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2012-13 NBA Preview: Los Angeles Lakers
- Updated: October 21, 2012
2. Los Angeles Lakers
HOW THEY CAN WIN: Let’s see. L.A. added the best center in the game to go with the league’s most cold-blooded killer since Jordan, the best point guard of the past decade and the greatest Spaniard in basketball history. That reason enough? On names alone, this is the most talented team in the league, period. That includes Miami. Dwight Howard and Steve Nash could prove to be an incredible pick-and roll combo, and Metta World Peace will have the chance to toast some marshmallows and camp out on the three-point line. Perhaps most important is the fact that all of the diversions could allow Pau Gasol to thrive down low.
WHY THEY WON’T: Injuries, and chemistry. Howard’s back is not likely to hold up for an entire season, and Nash isn’t a much better bet. The Lakers must also figure out how to incorporate Nash into a system that allowed Kobe to dominate the ball handling duties.
FINAL DESTINATION: There are great expectations for this Lakers team, and deservedly so. The talent level on this roster is enough to make you puke, but non-Laker fans can take some comfort in the fact that it will be an incredibly difficult task to get everyone on the same page. If they do, it’s over. We’re betting they won’t.
OUR CALL: 62-20.
| TEAM ROSTER | |||||||
| NO. | NAME | POS | AGE | HT | WT | COLLEGE | 2012-2013 SALARY |
| 23 | Ronnie Aguilar | C | 25 | 7-0 | 250 | Cal State Dominguez Hills | |
| 5 | Steve Blake | PG | 32 | 6-3 | 172 | Maryland | $4,000,000 |
| 24 | Kobe Bryant | SG | 34 | 6-6 | 205 | $27,849,149 | |
| 6 | Earl Clark | SF | 24 | 6-10 | 225 | Louisville | $1,240,000 |
| 9 | Chris Douglas-Roberts | SG | 25 | 6-7 | 210 | Memphis | $854,389 |
| 21 | Chris Duhon | PG | 30 | 6-1 | 190 | Duke | $3,250,000 |
| 3 | Devin Ebanks | SF | 22 | 6-9 | 215 | West Virginia | $1,054,389 |
| 16 | Pau Gasol | PF | 32 | 7-0 | 250 | $19,000,000 | |
| 0 | Andrew Goudelock | PG | 23 | 6-3 | 200 | Charleston | $762,195 |
| 27 | Jordan Hill | C | 25 | 6-10 | 235 | Arizona | $3,563,600 |
| 12 | Dwight Howard | C | 26 | 6-11 | 265 | $19,536,360 | |
| 4 | Antawn Jamison | PF | 36 | 6-9 | 235 | North Carolina | $854,389 |
| 7 | Darius Johnson-Odom | SG | 23 | 6-2 | 215 | Marquette | $473,604 |
| 20 | Jodie Meeks | SG | 25 | 6-4 | 208 | Kentucky | $1,500,000 |
| 1 | Darius Morris | PG | 21 | 6-4 | 190 | Michigan | $962,195 |
| 10 | Steve Nash | PG | 38 | 6-3 | 178 | Santa Clara | $8,900,000 |
| 91 | Reeves Nelson | SF | 21 | 6-8 | 235 | UCLA | $473,604 |
| 50 | Robert Sacre | C | 23 | 7-0 | 260 | Gonzaga | $473,604 |
| 55 | Greg Somogyi | C | 23 | 7-3 | 242 | $473,604 | |
| 15 | Metta World Peace | SF | 32 | 6-7 | 260 | St. John’s | $7,258,960 |
| Coach: Mike Brown |
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