Los Angeles Lakers: 15 New Years Resolutions Lakers Should Make for 2011
The Los Angeles Lakers are more or less right where they should be thus far in 2010. They currently boast a 19-7 record, which is good enough to lead the Pacific and the third-best record in the Western Conference.
Nevertheless, after starting 8-0, Kobe Bryant and the Lake Show have definitely fallen back in with the rest of the pack by going 11-7 since early September.
They still have all the right pieces for another run to the NBA Finals when the playoffs roll around, but they could stand to make a few New Years Resolutions to help make it happen.
Here are 15 that we came up with.
15. Use Joe Smith
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Because Smith, the former No. 1 overall pick of the Warriors, has played in only four games this season and none since early November, exactly why the Lakers felt they needed to exchange Sasha Vujacic for him is a little odd.
But since they have him, they may as well use him. If nothing else, he's another big body that they can throw in the paint, which will come in handy considering the health of Andrew Bynum and Theo Ratliff.
14. Play Smarter In Day Games
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I can't claim that I've watched every one of the Lakers' day games, but I did notice an interesting statistical anomaly that suggests that they tend to be a little more sluggish in these games than they are at night.
This has everything to do with turnovers. In night games, the Lakers average just 12.3 turnovers, lowest in the NBA.
In day games, they average 16.3 turnovers, which is fourth-worst in the NBA.
So whatever they have to do, whether it's have an extra cup of coffee or simply go to bed earlier, they need to find a way to be sharper when the sun is out.
13. Take It Easy On The Three-Pointers
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The Lakers are a pretty good three-point shooting team, as they have made close to 39 percent of their attempts at this point in the season.
But they have been overly reliant on the three-point shot at times, particularly when they're struggling. In losses, the Lakers make just 31.2 percent of their three-pointers, which included a 26.3-percent stretch during their four-game skid.
In other words, the Lakers may be too willing to settle and avoid being aggressive at times. They need to knock that off.
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12. Ron Artest Could Stand to Be More Assertive
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When Artest signed on with the Lakers last season, it was pretty much a foregone conclusion that his numbers would take a dip. And that's exactly what happened.
But they've taken an even further dip this season, as he's decreased in points per game, assists per game and rebounds per game. Part of this is due to a slight decline in minutes, but it could also suggest that Artest is just as hesitant to assert himself as he was last year. After all, that would still explain his tendency to toss up bad shots.
So in other words, despite the fact that Artest has played better this year, he still hasn't seemed like the player he should be. Maybe he can change that in the new year.
11. Limit Opponents' Offensive Rebounds
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The Lakers do a fine job of limiting opponents' defensive rebounding.
But on the offensive glass, not so much. The Lakers' opponents average a league-leading 13.2 offensive rebounds per game, which naturally leads to more second chance points.
Given the size they can pack into the paint at any given moment, the Lakers have no business giving up that many offensive rebounds.
10. Be More Aggressive Defensively
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Statistically, the Lakers are actually pretty solid defensively, as they are allowing an average of under 100 points per game.
Nevertheless, the defense certainly hasn't been as good as it should be, which is a big reason why the Lakers have been playing just okay in recent weeks.
At last check the Lakers are 11th in defensive efficiency, which measures the number of points a team allows per 100 possessions. They should be at or near the top of the league in the department.
Moreover, the Lakers might even consider initiating more contact. They allow an average of just 21.4 free throw attempts per game, second fewest in the NBA. More fouls aren't necessarily a bad thing if they teach people a lesson, after all.
9. Work On Protecting Leads
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The Lakers have by no means been the worst team in the NBA in terms of their ability to finish games, but they could stand to improve.
Their first loss of the season against the Denver Nuggets came in a game in which they had a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter. They also dropped a game to the Utah Jazz after holding a 19-point advantage. And in their loss to the Chicago Bulls, they led by as many as 13 points.
While the losses to the Jazz (who have a knack for comebacks) and the Bulls can be partially excused because of the quality of the opponent, the Lakers are too good to be giving up those kinds of leads.
This will be something that will get easier as the Lakers get healthy, but keeping these early season choke jobs in the back of their minds will also help serve as a reminder never to take their foot off the gas.
