A Hard Cap For The NBA Might Be Bad News For The Lakers

News of an NBA lock out for fans is disheartening but usually the details of the quarrels between the owners and players have little effect on the fans themselves. A fan isn’t interested in the players’ level of health care or their pension plan; nor is he concerned about the owners’ bottom line. The fan base merely wants to watch their favorite team play the game that they love and be amazed by the feats and abilities of the stars.

The NBA has some worrisome times upcoming as the players and owners’ CBA (collective bargaining agreement) is set to expire at season’s end and unless the two sides make some dramatic concessions to their demands a lock out prior to the start of the 2011-2012 season is inevitable.

There are many points of contention between both sides and most have little to do with Joe Schmoe NBA fan, except one. The one idea being talked about on the owners’ side and one that the players’ union would undoubtedly be completely against is the implementation of a hard salary cap.

Unlike the NFL and NHL, the NBA uses a soft salary cap which allows teams to go over the limit for team salaries with numerous exceptions. A good example of the flexibility of a soft cap is the Lakers who currently have a payroll of 90+ million dollars despite the league salary cap limit being set at 58 million. The Lakers were able to get over the salary cap with exceptions that allow them to sign their own players and free agents without restrictions of the cap. In a Hard Cap world, there would be few exceptions and a team must keep their salaries below the set limit.

If a hard cap is shoved down the players’ throat and they relent by accepting the terms, what does that mean for the prospects of the Laker organization which has an incredible advantage by having an owner not afraid to spend the money necessary to form a championship team?

What happens to the Lakers current squad if a hard cap is set effective immediately and they need to get under the threshold before the start of next season?

We look at some of the devastating effects of a hard cap on both the current Laker squad and the future of the organization.

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The Best Tough-It-Out Moments in Laker History

The sports talk world is a buzzing after this past weekend’s NFL divisional playoff games where we saw Green Bay and Pittsburgh advance to the 45th Big Game (I think we can’t refer to it as its actual name which rhymes with Luper Toll). The buzz isn’t around the goal line stance of Pittsburgh or the 1^st quarter of near perfection by Aaron Rodgers of the Packers, but like most hot topics in the sports talk world and one many Lakers fans are familiar with, it involves controversy surrounding a polarizing figure.

The topic that has the sports talk radio station phones ringing off the hook is the Jay Cutler knee injury that kept him out of the 2^nd half of the pivotal NFC championship game leaving the Bears quarterbacking duties to a decrepit Todd Collins and an undrafted and unproven rookie in Caleb Hanie. To place this in perspective, it’s like having a choice of replacing an injured Kobe Bryant in Game 7 of a conference finals game with either Morris Petterson or Devin Ebanks.

In that situation, most would say that a one legged Kobe would still be more effective and trustworthy than either of the aforementioned players. That is what has the Chicago fanbase so irate, that considering the quality of players that are behind Cutler and the gravity of the moment, how he could not continue to play despite the injury?

Many in the sports world are saying that Jay Cutler lacks toughness, including the Chicago fan base, former and current players, media pundits and pretty much every group imaginable outside of his own team.

The Lakers have had their own moments where one of their players had their toughness or severity of their injury questioned:

Pau Gasol’s toughness is still questioned to this day.

Shaquille O'Neal had long been criticized for delaying surgery and not putting in the work in rehab to get on the court quicker.

Andrew Bynum was questioned just this past off season for delaying surgery to attend the World Cup. Also, the times he has been injured his recovery period has always exceeded the initial expected return date.

While we can follow the lead of the national media at Lakersnation and focus on negativity by reliving these moments, I think it would be better served to review the Lakers history of the polar opposite to what Jay Cutler is being accused of this week.

This brings to mind the absolutely greatest examples of toughness in the biggest games in Laker history. I want to focus on the times where despite injury and excruciating pain, the player willed himself back on the court to finish out a game or a series in the interest of the team and winning.

These are the greatest moments of toughness in Laker history that come to mind.

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It’s Official; Artest Owns Durant Outright

Monday nights 7 point win over the Thunder was probably the biggest and most impressive win for the Lakers this season. The Lakers have struggled mightily against the elite teams in the NBA and they desperately needed the W for their confidence in addition to trying to build some momentum going into the All Star break. While a team coming off two straight championships doesn’t have their confidence shaken easily by regular season wins and losses, doubt however, even if a little, has to begin to creep in and build in the player’s subconscious as the bad losses pile up.

A huge factor in last nights win was the complete smothering of Durant by Ron Artest which caused an ineffective and inefficient night by the leagues reigning scoring champ. Durant shot a horrid 8 for 24 on his way to a lackluster 24 points. Artest’s hand cuffing of Durant was no aberration as this was their 10^th game where the two have matched up over the last two seasons (including playoff games) and the other 9 games look eerily similar to last night.

