Updated: Oct. 5, 2005, 3:59 PM ET
Lakers expect triangle to flow, hide lack of point guard
By Ric Bucher
Five early observations from Lakers camp:
1. Health of Kobe and Phil: The most overlooked reason to believe they'll get along better is that neither comes into this season plagued by physical pain.
Kobe Bryant's already bringing intensity to training camp.
Kobe Bryant had a full summer to train for the first time in several years and it is showing. While everyone dragged themselves off the court after the first practice session, Kobe didn't look as though he'd broken a sweat, despite repeatedly bringing the ball up against pressure.
"He was competing as if we're playing regular-season games, so you can tell he's kind of antsy to get started," said Luke Walton, who was part of a regular full-court run at the Lakers' training facility for most of September.
Phil Jackson, meanwhile, almost looks comfortable moving around the court and was active enough to work up a sheen of sweat on his forehead. Anyone who remembers him hobbling around as though one leg were several inches shorter than the other -- nearly a candidate for Monty Python's Department of Silly Walks -- will be astounded at how tall he actually is. (He was 6-foot-8 as an NBA player three decades ago.)
Jackson hinted that he had to be sure his health could endure a full season before he accepted the Lakers' job, and everyone assumed it was the heart problems he had two years ago.
Wrong. The spinal fusion he had as a player was the real threat to his comeback. The combination of deteriorating discs and the awful ergonomics of team benches, team buses and hotel beds have taken their toll.
After Lakers VP (and Jackson's girlfriend) Jeanie Buss suggested he buy a Segway to get up and down the court, Jackson got into action and began a rigorous physical therapy routine that includes a lot of ab work. He credits athletic performance coordinator -- I swear I'm not making these titles up -- Alex McKechnie for the workout routines that have him walking upright.
2. Still Looking To Deal: The Lakers were disappointed about Eddy Curry going to the Knicks because they were sure they made a better offer to the Bulls.
They might have as far as Chicago's end of it, in pitching Chris Mihm, Vlade Divac and a first-round pick. Where they fell short was in the three-year, $21 million deal they were willing to give Curry. The Knicks reportedly gave Curry $60 million for six years.
The Lakers also had looked to land Jason Kapono before he signed with Miami. The latest rumor is that they plan to send Jumaine Jones to Charlotte for a second-round pick to ease their logjam of small forwards, but as of Tuesday GM Mitch Kupchak denied that deal was on the table.
3. Lamar Odom All Wrapped Up: Odom estimates he's 10 days of shoulder rehabilitation away from getting on the court for full-contact participation. He has no doubt he'll be ready to play in the season opener against Denver.
Odom, who had surgery immediately after the season, spent practice going through a variety of unusual drills that combined building shoulder strength with basic cardiovascular training. One exercise had him gripping a wooden dowel at shoulder height with resistance and shuffling his feet back and forth. Another had him on an elliptical machine while holding a medicine ball in front of him.
All the while he was trussed up like a gift-wrapped present in bright green elastic straps meant to keep his shoulders back and force extra work out of his core muscles.
4. Making a Point: The Lakers do not share the concern of some critics about a starting backcourt of 33-year-old Aaron McKie and Kobe, with second-year guard Sasha Vujacic as the potential first sub. Kupchak pointed out that Kobe and Ron Harper were the starting guards when Jackson took over the team in 1999 and won his first ring with the Lakers. Actually, they survived with even less, as Kobe broke his hand in training camp that year and Brian Shaw was added to the roster.
"That's part of the triangle, a two-guard front that walks the ball up," Kupchak said. "I really don't see that as being a problem."
I'd agree. The problem is going to be on defense, trying to stay in front of the league's whippets without shot-blocking threats behind them. But this is why Phil is pulling down, by most accounts, eight figures.
5. Kobe and the Triangle: Turns out Kobe wasn't frustrated by the triangle offense as much as he was the triangle offense designed to accommodate Shaquille O'Neal. The true spirit of the system is that all five players are interchangeable, capable of posting up or facing the basket.
O'Neal, what with not having a jump shot, obviously wasn't much good facing the basket -- nor would you want to waste his beastliness on the block, anyway.
In any case, what the Lakers run now will look different than what they ran with the Diesel parked in it.
"Everybody will be truly flexible, buzzing around," says Kobe.
