Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers will be the 2009 NBA Champions

on 04 23, 2009

By now it’s no secret that the Lakers have the most talented team in basketball. And if you feel this is a debatable topic, take a look at their roster and find me one weakness, or for that matter an area of concern that has to be addressed.

As history shows there are several key components that make up a winning team. The most important component to any team’s success is talent. Talent allows plenty of room for error, where perfect execution and understanding are two crucial parts of the game, they still don’t impact the game the way talent does. The Lakers have no shortage of talent.

Another component that is necessary for success is chemistry, players knowing what to do and accepting their role for the good of the team. Lamar Odom is a perfect example, a guy that would start for any team in league accepting his role as 6th man because he knows it makes the team better. The Lakers have had a solid core group of players for some time now, they know each other and they know what the strengths and weaknesses of each player are.

Depth, you can never have too many good players. Foul trouble, injuries, and players having bad games are all big problems, but a roster that has plenty of depth limits these concerns. The Lakers can play at least nine deep and all the backups have plenty of game time experience.

Another area that will impact a team’s success is experience. It is important that a team can put veteran leadership out on the floor. Something else that can’t be overlooked is the impact of an experienced coach. The Lakers starting backcourt consists of two veterans who are both more than ten years deep. Sitting at the front of the bench is arguably the greatest coach of all time; he has every credential in the book, and definitely has more than enough experience under his belt.

And finally there is defense, another word for will and determination. This statistic clearly speaks to how successful teams are in the playoffs. Look at the last 20 NBA champions, the Bulls, Spurs, Pistons, and Celtics make up 14 of those championships. These teams built their foundations on playing great defense, and while the Lakers ranked 13th in PPG allowed this year, they rank 6th in defensive rating, which is a measure of points allowed based on 100 possessions. To put it another way the Lakers are more efficient with their possessions against their opponents.

Now that we have covered why the Lakers are more than equipped to take the down the title this year, we can get back to the point of this article which is the Lakers have no excuse not to win the title this year. The fact is there cannot be any other expectation than an NBA title.

If Kobe is as great as we have proclaimed him to be than the Lakers have to take it down this year. Anything less than a title should seriously damage his reputation as a basketball player. He is one of the best players in the league, surrounded by talent, depth, and experience. No weakness to fall back on for an excuse. The fact is if Kobe and Lakers don’t get it done this year people should start looking at him in a whole new light.

Other awesome content to check out: