Forget Shaq, Mihm wants to Rule the Paint Now

LA Times: In his first game as the Lakers’ successor to Shaquille O’Neal, Chris Mihm had 23 points and 12 rebounds last November in an 89-78 season-opening victory over the Denver Nuggets.

It was only a tease.

Mihm rarely matched those numbers again, the Lakers fell into disarray and the promise of opening night was a distant memory by season’s end.

Though he finished with career-high averages of 9.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 24.9 minutes, Mihm indicated Saturday that a lack of structure hindered him.

“I’m the kind of player that I work well and I like playing basketball as a team, when everyone’s on the same page,” he said. “By the end of the season, we really didn’t have an offense…. It was just kind of freelance out there, and as a big guy I was basically trying to fight for rebounds and just do it that way.

“Unfortunately, last season went sour in a lot of different ways.”

Which is why Mihm, 26, has embraced a fresh start under Coach Phil Jackson, who in returning after a year’s sabbatical brought back the triangle offense.

“I think with this offense the ball runs through the post a lot more,” Mihm said. “It’s been fun for me because it’s got a passing option too.

“I’ve always liked getting the ball in the post and having cutters to work with and looking for guys to hit on the move. The motion and the off-the-ball stuff that he’s got going, it’s been a great system to learn.”

Mihm wants the ball and feels that with the structure of the the triangle, he can excel and take his game to another level. Do you feel that Mihm may have a point? What type of production do you see out of Mihm this coming season? Sound off on our CL.com Forums!