Lakers and Father Time

PARIS (George Eddy's International Show) - Okay folks, don't jump on that Laker bandwagon just yet!

After losing all their pre-season games and the first three regular season contests, the team with the highest payroll (and luxury tax!) isn't looking too dominant for the moment even if they did get their first win of the 2012-13 campaign on Sunday, dismantling the Detroit Pistons 108-79.

Yes, the Lakers are terrifying inside with the NBA's best tandem of starting big men, but they also look old outside with all of the guards and wings past their prime. Then there is the bench which is definitely one big question mark.

Now Steve Nash is injured before he even got started and Kobe Bryant is shouldering once again too much of the scoring load for a 34 year-old despite being in amazing shape for someone who has so many miles on his odometer.

The good news for Laker fans is that the regular season is so long there IS time to come together and learn how to play with each other. I don't think the problem will be managing egos as much as managing some match-ups.

Of course their major strength will be Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol playing for each other down low, but when the rotation players arrive from the bench there will be a net drop-off.

The big match-up problem will be the two point guards getting beat off the dribble and on pick and rolls by ALL of their opponents which will get Howard in early foul trouble trying to help out and fill the holes. This means the Lakers will basically be obliged to outscore opposing teams to win which doesn't really fit the defensive mind-set of coach Mike Brown.

The wings were all better defensive players five years ago and in today's NBA there is a net advantage for youthful teams like OKC and Miami over experienced teams like San Antonio and LA, especially in the playoffs.

Another big problem for the Lakers will be Metta World Peace who looks older than his real age on defense and he is the one who will get a lot of open three-point shots when his man goes to double team either Howard or Gasol.

I'm not sure that Brown wants the Lakers' chances hinging on MWP's iffy outside shooting! This Laker team ressembles the 2004 team which fell apart versus Detroit in the NBA Finals when Karl Malone got hurt and the bickering and ball hogging by Kobe and Shaq became too much to bear for Gary Payton and Phil Jackson who lost control of the team.

I am not even sure that this year's team will make it to the NBA Finals because Oklahoma City is primed to return there after losing to Miami in June.

Maybe James Harden's departure will hurt them more than they think and his first two games with Houston were really impressive, but don't forget that he had a very poor Finals performance and Kevin Martin should make for a pretty good scoring sixth man off the bench too.

What an irony it will be to see Harden battle with Kevin Durant for best scorer this season but that is just a sidelight. The important thing is who goes the farthest in the playoffs and the Thunder look pretty good to me!

George Eddy

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