Pre-Season Questions: Who’s Hungry for More?

As we rev up for what is sure to be an exciting title defense season for the Los Angeles Lakers, there are still some questions that need answering before the season starts.  Time ask some tough questions about the Lakers and their pre-season prognosis for the 2009-2010 season.

Question: Last season the Laker team had one unifying goal: to get that elusive championship ring.  From Kobe to Mbenga, that was the main motivator for the entire roster.  But what will they all be hungry for now that they have had their taste of success and glory?  Will team still be their main motivator or will personal agendas begin to interfere?

We all know know what you are hungry for literally, Lamar, I was using a metaphor.

Kobe was the ring leader (pun intended) of last year’s team and thus set their goals to meet his burning desire to win a ring as the undisputed top dog of the Lakers.  Now that he has his Shaq-less ring, what will he set his eyes on next?  Whatever it is, the rest of the team is likely to follow his lead… whether they want to or not.  If Kobe decides that all this talk about LeBron being the best player of his generation needs to be squashed, don’t think for a minute that Kobe can’t revert to his old lone wolf tricks and turn each game into a personal quest for glory, ruining all the team chemistry the team built this last year.

Then again, Kobe seems to have finally realized that the true success of a player is measured in championship rings, not MVP trophies.  Kobe has always idolized Michael Jordan and could very well decide that he needs just as many rings as MJ.  Bryant is getting older and the window for winning more titles gets smaller by the day, so don’t be shocked if Kobe doubles down on his burning desire for winning championships in order to put his ring count at 6 before his body starts to break down.

But don’t jump down my throat just yet, Kobe loyalists.  The Mamba isn’t the only one in control of the Laker ship.  We’ve already seen how success and the fame that comes with it can affect players.  Lamar Odom is off gallivanting with starlets now that he has gotten a taste of being in the spotlight.  Derek Fisher is so bored with winning titles that he is authoring books in between planning the player’s union’s, of which he is the president, plan for the impending collective bargaining negotiations.  Shannon Brown, Adam Morrison and Jordan Farmar are all playing for their next contracts.  Even Phil Jackson will have his mind elsewhere at times as he tries to decide on whether or not this will be his final season (and how much longer can he avoid marrying Jeannie Buss).  To say that certain members of the roster might have other things on their mind is the understatement of the year.

Hmmm, which do I want more: another title or another MVP?

Final Answer: Personal agendas will always be an issue for any NBA team, but the strength of the person behind that agenda is the real concern.  Sure Jordan Farmar might cause waves if he loses his playing time in a contract year, but, really, who gives a crap?  Now, someone like Ron Artest having an agenda is something everyone will have to pay attention to because you just can’t ignore crazy.

Experts all seem to be so concerned that Ron-Ron’s wild personality is going to throw the Laker locker room out of balance, but it might be the only thing that keeps it in check.  Artest is so obsessed with winning a title that he turned down more money and more glory elsewhere because his best shot at a ring is in Los Angeles.  He wants it bad and he isn’t going to let anyone get in his way, even if it means he has to walk in on a naked guy in the shower… wait, he already did that… even if it means he has to punch out a fan… err, well, you get the idea, there is nothing this guy won’t do and if that means he has put someone in his place for getting a big head or playing lazy and complacent.  The Lakers say they signed Ron for his toughness and defense, but they also brought him in to keep a fire lit under the team’s collective ass.

Tags: Adam Morrison, Analysis, Derek Fisher, Jordan Farmar, Kobe Bryant, Phil Jackson, pre-season, Ron Artest, Shannon Brown