NBA: Shaq v. Kobe: Destructive or exaggerated?
Journalists constantly harp on the feud between Los Angeles Lakers' stars Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. However, the feud has not hurt the team as badly as some may think and the real reason for the Lakers' poor performance lies elsewhere.
One of the biggest stories in the National Basketball Association has been the duel between Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. To hear some journalists talk, the two Los Angeles Lakers superstars are at each other's throats and, more importantly, the team struggles to recapture its championship form because of their feud. Journalists exaggerate the latter comment. The Kobe-Shaq power struggle is a small reason for the Lakers "poor" play and the Lakers might be right where they need to be in order to repeat as NBA champions.
From recent reports, basketball fans may believe that the Lakers struggle for mediocrity. Kobe's selfish play and Shaq's immature comments frustrates the team's play nightly. However, the Lakers record does not reflect reports. The team trails the pacesetting Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs by only two games for the best record in the NBA. The Lakers could easily make up this deficit during the next 20 games and hold home court throughout the playoffs.
Furthermore, if anything is the matter with the Lakers, it occurred in the off-season. Unlike many of their competitors, the Lakers did not make significant free agency or trade moves. In a sense, they traded Glen Rice and A.C. Green for Horace Grant and Isaiah Rider. It appears that the Grant-Green swap is a wash, but Rider does not command the respect Rice received, especially as an outside shooter. In addition, the Lakers did not fill their most glaring void - point guard - either. The season-long injury to Derek Fisher only exacerbates matters.
Even though the Lakers won last year's championship, they were not that much better than the rest of the Western Conference. The Lakers needed a fourth-quarter meltdown by the Portland Trailblazers to reach the NBA Finals, but might not have made it that far had they not beaten the Sacramento Kings a decisive fifth game. The parity of the Western Conference stands out this year. Six games separate the top eight teams in the conference - Spurs, Jazz, Kings, Trailblazers, Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns and Minnesota Timberwolves. The Lakers, or anyone else in the conference, could be the number one or eight seed when the playoffs arrive.
Surely, the Shaq-Kobe feud causes problems. Team chemistry is so important that it is almost banal to discuss it. However, the Lakers poor record in off-season transactions and the strength of their conference has more to do with the team's "lackluster" performance this season.
From recent reports, basketball fans may believe that the Lakers struggle for mediocrity. Kobe's selfish play and Shaq's immature comments frustrates the team's play nightly. However, the Lakers record does not reflect reports. The team trails the pacesetting Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs by only two games for the best record in the NBA. The Lakers could easily make up this deficit during the next 20 games and hold home court throughout the playoffs.
Furthermore, if anything is the matter with the Lakers, it occurred in the off-season. Unlike many of their competitors, the Lakers did not make significant free agency or trade moves. In a sense, they traded Glen Rice and A.C. Green for Horace Grant and Isaiah Rider. It appears that the Grant-Green swap is a wash, but Rider does not command the respect Rice received, especially as an outside shooter. In addition, the Lakers did not fill their most glaring void - point guard - either. The season-long injury to Derek Fisher only exacerbates matters.
Even though the Lakers won last year's championship, they were not that much better than the rest of the Western Conference. The Lakers needed a fourth-quarter meltdown by the Portland Trailblazers to reach the NBA Finals, but might not have made it that far had they not beaten the Sacramento Kings a decisive fifth game. The parity of the Western Conference stands out this year. Six games separate the top eight teams in the conference - Spurs, Jazz, Kings, Trailblazers, Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns and Minnesota Timberwolves. The Lakers, or anyone else in the conference, could be the number one or eight seed when the playoffs arrive.
Surely, the Shaq-Kobe feud causes problems. Team chemistry is so important that it is almost banal to discuss it. However, the Lakers poor record in off-season transactions and the strength of their conference has more to do with the team's "lackluster" performance this season.
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