Last Year VS This Year:
PG: Atkins / Brown / Vujacic VS McKie / Parker / Profit
CLEAR CUT IMPROVEMENT
McKie is used to guarding players like Kobe Bryant and Jalen Rose, while Chucky Atkins provided less than an adequate challenge for MOST opposing players. Atkins is also much worse in comparison to McKie in triangle compatibility and ability to guard the taller backcourt opponents. We should fare much better with McKie than we ever did with Atkins on the defensive end and we should see improvement from rebounding and fewer fouls and turnovers. The new PG bench isn't good, but has improved, seeing as we do have more free agent options (Watson, Pargo, Wagner) and can still go with Sasha (our only other option last season besides the turnover prone Tierre Brown at PG) even though I want us to trade or cut him. We have seen substantive improvement to our team at PG this season over last, even if we aren't set or satisfied...how many teams are satisfied or set at the PG position?
SG: Bryant / Bobbitt / George VS Bryant / George / Wafer
MODERATE IMPROVEMENT
Basically we dropped Tony Bobbitt (who never played anyway) and added Wafer and a HEALTHY, READY George for this season. George was out almost all of last season, and so Kobe had to be spelled briefly and inadequately, mostly by Tierre Brown because Bobbitt was an IL player. George and Wafer could spell better rest for Bryant...especially if Wafer can be 25% as effective in the real league as in the summer league and George's ankles stay solvent. Kobe was good last year, but he was over-worked and under-rested. That should most definately NOT be the case this season, meaning Kobe's minutes should be more effective and efficient. I see aggregate improvement this season over last at the premium team position.
SF: Butler / Jones / Walton VS Odom / Walton / Jones
CLEAR CUT IMPROVEMENT
To assess the small forward position, we must look at Caron Butler in comparison to Lamar Odom. Caron does not measure up to Lamar in any areas except for shooting ability. Caron is a better shooter, which means he is capable of averaging more points per game. This does not translate to superiority in the triangle at the small forward position, however, without other skill sets which Caron lacks in comparison to Lamar. Odom is a better defender, a better rebounder, a better shot blocker and a taller and stronger player, as well as a superior passer. Since passing is the ultimate measurement of a triangle point forward, Lamar Odom is definitely the man I would rather have under Phil at the position. Luke Walton jumps ahead of Jumaine Jones on the depth chart because in the triangle, a system in which Luke is more experienced, Walton possesses more natural abilities ala passing and movement than Jumaine. With the same personel -Butler for Odom, we see clear improvement at the position, especially since we are more suited to Walton and Odom in the new system.
PF: Odom / Grant / Cook / Medvedenko VS Brown / Cook / Medvedenko
MODERATE IMPROVEMENT
This is where we see the least amount of on-paper improvement. The stats on paper lie in this case, however, because Lamar played out of position and was largely rendered a foul machine last season. He was playing a style that was counter to his abilities. He was forced to play in the post on defense against larger, stronger and more physical players with more experience than he has at the position. He was also forced to be off-ball too often, which left his passing skills in the dust. Brian Grant was injured most of the year, so the only reason to think last season was better than this season is rendered obsolete. Beyond Odom and Grant last season, we have the same players (Cook, Slava) to compare this season from last, and in a system (the triangle) that is better for both benchers, so we see improvement in aggregate depth. Kwame Brown is the question mark over the degree of improvement we have made at the position. He has all the talent for playing the front court that Lamar lacks. He is larger, stronger, more physical, has more experience at the position. He is a better player in the post, especially for the triangle's front court off-ball movement, he has experience at PF playing with someone just like Kobe (MJ), and he is simply better suited (at 7 feet) to play power forward than Lamar. He lacks Odoms offensive ability, but since he is at his natural position, his points will be easier to come by than Odom's were last season. We see improvement over last seaon at this position since we are not LOSING Lamar, but merely SHIFTING him to HIS natural position to play with a man who will have the height advantage over the majority of players in our conference.
C: Mihm / Divac VS Mihm / Divac / Bynum
CLEAR CUT IMPROVEMENT
I believe that this is where we see our most improvement aside from the small forward position. Mihm is the same player, but aside Lamar and Kwame, and in the triangle, he should have less foul trouble and should be able to play better offense. He'll also be more of a threat as a shot blocker and rebounder with two other players near 7 feet alongside him. Divac is the same player as last season, except that if he does come back (meaning we don't dump his contract and force him to retire) he will obviously play more than the 3 or 4 games he had last season. This means we will have a good depth at center with legit 7 footers that are experienced. Divac's role will largely be to rebound and pass, something that he still does deftly, even at his age. He provides good leadership and excellent on-ball defense. His compromised verticle takes some away from what used to be an excellent shot blocking resume, but this was the case last year as well, which means we see no degradation from last season in this respect. We also can throw Bynum into the mix if Divac isn't healthy enough to give us substantial minutes at the back-up center position. We did not have a legit center to back up Mihm last season, but we do now in Andrew Bynum. He may be a question mark at 17, and as a rookie, but his size, his raw potential and his determination to prove that he is not a bust should contribute to at least a servicable big coming off the bench. He needs experience and improvement, but at least he is here now, which is this season's something that trumps last year's nothing. We used Cook and Medvedenko (along with Grant when he was healthy, which was rare) to spell Mihm last season, something that forced our Power Forward position to include Walton and Jones aside Odom. These three players were abused at the position and will not play a minute this season at PF, meaning we see improvement in three positions as far as depth and conditioning. If Divac is truly coming along as well as reported, and if Bynum is impressing with his development as much as indicated, we see definite improvement in size and efficiency at the center position, improvement in depth and energy at the PF position and improvement in availability and health at the SF position. This position's improvement is the best in my opinion BECAUSE it has caused improvement to leak into 2 other positions on our roster.
OTHER IMPROVEMENTS:
Coaching Staff
Offensive and Defensive Continuity
Roster Versatility
Team Confidence
Team Health
Average Age
Average Height
This team fields a coach who was in the finals a few seasons ago with the main player we have now, as opposed to a coach who was 4 or 5 seasons removed from any substantial coaching experience and who ran an offense that was admittedly fly-by-night. We have a fuller coaching staff, and our players are much more bought in to the new regime. We have more hunger and motivation this season after underachieving grossly last season. Kobe will be healthier and more ready this season, and Lamar will be set to prove the nay-sayers wrong. We tanked last season for the final 15 or so games, and anyone that thinks otherwise is advised to see the games as I did. We also lost Lamar to surgery at the same time. There were many transitional attributes to last season's team that are improved and removed this season. I predict a record of 54-28 and a 5th seed berth in the '06 playoffs. I can't say we'll make it past the first round, but I think we will be at least in the semi-finals. I think the conference finals are possible with little or no injuries and some fast development from our young guns, but with Lamar and Kobe as our mainstays, we should be ok to win a minimum 48 games. Kwame could help by improving or at least reproducing his stats from two seasons ago, as could McKie. If Mihm produces identical point and rebound stats from last season, we are looking at excellent starter production and a solid bench. These are my impressions of the team and the new season as things are right now on 8/22/05. Should things change, it is not my problem, I will roll with the punches. I am no expert or psychic, and maybe I am overly optimistic, but this is the way I feel.
