Los Angeles
Lakers
Pacific
| Team Rating | |
| Offense | Defense |
| 105.6 | 98.4 |
| 12th Overall | 2nd Overall |
Statistics through 1/20/10
W
32
L
9
PCT
.780
GB
-
CONF
20-8
DIV
8-2
HOME
23-3
ROAD
9-6
LinksStatistics | Tickets
|
Category | Grade | ||
 The group has been productive if choppy, with Pau Gasol injured and Andrew Bynum going from good to slumping when Gasol returned ... Ron Artest has fit in well on offense and is a big factor on defense.
|
A- |
||
 Kobe Bryant has had enough moments to offset the current shooting slump while playing through a fractured finger ... Derek Fisher got a vote of confidence amid speculation that point guard will be the team's playoff demise.
|
B+ |
||
 The Lakers have been very good, especially in a first half that has included Gasol missing 17 games and Artest replacing Trevor Ariza ... With Bryant and Artest, opposing wings are getting predictably squeezed.
|
A |
||
 Lamar Odom is the only reserve Jackson is playing/trusting on the front line, same for Shannon Brown and Jordan Farmar in the backcourt ... Sasha Vujacic has disappeared and Luke Walton isn't far behind.
|
C |
||
 Phil Jackson didn't just return, he returned with no outward sign of the health concerns that weighed on his mind toward the end of last season.
|
A |
||
A
Summary
It has been far from a perfect start, but the defending champions at worst are the best team in the Western Conference at the midpoint, and it's tough to find serious fault with that as the bottom line. The Lakers are where they need to be, perfectly positioned for a serious run at a repeat.
They have played with pretty good focus for a team that doesn't need to be lasered in for another six or eight weeks, with a few rough moments but no sign of coasting. Of course, one of the costs has been Bryant averaging 38.4 minutes, a curiously heavy work load for a 14-year pro playing hurt when the only thing that matters is being fresh for the playoffs.
Still to be determined once and for all is whether Gasol and Bynum can succeed while on the court on the same time. Rather, whether Bynum can succeed, because Gasol rolls along either way. But if the Lakers can get the early-season Bynum and the all-the-time Gasol synched up, they're that much closer to unbeatable. -- Scott Howard-Cooper
Explanation of Marking System
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