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| Friday, December 6 Updated: December 8, 10:22 AM ET L.A.'s supporting cast just hasn't cut it By Joe Lago ESPN.com |
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Halfway through the Lakers' Finals sweep of the Nets, Rick Fox was entertaining a group of reporters, describing just how easy it is to feed Shaquille O'Neal in the low post. According to the Lakers' go-to quote, even one of us -- even you -- could lob the ball in there and The Diesel would catch it and convert. Fox's honesty and glibness de-emphasized the importance of the champs' supporting cast. But the Guys Not Wearing Nos. 8 and 34 went on to demonstrate their value (again) in helping the Lakers win it all (again). We bring up Fox's remark because it helps bring the current-day Lakers' predicament into perspective. Now we know not just anyone can step on the court with O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, watch them do their thing like the mop-up boys beneath the basket and stand patiently on the perimeter until the ball comes back for a trey so wide open you'd have time to chit-chat with Jack and Dyan. If the Lakers were only as championship-esque as their role players before, then just how bad has the supporting cast become? Are we talking Saturday Night Live-with-Janeane Garofalo-and-Michael McKean bad? Or worse? O'Neal blasted his teammates after Wednesday's loss at Utah, issuing the request of "eight guys out there with me who want to play." Well, "want" and "can" are two different things. Let's take a look at who's guilty of not meeting Shaq's high standards.
The Starters
Let's compare Fisher's numbers last season to this season (going into Friday's showdown against Dallas): 2001-02 11.2 ppg .411 FG% .413 3P% 2002-03 10.3 ppg .401 FG% .359 3P%The drop in shooting pecentages is noticeable. Yet those numbers should climb as the season progresses and as O'Neal works himself into shape. Verdict: Not guilty.
Like Fisher, Fox's shooting percentages suffered without Shaq as he sank only 25 of 73 shots from the field (34.2 percent) and hit only 25 percent from 3-point land (5 for 20). While his shooting has improved with Shaq around -- 44.0 percent (37 for 84) to average 11.3 points a game -- Fox's 3-point numbers haven't (35.7 percent, 10 for 28).
The comparison from last season to this season: 2001-02 7.9 ppg .421 FG% .824 FT% 2002-03 11.0 ppg .395 FG% .625 FT% Fox is scoring more and, subsequently with more minutes (10 more per game, in fact), he's rebounding more (just over two boards more per game at 6.9). He's shooting threes just as poorly as last season (.313), though, and with more PT, he's committing more turnovers (from 1.6 last season to 2.5 this season). Verdict: Guilty.
Despite a foot injury, Horry has been one of the more consistent cast members. His numbers are better than last season's, too.
2001-02 6.8ppg 5.9rpg 2.9apg .398FG% .374 3P% .783FT% 2002-03 8.3ppg 6.6rpg 3.3apg .402FG% .333 3P% .737FT% Verdict: Not guilty. That takes care of the starting five. So who else was the target of Shaq's attack? The culprits are easy to identify in a lineup of the bench's stats.
The Bench 2001-02 21.5 min 7.1 ppg 3.7 rpg .411 FG% .371 3P% 2002-03 27.1 min 9.6 ppg 4.9 rpg .394 FG% .174 3P%Tedinitis in his right ankle forced George to miss 10 games. But even before that, when he had the chance to shine as a starter, George busted out only once -- a 25-point-in-47-minutes effort in a win over Portland. In the other six games before he went on the injured list, George shot just 19-for-54 (35.2 percent) and 2-of-13 on 3-pointers (15.4 percent). The Lakers hope to get more from their $21 million investment.
2001-02 24.0 min 6.7 ppg 7.0 rpg .512 FG% 0.8 TO 2002-03 29.6 min 8.1 ppg 8.2 rpg .391 FG% 1.3 TOBryant blasted Walker for not playing through the pain of a bad back, but he should be more upset at Walker's inability to make a layup.
2001-02 10.3 min 4.7 ppg 2.2 rpg .477 FG% 2002-03 17.6 min 7.0 ppg 4.1 rpg .399 FG%Speaking of not being able to hit the J ... the Lakers have brought Medvedenko along slowly. It's his third season. They can't afford to wait anymore.
2002-03 9.1 min 2.6 ppg 1.2 rpg .339 FG% .118 3P% .625FT%Chris Webber shook his head when he found out the Lakers swung a draft-day deal for the 20th overall pick. Now, C-Webb and the Kings will gladly let the rookie shoot when the West rivals meet on Christmas Day.
2002-03 2.6 ppg .400 FG% .357 3P% Career 9.3 ppg .432 FG% .391 3P%So far this local boy has done little for the Lakers. Maybe his perfect night in Utah (11 points, 4-for-4 from the field, 3-for-3 from three land) is a sign of things to come. Joe Lago, NBA editor for ESPN.com, writes Morning Shootaround every Wednesday and Friday. |
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