4. Bench Mob
As if the first three reasons weren’t good enough, the differences between the benches could be where the Lakers have the biggest advantage. Spending so much money on three marquee players left the Heat scrambling for players to fill the bench. Miami’s bench looks like someone took the pieces to five different 500 piece puzzles and jammed pieces together when they couldn’t get one completed.
They have experienced shooters in Eddie House and Mike Miller who will undoubtedly spread the floor with a skilled passer like LeBron, but outside of those two there are no big standouts. Instead, there are basically roster “filler,” with players who have never been able to produce at a high level or players who are too close to being over the hill to be of any promise.
On the west coast, the Lakers have bolstered what was a frustrating bench to watch in 2009-2010 by signing promising Triangle point guard Steve Blake and defensive standout Matt Barnes. They also have one of the more promising rookies of the latest class in Devin Ebanks, who has reminded fans of Trevor Ariza in his looks and style of play.
Shortly following the debacle that LeBron had aired on television, an interesting assessment was made by our friends over at ESPN 710: The Heat may have a golden one through three, but the Lakers are golden from one through six. This means that while Miami may have gone out and sold the farm for the opportunity to have a talented trio, the Lakers still have the best starting lineup in the NBA, and even have a bench full of potential starters such as current USA stud Lamar Odom.
Next: The Intangibles
