Are the 2013 Lakers the biggest failures of all-time?

[TonyMontana]

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The facts
-Projected to win Western conference
-Fans talk mad shit and make memes already declaring themselves the future champions.
-Team has to get suspicious officiating vs subpar teams just to make the playoffs. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MhmGyZ7KF0
-Will end up winning 0 playoff games.
-Team has 4 first ballot hall of famers in Kobe,Nash,Dwight,Pau and a former DPOY in Artest.

This has to rank among the biggest chokejobs in professional sports. At least the 2004 Lakers got to the Finals before Kobe chucked them out of it.

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:oldlol: :oldlol: :oldlol: :oldlol:

[LongLiveTheKing]

:roll: :roll: :roll:

[tazb]

:roll: :roll:


You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to TonyMontana again.:applause:

[Trollsmasher]

In all my years of watching all kinds of sports, I have never saw nor heard about a bigger failure:bowdown:

This is basically like current FC Barcelona ending 14th in the league or Usain Bolt running 100m in 10,25s in the Olympics Finals.:oldlol:

[Ancient Legend]

The only comparison are some of the past stacked Yankee and Real Madrid teams that failed as miserably. The only bigger failure would be if the Heat didn't win this year.

[razzredazzre]

Two words: Injuries, Old

Bye.

[LongLiveTheKing]

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa280/cashforcards/r43qgf.png
:roll:

[Noob Saibot]

it would be worse if the lakeshow didn't make the playoffs. either way it goes the championship cruise sinked.

[LongLiveTheKing]

2000 - NBA champion ( age 21 )
2001 - NBA champion ( age 22 )
2002 - NBA champion ( age 23 )
2004 - NBA champion ( age 25 )
2008 - NBA champion ( age 29 )
2009 - NBA champion ( age 30 )
2010 - NBA champion ( age 31 )

+

2013 - NBA champion ( age 34 )
2014 - NBA champion ( age 35 )
2015 - NBA champion ( age 36 retires with Nash )


10 would have been nice... but i can live with 8

:oldlol:

[KG215]

As much as I want to say yes, I can't anymore. They're so injury riddled they had to start Darius Morris and Andrew Goudelock tonight. They were already barely the 7th/8th best team in the West with Kobe. Now they're sans-Kobe, Nash, and Blake. There's probably 3 or 4 teams in the West that didn't even make the playoffs that are better than the Lakers right now.

[LongLiveTheKing]

Kobe 7 rings 4 Finals MVP. BOOK IT!
Okay I'm done lol.

[Jacks3]

You can't fail if you never get a chance. No team in history could withstand the type of injuries the Lakers saw this season.

[talkingconch]

lol look at all the delusional stans trying to say lakers failed

injuries son.

[DuMa]

http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BBUpiM_CUAAfS_f.jpg:large

[leMVP]

http://oi41.tinypic.com/33aass9.jpg

:oldlol: :oldlol: :oldlol: :oldlol:


:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

[Artillery]

As much as I want to say yes, I can't anymore. They're so injury riddled they had to start Darius Morris and Andrew Goudelock tonight. They were already barely the 7th/8th best team in the West with Kobe. Now they're sans-Kobe, Nash, and Blake. There's probably 3 or 4 teams in the West that didn't even make the playoffs that are better than the Lakers right now.

It's their own fault for the injuries though. They assembled a top-heavy roster of overpaid, old "stars" and played these guys 40 mins a game because they forgot to assemble a competent bench.

[Mr. Jabbar]

Team is d-league material as exposed without gawdbe right now, in heroic way, gawdbe gave them a playoff seed :applause: :applause: :applause: :bowdown: :bowdown:

It actually adds to kobes legacy

[Wavves]

Why are injuries an excuse?

Your great god Kobe Bryant played 78 games this year. Dwight played 76 albeit not 100%, but he is still has a case for best C in the league (or top 3, whatever) Bulls played a whole season without Rose and still managed a 5th seed.

Laker fans are pathetic.

