Mark Heisler's Status of the Lakers

[A Mad Chinaman]

Talking points on where we are at now, along with what might be in the future for our Lakers from Mark Heisler (http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/la-sp-nbacol19feb19,1,4697063,full.column?coll=la-headlines-sports-nba)


"They did lose some they should have won but after Kobe Bryant goes for 55 in the second half to bring them back from 18 down against Toronto, you'd have to say they won some they should have lost too. To quote Chuck Daly: "You are what your record says you are. No better. No worse.""
** Accurate statement of the 2nd youngest team in the NBA


"When they collapsed, it was because they didn't have Vlade Divac and Brian Grant — but Phil Jackson was back to save the day. "
** Other factors could be Rudy T's sudden departure while implementing the triangle - not a good situation with a pre-season to work out the kinks, Kobe's injuries and when the Lakers just gave up.


"O'Neal's decline shows it would have been a disaster to keep him if that meant losing Bryant."
** Statement that we have all agreed upon for a long time - though it would have been great to have acquired DWade instead of LO.


"The Lakers were shallow in their Shaq-Kobe heyday with one other player, Derek Fisher, averaging in double figures in the three seasons before Karl Malone and Gary Payton arrived. O'Neal, Malone, Payton and Fisher were gone, along with their next highest scorer, Rick Fox."
** This was during the times of Jerry West, along with Mitch. Even the best G.M. in the game found it hard to deal with "The Cap" and rebuilding a championship team.

"Lamar Odom was a good fit with Bryant. This wasn't ridiculous on its face since then, as now, NBA people admire Odom's rare combination of size and skills, but there were always questions about him. In his best seasons, he was his team's No. 1 guy, as when he broke in with the Clippers, but from the day Elton Brand arrived, Odom was barely a factor.

Odom may score if he gets hot early and doesn't get sidetracked by the referees, or if he's making a point — as in November when he predicted he'd average 20 for four games and almost did — or if Bryant is off the floor.

"Otherwise, Odom settles for his 13.9 points — his low since his last forlorn Clipper seasons — insisting he doesn't have to score more because he's an all-around player. Because he's an $11.5-million all-around player and the Lakers have no other second star waiting in the wings, it's not."
** Sad but true statement. One hopes that if any other Laker besides Kobe were able to hit SOME of their shots that LO's assists (along with Kobe's) would be definitely higher.

"Jackson's return was hailed as if he were bringing Shaq back with him and all was forgiven. The coach even had hopes of turning Odom into a latter-day Scottie Pippen and Kwame Brown into a latter-day Horace Grant."
** This still might happen because it took Pippen a couple years to learn how to play with MJ and the Triangle. When one combines a player learning where players are supposed to be at and their just-mentioned players learning where they should be at - there is definitely a learning curve. PJ has often stated that it will take more than one year to actually learn the Triangle.

"Without Jackson, they'd probably be reenacting last season, right down to everyone blaming Bryant. Except instead of everybody merely being upset at each other, Kobe might have demanded a trade and they might have accommodated him.
** True statement. Only a coach of PJ's status could have successfully navigate the Lakers' current situation.

"Kwame is a bust. Nevertheless, the key to getting Brown was their limited exposure: a two-year deal that didn't complicate their salary-cap strategy."
** Half true. Hopefully PJ will locate and nurture the "hunger" that made Rodman a great rebounder/defensive force. He was worth the risk, now it is up to PJ

"They shouldn't have drafted Bynum."
** False - This was a great gamble. Mark made a comment of where we might be with somebody like Sean May - the answer is probably maybe winning 2 to 5 games this season, but the upside is definitely more limited than with Bynum. Remember people were saying the same thing about Kobe when he first arrive with the Lakers. For sure Bynum is not a bust, even with his current production.

"It would have been better to get Dwyane Wade in the O'Neal trade but he wasn't on the table — yet — and the Lakers didn't think they could wait with Bryant still making up his mind. Tomjanovich was a mistake, but he gave the money back and Jackson returned against all logic. They have a long-range salary-cap strategy and a great player, if little else."
** Don't think that the Lakers could have waited considering what Shaq had done and with Kobe's free agency pending.

"Jerry West built a dynasty out of the ruins of another but it took five seasons to get Shaq and Kobe and four more to win a title, with nothing like the current anguish. The Lakers haven't managed expectations, they have sailed before them."
** Fact

[DaggerInTheHeart]

Even a animal can guess what the status of the Lakers is which is playing like crap... and wasting Kobe's prime thats the Lakers status right now and the Laker Organization is loving it baby!

[Ank]

They shouldn't have drafted Bynum is a dumb thing to say. Even if you say he doesn't help us now, it was still a wise decsion. Bynum has a lot of value in the league. Far more than a simple lottery pick would have. We have a valuable trading piece if you believe we sould be playing now, and a center who could be very good in the future if you want to play for the long-term. Either way, a good drafting. Already, it looks like people are making offers for him.

[angel]

[A Mad Chinaman]

[ThePageDude]

You guys are misinterpreting Heisler.
The statements in italics in his artcicles are *myths* that Heisler is analyzing. He agrees with some, disagrees with many. "They shouldn't have drafted Bynum" is an assertion, that Heisler *disagrees* with. Here is what he says in his analysis of that statement: