2007: A Laker Odyssey

I watched a replay of the 2000-2001 NBA Finals the other night between the Lakers and the Philadelphia 76ers and the longer you watched it, the more you could see what next season’s team needs. Mind you, this team swept the 76ers, but the way that did it can provide a blueprint for what players that they need to acquire for next season.

The reason why this team was so dominant was because it had the following elements working together:

• High Basketball IQ

• A Dominant or Serviceable Center

• A Versatile Front Line

• A Versatile Bench

• Team Chemistry

I will break each of these elements down and offer possible ways to achieve it in next year’s team. After all, who likes to miss the playoffs?

Why I Stick With The Lakers

The Lakers are one of my few passions in life. I don't have time for too many others. I have been a fan since the summer of 1977, when I went out and visited my relatives, who lived only a few miles away from the Forum. I listened to my Uncle Richard (who was a great salesman by the way) just go on and on about the great players and the great teams that he watched, especially the team who put together the 33 game winning streak. I used to hate Jerry West when he came to play the Bulls. It seemed like he had the fastest hands in the West (no pun intended) on defense. I lived through the excellence of Showtime, the post-Showtime era and the efficiency of the triangle offense, which returned them back to championship contender status. Why then, after trading one of the greatest big men in the history of the NBA, do I continue to follow this team? I guess it is the hope one day that the Lakers can return to and extend its glory before my daughter graduates from college and I start receiving my pension. The way things are going these days, I might get my pension before an NBA championship!