Daily links for the LA Lakers including Odom talks Team USA, Artest to teach kids about mental health (seriously), Amare wanted Nash over Kobe and much more.

The Story: Lamar Odom talks Team USA and winning another championship.

The Fire Says: If he wants the FIBA championship, he should consider playing a little better and not going scoreless against a weak team like Tunisia, which he did in USA’s last game.

The Fire Says: This is not a hoax.  Repeat.  This is not a hoax.  I guess it kind of makes sense.  Having Artest talk to kids about mental health is like having a former junkie come in to talk about the dangers of drug abuse.

The Fire Says: I know that sounds crazy, but Amare is actually pretty smart here because he had to know that he needed an elite point guard on board to make him look better than he really is.

The Fire Says: Does he really have to fit in?  Theo is nothing more than an insurance policy for at center.  He fits in such a role because he is a solid defender and a savvy veteran that the coaches can trust to put on the floor without making many mistakes.

The Fire Says: It is easy to forget just how much Cleamons has experienced and seen through the course of his career.

Don’t expect LA to back down from the budding threat in Rip City.

How they could pose a threat to the Lakers:

In some respects, the Blazers are a poor man’s version of the Lakers.  They are led by a superstar shooting guard, Brandon Roy, and his loyal big man sidekick, LaMarcus Aldridge.  The rest of the roster is a deep collection of very complementary pieces, leaving Portland with few true weaknesses.

One of the areas that Portland could have some frightening depth is in the frontcourt.  The Lakers make their bones by exploiting the clear advantage that having three talented big men affords them.  However, Portland might be the one team that can negate that advantage, assuming they all stay healthy.  Portland already has the offensively talented LaMarcus Aldridge leading the inside attack, and then they can pair him with either former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Camby, the potential defensive monster that is Greg Oden or the underrated Joel Przybilla.  That group may not light up the scoreboard, but they have the talent and depth to make life very difficult for the Laker bigs on the other end of the floor.

Portland’s defensive threat doesn’t stop their though.  Youngster Nicolas Batum missed much of last season due to injury, but he has all the making of developing into an elite perimeter defender and thus a defensive nemesis for Kobe Bryant.  If Batum can work to keep Kobe in check and the three-headed center monster can control Pau one-one-one, Portland might just have the defensive chops to put a real scare in LA.

Why the Lakers shouldn’t worry:

Portland’s case for contendership is based on a whole lot of “ifs.”  If Greg Oden can stay healthy and actually develop his game.  If Joel Pryzbilla can bounce back quickly and fully from a major knee injury.  If Brandon Roy and Marcus Camby can overcome their usual brittleness.  If Jerryd Bayless can become the kind of athletic scoring point guard that gives the Lakers trouble.  If the roster doesn’t quit on coach Nate McMillan (a rumor that recently begun to bubble to the surface).  If Rudy Fernandez’s trade demands don’t end up being a distraction.

That is a whole lot “ifs” and they pretty much all need to go from “if” to reality if Portland really wants to be the one to cripple the Lakers’ three-peat aspirations.

Final assessment:

As the Lakers learned when they barely survived the OKC Thunder in last season’s playoffs, the NBA is all about match-ups.  Portland may have a lot questions to answer this year, but if they can put themselves in a position to square off directly against the Lakers, they might just have the right personnel to pull of an upset.  However, if experience with Andrew Bynum has taught Laker fans anything, it is that injury prone players have a nasty habit of remaining injury prone and the Trail Blazers are chock full of injury prone players which makes it highly unlikely their roster will be operating at the capacity needed to defeat the mighty Lakers.

Daily links for the LA Lakers including Byron Scott will still coach the Lakers someday, the Lakers might be overlooked by the competition, Caracter already chooses to change his number and much more.

The Story: Byron Scott will coach the Lakers someday.

The Fire Says: A bold prediction, though wisely couched so as not to promise that Scott will be Phil Jackson’s successor.  I’m not so sure that is a lock though, especially if Scott suffers through another player revolt in Cleveland like he did in his previous two coaching stops.  Plus, at some point, Derek Fisher is going to retire and take Byron’s spot atop the ladder of beloved former Lakers who deserve to coach the team.

The Fire Says: Don’t laugh, it is a great point.  The overhauled Miami Heat and, to a lesser extent, the big changes in Chicago, Boston and wherever Carmelo lands is going to go a long way towards taking the proverbial target off the Lakers’ back.  The simple fact of the matter is everyone gets tired of worrying about the same team, so now that they have some other options, they are sure to look in that direction.

The Fire Says: Dude hasn’t even played a game yet and is changing his number.  I guess the motivation ploy of using #58, the spot at which he was drafted, already wasn’t working for him, which might actually be of some concern since the big knock on Caracter was his lack of motivation.  I’m probably reading way too much into it though.  The real reason is probably just that 58 is kind of a lame jersey number.

