Lakers, Not Spurs, Are Favorites In The West

Contributor Written on July 08, 2009

For a second there, I second guessed myself. Optimism quickly turned into thoughts surrounded by nothing but doubt with each passing day. Suddenly the glass I once saw half full, turned into the glass half empty.

The 2009 NBA Finals Champion Los Angeles Lakers appeared primed with confidence to make a serious run to represent the Western conference for the third consecutive year and defend their NBA title this upcoming season. Ready to forget the struggles they experienced against the Yao and T-Mac-less Houston Rockets as well as the never say die Denver Nuggets in the playoffs and identify themselves as the true favorites of the Western conference.

With the best player in the game, an improving Andrew Bynum, an All-Star forward in Pau Gasol, and the intentions of returning Lamar Odom, Trevor Ariza, and Shannon Brown back to the team, you'd be crazy to think the Lakers didn't have a legitimate chance to repeat as champions.

But just when I had begun imagining Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant hoisting the Western Conference trophy for the seventh time in the last decade in front of thousands of screaming fans in the Staples Center, The San Antonio Spurs made headlines on every sports news website on the internet.

Just two days before the NBA Draft, the aging Spurs made a blockbuster move to acquire small forward Richard Jefferson from the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas, and Fabricio Oberto. Not to mention committing highway robbery by drafting both Dejaun Blair and Jack McClinton without any first round draft picks. Regardless of the draft, let's take a deeper look at what Jefferson adds to the Spurs.

The addition of the 29 year old former New Jersey Net brings much needed youth, just under 18 points per game, 3 assists, and 5.3 rebounds as a fourth scoring option, and a lifetime 47 percent shooter along side the big three of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli, and Tony Parker.

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written on July 08, 2009 Opinion

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