This past offseason saw two
different Western Conference teams take two vastly opposite approaches
to the construction of the future of their franchises. The Los Angeles
Lakers went the way of the veterans, adding experience to an already
talented team. The Houston Rockets went a different route, turning over
the majority of their roster for the uncertainty of youth, promise and
potential. Now that the regular season is almost over, I'll take a look at how the strategies have fared for both teams.
Last year's shortened season saw the Lakers finish third in the West at 41-25. Despite their high ranking, they were middle of the pack (15th) in both offense (97.3 points per game) and defense (95.9 points per game). When the offense was successful, it was because of Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum.
Their point guard play with Steve Blake and Ramon Sessions certainly left a lot to be desired. Sessions was a midseason addition and never seemed to gel with the team. He showed flashes of brilliance at times but more often than not he just looked out of place. They searched far and wide for a point guard after the sketchy way the Chris Paul to LA deal was blocked by NBA commissioner David Stern.
On July 11th, 2012, the Lakers believed they had found their answer: the two-time league MVP and longtime Pacific Division foe, Steve Nash. Nash was the master of the "7 Seconds or Less" offense schemed by Mike D'Antoni while in Phoenix. Despite his age (39), his play was similar to Kobe's in a way. He reached limitations physically but by becoming craftier and out thinking opposing players, he could save his energy and become more efficient. Both players in my eyes are physical freaks despite their age.
About a month later, the Lakers made an even bigger splash when they acquired former Magic center and franchise player Dwight Howard and traded Bynum to the Philadelphia 76ers. Howard's name will forever be synonymous with the NBA off-season of 2012. You couldn't even have a conversation with your grandmother without hearing that name. Some basketball fans cried something was fishy and that the NBA was loading up its marquee franchise to remain relevant in the league.
Conspiracy theories are cute, but are usually contrived out of jealousy from fans of teams that don't have much to root for. Los Angeles is simply an ideal destination for any athlete: live in one of the most famous cities in the world and rub elbows with various celebrities in hopes of cultivating crossover success in the present and future.
Now the team was essentially loaded. You had a 2012-13 version of the twin towers in Gasol and Howard, a fearless leader in Kobe Bryant and a floor general with Steve Nash. Metta World Peace was still a solid defender and could contribute on offense at times, especially with corner threes that were daggers. The shallow bench could be overlooked just as it was in 2010 when the Heat banded together. Build a big lead early, and just have the second team manage it without screwing up.
The biggest question mark was the head coach, Mike Brown. While a solid defensive assistant in San Antonio, his run as coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers was constantly downplayed by the superhuman efforts of LeBron James. Brown never got credit for his team's success, but seemed first in line to be blamed for any and every failure. How would he handle the many personalities on a star-studded team? He barely got a chance to find out: Brown was let go after only five games into the season. Assistant Bernie Bickerstaff took over and went 4-1. Fans clamored for Phil Jackson to return. "If anyone could turn Dwight Howard into an even bigger and better player, it was him", they thought. Yet the Lakers hired Mike D'Antoni, regardless of the fact his style did not mesh at all with what the Lakers are used to.
Thoughts of the 2005 Suns must have danced in the heads of Lakers' management, reuniting Nash and D'Antoni- but that was eight long years ago. Early on, the team struggled to find its way and Nash broke his leg and was sidelined for seven weeks. Howard was not the same player after having a surgery on his back. Kobe started off hot and continued at a high level until he tore his Achilles last night versus the Golden State Warriors. Pau Gasol suffered a plantar faschia tear. The simple fact is the Lakers could not build solid chemistry and this led to their down year, even though they are sixth in scoring on offense (102.2). The second big reason was that D'Antoni was more about his system than the players. Pau Gasol coming off the bench perplexed many a Lakers fan.
When it comes down to it, the Lakers made moves they believed would win them a championship, as is the expectation every season for them. I don't blame them for how they did it. Look at the 2008 Celtics. They went older with Garnett and Allen to add to Paul Pierce and it paid off that year. This Lakers team looked great on paper, even with their average age at 29.5. I pegged them to be third in the West before the season began. Now they are holding on to the eighth seed, fending off the Jazz and chasing Houston, who is only a game and a half ahead of LA. But Houston was never supposed to be in the race this season, or so many pundits thought.
Last year the Rockets narrowly missed the playoffs at 34-32. For years they had built around Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, but the two could never seem to stay healthy enough to reach their potential. They were once thought as the new "it" duo to rival Shaq and Kobe, but never materialized and ultimately made fans think "what if". Yao's last game came in 2010 when a stress fracture caused him to retire. He missed 250 games during his brief eight year career. General manager Daryl Morey was constantly on the look for his next franchise superstar, moving pieces around like a chess game.
