Ringing in the New Year with the Lakers, Part 2
Yesterday I listed the resolutions that I want to see the Lakers’ best starting five make. Today I’m going with the bench players.
Vladimir Radmanovic: Channel the spirit of Dennis Rodman.
No I don’t mean I want to see Vlad dye his hair, get tattoos and body piercings, or wear wedding gowns. Although as Phil Jackson recently put it, it appears that the Lakers’ free agent acquisition over the summer is a “space cadet” so it might not be too long before we start seeing some odd behavior from him. He’s already got the long hair and headband going. Who knows what’s next. What I actually meant with the Rodman reference is that I want him to start grabbing rebounds and playing hard defense. Seriously, how is it that a guy who’s 6’10” has a career average of only 4.5 boards per game. It’s not like he hasn’t had playing time; he’s averaged almost 26 minutes per game for his career. Obviously the fact that he’s a perimeter player prevents him from getting many offensive rebounds, but that doesn’t explain why he doesn’t get more defensive rebounds.
Andrew Bynum: Develop a killer instinct.
As much as I’ve been pleased with Bynum’s development this season, I have become concerned by Bynum’s seemingly easygoing nature and Phil Jackson’s criticisms regarding his work ethic. When I see him get interviewed or read his quotes I sometimes wonder if he has the passion to be a great player. (I wonder about his skills too when I see him play, but he does seem to be improving.) The good thing is that I had these same questions about Yao Ming. If in a couple of years Andrew ends up playing at a level anywhere near the level that Yao was playing at this season, I’ll be a very happy fan.
Jordan Farmar: Lean to play defense in the NBA.
I didn’t watch Farmar that much during his time at UCLA so I wasn’t sure exactly what type of player he was going to be. My friend El Jefe watches more Pac-10 so I asked him his opinion of Farmar. He didn’t have much to say but he did say that Farmar played good defense. The Lakers have needed good defense at the point guard position for some time now so I was pleased. Imagine my disappointment when I saw Farmar in NBA action and kept seeing opposing point guards drive right by him. I have no idea what happened. My guess is that Farmar hasn’t adapted to the NBA game yet, at least defensively. I’ve been pretty content with his offensive game and am hopeful that his defense will come along.
Sasha Vujacic: Start seeing a shrink.
Despite the occasional flashes of competent play from Sasha, including a nice effort in the Lakers win over Orlando on Wednesday, I can’t help but wince every time I see Sasha on the floor. Every time I see a basketball in his hands I get a feeling that something bad is going to happen. I still can’t believe that he gets as much playing time as he does. My friend Vayacondios has a theory that Sasha has some compromising pictures of Phil Jackson with a donkey and that’s why Phil plays him so much. The more likely reason is that by all accounts, Sasha plays well in practice. Unfortunately for the Lakers, he usually can’t duplicate that success when the game counts. It has to be some sort of mental block and I really think Sasha could benefit from seeing a mental analyst or therapist.
Ronnie Turiaf: Stop being a foul magnet.
In less than two seasons, Ronny has become one of my favorite Lakers. I love the energy and hustle that he brings to the team and I’m very grateful that he seems to have gotten past his heart condition. I would love to see him on the court more often but it’s tough to get much playing time when you average almost one foul every five minutes. One particularly bad game was against the Atlanta Hawks. He got four personal fouls in about five and a half minutes. Hopefully as he gets more NBA experience he’ll start figuring what he can and can’t get away with.
Brian Cook: Continue to improve my game.
It’s been a bit of a tough season for Brian Cook. He hasn’t gotten that much playing time for a variety of reasons. But he’s played decently since becoming a starter during Lamar Odom’s absence. Hopefully he can continue to develop his game and complement his smooth shooting touch with some good defense and rebounding.
Maurice Evans: Continue playing hard.
Even though I didn’t know much about Evans when the Lakers acquired him, I liked what I saw when I looked at his statistics. He has been a solid acquisition and I have been pleasantly surprised by his offensive game. He hasn’t been the defensive stopper he was rumored to be, but he seems adequate enough on defense. So far he’s been well worth the second round draft pick the Lakers gave up to acquire him.
Chris Mihm, Aaron McKie, and Shammond Williams: Get traded for a serviceable player.
Combined these guys are making about $7.4 million and yet they are contributing almost nothing to the team. You can’t really blame Mihm for his injury. I don’t even really blame McKie and Williams. It’s not their fault Mitch Kupchak, the Laker’s general manager, foolishly decided to sign them. But I can’t help thinking that $7.4 million is a lot of money and could probably get you a decent player. Although it’s unlikely, it would be great if another NBA team wanted to dump some salary and the Lakers could cast off these guys.
Even if none of the players adopt any of these resolutions, I’ll be more than happy if the Lakers continue playing as well as they have so far. The NBA seems to be wide open this year with no truly dominant team. San Antonio, Dallas, Phoenix, and Utah are all very good teams, but they all seem vulnerable. If the Lakers do resolve to improve their defense, Lamar comes back soon, the rest of the team stays healthy, and they continue to play as a team, who knows what the Lakers might do in the playoffs. I’m not saying this team is going to win a championship, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see them in the Western Conference Finals.
