Heading into games Sunday, the Los Angeles Lakers are one of five teams with single mark in the loss column. At 5-1, the Lakers have survived playing without All-Star power forward Pau Gasol who is still trying to get back from a minor hamstring injury.
Their lone loss was at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks but LA has since won four straight including a game without both Gasol and center Andrew Bynum against the Memphis Grizzlies. Neither Pau nor Andrew is expected to play Sunday night against the New Orleans Hornets, which likely means another starting gig for DJ Mbenga.
Mbenga had a game against the Grizzlies, pulling down nine boards in the first quarter along - finishing with 13 in 30 minutes.
"I have to be ready every time they need me. It could be one minute, ten minutes," said Mbenga. "That's my job. That's what I do."
The Lakers got a huge night from Kobe Bryant, who just destroyed O.J. Mayo in the post, hanging 41 points on Memphis. It was the third time in four tries that Bryant finished with 41.
Through six games Bryant is averaging a league-leading 34.5 points a game. His 48.1% shooting from the field is well above his career average of 45.5% (last year he shot 46.7%). While his three-point percentage hasn't come around yet (23.1%), he's limited his attempts about two a game.
Bynum has been LA's second scorer with 20.0 points a game along with 10.6 boards and 1.2 blocks. Coach Phil Jackson has relied on him for heavy minutes (40.0 a game) and Andrew has responded, especially defensively. His pick and roll defense, paired with Derek Fisher, in the final 5-10 minutes of the Houston Rockets win was a breakthrough for Bynum. Jackson's biggest criticism to date has been the young centers ability to defend wisely.
Newcomer Ron Artest is third averaging 13.2 points a game. He's seemed more comfortable on the floor in recent games. Jackson has let Ron serve as primary playmaker with the second unit, a role usually saved for Lamar Odom. With Odom in the starting lineup, Phil has been forced to adjust his rotations and Artest has responded.
So far he's shot 43.8% from the field while challenging Odom for tops on the team in assists (Lamar is at 4.7 apg - Ron at 4.2 apg).
Over in Houston, former Laker Trevor Ariza has been impressive at 20.2 points and 4.0 assists. The notion that his hot postseason outside shooting with the Lakers was a fluke appears dispelled. On 37 three-point attempts, he's hit 45.9% - second only to the LA Clippers Eric Gordon (based on at least 37 attempts or more).
Artest is shooting a steady 39.3% on 28 attempts, 12 more than the next Laker (Derek Fisher).
As solid a defender Ariza was for LA, the Lakers have a much more physical presence with Ron - which was something the team was happy about even as they were disappointed negotiations with Ariza quickly went south.
Artest's physicality slowed down a red-hot Joe Johnson recently after the Atlanta Hawk scored 18 early points but finished with 27, missing seven of his last eight shots - primarily blanketed by Artest.
Bryant is excited by the defensive potential he and Artest have together.
"Oh sure, that's a great thing. That drives us both," said Bryant. "If we can have two players on this team that are First Team All-Defense? My goodness. You know what I mean? That's pretty intimidating for guys to line up against."
So is that something the ultra-competitive Bryant would like to see, an inter-squad battle for Defensive Player of the Year between Kobe and Ron?
"I hadn't thought about it like that but now that you put it that way? Sure, why not," answered Bryant.
Coach Jackson acknowledged that Artest is a very different player than Ariza.
Trevor was agile and surprisingly snaky, allowing him to fight through picks and help defend against quicker guards - on one occasion helping to shut down an explosive Allen Iverson.
Against the Grizzles, Jackson had no intention of using Artest on Iverson (who ended up having a minimal impact and has since left Memphis for personal reasons).
"I wouldn't ask Ron to do that," said Jackson. "There are too many picks to chase through. There's too many things going on particularly on those guards. Sometimes you have to run sideline to sideline through a couple of picks. Ron with that big body - that might be a little bit much for him to ask that. But he is very capable of playing power forwards as we put him on [Carl] Landry the other night in Houston too."
Artest is more likely to defend taller, like against the Grizzlies' Zach Randolph, than down to the point like Ariza used to do on occasion.
"He's a different type of defender," acknowledged Jackson.
Stopping size in the paint is usually the first step towards a successful defense. It remains to be seen how the Lakers will slow the quicker guards in the league with Derek Fisher's foot speed an issue. The team will be tested Sunday night against the Hornets and Chris Paul, especially with the big men sidelined.
Of course New Orleans will have to find a way to handle Bryant.
Jackson praised Kobe's play against the Grizzlies, comfortable with the shooting guard's 30 shot attempts (he made 19). Under the circumstances with LA shorthanded, Phil credited Bryant for his "killer instinct."
Kobe has been especially adept in the post, displaying some of the techniques he learned in a one-time offseason practice session with Hakeem Olajuwon. After his big night, Bryant told reporters, "You can't stop the Dream-shake," a reference to Hakeem's signature move that Bryant has worked to incorporate to his own game.
His 41 against Memphis came so naturally, it seemed like Kobe barely broke a sweat.
"It looks easy because I did a lot of work early to get my position," said Bryant, referring to the effort put in before ever getting the ball. "Once I got my position then it's easy . . . but you have to really work to get that position."
Kobe's fast start has been vital for the short-handed Lakers.
Bryant points to a fruitful offseason with no summer Team USA obligations, "I'm well rested. I just have the energy to be able to carry it for long periods of time. It's fresher."
It'll be interesting to see if Kobe can continue to feast in the post once big men Gasol and Bynum return. Bryant said as much after the game but Jackson was slightly skeptical - while acknowledging Kobe will still get his opportunities.
They should be in the post, that's the natural thing," said Phil. "But we have two sides to the post that you can always work from."
As far as their 5-1 start, Odom credits the team's championship pedigree.
"Experience helps. It's the best teacher of them all. Right now we feel like we have the experience - focus," said Odom. "Those are games last year I think we would have dropped . . . learning how to win ugly is good for this team."
Gasol and Bynum are expected back for LA's next game Thursday but the Lakers will need to get past the Hornets first - Sunday at 6:30pm Pacific at STAPLES Center.