8. Fewer Shots for Kobe
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I don't remember which of ESPN's NBA analysts it was, but one of them made the point the other night that Kobe has had too many "Allen Iverson" games this season, which is to basically say that he's gotten to high point totals simply by taking a lot of shots.
True enough, Kobe is second in the league to Kevin Durant with 20.4 attempted field goals per game. But do the Lakers really want him to limit his shot attempts?
Well, during that 8-0 start, he only had three games with more than 20 shots. In 18 games since then, he's had 11. One of the upshots of this is that it leads to fewer touches for Pau Gasol, and the Lakers have shown that they're better when he gets more action.
7. Whatever Lamar Odom is Doing, He Needs to Keep Doing It
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One of the more surprisingly pleasant storylines for the Lakers has been the play of Lamar Odom, who has greatly increased his production with increased playing time.
So far this year, Odom is averaging about four minutes more playing time per game and he is averaging better than 15 points a game for the first time since the 2006-2007 season. He's also shooting 39.5 percent from behind the arc, which is well above his career average of 31.7.
Basically, the only resolution Odom needs to make is that he won't mess this up.
6. Keep Andrew Bynum Healthy
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To be sure, keeping Andrew Bynum healthy is definitely easier said than done.
The Lakers are a very good team, but they are clearly a far more dangerous team when Bynum is on the floor. He's big, he's physical, he gets boards, and he allows Pau Gasol to play more like a traditional power forward.
The good news for Phil Jackson is that Lamar Odom's baffling consistency and the addition of Joe Smith should make it easier to monitor Bynum's minutes.
Regardless, the Lakers need Bynum if they want to complete another three-peat. They didn't have him against the Celtics in 2008 and look how that worked out.
5. Keep Finding Ways to Limit Pau Gasol's Minutes
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In 24 games before Andrew Bynum's return against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night, Pau Gasol had played at least 38 minutes 17 times.
In two games since Bynum's return, he's played 30 and 35 minutes.
That's much better. It was starting to become apparent in recent weeks that Gasol was on the floor way too much, which in retrospect could have a lot to do with the way the Lakers came back to earth after their undefeated start.
From a purely glass-half-full perspective, it's probably a good thing that Gasol ran the gauntlet earlier rather than later. If he can average a more reasonable number of minutes per game, let's say 35 or less, he should be in strong shape for a deep playoff run.
4. Stop Losing to Inferior Teams
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The Lakers have losses this season to the Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, Indiana Pacers and Phoenix Suns, all four of whom are .500 or worse.
If the Lakers win those four games, they're 23-3, which would be the best record in basketball. Even if they go 2-2 in those games, they're 21-5.
So the point here is simple: Don't drop games to bad teams. And if they must, they need to do so less often.
3. Simply Be More Consistent
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The Lakers have shown over the last couple years that they're the kind of team that gets wins in bunches.
On the flipside, their losses have also come in bunches. They've already had one pretty significant losing streak this season, a four-game skid in late November and early December, which included losses to teams that really aren't all that good.
This is a team that should never lose more than two in a row, but they do seem to suffer from complacency at times, almost as if they're bored with the regular season.
If nothing more than for the sake of appearances, they need to knock it off.
2. Keep in Mind That This is Not a Young Team
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While getting Pau Gasol and, especially, Andrew Bynum enough rest should be a priority, it would be a good idea for Phil Jackson to fully realize that he is by no means dealing with a young team. His guys are all a little older and they've played an awful lot of basketball over the last three years.
And indeed, one of the biggest concerns I've come across in talking to Laker fans is that Kobe Bryant might be worn out by the end of the regular season. Considering that he plays noticeably more poorly when he's gassed, making sure he spends enough time on the bench as the year progresses forward should be priority, no matter how much he might insist otherwise.
After all, if the Lakers don't have a healthy Kobe, they don't have a chance at a three-peat.
1. Complete the Three-Peat
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Why not save the best resolution for last, right?
Indeed, the Lakers can worry themselves with petty goals all they want, but they would do well to remind themselves of what it is exactly that they're chasing this season.
As for Kobe, he would do well to remind himself that a sixth ring would give him as many as Jordan. If that's not a motivating factor, I don't know what is.
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