Wednesday, November 03, 2004
The Secret of Mihm
Welcome to the Chris Mihm Era. I had zero expectations for Chris Mihm when he was acquired other than for him to fill the Token Goofy White Guy role. After watching the 7-foot Longhorn for just a few minutes in an exhibition game, I knew he was no Travis Knight. Mihm proved it to the world last night with a coming out party to the tune of 23 points, 12 boards, and 2 blocks. The knucklehead TNT postgame crew laughed it off, but I'm telling you right now, this is not the last solid game we will see from Chris "Of Mice and" Mihm. He's got an intensity and an on-court work ethic that are going to get him boards, blocks, and wide open dunks all season long.
Let's face it, it has been tough to be a Laker fan these past few seasons. They gave you the feeling that they didn't really care about the regular season, like they were playing on a Dayquil buzz until they finally sobered up--IN JUNE. I'll always be a fan of the team, but it became difficult to root for them in good conscience knowing they were not playing the type of ball the fans appreciate. If I was not an LA resident and a Laker fan, I would have been gung ho for the Pistons last year--in spite of Rasheed Wallace. They played team ball and hustled while the Lakers loafed around and waited for their reputation to beat the Pistons so they wouldn't have to break a sweat. I mourned the loss of Phil Jackson and Shaq as much as anybody, but deep down, I welcomed the change...any change.
I'm not bothered that most experts pick us to lose this year, that they're rallying around the predicted failure of Kobe Bryant and Co. I actually like it. It makes me excited that the Lakers won't only be underdogs this year, but that, with this new coach and personnel, that they will actually play like underdogs. I'm predicting an entire team of Derek Fisher-like effort for four quarters of every game. I love this team already because they feel like they have something to prove. Do you think the Shaq-guided Lakers felt like they had anything to prove? It was almost tragic last year to see a sportsman like Karl Malone busting his 40-year-old butt to win his first title while surrounded by a team that treated their quest for a fourth like an errand they have to run a few nights a week. I sincerely hope Karl comes back because I think this year's team is the type of group that he belongs with. With The Mailman doing his route in LA, I would not be surprised if he did win his first championship.
After all, are the 2004 Lakers all that different from the 2003 World Champion Pistons? The Pistons won it with a group of decent players who played well together and they didn't even have the benefit of a go-to guy like Kobe. I'm pretty sure Chucky Atkins and Chauncey Billups are the same guy and you already know how I feel about Mihm. With Caron Butler, Luke Walton, and Brian Cook all developing on schedule, I like that matchup very much. If Lamar Odom figures things out, I'm telling ya, look out NBA.
The counterargument is that Kobe is selfish and will hurt the offense by trying to do too much. He'll win the MVP, they say, but the Lakers will miss the Playoffs. I completely disagree. Kobe Bryant wants to win. Maybe he felt as frustrated as us fans did that his old mates wouldn't run and defend with him. In the Lakers first game last night, Kobe was a creator and a distributor. He drew the defense and kicked to his teammates. He played great team ball and still got an unselfish 25 points. Kobe had more assists than field goals, which, depending on how you look at it, is either great or terrible. I think it's a very positive sign.
Maybe the Lakers won't win it all this year. I'm not ruling it out, but let's say they don't. As a loyal fan, I will be just as proud of an inspiring team with an uninspiring record as I would be of last year's Western Conference Champion All-Hall team that had no heart. Actually, even more so.
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Let's face it, it has been tough to be a Laker fan these past few seasons. They gave you the feeling that they didn't really care about the regular season, like they were playing on a Dayquil buzz until they finally sobered up--IN JUNE. I'll always be a fan of the team, but it became difficult to root for them in good conscience knowing they were not playing the type of ball the fans appreciate. If I was not an LA resident and a Laker fan, I would have been gung ho for the Pistons last year--in spite of Rasheed Wallace. They played team ball and hustled while the Lakers loafed around and waited for their reputation to beat the Pistons so they wouldn't have to break a sweat. I mourned the loss of Phil Jackson and Shaq as much as anybody, but deep down, I welcomed the change...any change.
I'm not bothered that most experts pick us to lose this year, that they're rallying around the predicted failure of Kobe Bryant and Co. I actually like it. It makes me excited that the Lakers won't only be underdogs this year, but that, with this new coach and personnel, that they will actually play like underdogs. I'm predicting an entire team of Derek Fisher-like effort for four quarters of every game. I love this team already because they feel like they have something to prove. Do you think the Shaq-guided Lakers felt like they had anything to prove? It was almost tragic last year to see a sportsman like Karl Malone busting his 40-year-old butt to win his first title while surrounded by a team that treated their quest for a fourth like an errand they have to run a few nights a week. I sincerely hope Karl comes back because I think this year's team is the type of group that he belongs with. With The Mailman doing his route in LA, I would not be surprised if he did win his first championship.
After all, are the 2004 Lakers all that different from the 2003 World Champion Pistons? The Pistons won it with a group of decent players who played well together and they didn't even have the benefit of a go-to guy like Kobe. I'm pretty sure Chucky Atkins and Chauncey Billups are the same guy and you already know how I feel about Mihm. With Caron Butler, Luke Walton, and Brian Cook all developing on schedule, I like that matchup very much. If Lamar Odom figures things out, I'm telling ya, look out NBA.
The counterargument is that Kobe is selfish and will hurt the offense by trying to do too much. He'll win the MVP, they say, but the Lakers will miss the Playoffs. I completely disagree. Kobe Bryant wants to win. Maybe he felt as frustrated as us fans did that his old mates wouldn't run and defend with him. In the Lakers first game last night, Kobe was a creator and a distributor. He drew the defense and kicked to his teammates. He played great team ball and still got an unselfish 25 points. Kobe had more assists than field goals, which, depending on how you look at it, is either great or terrible. I think it's a very positive sign.
Maybe the Lakers won't win it all this year. I'm not ruling it out, but let's say they don't. As a loyal fan, I will be just as proud of an inspiring team with an uninspiring record as I would be of last year's Western Conference Champion All-Hall team that had no heart. Actually, even more so.
# posted by j.h.k. @ 3:39 PM 
