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for now...
One man's premature opinion.
Lakers still hold edge over fortified Spurs
by Craig Malveux
For a second there, Lakers fans second guessed themselves. Optimism quickly turned into thoughts surrounded by nothing but doubt with each passing day. Suddenly the glass once half full or better turned into a glass half empty.
The 2009 NBA Finals Champion Los Angeles Lakers appeared loaded with confidence to make a serious run to represent the Western Conference for the third consecutive year and defend their NBA le this upcoming season. Ready to forget the struggles they experienced against the Yao and T-Mac-less Houston Rockets as well as the never say die Denver Nuggets in the playoffs and identify themselves as the true favorites of the Western Conference.
With the best player in the game, an improving big man in Andrew Bynum, an All-Star forward in Pau Gasol and the intentions of returning Lamar Odom, Trevor Ariza and Shannon Brown back to the team, you'd be crazy to think the Lakers didn't have a legitimate chance to repeat as champions.
But just when Lakers fan had begun imagining Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant hoisting the Western Conference trophy for the seventh time in the last decade in front of thousands of screaming fans in the Staples Center, the San Antonio Spurs made headlines on virtually every sports news en y.
Just two days before the NBA Draft, the aging Spurs made a blockbuster move to acquire small forward Richard Jefferson from the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas and Fabricio Oberto. Not to mention committing highway robbery by drafting both DeJuan Blair and Jack McClinton without any first round draft picks.
Regardless of the draft, let's take a deeper look at what Jefferson adds to the Spurs. The addition of the 29-year old former New Jersey and Milwaukee swingman brings much needed youth plus just under 18 points per game, 3 assists and 5.3 rebounds as a fourth scoring option. The Spurs add a lifetime 47 percent shooter along side the big three of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli and Tony Parker.
Without a doubt, the acquisition of Jefferson is a much needed upgrade over Michael Finley and immediately makes San Antonio as prime Western Conference contender. But don't crown them as the favorites to win the West just yet. And here's why.
Tim Duncan is the heart and soul of the San Antonio Spurs. However, he isn't the same player today that he once used to be. The past five years, Duncan has averaged 19.5 ppg compared to 22.8 ppg his first seven years in the league. His points have naturally decreased as well as his minutes per game but thats during the regular season.
In the playoffs, the two time MVP's numbers have dramatically reduced to 32.9 minutes per game, 8 boards and only 19.8 points - his lowest playoff points total in his career. That's just the beginning.
For the Spurs, their chances of even reaching the Western Conference Finals rests solely on Manu Ginobli. He can be reckless with the ball and make poor decisions sometimes. But he is the San Antonio X-factor who provides energy and immediate scoring off of the bench.
Here's where the problem lies. Ginobli has been injury prone the past two seasons and is showing wear and tear. Slashing to the lane taking a beating nightly is putting unnecessary mileage on his body evidenced by the 44 games he appeared in this past season due to a foot injury. Without Manu at full tilt, the Dallas Mavericks embarrassed the Spurs in the first round 4-1.
Regardless of who San Antonio acquires, they won't win without a healthy Ginobli period.
Health remains a concern for the Argentinean; If he is healthy, they are a dangerous team. If not, forget about it. Let's just assume everyone remains healthy the entire season, so what then? Well, there's an old saying - win with 'D'. The Spurs won four championships this decade playing great defense and fundamental basketball. The addition of Jefferson boosted the offense but crippled them a bit on defense.
"Defense wins championships" and no team knows this better than the old run-and-gun Phoenix Suns. Just ask them how many championships they won in the last decade while leading the league in points per game. The answer may surprise you. While Bruce Bowen certainly isn't getting any younger, the eight time NBA All-Defensive player was their best perimeter defender they had. Last time I checked, Bryant hasn't opted out of his contract so it's safe to say he is grinning from ear to ear somewhere in Los Angeles right now. No one successfully defended him one on one except for the Houston Rocket's Shane Battier, so Bryant had his way every night scoring 30.2 ppg on 46 percent shooting throughout the playoffs.
I'm sure either Roger Mason or Jefferson will accept the challenge of defending Bryant, but I just don't think either one can. Beside Bryant, the Lakers have two 7-foot towers (bynum and Gasol) and a versatile forward who stands 6-foot-10 in Odom. With the departure of Thomas and Oberto, they loss depth at the center position. How are they going to guard Gasol and Bynum? The answer doesn't lie within Matt Bonner, Oberto and Drew Gooden (if either of the latter two re-signs).
Without help in the front court for Duncan, the Spurs can pick their poison. Still unsure? Well the Spurs aren't the only team who made changes to their roster, Lakers General Manager Mitch Kuptchak responded with his own changes. Days after big names such as Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva, and Hedo Turkgolu accepted offers from other teams, Ron Artest signed with the Lakers ensuring the departure of Trevor Ariza.
Some question whether bringing in the troubled Artest was a smart move or simply a panic move in response to the Spurs as well as other Eastern Conference teams' acquisitions. But overlooking his past troubles in Indiana, Artest is a great all-around player with a special skill set who is a compe or. The four-time first-team all-NBA defender and 2004 Defensive Player of the Year is just what the doctor's ordered in Los Angeles. He is amongst the top defenders in the league, plays three positions on the court and most importantly brings the physicality a finesse Laker's team needs.
Ariza was a great shooter and defender as well, however he struggled against bigger and stronger players such as Carmelo Anthony. In addition to his defensive skills, Artest can create his own shot, shoot at a high percentage, and get to the rim scoring 17.1 ppg as the third or fourth option for the Lakers.
