POINT GUARDS
DEREK FISHER: What more can be said about the Fish that's saved LA time and playoff time again? After some unnecessarily lengthy contract negotiations this offseason the Lakers reeled Fisher back in, to their advantage, not Miami's. Derek's a rookie child of '96 coming up with Kobe and in some ways since that time he's been just as important as Kobe to the franchise. He may be old but name a guard that's strength and conditioning is on point as Derek's. Need a charge, a key bucket, free throw or clutch three? There's one Fish that you can always count on down the line. Hero doesn't even begin to describe. How about taking the first two letters of that word and adding some 'art'.
STEVE BLAKE: Laker fans may be disappointed with the loss of Los Angeles' own Jordan Farmar but Steve Blake is more than a worthy replacement. Blake, a former Portland and Clipper favourite knows Staples, the Lakers and most importantly how to compete. Steve's hard nosed play, three point shooting and D is a clean cut as his shaved head. Blake is one of those guards that is terribly underrated when starting (think Luke Ridnour), but when he acts as backup he's one of the best in the L. With a deep season, an ageing Fish and a lot of bait amongst the competition the Lakers will need all the help they can get off the bench. Fortunately for them, Blakes got their back.
SHOOTING GUARDS
KOBE BRYANT: MVP, Champion, Gold medalist, best since Mike, team player. What else has Kobe got to prove? Nothing. Still however in terms of championship promise this season critics are ringing the James'. LeBron's big three in Miami, featuring Dwyane Wade and Bosh may be too much too handle but hey Bird, Magic, Hakeem, Shaq, Ewing and more couldn't stop Jordan and just like MJ, Kobe today has an unmatched killer instinct and desire to win. Plus he's got his own bunch of 'superfriends'. Critics are making LeBron the villain and their doing this so much that their forgetting that Kobe's the hero. Just wait, there will be more times this season where Kobe pops the Lakers logo on his jersey than bites it. As quick as a flash Kobe can still take the throne no matter how much voltron is formed. Ignore him now but when you see 24 come at you, three isn't going to be enough.
SASHA VUJACIC: Who says Sasha can't make a grand slam? After announcing his engagement to tennis star Maria Sharapova, Lakers ace Sasha is on top of the world. A happy Sasha could in fact be the Lakers ace in the hole. Not saying the two time champ hasn't been happy but this new burst of joy could propel Sasha to the rich vein of form he displayed two years back. Not saying Sasha hasn't been playing well in this band for the last two, but a few years back the guard was more instrumental, serving up 3's and hard fought deuces baseline to baseline. Sasha has suffered from some inconsistencies and lack of playing time over the years, but who thinks the engaging guard will make the most the more minutes he gets? I do.
SHANNON BROWN: Plain and simple Shannon Brown is showtime. This offseason may have been more of a case of 'when'? Than WOW! Still however now he's locked up Brown brings back his underrated D, his strength and his sparkplug plays and dunks. With a new deal the Lakers are letting Shannon dunk and play, plus Brown is working on bringing some more repertoire to his game. Shannon may like to dunk but he's not a one trick pony, there's a lot more magic and horsepower to SB's all round game. Plus just like Sasha, Shannon has announced his engagement to a big star (R&B singer Monica). Now also just like Vujacic, Brown laced with two rings is ready to show all that glitters is gold. Laker championship gold.
SMALL FORWARDS
RON ARTEST: Champagne sure tastes better than some fans beer. Ron Artest has come a long way since his darkest day. Now frontcourt, behind centre Ron was a big part of his and his teams greatest moment in 2010. As for Ron's past, it's a wrap. This champion is the Lakers wild card that cut the cheese instead of the deck. He's the one that made fans forget about Ariza before Ebanks. He forms QB's finest with Lamar Odom (Nas is proud) and as for his relationship with Kobe, they got in each others face in the playoffs again this year, but this time they almost needed to get a room. All joking aside Ron is serious now. Serious about getting better, serious about mental health and serious about winning. Number 37 made the Lakers diamond in a 'thriller' finals last season and this season number 15 is going back to the basics, thinner, stronger and even more focused. Ron, Ron is about to double up, now think twice? Bet his next championship ring on ebay and you'll be the one making guarantees you can't bid on.
MATT BARNES: From one top bracket defensive talent with a history of trouble both off the court and with Kobe to another. Matt Barnes signing gives the Lakers the perfect defensive supplement for Ron or Kobe off the bench. Barnes versatile talents may mean that even though he's coming off the bench he could still play starters minutes and be in the game at crucial moments. Ladies and gentleman, your looking at the defensive Robert Horry. When Barnes is on the floor at the same time as his dog Ron and the doberman the three give the Lakers the best perimeter defense trio in the league. Three lines of defence that even the army of LeBron and Dwyane would find hard to breach. Barnes may have some problems but he takes some offence too. Barnes isn't an upgrade from a player the Lakers have lost. There's no one like Barnes, this move is all asset adding another dimension to a team that stands out so much. There 3D. Now it's time for that three-peat.