It wasn't until this past summer when Morey's smallball way of thinking seemed to pay off (aside from Royce White). Gone were five of his top six scorers from last year (Scola, Martin, Lowry, Dragic, Buddinger). After a failed attempt at Dwight Howard (which included amnestying Luis Scola, letting Goran Dragic and Kyle Lowry walk), Morey signed Jeremy Lin to a four year, 25 million dollar contract. People saw this as a huge overpayment, and could still be correct. To keep your franchise relevant, one typically has to overpay. He continued his spending, adding former Bull Omer Asik to the mix. Asik was a banger on the boards who could pull down 15-20 rebounds on any given night. Morey's coup de grace came when he managed to finagle James Harden from the Oklahoma City Thunder for Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb and draft picks. The trade came out of left field and was questioned by many. How good was the Thunder's third fiddle? We'd soon find out.
Harden scored 37 plus points in each of his first three games while leading the Rockets to a 3-0 record. The team began racking up the points, and are currently first in the league in scoring (106.2). Yet their Achilles heel seems to be on defense, as they allow 102.6 points per game which ranks them 28th in the league. They are a young, inexperienced team with no track record aside from the track meets they have been putting on all season, in part to the improvements of both Chandler Parsons and James Harden. Their strength is running teams off the floor with their dangerous fast break. This style of blitzing offense can be a double-edged sword as it also leads to a a lot of turnovers. They rank dead last at 15.8 per game and is a main reason for when they lose games.
Morey was not done, though. He pulled off the most notable trade at the deadline, picking up Thomas Robinson and Francisco Garcia from the Kings in exchange for Toney Douglas, Patrick Patterson and Marcus Morris. Douglas and Patterson went to the Kings and Morris to the Suns. The move was seen as very savvy with a lot of upside in the young Robinson.
The magic number is one for Houston to clinch the seventh seed. If they lose such as they did tonight and continue to do so, the Lakers could realistically snag that spot and bump the Rockets to eighth. The climb uphill for Los Angeles will only get steeper as they have likely lost Kobe Bryant for the remainder of the season (two games) with a torn Achilles. This might be due to playing a high level of minutes over his last five games, averaging 44.4 minutes a game and 38.6 on the season. Even an athlete of Bryant's caliber can only handle so much at his age.
The race for seventh might come down to the very last game of the season for both teams. They meet next Wednesday at the Staples Center on ESPN. The Lakers will try to prove that any doubts should be erased, as Howard and Nash look to step forward as leaders. The Rockets just want to show that even a young and inexperienced team can be a dangerous one. The battle for playoff seeding seems appropriate for two teams who took different paths to the playoffs this year, and there's one thing I have for next week's game.
Great expectations.
Last year's shortened season saw the Lakers finish third in the West at 41-25. Despite their high ranking, they were middle of the pack (15th) in both offense (97.3 points per game) and defense (95.9 points per game). When the offense was successful, it was because of Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum.
Their point guard play with Steve Blake and Ramon Sessions certainly left a lot to be desired. Sessions was a midseason addition and never seemed to gel with the team. He showed flashes of brilliance at times but more often than not he just looked out of place. They searched far and wide for a point guard after the sketchy way the Chris Paul to LA deal was blocked by NBA commissioner David Stern.
On July 11th, 2012, the Lakers believed they had found their answer: the two-time league MVP and longtime Pacific Division foe, Steve Nash. Nash was the master of the "7 Seconds or Less" offense schemed by Mike D'Antoni while in Phoenix. Despite his age (39), his play was similar to Kobe's in a way. He reached limitations physically but by becoming craftier and out thinking opposing players, he could save his energy and become more efficient. Both players in my eyes are physical freaks despite their age.
About a month later, the Lakers made an even bigger splash when they acquired former Magic center and franchise player Dwight Howard and traded Bynum to the Philadelphia 76ers. Howard's name will forever be synonymous with the NBA off-season of 2012. You couldn't even have a conversation with your grandmother without hearing that name. Some basketball fans cried something was fishy and that the NBA was loading up its marquee franchise to remain relevant in the league.
Conspiracy theories are cute, but are usually contrived out of jealousy from fans of teams that don't have much to root for. Los Angeles is simply an ideal destination for any athlete: live in one of the most famous cities in the world and rub elbows with various celebrities in hopes of cultivating crossover success in the present and future.
Now the team was essentially loaded. You had a 2012-13 version of the twin towers in Gasol and Howard, a fearless leader in Kobe Bryant and a floor general with Steve Nash. Metta World Peace was still a solid defender and could contribute on offense at times, especially with corner threes that were daggers. The shallow bench could be overlooked just as it was in 2010 when the Heat banded together. Build a big lead early, and just have the second team manage it without screwing up.
