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The High Court |
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Deep Thinkers Only... |
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Back to the Future |
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By: The Powdered Wig
P-Jax should look to past for help in the future.
While everyone with a keyboard scurries to ponder the future viability of another Phil Jackson – Kobe Bryant marriage, the ole Powdered Wig looks back at previous Jackson success stories to see if he can return to the summit of the NBA.
Immediately upon hearing of Jackson’s return, I began to see visions of Phil’s early triumphs in Chicago. Granted, the 2005-06 Lakers are not nearly as prepared to win big as the 1990-91 Chicago Bulls, but I can see where some of the necessary pieces are already in place. And I think it is reasonable to think that Jackson can have the Lakers contending for an NBA crown within three years.
No one knows for sure what the Laker roster will look like when they tip off the 2005-06 season, but with a small amount of projection one can see some similarities to the early 1990’s Bulls. Lest we forget that P-Jax has nine titles to his credit, he must see something that he likes in Tinseltown besides Jeannie Buss. Despite the powder on my crystal ball, I can see some promise as well.
A position-by-position analysis:
POINT GUARD 1991 Bulls (John Paxson, BJ. Armstrong) 2006 Lakers (Chucky Atkins, Dan Dickau) Paxson and Armstrong posted nearly identical stats while splitting time at the point in the triangle offense. Atkins proved to be a solid scorer last season, while adding free agent Dickau with the mid-level exemption would give Phil a clone of Paxson. Neither will be huge assist men, but that isn’t necessary in Jackson’s style. The triangle doesn’t require a true point guard to be effective as the assists are spread more evenly among players.
SHOOTING GUARD 1991 Bulls (Michael Jordan) 2006 Lakers (Kobe Bryant) While Bryant isn’t the defender Jordan was, it is clear that his ability to carry an offense is not dissimilar to that of MJ’s. With Kobe as the undisputed main man, I think we can expect his game to elevate to a status not unlike Michael’s as well. If Kobe wants to reach Jordan status, he better listen to Phil more closely than ever before.
SMALL FORWARD 1991 Bulls (Scottie Pippen) 2006 Lakers (Caron Butler) The structure of the triangle offense will improve the efficiency of Butler’s offensive game, and he must commit to becoming a lock-down defender as well. While not as athletic as Pippen, Butler has the ability to become a solid scoring threat with the discipline of Phil’s system.
POWER FORWARD 1991 Bulls (Horace Grant) 2006 Lakers (Lamar Odom) While Odom isn’t a true power forward, he does possess greater athletic and scoring ability than Grant did. Jackson must find a way to turn Odom into a tougher defender to go along with his outstanding rebounding ability. Odom’s ability to play on the perimeter makes him a tougher match-up than Horace, but it was Grant’s toughness that made him so effective.
CENTER 1991 Bulls (Bill Cartwright, Will Perdue) 2006 Lakers (Chris Mihm, Brian Grant, Vlade Divac) Mihm has proven he can put up numbers equal to those of Cartwright. Consistency must become a point of improvement for Mihm. The triangle doesn’t require a center that scores a lot, but they must be able to pass and defend. Mihm must pick up his defense, and a combination of Grant and Divac can provide the passing and defense. Injuries are a big concern with both of them, but it isn’t hard to imagine the 2006 Lakers getting more from the post position than the 1991 Bulls received.
BENCH 1991 Bulls (PF/C Stacey King, SG Craig Hodges, PF Cliff Levingston) 2006 Lakers (PF Charlie Villanueva, SF Jumaine Jones, PF Brian Cook) The 1991 Bulls got limited scoring from the bench, but they did have outstanding role players who were able to bring something specific to the game. Assuming the Lakers use the 10th pick in the draft to grab UConn’s Villanueva, the bench will have some promise, but may lack some intangibles necessary to move this team upward in a hurry. Young players seeking to make a name for themselves often have trouble serving as role players.
As mentioned in the previous paragraph, the intangibles found on championship teams may be the single biggest missing ingredient for the 2006 Lakers. But that is Phil Jackson’s specialty. Can he instill those factors into this talented team? It remains to be seen. But look for some of the young talent to be moved in the coming year in order to bring in some veteran role players that can plug some gaps and most of all deliver the type of smothering defense Jackson knows will be needed. The offensive talent on this team is intriguing, but Jackson is smart enough to know they can’t win big on offense alone. Give Phil 2 or 3 years, and I fully expect we will see the Lakers transformed into a threat for the NBA title. He has a track record of winning those, you know. |
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“Hmm...maybe I should have just given Jeannie that ring…” Fear not, Phil. The Wig believes things could be looking Bullish before long. (AP) |