Lakers Win 15th Championship, Season in Review

So it's been quite some time. Life caught up with me over the last two weeks and limited my blogging ability. A lot has happened since I have written a post. Derek Fisher secured his spot as a Lakers Legend with his two huge shots in Game 4 (and in the process he erased his horrible overall postseason from the minds of Lakers fans), and the Lakers won easily in Game 5 to win their 10th championship since moving to Los Angeles. I was in Massachusetts for my cousin's wedding, and I was able to spend Sunday night and Monday celebrating the championship in Celtics country. Needless to say, it was poetic justice for the way the Finals ended last year. Walking through Boston on Monday was amazing. Moving on, I think the timing is right for a season review. To help me look back on the Lakers amazing season, I enlisted the assistance of Matt Stong. We bring to you the 2008-2009 World Champion Los Angeles Lakers season in review:



Position by Position Breakdown:



PG- Derek Fisher

Regular Season Grade: B

Postseason Grade: C+



Fish was a solid fifth option all season long, until a horrible shooting slump began in April and continued until the NBA Finals. His ability to stretch the floor and make open jumpshots, as well as provide leadership was valuable. However, his (relatively) old age began to show in the postseason as he couldn't stay in front of any point guards. He also started forcing bad shots, and on top of that he couldn't knock down the open jumpers either. He became a liability. However, in the NBA Finals he came up huge in Game 2 with a steal in overtime that helped seal the deal. That paled in comparison to the huge 3's he knocked down in Game 4 that helped break Orlando's back.

Final Stat Line: 9.9 PPG, 3.2 APG, 39.7 3PT%



SG- Kobe Bryant

Regular Season Grade: A

Postseason Grade: A



At the risk of sounding too much like a Kobe homer, it's amazing how he kept up his incredible level of production night in and night out in this, his 13th season in the NBA. After a stellar showing in the Olympics, Kobe was able to lean on his teammates more than usual this season. Kobe was in cruise control most of the year, picking his spots to dominate games (61 points in Madison Square Garden the game after Andrew Bynum injured his knee). Kobe led the Lakers in scoring and assists (again) and just missed shooting a career best in FG%. In the postseason, he was stellar once again. Kobe averaged over 30 PPG, and had a six game streak with 8 or more assists per game. Kobe did have his faults though. He struggled to get good shots against Houston, and in Games 2 and 4 against the Magic, his tendency to take on the entire defense nearly cost the Lakers two pivotal games. Yet, he had the types of games where was able to get going enough to carry the Lakers to victory in vital road games. The Lakers didn't lose consecutive games in the postseason, and Kobe is the number one reason why. Kobe was 75 for 150 in FG attempts in the seven games following Lakers losses this postseason. Mighty impressive.

Final Stat Line: 26.8 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 4.9 APG



SF- Trevor Ariza

Regular Season Grade: A-

Postseason Grade: A



Ariza played well all season, but he really came on after moving into the starting lineup for the final 19 games. Initially his impact came mostly on the defensive end (tied for 6th in the NBA with 1.7 SPG), but as the season progressed, the former Bruin took on a bigger role on the offensive end. In the playoffs, he made nearly 50% of his three-point attempts, and overall he made 61 of his career 70 three-pointers this season alone. Ariza had two huge steals late in games against the Nuggets, and his offensive outbursts against the Magic in Games 4 and 5 were overshadowed but incredibly important.

Final Stat Line: 8.9 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 1.7 SPG



PF- Pau Gasol

Regular Season Grade: A

Postseason Grade: A



This one is pretty easy. Pau Gasol is awesome, yet I don't think people really understand his greatness. As a 7-footer who can play in the low post, high post, handle the ball, make great decisions, block shots, and rebound, he is about as versatile a player as the NBA will see. We all know he is not incredibly strong, but can we officially remove the label "soft"? Gasol is the perfect compliment to Kobe, and it seems as if he will be a perennial All-Star as a Laker. Pau was the most efficient Laker all season, shooting an amazing 57% from the field. He improved his rebound rate as the season progressed, and he played much better defense in the playoffs as well. Pau was a godsend for the Lakers, and Mitch Kupchap must thank Memphis GM Chris Wallace every day for setting the Lakers up for the next six years. While we're at it, thank you Chris!

Final Stat Line: 18.9 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 3.5 APG, 56.7 FG%



C- Andrew Bynum

Regular Season Grade: Inc.

