Astonishing Offseason Puts Lakers in Front

After back-to-back seasons of merely being one of the best eight teams in basketball, the Los Angeles Lakers had enough.

As glamorous a franchise as the Lakers are, any season ending short of a championship is failure. Tack on one more consecutive season of the same result, and you’ve got some ‘splainin to do.

Adding two-time Most Valuable Player Steve Nash and three-time Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard to the Lakers’ roster will probably help change that.

Looking back at Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak’s incredible, rabbit-out-of-the-hat big-name player pick-ups over the past decade, perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised he would go HAM again this offseason.

Not to sound like a spoiled Lakers fan, but about time.

Glancing ahead to the upcoming 2012-2013 NBA season, the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder are still prime candidates to make the NBA Finals for the third and second time, respectively, in a row. Contrary to what some experts may believe, however, a complete match-up breakdown of the new-look Lakers against the Heat and Thunder shows why the purple-and-gold now hold the advantage over both squads.

Take a look at the Lakers vs. Heat breakdown below, with Lakers vs. Thunder coming later in the week:

The two-time MVP led the league Perhaps best known for his NCAA

in total assists last season, and nearly led Championship-saving three-pointer in

a Phoenix Sun squad otherwise bound 2008, Chalmers has had about as

for the lottery to the brink of a playoff mediocre a start to his NBA career as you

berth. Nobody keeps his dribble alive can find. Not that much more was

better than Nash, and his ability to shoot expected; the solid three-point threat lacks

from the perimeter will be another big the floor vision, shooting ability, and

asset for a team struggling from consistent good decision-making of a top

three-point range last season. His point guard. Perhaps Chalmers is an

defense is poor, though his offensive upgrade from Nash on defense? I guess,

genius more than makes up for it. but that’s not saying much.

The 2008 MVP is the closest thing A two-time champion, the Marquette

we’ve seen to Michael Jordan. The prodigy has continued to live up to his

five-time NBA Champion and two-time nickname, “Flash.” The sure-footed Wade

Olympic gold medalist plays his best is another elite player who knows how to

when the chips are down, and despite save his best for last, as the eight-time

just turning 34 and entering his 17th all-star and 2008 Olympic gold medalist

year in the NBA, he earned a spot on has continued dazzling with his athleticism

the All-NBA first team for the 10th and shot-making despite recently turning

time last season. While his 30 and slowly beginning to accrue more

athleticism has slipped over the past injuries. Wade’s smaller stature and

few years, his work in the post and inconsistent three-point shot, however,

superior effort to keep his body at keeps Wade just a hair short of matching

the top of its game has only improved. The Black Mamba.

Metta World Peace, or whatever else While World Peace is an over-the-hill,

he likes to be called at a given time, has slightly above-average forward

not had the calmest of NBA careers. The with unique skills, LeBron James is

2004 DPOY continues to be a top wing everything else and more. The

defender, though, harassing opposing straight-outta high school phenomenon

players with his deceptively quick hands is basketball’s worst nightmare, or dream,

and broad body. In short: be prepared depending on what team you’re on. A 6’8”

to either get bumped around or stripped (at least) freight train with the speed of

when trying to score on this defensive bruiser. someone half his size, James resembles

The ground-bound World Peace can hit something out of a video game. The

the occasional three-pointer and has the three-time MVP and recently-crowned

ability to create his own shot, too. NBA champion also has two Olympic

Pau Gasol has long been regarded as The lanky Chris Bosh is one of the more

one of the most versatile forwards in athletic power forwards in the NBA, and

the league, and it all came together in his slick jump shot is perhaps the purest of

2009 and 2010 when he reached his them all. While not a great rebounder,

second and third all-star games and won Bosh can score with the best of ‘em, and

two championships with the Lakers. the 2011-2012 NBA champion has seven

There’s not a thing the perennial all-star all-star game selections to back it up.

can’t do, as the seven-foot Spaniard Still, Bosh’s thin build and relative

rebounds, scores down low, can shoot unfamiliarity in the post oftentimes leave

from long-range, and can pass as well as him looking much smaller on the court

a guard. His defensive is excellent, than his height would indicate. The Lakers’

too, as his length and basketball IQ is height has generally given him one-on-one

more likely to lead to turnovers than scoring trouble, largely because of the

baskets by the opposing squad. versatility of the guy to the left.

Almost exclusively considered the Joel Anthony would not be the starting

best center in the NBA, Dwight center for any other NBA team. In a little

Howard doesn’t have three over 21 minutes per game last season,

DPOY awards, six all-star Anthony averaged 3.4 points, less than

appearances, an Olympic Gold Medal, four rebounds, and less assists (0.1) than

and an NBA Finals appearance for turnovers (0.7). Aside from averaging 1.3

nothin’… and he’s only 26. Though blocks, Anthony is well-below-average in

heavily criticized recently for the all other noteworthy statistical categories.

mis-micro-management of his final He lacks any sort of offensive utility,

days with the Orlando Magic, offering little else than screen-setting and

Howard remains atop the NBA the occasional put-back. Even his defense

stratosphere of NBA centers and is nothing to write home about, despite it

looks to be the Lakers franchise clearly being his strong point. Anthony’s

player post-Kobe. worst nightmare is probably dealing with

Top Bench Contributors: Antawn Jamison, Top Bench Contributors: Ray Allen,

Led by Matt Barnes and Steve Blake Last season, the Miami bench ran waves

most of last season, the Lakers bench of unexpected consistency in the Finals

ran scarily thin after that, until from the generally-disappointing Mike

players like mid-season acquisition Miller and an oft-struggling Shane Battier.

Jordan Hill and slowly-improving This season, however, the Heat addition of

Devin Ebanks began to pick up some future Hall-of-Fame guard Ray Allen from

slack. Even with Blake’s and Hill’s the Boston Celtics has pushed their bench

occasional big game during the from average-at-best status to solid. While

postseason, the Lakers bench efforts it would be great if Miller picked up where

weren’t enough to avoid the he left off in Game 5 of the Finals, when he

distasteful moniker as the worst bench shot seven-of-seven from distance to help

in the NBA. With the offseason additions close out the Thunder, even a

of guard Jodie Meeks and former all-star two-of-seven Miller would serve as an

forward Antawn Jamison, however, the improvement from the awful play he has

Lakers’ bench has gone from absolutely made fans endure since becoming a

awful to mediocre. With Jamison’s 17 member of the Heat. Battier’s defense,

ppg he averaged last season, the Lakers intangibles, and outside shot make him a

bench now looks strong enough in the more versatile bench option than Miller,

scoring department to at least maintain while Allen’s demotion to the bench only

big leads (and there will be many) left solidifies the greatest shooting guard

News reporter with substantial professional writing experience. High premium on writing creative and feature-type articles. Focus on sports, human experiences and life dramas. Graduated from Chico State in May 2012. Interned with the Chico News and Review newspaper for two years, wrote on the nationally-recognized campus newspaper, The Orion, as the assistant sports editor the year before that.