Assorted Thoughts on the LA Lakers

The Lakers are Tall

LA’s roster lists 7 players at 6-10 or taller. And 4 of them are 7 footers. [Green Bandwagon Update: Three of the 7 footers (Bynum, Ilunga-Mbenga, and Mihm) are not a big part  of the Lakers right now. I should have mentioned that earlier.] That’s outrageous. Also if you follow that link to the roster check out 6 aspects:

1. The non-stop music that is part elevator, part mystery/drama, part porn, part I don’t know what.
2. Luke Walton is tanned and then some. I could maybe see him signing in Phoenix. Possibly Miami. And that’s it. Of course that’s all moot if someone drastically overpaid him.
3. Turiaf’s beard would beat the hell out of Gasol’s.
4. Coby Karl narrowly edges Chris Mihm in the “anti Luke Walton look” competition.
5. Vujacic “The Machine” had short hair at one time.
6. Actually click on the players’ bodies (that doesn’t sound right) to hear their introductions. Somewhere John Mason is dying for the Pistons to integrate something similar on Detroit’s website.

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The Lakers Have a Legitimate Rotation

Fisher
Bryant
Radmanovic
Odom
Gasol
Farmar
Vujacic
Walton
Turiaf

You could make the argument that injuries to Trevor Ariza, Andrw Bynum and Chris Mihm made it easy for Phil Jackson to establish a 9-man rotation. Or you could make the argument that if the Lakes were completely healthy he’d switch Turiaf would lose his minutes to Bynum and LA would still go 9 deep. Maybe Ariza would crack the rotation but I think Vujacic does enough of what they would expect from the former UCLA standout. Contrast this with the Celtics whose rotation is as follows:

Rondo
Ray Allen
Pierce
Garnett
Perkins
Posey
P.J. Brown

After that it gets a little sketchy. Glen Davis might make a cameo. Leon Powe shows up only when KG and Brown both have foul trouble. House plays at the end of quarters occasionally. Cassell gets sporadic minutes just to prove he can’t be effective at random times. For the record the C’s rotation should be as follows:

Rondo
Ray Allen
Pierce
Garnett
Perkins
House 
Posey
Powe
Brown – depending on the situation

And that’s it. Even before Tony Allen’s recent injury it was clear that he is not ready to be effective as a sub in limited minutes. Davis looks over matched.

LA’s Bench

Similar to the last one really. In terms of sheer talent LA’s bench vs. Boston’s bench is an interesting debate. However, as LA rolled through the playoffs Farmar, Vujacic, Walton and Turiaf (to a lesser extent) gained confidence. They now look to extend leads rather than just hold them. On the flip side Boston’s bench is a shell of what it used to be.

Phil Jackson’s Pursuit of Red Auerach’s Record

I used to fall into the “Jackson is only good because he had MJ, Shaq and Kobe” approach out of spite. But over time I’ve come to respect what he brings to the table. As The Shamrock Headband recently pointed out, only a handful of guys – Pat Riley, Chuck Daly, Phil Jackson, Rudy Tomjanovich, Gregg Popovich, and Larry Brown – have won championships in the last 20 years. Jackson belongs with the elite. And seriously Auerbach’s legacy is safe. No one will ever be head coach, general manager and head of marketing ever again. Having said all that, seeing Jackson get his 10th ring would be icing on an already bitter defeat.

Celtics Fans Are Going to Hate…

1.    Kobe
2.    Phil Jackson
3.    Sasha Vujacic

In that order. Jackson in particular comes off as an arrogant, condescending guy.