Ringing in the New Year with the Lakers, Part 1

I’m not much for making New Year’s resolutions. When you have as many flaws and deficiencies as I do, it’s hard to figure out where to start. But that doesn’t stop me from advising others on what they should resolve to do. So in keeping with the New Year’s spirit, and even though it’s a little trite, I present to you the resolutions I’d love to see made in the Los Angeles Lakers locker room.

Smush Parker: Play every game as if this was my contract year.
Lots of Laker fans were upset with Smush and wanted him off the team after the dismal performance in last spring’s playoffs. Part of the reason Jordan Farmar has been so readily embraced by Laker fans, aside from the fact he’s a decent player and is a hometown boy, is that he’s seen as Smush’s eventual replacement. But I have a soft spot for Smush since I saw him play in the Long Beach summer league in 2005 and thought he would make the team. Also, without Smush’s steal there would have been no victory in that amazing Game 4 against the Suns. But I’ve been really bothered by the way he’s played this year. I just want to see him play with more intensity, like he did in his 18 point third quarter of last night’s win against the Orlando Magic. Smush will be a free agent this summer and if he wants a shot at a nice contract (probably from another team), he’s going to have to pick up his hustle on the court.

Kobe Bryant: Stay healthy for the rest of the season.
It’s hard to improve much when you’re already one of the best players in the league. I wouldn’t mind if he focused a little more on his defense, but my real concern is that he stay on the court. With Lamar Odom out for the near future, the team would obviously be devastated if Kobe had to sit out any time during the next month or two.

Luke Walton: Become a little more athletic.
I’ve already written about how I’ve been impressed with the development of Luke’s game. He has struggled a bit recently due to Lamar’s absence and his own injury on his non-shooting wrist, but he is still finding a way to contribute to the team’s success. But one area where he still needs help is his defense. It’s not his fault he’s a little slower than the players he’s guarding, but it would be nice if he was a little quicker.

Lamar Odom: Grow another MCL.
This is probably the least likely resolution to be fulfilled given that as far as I know, it’s medically impossible. The Lakers have played surprisingly well without Odom, who sprained his MCL earlier this month, but they’re going to need him to get back ASAP if they plan to make any noise in the playoffs. It’s unlikely, but I would really love it if Odom came back by the end of January and the Lakers could manage to get home court advantage for the first round of the playoffs.

Kwame Brown: Earn my money.
This resolution is almost as improbable as Lamar’s. When the Lakers lost to the Washington Wizards earlier this month, I was again reminded about how much I’m disappointed by Kwame and how much I detested the Lakers trading away Caron Butler. It’s bad enough that he’s only averaging 8.7 points and 6.2 rebounds. What really rubs salt in the wound is that he’s getting paid about $8 million to do so. I’m not sure what the problem is. He has the physical gifts, aside from the small hands made of stone. He probably doesn’t have the right frame of mind, but sometimes I think that he just doesn’t get enough touches. Whatever it is, it seems unlikely that Kwame will earn his money and reach the goal set by Phil Jackson before the season of averaging 15 points and 10 rebounds. At the very least he could give a little more effort.

That takes care of the team’s best starting five. Check in tomorrow for the rest of the squad.