Angst from the L.A. Lakers Bandwagon

Even the staunchest Lakers fan must be befuddled. Who are these Lakers? They are certainly not the Lakers who won sixty five regular season games. These are the Lakers who had trouble eliminating a small but determined Houston squad. And now, in a playoff series with the Denver Nuggets, the Lakers have become the ‘gang-who-misses-foul-shots’. That is just one of the bewildering elements surfacing about this playoff version of the L.A. Lakers. And there are many puzzling mysteries surfacing:

• Derek Fisher is having shooting problems from the field. However, year after year, he has been among one of the team’s best free throw shooters. In Game Three, Derek Fisher missed two consecutive foul shots. Baffling.
• Andrew Bynum is supposedly unhappy with his playing time. He is reported to be questioning Coach Phil Jackson’s decisions. This is Andrew Bynum’s first playoff run where he is a significant participant. Even now, he is in the process of recovering from a knee injury. His play has been inconsistent. Nevertheless, he is expressing doubts about decisions made by a coach who has won nine professional basketball championships. Bewildering.
• Why are the Lakers big people just jogging down court when transitioning to offense? This makes it more difficult to establish low post positions and puts them further away from the basket. For example, it turns Pau Gasol into a jump shooter. Why are they not running - full out? Perplexing.
• Why are these Lakers unable to sustain or extend a large lead? It is almost preferrable for the Lakers to be trailing. It seems to be one way to retain their collective attention. Confounding.
• Has there ever been an admission from Kobe Bryant that he was resting during a few possessions? In Game Three, he describes himself taking a few moments along the baseline while Pau Gasol tried to score. Kobe Bryant looked exhausted at the close of the game. Overtime would have been interesting.
• Admit it, Lakers Fans - were you just not a little bit pleased that J.R. Smith stopped to give Sasha Vujacic a few words after he beat the Lakers defender and sank a three point shot? Sasha Vujacic’s defense can be described as frenetic and he will commit fouls anywhere on the floor. And when Sasha Vujacic enters the game, dedicated Lakers fans know that he will collect a foul soon and give the now infamous ‘I-can’t-believe-that-call’ face. Is there a ‘no crying clause’ in Sasha Vujacic’s three year, fifteen million dollar contract?
• Lamar Odom has such terrific basketball skills. Essentially, he could play any position and do well, especially in the Lakers triangle offense. He has the height, strength, knowledge, skills and speed to dominate. And, at times, he can completely take over a game, at both ends of the floor. For example, he can grab a defensive rebound, dribble the length of the floor, beat the defender, put in a layup and make it look easy. Then there are times when Lamar Odom ‘vanishes’ on the court. For those stretches of time, he does not impact upon the play. How is this possible?
• Luke Walton deserves special mention. Has any other of the Lakers being responsible for more increased blood pressure than Luke Walton? It may be through a pass that only has the most remote possibility of being completed or through an open shot opportunity that is turned down or through a long distance shot that is a complete ‘air-ball’… then Luke Walton makes a picture perfect pass for a score. What follows is that the play-by-play commentators will rave about Luke Walton’s high “basketball IQ” and so it goes.

All these concerns will be trivial if there is a trip to the NBA finals, followed by a parade in Los Angeles. Winning a professional sports championship renders many concerns as insignificant. There will be headlines about how the Lakers set a goal of redemption and completed their championship journey from last year. On the other hand, if these Lakers should falter, this list of concerns will grow exponentially - and there will be a multitude articles on the theme that the Lakers cannot win a championship with the present personnel. Playoff basketball exposes flaws.

Catherine Forsythe