The Fire Says: The Americans clinched the top seed with that win and have another cupcake opponent left, Tunisia, so he could get even more rest before the elimination round begins.  That is certainly welcome news to Laker fans worried about Odom burning himself out.

Daily links for the LA Lakers including 2011 could be the greatest Laker season ever, Fisher to give the New Orleans Saints a pre-game speech about defending championships, Ron-Ron takes on Thriller and much more.

The Story: Why 2011 will be the greatest Laker season ever.

The Fire Says: I don’t know about ever, but with the new Laker depth and the vastly improved competition in Miami, there is a lot to be excited about this year, which should make it entertaining, even if it isn’t “great.”

The Fire Says: Man, Fisher is everywhere right now.  The Saints definitely picked the right guy for the job though.

The Fire Says: Enough with the Jacko crap already.  Thank goodness Ron-Ron finally changed his number.

Devin Ebanks: LA Laker bench player or Bakersfield Jam starting forward?

2009-2010 Per Game Stats: N/A

2009-2010 Season in Review: The rookie small forward displayed a lot of talent as an elite defender for a very good West Virginia team last year, but his stock dropped thanks in part to some off-court issues that caused him to be suspended for three games of the college season.  Those character concerns combined with a real lack of improvement in his offensive game knocked him out of his initial first round projection and right into the Lakers’ lap at #43 overall.

Three Questions for the 2010-2011 Season:

1. Will Ebanks even make the team? Ebanks may have potential, but his roster spot is not guaranteed.  The Lakers have made a point of only carrying the mandatory minimum of 13 players the last few years, but they currently have 14 guys on the roster.  Ebanks has a contract that isn’t fully guaranteed and plays a position where the Lakers already have plenty of depth, so if he has a bad pre-season and/or Jerry Buss decides he wants to save a little money, Ebanks could find himself updating his resume come November.
2. If he makes the team, will Ebanks even play? Before the Lakers signed Matt Barnes, Devin had a shot at playing a small role off the bench, but now the Lakers have two quality small forwards in front of Devin on the depth chart (and that doesn’t include Luke Walton who may or may not play this season due to a back injury).  That most likely means Ebanks not only won’t play much, but he may not dress most nights either (maybe he can borrow Adam Morrison’s old wardrobe?).  However, if injury were to strike Artest or Barnes, Ebanks could wind up getting regular minutes.
3. When he plays, what should Laker fans expect to see? Ebanks is a 6′9″ small forward with long arms and good athleticism.  That combo made him a decent scorer and strong rebounder in college, but if he wants to carve a niche out for himself in the pros, he is going to have to mimic the men playing in front of him and show some dedication to defense, which shouldn’t be too hard since that was his role in college as well.  With his ability to contest shots and run the floor, Ebanks has the ability to be a secret weapon for the Lakers in their quest to shore up their transition defense.

2010-2011 Season Prediction: A lot of teams in the NBA are cheap, but the Lakers aren’t one them.  They aren’t going to spend money for stupid reasons either, but keeping around an athletic kid with potential to be a solid regular is not stupid, so it is probably going to take a seriously awful pre-season for Ebanks to end up getting cut.  Mitch Kupchak knows how old this team is and is going to go out of his way to foster whatever young talent the team can get its hands on.  For Ebanks, that means this will be a learning season.  The team’s newfound depth is going to make it impossible for him to find any minutes as long as everyone is healthy, so Devin should probably start looking for an apartment in Bakersfield since he should be spending a lot of time there with the D-League’s Bakersfield Jam.  While he is there, he can focus on becoming a lockdown defender and doing anything and everything to develop some sort of jump shot.  In the rare weeks where he is actually with the Lakers, he’ll assuredly have all of his time filled up by studying the intricacies of the triangle offense.  Hopefully that puts Ebanks in position to take on a larger role in the 2011-12 season.

Daily links for the LA Lakers including Odom helps USA squeak past Brazil, Ron Artest is a Twilight fan, Kobe visits the LA Angels and much more.

The Story: Lamar Odom helped Team USA narrowly defeat Brazil at the FIBA World Championships.

The Fire Says: USA got their first real scare, but Odom helped with good defense down the stretch.  The Americans remain undefeated but still have two games left in group competition, both of which should be easy wins.

The Fire Says: I believe this makes Ron-Ron the very first Twi-tard that actually could kick someone’s butt.

The Monkey Says: That has to really chap the asses of Dodger fans, I bet.

The Story: The Lakers are not interested in re-signing DJ Mbenga.

The Fire Says: Nor should they be.  Mbenga barely had any use the last two years and with Theo Ratliff and Derrick Caracter on board, the Lakers simply have no reason to waste time with Mbenga anymore.

The Fire Says: Wait, Fish can’t be doing media.  He needs to be setting himself up to coach, not be another talking head.  How else is going to take over as head coach of the Lakers in five years?

