haha, haven't checked this in awhile.
offensively, lamar sucks this year (big suprise), but he's playing great defense and rebounding hard. those are things marion can do... maybe even better than lamar. now on offense, shawn isn't seeing too much of the ball in miami- i don't think they're using him the right way. he's never been a shot creater. in phoenix with the defenses collapsing on nash, stoudemire and barbosa, marion would always be open at the corners for the 3. he would hit that shot at a respectable percentage... (not to mention being the nba's best rebounder under 6'9", stuffing the stats with around 2 steals and 1 block per game) combined with his knack for grabbing offensive boards and slamming them home or being the trailer on fast breaks or cutting to the hole in a pick and roll, he is head and shoulders above lamar.
lamar, however, is a far superior passer and ball handler. i started re-evaluating his worth in the triangle recently and he is a very important member of this team. but the point that i was making was that for the money we're paying him, we're better served using him as trade bait due to his expiring contract. when we let him go at season's end, we're still going to need a marquis small forward who can play power forward. someone who can defend, someone who can rebound... but above all, someone who won't make you panic shart everytime he takes a critical shot because the opposing 5 players are all collapsing on our major threats on the floor. that's why i think he's the perfect guy. but i also realize how important handling/passing is to our laker team, who has no big time pg like a chris paul or deron williams. the horrible thing about lamar is his confidence- he doesn't have any when it counts. he can't finish at the rim when the defense applies a little pressure. jumpshot? forget about it.
i should remind everyone that boston is probably better this year than last year. they've lost 1 game, but they've won so many close games already. we have yet to win one really close one (the game against the hornets shouldn't count because we had a huge lead for 38 minutes before we started blowing it in the 4th). i don't think the wins over 2 big name teams should factor in very heavily considering the season is still in its infancy. besides, the only team i consider to be a legitimate threat is boston. in a 7 game series, boston is our only competition.
boston's defense was to check kobe anytime lakers were on offense. they throw several quality defenders at him all game long- taking away the dribble, but always ready for the shot with hands in his face, reaching, playing lanes for steals- generally being all over him like a cheap suit.
with pau, they just threw kendrick perkins at him to physically intimidate someone known to be soft and shy away from contact. it worked well.
with lamar, our third option... they basically challenged him to make the big shots at the end of the clock by playing him 1-on-1 and somewhat loose. he didn't come through. i won't say he choked because i never expected much more from him.
if everything else remains equal and the only difference is bynum softens up boston's middle a bit by making some shots... we still need that 3rd threat from 3 point range. lamar will never be that guy. marion is basically odom, except he has the stones to jack up a shot with the clock winding down... and there's a good chance he'll make it. and he has that abberation player (i forget who coined that phrase, but basically means a player who can potentially blow up in a game and go beyond what he normally brings to tip the scale) potential. lamar will never ever ever ever be that guy... i'm 1000% sure of it. if we have a chance to re-sign him at a mid-level exception next year, i would be the biggest cheerleader for that deal. but at 14 million? give me marion. give me artest. give me josh howard. i can think of at least 20 other names before i would even consider lamar's
Lakers look unstopable this year guys!! we have already played two teams that are good this year and smashed them
