Lakers: Let's Recalibrate

[DMC]

The 2013 Lakers aren't the 2004 Lakers

August, 14, 2012 8/14/12
1:20
PM PT

By Andy Kamenetzky
ESPNLosAngeles.com
Archive

• Recommend126
• Tweet55
• Comments498
• Email
• Print

Before a "big three" became a requisite for NBA teams establishing credentials as serious contenders, it wasn't too long ago that a splashy big four graced the Association. It was assembled during the summer of 2003, when Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal were joined by free agents Karl Malone and Gary Payton to create a genuine super-team. And ever since Dwight Howard's arrival in Los Angeles last Friday, I've heard fans and media likening Kobe-Pau Gasol-Steve Nash-Howard to the 2004 Lakers, and more often than not, that's a negative. That 2004 foursome is remembered as the last hurrah for the Kobe-Shaq-Phil Jackson three-peat era, a modern-day dynasty that nonetheless left potential on the table because of in-fighting. Those Lakers, beaten by the Detroit Pistons in five games during the Finals, are remembered as a failed experiment, the cautionary tale for front offices utilizing the formula of "instant championship: just add superstars."



With the Lakers now boasting among the splashiest starting fives in league history, naysayers are quick to cite the 2004 Lakers as a worst-case scenario.



AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian
Three members of the last big four in L.A.





The comparison is inevitable, but also lazy. Yes, there are commonalities. Both teams featured four big names, each of which is a lock or near-lock for the Hall of Fame. Both teams were built by Mitch Kupchak and the Buss family with the blueprint of "championship or bust." But a deeper look makes it pretty obvious that there are massive differences. Most negatives surrounding the 2004 squad were part of a specific backstory, one not shared by the 2012 team. Below are four huge factors favoring the 2012 big four.

1. The coach and players are on better terms.
The discord between Kobe and Phil has been do ented to death by now, most famously in "The Last Season," Jackson's diary of the tumultuous 2004 season. (Ironically, Phil was prompted to return in part to amend his largely negative portrayal of Kobe.) But the Mamba wasn't the only player failing to see eye to eye with The Zen Master. Payton sulked over his role in the triangle, and The Glove was often a tough customer when happy as a clam, never mind when he was surly. Those misgivings spilled onto the court and resulted in a watered-down version of Payton.

This year's incarnation, however, features no such conflicts. That's not to say everyone has bought into Mike Brown, no questions asked. Some prominent holdovers, notably Kobe, Gasol and Metta World Peace, expressed skepticism about their new coach throughout 2012, and I imagine Brown still hasn't truly proven himself. However, there's a difference between disenchantment and defiance, and the player who openly chafed most at Brown's authority -- Andrew Bynum -- is now the starting center in Philadelphia. Players and coach may still be feeling each other out, but outright hostility doesn't appear to be looming.

2. Kobe in a better frame of mind.
The entire 2004 season, for the Lakers and Kobe, played out against the backdrop of Kobe's legal situation in Colorado. A potential 20 years-to-life prison sentence was hanging over Kobe's head; the treatment he received on the road was often brutal and he sometimes hit the basketball court on the heels of a courtroom appearance. Nobody is mentally tough enough to not be affected by those cir stances. Despite playing exceptionally well given the cir stances, Bryant has admitted the setting drained him. It's hard to believe the entire team didn't feel the effects of his situation as well.

These days, Bryant is in a much healthier space. A once beleaguered image has been revamped. No. 24 jerseys fly off the shelves and Kobe is one of the most popular athletes on the planet. He even has evolved into an elder spokesman of sorts for the league. Yes, he can still spark debate, but Kobe is hardly the polarizing figure of 2004 anymore. Bryant also will never be the easiest teammate in the world. He'd be the first to admit it. But he's nonetheless more mature, and the days of wholesale alienation are largely behind him.
Douglas Jones/US Presswire
Nash and Howard don't equal Payton and Malone (or Shaq).





3. The contract status of players and coach is generally much better.
During the 2004 season, Kobe was in a contract year, and O'Neal, who Bryant had tired of playing with, was angling (rather loudly) for a contract extension. That in and of itself spelled trouble. Additionally, Phil's deal was ending, which didn't necessarily jibe with Kobe's wishes moving forward. On a smaller scale, Derek Fisher was willingly (if not necessarily happily) playing off the bench in a contract year to appease Payton.

That's a lot of uncertainty and conflict of interest and many reasons for resentment crammed into a 104-game campaign.

