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- Jun 28, 2004
I think a lot of my fellow Laker fans are underratting Ariza, under estimatin gwhat we have lost. Ariza was unique and well suited for playin ga long sideKobe. Ariza gets his points with few shots and touches and you need that so that Kobe and Pau and Lamar get the attempts and tocuhes taht they need. Ariza canrebound and get the steal and the start the break, he can make the pass in the open vourt on the break or agains ta press or he can finish the break or a cutin the triangle offense or he could just take a defensive rebound coast to coast or grab the offensive rebound and slash and dunk or he could spot up shoot.The man barely had to touch the ball to be the third best offensive player in the players overall and that does not take into account that he was our bestdefensive player.
he did not just defend well he defended extraordinarily well and he could switch and pick up anyone 1 through 3 on any nigh tand he could guar dall but thestrongest 4's. Not only would stay home on his own man and play text book man on man defense he was able to bend the rules of how to play defense, he wasgifted enough that he could attempt things against which most coaches advise. Most players shuld not play the passin glanes like he does but he can because hewill get the steal, the deflection or he can race back to his man and not be bruned. He can steal the ball from his own man with is hard to do in the post handchecking era. He can steal the ball at angles and in situations where if most players tried that, they would get a foul or get burned but Ariza did not foulmuch and he did not get burned but once a blue a moon.
Baskbatball fans who only career abour stats or fantasy teams, or fans who do not watch man ygames and look at reputation or fans who watch but just have neverbeen taught much about defense (I am no coaching guru but I did play enough ball under enough coaches to appreciate defense) and were the one who called theSpurs0Piston seven agme thriller of a series "boring." Thank goodness we got Artest and did not let Ariza go without compensating and once again, wedid improve on paper but teams do not wi non paper as we Laker fans have learned in past years.
At least Artest appearntlynot juts emotionally mature and stable but a leader so agains, hopefully he might make himself the soul of a defense that needs moreintensity, especiall yif Phil retires now or next year. Kobe has to put a lot in offense, Artest can be the stopper and emotional leader who can hopefully getguys like Bynum, Odo mand Pau to use tehir physical attributes to their potential and becomes the type of dominant defensive unit that we'll likely need.
The road a repeat is inhierantly tougher, the Lakers being in town already is a big event but as champions there is now no chance of get anything less than theopposition's best effort every night. The depth should be able to grind out a great record again but the playoffs should be much tougher. While everychampionship is a major acomplishment, the path faced by the '08-'09 was the easiest for any Laker ever and one of teh easiet in years. Utah back intothe playoffs, Housto nwas beat up, The Nugget were good but were very inexperieced outside Billups and the C's were hurt, LeBron had no hel pand the Magicwere just not that good, at least by the standards of conference champion.
THis year if we repeat i twill probably involve beating a better Portland teams, and they give us enough trouble as is; a more experienced but equally astalented Nuggets team; a healthy Spurs team, who have the best powerforward ever and one of the ebst back courts ever and then there will be a healthy C'steam or Cav's team whose Shaq experiement will have proven effective. Artest had better change the defensive cultures of this team to justify breaking upproven championship chemistry.
he did not just defend well he defended extraordinarily well and he could switch and pick up anyone 1 through 3 on any nigh tand he could guar dall but thestrongest 4's. Not only would stay home on his own man and play text book man on man defense he was able to bend the rules of how to play defense, he wasgifted enough that he could attempt things against which most coaches advise. Most players shuld not play the passin glanes like he does but he can because hewill get the steal, the deflection or he can race back to his man and not be bruned. He can steal the ball from his own man with is hard to do in the post handchecking era. He can steal the ball at angles and in situations where if most players tried that, they would get a foul or get burned but Ariza did not foulmuch and he did not get burned but once a blue a moon.
Baskbatball fans who only career abour stats or fantasy teams, or fans who do not watch man ygames and look at reputation or fans who watch but just have neverbeen taught much about defense (I am no coaching guru but I did play enough ball under enough coaches to appreciate defense) and were the one who called theSpurs0Piston seven agme thriller of a series "boring." Thank goodness we got Artest and did not let Ariza go without compensating and once again, wedid improve on paper but teams do not wi non paper as we Laker fans have learned in past years.
At least Artest appearntlynot juts emotionally mature and stable but a leader so agains, hopefully he might make himself the soul of a defense that needs moreintensity, especiall yif Phil retires now or next year. Kobe has to put a lot in offense, Artest can be the stopper and emotional leader who can hopefully getguys like Bynum, Odo mand Pau to use tehir physical attributes to their potential and becomes the type of dominant defensive unit that we'll likely need.
The road a repeat is inhierantly tougher, the Lakers being in town already is a big event but as champions there is now no chance of get anything less than theopposition's best effort every night. The depth should be able to grind out a great record again but the playoffs should be much tougher. While everychampionship is a major acomplishment, the path faced by the '08-'09 was the easiest for any Laker ever and one of teh easiet in years. Utah back intothe playoffs, Housto nwas beat up, The Nugget were good but were very inexperieced outside Billups and the C's were hurt, LeBron had no hel pand the Magicwere just not that good, at least by the standards of conference champion.
THis year if we repeat i twill probably involve beating a better Portland teams, and they give us enough trouble as is; a more experienced but equally astalented Nuggets team; a healthy Spurs team, who have the best powerforward ever and one of the ebst back courts ever and then there will be a healthy C'steam or Cav's team whose Shaq experiement will have proven effective. Artest had better change the defensive cultures of this team to justify breaking upproven championship chemistry.
