EL SEGUNDO -- The comparisons were inevitable.
Josh McRoberts 2011: Tall, white, tough as any player in the NBA and a fan favorite, with a chance to add a diamond championship ring to his resume.
Kurt Rambis 1981: See Josh McRoberts—without the black, horn-rimmed glasses.
McRoberts, signed as a free agent on December 14, has more natural basketball ability than Rambis did. Rambis scratched and clawed his way to an important place in Laker history, playing a key role on four title teams and becoming one of the most beloved athletes in Los Angeles history. He was such a revelation to the NBA and its teams that soon every club was looking for their own Rambis. They couldn't find one with the intangibles that Kurt brought to the Lakers.
And while there are many similarities between the two — such as sacrificing their bodies for a rebound or to take a foul -- there are also significant differences. McRoberts is an accomplished outside shooter, like Rambis a take-no-prisoners rebounder, and an excellent passer as well, who is having a big impact on the Lakers — when he's healthy.
Signed to a 2-year, $6.1 million deal just 11 days before the season opener, he's been battling toe and shoulder injuries almost from the start. He tried to play through them, but coach Mike Brown decided it was better to rest his new dynamo rather than have the injuries linger. He hasn't played since a New Year Day game in Denver, and his return is currently up in the air.
"We're going to get Josh back pretty soon," Kobe Bryant said earlier this week," and that's going to definitely make us a better team. He does a lot of good things out there."
He gives the Lakers a suitable — if not equal — replacement for the departed Lamar Odom. He likely won't average 15 points per game off the bench as Odom did in claiming Sixth Man honors last season. McRoberts may, though, grab more than the 9 rebounds Odom provided if given the playing time and the health.
"Nah, I'm not really concerned about (the injuries)," McRoberts said after the Laker win over Golden State Friday night. "I'll be fine. It's just frustrating having to sit out knowing I could be in there helping out the guys. You hear it all the time, but I just have to be patient and show that I'm healthy enough to get back out there."
Patience must be a McRoberts virtue.
Following the end of the lockout, while teams were quickly singing players to fill out or make over their rosters, the solid McRoberts waited. And waited. Nothing happened. "I heard rumors that I was going to this team, and I heard the Lakers were definitely interested in me, but nothing was happening. My agent assured me that it would all work out, and I ended up in a great situation with a team that can win a championship."
The Indiana native began his NBA career in Portland in 2007 then spent the next three years in his home state playing for the Pacers, averaging 7.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game last season, starting 51 of 72 games. Then he was a man without a team.
When the Odom and Pau Gasol for Chris Paul trade was voided and Lamar said he wanted out of LA, the Lakers' interest in McRoberts intensified. He was walking through an airport when his agent called.
"He just said ‘You're going to (the Lakers)'" Josh remembers, "and I was happy and relieved. I just went from getting off a plane without a job to playing for the Lakers; then I realized I had about three hours to go home, pack a bag and catch another plane to Los Angeles. When I landed, it took me a while before everything sunk in. I took my physical, signed (my contract) and here I am."
McRoberts was the starter on Christmas Day because of Andrew Bynum's four-game suspension, but Brown and his staff have envisioned him as a dominating force off the bench, much like Odom had been.
"He's a really good player," Brown said, "and we're expecting a lot from him when he gets healthy. He'll give our second unit a whole new feel, especially with the energy he brings from the minute he steps on the floor. I'm still looking for a steady rotation because we've been too inconsistent off the bench, and when (Josh) returns that will be one big piece of the puzzle."
If he fits the way Brown hopes he will, the comparisons might change from Rambis to Odom.
"That would be nice," said the first-year Laker coach. There's a few championship rings on those two."
And McRoberts wants one of his own.
