Ebanks Needs More Minutes

                                           

The 2011-2012 campaign for the Lakers was a frustrating one as it seemed as though they really couldn’t ever really put a solid win streak together or blow out inferior opponents.   One of the short comings of that team was at the SF position with playing time going to Metta World Peace, Matt Barnes, and Devin Ebanks. Although solid in the regular season, Barnes disappeared in the playoffs and as a result will not be returning to the Lakers for this upcoming season. Without question Kupchak and Buss made the right decision to not resign Barnes as they try to cut costs for the future. Having not adding a real SF, Jamison is a hybrid 4 and thus probably will get some action there; the depth chart will consist of MWP and Devin Ebanks. The addition of Nash has turned the 3 spot into the weakest of all the Lakers starting position and reasonably assuming that the 4 All-Star starters should get 70-85 points a game, whoever starts at the 3 won’t be expected to put up huge scoring numbers. Although it won’t be the flashiest of all the positions, it is this wing position that will decide whether or not the Lakers win a championship.

Metta World Peace is the incumbent and probably will resume his starting role when the season begins. Having been known as one of the best perimeter defenders in the league for years, World Peace is strong and physical and has done a good job on the defensive end during his time in LA. His performance in Game 7 of the 2010 Finals was the reason they won that game and ultimately the series. Although he has shown energy for the Lakers, he has also shown that he hasn’t overgrown his immaturity that was on full display at the Palace of Auburn Hills fight. His elbow to James Harden’s head was probably the dirtiest play of the season and resulted in a suspension that kept him out of 6 games in the playoffs. Without World Peace the Lakers struggled with Denver and the series went the distance to a game 7. Perhaps if the older Lakers had a chance to rest before the Thunder, who swept the Mavericks, the result in the conference semi-finals would have been different. MWP has shown at times that he has a touch from deep, but other nights he is ice cold and sometimes appears to be forcing shots.

Devin Ebanks was the starter at the beginning of the year for Mike Brown and having received little action under Phil Jackson, this came as a surprise to Laker fans. Ebanks is long and quick thus making him a solid defender although he doesn’t have the strength that World Peace possesses. Despite being the starter for the season opener, Ebanks quickly was removed not only from the starting rotation, but from the rotation entirely. It was one of many perplexing moves by Brown who shuffled around his rotation constantly throughout the season. One of the highlights of Ebanks’ season came in what was his best game, the elbow game, where he was able to get major minutes because of MWP’s early exit. Ebanks scored 8 points with 5 rebounds and attacked the basket earning 10 free throw attempts however where he shined was on the defensive end of the floor. Kevin Durant is known for his offensive efficiency yet he shot a miserable 11-34 from the field in large part to Ebanks’ effort on defense.

Although this isn’t a position where there is a lot of depth, the Lakers should have used the amnesty clause on Metta World Peace. The guy is overpaid and isn’t the same player that he was defensively years ago. He struggled against Durant in the playoffs and if the Lakers were to meet the Heat in the Finals, LeBron would be an absolute nightmare for him. Since it is no longer possible to remove MWP from Tinsel town, at least for this year, Brown should adjust the rotation and allow Ebanks to start again. The two biggest threats to Laker title hopes are the Thunder and Heat and despite not having seen Ebanks cover James, he has shown success on the defensive end against Durant. It is pivotal to the Lakers to allow younger players to get some experience and develop, and Ebanks seems like the perfect candidate to start with. Placing him in the starting lineup shouldn’t hurt the team too much and MWP can still see serious minutes and be fresher if he comes off the bench.  Both MWP and Ebanks would be the last option for scoring with the other 4 starters anyway so why is it important to start MWP who gets defensive recognition on previous success rather than his current defending.  Any Laker fan who watched Game 4 of the Thunder series surely remembers MWP backing up off Durant, allowing a great shooter a good look at the game winning shot. Ever since that pathetic attempt at defense, it doesn’t really make any sense to me as to why a 32 year old hot head should start over a 22 year old promising defender.