The regular season starts tonight. Thank god!!! In the absence of any real games, it's been tempting to try to keep up with the Kardashians... or try to understand anything that Ron Artest says. I mean, if Vlade Radmanovic was "My Favorite Martian", what does that make Ron-Ron? "Brother From An Alternate Universe?" ( I haven't come up with a good enough punch line yet. I'll get back to you when I think of a better one...) Don't get me wrong. I love Ron Artest and am thrilled that he's a Laker finally. It's just that his zany factor is unprecedented. His dial does't go to 11. It doesn't even go to 12. It goes to the square root of -299!
So thank god the season gets underway today. There's finally something to talk about that doesn't belong on the front page of TMZ or at a psychiatric convention...
It's going to be a fun season. How can it not be when your team is favored to repeat as NBA champions? Barring injuries, the Lakers will come out of the West again. Yes, San Antonio got a lot better over the summer, Portland is maturing, and it's foolish to ever count out a team led by Chauncy Billups. But the Lakers are too good to lose to any of them if they're at full strength. So the Lakers will get a chance to defend their title, probably against Boston. The question is, will they do it successfully?
My answer is "YES", as long as three things happen:
Stand Out, Blend In, and Step Up
Stand Out - It's time for Andrew Bynum to Stand Out. He's flirted with being an impact player for 2 years. This year, he gets paid like one. More importantly, the Lakers' chances of being champions depend on it. With an irrelevant performance from Bynum, the Lakers were able to out class the Orlando Magic. But if the Celtics had been healthy, they would have been shoved off the court again in the finals. This year, the Celtics are back and looking fiercer and more motivated than ever. Bynum is the difference maker. If he has an impact, I pick the Lakers in 7 over Boston.
Blend In - Ron-Ron will help, too. No one ever said that Ron Artest isn't tough in the trenches. He'll match up well against Paul Pierce and he'll have Kobe's back. But he's got to stay on the court. No getting in the face of officials. No incidents involving fans and beer. No clotheslining Big Baby. Ron-Ron needs to Blend In, not be the story himself.
Step Up - Derek Fisher will play the important minutes in the finals, and he showed last year how clutch he can be. But someone else in the backcourt needs to Step Up, both during the season, so Fisher can come into the playoffs with something left, and during the Finals, so Fisher doesn't have to check Rajon Rondo for 40 minutes a night. Jordan Farmar is in a contract year. Maybe this is the year that he "gets it" and lays claim to the "point-guard of the future" spot. Maybe it's Shannon Brown. He's sure got the athletic ability and attitude to step up. Just search YouTube for his dunk against Mikki Moore in the preseason. Maybe it's Sasha "The Machine" Vujacic, who was a no-show in last year's finals. His hair is short, his shooting percentage was up in the pre-season, and he's a pesky defender. One of them needs to Step Up and take some of the heat off of Fisher in the backcourt.
If these three things happen, I'll see you at the Coliseum again next June!
So thank god the season gets underway today. There's finally something to talk about that doesn't belong on the front page of TMZ or at a psychiatric convention...
It's going to be a fun season. How can it not be when your team is favored to repeat as NBA champions? Barring injuries, the Lakers will come out of the West again. Yes, San Antonio got a lot better over the summer, Portland is maturing, and it's foolish to ever count out a team led by Chauncy Billups. But the Lakers are too good to lose to any of them if they're at full strength. So the Lakers will get a chance to defend their title, probably against Boston. The question is, will they do it successfully?
My answer is "YES", as long as three things happen:
Stand Out, Blend In, and Step Up
Stand Out - It's time for Andrew Bynum to Stand Out. He's flirted with being an impact player for 2 years. This year, he gets paid like one. More importantly, the Lakers' chances of being champions depend on it. With an irrelevant performance from Bynum, the Lakers were able to out class the Orlando Magic. But if the Celtics had been healthy, they would have been shoved off the court again in the finals. This year, the Celtics are back and looking fiercer and more motivated than ever. Bynum is the difference maker. If he has an impact, I pick the Lakers in 7 over Boston.
Blend In - Ron-Ron will help, too. No one ever said that Ron Artest isn't tough in the trenches. He'll match up well against Paul Pierce and he'll have Kobe's back. But he's got to stay on the court. No getting in the face of officials. No incidents involving fans and beer. No clotheslining Big Baby. Ron-Ron needs to Blend In, not be the story himself.
Step Up - Derek Fisher will play the important minutes in the finals, and he showed last year how clutch he can be. But someone else in the backcourt needs to Step Up, both during the season, so Fisher can come into the playoffs with something left, and during the Finals, so Fisher doesn't have to check Rajon Rondo for 40 minutes a night. Jordan Farmar is in a contract year. Maybe this is the year that he "gets it" and lays claim to the "point-guard of the future" spot. Maybe it's Shannon Brown. He's sure got the athletic ability and attitude to step up. Just search YouTube for his dunk against Mikki Moore in the preseason. Maybe it's Sasha "The Machine" Vujacic, who was a no-show in last year's finals. His hair is short, his shooting percentage was up in the pre-season, and he's a pesky defender. One of them needs to Step Up and take some of the heat off of Fisher in the backcourt.
If these three things happen, I'll see you at the Coliseum again next June!
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