How Kobe Bryant and The Los Angeles Lakers Can Three-Peat
With training camp set to open shortly the Los Angeles Lakers bid for a three-peat is about to begin. If Phil Jackson is able to get his team to win another title it would be the fourth time the Hall of Fame coach has done so.
In fact, Jackson has never not completed a three-peat before. So far he's three for three in attempts and hopes to make it four for four.
It's going to be much more difficult than in years past considering the Lakers are getting up there in age. Not to mention Kevin Durant's Oklahoma City Thunder appear to be knocking on the door.
Oh, and there's also supposed to be a pretty solid team down in South Beach with some LeBron James guy.
Enough is enough, lets get rollin'.
Win Home-Court Advantage
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Having the best record in the NBA or at least in the Western Conference will be vital to the Lakers title hopes. Playing in the confines of the Staples Center come playoff time is exactly where LA needs to be.
Traveling into visiting arenas having to work extra hard to take back home-court during a seven-game series is not what a veteran team without any young legs needs.
Last year the Lakers were 34-7 at home compared to just 23-18 on the road.
Whether or not LA three-peats may very well come down to how they perform in the regular season.
Monitor Andrew Bynum's Minutes
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Houston Rockets' center Yao Ming is being limited to 24 minutes a game this season and won't play in back-to-back games in consecutive nights.
The same doesn't have to be done for Andrew Bynum, but Jackson has to be careful with the amount of minutes Bynum logs in the regular season. Without a healthy Bynum heading into the playoffs this season there's no chance they will be able to win another title.
No matter how good he's moving early in the season he shouldn't exceed over 30 minutes per game.
A healthy Bynum come May is the most critical piece to a potential three-peat for the Lakers.
Stay Hungry
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It's easy to sit back and relax after you've reached the pinnacle of your profession; especially when you've done it back-to-back times.
Overcoming complacency could be a challenge for Jackson early on in the season. Luckily for Jackson and his staff, he has the most competitive player in the NBA on his team in Kobe Bryant.
Bryant will likely be more motivated than ever after LeBron and Chris Bosh bolted for Miami. And after Shaq signed with the rival Boston Celtics. You don't think Kobe hasn't been listening to all the hype Durant has received after guiding team USA to a gold medal? Or all the hype the Heat have gotten over the summer?
Those things are what Bryant will likely use for motivation this season. The question is how will guys like Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, and Ron Artest perform after winning another title (for Artest his first).
It wouldn't be surprising after the first month or two of the season if we were dissecting what's wrong with the Lakers. Most likely experts would be blaming it on age, but the desire to win or the lack of desire to win, will be what determines how far the Lakers will go this season.
Find Another Point Guard
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LA's strategy of point guard by committee over the past couple of seasons could come crumbling down this season. Derek Fisher won't be able to play at the level he did in the playoffs throughout the season and he's 36 years old.
Adding the 30-year-old Steve Blake was a nice pickup, but it doesn't substitute for the speed and energy Jordan Farmar provided off the bench. Blake is a very good three-point shooter and is better off as a backup than a starter.
Can the Lakers rely on Blake and Fisher to run the show this year?
We'll find out once the season starts. Don't be surprised if the Lakers make a move to acquire a point guard near the trade deadline if not before. We all saw how Russel Westbrook destroyed Fisher during the playoffs and Blake isn't exactly known for his defense.
And in a seven-game series do you really want Kobe killing himself guarding Westbrook?
It will be interesting to see what the organization chooses to do.
Protect Kobe From Kobe
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As was stated earlier Kobe is the NBA's most competitive player. He wants to win every time he's on the court and has garnered a somewhat of a bad reputation with how he gets on his teammates sometimes.
Although winning the past two NBA championships has helped silence the critics.
Sometimes his competitiveness hurts him and the team in the long run. For instance down the stretch last season, Jackson was playing Kobe ridiculous amounts of minutes when he was battling a banged up knee and a busted finger. That can't happen this year.
Bryant looked completely worn out in Game 7 against the Celtics and it resulted in one of his worst performances of his career in a big game. He should still get his minutes; Jackson just can't kill him on a nightly basis.
And if his knee or finger start bothering him again it will serve the Lakers better in the long run for him to take a game or two off.
Keeping this Lakers' team rested and healthy will be the most difficult challenge for Jackson this season.
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