[Silence]

Laker fans knew exactly how old this team was at the beginning of the season when many were making memes and championship predictions, so using age now doesn't seem like a valid excuse. Injuries, however, are fair. Gasol, Nash, and others like Hill missed large portions of the season. Still, it is hard to ignore the fact that the teams two best players (Kobe and Dwight) both played 75+ games. Considering the Lakers made the playoffs and finished with the seventh seed, I do not think this is the biggest failure in NBA history (though it still is a failure). If they had finished in the lottery, it absolutely would have been, regardless of injuries. Oh, and as a side note, the Lakers actually had the same record as the Bulls (45 wins). Lakers were only a lower seed because they play in the west.

[Mr. Jabbar]

If the team is d-league material why did 66% of NBA GMs and fans alike pick them to win the West?

It's time to face the music. Having this bad of a season with this roster of hall of famers has tainted Kobes legacy and it kicks him out of the top ten all-time.

because those opinions came before watching a single game and how they would perform, solely based on past glories and speculations. to think this 40 year old team was actually better after watching the games is inexcusable and only held against kobe by ignorant fools (see yourself)

in reality, lebron(*) stans/kobe haters are just mad in spite all of this kobe managed to come up clean and being the hero of the year. meanwhile in the eastern conference, theres not even bball to watch there, the two best teams can be seen during the heat bench vs starters drills...:facepalm

[TheCalmInsanity]

:roll:

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fixed

[Mr. Jabbar]

What does LeBron or the Heat have to do with the 2013 Lakers being failures?

I think it's time to seek help bro.

I mentioned it because you're a lebron fan making fun of the lakers, so now i make fun of your heat, now you're supposed to throw me some asterisks which I shall dodge as usual :applause:

[KyleKong]

Only one thing is more satisfying than watching Lakers fans eat all the shit that they talked before the season.

And that one thing is seeing Brooklyn Decker naked.

[KyleKong]

http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BBUpiM_CUAAfS_f.jpg:large

Lee Jenkins GOAT.

[TonyMontana]

I mentioned it because you're a lebron fan making fun of the lakers, so now i make fun of your heat, now you're supposed to throw me some asterisks which I shall dodge as usual :applause:

Where did you make fun of the Heat?

All I see is a compliment about the starters and bench being the best two units in the East. You see, I'm not a stan that diminishes the cast to hype up one guy. I love having a stacked team. I'd take a stacked team every single year if I could. The higher the chances that my Heat win the title the happier I am.

But that has nothing to do with the Lakers pathetic year so I don't know where your going with this.


Only one thing is more satisfying than watching Lakers fans eat all the shit that they talked before the season.

And that one thing is seeing Brooklyn Decker naked.

Lol this couldn't have happened to a funnier fanbase. Karma is a bitch.

[monkeypox]

Lol, you act as if it was only Lakers fans that were saying this. Come on now. How many haters were crying about how unfair it was and how they should just hand the Lakers the WCF's now. Don't act like it was only Laker fans.

Enjoy it haters. It doesn't come around very often. In the end the team was destroyed by injuries and mismanagement. Hopefully they'll be able to come back next year with something.

As for biggest failures, how are massive injuries not a valid reason for under-performing? Heat fans were pointing at injuries to bench players and journeymen as reasons for not winning. The Lakers have been devastated all year and barely played with all 5 starters in the game, let alone fully healthy.

It sucks that they suck, but they're still the Lakers and I'm still a fan. It is what it is. I've still been to more title games and gone to more championship parades than any of you, I guarantee it.

[Mr. Jabbar]

Where did you make fun of the Heat?

All I see is a compliment about the starters and bench being the best two units in the East. You see, I'm not a stan that diminishes the cast to hype up one guy. I love having a stacked team. I'd take a stacked team every single year if I could. The higher the chances that my Heat win the title the happier I am.

But that has nothing to do with the Lakers pathetic year so I don't know where your going with this.


lmao cut the acting, you're just a lebron shlong rider gimmick, you're not even a real heat fan :facepalm, of course you'd take a stacked team with no competition; you're a lebron(*) fan :facepalm

[Shepseskaf]

Can't use the injuries as an excuse, LA. It just makes you look worse.

Other teams have suffered through injuries, yet some have managed to not only survive but prosper.

[SacJB Shady]

I think the Lakers wouldn't have made the playoffs if it wasn't for the unfair officiating.

[Bandito]

I think the Lakers would've had a better record if they were not riddled with injuries. People say Kobe and Dwight played most games, but you have to account they do not play in the Eastern conference, where teams like the Bucks make the playoffs and in the west the Jazz don't. Also you have to account their backcourt key players were often injured, Nash and Blake, and that position is very important, as important as center. Also people keep forgetting that Gasol is a very important key player, more than Dwight, in that team and he was out for a lot of games. Plus even Dwight was coming of a back surgery, people (Stans) think coming of a back surgery is easy? Heck MCgrady lost his superstar career due to back injuries. And the coup de tat...they go and lose Kobe.

Trust me this was a hard year to be a Lakers fan.

Lebron stan like Montana always point out to Kobe being a chucker. But guess what he was a horrible chucker last year (43% FG) and he went to the second round only to be beat by the Thunder. This year he was playing way better than he has since the championship run and he barely make the playoffs? What is missing in that equation? OH yeah I forgot, his favorite (and most respected teammate) Pau Gasol.

[Artillery]

I think the Lakers wouldn't have made the playoffs if it wasn't for the unfair officiating.

The basketball gods punished LA for undeservedly making the playoffs by injuring Kobe. Stern tried pulling a fast one on 'em and they were displeased. The multiple injuries that have happened to LA since then is proof of this.

[Artillery]

I think the Lakers would've had a better record if they were not riddled with injuries. People say Kobe and Dwight played most games, but you have to account they do not play in the Eastern conference, where teams like the Bucks make the playoffs and in the west the Jazz don't. Also you have to account their backcourt key players were often injured, Nash and Blake, and that position is very important, as important as center. Also people keep forgetting that Gasol is a very important key player, more than Dwight, in that team and he was out for a lot of games. Plus even Dwight was coming of a back surgery, people (Stans) think coming of a back surgery is easy? Heck MCgrady lost his superstar career due to back injuries. And the coup de tat...they go and lose Kobe.

Awful excuse. If you build an old team and play those guys heavy minutes, don't be surprised if they get injured. The Lakers were a badly put together team - awful defensively, decrepit/unathletic backcourt, over-reliant on threes, no bench, turnover-prone.

MISSED REGULAR SEASON GAMES 2012-13

LAKERS:
Dwight Howard -- 06
Pau Gasol -- 33
Kobe Bryant -- 04
Steve Nash -- 32
TOTAL FOR LAKERS BIG FOUR = 75
LAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD = 45-37

SPURS:
Manu Ginobili = 22
Tony Parker = 16
Tim Duncan = 13
Kawhi Leonard = 24
TOTAL FOR SPURS BIG FOUR = 75
SAS REGULAR SEASON RECORD = 58-24

[AintNoSunshine]

:roll: :roll: :roll:

:banana: :banana: :banana:

:cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

[oh the horror]

Captain Hindsight over here.

You can say that now, but NOONE was saying that when the Lakers acquired all of their all-stars.


Actually one of the main things discussed was the high risk for injuries with a team this old.


It is what it is.

[oh the horror]

Awful excuse. If you build an old team and play those guys heavy minutes, don't be surprised if they get injured. The Lakers were a badly put together team - awful defensively, decrepit/unathletic backcourt, over-reliant on threes, no bench, turnover-prone.

MISSED REGULAR SEASON GAMES 2012-13

LAKERS:
Dwight Howard -- 06
Pau Gasol -- 33
Kobe Bryant -- 04
Steve Nash -- 32
TOTAL FOR LAKERS BIG FOUR = 75
LAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD = 45-37

SPURS:
Manu Ginobili = 22
Tony Parker = 16
Tim Duncan = 13
Kawhi Leonard = 24
TOTAL FOR SPURS BIG FOUR = 75
SAS REGULAR SEASON RECORD = 58-24


Aside from the rest of the BS you typed there, outside of each player you mentioned on each team, name their remaining players?

Lakers are far more reliant on their "stars" and extremely top heavy.

San Antonio has ALWAYS found solid role players along the years.