Postseason Grade: C-



Andrew Bynum is the biggest question mark going forward, but he also is the biggest reason why the Lakers have the chance to sustain their success into the next decade. Bynum showed flashes of briliance (17.3 PPG in January, his 42 points and 15 rebounds against the Clippers), but also struggled mightily in the postseason. Bynum has had major knee injuries in two straight seasons, and in order for him to develop into a star, he must stay healthy for an entire season. A big issue for Andrew is his attitude. When he feels his is not involved, he tends to pout and slump his shoulders. For him to get better, he must show more passion and be able to overcome adversity. The talent and the skill set are there. I don't think he was close to 100% in the postseason, as he couldn't stay on the floor for extended minutes without getting into foul trouble. But he is 21. He barely played in high school, and he has missed significant time so far in his pro career. Everyone needs to stay patient. The sky is still the limit for Bynum, and I would still bank on him playing a huge role on future Lakers teams.

Final Stat Line: 14.3 PPG, 8 RPG, 1.8 BPG



Bench Mob:



PF- Lamar Odom

Regular Season Grade: B

Postseason Grade: B+



Lamar Odom is possibly the most polarizing figure on the Lakers, save the obvious Kobe Bryant. Analysts and fans label him as the "X" factor for the team's success. The amount of skill he has for someone 6'10'' is deadly. As Jeff Van Gundy illustrated several times during timeouts in the playoffs, Lamar Odom has the ability to block a shot, get the rebound, dribble the ball upcourt and either dish it off for an assist or finish strong. He even shot 51% from 3 in the postseason, making him the complete package. Yet, the "Candy Man" still has spurts where he is enigmatic and disappears. When he is ineffective and Bynum is in foul trouble, too much pressure is on Gasol to carry the load down low. However, when he shines (as we saw Game 6 against Denver and Game 2 against the Magic) he makes the Lakers virtually unguardable. Now that he has proven himself to be an asset for a championship team, lets hope the consistency will continue.

Final Stat Line: 11.3 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 1.26 BPG



PG- Jordan Farmar

Regular Season Grade: D+

Postseason Grade: C



Farmar took a step back in his development this season. It might have been his midseason knee injury, or it could have just been a down year. Either way, Farmar needs to play better. He shot below 40% from the field, and appeared to lose confidence in the latter part of the season. He played better in the postseason, but being part of a three point guard rotation made it difficult for everyone involved. The good news: Farmar is only 22 and showed in 2007-2008 that he can be a good NBA point guard. Now the question is whether or not he will play next year like he did two years ago or like he did last year. Let's hope for the former.

Final Stat Line: 6.4 PPG, 2.4 APG, 1.8 RPG



SF- Luke Walton

Regular Season Grade: C

Postseason Grade: B



Many forget that Luke Walton played sparingly for about half this season. The infamous Vladimir Radmonovic started the season at SF for the Lakers, only to have his inconsistent shooting and lackadaisical defense replaced by Luke in early December. Luke then took over the backup SF job when Ariza was moved the starting lineup and Vlad Rad was traded. Although Walton's defense is at best average (see: last year's Finals guarding Pierce), you can't deny his effort (battled and arguably did a decent job staying in front of Melo despite ticky tack foul calls). But Luke's greatest contributions are his intangibles. His passing is excellent, he understands his role, and he always plays hard. Granted he is vastly overpaid for a wing that isn't athletic at all and struggles to knock down shots, Walton played a big part in maintaining energy and effort off the bench.

Final Stat Line: 5 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.7 APG



SG- Sasha Vujacic

Regular Season Grade: D

Postseason Grade: F



The Machine was not working this season. I like Sasha. He annoys the other team, he amuses me, and he legitimately loves being a Laker. But he was awful this year and there is no other way around it. Sasha shot 38.7% from the field, and it's beginning to look as if his breakout 2007-2008 season was an aberration. During the playoffs, Sasha was non-existent. To be fair, I think Ariza's emergence hurt Sasha more than anyone else on the team. During the 2007-08 season, Sasha played alongside Kobe a great deal. But in 08-09, Sasha was relegated to backing up Kobe exclusively. His minutes were cut and I don't think that helped him. But either way you slice it, he needs to be much better going forward.

Final Stat Line: 5.8 PPG, 1.4 APG, 36.3 3PT%



PF- Josh Powell

Regular Season Grade: B-

Postseason Grade: Pass



Powell played sparingly until Bynum's knee injury in January. He stepped up and played decently as the third big man in the rotation during Andrew's absence. He was able to fill the departed Ronny Turiaf's role all the while making about $3.5 million less. Not bad for a 4th big man. My only gripe: He had a Vujacic-like shot quota he had to fill each time he touched the court.