Vladimir Radmanovic: Channel the spirit of Dennis Rodman.
No I don’t mean I want to see Vlad dye his hair, get tattoos and body piercings, or wear wedding gowns. Although as Phil Jackson recently put it, it appears that the Lakers’ free agent acquisition over the summer is a “space cadet” so it might not be too long before we start seeing some odd behavior from him. He’s already got the long hair and headband going. Who knows what’s next. What I actually meant with the Rodman reference is that I want him to start grabbing rebounds and playing hard defense. Seriously, how is it that a guy who’s 6’10” has a career average of only 4.5 boards per game. It’s not like he hasn’t had playing time; he’s averaged almost 26 minutes per game for his career. Obviously the fact that he’s a perimeter player prevents him from getting many offensive rebounds, but that doesn’t explain why he doesn’t get more defensive rebounds.
Andrew Bynum: Develop a killer instinct.
As much as I’ve been pleased with Bynum’s development this season, I have become concerned by Bynum’s seemingly easygoing nature and Phil Jackson’s criticisms regarding his work ethic. When I see him get interviewed or read his quotes I sometimes wonder if he has the passion to be a great player. (I wonder about his skills too when I see him play, but he does seem to be improving.) The good thing is that I had these same questions about Yao Ming. If in a couple of years Andrew ends up playing at a level anywhere near the level that Yao was playing at this season, I’ll be a very happy fan.
Jordan Farmar: Lean to play defense in the NBA.
I didn’t watch Farmar that much during his time at UCLA so I wasn’t sure exactly what type of player he was going to be. My friend El Jefe watches more Pac-10 so I asked him his opinion of Farmar. He didn’t have much to say but he did say that Farmar played good defense. The Lakers have needed good defense at the point guard position for some time now so I was pleased. Imagine my disappointment when I saw Farmar in NBA action and kept seeing opposing point guards drive right by him. I have no idea what happened. My guess is that Farmar hasn’t adapted to the NBA game yet, at least defensively. I’ve been pretty content with his offensive game and am hopeful that his defense will come along.
Sasha Vujacic: Start seeing a shrink.
Despite the occasional flashes of competent play from Sasha, including a nice effort in the Lakers win over Orlando on Wednesday, I can’t help but wince every time I see Sasha on the floor. Every time I see a basketball in his hands I get a feeling that something bad is going to happen. I still can’t believe that he gets as much playing time as he does. My friend Vayacondios has a theory that Sasha has some compromising pictures of Phil Jackson with a donkey and that’s why Phil plays him so much. The more likely reason is that by all accounts, Sasha plays well in practice. Unfortunately for the Lakers, he usually can’t duplicate that success when the game counts. It has to be some sort of mental block and I really think Sasha could benefit from seeing a mental analyst or therapist.
Ronnie Turiaf: Stop being a foul magnet.
In less than two seasons, Ronny has become one of my favorite Lakers. I love the energy and hustle that he brings to the team and I’m very grateful that he seems to have gotten past his heart condition. I would love to see him on the court more often but it’s tough to get much playing time when you average almost one foul every five minutes. One particularly bad game was against the Atlanta Hawks. He got four personal fouls in about five and a half minutes. Hopefully as he gets more NBA experience he’ll start figuring what he can and can’t get away with.
Brian Cook: Continue to improve my game.
It’s been a bit of a tough season for Brian Cook. He hasn’t gotten that much playing time for a variety of reasons. But he’s played decently since becoming a starter during Lamar Odom’s absence. Hopefully he can continue to develop his game and complement his smooth shooting touch with some good defense and rebounding.
Maurice Evans: Continue playing hard.
Even though I didn’t know much about Evans when the Lakers acquired him, I liked what I saw when I looked at his statistics. He has been a solid acquisition and I have been pleasantly surprised by his offensive game. He hasn’t been the defensive stopper he was rumored to be, but he seems adequate enough on defense. So far he’s been well worth the second round draft pick the Lakers gave up to acquire him.
Chris Mihm, Aaron McKie, and Shammond Williams: Get traded for a serviceable player.
Combined these guys are making about $7.4 million and yet they are contributing almost nothing to the team. You can’t really blame Mihm for his injury. I don’t even really blame McKie and Williams. It’s not their fault Mitch Kupchak, the Laker’s general manager, foolishly decided to sign them. But I can’t help thinking that $7.4 million is a lot of money and could probably get you a decent player. Although it’s unlikely, it would be great if another NBA team wanted to dump some salary and the Lakers could cast off these guys.
Even if none of the players adopt any of these resolutions, I’ll be more than happy if the Lakers continue playing as well as they have so far. The NBA seems to be wide open this year with no truly dominant team. San Antonio, Dallas, Phoenix, and Utah are all very good teams, but they all seem vulnerable. If the Lakers do resolve to improve their defense, Lamar comes back soon, the rest of the team stays healthy, and they continue to play as a team, who knows what the Lakers might do in the playoffs. I’m not saying this team is going to win a championship, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see them in the Western Conference Finals.
posted by The Pocho at 12:44 PM
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