These excuses are fact. Now it's not the only reason they crashed and burned but it's there.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Awful excuse. If you build an old team and play those guys heavy minutes, don't be surprised if they get injured. The Lakers were a badly put together team - awful defensively, decrepit/unathletic backcourt, over-reliant on threes, no bench, turnover-prone.

MISSED REGULAR SEASON GAMES 2012-13

LAKERS:
Dwight Howard -- 06
Pau Gasol -- 33
Kobe Bryant -- 04
Steve Nash -- 32
TOTAL FOR LAKERS BIG FOUR = 75
LAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD = 45-37

SPURS:
Manu Ginobili = 22
Tony Parker = 16
Tim Duncan = 13
Kawhi Leonard = 24
TOTAL FOR SPURS BIG FOUR = 75
SAS REGULAR SEASON RECORD = 58-24

/thread.:bowdown:

[Artillery]

Lakers are far more reliant on their "stars" and extremely top heavy.

The top four Lakers average 70 ppg. The top four Spurs average 60 ppg. It's even worse for SA since their best two offensive players(Parker/Duncan) missed a combined 29 games while the Lakers best two offensive players(Kobe/Dwight) only missed 10 games.


San Antonio has ALWAYS found solid role players along the years.

LA had a 100 million in salary. It's their own fault for not using any of it to acquire a decent bench.


These excuses are fact. Now it's not the only reason they crashed and burned but it's there.

The Lakers were never good even when their Big Four was on the court. That unit's record was 8-14. In those 22 games, they only beat one Top 6 NBA team (OKC in LA) while losing to 5 other Top 6 [Top 6 = MIA; OKC; SAS; DEN; MEM; LAC] squads.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Aside from the rest of the BS you typed there, outside of each player you mentioned on each team, name their remaining players?

Lakers are far more reliant on their "stars" and extremely top heavy.



Whose fault is that again? So the Spurs had a better system and now it's a bad thing?:facepalm

[Nero Tulip]

it would be worse if the lakeshow didn't make the playoffs. either way it goes the championship cruise sinked.

The thing is, they really shouldn't have made the playoffs. The last third of the season is the most bullshit I've ever seen in any sport.

[Crafty]

MISSED REGULAR SEASON GAMES 2012-13

LAKERS:
Dwight Howard -- 06
Pau Gasol -- 33
Kobe Bryant -- 04
Steve Nash -- 32
TOTAL FOR LAKERS BIG FOUR = 75
LAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD = 45-37

SPURS:
Manu Ginobili = 22
Tony Parker = 16
Tim Duncan = 13
Kawhi Leonard = 24
TOTAL FOR SPURS BIG FOUR = 75
SAS REGULAR SEASON RECORD = 58-24

/thread

[blacknapalm]

/thread

ya, let's ignore depth or coaching. spurs have been slowly moving away from manu, duncan, parker but most of them pick up for the others when needed.

howard may have only missed six games but you're a fool, if you think he was all the way back even until now. lakers salary was backloaded. while not a bad point it doesn't tell the whole story.

ya, kobe put a strain on the salary cap, but dwight only just recently back into form and nash being at the end of his road really plays a part. they had a crap bench to begin with so adding those two guys just exasperated it. i never liked meeks...too streaky. i liked 'lock and hopefully they keep him around finally.

3 point shooting is still a major issue. blake has a herky jerky shot and isn't consistent and of course, he goes down too. LA wouldn't have won this series even with everyone healthy. maybe if everyone was a year younger but it wasn't happening this time around. even with kobe, it was probably a 5 game series.

[Crafty]

ya, let's ignore depth or coaching. spurs have been slowly moving away from manu, duncan, parker but most of them pick up for the others when needed.

howard may have only missed six games but you're a fool, if you think he was all the way back even until now. lakers salary was backloaded. while not a bad point it doesn't tell the whole story.

ya, kobe put a strain on the salary cap, but dwight only just recently back into form and nash being at the end of his road really plays a part. they had a crap bench to begin with so adding those two guys just exasperated it. i never liked meeks...too streaky. i liked 'lock and hopefully they keep him around finally.

