First of all there are more than a few people that will be giving me a hard time about this recent drubbing the Lakers were handed by the overachieving Mavericks.
I have to be honest I am a Timberwolves fan and have been since they were in the Metrodome. That being said my admiration for the Lakers of Los Angeles is totally acceptable and even logical considering the good people of Minnesota birthed them.
There are too many reasons to wish the Mavericks ill over the next couple of series but I will concentrate on what happened to LA and where to go from here.
I hate to blame it all on Gasol but I'm going to anyway. As good as he is, he is not that good as a second fiddle. I've had him on my fantasy league team for the past three years and he is solid but there was always something about him that worried me and this year it came true.
Like our beloved president, Gasol had a hard time shaking the idea that he was soft. Also like our president Gasol was surrounded with non-soft people that had at times made him look less soft than he was. In the end it wasn't enough.
You have to do something spectacular to shake off such a label especially in the NBA and since Gasol is not likely to be enlisting with Team 6, he's stuck. Basketball is a game of confidence above many other skills needed on the court and once it's gone, it's hard to get it back. Even tougher with the Black Mamba and the Zen Master looking over your shoulder. Gasol was supposed to be Kobe's Scotty Pippen a right hand so to speak. The Lakers have too many players that are able to step it up if needed and I think that had something to do with Gasol tanking in a moment where he rarely has.
It's not that I hate you Pau Gasol, I just hope you end up with the Toronto Raptors.
I can't begin to explain how tough it will be for Kobe to get back to the title but Magic said it best. Blow this team up and fast. Aside from Kobe I would only keep Artest, you will need someone to piss Lebron off in the playoffs even if he doesn't stop him. You could keep Bynum as well as big men are still hard to find but in this case I will say let him go because the Lakers can attract anyone they want to attract if they have the cash.
Odom, Gasol, Bynum, and Fisher are never going back to the big show again and for that matter Kobe may not either but he has a much better chance than the rest of this crew.
My hope beyond hope is that the Lakers make a big play for Dwight Howard as the Magic don't deserve a championship either. If you are dumb enough to change the core of your team mid season and still get bounced you have major problems in my book. It's obvious they will need more than Howard, Kobe, and Artest to go for the title so who will be that extra player????
I have no idea but they need one to get back at it.
What about the new coach? Shaw will get a year tops and be fired for someone with a better pedigree. I don't believe NBA players should get the coach they want, they have huge paychecks and huge egos so when your friend is the coach, I don't think you work as hard. Larry Brown, Flip, Rambis, lots of good coaches out there but can you really see Kobe taking basketball advice from one of the many athletes he played with and was better than? Me neither.
So in closing, my speculations are as usual spot on, Gasol to the Raptors, Howard to LA with plenty of cap room to sign whoever. I'll be watching the finals should Miami get there but otherwise I will concentrate on my spring AAU team.