Los Angeles Lakers: 10 Bold Predictions for the Post All-Star Break
True to the nature of Hollywood, the Los Angeles Lakers have provided the NBA community with plenty of drama this season.
Lauded for improving its roster over the offseason, the team was touted as one of the early favorites to win the championship this year. Yet, after starting the season by winning the first eight games, the team has struggled.
The team’s issues have revolved around a variety of factors including injuries, rebounding, outside shooting, hustle and bench play. These areas of concern have led to the Lakers uncharacteristically losing at home to some of the weaker teams in the league. In addition, the team has posted a dismal record against the top teams in the NBA (San Antonio, Boston, Dallas, Miami and Orlando).
Despite some of the struggles the Lakers have faced, fans should not fret much at this point of the season. Phil Jackson’s title teams are notorious for stepping up their performance in the playoffs.
Last year, for instance, the Lakers finished the regular season 4-7 and yet still won the championship. Furthermore, of Jackson’s five Lakers’ title teams, three of them finished their seasons between 56 and 58 wins—a modest record by most standards.
With that said, anything is possible after the All-Star break.
This article breaks down 10 predictions that I believe are likely to come true.
Do you agree or disagree? As always, your comments and feedback are greatly appreciated.
1. Ron Artest Will Find His Shooting Touch
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By most measures, Ron Artest may be having his worst season as an NBA pro. He is averaging career lows in points, steals and free throw percentage to go along with a low overall field-goal percentage.
In addition, Artest seems to lose focus at times on the defensive end of the court—which is the reason that Los Angeles signed him to a multi-year contract.
Despite his struggles so far, Ron Artest will soon start to shoot better to close out the season and through the playoffs. While he may still struggle with some triangle offensive sets, Artest will increase his shooting percentages a few notches. To top that off, Artest will hit some key shots towards the end of the season and into the playoffs.
His increased offensive play will additionally fuel his desire to defend and Artest will once again be successful in making life difficult for opposing teams’ top scorers in the playoffs.
2. Theo Ratliff’s Return Will Be A Difference Maker
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Theo Ratliff has only played in eight games with the Lakers this season. However, the Lakers have yet to be defeated with him in the lineup, as the team won all eight of those games.
Granted, Ratliff is not the main reason the Lakers won those games. Ratliff only averaged 0.3 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks in the games he has played. But like many statistics, these numbers downplay the significance of his contribution.
The Lakers have a nice three-man combination up front with Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom, but even these players could use a break from action when going up against big, physical teams.
Theo Ratliff can provide some breaks for these players to keep them from getting too worn out during games. Since he knows that his playing time on the court will be limited, Ratliff is not afraid to hustle and work hard. This is evidenced by his block numbers, which would equal 2.7 blocks per game if translated to 36 minutes of playing time.
That average would be good enough for second-best in the NBA.
Like many of the best shot blockers, Ratliff affects many shot attempts from opponents just with his presence. While the Lakers’ interior defense improved drastically once Andrew Bynum returned from injury, it will become even better with the return of Ratliff.
3. The Lakers’ Bench Will Rock Once Matt Barnes Returns
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The Lakers bench play has suffered as of late. With the exception of Lamar Odom’s excellent play, it seems as though the “Killer Bs” unit of Steve Blake and Shannon Brown have struggled with their shots over the past couple of months.
Matt Barnes may have averaged just 7.4 points before he got injured this season, but he was a key difference-maker. On a per-minute basis, Barnes is one of the best rebounders from the small forward position in the NBA.
While providing superior defense, coach Phil Jackson often preferred to use Barnes late in games due to Ron Artest’s offensive shooting woes.
Yet perhaps the biggest contribution by Matt Barnes is his hustle. It always seemed like positive events tended to happen for the Lakers when he was in the game. A rebound or defensive stop by Barnes often leads to easy scores for the other bench players.
It appears that his hunger to earn a championship ring has been the fuel driving him this season.
Being that the Lakers haven't shown much urgency this year, Barnes should be able to help the Lakers get wins once he returns by making the reserve unit more effective.
4. Lamar Odom Will Win the Sixth Man of the Year Award
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Over his 12 seasons in the NBA, Lamar Odom has remarkably never been an All-Star. This season Odom has had perhaps his most consistent and best year, with career highs in shooting while averaging nearly a double-double as a bench player at 15.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.
While he may not be the top-scoring non-starter in the NBA, Odom’s all-around play and versatility have been crucial for many of the Lakers' wins so far.
As long as he continues to produce as the first player off of the bench, Lamar Odom will become the runaway candidate for the Sixth Man of the Year Award.
5. The Lakers Will Figure Out How to Win at Home
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Over the past two championship seasons, the Los Angeles Lakers put up an astounding record of 70-12 at the Staples Center. That equals an 85.4-percent winning rate.
This year the Lakers have a 19-8 record at home, good enough for a 70.4 percent winning rate.
While many teams would gladly take that mark for the season thus far, many Lakers fans have been concerned with the number of losses LA has given up to some of the league’s worst teams.
Two of the most embarrassing losses of the season came at home against the Milwaukee Bucks (with only a handful of healthy players) and the Sacramento Kings. In addition, LA has lost three of the last four games at the Staples Center.
There are a few reasons, though, to believe that LA will figure out how to win at home following the All-Star break.
First, Theo Ratliff and Matt Barnes should return to the lineup soon, which will mark the first time that the team has its entire roster healthy (unless some other major injury occurs).
