Los Angeles Lakers: 2011-2012 Season Preview

In the land of Purple and Gold, it’s not enough to just make the NBA playoffs. Fans who have been spoiled by the championships won’t settle for second-round playoff losses. Neither will the Buss family. The Lakers have always made the best trades (Vlade Divac for Kobe Bryant), gotten the best free agents (Shaquille O’Neal) and have remained competitive despite the lack of high draft choices through the years.

LA has also been blessed with several successful coaches through the years but none better than Phil Jackson. The Lakers won five NBA titles with Jackson at the helm but his retirement in May signaled the end of an era and the start of a new way of doing business.

What can Brown do for you?

Mike Brown was hired in May becoming the 22^nd head coach in Laker franchise history. He signed a four-year, $18.25 million dollar deal and now has the responsibility of getting this veteran team back to the NBA finals. For Brown, getting hired by the Lakers was a source of redemption. Despite guiding the Cleveland Cavaliers to the 2007 championship series and compiling a record of 272-138 he was fired by the Cavs following the 2010 season. The knock on him was the offense was too unimaginative and too dependent on LeBron James.

Brown will make changes in Los Angeles. The triangle offense is a thing of the past and the new coach will have a few new players although it’s doubtful the roster will be ‘blown up’ like Magic Johnson suggested. The only thing that will be disassembled will be connections to the Jackson era.

Deal or No Deal

The problem with the Lakers being a player in the trading game is that they’ve got a lot of players with bad contracts that other teams don’t want. Andrew Bynum is the only starter under 30 but team president Jim Buss says he won’t be traded under any circumstances.

The Lakers likely have three more ‘good’ years left from Kobe Bryant. The Buss family is on record as saying this team is good enough to win another title. However changes and trades, some minor, some major will need to be made if the Lakers are to remain competitive let alone make a deep run into the playoffs (Could Dwight Howard be an option?).

Bad Bet

From a NBA betting standpoint, the Lakers were a costly endeavor going 39-42 ATS. Although they finished the season with the second best record in the West (57-25) they lacked a killer instinct and as a result cost their backers a lot of money. The Lakers were notorious for opening up double-digit advantages in the third quarter only to relinquish the lead and on many nights getting a narrow win while blowing the cover.

There was one profitable way to bet the Lakers last season and that was to take the ‘under’. The Lakers were 49-33 to the low side, a statistic that may not change much under the leadership of Brown who is known as a defense first coach.

You know the names

Kobe Bryant led the team in scoring (25.3) and assists (4.7). Gasol averaged 18.8 points and a team high 10.2 rebounds. Odom led the Lakers in shooting (53%), Artest in steals (1.5) and Bynum in blocks (2.0).

Derek Fisher is one of the all-time clutch Lakers but he needs to step aside for a younger point guard who can keep with the likes of Chris Paul or Deron Williams. LA needs to improve the bench but how? Teams aren’t clamoring for the likes of Luke Walton or Steve Blake. Above all else they need to keep Kobe Bryant happy or it could become a headache for Brown who has already dealt with one grumpy superstar in his coaching career.

Looking Ahead

There is a "changing of the guard" going on in Pro-Basketball, and the NBA Playoffs made it clear that age had become a factor for some of the NBA's top teams, as the Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs, and the Lakers all exited the dance early. Can Mike Brown bring in new talent to help freshen up this team, and when will they have to look for the next Kobe?