The Spurs certainly have made the West more compe ive and have closed the gap between themselves and the Lakers during the offseason. The additions make them a contender in the West and gives life to an aging Spurs dynasty. But at the end of the day, the Lakers have done just enough to remain the favorites out West.
As long as they have the 'Zen Master' running the ship and the best player in the game leading the way on the floor, the Lakers have to be considered one of the best teams in the league. Health is the biggest question surrounding the Spurs. If I'm a Lakers fan, I'll take my chances.
for now...
Really? I guess will wait and see.
I don't really understand why the majority of outlets seem to not realize that Duncan had a very serious injury during the 2nd half of the season..he didn't just coincidentally start playing poorly..
it's funny actually..when somebody like Kobe or Lebron is playing with a minor injury or a minor flu, they'll mention it about 7000 times on TV..
so why does Neworleans.com have a story about the Lakers and Spurs?..
100% correct. Up to the Spurs to prove him wrong.
Squirt , Squirt..ahhhhhhhhhhhh
This Spurs team has more potential than most of their previous teams...especially if they can add a credible 5 to the mix. I'm pretty excited to see how this team gels.
I don't get the point of the article.
Lakers hold the edge over every team in the western conference at this point. SA didn't have all their guns last season (fact) and even w/the healthy return of Duncan, Ginobili and the addition of Richard Jefferson, you still have to like the Lakers.
That being said, the game is played on the court, not in the papers or on message boards and anything can happen in a season but the Lakers have to be the favorites.
I am a Spurs fan but at least I try to be objective and realistic.
Manu. We need you.
Without a solid Big, he's right.
They seem to 'cover' a wide variety of sports, this fell under 'Pro Basketball News'.
i too will hold my opinion until we land our pf/c
Caution: Objects may be more dangerous than they appear.
Annoying. Sounds like the writer is trying to convince himself that his team is okay.
First, no one can guard Bryant.
Second, who fears Bynum, a player that couldn't get off the bench in the playoffs?
Third, why didn't he mention the overwhelming match up problem between Parker and any point guard on the Lakers?
Fourth, why does he consider Artest an upgrade? Artest is overrated. He takes bad shots and doesn't play within the flow of the offense. When he doesn't get the ball consistently, he starts forcing bad shots. He is an overrated defender that has lost an obvious step on defense. He is not mentally stable. Last year, he had two good games in LA in the playoffs, and then disappeared for the next five games. He is no one to fear.
Meh, I disagree with a couple of his central points; primarily that the team is completely done without Manu. I think it's a dire situation if he's out again, but it's not at all like last year. That's one of the points of bringing in Jefferson (and hopefully retaining Mason, imo). Additionally I disagree that Artest is an upgrade over Ariza. He may be a better player, but I really don't think he's going to work in that system. At all.
And if the likeliest outcomes break out - Odom leaves and SA acquired McDyess - that further changes the complexion and breaks them even, imo. Yes, it's on the Spurs to prove, but I don't like the gap is all that huge. A lot will depend on how the rookies pan out.
i like the underdog role.
I like the sound of that as well...
Spurs are contenders..
It's going to be a great matchup, I think the Lakers still hold the edge with Odom/bench
Tony Parker >>>>> Fisher
Manu << Kobe
RJ<<Artest
Duncan >> Gasol
McDyess << Bynum
Blair/Boner <<<<< Odom
GHill/Mason/JV < Farmar/Brown/Machine
Finley > Luke
Might wanna update that - Vaughn is unsigned and is no lock to still make the team.
I'd disagree about Bynum and Artest. Byum played terrible last year in the playoffs and was eventually benched. He missed defensive rotations and committed silly fouls. He occassionally had a decent post move, but most of his games were duds. Hard to say that he is not turning into Eric Dampier.
As for Artest, I disagree he is better than Jefferson. Artest is overrated. He took a lot of bad shots when in Houston. Shots that killed the offense and were highly contested. On defense, he showed that he couldn't keep up with the quicker players. Yes, he plays physical, but he also does not play smart. Jefferson seems to be a better scorer and better able to gel his game with the Spurs. I see Artest not working out with the Lakers.
Also Farmer had a down year. If that keeps up, the Laker bench is going to look weak in the backcourt outside of Kobe.
Shannon Brown is not the solution.
It's always iffy with Bynum. He's slow to heal and extremely slow to regain his game after an injury. But when he's playing like he did for the last 2 January's, he gives Dwight a run for his money as the top NBA center.
He was a non-factor in the last Playoffs. Good and bad since the Lakers won the championship without him, basically. Bad that he didn't show up. If he does show up, it will make the road that much easier for the Lakers with a new bonus super weapon added to an already championship team.
I can see it going either way but in his 5th year, I'm hoping he starts showing consistency over several months in his domination.
Artest is extremely talented but undisciplined. I think Zenmaster Phil will bring the best out of him. If Phil doesn't, you're right, it could be a disaster.As for Artest, I disagree he is better than Jefferson. Artest is overrated. He took a lot of bad shots when in Houston. Shots that killed the offense and were highly contested. On defense, he showed that he couldn't keep up with the quicker players. Yes, he plays physical, but he also does not play smart. Jefferson seems to be a better scorer and better able to gel his game with the Spurs. I see Artest not working out with the Lakers.
I agree that the Spurs can't win the West or another NBA championship without a healthy Ginobili.
I also agree that the Lakers still have to be considered at least a slight favorite because "a healthy Ginobili" is a pretty uncertain qualifier.
But IF Ginobili IS healthy this year (primarily in the playoffs)... these Spurs are capable of beating the Lakers. San Antonio is unquestionably back in the championship conversation, if healthy.
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