Empty the Bench

The Lake Show isn’t short on star power with international sensation Pau Gasol, versatile Lamar Odom and MVP Kobe Bryant. There’s plenty of wattage here to light all the marquees in Hollywood. And if Los Angeles ends up winning the title then it will be because their Big Three came through in a big way.

However, odds are there will be another hero on this team. Somebody with less name recognition, possibly a guy nobody expected to step up. They could hit a few big shots, swat a few, have a some big games or do any number of other things to help the Lakers win. Here are five potential heroes for LA, some known, some not:

Sasha Vujacic, SG/SF: Not many people were sold on Vujacic as a contributor entering the season, but all year long he showed Lake Show fans that he can be a major asset with his hustle and shooting. He shot a strong 43.7% from behind the arc in the regular season, an impressive mark for a 6-7 guy who can get up and down the floor. And as the playoffs have progressed, Sasha has looked like an ideal 7th man while hitting 41.1% of his threes and being active on both ends. He comes off the bench and provides instant offense, stretching defense and taking pressure off of the Lakers starters.

When his shot is falling Sasha can drop 6-10 points in a hurry. Whenever he does that either Los Angeles catches up in a hurry or the Lakers stretch their lead and become very difficult to keep up with. Vujacic also plays underrated defense, which allows him to stay on the floor for long stretches when he’s hot. Don’t be surprised if he’s in the middle of some key runs in Lakers’ victories and knocks down some Steve Kerr-esque shots.

Derek Fisher photo credit: Icon SMI

Trevor Ariza, SF: Ariza is a completely unknown commodity entering the Finals, but he shouldn’t be counted out. Los Angeles has played it close to the vest with their 6-8, 22-year-old swingman. We honestly have no idea how that broken foot could hold up to serious game action, but if he can come in and give the Lakers 10-13 quality minutes a night Ariza could have a big impact. When healthy he’s their best perimeter defender after Kobe Bryant, something this defensively challenged team is in dire need of. Ariza can also run a fast break extremely well and finishes around the hoop, which makes up for his poor outside shooting.

Ariza was playing great basketball for LA in December and January before the injury, and with the Lakers worrying about both Paul Pierce and Ray Allen they will need all the athletic defenders they can get. A lot of people are probably wishing the Lakers hadn’t traded Mo Evans mid-season, but it was a great trade at the time and if Ariza can play solid defense and flush some momentum-changing dunks he’ll earn his keep.

Three more possible contributors to a Lakers championship after the jump…

Derek Fisher, PG: OK, Derek Fisher shouldn’t be surprising many at this point in his career. But the Spurs killer isn’t being talked about much in the Lakers big run and he’s an integral piece in this starting rotation. Nobody has forgotten just how important Fish was in all three of the Los Angeles’ Championship runs this decade. He hit some massive shots in 2000, 2001 and 2002 and made a name for himself with “The 0.4 Shot” in 2004. Fisher also has the highest shooting percentage from behind the arc in postseason history among all qualified players. This man doesn’t shrink in the spotlight.

Fisher is getting on in years and doesn’t have the same physical tools he did in his first run in LA, but in terms of killer instinct and history of big shots he’s just behind Kobe Bryant in this series. On defense we can expect Fish to play cagey and savvy against the inexperienced Rajon Rondo, pulling out all his tricks. Rondo is quicker and more athletic, but Fisher is smarter and more experienced.

Ronny Turiaf, F/C: It was a bit of a breakout season for Ronny Turiaf. He recorded a career-high in minutes, FT%, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and points. And while none of those numbers jump out at you, the 1.4 blocks in 18:41 minutes a game should impress. And Turiaf was called on to do more than he had in either of his previous two seasons, starting 21 times as an injury replacement for Andrew Bynum. In those games he was even better, scoring 10.5 points a contest on 51.6% FGs and 78.9% FTs while also grabbing 5.2 boards, dropping 2.6 dimes and blocking 1.9 shots.

That strong play is why it’s been so disappointing to see Ronny playing just 9:60 minutes a game in the postseason. Don’t forget about the NBA’s top cheerleader though, he’s a solid defender who can hit open shots and is a spark plug off the bench. He could cancel out the contributions of P.J. Brown, Leon Powe and/or Glen Davis for a game or two if Phil Jackson shows some faith in him.

Jordan Farmar, PG: Jordan Farmar has been terrible in the 2008 postseason. While he was originally drafted to be the point guard of the future in LA, we’ve all abandoned hope that he will be an effective starting point in the NBA. He just doesn’t have the skills to be that. Despite his limitations, Farmar had shown enough in the regular season to have Lakers fans thinking he could be a quality, long-term backup PG.

Then the playoffs hit and he fell apart, shooting 34.5% FGs, 29.6% from long range thus far while scoring just 5.1 points a game with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.3-to-0.8.

Yuck.

Nearly all of his stats have been split in half in the playoffs and he’s made some major blunders. But if he finds his stroke again Farmar could be a factor. This guy shot over 50% from the floor from November through January, he occasionally blows up from the perimeter and he is capable of playing the passing lanes well. Nobody’s expecting much, but if Farmar scores 14 in a big win he’ll be the talk of the town.

See Also: Steppin’ 2: Five Potential Unexpected Heroes for the Boston Celtics

Related: Postcards from LA, Sasha Vujacic, Los Angeles Lakers, Derek Fisher, Ronny Turiaf, Trevor Ariza, Jordan Farmar, Boston Celtics