Lakers expect triangle to flow, hide lack of point guard
By Ric Bucher
Five early observations from Lakers camp:
1. Health of Kobe and Phil: The most overlooked reason to believe they'll get along better is that neither comes into this season plagued by physical pain.
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Kobe Bryant's already bringing intensity to training camp.
Kobe Bryant had a full summer to train for the first time in several years and it is showing. While everyone dragged themselves off the court after the first practice session, Kobe didn't look as though he'd broken a sweat, despite repeatedly bringing the ball up against pressure.
"He was competing as if we're playing regular-season games, so you can tell he's kind of antsy to get started," said Luke Walton, who was part of a regular full-court run at the Lakers' training facility for most of September.
Phil Jackson, meanwhile, almost looks comfortable moving around the court and was active enough to work up a sheen of sweat on his forehead. Anyone who remembers him hobbling around as though one leg were several inches shorter than the other -- nearly a candidate for Monty Python's Department of Silly Walks -- will be astounded at how tall he actually is. (He was 6-foot-8 as an NBA player three decades ago.)
Jackson hinted that he had to be sure his health could endure a full season before he accepted the Lakers' job, and everyone assumed it was the heart problems he had two years ago.
Wrong. The spinal fusion he had as a player was the real threat to his comeback. The combination of deteriorating discs and the awful ergonomics of team benches, team buses and hotel beds have taken their toll.
After Lakers VP (and Jackson's girlfriend) Jeanie Buss suggested he buy a Segway to get up and down the court, Jackson got into action and began a rigorous physical therapy routine that includes a lot of ab work. He credits athletic performance coordinator -- I swear I'm not making these titles up -- Alex McKechnie for the workout routines that have him walking upright.
2. Still Looking To Deal: The Lakers were disappointed about Eddy Curry going to the Knicks because they were sure they made a better offer to the Bulls.
They might have as far as Chicago's end of it, in pitching Chris Mihm, Vlade Divac and a first-round pick. Where they fell short was in the three-year, $21 million deal they were willing to give Curry. The Knicks reportedly gave Curry $60 million for six years.
The Lakers also had looked to land Jason Kapono before he signed with Miami. The latest rumor is that they plan to send Jumaine Jones to Charlotte for a second-round pick to ease their logjam of small forwards, but as of Tuesday GM Mitch Kupchak denied that deal was on the table.
3. Lamar Odom All Wrapped Up: Odom estimates he's 10 days of shoulder rehabilitation away from getting on the court for full-contact participation. He has no doubt he'll be ready to play in the season opener against Denver.
Odom, who had surgery immediately after the season, spent practice going through a variety of unusual drills that combined building shoulder strength with basic cardiovascular training. One exercise had him gripping a wooden dowel at shoulder height with resistance and shuffling his feet back and forth. Another had him on an elliptical machine while holding a medicine ball in front of him.
All the while he was trussed up like a gift-wrapped present in bright green elastic straps meant to keep his shoulders back and force extra work out of his core muscles.
4. Making a Point: The Lakers do not share the concern of some critics about a starting backcourt of 33-year-old Aaron McKie and Kobe, with second-year guard Sasha Vujacic as the potential first sub. Kupchak pointed out that Kobe and Ron Harper were the starting guards when Jackson took over the team in 1999 and won his first ring with the Lakers. Actually, they survived with even less, as Kobe broke his hand in training camp that year and Brian Shaw was added to the roster.
"That's part of the triangle, a two-guard front that walks the ball up," Kupchak said. "I really don't see that as being a problem."
I'd agree. The problem is going to be on defense, trying to stay in front of the league's whippets without shot-blocking threats behind them. But this is why Phil is pulling down, by most accounts, eight figures.
5. Kobe and the Triangle: Turns out Kobe wasn't frustrated by the triangle offense as much as he was the triangle offense designed to accommodate Shaquille O'Neal. The true spirit of the system is that all five players are interchangeable, capable of posting up or facing the basket.
O'Neal, what with not having a jump shot, obviously wasn't much good facing the basket -- nor would you want to waste his beastliness on the block, anyway.
In any case, what the Lakers run now will look different than what they ran with the Diesel parked in it.
"Everybody will be truly flexible, buzzing around," says Kobe.
How come none of these media experts have noticed that a contract of this size is not possible, given the players involved? Either the contract amount is wrong or the players involved are wrong; there's no way around it.
