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Lakers have plenty to be thankful for
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Lamar wants pumpkin pie...bad (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, the Lakers have many reasons to give thanks. They are undefeated on the young season and look like the hands-down favorite to win the NBA Championship.
As the Lakers gather around the table this Turkey Day, each player will also have other, more personal things to be thankful for. Here is what each player on the Lakers should think about when it's his turn.
Kobe Bryant should be thankful for the chance to take his place among the greatest players of all time. A championship this year would nullify the Shaq-clause on his previous three championships and prove that he can truly LEAD a team to greatness.
Lamar Odom should be thankful for the move to the bench. Now that he's out of the spotlight, Lamar can concentrate on doing the little things to help the team win, which is all he really cares about.
Andrew Bynum should be thankful for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Bynum came into the league as a flabby 17-year-old with questionable work ethic. Countless hours of conditioning and one-on-one instruction with the NBA's all-time leading scorer allowed Andrew to flourish and earn himself a $57.4-million extension.
Pau Gasol should be thankful for Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace for sending him to Los Angeles. Used to being the only scoring option on a horrible team, decreased pressure on the offensive end allows Gasol to exert more energy on the boards and (dare I say) on defense.
Derek Fisher should be thankful for the Utah Jazz for letting him out of his contract. Not because it allowed him to play for the Lakers, but because it allowed him to get the best care possible for his daughter, Tatum. The Jazz could have put up a dispute, but the model franchise did the right thing, as usual.
Trevor Ariza should be thankful for Phil Jackson, who has given him the freedom to fulfill his potential. No longer stifled by a lack of minutes or a "system," Ariza has shown how valuable he can be on both ends of the court when he's simply allowed to play.
Sasha Vujacic should be thankful for the Laker Girls, one of which reportedly gave him his thin black headband. Without it, he might not be able to see the basket while shooting his trademark three-pointers. I'm still not convinced, however, that he actually looks at the basket prior to shooting.
Vladimir Radmanovic should be thankful for his uncanny ability to avoid thinking at all times on the basketball court. No matter what the situation, Radmo is never afraid to shoot...sometimes to a fault. When he launches that high-arcing rainbow into the air you can hear the entire Lakers bench screaming "Nooooooooooo!" until it splashes through the bottom of the net...or bounces off the top right corner of the backboard and out of bounds.
Jordan Farmar should be thankful for his Dumbo ears, which allow him to reach heights never before reached by a man standing 5-11 (he's listed at 6-2, but who are we kidding).
Chris Mihm should be thankful for a shot at an injury-free season. We haven't seen much of him yet, but the Lakers need the seven-footer to be ready to step in if Gasol or Bynum goes down. Now that Mihm's healthy, he just might be able to do that.
Luke Walton should be thankful for his temperament. Any other player would be outraged after going from a starter to a human victory cigar, but Luke seems to have taken it in stride. He knows as well as anyone that Phil loves to go with experience in the playoffs, and in his heart Luke knows he will play an important part in the Lakers' impending championship run.
Josh Powell should be thankful for the Lakers' insulated warm-up suits, which shield him from the frigid Staples Center air conditioning. Without them he would get extremely cold on the bench, where he spends the majority of his time.
Sun Yue should be thankful for this YouTube video highlight reel, the only way Laker fans will see him play this season.
DJ Mbenga should be thankful for one thing and one thing only..............................DACOS!!!!!!!!!
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