Thoughts on... The Los Angeles Lakers Starting the 2011-2012 Season 0-2

Lakers star Kobe Bryant

Hey there.  The NBA is back!  After much anticipation, the season finally took off on Christmas Day.  Many of the top teams of the NBA were showcased to a national audience and while much rust was expected due to the lack of a preseason workout, there were still quite a few surprises during the first few games for many teams.  Even though I love to watch the NBA, I'm more concerned about the Lakers more than any other team.  Christmas Day saw the Lakers lose a close game to the Chicago Bulls and last night, they couldn't stop the Sacramento Kings from shooting 3 pointers.  Here are my thoughts on the Los Angeles Lakers starting the season 0-2.

Who is this guy?

First off, there is no need to panic.  The Lakers are a resilient team and they will bounce back.  They should have won the game against the Bulls if not for that costly turnover seconds before the game ended.  Also, the team is without suspended Andrew Bynum.  Andrew play sensationally during the preseason games and is showing that he wants to be the big man for the Lakers.  With all the Dwight Howard to LA talk, the fire has been lit under Bynum to get him off his butt and get to work.  The only problem I have with Bynum is that he is injury prone.  He's a 24 year old center that has yet to play anywhere close to a full season.  If he gets hurt, expect the Lakers to lose more games because we no longer have the length that was such an asset.  Which leads me to...

Lamar!  Nooooooooo!!!

Lamar Odom.  The reigning 6th man will sorely be missed.  Odom was a far more valuable piece than the Lakers give him credit for.  Now, he's with the Dallas Mavericks.  Yeah, he was sitting on the bench, but there was a reason he was sitting there.  We needed the length that he provided when one of the Lakers big men was out of the game.  Odom could very well cover 4 of the 5 positions on the team and his versatility made him one very hot commodity.  To lose a player like that has already taken a toll on the Lakers.  Bynum is out and new kid on the block, McRoberts needs to fill in.  Who is this kid?  Instead of having someone that is familiar with the team take a pivotal role on the squad, the Lakers have a first timer in there and he looks lost.  I understand that Odom was hurt that he was involved in the Chris Paul trade talks, but this is a business after all.  Being asked to be traded may work out well for Odom in the end, but the Lakers definitely got the short end of that stick.

And lastly, the defense and Derek Fisher.  Fish, I love you, but your legs are gone.  The Lakers defense has shown glimpses of the scrappy, tight D that new Lakers coach Mike Brown wants to incorporate.  It's good.  It could even be great.  But Fisher is hurting the team.  His penchant for hitting clutch shots is an intangible that any team would want, but his days as a top defender have long passed him.  Point guards have left him behind one too many times and that adds pressure to the Lakers big men to step up and defend.  This is leaving many shooters open.  Any team with the ability to shot the 3 is going to kill the Lakers, as shown by the Kings last night.  I understand that Fisher's leadership qualities have benefited the team, but Kobe's time is running out.  Kobe wants more rings and I do not believe that he is willing to have a "rebuilding" year if it means that the Lakers are going to suck.  The Lakers need a point guard to replace Fisher and I will not be surprised if it happens before Bynum returns.

2009 Champs Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher

So did you guys catch any NBA action Christmas Day?  What do you think of what went down?  Later!