Inside Enemy Territory with “Forum Blue and Gold”
The best in the west? That’s how some are portraying the revamped L.A. Lakers. The last time these two teams met, the big trade had just been consummated and Kobe Bryant showed his exuberant self on the floor as he trashed the Raps. Now, a month after the trade, the Raptors get ready to meet the Lakers just days after a frustrating loss to the Kings.
HoopsAddict.com sat down with Kurt from Forum Blue and Gold to discuss the Lakers and their bright future.
Q: With all the trades finished and everyone settled in their new homes, who do you believe is the greatest threat to the Lakers for the Western Conference title?
In my mind, until somebody knocks off the Spurs, they are still the team to beat in the West. There’s been plenty of talk about them getting old, but they are still a team tied for the best record in the West (with the Lakers), they still have Tim Duncan in the middle and Manu and Parker on the wings, and they have veteran role players. They are not invincible, by any means, but they should scare everyone in the West.
One more quick note about what will be a very interesting playoff run out West – there is a little bit of “rock, paper, scissors” going on in that there are a lot of teams that can consistently beat some teams but have a huge match-up problem with others. The most obvious example is that Dallas was a force last season and gave the Spurs trouble during the regular season, but Golden State was a match-up nightmare for the Mavs. The team that comes out of the West this season is not only going to have to be good but also may have a little luck in the draw.
Q: Is this the year that Kobe finally wins an MVP title? Who do you believe is his greatest competition?
This is a topic that has much of the Lakers fan base in an uproar, with the general feeling that Kobe has been overlooked for so long he deserves his due now. I think he may get it over LeBron based on the “body of work” thing, plus he really deserved it a couple years ago but the conventional wisdom in the NBA media tends to lag a year or two behind reality. Personally, because there is no set definition for MVP and all the voters seem to have a different idea of what makes a player “most valuable” I have a hard time getting worked up about it. But I am the exception in the Lakers fan base.
I will admit though, that it is fun to hear the “MVP” chants for Kobe in places like Sacramento, home to a long-time rival.
Q: There are some around the league that say the Lakers’ greatest weakness is they may be “soft.” How do you believe Phil Jackson will address this during the final stretch of the season?
One word addresses the “softness” issue – Bynum. The Lakers have “tough guys” on the perimeter in Fisher and Kobe, and coming off the bench in the ultimate energy guy Ronny Turiaf. The soft label has come because Portland and even Sacramento were able to be physical with our front lines, and nobody on the Lakers really defended the basket and paint. As I described before, I think Bynum solves some of these problems. In the short term, Phil Jackson will be Phil Jackson, which means tinkering with odd lineups and letting the team play through problems to learn (rather than call a time out).
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