Bynum's Maturity
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| Blah Blah Blah *Static* *White Noise* |
I get it. He's young. He's an All Star, next in line to Mikan, Wilt, Kareem and Shaq. Depending on who you ask, he might even be the best Center in the league right now. But if he's a walking technical foul that keeps getting thrown of out of games while shooting rhythm-killing threes, what's the point? It's the regular season, I know. The guy has a chip on his shoulder and wants to be the man. I love the edge he plays with but he needs to channel it the right way. He's going to end up with a Rasheed Wallace rep, not exactly a good way to be perceived by referees.
Bynum needs to get his Jedi on, and find that balance between rage and peace.
Want to shoot threes? Work on it in the off-season and add it to your arsenal. However, with his size and footwork, I don't see why it would be efficient to do so. The Lakers need him down low. Passing out of double and triple teams is what Big Drew needs to be focusing on because of his tendency to hold on to the ball too long at times.
The Lakers are going to need Andrew Bynum come playoff time, so put the shenanigans aside, grow the fuck up, because in a couple of weeks it's go time.
It's still Laker town...for now.
In a span of about an hour, David Stern and the Lakers got me switching from euphoric to maniacal when news broke that the Lakers had acquired Chris Paul. After Stern's veto, I said to myself: "Wait, he can't do that, he just Vince McMahoned the Lakers." It seriously made me wonder if the NBA has a WWE script to it. I had daydreams of CP3 lobbing to Bynum and Kobe, just hoping that a similar deal might go down. Days later, CP3 went to the Clippers. Hello, Twilight Zone.
I have to admit, I always thought the Lakers would be looking up at the "little brother" team in the standings. They were for a good chunk of the season, then the Clippers started being the Clippers, how delightful.
The Lakeshow has taken the season series once again 2-1 and if all holds well, may even take the division title.
Blake Griffin and Chris Paul will have their time, it might be next season already, but for now, it's still Laker town.
If the Clippers do end up winning the division, will they hang a Pacific Division title banner next to all those championship banners and retired Laker numbers? hmmm
#52 going up. Lakers will retire Jamaal "Silk" Wilkes jersey next season.
As somebody who truly loves the history of the game, it's nice to see Jamaal Wilkes get into the Hall of Fame and join the Laker greats up above Staples Center.
Nicknamed "Silk" for his smooth game and J, he's a guy that doesn't get mentioned enough when you talk about the Showtime Era. Magic, Kareem, Big Game James Worthy, and even Michael Cooper gets the love but let me tell you, Jamaal Wilkes was a vital cog in that machine, especially the first two chips in 80 and 82.
1980 NBA Finals, Game 6: Magic Johnson beasted it with 42 Points, 15 Rebounds,7 assists. We all know that, what gets left in the dust is that Silk chipped in 37 points and 10 boards. Magic even goes on to say that without those 37 points, they don't win that game.
For as long I've been a fan (12 years) those Lakers retired jerseys have been up there, never moving, always epic. I'm definitely going to try my best to be there when Wilkes' goes up.
Oh by the way...some big guy is getting his jersey up there next season also...
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| #34 also going up |
It's Shaq, enough said.
Two jerseys being retired in one season, Wow!
Now back to the present, the Lakers currently hold the number 3 seed in the West by a thread. The Clippers are right behind them by half a game and Memphis is lurking in the background along with Dallas, Denver, and an unusually good team in Houston. The way the Lakers have been playing, they are looking at a tough first round match up and possibly a quick second round exit. The Purple and Gold hung their hats on defense for most of the season, but since the Sessions acquisition, they have slipped big time.
I thought getting rid of Fisher for a quick point guard was supposed to be the answer? I don't know what happened. On Offense, the Lakers are still trying to figure out who they are with Sessions. Fourteen games in, he still needs to smooth out some edges. The important matter is he fits well on what the Lakers do. Despite this, they have enough fire power in the Big Three of Kobe, Bynum, and Gasol to keep pace with any team in the league.
However, Defense is where they will live and die. Now that quick point guards aren't getting by them, for some reason, new problems arise. In their recent road game against Houston, Luis Scola with his nailed-to-the-floor-old-school post moves in the paint made Pau Gasol look like a statue. At Phoenix, their old pal Shannon Brown dropped 24 and they somehow managed to make Michael Redd look like an All Star again in a 20 point loss.
I can attribute the L's to Bynum's ejection and Kobe sitting out but good teams find a way, especially championship teams.
The Lakers don't look like either at the moment.
The Spurs and the Thunder are the favorites to come out of the West. The Lakers have the pieces to get it done against them, especially the Spurs, but they have to shore it up on the defensive side of the ball. Dallas is a favorable match up because they are simply a shell of the 2011 championship team last year, plus the Lakers have the revenge factor going for them. Houston and Denver, while it will be a gritty and tough series, simply don't have enough against the Lakers in a seven game series. In short, they have to stay at that 3 spot because dropping could mean Memphis (yikes) or the Blake Griffin and friends (should be fun) in the first round.
I haven't even mentioned the injury bug that's plaguing the starters and keeping Kobe out.
The last 9 games are a real test for the Lakers. They will see San Antonio three times and OKC again. It's a good gauge of what they will look like in the playoffs. Defense, Defense, Defense.
- Any Given Sunday
Peace.
Photos from Lakers.com, ESPN.com, and various websites, Googled images and such.
