The most vital part of the regular season has already started.
Pau Gasol has already made his home debut as a Laker and it was successful as the Lakers thwarted the debut of Mike Bibby and the visiting Atlanta Hawks in a convincing fashion. And oh, they also beat Phoenix in Phoenix to take the season series, 3-1. That leaves the Lakers with 16 home games and 12 road games - with the Lakers facing many teams below .500. Although the Lakers won big-time in these games, there are still concerns over the health status and the trade machine in the Lakers’ camp. Several names for a new trade have been appearing, with Lamar Odom being the name which has been mentioned in new trade talks for a legit SF. Word is the Lakers front office is trying to get Caron Butler back. But I think though that the Wizards won’t bite. Practically speaking, the trade should not push through because the Lakers need all the big men that they can get for this stretch run. The West is loaded with big men…
…while the Lakers are very well aware that they are missing one big man in Andrew Bynum. His recovery timetable has been set aback, according to this source from ClubLakers.com. The source says that Phil Jackson mentions that Andrew Bynum’s recovery is not on schedule as planned. However, another media source is mentioning that Bynum should be ready by late March, just in time to get his rhythm back for the Playoffs. Trevor Ariza also has his recovery timetable messed up as he is about to miss another 8 weeks, making his grand total up to 12-16 weeks. It really sucks that we can’t have these players to enjoy with the Lakers’ success right now. Chris Mihm is also injured - but he is a hopeless case. He always finds a way to get injured.
Phil Jackson mentioned that the West is so loaded that 50 games won’t get it done for the top seed. So he says that the Lakers are targeting 25 more wins during the stretch run. Phil technically says that the Lakers need to win at least 60 games to have better chances of holding one of the top slots in the West - which in my opinion is very hard to do, but one that is doable. With offensive firepower, improved defense and a dependable bench all season long, the Lakers have already taken a step to achieve that goal. We also have the best player in basketball today. The team also will have a fairly easier schedule in the stretch run compared to the rest of the contenders in the West, given the fact that they have already battled most of the top contenders, including the huge 9-game road trip.
Kobe’s pinkie in his shooting hand is a concern though. He injured it in New Jersey and aggravated the thing in Minnesota in a rebound play against Rashad McCants. He skipped the Foot Locker Three Point Shootout and barely played in the All-Star Game. He has been constantly re-taping and icing the pinkie and has put some protection in the finger. It’s a concern because Kobe will obviously go to the basket and guys from the other teams will take shots at Kobe’s hand, and they will also try to take shots at Kobe’s injured pinkie. Especially in the watch list is Bruce Bowen. But Kobe seems to be fine. Well at least for now.
They did start the stretch run the right way anyway - posting wins over Atlanta and Phoenix. The Atlanta game was a total drubbing of Mike Bibby’s Atlanta debut. It was a no-contest from the first quarter. Lakers even led by as much as 41 points. The Phoenix game was impressive though. They won another big road game against a powerhouse. The best part of the game is that Kobe dropped 41 points on Shaq’s debut, with a injured pinkie and a pesky Raja Bell waiting for him. This was Kobe’s game for the taking and this game was also the coming-out party of the Lakers. The Lakers displayed great composure and resolve in this game. The Suns tried to rally several times but the Lakers just found every answer to the Suns’ desperate hopes to grab the upperhand in the tightly-contested game. These are the types of games that the Lakers really have to win out if they want to be an established playoff contender. The Lakers’ next games are at Clippers (which is basically a home game but considered a road game because the lights and flooring of the Clippers will be there), at Seattle, vs Portland, vs Miami, and at Portland - which are all winnable.
This is it - the stretch run. What the Lakers need to do now is to take care of business. Play smart and play aggressive. Play with Laker Pride. The same adages apply. They just need to do it the Lakers style - smooth and deadly. This team can reach 60 wins and go all the way to the championship with this lineup including Bynum and Ariza (and to some extent, yeah, Mihm).
Welcome back to Laker Land, people. The mad scramble to the finish line begins now. And as far as the Lamar Odom trade talks are concerned, he’s pretty much untouchable with the way he has been impressively playing right now.