The biggest question mark was the head coach, Mike Brown. While a solid defensive assistant in San Antonio, his run as coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers was constantly downplayed by the superhuman efforts of LeBron James. Brown never got credit for his team's success, but seemed first in line to be blamed for any and every failure. How would he handle the many personalities on a star-studded team? He barely got a chance to find out: Brown was let go after only five games into the season. Assistant Bernie Bickerstaff took over and went 4-1. Fans clamored for Phil Jackson to return. "If anyone could turn Dwight Howard into an even bigger and better player, it was him", they thought. Yet the Lakers hired Mike D'Antoni, regardless of the fact his style did not mesh at all with what the Lakers are used to.
Thoughts of the 2005 Suns must have danced in the heads of Lakers' management, reuniting Nash and D'Antoni- but that was eight long years ago. Early on, the team struggled to find its way and Nash broke his leg and was sidelined for seven weeks. Howard was not the same player after having a surgery on his back. Kobe started off hot and continued at a high level until he tore his Achilles last night versus the Golden State Warriors. Pau Gasol suffered a plantar faschia tear. The simple fact is the Lakers could not build solid chemistry and this led to their down year, even though they are sixth in scoring on offense (102.2). The second big reason was that D'Antoni was more about his system than the players. Pau Gasol coming off the bench perplexed many a Lakers fan.
When it comes down to it, the Lakers made moves they believed would win them a championship, as is the expectation every season for them. I don't blame them for how they did it. Look at the 2008 Celtics. They went older with Garnett and Allen to add to Paul Pierce and it paid off that year. This Lakers team looked great on paper, even with their average age at 29.5. I pegged them to be third in the West before the season began. Now they are holding on to the eighth seed, fending off the Jazz and chasing Houston, who is only a game and a half ahead of LA. But Houston was never supposed to be in the race this season, or so many pundits thought.
Last year the Rockets narrowly missed the playoffs at 34-32. For years they had built around Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, but the two could never seem to stay healthy enough to reach their potential. They were once thought as the new "it" duo to rival Shaq and Kobe, but never materialized and ultimately made fans think "what if". Yao's last game came in 2010 when a stress fracture caused him to retire. He missed 250 games during his brief eight year career. General manager Daryl Morey was constantly on the look for his next franchise superstar, moving pieces around like a chess game.
It wasn't until this past summer when Morey's smallball way of thinking seemed to pay off (aside from Royce White). Gone were five of his top six scorers from last year (Scola, Martin, Lowry, Dragic, Buddinger). After a failed attempt at Dwight Howard (which included amnestying Luis Scola, letting Goran Dragic and Kyle Lowry walk), Morey signed Jeremy Lin to a four year, 25 million dollar contract. People saw this as a huge overpayment, and could still be correct. To keep your franchise relevant, one typically has to overpay. He continued his spending, adding former Bull Omer Asik to the mix. Asik was a banger on the boards who could pull down 15-20 rebounds on any given night. Morey's coup de grace came when he managed to finagle James Harden from the Oklahoma City Thunder for Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb and draft picks. The trade came out of left field and was questioned by many. How good was the Thunder's third fiddle? We'd soon find out.
Harden scored 37 plus points in each of his first three games while leading the Rockets to a 3-0 record. The team began racking up the points, and are currently first in the league in scoring (106.2). Yet their Achilles heel seems to be on defense, as they allow 102.6 points per game which ranks them 28th in the league. They are a young, inexperienced team with no track record aside from the track meets they have been putting on all season, in part to the improvements of both Chandler Parsons and James Harden. Their strength is running teams off the floor with their dangerous fast break. This style of blitzing offense can be a double-edged sword as it also leads to a a lot of turnovers. They rank dead last at 15.8 per game and is a main reason for when they lose games.
Morey was not done, though. He pulled off the most notable trade at the deadline, picking up Thomas Robinson and Francisco Garcia from the Kings in exchange for Toney Douglas, Patrick Patterson and Marcus Morris. Douglas and Patterson went to the Kings and Morris to the Suns. The move was seen as very savvy with a lot of upside in the young Robinson.
The magic number is one for Houston to clinch the seventh seed. If they lose such as they did tonight and continue to do so, the Lakers could realistically snag that spot and bump the Rockets to eighth. The climb uphill for Los Angeles will only get steeper as they have likely lost Kobe Bryant for the remainder of the season (two games) with a torn Achilles. This might be due to playing a high level of minutes over his last five games, averaging 44.4 minutes a game and 38.6 on the season. Even an athlete of Bryant's caliber can only handle so much at his age.
The race for seventh might come down to the very last game of the season for both teams. They meet next Wednesday at the Staples Center on ESPN. The Lakers will try to prove that any doubts should be erased, as Howard and Nash look to step forward as leaders. The Rockets just want to show that even a young and inexperienced team can be a dangerous one. The battle for playoff seeding seems appropriate for two teams who took different paths to the playoffs this year, and there's one thing I have for next week's game.
Great expectations.
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