The Los Angeles Lakers were embarrassed in the 2nd Round of the Playoffs by the Dallas Mavericks. They were swept for the first time in the playoffs since the 1970's. And it looked bad.Kobe Bryant is old and no longer a true number one on a team. Pau Gasol just does not come across as tough when inside the paint. Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum don't even look like they want to be there. Bynum's dirty and unnecessarily violent foul in the game seemed as an intentional way to get to leave the game. They just didn't look like the Lakers that won a championship only one year ago. It also seems as though Phil Jackson is gone for sure. He seems to be set on leaving. With 11, Jackson has won more championships than any other Coach from any professional sport in history. He literally has nothing left to prove.So, Should the Lakers start over or try to win at least one more championship with the current team?Related Polls: 1. Should the LA Lakers hire Brian Shaw to replace Phil Jackson? 2. How hard should the LA Lakers go after Dwight Howard? 3. Andrew Bynum vs Pau Gasol vs Lamar Odom, Who Should the LA Lakers Keep? 4. What do the LA Lakers need to do next? 5. Is Phil Jackson to blame for the LA Lakers being swept?
As can be seen in the media attached, it does not appear Phil Jackson will return to coach the LA Lakers for the 2011-12 season. After winning a total of 11 NBA Finals Championships, Jackson seems to moving on. Current assistant coach, Brian Shaw, appears to be the top candidate to become the next Lakers coach. If you were Jim Buss, the VP of Player Personnel, would you hire Shaw as the next head basketball coach for the Lakers?
After an early ending to their 2011 Playoff Run, the LA Lakers can begin making plans for next season. One thing that seemed obvious to me in their series against the Dallas Mavericks is that the Lakers may have more than one big, but they are not tough. In fact, I would say they seem to play soft.Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic is coming to the end of his contract. He doesn't become a free agent until 2012, but the Lakers could trade or make a deal with the Magic to go ahead and bring him over before the 2011-12 season starts. In my opinion, if the Lakers are able to get Howard and keep one big out of their three, then they would almost be guaranteed a championship. It would make no sense if the Lakers did not at least make a run at Howard. They can either attempt to work out a trade and bring him in before the season or they can wait and attempt to acquire him through free agency. Do you think the Lakers should go after Howard? If so, do you think they should trade for him or just wait for him to become a free agent?
It seems as though it is a guarantee the LA Lakers will get rid of at least one if not two out of Bynum, Gasol, and Odom. If you were in charge, who would you make sure is a Laker next year?
After being swept by the Dallas Mavericks in Round 2 of the Western Division Playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers seemed to be in disarray. They had two players ejected from the game - Andrew Bynum & Lamar Odom, and it seems as though Bynum will most likely be suspended next season for throwing an elbow into J.J. Barea and knocking him onto the ground. Phil Jackson made it clear this would be his final season with the Lakers. This will leave the Lakers without a head coach. In his press conference, Jackson said "It feels good that we ended the season, to be honest with you." ESPN's J.A. Adonde writes "That's a stunning quote from a man who always chased championships. It indicates this team wasn't a joy to coach (bolstered by Jackson sounding more sentimental about moving away from his coaching staff than his players) and shows why this group couldn't successfully defend its back-to-back championships." That is hard to believe a head coach would actually be happy the season is over. Jackson must have truly been fed up with his current roster. The Lakers have 3 Bigs in Bynum, Odom, and Pau Gasol. However, they play soft. I think the Lakers should part ways with at least one of them. In my opinion, they are not tough enough, which is something the Mavericks exposed during the series. The Lakers need a dominant force that OWNS the paint. Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic becomes a Free Agent in 2012, and if they Lakers attempted they may be able to trade one or two of their Bigs to the Magic and acquire him before the 2011 season begins. If they choose not to directly trade for Howard, I think they really need to sign him out of free agency. He is the perfect missing piece to the 2010-11 Lakers. With a presence like him in the paint, the Lakers would have easily won their 3rd championship in a row.These are all things I think the Lakers need to do before next season, however, do you feel as though one is more important than the other. Which of these options would be the first move you made?
The Los Angeles Lakers hopes for a 3-Peat Championship Run was swept away by the Dallas Mavericks in the 2nd Round of the Western Division Playoffs. It was bad, really bad for the two-time defending NBA Champs. They seemed to have just not even shown up. It is as though they did not even care whether they won the game or not. Over the past week, the Lakers players aired their laundry with the media, talked to trash to each other, and pointed fingers at each other as being the cause of their losses, It never seemed as though Phil Jackson really put the effort to control the team and get them focused on the series at hand. They needed someone to lead and motivate them, and in my opinion, such a responsibility lies with the head coach. Is Phil Jackson to Blame for the LA Lakers being swept?