For the 2012-13 season, contractual waters are less choppy. Yes, Howard's impending free agency is the elephant in the room, but it's a pachyderm closer to cuddly Babar than that jerky elephant adopted by the Simpsons. There's no ambiguity regarding Howard on the organization's end. Negotiations will consist of conversations like, "Dwight, here is a contract for the maximum dollars and years allowable under the new collective bargaining agreement. Would you like to sign now or in a week, when we counter with the same offer?" And Howard seems happy to be in L.A. and, more importantly, aware that his reputation can't handle back-to-back soap operas. As oblivious as LeBron James appeared in the immediate aftermath of "The Decision," 2011-12 demonstrated he learned some lessons from the experience. I expect Howard will similarly look to avoid negative attention in 2013.

I'd be very surprised if Howard didn't re-sign, and another drawn-out saga would be pretty stunning.

AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
They're polar opposites, but a long way from combustibility.





As for Brown, he'll be on the hot seat if this bunch seriously underachieves, but for now he's under a multiyear contract and firmly entrenched in the franchise, making his situation radically different than Phil's in 2004.

4. The roster isn't sick of each other after years of building tension.
Forget Kobe, Shaq and Phil. By the time the 2004 Finals ended, I imagine guys such as Fish, Rick Fox, Devean George and even Horace Grant (having been a part of the aciously tense 2001 squad) were also tired of the bickering atmosphere. From the moment training camp opened, that season felt like the beginning of the end of a Lakers era.

This upcoming season doesn't figure to offer similar tension. I'm not saying recent days have been sunshine and lollipops. As I've noted several times, "fun" has been on short supply the past two seasons. Kobe and Pau, the longest-tenured Lakers, periodically snipe at each other, and their chemistry needs rediscovery. But a feud ain't brewin'. Kobe has a propensity for making Pau the occasional scapegoat, but also went to bat publicly for El Spaniard several times last season, and they were in regular contact during the London Olympics. Mutual appreciation remains.

In the meantime, between Nash, Howard, Antawn Jamison, Jodie Meeks and Jordan Hill, the rotation features plenty of new or relatively new faces, adding new energy to the mix.

So there are four reasons not to sweat matters. However, even if you're convinced star power, championship aspirations and the number "four" provide just too many coincidences to ignore, the bottom line is the 2004 Lakers made it to the Finals. Yeah, they came up short, but a championship isn't possible in the first place without a trip to the Finals. Had The Mailman not been playing on a bad leg that cost him 39 regular-season games and eventually forced him into street clothes for Game 5 -- with Grant already out -- the Lakers might have won the whole thing.

No, really. They might have.

Revisionist history has painted the 2004 season as a foolhardy attempt at latching onto two Hall of Famers whose careers were on life support. Well, Malone averaged nearly 21-8-5 during his previous season in Utah and put up 13-9-4 as the fourth option in L.A. Payton was coming off a 20-point, eight-dime campaign. Primes may have been in the rearview mirror, but these vets were hardly washed up. It just didn't work out, especially against a Pistons squad that played some of the most smothering defense in recent playoff memory. But the season wasn't a disaster, and fans should be mindful of the entire context.

If invoking this comparison means a Finals appearance as the baseline for "failure," I'll take my chances.

[DMC]

VS

Forecast: 2012-13 West champions

Originally Published: August 30, 2012
ESPN.com

• 95
• 162
• 2K
• Email
• Print

Layne Murdoch/NBAE/Getty ImagesAfter picking up a few All-Stars this summer, can the Lakers rain on the Thunder's parade out West?
The young Thunder have their work cut out for them. After taking over the West during the 2012 playoffs, Oklahoma City now must fend off a new and much improved Los Angeles Lakers team looking to reclaim its crown.
Is a new West champ in the offing?
For foresight, we surveyed 100 of ESPN's best basketball minds, including contributors from ESPN.com, the TrueHoop Network, TrueHoop TV, Daily Dime Live, ESPN TV, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes, espnW, ESPN The Magazine, ESPN Insider, ESPN Fantasy, ESPN Games, ESPNDallas.com, ESPNLosAngeles.com, ESPNBoston.com, ESPNChicago.com, ESPNNewYork.com, ESPN Stats & Information, ESPN Topics and ESPN Analytics.
To participate in the discussion and perhaps get your opinion published on this page, #NBApicks is the Twitter hashtag to use. Or you can just follow along @NBAonESPN.
Here's the voting breakdown:


Forecast: 2012-13 Western Conference champions

RANK	TEAM		VOTES
1	Los Angeles Lakers 2011-12 record: 41-25 Lost in Western Conference semifinals Predicted 2012-13 record: 59-23		56
2	Oklahoma City Thunder 2011-12 record: 47-19 Lost in NBA Finals Predicted 2012-13 record: 59-23		42
3 (tie)	Denver Nuggets 2011-12 record: 38-28 Lost in Western Conference first round Predicted 2012-13 record: 50-32		1
	Before injuries got the Nuggets they were a number 2 seed. Having everyone together for a full season why not challenge the West #NBApicks — Eric (@icecreamvidrine) August 30, 2012
3 (tie)	San Antonio Spurs 2011-12 record: 50-16 Lost in Western Conference finals Predicted 2012-13 record: 54-28		1

So Spurs projected to finish 4th (basically) and Lakers projected to contend for le. We know injuries kept the Thunder back so we cannot begrudge them, but EL O ING EL.

