Yes, another sports post. Sorry to all my sports hatin' peeps -- I'll have something about Real World/Road Rules Challenge and Entourage up here very soon to satisfy your pop culture lovin' sweet tooth.
I just had to comment about the NBA Draft, in particular, my Los Angeles Lakers. Since I'm both a die-hard Laker fan, and a fanatic UCLA Bruin alum, the Jordan Farmar pick at number 26 is especially near and dear to my heart. Honestly, I'm not quite sure where I stand on Farmar -- he is inconsistent but visibly talented. If there's one spot the Lakers need help at, it's the point, so Farmar's not a bad choice here. My quick observations:
STRENGTHS:
- He has a will to win -- While the rest of the Bruins folded faster than 2-7 off-suit in the NCAA Championship game, Farmar stepped up and was fearless driving to the hole. You have to admire that, especially against the big Florida shot-blockers.
- He's a true point guard -- Farmar has great court vision and has the ability to deliver a pass in perfect position for teammates to score. Witness the heady dish to Luc Richard Mbah a Moute at the end of the Gonzaga game as Exhibit A. He is adept at the drive and kick, and can split double team traps at midcourt. Most importantly he handles the ball like George Clooney in Ocean's Eleven -- always looks cool and calm, never rattled. Look at the difference Luke Walton made when he was inserted into the Lakers lineup. His passing made all the difference in elevating Lamar Odom's and Kwame Brown's games. It's possible that Farmar can have that kind of impact if inserted into the lineup.
- He rocked the pre-draft workouts -- Farmar shined at the Orlando pre-draft camp, showing the athleticism that was stifled in Ben Howland's slow down UCLA half-court offense. He even displayed a 42 inch vertical leap... who knew? He's definitely more athletic than people give him credit for, and he's good at mixing speeds, ala Steve Nash, to get to the hoop and shed defenders.
- He's not Smush Parker -- Now, you have to like a guy with the balls to go by the name "Smush," but let's face it, he's not the answer at the point. He's a good high energy bench guy, especially defensively, but he's a liability when he disappears in big games. As I stated already, Farmar is unflappable, and would never have pulled the disappearing act in the Phoenix series that Smush did. He just wouldn't have. If his shot wasn't falling, he would have taken it to the rack against the woeful Nash D. Would he have made the ensuing free throws? Well...
WEAKNESSES:
- He's not the best shooter in the world -- His free throw shooting is sometimes suspect, but he seems to hit them when the game is on the line. Truth is he's not a bad shooter, I've seen him get hot and drain 3's with ease. On the flip side, I've also seen him as cold as Vanilla Ice, forcing shots that he has no business taking. It's a crap shoot. He needs to work on his range and be ready to shoot when Kobe and Lamar draw double teams.
- He's not the tallest guy in the world -- Phil Jackson likes tall guards who can defend well. Farmar is no Frodo, but he stands just under 6'1" tall. He is an adequate position defender, but isn't rangy and long like other Jackson prototypes. He may have trouble guarding more athletic point guards in the NBA.
- He turns the ball over... alot -- For a point guard, he doesn't take care of the ball like he should. He sometimes forces dangerous passes in traffic when the easy pass would suffice. He also needs to work on backing players down to protect the ball when in half-court sets, rather than constantly facing up every defender. I think studying Sam Cassell's game would be a great proxy for the skill set that Farmar needs to adopt.
- He's young -- Farmar is 19, and needs to put on weight and muscle. This means he probably won't contribute right away and may be a year away.
- He is just not a handsome man -- His ears stick out like Sloth in the Goonies. His hair is just all over the place. The dude is not attractive. But money can do wonders to a persons looks. Pin back the ears and get a decent haircut, and you're looking at the next Jason Kidd. Is that really such a great thing? Well, the next JKidd is still better than the old JFarm.
So, am I jazzed about this pick? Well, at #26, the pickin's were slim, and the Lakers did try to address a glaring need. I'm hoping that Farmar and last year's #1 pick, Andrew Bynum, make some strides over the summer and start to contribute. If so, next year's Laker team has the chance to step up a notch. I'm definitely excited to see what happens.