DEVIN EBANKS: Sure it's been said before. They look the same, play the same and even wear the same number but still as much as he helps the Lakers ease the loss of Trevor Ariza, Devin Ebanks is very much his own man. The Lakers normally never get the better draft picks but the Lakers hit the lottery when Ebanks number came up at 43 in this years draft. Sure this is a ludicrously wrong placing for a player so fundamentally right but the rest of the leagues loss is the Lakers big win. Devin's in excess play is heaven sent. He's the ticket. He plays the passing lanes and is a steal in more ways then one. He can score, D and finish like Bruce Springsteen, tougher than the rest and this is all from the preseason. Most importantly Ebanks doesn't just look like Ariza he also doesn't look like a rookie. You know Phil's going to be happy playing this one. Not such a 'bust' preseason after all.
LUKE WALTON: It's time for Staples Centre fans to start screaming 'Luuuke' again. Luke may have been battling back and all sorts of injuries but it's now time for him suit up on the floor instead of the bench. Luke along with Kobe is one of the only surviving Lakers from the team that had Shaq on and since then Luke has been an important part of the teams fuel economy since the diesel left. Don't pass this assist man up because he's an asset to the Lakers with his all round play, competitiveness and heart. Luke was the perfect replacement for Rick Fox and provided he's healthy and in purple and gold, just like Rick, Luke will always be ready to go when the show need him. Like father Bill, like son however the injury prone Walton will look to make the most of his time. Unlike his dad however here's hoping this time isn't limited.
POWER FORWARDS
LAMAR ODOM: (Also Small Forward) Things have been getting better and better for Lamar Odom whilst he's been a Laker. Those troubled Clipper days seem so far away right now. Now on the other side of the staple, these days L.O. is an established Laker and a better choice than Shaquille O'Neal right now. Although we miss daddy this Laker child worked out better in the long run after all. Lamar should be sixth man of the year this season and definitely deserves an over due All-Star selection. Still however most All-Stars don't have gold medals or Kardashians. Things are looking up for Lamar. Odom doesn't need it all however because he does it all. L.O. Is still versatile his initials should be changed to X and O. On both ends of the floor this centre tall forward (that runs the floor like a guard) brings Magic every night. Providing the Lakers with more tricks up those long sleeves. Speaking of long sleeves Lamar's wing span is so huge, it's more Hollywood sign than the Staples floor. This season nobody's going to pass him by.
DERRICK CARACTER: To make it on this team you need a little bit of character. Derrick may be short of a 'h', but he isn't a loss on 'D' ensuring the Lakers don't have an '0' in the middle. Sure Caracter was taken even later in the draft than Ebanks (58Th to be exact) but he has still impressed early in seldom time in the preseason. He's come up big in preseason games when star players have taken a night off and when the big games start this week Derrick may not burn the brightest but he still won't be small time. We may even see Derrick shine more in highlights with his frontcourt versatility and the Bynum setback. It's time for Caracter to show us the real him.
PAU GASOL: (Also Centre) Pau Gasol is the perfect sidekick to Kobe Bryant. Scottie Pippen to Kobe's Jordan with a little Kukoc. Pau can flip between the forward position and the spot left vacant by Bynums knee. Gasol is a heavy scorer, heavy on defense and an all round player. Without Bryant, Gasol is the franchise player, still believe that. It's surprising this dynamo has been asked to step it up because even though he's 'taken a vacation' this offseason when he's been on the floor he's been all work. You can tell by that greasy, sweaty mop some would call hair and that psycho killers stare and scream after big plays. Sure Gasol might not look his best sometimes, (doesn't matter though the ladies still love him) but his game is nothing but beautiful. Plus he has stepped it up to boot. Ever since Kevin Garnett bullied him in the losing '08 finals Gasol has showed the strength and competitiveness of the fighting Irish, something Beantown didn't want to see this year. This former Jackson dubbed 'grasshoper' has turned into a Spanish bull fighter. Jiminy Crickets! Once you see Gasol working those Olive Oil flapping arms in the post it's hard not to slip up. The green team better have eaten their spinach this year.
CENTRES
ANDREW BYNUM: Forget about the knee injury for a second, that doesn't tell us how good a player 'Drew really is. Besides the injury prone Bynum might have got knocked down a lot but look at all the times he's got right, back up. Plus Andrew may be back on the table by thanksgiving, so give praise. Baby Bynum is all grown up and the Lakers son is mature enough in the face of injury adversity. On the floor Bynum is killer like Brandon Flowers. Post trained By Abdul-Jabbar, those baby hooks are a great presence for the Lakers. His dunks, rebounds and paint work decorate the Lakers with yet another primary option on offence and one more thing, championship gold. Now that's a good luck. See you before December 'Drew.
THEO RATLIFF: One of the best defensive players and centre's of the 90's Theo Ratliff is definitely an upgrade even though the Lakers will miss the entertainment of D.J. like a club on Saturday night minus the wheels of steel. It's the ironman play of Ratliff however that will keep the Lakers defensive armour steel throughout the long season and playoffs. This swat on defense will keep opponents at bay while Bynums off the block. Last season the veteran Theo ran with the young 'cats and looked fly and forever young in Charlotte. This year Ratliffs flight plan might have changed but his job description remains the same. Theo looks to bring his trademark hard nosed, high IQ defence and strong finishes to help ensure the Lakers become signature champions. Ratliffs contract with the Lake Show was set because his form can almost guarantee the Lakers do this. Theo's names on the dotted line. It's time for the ink to dry and the trophy to be engraved. TIM DAVID HARVEY.
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