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The rash of big name players being hit by the injury bug in the NBA has swept through the Southland like one of the El Nino rainstorms we’ve experienced over the last two months. The latest casualties are Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum. Bryant has had his share of injuries over the years yet Saturday night’s victory over the Blazers in Oregon was the first time Kobe hadn’t suited up for the purple and gold in 235 consecutive games…including nine straight losses at the Rose Garden in Portland.
His teammates stepped up despite the absence of #24 and Andrew Bynum grabbing a seat on the pine after only logging nine minutes and not playing in the second half. L.A. finished with six players scoring in double figures led by Ron Artest’s 21 points.
The San Antonio Spurs looked poised to take advantage coming into Monday night’s matchup at the Staples Center but the resilient Lakers had other plans.
Pau Gasol led the Lakers with 21 points and 19 boards en route to outplaying future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan who tallied 16 & 15. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli did their part with 20 and 21 points respectively but this night belonged to the Lakeshow.
Lamar Odom joined Pau at In-N-Out and enjoyed a double-double of his own with 16 & 10. Artest, Derek Fisher and Jordan Farmar also scored double digits as the Lakers defended their home court, pushing their record at home this season to 25-4 and they now lead the Western Conference at 40-13 overall.
These victories without Kobe can serve as a confidence boost for the Lakers players who tend to rely on Kobe far too much. For the younger players in particular…many of whom have never even taken the court without Kobe by their side, this lets them spread their wings a little and come to the realization that even though they are a better team when he’s on the floor, they too are NBA quality players and capable of doing things they normally rely on him to do for them. It allows them to break their Ko-dependency and find the will within themselves to be the man rather than stand around and wait for THE MAN to bail them out.
We all marvel at Kobe’s iron will and gladiator mentality when it comes to playing through injury but the marathon that is the NBA regular season can be grueling. The reality is that some rest would do Kobe good.
He’s been banged up all season. From the broken index finger to the back spasms to the tweaked ankles, I’d like to see him get some rest to re-load for the second half and be healthy for the playoff run…You know…the season that really matters.
He recently passed Jerry West as the leading scorer in Lakers franchise history last week, fittingly scoring 44 points in doing so.
It was Jerry West who pulled off the trade that brought Bryant to Los Angeles in 1996 by sending Vlade Divac to Charlotte in exchange for the high school phenom because he saw that certain something in the youngster. I wonder if her realized at the time that it would be Bryant that would ultimately unseat him at the top of the franchise scoring list.
The following game, Phil Jackson passed legendary coach of the “Showtime” era Lakers of the 80’s, Mr. G.Q. himself, Pat Riley as the franchise leader for victories as a head coach with win #534 vs. Charlotte.
Lamar Odom also hit a personal milestone Saturday to become the eight-fastest player in NBA history to reach 3,000 assists and 6,000 rebounds. He joins some elite company in doing so with Lakers legends Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in addition to Oscar Robertson, Larry Bird and Kevin Garnett.
Though Lamar may disappear for games at a time, every so often he reminds us that on any given night he’s completely capable of playing like the best player in the NBA…before he reminds us that he IS Lamar Odom the very next game when he disappears again. He’s the Houdini of the league in that regard…Terribly inconsistent but spectacular at times.
As a Lakers fan, he can frustrate you but his skill set is rare indeed. Not many 6-10 players can handle the rock so effortlessly or share the ball so willingly. He is unselfish almost to a fault. He is also one of the best rebounders in the game right now. I dare to say he could contend for a rebound title if he were a starter.
One thing is certain, without him, the Lakers wouldn’t be the odds on favorite to win it all again this year.
LAKERS IN JUNE
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http://tophatal.wordpress.com/2010/02/15/whats-yours-is-mine-and-whats-mine-youre-not-getting-any-part-of-it/
Alan aka tophatal