Los Angeles Lakers 2004-05 Season Preview, By Warren Blatt, NBA Editor
2003-04 FINISH: 56-26
OFFSEASON ADDITIONS: Chucky Atkins (G) - Trade with Boston; Caron Butler (F) - Trade with Miami; Vlade Divac (C) - Free Agent; Brian Grant (C/F) - Trade with Miami; Jumaine Jones (F) - Trade with Boston; Chris Mihm (C/F) - Trade with Boston; Lamar Odom (F) - Trade with Miami.
OFFSEASON SUBTRACTIONS: Derek Fisher (G) - Signed with Golden State; Rick Fox (F) - Traded to Boston; Shaquille O'Neal (C) - Traded to Miami; Gary Payton (G) - Traded to Boston; Jamal Sampson (F) - Selected by Charlotte in Expansion Draft.
2004 DRAFT PICKS: 1. (27) Sasha Vujacic (G, Slovenia); 2. (56) Marcus Douthit (F, Providence).
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP: PG Chucky Atkins, SG Kobe Bryant, SF Lamar Odom, PF Brian Grant, C Vlade Divac
COACH: Rudy Tomjanovich
(Sports Network) - With Shaquille O'Neal and Phil Jackson gone, the Lakers are officially Kobe Bryant's team.
After falling in five games to the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Finals, the Lakers and Jackson mutually agreed to part ways and O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat for forwards Lamar Odom, Brian Grant, Caron Butler and a first- round draft pick. The team also signed Bryant, who had the sexual assault charges against him in Eagle, Colorado dismissed on September 1, reportedly to a seven year contract worth at least $130 million.
The Lakers also traded guard Gary Payton, forward Rick Fox, who has retired, a future first-round draft pick, and cash to the Boston Celtics for guards Chucky Atkins and Marcus Banks, forward/center Chris Mihm and a future second- round pick to LA. The deal was ammended later after Payton originally refused to report to the Celtics for a physical. The Lakers received forward Jumaine Jones instead of Banks, while Boston did not have to relinquish its second- round draft pick.
Thirty-six-year-old Vlade Divac, who was an unrestricted free agent, returned to the Lakers after signing a two-year contract with the club. Divac, who played the past six years in Sacramento, began his career with the Lakers after being chosen with the 26th overall pick in the 1989 NBA Draft. After seven years in LA, Divac was traded to the Charlotte Hornets in July 1996 for the draft rights to Bryant. The 7-1 Divac spent two years in Charlotte before joining the Kings as a free agent in January 1999. Divac, a 2001 All-Star, averaged 9.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 81 regular-season games last season for Sacramento
Rudy Tomjanovich, who won two championships as the head coach in Houston, was hired to replace Jackson. Tomjanovich is a player's coach and he will design his offense to get Bryant the ball. This is just the type of coach the Lakers need during this transition period for the franchise, as Tomjanovich will be able to get the new faces to jell on and off the court, and he will create a positive atmosphere around the team.
The 26-year-old Bryant becomes the No. 1 option on offense with O'Neal gone. The six-time All-Star missed 17 games because of various injuries and legal obligations in Denver in 2003-04, but he still led LA in scoring at 24.0 points per game and also pulled down 5.5 boards and dished out 5.1 assists. Without the dominant force in the middle, Bryant will have to shoulder the bulk of the offensive load, but this is one player who is not afraid of the challenge.
Butler, Odom and Grant will not be able to replace O'Neal, who missed 15 games because of injuries but still managed to average 21.5 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.48 blocks for the Lakers. However, the trio from Miami adds depth to the new-look front court.
There are a lot of new faces on the Lakers' roster. General manager Mitch Kupchak is trying to put together a squad that will mesh well with the talents of Bryant. The franchise is going in a new direction and owner Jerry Buss believes that Bryant will be able to lead the way.
BACKCOURT
Bryant, who will play multiple positions for Tomjanovich, could find himself playing in the backcourt by himself. The Lakers lost veteran guard Derek Fisher, who was a free agent and signed a lucrative contract with the Golden State Warriors. The Lakers may regret not keeping Fisher, as Atkins, who is quick and is a solid ballhandler, is the only experienced point guard on the roster.
Reserve shooting guard Kareem Rush is a decent reserve. The Missouri product averaged 6.4 points in a little over 17 minutes of action in 73 games last season. His minutes should increase, as it would not be surprising to see Bryant and Rush on the court at the same time.
The Lakers are counting on Bryant to be all-world. He will play both guard positions and could be the only guard on the court at times. Bryant wanted to be the main man and that is what he is. The Lakers' backcourt is all about Bryant and it will be up to him to live up to the hype.
FRONTCOURT
The Lakers have a solid frontcourt with depth. Butler, Divac, Devean George, Grant, Slava Medvedenko and Odom is a good nucleus. With the possibility of Divac missing part of the beginning of the season with a herniated disc in his lower back, the Lakers starting frontcourt will most likely be the trio that they acquired from Miami.
Odom will team with Bryant to give the Lakers a decent one-two scoring punch. The 25-year-old Odom had a great season for the Heat in 2003-04, as he averaged 17.1 points, a career-high 9.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 80 contests. The 6-10 Rhode Island product can score from anywhere on the court and he is also a competent ballhandler. Tomjanovich hopes that Odom is up to the challenge of helping Bryant compete with the elite in the Western Conference.
Grant is a natural power forward at 6-foot-9, but he will see the majority of his minutes at center, while Butler, who is entering his third year, was bothered by injuries last season and saw his scoring average decrease from 15.4 points in his rookie campaign to 9.2 points per game last season. The 32- year-old Grant participated in 76 games for the Heat in 2003-04 and registered 8.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per contest.
When healthy, Divac gives the Lakers an excellent passer who can play the high or low post. The 15-year veteran should fit right in with the offense that Tomjanovich will implement.
George, Medvedenko and Luke Walton will also see their share of minutes. With 41-year-old Karl Malone, who averaged 13.2 points in 42 games for the Lakers in 2003-04, most likely headed to another team or towards retirement, this trio will be expected to step up and produce. The athletic George will backup Butler, while Medvedenko will spell Grant and Odom. Walton will battle with George for minutes and could spend most of his time on the bench.
OUTLOOK
It is unusual for the Lakers not to be the favorite in the Western Conference. This is a franchise that is trying to form a new identity. There is a new head coach, many new faces, and a new style of basketball.
Bryant will be out to prove to all of the critics that he can win without Shaq. He will try to combine with Odom to give LA a new one-two punch. However, it won't be enough as the Lakers seem to be a .500 squad that will miss the playoffs for the first time since 1994.
10/20 10:55:00 ET