It would be a very hard to believe a statement that someone of the adept scoring ability of a Kevin Durant is owned by any one defender. In this case, with 10 games of hard evidence, we need to start considering that Artest has a strangle hold on all claims to Durant.

I have some compelling pieces of evidence that can substantiate Ron’s claim of ownership, should he ever choose to bring it fruition.

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Is Kobe expected for a Big Decline at 32?

Kobe expected for a major decline at age 32?




It is hard to imagine a profession where someone in their early 30’s is considered to be towards the end of their career and in some cases, completely washed up. By all intents and purposes, someone in their early 30’s is still considered young and having their whole life in front of them. Many at this age are barely starting to form their family and make strides in their career. However, retirement planning or plans for a secondary career after reaching the big three-o is a reality in the world of the NBA.



For Lakers fans, this concept brings a very troubling question to mind. What can be expected of Kobe Bryant this year who will be entering his 15th NBA season and reach the age of 32 before we even get to the all-star break. Usually that question is not one of concern because Kobe has shown time and time again that he will put forth the effort in the off season to be prepared for the long and laboring season. Kobe’s natural talent, will and incredible work ethic would guarantee an optimal performance throughout the entire season. Can we expect optimal from Kobe at 32? To be fair, should we expect that from Kobe at this point? If there is a big drop off from Kobe’s production can the Lakers survive?



We obviously can’t predict how much Kobe’s age will affect his production this year; but, I figured we can go back in history and see how other great guards in the NBA have faired when playing at the age of 32. Hopefully, history will provide a good outlook and in effect, calm some of the panic that many Laker fans might have about Kobe’s age entering this NBA season.

Clyde Drexler: A member of the 50 greatest players to have ever played in the NBA and the go to guy on probably one of the best teams not to win a championship. Clyde was 32 when starting the 94-95 season with Portland. While Clyde was not quite the explosive scorer he was in the hey days of the Blazers in the late 80s, he was still a very productive scorer. The problem coming into this season was that the Blazers were a team in transition and felt they needed to make move to get younger. The Blazers traded their all time leading scorer to the Houston Rockets in this season. Clyde teamed up with his former Phi Slama Jamma teammate Hakeem Olajuwon and helped the Rockets get their 2nd straight Championship. Clyde wasn’t just along for the ride, he was a major contributor. He averaged over 20 points per game, 7 rebounds and 6 assist in the playoffs and finals combined; these numbers only show a slight drop off in production from his peak years. Clyde’s production did begin to slip considerably the following season.



Bernard King: One of the best at putting the ball in the basket in NBA history entered the 88-89 season with the Washington Bullets. At 32 years old, it was quite a feat that Bernard was even on an NBA roster considering that he had just returned one season ago from a terrible knee injury that had cost him more than 2 years of his career. Bernard did not experience team success with the Bullets this season being the team had a sub 500 record and missed the playoffs. However, Bernard was able to put together a strong season for himself by improving his scoring production from the previous year. He actually continued to raise his scoring average the following two seasons, peaking at 28.4 points per game in the 90-91 when he was 34 years old. This is a good sign for Kobe considering Bernard was able to remain at an All Star level despite his age and injuries.

Allen Iverson: At one time AI was the most explosive scorer in the league and a fan favorite. Nowadays AI cant even find work within the US borders. When the 07-08 season started AI was still in the United states, 32 years old and was starting his first full season with the Denver Nuggets after having been traded mid season from Philadelphia the previous season. It was a great statistical season for AI; he shot a career high .458 from the field and formed the most prolific scoring duo in the NBA that season with Carmelo Anthony. If AI lost a step at this age it was very hard to tell. AI showed his durability this season by playing in all 82 regular season games. AI didn’t prove to be the missing piece to get the Nuggets over the hump in the playoffs as they lost in the first round for the 5th straight season.

Magic Johnson: Magic actually never played an official Laker game at the age of 32. As all Laker and NBA fans know, Magic announced he was HIV positive prior to the start of the 91-92 and retired from basketball. In the previous season, Magic was very close to the age of 32 but you couldn’t tell from his play that he was in any sort of decline in his play. Sure, he was no longer as an efficient scorer as he was in the early to mid 80s but he still was every bit the floor leader. Magic led the underdog Lakers to a 6 game series win in the conference finals over the heavily favored Portland Trailblazers and set up a much anticipated match up against the Micheal Jordan led Bulls in the finals. Magic and the Lakers couldn’t overtake the Bulls who went on to win their first of six championships in the 90s but whatever decline there was in Magic’s game it was marginal.

