Lakers – (Kobe + Bynum)

A friend forwarded me a link to an article titled, “The 12 Types of Pickup Basketball Players” which may have borrowed  content from other blogs and major sports media syndicates. Those parties can take that up with him. I had a revelation, however. I’m that Player/Coach guy who swears he’s going home after this game but never does. I’m the idiot who thinks he can tell grown men how to play despite knowing they’ve all come to the gym with an All-Star agenda. The author of this encyclopedic look at the pick-up caricatures hipped me to monikers like The Perspirer, The Hustler, The OG, The Football Player and more. It read like a who’s who of real inner city hoop legends.

But should you read the hilarity of which I speak, you can determine that the current state of the Los Angeles Lakers resembles anything but a rag tag group of health club members and park frequenters looking for a game after work. The Lakers are defending champions down one MVP and a rising superstar. They’ve been without Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum for three games and have amassed three convincing wins over notable Western Conference teams.

I watched last night as they went into Salt Lake city and annihilated the Utah Jazz. Guys who are normally reserves did more than pick up the slack, they went out and ran the Jazz off the court  like the starting five from any other NBA power. Guys like Lamar Odom, Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown exuded the confidence and proficiency that fits the description of Ploomy’s player type called The Man. According to “The 12 Types…,” The Man hasn’t left the court in about 6 games since his team always wins, and still doesn’t get tired. He possesses a textbook jumpshot, finds the open man, and is efficient on defense as well as offense. And during these games, his actions look effortless.”

And that’s the difference between Lakers – (Kobe + Bynum) and those Joes who pay $30/month for a gym membership but only use it for the basketball. A professional championship team only has one of the player types mentioned in the article. There’s only 13 or so spots available on a champion’s roster. And even if you’re Laker reserve Adam Morrison, should the guys in front of you go down, you play like The Man because there isn’t room for anything less than that kind of effort. It’s a culture of The Man-ness. And don’t get me wrong, the Lakers care about how they look on the floor about as much as The Fake Baller at the local park who wears the $130 Kobe V. Again, however, the difference is that the Lakers can afford their shoes and don’t need them to convince people that they have game.

Ultimately, Kobe and Drew will return and the playoffs will ensue a couple of months from now hopefully featuring a healthy Laker squad. But it’s worth noting that in the NBA, the NCAA, high schools, etc. there is only one player we all should want to be – the one whose preparation is reflected by masterful and ethical competition. Counterfeit ballers are fodder for blogs. lol