doitmitch.com

Still needed Kobe to win – and he did some great stuff, including defense (a couple gambles aside) on Roy. Kobe facilitated very well early in the game, then single-handedly stopped the bleeding when the Blazers cut the lead to 8. What can you say? The Blazers had a lot of depth, size…but they don’t have Kobe, just an all-star in Roy, and that was the biggest difference tonight. I hoped we didn’t have to rely on him too much tonight, but his knee looked fine, and he still played like the best basketball player on the plant.

Ariza was quite excellent, including hitting an open three. No real surprises, but it’s great to have him back. His manly dunks and in-your-face blocks can generate a lot of momentum. Just an exciting player.

Radmanovic was quite a surprise. He hasn’t let up on his new determination to play defense. Great at snatching up entry passes – probably based on his lazy reputation before. But it was nice to see him care.

Gasol and Bynum – meh. Never really got involved. Nobody’s fault, really, we played more of an uptempo game. Still, there were some miscues, Gasol dropped a couple of passes, missed some easy shots…Bynum had some wild shots tonight, including some outside nonsense. I know he’s trying to develop that aspect of his game, but I felt he was going away from a sizable challenge in Joel and Oden tonight. He needs to be able to battle against big guys, and I don’t think Bynum did that tonight.

Odom was reasonably good, except for his usual questionable decisions, such as jacking up threes and passing to nobody. Still, he was a good presence out there, and he did some good defensive things – which is a great sign, considering he was mostly an average team defender at best.

Fisher was ultra-aggressive, which he had a right to be, considering how defenses play off him. Still, he’s not a great finisher, but oh well. His hustle makes up a lot for it, he was a bundle of energy tonight, big ups to old man Fish.

Farmar missed some shots, but was energetic, tried to attack the basket, was aggressive and active, 6 boards and 6 assists for the point guard.

On the Blazers’ side, Outlaw and Fernandez are serious business. Roy will always contribute even on an off-night, but these guys are heavy hitters. Veterans Blake and Pryzbilla were reliable as usual. Everybody else was disappointing.

Apparently, Oden is out with a mid-foot sprain, one more difference between the Blazers and the Lakers. They’re worse at nearly every position.

The Evidence:

A disturbing sight

In this video, Pau walks into the frame from 2:27 to 2:30. Now some may be surprised to what he looks like what his shirt off. I’m not talking about his looking like a creepy sexual deviant in the doorway – that’s obvious.

The medical community has diagnosed this condition as “skinny fat.”

Some of you may be shocked…”OMG look at that doughy mass of repulsive flesh.” But let’s be real, this is Pau Gasol. You know what his arms look like already. And they’re not impressive.

how can you play defense with those arms? oh wait, you can’t. good job, flab man.

No, I only would’ve been shocked had he taken his shirt off and was ripped just in the places where the jersey covered. Like he was wearing a jersey of muscle. I’d have to draw this to convey how funny this really is. Maybe I should just let this go. I won’t though, I’m going to draw this hilarious mental picture and upload it later. Oh, you guys are lucky. Lucky and blessed to be reading this.

It’s sad how guys like Bynum and Farmar could seemingly get buff over one summer, while Pau has been skinny fat his entire career. Two words buddy, perfect pushups.

Then again…if he gained muscle, he wouldn’t distract opponents with his prancing gait.
 

Which player in the NBA would you want taking a shot with the game on the line?
1. Kobe Bryant — 88.9%
(nba.com)

 Well, duh.

Well “deserve” is a tricky word. It’s a relative word. Nobody can unequivocally prove that Bynum deserves anything – if he gets paid now, it’ll be mostly based on potential – if not skill, then potential to stay healthy. Now how does one put a monetary value on potential?

Not all potential is created equal. For example, if you’re 6′6″ athlete that has basic fundamental basketball skills, you’ll probably have to fight your way to make it on a college team. If you’re 7-foot with fundamental skills, you’d be an NBA all-star.

True, centers are important. Not because they’re more talented than anybody else. Simply because it’s hard to find 7-foot quality athletes who can play the game. We’re talking about .001% of the population. That’s a small pool of candidates. Bynum is part of that small minority of human beings, and he’s a member of the even more exclusive club of being 7 feet and being able to run, jump, pivot, and generally do things that other 7-footers cannot do. Moreover, among the 7-foot athletes, Bynum has shown that he actually has some talent for this game and worked on his skills. In the world of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. In the world of the bumbling, inept giants, a 7-footer who can demonstrate some basic skills is master of his domain. That makes him a rare commodity, no matter his track record.

One can’t compare Bynum to the average basketball player, guards and forwards. There’s plenty of great athletes who had to fight, claw and tooth, their way to success. There’s less separation in talent and skill. Kobe Bryant is the greatest basketball player on the planet, but the difference between him and a second-tier shooting guard like Joe Johnson is not the same difference between Tim Duncan and Andres Biedrins. So, yes, the game, both basketball and financial, is different for big men, such as the Lakers’ signing of Kwame Brown based on almost purely potential, and guys like Jerome James, who only had to play his heart out for a few games to earn a ridiculous contract.

So, does Bynum deserve the max? Relative to the entire league, the way things generally work, no. Considering the special considerations, most importantly his being a center, the money game is a little different. In a hypothetical scenario, if Greg Oden, who has yet to play an official game, were eligible for free agency this past summer, how many teams do you think would have cleared some cap space to offer him a contract, despite his being 20 years old, coming off an season-ending injury, and having no NBA experience? He doesn’t deserve much, but I’m guess several teams would have positioned themselves to offer big contracts.

Likewise, Bynum doesn’t deserve the max, but there’s no question some teams would offer him just that and make him their franchise player and prayer. Luckily, the Lakers can wait this season out before offering Bynum anything, and Bynum can take this year to make a compelling case that he “deserves” the max. 

See you later, Underachiever
 

There’s no rule that the Lakers HAVE to keep or replace Odom. There’s several reasons why they probably won’t:

1. After Bynum gets his 10m+ extension, the Lakers will be at the luxury tax threshold even WITHOUT Odom’s contract. Think about that.
2. Odom plays the Lakers’ deepest position. Ariza, Walton, and Radmanovic all play small forward. 
3. Include Kobe there at SF, especially since Sasha was extended and probably will see his role grow (perhaps even eventually start). The need for a shooter on the floor explained Phil’s heavy usage of both Radman and Sasha in the playoffs, even with their drawbacks, even at the cost of benching Odom at crucial moments of the Finals.
4. Odom will be at best a 4th option on offense. What will his numbers look like? Can’t be better than 12 pts and 7 rebounds. Will the Lakers pay big money for that?
5. The arrival of Gasol essentially replaces Odom in a basketball sense, Bynum’s imminent contract extension essentially replaces Odom in a financial sense. The only thing left is the ax.
6. Odom will get substantial offers next summer. He’s been too successful at power forward, he’s been too solid, consistent, he overcame his past, he’s become a solid character guy, unselfish, versatile, and many teams can use him better an pay him better.
7. The Lakers will lowball Odom;  No doubt they’ll offer him something. But it won’t be enough.