Michael Jordon: We can’t have a Kobe comparison piece without including Michael Jordan. In terms of searching for a positive outlook on a guard playing at a high level at the age of 32 MJ is the ray of hope. MJ coming off his first of three retirements starts his first full season since retiring with the Bulls in 95-96. Just about any accolade you can receive and goal you can reach was met by Jordan in this remarkable season. Jordon led the league in scoring at 30.4 points per game, his Bulls won a record 72 regular season wins and won an NBA championship over the then Seattle Supersonics. He won all of the available MVP awards that year by taking the All-Star, Regular Season and Finals MVP. There isn’t much more that could have been accomplished in an NBA season and MJ did this at age 32.



These examples, while anecdotal, can provide some insight on how great NBA guards can produce near the level of their pinnacle years at the age of 32. As you can see, all of the great guards mentioned showed very little decline in their play and in some cases were even able to take their team to championship contention levels. This information should relive some of the doubts that many Laker fans might have that a huge drop off in production should be expected in Kobe this year, which would inevitably cause the derailment of the Laker’s 3peat train.



Please, do not make the same mistake of the Chuckster (Charles Barkley) who during this past season’s Lakers vs. Thunder first round series proclaimed Kobe as being “done”. He went on to add that Kobe’s days of having 30 to 40 point games on a consistent basis were “OVER”; with an emphasis on the word OVER. As if on queue, Kobe went on to string together fourteen 30 point games and quite possibly one of his best playoff performances of his career.



Yes, Kobe’s regular season numbers have gone done slightly these last few years but much of that can be attributed to having more talent around him and his willingness to trust his teammates. If there is anything that we have learned from Kobe’s illustrious career is to never doubt his abilities or him reaching goals that seem improbable at the time. Hopefully, Charles Barkley would have learned his lesson but having become familiar with his stubbornness, I really doubt it. It might be a good thing for him to spew his obviously biased hate towards Kobe again as we see how well Kobe responded this past year.

Why Lakers Are Not Afraid of Thunder

Why the Lakers are not afraid of Thunder.

Coming into the season the NBA pundits pegged the Thunder as the team most capable of knocking the Lakers off their throne. Much of that exuberance came from the Thunder’s performance in last years first round series where they gave the Lakers everything they could handle and then some. The Lakers needed a last second tip in from Pau to finish off the Thunder in game 6 of the series. The post game quotes from the Lakers were that of much praise for the young and upcoming Thunder. Kobe for one sounded incredibly relieved with post game 6 comments of “I’m glad we’re done with you” and “We won’t see another team that’s as athletic as they were the rest of the way”.

The hype didn’t stop at the team either as the media jumped on the Kevin Durant is the best in the game bandwagon as well. Many even making the statement that he had supplanted both Kobe and Lebron as the best in the game coming into this season. As it stands right now, Durant is the odds on favorite to win the NBA MVP award this year. Everybody needs to seriously slow their role. Keep in mind that all of this adulation and far fetched prognostication is for a team that made their first playoff appearance in 5 years by grabbing the 8th and last spot in the playoffs.

The emergence of the young Thunder is a nice story but lets be completely honest. The Thunder beat a barely awake Lakers team in last year’s playoffs and the close margin of victory in the series had more to do with the Lakers notorious complacency than the Thunder’s play. While I do believe that the Thunder are a very good young team that have the making of being a force in the West for years to come, now is not their time and they actually have a ways to go. Here are some of the glaring holes in the Thunder’s game:

Outside Shooting Woes

High fly acts are great to watch in the NBA and the Thunder roster has guys capable of making those jaw dropping athletic plays you normally see on sports highlights. But, outside shooting is still a vital part of the game and the Thunder are just plain bad at it.

Russell Westbrook is an incredibly talented player who will compete in the best point guard in the league debate with Chris Paul and Deron Williams for the next 10 years, no doubt. Right now though, his outside shot is as accurate as an archer with a severe case of hypothermia. Russell has played a total of 414 minutes and 11 games but has only made 2 more 3 pointers than you or I have (assuming you are not a NBA player with 3 point marksmanship).

James Harden, their off the bench scorer, has an average of .368 which would be great if it was a batting average but horrible mark for a field goal percentage.

Durant, the Thunder’s go to guy, is shooting .413 from the field and keep in mind that many of those are shots around the basket. The Thunder team collectively shoots 25% from 3 point range which ranks dead last in the NBA. They don’t get much better when you account for all made shots as they rank 24th in the league in overall field goal percentage.

Luckily for the Thunder they got some athletes that can get to the hoop at will, but, with such an obvious weakness other teams will be able to clog the lane and dare them to shoot.

