Swaggy P – “I’m a star”

Swaggy P is going to either make things really exciting, or his antics will make Kobe’s head explode. Either way it will be must-see TV. By Tubofgaming via Wikimedia Commons

He started by appending his initial comment with “just playin’.” But as Swaggy P’s conversation with Jim Rome a few weeks ago continued, it became clear that a large part of Swaggy P believes it. In many NBA cities, an attitude like Swaggy P’s would not work for a player like him. In his hometown, in the middle of Tinseltown, it plays amazingly.

Rome, who is a Southern California native, understands what I’ve been saying about the Lakers for the past few years. In Los Angeles, you can’t just be good. Whether you’re a singer, actor, or athlete in this town, being relevant in Hollywood is probably more important than being good.

The Buss family knows they aren’t going to be good, so the least they can do is make it fun to come watch every night. Nick Young will almost guarantee that. He is fearless to a fault and we haven’t seen as much of his on-court interaction with Kobe Bryant as I was hoping for at the beginning of last year. Watching their interaction alone will keep me tuned-in, even when games get out of hand.

Don’t get me wrong — the Lakers will be bad. They might be .500 if everything falls into place. If it doesn’t, they might not be much better than they were this year.

At least they won’t be ridiculously boring though.

Rooting for a losing team is informing. It helps a fan stay grounded and take pleasure in the little parts of athletic competition. It also winning — when it comes around again — much more fun and satisfying. The Lakers’ last five titles would not have been as sweet without the mid-90’s mediocrity. Those mid-90’s teams were fun though. Rooting for Pig Miller was never a winning proposition, but it was entertaining.

Nick Young is entertaining — about that there is no question in my mind. Whether he can be good on a very good team is still a question I ask. For the next few years, in a Lakerland made gloomy by the dark clouds of Kobe’s contract and aging, Swaggy’s ability to be good on a good team may be a moot point.

So I’ll say it again. In this city, where entertainment is the main currency, the Lakers re-signing Swaggy P just makes sense.