Of the reasons discussed below, which do you believe is the cause for the LA Lakers to not be the favorites to win the NBA Western Conference Title?The Los Angeles Lakers started the 2010-11 NBA Season as the clear favorite to win their 3rd NBA Western Conference Title in a row and defend the NBA Finals Title for a 2nd time in their pursuit for a 3-Peat. However, on the brink of the All Star Game mid-way through the season, they find themselves behind the San Antonio Spurs to become the top seed from the Western Conference for the 2010-11 NBA Playoffs. Chris Mannix, of Sports Illustrated, in "LA Flaw" says it is "[b]ecause this season Los Angeles has combined the usual smorgasbord of problems--center Andrew Bynum's injuries, verbal volleys between coach Phil Jackson and his players--with a set of new ones." Kobe Bryant's HealthThe first Mannix mentions is the health of future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant, who is now 32 years old and in his 14th year in the NBA. In July, Bryant had surgery on his right knee making it his third required surgery in the last 7 years. Mannix reports Bryant "told the New York Post in January that the knee was 'bone on bone' and admitted he had not practiced with the team all season." According to Mannix, Bryant has been averaging a carreer low of 33.2 minutes a game and "[t]he Lakers have limited Bryant to defensive drills and walk-throughs in practice, and scouts say he paces himself during games." Ron Artest's "Role" on the LakersLast year, Ron Artest had a "reduced role" and averaged only 11.0 points a game. His biggest contribution to the Lakers was being successful at shutting down Kevin Durant and Paul Pierce in the playoffs. Mannix says Artest's "suffocating defense is still there, but the scout points out, 'He is taking some bad shots at the end of quarters, and Kobe and Phil are looking at him like, What the hell are you doing? They can't control Ron right now.'" Inconsistency on DefenseMannix points out "[t]he Lakers held the Hornets to 88 points on Dec. 29 then gave up 104 to the Grizzlies four days later. This month they down the Cavaliers (57 points) one night, then gave up 110 to the Warriors the next." This up and down inconsistency is killing them. Mannix believes the "inability to stop dribble penetration has been a major culprit, prompting Jackson to overhaul the defense a month ago." Of the reasons mentioned by Mannix, which do you believe is the cause for the LA Lakers to not be the favorites to win the NBA Western Conference Title?--The article "L.A. Flaw" by Chris Mannix appeared in the January 21, 2011 issue of Sports Illustrated. Volume 114, No.4, available at http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1181183/index.htm
The Best Start in NBA history is 15-0. Both the 1948-49 Washington Capitols and the 1993-94 Houstan Rockets were 15-9. As you can see, this is not an easy task to accomplish. Both teams that did it also won a title. 8-0 is the best start the Lakers have had since 1997-98 season. This is the only time the Lakers have started the season 8-0 under Phil Jackson. Before answering the question, look at their schedule when making this decision.2010 Lakers Schedule:For 9th straight win, November 11: Los Angeles Lakers at (4-4) Denver Nuggets 10:30 PM For 10th straight win, November 14: (3-4) Phoenix Suns at Los Angeles Lakers 9:30 PMFor 11th straight win, November 16: Los Angeles Lakers at (3-5) Milwaukee Bucks 8:00 PMFor 12th straight win, November 17: Los Angeles Lakers at (2-6) Detroit Pistons 7:30 PMFor 13th straight win, November 19: LA Lakers at (1-7) Minnesota Timberwolves 8:00 PMFor 14th straight win, November 21: (5-2) Golden State Warriors at LA Lakers 9:30 PMFor 15th straight win, November 23: (3-3) Chicago Bulls at Los Angeles Lakers 10:30 PMFor 16th straight win, November 26: Los Angeles Lakers at (5-3) Utah Jazz 9:00 PMThe Lakers will have to go on the road 5 times to get to the Sweet 16th. The combined record of their opponents right now is 26-34 with only 4 with winning records. I hope Kobe takes this on as a challenge he would like to accomplish. There is no player as determined and focus like him. Will the Lakers Break the NBA Best Start Record?
We don't just own them during the finals, we own them in the looks department too. Damn Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett are ugly. I bet when they greet a baby, it starts to cry in fear of the monster looking down at them. The question is, however, which wilderbeast is uglier? Have fun figuring this one out.
Kobe has won 4 NBA Finals and Jordan won 6. Kobe is arguably the most competitive basketball player that has ever played. Perhaps, only Jordan was more competitive. So you know he definitely wants at least 6 and he has the team to get his 5th this year. If he gets it this year, then there is no doubt in my mind he won't retire until he catches MJ. Will Kobe Bryant get as many rings as Michael Jordan?
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