Lack of an Inside Game

The Thunder’s roster is reminiscent of a tootsie role pop; hard candy shell but once your crack the perimeter you get a soft gooey middle. We all know about the solid talent on the perimeter that can slash, run, jump and amaze. When things slow down though, you want to have the option of throwing it down in the post for close to the basket points.

Kristic, the oldest looking 28 year old you’ll ever see, is serviceable but lacks an inside game. He is good for a few 10-15 footers a game but not much more.

Serge Ibaka is long, athletic and has the potential to be a very good NBA player, but right now he is only an adequate offensive player who is still incredibly raw. Right now his game is most valuable on the defensive end. Other then some thundering put backs around the rim and some awkward looking 10 foot “jumpers” he is not the answer right now in the post.

Jeff Green is a nice player who does many things well, but I would say nothing really all that great. Jeff Green will give you points in a variety of ways, but mainly, those points are coming from outside the paint and with him facing the basket.

Look up and down their roster, there isn’t one player that you can count on to provide any type of scoring on a consistent basis in the post. In contrast, the Lakers have at least 5 players that would be very effective and productive in the low block, one of which, Gasol, is probably the best in the business operating down low.

Incredibly young

When was the last time you saw a young team compete for a title in the NBA, let alone win it all? Only team I can think of in recent memory is the Penny and Shaq Magic who had a very short shelf life on top. Even that team had some veteran leadership with Horace Grant, Donald Royal and Nick Anderson. Players that have been through the riggers of an NBA season a and the pressure of the playoffs a few times around react quicker to situations on the court, see things slower and handle pressure better than those players who are inexperienced.

The Thunder don’t have one player in their rotation over the age of 30. In fact, their two best players, Durant and Westbrook, are younger than Andrew Bynum who is the Lakers youngest player in the rotation. For all their immense talent you can’t substitute experience as the Lakers and Celtics have shown that over the last 4 years. You can actually go through the history of the NBA and look at every championship team. The trend that you’ll find is veteran teams that had played together for some time who finally got over the hump through trial and tribulation.

To recap, the Thunder shoot horribly from the outside, are lacking an inside game and are incredibly young to be considered as a viable threat to the Lakers at this time. On certain days, Durant and Westbrook will win a few games just on their individual abilities. Some nights the Thunder’s athletic prowess will consume teams defensively like it did at times against the Lakers in last year’s playoff match up. However, those days will be few and far between.

The Thunder’s time will come, but it won’t be this year. The Mavs, Jazz and Spurs are still the Lakers biggest threats in the West, albeit modest ones. I actually believe the Thunder won’t get a spot higher than 6th and can very easily miss the playoffs due to the extremely competitive Western conference who house a good amount of above average teams.

The way you determine how close a Thunder storm is to your current location is by the amount of time passed from when you see lightning flash to the time you hear thunder. In the case of the Lakers, they’ve seen the lightning flash quite some time ago and the thunder has yet to make a whimper.


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The Kobe Game Wining Chronicles; 2009-2010 Season

Every year the NBA GMs are asked which player they would want to take the last shot in the game to win the game. Every year the GMs vote overwhelmingly in numbers for Kobe Bryant. An SI poll in 2009 asked 190 players the same question and an emphatic 76 percent picked Kobe; the next closest was some guy named Lebron at 3 percent. This year more so than others Kobe has shown why GMs and players hold him in such high regard when it comes to last second shots. Kobe has 5 this year when many players go a whole career without a one. Here is a recap of the 5 daggers this season.





2/23/10, Lakers 99 over Memphis 98. Kobe hits a 3 with 54 seconds left to tie the game. On the next Laker possession Kobe gets his shot blocked by Rudy Gay before Lakers call a timeout. Coming out of the timeout Kobe takes the pass from Odom after getting a nice screen from Gasol and drains a 3 with 4.3 seconds left to take the 1 point lead.







1/30/10, Lakers 90 over Boston 89. Kobe hits a fade away basket with 7.3 seconds remaining at the Garden to put the Lakers up for good.







1/1/10, Lakers 109 over Sacramento 108. Kobe getting the ball right in front of the Kings bench he drains a 3 pointer as time expires. It was so hard to watch that Paul Westphal had to look away as the ball left Kobe’s hand.







12/16/09, Lakers 107 over Bucks 106. Kobe redeems himself by hitting a shot from the left elbow as time expires in OT only after missing a potential game winner in regulation from the same spot.







12/4/09, Lakers 108 over Heat 107. Most unbelievable game winner for Kobe this season and probably in his career. Dribbling east to west he takes an off balance shot with all his momentum taking him to his left he banks a 3 pointer over the finger tips of Dwayne Wade who did all he could conceivably do to guard that play without fouling.



I am certain there are more to come.