[Thread]

You had it, D. You had it in the case, D. They made you go and get it out of the case, D. They made you give it back, D.

You poor thing, you.

[Kool Bob Love]

You had it, D. You had it in the case, D. They made you go and get it out of the case, D. They made you give it back, D.

You poor thing, you.

[DMC]

You had it, D. You had it in the case, D. They made you go and get it out of the case, D. They made you give it back, D.

You poor thing, you.

[The Gemini Method]

I like how Killa has his head bowed a little...

[Koolaid_Man]

GOT DAM WHY YALL OVER LAKER NATION S!!!! Yall Some Straight Up In The Booty gots

GET OFF A S ALREADY....OR JUST SUCK THE

[ElNono]

lol caps
lol big font

[DPG21920]

lol Font bigger than his actual d*ck

[Koolaid_Man]

lol Font bigger than his actual d*ck

but smaller than your actual lips

[elmanutres]

I like how Killa has his head bowed a little...

that one should be luva. That parrot is obviously the beta, just like luva is

[elmanutres]

GOT DAM WHY YALL OVER LAKER NATION S!!!! Yall Some Straight Up In The Booty gots

GET OFF A S ALREADY....OR JUST SUCK THE

"posted in spurstalk.com"

[HI-FI]

Stat must be Deuce Bigelow. LkrFan must be the bird that flies illegally across the border. The Dale bird is so damn old, he can't get it up anymore, so he likes to live in the past when the Lakers were relevant.

btw DMC, whats up with the werewolf?

[Clipper Nation]

GOT DAM WHY YALL OVER LAKER NATION S!!!! Yall Some Straight Up In The Booty gots

GET OFF A S ALREADY....OR JUST SUCK THE

[Thread]

6

[Thebesteva]

That 2004 loss still hurts...... :'( I really felt after 0.4 we were destined to win. Ben Wallace... man

[Thread]

That 2004 loss still hurts...... :'( I really felt after 0.4 we were destined to win. Ben Wallace... man

Just beating the Spurs would prove to be a Godsend for me. I had no special hatred for them then. Otherwise it'd be 5-5 at least and there would be no TOSB designate.

[DMC]

Stat must be Deuce Bigelow. LkrFan must be the bird that flies illegally across the border. The Dale bird is so damn old, he can't get it up anymore, so he likes to live in the past when the Lakers were relevant.

btw DMC, whats up with the werewolf?

Just something different.

[RsxPiimp]

You had it, D. You had it in the case, D. They made you go and get it out of the case, D. They made you give it back, D.

You poor thing, you.

[DMC]

Just beating the Spurs would prove to be a Godsend for me. I had no special hatred for them then. Otherwise it'd be 5-5 at least and there would be no TOSB designate.

Sit and be entertained as Dale Robinson regales the forum on his new release "The Life and Times of a Parrot". Hear stories about games he didn't play, but how he was either destroyed or made whole by their outcomes. Listen in awe as Dale describes in vivid detail that last shot, or that last block, or that last rebound that saved his team that night, so many years ago.

Bored with today's NBA? You don't need to be! Dale can help you relive games you barely remember, or maybe didn't watch at all.

Order today, and get this free stuffed parrot, a commemorative of Dale's times on the multiple forums, many of which he's now banned from! He's THAT interesting..

Although some stories seem to be carbon copies of other stories on the album, they are thought to be different stories, or at least told on a different day. All memes and stories are copyrighted by Dale Robinson, even things he didn't actually invent.

[HI-FI]

Just something different.

it's cool man, respect for the werewolves, almost as hairy as one. it just cracked me up when I saw it.

[LkrFan]

WTF is this ?

[LkrFan]

Stat must be Deuce Bigelow. LkrFan must be the bird that flies illegally across the border. The Dale bird is so damn old, he can't get it up anymore, so he likes to live in the past when the Lakers were relevant.

btw DMC, whats up with the werewolf?

BAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHA!!! :HI- :

[Clipper Nation]

BAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHA!!! :HI- :

Damn, dude, it wasn't that funny... more like reality

But seriously, get back across the border and stop spending our tax money!

[DMC]

You notice Dale is picking lice off Capri's neck. That's Dale's thing. Then he will claim he invented the lice.