The Fire Says: Wow, nice try at spin control Shaq, but trying to exclude yourself from competing against Kobe on the championship ring count just isn’t going to work.  Sorry, Diesel, you don’t get to sing “Kobe, how’s my ass taste” and then pretend that you care more about Tim Duncan.

The Fire Says: And I just lost a little bit of respect for Foxy.  Then again, when my wife makes me watch that stupid show, I can now at least hold out for the occasional audience shot of Fox’s girlfriend Eliza Dushku.

This week’s discussion in the Forum of Fire: How well will Odom perform for Team USA?

A) Lamar will step up to the leadership challenge and lead the USA to gold.  The experience will not only have Lamar in great shape for training camp (for a change), but he will mature in the process and use those skills to be a more effective leader for the Lakers’ bench mob.

B) Same old Odom.  He’ll put up solid numbers, but will be too content to fade into the background while the rest of the players around him do the heavy lifting.

C) Odom will play well, but all the extra games over the summer will ruin him for the Lakers during the regular season as he struggles through the year nursing nagging injuries and fatigue.

SECRET OPTION D) Lamar will be distracted from his FIBA play in Istanbul when he discovers the local candy delicacy Turkish Delight.  Unable to control his infamous sweet tooth, Odom will not only let down Team USA, but show up for Laker training camp just shy of 400 pounds and with a case of full-blown diabetes.

The Story: Brian Shaw should stay when Phil Jackson goes.

The Fire Says: He most certainly should, if only to maintain continuity for the players.  Also, as I have mentioned before, I have heard through second-hand sources connected to Shaw that he has already been promised to be Phil’s successor and that is why Shaw walked away from the Cleveland job offer.

The Fire Says: The online series is designed to help bring more hoops content to the apparently hoops-crazy country (who knew?).  It still might someday come to the US as well.

The Fire Says: Hopefully he isn’t trying to live out his own version of Eat, Pray, Love.  I might have to disown him if that turns out to be the case.

The Fire Says: Wait, a multi-millionaire has a cool ride?  No way!  I really can’t wait until we start getting some real NBA news again.

The Fire Says: I might have to watch that, especially since he will be interviewing Kobe on the show.

As usual, the Lakers are one step ahead of the Utah Jazz.

How they could pose a threat to the Lakers:

The Jazz finally got tired of getting their butts kicked and decided it was time for a change.  That change came in the form of letting Carlos Boozer leave via free agency and replacing him with Al Jefferson.  Jefferson brings many of the same things to the table that Boozer did, only he is younger and has the potential to be an even more lethal beast on the low post.  What the Jazz are really hoping for from Jefferson is that he won’t shrink from the occasion in the post-season like Boozer has against LA.

Of course, the Jazz aren’t dumb enough to forget about their need to stop Kobe Bryant.  That’s exactly why the went out and signed his old nemesis, Raja Bell.  That was a move that proved to be a double whammy for the Lakers since Kobe himself had been recruiting Raja to join the Lakers.  At a minimum, Bell will at make life hard on Kobe, something that few Utah teams have been able to do in the past.

Why the Lakers shouldn’t worry:

As I said before, Al Jefferson is almost a clone of Carlos Boozer.  Unfortunately for the Jazz, Jefferson comes up just shy of matching Boozer in a lot of areas.  Boozer was a great rebounder; Jefferson is good, but not great, and that could be an issue since the Jazz had a hard time competing with LA on the glass last playoff series.  Boozer was a mediocre defender; Jefferson wishes he was.  Having a new Kobe stopper is great and all for Utah, but they might want to spend more time searching for a Pau stopper instead.  Jefferson isn’t going to do anything to help in that area, that’s for sure.

What might actually be worse news for the Jazz is that the one area that they had a big advantage over LA was at point guard where they are blessed to have Deron Williams, arguably the best point man in the league.  If not for Deron being able to beat Derek Fisher at will, the Jazz wouldn’t have even been close in any of their contests versus LA.  But now, the Lakers have added Steve Blake.  While Blake is nowhere near being in Williams’ class, he is a capable defender and another set of fresh legs the Lakers can use to keep Williams from taking over, and having D-Will take a series over is the only way the Jazz are ever going to beat LA.

Final assessment:

Honestly, I feel bad.  The Jazz have a good team and a legendary coach, but at the end of the day, the just don’t match up well at all with the Lakers, as history has proven over and over and over again.  Maybe someday Deron Williams will put the team on his back and eviscerate the Laker defense for an entire series, but even that might not be enough.  Replacing Boozer with Jefferson just helps maintain the status quo.  Adding Raja Bell makes Utah even grittier than they normally are, but that might only translate to the Jazz losing a potential playoff rematch in five games instead of four this coming season.  They have the means to upgrade their roster further if they were to trade away Andrei Kirilenko’s monster expiring contract, but it would have to be a heck of a move to make any difference in their threat level to the Lakers.