Posted on LakersGround.net on 3/27/06.

82games.com recently did an article entitled "Blueprint for a NBA Championship Team". The key points on NBA Champions:
* 92% had a recent All-NBA 1st Team Selection
* 81% had a recent All-Defensive 1st Team Selection
* 92% had a Player Ranked in the Top 8 in Efficiency the Preceding Season
* 86% included at least one sidekick with a previous All-NBA or All-Defensive selection
* 57% included 2 or more sidekicks with a previous All-NBA or All-Defensive selection

Where do the Lakers stand on achieving the above blueprint?
* Kobe was selected All-NBA 1st Team after the '02-'03 season and probably will this season
* Kobe was selected All-Defensive 1st Team in '03-'04
* Kobe is #6 in Efficiency

So Kobe covers bullets #1 - #3. The issue is sidekicks or lack thereof. Is Lamar good enough to be an All-NBA selection? He currently ranks #17 in Efficiency. When I run the numbers, I get that he is #19. When you look at how he has played since the All-Star break, he is #15. The top 20 are:
Kevin Garnett
Elton Brand
Lebron James
Shawn Marion
Dwyane Wade
Kobe Bryant
Dirk Nowitzki
Allen Iverson
Steve Nash
Paul Pierce
Chris Bosh
Yao Ming
Gilbert Arenas
Pau Gasol
Marcus Camby
Tim Duncan
Jason Kidd
Dwight Howard
Lamar Odom
Richard Jefferson

The other question to me is can Kwame Brown become an All-Defensive player? He certainly has locked up a number of excellent PF's recently. However, his rebounding and shot blocking aren't very good for a player of his size.