Sorry that's not my outlook

The doom and gloom and dire projections for the Lakers are not shared by Larry Laker. Wholesale changes could take place next season and they still might not win. There are major issues to be addressed in the off-season, in my view most of the issues revolve around the Laker bench. Laker fans in particular are upset with the disappearing act by Pau Gasol once the playoffs started, again I'm not ready to kick him to the curb yet. His regular season numbers were close to his lifetime numbers and considering this, Andrew Bynum's offense was added to the mix. Throughout his career Gasol has been a 7-foot finesse player why are folks wanting him to be Shaq or Dwight Howard, he's never had a power game. That was point one, point two I'm unsure what to say about Bynum, he had a breakout year however there are other issues. Was his breakout based on signing a max contract over the summer? The biggest issue, why doesn't he come to play every night? Bynum certainly has maturity issues to address whether with the Lakers or some other team. Despite the baggage Metta World Peace sometimes comes with him he can still play. How much of the shorted season contributed to his inability to shot the basketball until the last few weeks of the season? I'm not sure where or who replaces Ramon Sessions but perhaps he might be better in a back-up role rather than as a starter. I'd like less shooting and more rest for Kobe Bryant, as conditioned as he is there is no reason he couldn't have at least two more fully productive seasons. If the coach is in place next season hopefully he will allow youngsters extended playing time, it would aid in determining if they can play.

NBA Draft combine
Chicago will once again serve as host for the 2012 NBA Draft Combine. A total of 60 players from across the nation have been invited to the June 7-8 event. The combine is the second act prior to the June 28 draft, the first act was the Portsmouth (VA) Invitational Tourney which was held April 11-14. Last season NBA TV provided television coverage of the two day event, it's very likely there will coverage this year. Vertical jump, bench press, 3/4 court sprint, lane agility drills and height measurement are are just a few of the exercises conducted by NBA officials. Accurate height measurements are probably most interesting to me, you might ask why? It's a long-time policy for colleges to exaggerate a players height, they are measured with and without shoes. At the time Charles Barkley played at Auburn they listed him as 6-6, he was actually measured and stood no more than 6-4 and 1/2.  The same might be said for Mizzou guard Kim English, he was reported as 6-6 but is probably no more than 6-5.

International ball

With the exception of a few names I'm not as familiar with the international game as I'd like to be. There are at least two Euro athletes who might be in the June draft. Evan Fournier a 6-7 206 pound guard, he's projected as a first round pick by draftexpress.com and second round by nbadraft.net. Fournier played for Poitiers International and Saint-Maurice France is his hometown. An injury prevented him from attending a tryout held by the Nets and Rockets recently. Don't be surprised if David Stern or Adam Silver calls his name in June. Also make note of another name, Tomas Satoranksy. Satoranksy is a 6-6 207 combo guard. Currently he plays for Cajasol Sevilla, his hometown is Prague in the Czech Republic. Sataoranksy's name is also listed on both mock draft sites, he says "there is a 50-50 chance I will enter the draft." As we get closer and closer to June 28 I will attempt to profile players you might be unfamiliar with.

Who do you trust
The above was the title of a '60's television quiz program, we could utilize that term for the NBA teams seeking a head coach. At the bowling alley the other night I held a brief discussion with another bowler. I informed my friend "there are few quality coaches with the exception of Phil Jackson." I forgot long-time former Jazz coach Jerry Sloan. Sloan certainly would provide the leadership and veteran presence the Bobcats and Magic seek. The man must really be anxious to coach again if he's looking at the Charlotte job.  Despite what might appear to be a negative I happen to think Stan Van Gundy is still a good coach.  He probably is not as anxious as Sloan might be.

His net worth
I'm unsure how you feel but I find this next story quite interesting, at the time an athlete becomes a free agent his worth is often derived based on the number of teams desiring his services. The Raptors have made it known they want to sign soon to be free agent Steve Nash, they claim to have a a fall-back plan just in case.  If they are unable to sign Nash they intend to pursue Knicks guard Jeremy Lin. That probably sounds a little strange announcing your intentions in advance of free agency but makes for another scenario. Should we suppose the Knicks are going to allow Lin to walk having this information this far in advance. Secondly is this a possible smokescreen by the Raptors? Of course all bets are off if the bid for services rises beyond the amount the Knicks can afford. While completing this story I read unconfirmed reports Lin is looking westward at the Lakers.

Speaking of the Knicks

It's reported the front office is ironing out a contract for Mike Woodson, the interim term being removed. It's the only thing to do, other than Phil Jackson who would you replace him with? Sure there are a number of name coaches with no jobs but Woodson deserves this one. He needs to fully implement his coaching approach to this team, taking over in the middle of the season and a shortened one at that left him little wiggle room. For those folks who want to remind us of Atlanta I admit I've followed him with the Knicks much closer than his tenure with the Hawks. Besides the fact he's not the first coach to be fired and moving to another team certainly looked better. All we need to do is focus north of NYC, everyone adjust to the circumstances around them, I believe Doc Rivers is the same coach in Boston as the one who was fired in Orlando. In a related Knick report Lamar Odom wants to play for the Knicks or at least that's the reported story. Makes sense in a manner of speaking, this Queens (N.Y.) native could end his career where it started in the Big Apple. In addition I'm sure as a kid he grew up rooting for the Knicks.