Championship Squad Thomas Seeley | Staff Writer
| Published 12/12/03
Graphic By: Andrew Kinback
The Lakers are going to win the NBA championship this year if everybody
stays healthy. There are a couple of things that make these Lakers
basically a sure thing to win it all in the NBA: their front court, back
court and their ability to set aside their egos and just play basketball
for the good of the team. They also have experience and know how to win
to get through the season.
The Lakers have a great front court that is among the top in the league.
Their weakest position is the small forward position which is manned by
Rick Fox, who is currently injured, but Devean George should be able to
handle this position. In fact, this position could be occupied the worst
player in the league, and the Lakers could still win the NBA
championship.
It is a different story at the power forward position, where Karl Malone
plays. Malone came to this team, because he figured he could win a
championship here. He is the second leading scorer of all time just
behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, but he said that points didn't matter to him
and that he just wants to help out the team. This is a guy that back in
the mid-90s could have won the championship if it wasn't for the Chicago
Bulls and Michael Jordan. Even though Malone is getting up there in age,
he is still among the top players at the power forward position. Malone
is definitely an improvement this season. The Lakers had role players
like Horace Grant and Robert Horry, and they couldn't be counted on.
Also, the center position is covered by Shaq. Shaq has slimmed down some
in the off season since his weight was a question to how he played last
year. If Shaq is back to his old form, then he'll also be back to his
old dominant self. Kobe might seem to put up more points in the regular
season, but playoff time is usually the Shaq show. He seems to dominate
in the finals and in every game leading up to the finals. The playoffs
are usually a slower game in a half court set. This plays right into the
hands of Shaq, because no one in the NBA is strong enough to stop him or
even slow him down. æ
The Lakers also probably have the best back court with Gary Payton and
Kobe Bryant. At the point guard spot the Lakers have Gary Payton, who is
a great point guard and one of the best in the league. When he was with
the Supersonics, he was a defensive specialist who could also score.
Payton will give the Lakers a solid point guard and also help out on the
defensive side of the court. Also he can up points when they are needed
from him. He is good at pushing the ball up the court on fastbreaks and
finishing, whether by scoring himself or by passing to Bryant or Malone.
Payton, like Malone, is in it to win a championship. However unlike
Malone, he has never made it to the finals. This year he will finally
get his opportunity.
Bryant plays mostly at the shooting guard position but might play small
forward during parts of this season. He is one of the best shooting
guards in the NBA right now, if not the best. Even though he is going
through some hard times with his rape charges, he knows how to just go
out and play when it's game time. Plus his trial is said to not even
start until after the playoffs, so he should be able to play in all the
games if his knee holds up. He had knee surgery in the off season and
that is the reason why he was in Colorado anyways. Kobe would like
another ring, too. He will probably not try to win as many games himself
and will use what management has brought in for him to help win most
games.
The Lakers also seem to know how to get in the zone during their games.
It has been well documented that when Shaq and Kobe fight, the Lakers
win. When they do get along, like last year, they don't win. So don't
take their fighting has a sign of weakness.
The biggest reason they won't win the NBA championship is if the four
Hall of Fame egos don't mesh well together. Since they all want to win
an NBA championship and they have Phil Jackson as their coach, the team
should have good chemistry. Phil Jackson is a mastermind at getting
teams to go out and win instead of worrying about themselves. It also
seems like Malone really isn't interested in the scoring title and that
Payton doesn't have to be the star on his team as he always was in the
past. Kobe and Shaq haven't seemed to mind that they might not get as
many points, but other aspects of their games will more than likely
improve. Kobe will probably get more assists, while Shaq gets more
rebounds and blocks or disrupts more shots on defense.
Many people probably believe that the Lakers will not win the
championship, because they think there's no way that four Hall of Fame
egos can all get along for a whole season. I agree with that statement,
but I also believe that their wanting to win will put their egos in the
backseat. Malone and Payton took big salary cuts just to get the chance
to win. Injuries are always unexpected, but I believe that even if they
lost Kobe or Shaq they would still have a chance to win it all. This is
the exact opposite for other teams like the Spurs who are completely
built around Tim Duncan; if he gets injured, their season is over. Since
it is not like that for the Lakers, they will win and win fast.
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