The L.A. Lakers Are Missing Some Strangeness

When Steve Nash was running the Phoenix ’seven-seconds-or-less’ offense, he was asked why he threw some of his passes off the dribble motion. His reply was that, by his assessment, it provided a fraction of a second advantage to the team mate who was on the receiving end of the pass. It gave that team mate a better advantage in beating the defense and making the basket.

Without doubt, the NBA has superb athletes who have size, speed and exceptional hand-eye co-ordination. The difference making a shot, stealing the ball or securing a rebound may be that fraction of a second that Steve Nash wanted for that extra edge.

What isn’t talked about as the NBA playoffs move to the conference finals is the “Strangeness Factor”. Let’s define it as the reputation that a player has that sometimes the person may be prone to emotional outbursts, akin to a bit of psychopathy. Perhaps this can be explained by some random examples:

• Dennis Rodman was a rebounding machine. He studied how balls would bounce off missed shots and how opposing defenders would respond. Dennis Rodman also wore makeup, had a closet full of dresses, dyed his hair unusual colors and did not hesitate to kick a photographer in the groin for being in the way. Dennis Rodman was not the typical rebounder and his uniqueness might have bought him a fraction of a second on some basketball plays.
• The ‘Bad Boy Pistons’ would fall into this category. Although skilled ball players, there was the suspicion that a full scale riot might be a distinct possibility. They were simply intimidating in that their response might be unusual and dangerous. It might be noted that Dennis Rodman was part of some of those Detroit teams.
• Ron Artest may be a present day example. He is remembered for the Auburb Hills riot where a brawl erupted. From that point, referees have kept a close watch on Ron Artest and view him as a possible instigator. Ron Artest’s behaviour on the court and off the basketball court does nothing to soften that reputation. It may give him that fraction of a second edge on the basketball court to augment his superb athletic skills.
• Kevin Garnett can be included in this group, as an example. A commonly used adjective to describe Kevin Garnett is that he is “intense”. No one would be surprised if that intensity magnified into an emotional and/or physical outbreak. Kevin Garnett plays professional basketball that close to the emotional edge. It works in his favor. One suspects that Kevin Garnett may be that intense at Monopoly and Scrabble too.
• And yes, even Shaquille O’Neal falls into this category. Generally, Shaquille O’Neal is regarded as a ‘big kid’. However, his size, strength and speed are intimidating factors. And one might be wise to be concerned if he ever becomes angry. One example of that anger manifesting itself was an incident with Brad Miller. Shaquille O’Neal lost his temper and threw a punch at Brad Miller’s head. To Brad Miller’s great fortune, Shaquille O’Neal’s punching accuracy matches his foul shooting proficiency. Shaquille O’Neal missed with his punch. Undoubtedly, Shaquille O’Neal’s outburst delivered a message to every rebounder and every defender in the NBA.

These are just some examples. Now, let’s look at the Lakers and see if they have this ‘edge-of-control’ factor:

• Kobe Bryant - no! He’s shrewd, intense, calculating and focused but he fails at the ‘edge-of-control’ factor.
• Trevor Ariza - no! He’s an apparition that swoops in for steals, rebounds and block shots.
• Pau Gasol - no! He will spend the playoffs trying to dispel the reputation of being “soft”. Pau Gasol is known for a refined finesse game - and being very predictable.
• Derek Fisher - no! He is the Lakers voice of reason, leader and elder statesman. He is the antithesis of being out of control.
• Lamar Odom - no! He is liked by team mates and even by opposing players. He is simply a “good guy” who sometimes excels with his skills and sometimes disappears.
• Andrew Bynum - no! Andrew Bynum is adjusting to playoff intensity, avoiding fouls and recovering from his injury. There may be long stretches of the game where Andrew Bynum is watching the game from the bench.
• Sasha Vujacic - no! The control issues with Sasha Vujacic are that he may be in tears with the next foul called on him. That falls far from the control issues that would concern the opposing team.

There is no one on the Lakers who plays with reckless abandon and has that ’soon-to-explode’ issue. In fact, it may be the opposite. It may be incumbent for the Lakers to handle opposition that is intense and looking for an edge. They may remember Kevin Garnett from last year’s championship series.

Catherine Forsythe