have been thrown under the bus. Now a new season had arrived, and the Lakers expect to rebuild a dynasty. Much focus has been given to the idea of having Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum in the paint for the Lakers. Lakers fans believe this Dynamic Duo can be the most dominating 4-5 punch in the NBA.
During the summer, we have lost fan-favorite big man Ronny Turiaf, re-signed our sharp shooting machine Sasha Vujacic, and signed out 2007 Second Draft Pick, Sun Yue. Since there as been much shifting for the 3-4-5 positions, lets see how every position lines up:
Point Guard
Derek Fisher, Jordan Farmar, Sun Yue.
Mr. .4 is aging. He's 34, and point guards are usually done at about 32. This means Jordan will probably play the majority of the time, and Derek being used in the clutch. Maybe next season if Jordan becomes more clutch, he'll start (See 2008 Western Conference Semi-Finals). As for Yue, he should have came last season, when there were more roster spots.
Shooting Guard
Kobe Bryant, Sasha Vujacic, Coby Karl, Joe Crawford
This off-season, the Black Mamba led the US to the gold medal in the 2008 Olympic Games and elected not to have surgery to fix his pinky finger. He's reached the big 3-0, and many wonder how many good years he has left. (Kobe takes care of himself, so he won't wash up like Shaq). Meanwhile, after a long holdout, The Machine got contract he wanted. According to Lakers play-by-play commentator Spero Dedes, his trainers have been concerned about him over training. This may have been true when what was thought to be a a moderate sprain to his left ankle turned out to be an avulsion fracture. Fans have been worried that he might stop working hard since he has the big contract (like some people we know, but i digress). As for the 3rd 2-guard spot, it will most likely go to Coby Karl, who spent a significant portion of his season at the D-League. Hey, he knows the triangle.
Small Forward
Lamar Odom, Vladimir Radmanovic, Luke Walton, Trevor Ariza
While Trevor seems ranked far down, many want him to start, and he's looks like he getting significant minutes. Shouldn't start until he improves his outside shot and drinks more milk. Lamar seems to be looking at the bright side of being a 6th man, and Phil likes Luke. Look for any of the start any given night, depending on what people throw at us.
Power Forward
Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Josh Powell
The best steal, I mean trade, in modern NBA history weaknesses were revealed in the NBA Finals. He's not a center, just a power forward who plays well away from the ball and is not physically intimidating. Look for him to average a double-double. In case of injury, Lamar can slide to the 4 spot and play in the paint. Good chance Powell is D-League waiting to happen.
Center
Andrew Bynum, Chris Mihm, DJ Mbenga
During a break-out season, Andrew Bynum landed on Lamar's leg, and hasn't played regular season ball since. He's not meshing with Pau Gasol exactly, but we'll give them time. BREAKING NEWS: Chris Mihm is COMPLETELY HEALTHY. Hopefully with him healthy, we'll see the Mihm of the 05-06 season.
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