Everyone loves a story about redemption. How about several with the overarching theme of a team on a quest for a championship? Years from now when people look up the “2009 NBA Champions” they will find the Los Angeles Lakers and when they look up “2009 Finals MVP” they will find Kobe Bryant. Kobe Bryant winning his first championship without Shaq will get plenty of ink. What might be left out are the several wonderful stories within this special team.
The Ten-Master:
There are a couple of articles that I enjoyed about Phil Jackson so I’ll post the links here and here. I had a lot of the same ideas so I won’t repeat them here.
Lamar Odom:
I would like to start with Lamar Odom, who was born in New York to his mother Kathy Mercer who raised him in a single-parent home. I too, was raised in a single-parent home and know all too well the affect it has on a child, especially a young man without a father. Lamar, just like myself, was extremely close to his mother. Sadly, after his 12th birthday, she died of cancer. The day of his mother’s funeral he shot baskets long into the night, with only the street lamps lighting the court.
Parentless, Lamar might have vanished into the urban jungle without his grandmother, Mildred Mercer. Lamar says this about his grandmother, “[She taught me] all the little things that I stand for, the things that in today’s world get overlooked, as far as family, trying to put back into your neighborhood,” he said. “Being spiritual, believing in God. Having principles, and morals, and treating people the right way. Respecting people so you can earn respect.”
In June of 2006, tragedy hit Lamar again when his infant son died while sleeping. Throughout his Laker career, Lamar was always the subject of trade rumors and labeled too inconsistent to be relied upon in critical moments of a game. In these 2009 NBA playoffs, however, Lamar came through when the team needed him the most. The support he has received from the city has been amazing. Everywhere he goes from a restaurant to the grocery store, people stand and applaud his work this year. Lamar did not have the words to describe the feeling in the exit interview this year. He could only stand in amazement. The hard work has paid off. Understanding where Lamar came from makes him winning a championship sweeter.
Pau Gasol:
Pau Gasol, along with Lamar, received a fair share of criticism after last year’s Finals lost to Boston. Pau was labeled “soft” and simply not tough enough to help win a championship. He was pushed around by the entire frontline of Boston. This wouldn’t have mattered in Memphis but when you put a Lakers jersey on, your flaws are magnified because the stage is bigger. People forgot that he was an extremely skilled big-man with a high basketball IQ. Pau spent the off-season hitting the weight room and getting stronger. In these 2009 NBA playoffs, Pau not only reminded the world of his entire skill-set as a big-man but also a center who has low-post defense and can guard the rim.
Entering this year’s Finals Pau would have to face one of the most physically opposing centers in the league. Yes, Pau had help but without him as an anchor on defense and a low-post threat on offense, the Lakers have no chance. He said after last year’s lost to Boston that he will never forget the Celtic fans rocking the team bus after the game. The mourning became anger. It was like the nerdy genius kid at school getting picked on by the bigger bullies only to watch the nerdy genius kid bulk up over the summer to match his brain with some brawn so he can lay the smack down himself- only Pau kept his smarts on top of it. The even-tempered and finesse play of Pau was met with sturdy and robust fortitude. He screamed with every dunk, when pushed he pushed back, and when he was fouled hard he stood up to the offending party showing that he wouldn’t have any of it. Pau played championship basketball.
Trevor Ariza:
Trevor Ariza, a local kid, played at Westchester High School in Los Angeles and was drafted by the Knicks in 2004 after only one season at UCLA. In February 2006, Trevor was traded to Orlando and was buried at the end of the bench. But this was not the saddest part of his life. In 1996, Ariza’s youngest brother, Taji Ariza, died after falling out of a window in Venezuela from the 30th floor. His first son is named after his late brother.
Trevor was traded to the Lakers in November 2007 by, ironically, the Orlando Magic who only wanted 3-point shooters around Dwight Howard. Trevor was unable to compete, at least in part, in last year’s playoffs because of a broken foot. However, his play in the 2009 NBA playoffs was stellar, making key defensive plays and hitting timely 3-pointers to help spread the floor for Kobe and Pau. Everyone talked about how Andrew Bynum would have been the difference-maker in last year’s Finals versus Boston but Trevor does not get mentioned. Of course he came back in time to play in the Finals but was nowhere in shape to make a difference. What if he never broke his foot? I guess we’ll never know.
Regardless, you would have never seen Trevor being in the position he is now. There is no doubt he worked on his perimeter game all summer. Trevor will be a free agent this summer and is due for a substantial raise. He deserves it.
Derek Fisher:
In the 2007 NBA playoffs Fisher’s then-11-month-old daughter, Tatum, was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a degenerative and rare form of eye cancer, which required an emergency three-hour surgery and chemotherapy at New York's Presbyterian Hospital.
During that time, Fisher was playing for the Utah Jazz. Shortly after their season ended, Fisher asked to get out of his contract leaving millions of dollars on the table. He did this so he could sign with a team based in a city where his daughter could get treatment. As it turns out, it would be the Los Angeles Lakers who would sign him. Fisher lost about six million through the transaction when it was all said and done.
Then the criticism hit late this year during Fisher’s declining play. “He’s too old,” “he’s washed up,” and “he can’t play basketball anymore.” These were the things that were said about Derek Fisher. But just like the professional that he is, he didn’t complain but simply kept fighting, hitting a 3-pointer that would send game 4 into overtime and then hitting the game-winner in overtime. You could almost sum up Fisher’s game with the last Laker possession of the series, with the seconds ticking away and a few seconds of the game clock ahead of the shot clock most players would have taken a shot so there wouldn’t be a turnover. Not Fisher. He waited for the shot clock to run out, took the turnover, and simply handed the ball to the official – no flair, no flash, just class.
Mitch Kupchak:
Since Mitch Kupchak took over for Jerry West, it seems like he has been constantly abused by the fans and even one Kobe Bryant. In the midst of enormous and continuous criticism he remained steady. He did not trade Andrew Bynum when there was pressure from his star player. When Kobe demanded a trade two summers ago, Mitch did not budge. As much as Kobe was criticized for not being able to win a championship without Shaq, to much less of an extent Mitch was criticized for not being able to put a championship team together without Jerry West. Of course this got much less ink than Kobe winning it all without Shaq but everyone in Los Angeles felt it.
While the Lakers were receiving their Larry O’Brien trophy Mitch quietly stood in the back completely content with the players and coach getting all the credit. When all of Los Angeles was ready to have him lynched, he stood quietly and never fired back. He took the punches and the abuse (I was one of his biggest critics) and calmly went about his business. He traded for Pau Gasol and a Trevor Ariza, which no other team believed in. He signed Derek Fisher and traded for Shannon Brown. He did NOT trade Bynum, Lamar, and yes, Kobe Bryant. During the team’s celebration in the locker room he was asked about the team’s success and if they could put a few championship runs together. He quickly said he was proud of the team and happy for the city of Los Angeles and that he a lot of work to do during the off-season. The champagne had not yet dried and Mitch was back to work. Yes Kobe will get most of the ink, but let’s not forget what Mitch had to endure and the championship team he put together.
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