Showtime Revived

The Lakers had their first two games of the season and not a moment too soon for this disappointed sports fan. I already blogged on my depressing baseball team, the Chicago Cubs, and how their postseason collapse really left me hanging. Now, however, it is basketball season and hope springs eternal.

The Lakers are the preseason favorite to win the title and most of that hype is due to the revived health of the team and the depth up and down the lineup. Young center Andrew Bynum was the talk of the town for the first half of last season. The somewhat lanky, baby-faced kid from New Jersey was having a breakout season and looked to be helping the Lakers toward a playoff run before he hurt his knee and missed the rest of the season. That kid is back and his lanky teenage frame has filled out into a muscular 7 feet tall and 285 lbs. His knee is healthy and he has played significant minutes in the teams first two wins, starting both. Fans, players, and Laker team officials alike all hope that Bynum will provide the size and toughness that was lacking when they lost to the Boston Celtics. Early results are promising.

The depth of the Lakers bench has been the real improvement at the start of this season. The newly healthy Trevor Ariza has been a great compliment to the up tempo style of the Jordan Farmar driven second unit. With Lamar Odom coming off the bench, Farmar running the break at the point, Ariza and either Sasha Vujacic or Luke Walton on the wing, the Lakers have a second unit that could start on other teams around the league. This unit is fast and explosive and are the reason why I see some of the run and gun showtime Lakers style of the 80's. Farmar and Ariza can flat out fly, and Odom, who at times is the second best player on the team, starts fast breaks with good defensive rebounding and excellent outlet passing. Walton's passing ability and Vujacic's outside shooting give the team options in the half court offense not to mention Odom's ability to score with great versatility. Even having the oft injured Chris Mihm healthy again helps by giving the backup squad a serviceable center. All this and I haven't even mentioned the starting lineup which features the greatest player in the world Kobe Bryant.

Traditionally the triangle offense which coach Phil Jackson runs is a half court oriented offense, but with this new plethora of weapons coach Jackson has opened up the team's game. This mix of half court prowess, and relentless fast break scoring gives the Lakers a recipe for a sensational scoring season. Fans (myself included) are hoping for an entertaining style of play that leads all the way to another title for this already storied franchise.

All this said I must admit that the Lakers are still not the favorites to win the title, in my opinion. Though the majority of analysts are picking Los Angeles to win it all they are still unproven. On paper this team seems capable of scoring 120 every night, but can they stop their opponents from putting up 130? Defense is necessary and the Lakers still need to show that they can get stops when it really matters. What about the fact that Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom seem to disappear when it counts? How can anyone be sure that won't happen again? Can Andrew Bynum be counted on when the pressure is on or does he still have some growing up to do in that area? The future is bright but questions still abound. As much as it pains me to say it the Celtics are still the team to beat. They play D like no one else and until I see someone put together a seven game series of consistent scoring against them, they are still king of the hill.

I know there are plenty of Laker haters who have comments for me so lets hear them. People are talking all over the Internet about the Lake show, get out there and check it out.
http://lakersblog.latimes.com/
http://www.forumblueandgold.com/
http://www.thelakersnation.com/