Lakers Nation recently asked their loyal fans on Facebook which Laker is facing the most pressure next season: Mike Brown, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Dwight Howard or Steve Nash.
After the acquisitions of Nash and Howard, the Lakers are facing “championship or bust” pressure next season. Aside from the pressure the Lakers will be facing as a group next year, each member of the team’s big four (and Coach Brown) will be facing their own unique pressure. Below, I have analyzed the pressure facing Kobe, Pau, Dwight, Nash and Mike Brown, revealed the results of the poll and broken down the fans’ most popular answer.
Let’s take a look at the backcourt, first.
Steve Nash: Fortunately for Steve Nash, he could likely go all of next season without taking a shot and not feel an ounce of pressure. Even at the age of 38, Nash was second in the league in assists per game last season, playing with an underwhelming supporting cast in Phoenix. Now, Nash has a plethora of weapons at his disposal to keep his assist numbers among the best in the league. Having such a lethal distributor, and capable shooter for that matter, should alleviate some of the pressure Kobe has felt in recent seasons to produce offense for the Lakers.
The only pressure Nash may feel next season is getting accustomed to sharing a backcourt with Kobe. This is not to say they won’t get along, but Nash has never played with an alpha dog like Bryant.
Kobe Bryant: With the decorated career Kobe Bryant has had, he is exempt from feeling any kind of real pressure, unless of course it’s self-imposed. After all, there is no player in the league who pushes himself more than the Black Mamba.
The only area in which Kobe could potentially face pressure next season is keeping everything under control, in the rare event of an internal blowup. Let’s pretend there comes a point next season when the team starts throwing Mike Brown, or one another, under the bus next. This is when Kobe needs to play cool, calm and collective and be the voice of reason.
There were times last season when Kobe could have burned Brown through the media, but he didn’t. Don’t expect this trend to change. I would be shocked if Kobe reverted back to his days when he was eager to feud with Shaq.
Next Page: The Big Men
Pau Gasol: Had the Lakers not acquired Steve Nash and Dwight Howard this off-season, Pau Gasol would enter the 2012-13 season facing substantially more pressure. Gasol is coming off a subpar season, in which he was involved in numerous trade rumors and played outside of his comfort zone in Mike Brown’s new offense.
Even with the new additions, Gasol should feel pressure to regain his old form. His production could be the difference in the Lakers being really good and being a championship team. Thankfully for Pau, he will be facing less pressure next season than he has in past seasons. Instead of being the team’s second banana, Pau can now fly under the radar as arguably the team’s fourth option on offense.
Without so much pressure to perform, and knowing he escaped the trade rumors once and for all, fans should see a loose, rejuvenated Pau Gasol in 2012-13.
Dwight Howard: Dwight Howard is a top five player in the league, so there shouldn’t be much pressure on Superman to produce his All-Pro quality stats on a nightly basis.
Howard may start to feel pressure about his statistics and winning championship rings if he plays in Los Angeles for numerous seasons, when he will inevitably be compared to the other great centers who have donned purple and gold. But overall production shouldn’t be too much of a concern next season.
Howard will definitely feel pressure in his first season with the team, however. Howard has not played one game with the Lakers and his surgically repaired back is already a concern. Howard will likely miss the start of the season. What if his back doesn’t hold-up, and he ends up not coming back until the middle of January? Howard may start to feel a little pressure the longer it takes for him to make his debut with the team.
Also, it’s still uncertain if Howard will sign an extension with the Lakers (he is currently set to become a free agent at the end of next season). If Howard aims to avoid tons of pressure for himself and avoid another possible “Dwightmare,” he needs to make a decision on an extension sooner rather than later, but that decision won’t come until after this upcoming season.
Next Page: The Head Coach
Mike Brown: From the second Mike Brown was hired to succeed Phil Jackson as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers in the spring of 2011, fans and media have been less than optimistic about his chances of leading such a high profile team as the Lakers.
Brown got a free pass last season thanks to the lockout. The Lakers didn’t have a training camp or any normal practice time to build chemistry. That’s not to say the Mike Brown haters have gone extinct, and if the Lakers struggle at any point this season with their newly formed super team, expect Brown to get most of the blame.
Brown’s fortitude to lead a locker room was questioned when it was just Kobe and Pau running the show. Imagine how it will be with four future hall of famers in the starting lineup.
Here are the final results of the Facebook poll conducted last week:
With a staggering 81 percent of the vote, Mike Brown was selected by fans as the Laker facing the most pressure next season. Brown was followed by Dwight Howard, who received nine percent of the vote. Kobe Bryant received six percent of the vote, while Pau Gasol and Steve Nash both received roughly one percent of the fans’ votes.
Brown receiving the majority of the vote should be no surprise. As I mentioned earlier in the article, Brown has been under the microscope since he was hired, and unlike last season, there will be no blaming a lockout shortened season for any potential shortcomings. The Lakers are going to be a much improved team next season. Some would argue coaching such a talented team, possibly the best in the league, would alleviate pressure.
But they would be wrong. I could stand on the sidelines next season, and the team would likely win more games and make noise in the postseason. Being a vastly improved team will in no way lessen any pressure Brown will feel next season. In sports, great expectations are usually correlated with a great deal of pressure, especially for a coach with so much to prove.
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