The Furious NBA Preview – Lakers Can Dominate the West Again
by Tim Furious
You can’t begin to talk about the Western Conference without addressing the LA Lakers. Kobe Bryant has been surrounded with an ever-improving batch of youngsters and teammates that can make his life much easier. Their biggest strength will be the absurd depth that they boast beginning with Jordan Farmar.
But this whole discussion has to start with a player that was not part of their magnificent playoff run – Andrew Bynum. After suffering a season-ending knee injury, Bynum is poised to return to the league with a vengeance. The young, big man averaged 13.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game before bowing out with an injury. Now he will accompany Pau Gasol, whose addition to the roster fueled the Lakers’ success towards the end of last season.
Phil Jackson will get to boast a starting line-up of Kobe Bryan, Gasol, Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum and Jordan Farmar. Derek Fisher looks like he will be losing his starting job to Farmar by the end of training camp, but either way Jackson has to be happy with his two options at the point. Simply put, that’s a starting line-up that can score in bunches. Kobe led the team with 28.3 points per game, and Gasol averaged 18.8 points per game and 7.8 rebounds in 27 games last season.
The powers that be in the Western Conference are crumbling at the seams. The Dallas Mavericks don’t have the pieces in place to be a viable contender. The Lakers are the odds on favorite to repeat and represent the Western Conference in the 2009 NBA Championships. With perhaps the best starting line-up in the West, I wouldn’t be caught dead betting against Kobe in our futures.
The oddsmakers graded the Lakers well, but when the trade for Gasol occurred, it became very difficult to get a solid read on them. Our bettors took advantage and rode the Lakers through the final 25 games of the season. Kobe and Pau both seem rejuvenated heading down the stretch, and will be invigorated to reward those that bet with them in our sportsbook throughout the NBA betting season. All you annoying Lakers fans can rejoice – the Lakers are kings of the Western mountain until further notice.
2007-08 NBA Record: 57-25 SU, 47-34-1 ATS
To Win Western Conference: +125
To Win NBA Championship: +325
