Old as shit.
That's how Kobe Bryant described his LA Lakers team following their 103-99 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on New Years' Day. When asked about the reasons for the team's lack of energy, the 34 year old summed things up perfectly succinctly. He continued on to call the Lakers "slow" and "an old damn team," in an interview conducted after the game that saw the Lakers slip back below .500 at 15-16, an unfamiliar place to be with more than a third of the season played.
And Kobe has a point. Many observers noted before the season had even started that the Lakers were an old squad. Of their two big off season acquisitions, one was 38 year old Steve Nash - still a wonderful player, but undoubtedly in the twilight of his career - and the other was 26 (now 27) year old Dwight Howard. Howard should be in the prime of his career, but injuries have slowed the seven foot centre down, and he plays like a man five years older than his age suggests. The Lakers roster also boasts 32 year old Pau Gasol, 33 year old Metta World Peace (TAFKA Ron Artest) and 36 year old Antawan Jamison, all players who regularly play upwards of 20 minutes per game. Age brings experience, but when the young players expected to bring the speed and energy aren't up to the task, where does the team go?
When you look at the rosters (and specifically the regular starting 5) of the teams at the top of the standings, there’s a definite pattern. In the Lakers' own division, their city rivals the Clippers have 23 year olds Blake Griffin and Eric Bledsoe, and in his prime 27 year old Chris Paul with the experience of 33 year old Lamar Odom and 36 year old Chauncey Billups. In Oklahoma City, the Thunder have 23 year old Serge Ibaka and 24 year old pair Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, with 32 year old Nick Collison playing the old man role. The Knicks don't have any youngsters per-se, but JR Smith, Carmelo Anthony and Raymond Felton are all well under 30, while Amar'e Stoudemire is only 30 himself - 39 year old Jason Kidd plays the experienced role there. The Heat are in a similar position with LeBron James and Chris Bosh at 28, Dwayne Wade at 30 and Ray Allen at 37. The Spurs again have a similar spread.
All the top teams have that blend of youth and experience. The Heat, as defending champions, ironically are the closest of the league leaders to the Lakers' age, but they have a 23 year old Josh Harrellson getting plenty of minutes as well, without being one of the "big names."
Youth is clearly very highly regarded in the NBA right now. While just about everyone agrees that LeBron is by far the best player in the league, most lists of best players feature many under the age of 25. Durant, Westbrook and Griffin feature regularly, as do 24 year old Timberwolves forward Kevin Love, 23 year old Rockets guard James Harden, 20 year old Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving, 19 year old Hornets forward Anthony Davis, 24 year old Warriors guard Stephen Curry and when fit, the Bulls' 24 year old point guard Derrick Rose, the league MVP in 2011. The US Men's Basketball team who won the gold medal at the London Olympics had just one player over 30 in the twelve man squad (Bryant) and five who were 23 or under. They won all eight of their games.
The Lakers may be old, but they still have talent. Steve Nash at 38 is still one of the best point guards in the game, and Kobe and Pau are still excellent players who will go down as two of the best of all time. But they need to bring in some young quality to supplement them and put a bit of spring back in their step. Mike D'Antoni has valuable trade assets at his disposal, and a trade may well be the best way to bring in some talent quickly. The 2013 draft class also looks like it could be quite special. The Lakers may be as Kobe put it "old as shit," but a few shrewd moves and all most certainly is not lost.
The Lakers "road" game with the Clippers tonight is by far the most exciting tie of a busy weekend in the NBA. The 25-8 Clippers are top of the Pacific Division, but have lost their lead of the Western Conference after losing their last 2 games following a 17 game winning streak. The pick of the other weekend games are Chicago's trip to Miami tonight, Boston visiting Atlanta tomorrow and Oklahoma City's trip north of the border at the Raptors on Sunday. The weekend predictions are below.
Friday
Sacramento at Toronto
Brooklyn at Washington
Cleveland at Charlotte
Atlanta at Detroit
Chicago at Miami
Indiana at Boston
Portland at Memphis
Philadelphia at Oklahoma City
Houston at Milwaukee
Utah at Phoenix
LA Lakers at LA Clippers
Saturday
Boston at Atlanta
New York at Orlando
Milwaukee at Indiana
Sacramento at Brooklyn
Houston at Cleveland
Portland at Minnesota
New Orleans at Dallas
Philadelphia at San Antonio
Utah at Denver
Golden State at LA Clippers
Sunday
Oklahoma City at Toronto
Washington at Miami
Charlotte at Detroit
Memphis at Phoenix
Denver at LA Lakers
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