III: Why the Lakers Will Not Win the NBA Title

Part III of the 2008 Playoff Preview. These posts will examine why every major contender will not win the NBA Championship, so don't expect some grand declaration of a winner at the end. Hopefully they'll all be posted by the end of the day but if not, expect them to be finished before Cleveland-Washington tips off tomorrow morning.

So they picked up Pau Gasol, and instantly they're title favorites. "All Kobe needs is another good player around him." Call me a critic, but I'm not sold. Pau Gasol is a good player, but don't forget that this guy couldn't win a single playoff game in three series. A SINGLE GAME. Tracy McGrady gets killed for not being able to win a series, and Pau gets a free ride despite his inability to win a single game. Let's not forget that Pau is a tweener in his own regard -- too slow to guard good 4s and too weak to guard good 5s. This is the post-player the Lakers are hanging their title hopes on?

...Or is it Andrew Bynum? He had a hell of a season, for sure. But the Lakers will inevitably try to insert him into the line-up, and it will inevitably blow up. The Lakers aren't good enough to win the championship without Bynum and will falter with him. He's been out for months and is already being painted as the team's playoff savior...are you serious? Bynum only recently began doing underwater rehab, and you expect him to be a contributor...no, a successful centerpiece in full-contact, gritty playoff basketball for a serious title contender?

So that brings us to the man himself, Mr. Kobe Bryant. A great year for Kobe, and a great year for the Lakeshow. But let's not forget that Kobe is always one step away from being completely immature, completely selfish, and completely close-minded. Criticism from Phil Jackson may cause the hotheaded Bryant to shoot his way into a loss or pass his way into one, but either way spells trouble for the Lakers. The West is so tough that a minor slip-up could mean major trouble, and the Lakers without Bynum are not equipped to deal with any kind of bumps in the road if they want to win a title. Kobe is a warrior, and a competitor, but he's also cocky. One ill-timed ejection (from the league-leader in technicals, mind you) or temporary loss of cool could cost the Lakers a critical game. He's a great player and a great performer in the clutch, but Kobe does have faults (believe it or not).

So you've got Kobe. Pair him with the playoff winless Pau and with Lamar Odom, a player oft-criticized for his inability to perform in the clutch and for committing boneheaded mistakes. Beyond that, you have a young shooter in Jordan Farmar, a solid but unspectacular point guard in Derek Fisher, a player Phil Jackson proclaims as a head-case in Vladimir Radmanovic, off-the-radar Luke Walton, and a three point shooter who can't shoot that well in-game (Sasha Vujacic). I'm not seeing how the remainder of the roster is any better than even the Denver Nuggets, not to mention the other serious contenders. Over a seven game series, all of your weaknesses are exploited, and the Lakers will be shown as they truly are: a good offensive team surrounding a premiere league talent, but with a heralded supporting cast that will be easily overshadowed by more talented starting fives.