Final Stat Line: 4.2 PPG, 2.9 RPG



PG- Shannon Brown
Regular Season Grade: B
Postseason Grade: A-

Shannon Brown was a throw-in in the Adam Morrison/Vladimir Radmanovic trade. However, he stepped up down the stretch for the Lakers. He played great defense against Deron Williams, and was a part of the series turning run in the second half of Game 5 against Denver, including a sick slam dunk over Chris "Birdman" Andersen. Brown shot the ball well, played solid defense, and provided at least one highlight-reel play every time he got on the court. A very pleasant surprise and a fan favorite.
Final Stat Line (Lakers only): 3.2 PPG, 1.1 RPG

SF- Sun Yue, C- DJ Mbenga, SF- Adam Morrison

All three players played sparingly. Mbenga played a little bit as the 4th big man when Bynum went down. Morrison played in blowouts but never got into the rotation. And Sun Yue is years away from being an NBA player.

Lakers Awards
MVP: Pau Gasol
6th Man: Lamar Odom
Most Improved: Trevor Ariza

Looking Forward to Next Season

Key Free Agents: Lamar Odom, Trevor Ariza, Shannon Brown

Ideally, the Lakers will be able to sign all three of these guys. It doesn't seem like any teams with cap room will offer Lamar a deal larger than the midlevel exception of about 6 million dollars. It seems as if he wants to stay with the Lakers too. He knew he was hurting his market value when he agreed to come off the bench, and he means more to the Lakers than he could to any other team.
Prediction: Odom signs for 4 years, 27 million

Ariza was incredible during the second half of the season. He increased his value exponentially. It seems as if Trevor is a perfect midlevel candidate for many different contenders. The Lakers will face intense competition in order to resign the local product. After much flirting, I see the Lakers resigning him.
Prediction: Ariza signs for 5 years, 28 million

Shannon Brown needs to parlay his nice run with the Lakers into a big contract elsewhere. I would love for him to resign, but I just don't see it making much financial sense. Shannon should sign a multi-million dollar deal elsewhere.
Prediction: Brown signs a 2 year, 4 million contract elsewhere

Viable Alternatives:
PG- Jason Kidd
PF- Antonio McDyess
PF- Rasheed Wallace
SF- Ron Artest
SF- Grant Hill

Draft Needs:
If Ariza or Odom leave, the Lakers will need to add an athletic swingman which is easier said than done picking so late in the draft. Also, PG is always an area of need with Fisher getting closer to the end of his career and Farmar struggling last season. Size is always a plus too, so the Lakers should look to add a big man.

The Lakers had a "magic"al season in 2008-2009. Although they were frustrating at times, they put it together when it mattered. The Lakers still have not lost more than two games in a row since aquiring Pau Gasol on February 1, 2008. If the Lakers are able to resign Ariza and Odom, then I think there is a good chance that they will be in this same position come next June.

Yay! Joe Torre Still Has Some Sense Left...

Dodgers manager Joe Torre indicated yesterday that Juan Pierre will be his fourth outfielder when Manny Ramirez returns from his "injury". Recently there have been rumblings to the contrary. Pierre is coming down to earth and Ethier is regaining his stroke so there is no other way. Even if Ethier contined to struggle the choice would be obvious because he is still a much better player than Pierre (what with Pierre's .722 career OPS and all). It's funny how some people don't understand the concept of regressing to the mean. Pierre was extremely hot. It was not going to last. And he is on his way to being Juan Pierre again. He is 32 years old, did people really think he was going to have a career year? Well sanity wins out in this case..

Courtney Lee AKA Santa Claus

Courtney Lee missed a layup that would have won Game 2 Sunday night at Staples Center. The Lakers ended up winning the game in OT and now have a commanding 2-0 lead over the Magic as the series shifts to Orlando. Oh and for those claiming that Pau Gasol goaltended on the Lee's layup.. Take a look at the picture up top.. That's a goaltend. Gasol touching the rim didn't effect the shot against Lee whatsoever so I don't want to hear it. That's all. Go Lakers. Now I must resume studying.

It's Dre's Day(s)

Maybe this will put a rest to all the nonsense I have heard lately about Juan Pierre starting over Andre Ethier once Manny returns. We all know that Andre Ethier has struggled since Manny went out. But he is still the vastly superior player. I have said here repeatedly that I don't believe in the concept of lineup protection. Ethier's struggles without Manny have been repeatedly tossed around in the media, and by some naive fans, as causation. That is, Ethier can't hit without Manny in the lineup. I think the truth is really correlation. Yes Ethier has struggled without Manny, but you cannot say Manny's absence is the cause of Andre's problems. Andre has showed signs of coming out of the slump for almost two weeks now. There were two big indicators that he was ready to bust out even if the results weren't there right away:

1. He was starting to have those great Andre Ethier at-bats where he gets deep into the count before putting the ball in play
2. He was squaring the ball up. For the first few weeks of his slump, Ethier looked awful. When he put the ball in play, it never seemed like he hit it hard. That started to change over the past two weeks. At first, he was hitting the ball hard but still making outs. However, in the past week he started seeing results. A big month from Andre would be awesome, what with Pierre coming back down to Earth and all.