3 point shooting is still a major issue. blake has a herky jerky shot and isn't consistent and of course, he goes down too. LA wouldn't have won this series even with everyone healthy. maybe if everyone was a year younger but it wasn't happening this time around. even with kobe, it was probably a 5 game series.
The problem with the Lakers is Nash and the bench.
Nash is a liability on defense, he practically invites drives, and Kobe having the worst off ball defense I've ever seen doesn't help.
The bench is poor, in quality and quantity, whose fault is it? Salary, get Kobe just receiving 15-18mil and you have more than enough to sign FA. Good FA.

And yes, let's ignore coaching, that's what d'antoni has been doing

[blacknapalm]

The problem with the Lakers is Nash and the bench.
Nash is a liability on defense, he practically invites drives, and Kobe having the worst off ball defense I've ever seen doesn't help.
The bench is poor, in quality and quantity, whose fault is it? Salary, get Kobe just receiving 15-18mil and you have more than enough to sign FA. Good FA.

And yes, let's ignore coaching, that's what d'antoni has been doing

nash has always been a liability on D but he'll always be a better option than blake, period. add in no training camp and little practice with a bad coach. now add in recovering injuries to their best two players and another on their already weak bench? this season just wasn't meant to be. with the luxury tax looming, they didn't really have much wiggle room. a good FA? might have saved them a few games but this team was too injury plagued and did not gel enough to get past the first round.

on paper? sure, a huge disappointment but let's not forget all the injuries that occur-ed all season long. i'm mostly just disagreeing w/ the notion they're the biggest failure in history. there has been plenty of similarily talented teams that didn't face the same injury issues.

[Bandito]

Awful excuse. If you build an old team and play those guys heavy minutes, don't be surprised if they get injured. The Lakers were a badly put together team - awful defensively, decrepit/unathletic backcourt, over-reliant on threes, no bench, turnover-prone.

MISSED REGULAR SEASON GAMES 2012-13

LAKERS:
Dwight Howard -- 06
Pau Gasol -- 33
Kobe Bryant -- 04
Steve Nash -- 32
TOTAL FOR LAKERS BIG FOUR = 75
LAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD = 45-37

SPURS:
Manu Ginobili = 22
Tony Parker = 16
Tim Duncan = 13
Kawhi Leonard = 24
TOTAL FOR SPURS BIG FOUR = 75
SAS REGULAR SEASON RECORD = 58-24You got a nice point there. But opposite to the Spurs this Lakers team was built last season. There is a saying; "Rome wasn't built on a day". Not even the Heat with all their top talent won their first year, it takes time.

Also you have to see while Dwight didn't miss a lot of games he did play slower and less athletically than last year. Also one of their main offense, Gasol missed a lot of games in 33 like you said.

But like you said, this team was built wrong. They should've address their main weaknesses, the perimeter defense (backcourt) and the bench (backcourt too).

[Nevaeh]

You can't fail if you never get a chance. No team in history could withstand the type of injuries the Lakers saw this season.

Tell that to the teams that should have actually been in the Playoffs, instead of the Lakers.

:oldlol:

[jzek]

2014 Lakers are

We're talking about PRIME SHAQ and PRIME KOBE with two other serviceable HoFs. This team has no prime players and all are hurt.

[ripthekik]

injuries ruined this season for them.

for the 2011 heat.. it wasn't injury though :roll: :roll: :roll:

[KingBeasley08]

ppl give the 04 lakers shit but they made the finals so they had a level of success. but to lose in the first round..


:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:


This is gonna go down in history as one of the biggest failures, if not the biggest, in NBA history.

[retaxis]

11 heat at least were 2 games from winning the championship. This lakers team is so far from a championship that I wouldn't even put $10 on them to win $100000

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

The '11 Heat are - and the finals Lebron turned into casper. :oldlol:

[retaxis]

The '11 Heat are - and the finals Lebron turned into casper. :oldlol:
Key word 'finals' which meant conference champions. 13 Lakers would be lucky to win a single game in the PO.

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

Key word 'finals' which meant conference champions. 13 Lakers would be lucky to win a single game in the PO.

They've had tons of injuries. I give them somewhat of a pass (2004 was more of a failure and indictment against Kobe).

No superstar has come up smaller than '11 Bron did. Fact. :oldlol:

[retaxis]

They've had tons of injuries. I give them somewhat of a pass (2004 was more of a failure and indictment against Kobe).