Second, Phil Jackson’s teams tend to get better towards the end of the season. It’s as if the team is running a marathon, waiting until the end to finish strong.
Finally, the season will be coming to a close, creating a sense of urgency that the team desperately needs.
Despite some tough games on the horizon, look for Los Angeles to finish the season with approximately 11 more wins at home out of the 14 remaining.
6. The Lakers Will Not Make Any Blockbuster Trades
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With the team’s mediocre play, some fans have clamored for the Lakers to make a trade. Among speculation that Lakers’ management was looking into swapping Andrew Bynum for Carmelo Anthony, some scenarios were thought of that could have possibly improved the team.
Yet, as observers have seen over the recent seven-game road trip, Andrew Bynum can be a force in the middle for the team.
While Anthony could possibly improve the Lakers on the offensive end, giving up Bynum would negate one of the biggest advantages LA has over other teams. In addition, it would make a possible matchup with the Boston Celtics even more difficult considering the big frontline they have.
Another rumor that has been floated recently is trading Ron Artest and Shannon Brown for Stephen Jackson. This deal is unlikely to go through as well due to two main reasons: Ron Artest doesn’t want to play in Charlotte and giving up Shannon Brown (one of the team’s best offensive bench players) would give up some much-needed youth.
In the end, I still believe that the Lakers have one of the best rosters as it stands. Once Ratliff and Barnes return, the team will be built well to win playoff series'.
If some Lakers fans are hoping for a blockbuster trade this season, they will end up disappointed and will have to wait at least another year.
7. Andrew Bynum Will Play As the Second-Best Player On the Team
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Since Andrew Bynum has returned to the Lakers in December, the team has actually improved. While the Lakers’ record has not been that impressive during that stretch, the level of competition has gone up a few notches.
Bynum affects the game in many areas for LA, but his presence has been felt on the defensive end and in getting Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom more rest. While Gasol and Odom seem more energized, Los Angeles has only given up more than 100 points to opponents a handful of times over the past two months.
The Lakers are starting to realize that good things usually happen when Bynum gets the ball. As he has worked his way back into shape, Bynum has been one of the most consistent players on the team.
Furthermore, Andrew Bynum no longer seems to be the black hole he was in previous seasons, as he has learned how to pass out of double teams better and create easy shots for teammates.
Everyone knows that Pau Gasol is a tremendous NBA player, but in December and January he only averaged 16.5 points and 9.5 rebounds. While he is more skilled on the offensive end than Bynum, Gasol often forces passes that aren’t there, which leads to turnovers.
Bynum has better hands and seems to be able to finish plays more efficiently when Kobe Bryant dishes him the ball. Combine this with his ability to change the game on the defensive end of the court, and Andrew Bynum will emerge in the second half of the season as the second-best player on the Lakers squad.
8. The Lakers Will Win the Second Seed in the West
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It seems that, as each week of the NBA season passes by, the Lakers find themselves another game back from the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference standings.
Meanwhile, the Lakers are battling for second place in the conference with the Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder.
With the veterans on the team and Phil Jackson leading the way, the Lakers are poised to finish the season strong, as described earlier. In the end, the team will surpass Dallas and finish the season as the second seed in the conference.
The Spurs have had an amazing year so far. While the Lakers may find it difficult to surpass San Antonio’s record, playoff series' aren’t always won by the team with the better record.
Last season, the Boston Celtics were able to get past the Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic in the playoffs without home-court advantage. In addition, the Lakers have won series against the Spurs before without home-court advantage.
The Lakers have been one of the better road teams this year. In the end, it is very possible that the team will win some big playoff games on the road in the postseason.
Against the Spurs, the Lakers will be confident that the team can win on the road and take home-court advantage away.
9. Steve Blake Will Be Valuable in the Playoffs
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Steve Blake was supposed to be an improvement over Jordan Farmar as the team’s backup point guard. While Blake seems to provide steady team defense while running the triangle sets better, he also can’t seem to buy a shot over the past few months.
So far throughout the season, Blake has only made 37 percent of his shots and three-pointers (compared to career marks of 41 percent and 39 percent). What’s even more disturbing is that Blake has had more open looks from beyond the arc than in previous years.
After starting out the season shooting well, Steve Blake made only 32 percent of his three-pointers in December and an abysmal 21 percent so far in February.
Lakers fans like to freak out when streaks like this happen. However, this happens during the course of the season. Before the season ends, Blake is going to start hitting his shots again.
When the playoffs come around, his steady veteran presence and solid team play will be valuable to secure wins for the Lakers.
10. Kobe Will Hit a Game Winner in a Key Playoff Game
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In fewer minutes this season, Kobe Bryant has had an impressive year so far. He recently surpassed Hakeem Olajuwon to take eighth place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
Once again, he has proven himself to be the best shooting guard in the NBA. Besides his individual stats, his tenacity and leadership have driven Pau Gasol and other teammates to be more aggressive and play with more drive.
Kobe has already made more game-winning shots than any player in recent NBA history. Being that Kobe usually steps up his play during the postseason, it seems that this year Kobe will hit at least one memorable game winner in the playoffs.
Of course, in order for this to happen, several things have to play out to create such a scenario. A game has to be close at the end with the Lakers down by either one or two points with less than 24 seconds left in the game. Those things are not entirely in Kobe’s control.
But given the opportunity, Kobe will be successful. And something tells me it’s going to happen this year.
