LakeShowLife.com’s Lakers Midseason Report Card

This won’t be a 72-10 season.  That part was obvious weeks ago.  The Lakers are in the middle of their longest road trip of the year, and things are getting shaky.  Lets step back for a moment and look at the big picture, though.  Chris and Ryan both rank the Lakers on their major areas:

Offense
Ryan: The shooting has been streaky- more so than in previous seasons.  When everyone is healthy, the balance of scoring is decent aside from Lamar under performing.  Kobe needs to get healthy so his turnovers decline and his shooting percentage rises.  Grade: B+.

Chris: Even with Kobe limping around the court, this team is still capable of putting a c-note on the scoreboard on any given night. The only bad habit the Lakers exhume is an occasional complacency to settle for long jumpers instead of pounding the rock inside. Otherwise, this offense is among the best in franchise history.  Grade: A+.

Defense
Ryan: Better than previous seasons, but still allowing teams to play at their own pace and get open looks.  Bynum is still missing assignments more than he should, and Artest is still figuring out his role in this area.  Despite the league-leading “opponents field goal percentage” stat, this area needs work. Grade: B+.

Chris: While the consistency wanes from quarter-to-quarter, the overall effort is better night in and night out. Amazingly enough, the defense looks better without Rambis as the “D-coordinator”. Artest is a big part of that but having a healthy Bynum is the real key. Grade: A-.

Front Court
Ryan: When everyone is healthy, the front court is simply dominant.  We haven’t seen that for any long stretches yet.  Let’s hope that’s starting now.  Lamar needs to find his shot. Grade: A-.

Chris: The ’09-10 Lakers boast, perhaps, the most skilled collection of big men to ever be on the same roster. Even with Gasol out and Bynum’s lapse between double-doubles, the bigs clean the glass like Windex, get high percentage buckets and make life miserable for the opposition.  Grade: A.

Back Court
Ryan: Fisher has been a rock star when it comes to the intangibles.  Unfortunately his shot has been completely off.  Kobe is performing at an all-star level, but not a “Kobe” level.  The injured black-mamba needs to get healthy and dominant once again. Grade: B-.

Chris: Kobe is the only reason this is unit does not fall below average with a D grade. Fisher is almost non-existent. While his veteran leadership will be key down the stretch, Fish’s Houdini act in the first half of the season has again brought up the “over-the-hill” talk. But hey, a couple more daggers like the ones he dropped in Orlando last June will put all that talk in the rearview mirror.   Grade: C+.

Bench
Ryan: Jordan Farmar is the obvious one to single out as a bright star thus far.  Lamar isn’t providing the spark necessary.  Shannon Brown is amazing but extremely inconsistent.  When I see anyone else from the bench coming into the game I tense up with fear- that says it all. Grade: C-.

Chris: Shannon Brown continues to blossom into the perfect weapon in the triangle, but the rest of his counterparts run hot and cold. Sasha Vujacic and his -14 on the season brings this unit down and Farmar could be looking at the end of his Purple and Gold reign. Morrison got minutes in Walton’s absence and did little to earn more. Meanwhile, Mbenga is quietly developing into a solid big man off the bench. No where to go but up for these guys…I hope. Grade: D.

Ryan Overall: B+
Chris Overall: A-

Overall: A-.

Agree?  Disagree?  Let us know.