There is an incorrect perception of Ethier among many Dodger fans. That perception is one of consistency. The truth is actually something completely different. Andre is streaky like almost every other player in baseball (well maybe besides Albert Pujols). Exhibit A, Andre's OPS by month over the last two seasons:

April 2008: .861

May 2008: .746

June 2008: .643

July 2008: .835

August 2008: .961

September 2008: 1.249

April 2009: .976

May 2009: .601

June 2009 (small sample but still): 1.330

I guess where I'm getting that is that Andre is streaky. So is almost every other hitter in baseball. Dodger-killer Chase Utley had two separate 0 for 25 streaks last year. It happens. Ethier is still a very good hitter who is on pace to have a highly impressive season. Pespective in necessary over a 162 game season, and all too often, we as fans lose sight of this.

Anyways, for the second time in less than 24 hours, Ethier delivered a walk-off hit to beat the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies. On Friday night, Ethier ripped the first pitch he saw from Brad Lidge into the corner in right field for a game winning double. Today, with the game settling into one of those dreadful extra-inning games where no team gets anything going offensively, Ethier delivered the blow by taking the full-count offering from Chad Durbin and depositing it over the fence just to the right of center field. That makes three comeback wins for the Dodgers in five days. The offense has been struggling lately, but they are getting great pitching and finding ways to win (I deserve a fine from the cliche police). Hiroki Kuroda's return is a tremendous boost to the Dodgers staff which already leads the N.L. in team ERA. Hopefully, Rafael Furcal's game-tying homerun in the ninth off of Brad Lidge will be the start of a hot streak for him. It is amazing that the Dodgers continue to win despite some disappointing individual statistics from key guys such as Russell Martin and Rafael Furcal. Tomorrow the Boys go for a 5-2 homestand while trying to take 3 of 4 from the second best team in the N.L. Unfortunately I'll be busy, as the local basketball team out here kind of has an important game that will require my attention.

Lakers Win 100-75

The Lakers put together an impressive effort to win Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Kobe led the way with 40 points but a great all around game included contributions from Derek Fisher, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom and Luke Walton. The Lakers played great defense. Two things in particular stuck out: They were able to run the Magic shooters off of the three point line. That was huge as Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu and the rest of the Magic shooters were not able to get going. The second great thing the Lakers did was to foul Dwight Howard. Howard only had 6 official Field Goal attempts, resulting in only one make. By fouling Howard they forced him to make free throws, which he didn't do. Howard finished 10 for 16 at the line. The Magic will shoot the ball better in the rest of the series, but if the Lakers can do these two things well all series they will be fine. Only three more wins...

Half Way Through Manny's Suspension

The Dodgers are halfway through Manny Ramirez' 50 game suspension for PED's. The Boys in Blue have posted a rather remarkable 15-10 record in the 25 games. It's remarkable when you consider the fact that:

• The Dodgers best pitcher, Chad Billingsley, has all three of his losses after Manny's suspension.
• The Dodgers have played over half of their games against the Phillies, Mets, Angels and Cubs.
• Andre Ethier has gone into the tank since May 3rd. His line: .190/.263/.286. I still don't believe in lineup protection. Surely one month can easily be attributed to be a fluke. But it is starting to look sketchy.
• Rafael Furcal has a .621 OPS on the season
• Russell Martin has zero home runs and a sterling .318 Slugging percentage.
• First baseman James Loney has 2 home runs and a .370 Slugging percentage.
• Matt Kemp went a 19 game span with zero homers and a .704 OPS (May 8 to May 28)
• Leading power hitter Casey Blake (9 home runs and a .549 SLG) has sat out 20% of the games and has been reduced to pinch hitting in two other games
• Eric Milton (4.99 career ERA) has made three starts.
• Hiroki Kuroda has made only one start

I could probably continue to go on, but you get the point by now. The Dodgers have been hitting for barely any power yet they continue to win ballgames. I'm thoroughly impressed. The Dodgers have a 9 game lead in the West (pending Wednesday night's game which is currently in a scoreless tie in the sixth) and continue to hold the best record in Major League Baseball. You can call the Dodgers a lot of things. But one thing you cannot call them is a one-man team. They are so much more than that. It is beginning to feel like a special year at Dodger Stadium. Last night's 5 run comeback in the 8th inning is proof. Hopefully the team can keep it up and ride the wave until Manny's return.