No superstar has come up smaller than '11 Bron did. Fact. :oldlol:

Results are results and swept 1st round is not a good look. How you gonna come back next year and say championship after 3 years getting spanked? without even getting close to the trophy. At least in 12 Lebron came and finished some unfinished business...can't say the same for 04 Kobe or 13 Kobe.

[longtime lurker]

Is Tony Montana the biggest ******* on this site?

[JellyBean]

Sadly, in all my years of watching NBA games and following the Lakers (1978), this season has been a total disappointment. Injuries were there but still the Lakers dropped the ball and this ranks up there as probably the biggest failure of all times.

[SwayDizzle]

Is Tony Montana the biggest ******* on this site?
I think so

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

Results are results and swept 1st round is not a good look. How you gonna come back next year and say championship after 3 years getting spanked? without even getting close to the trophy. At least in 12 Lebron came and finished some unfinished business...can't say the same for 04 Kobe or 13 Kobe.

That's true, but the thread title reads 'biggest failures', so this is irrelevant. Like I said, NOTHING was a bigger failure than watching Lebron fold like a lawn chair. It was so bad, guy had to lock himself in his room for days. LMAO!

[retaxis]

That's true, but the thread title reads 'biggest failures', so this is irrelevant. Like I said, NOTHING was a bigger failure than watching Lebron fold like a lawn chair. It was so bad, guy had to lock himself in his room for days. LMAO!
04 would be the biggest failure IMO. Easy 4 peat and look at what Kobe did. Like Lebron but 10x worse

[KingBeasley08]

Tony Montana is the best April 2013 poster so far. May be biased cause the actual character Tony Motana is a fvcking G but still, keep ballin

just made the nikka go green

[no pun intended]

Unfortunately, D'Antoni can't run an old team.

[kshutts1]

Let's see...

Lebron is better than Kobe
Wade is better than Howard
Bosh is better than Pau
Chalmers is (arguably) better than Nash (and most certainly a better fit)...

The Heat didn't win in their first season because they still had to work out the kinks and get a deeper bench. They obviously made it further than the Lakers will, but this season has come as no surprise to me. When the Heat team was assembled, they were more talented than the Lakers team, and I still was shocked they made the finals. Was telling everyone that they needed a bench. Now a worse, older Lakers team, and people think they don't need a bench? Come on. Not all of us Laker fans thought it would be a title season.. some of us can be realistic in our expectations (and this team even fell short of my realistic ones).

Amnesty Kobe (hate to do this, but it makes way too much financial sense), trade Pau for multiple useful pieces, trade Nash for anything younger than 25, and rebuild around Howard. Ideal situation? No. But a salvageable one.

[longtime lurker]

04 would be the biggest failure IMO. Easy 4 peat and look at what Kobe did. Like Lebron but 10x worse

Sorry but Kobe actually showed up. There have been lots of players that had a poor finals series but none who completely gave up and disappeared quite like Lebron. And you obviously don't know your history because the Lakers weren't 4 peating dumbass.

[Djahjaga]

They were injured, yeah, but are we really acting like we weren't on here analyzing after every game they lost? They sucked WAY before they got seriously injured, just like the Celtics sucked before Rondo went out.

Don't try to pull that revisionist sh*t. You can say they sucked because it was poorly constructed, but don't cop out by saying they were injured. Everyone was injured this season, in case you didn't know.

I won't blame kids 10 years down the line for saying it was cuz of the injuries, but this season JUST F*CKING HAPPENED. Don't give me the games they missed. They were doing fine in the health dept at the beginning when they were losing to teams like the Blazers and Cavs. And Laker fans were bitching that Dwight sucked, Pau sucked, Steve Nash was washed up, etc. Now we're all changing the narrative? That's straight b*llshit.

They dropped the ball on this one. Wasn't entirely their fault. Mitch isn't some sort of god, it turns out. They face even bigger problems now with the CBA. It'll be interesting to see what happens.

[DatAsh]

Let's see...

Lebron is better than Kobe

Agree


Wade is better than Howard
Disagree, especially these last two or three years. Howard brings more to the table when you factor in defense.


Bosh is better than Pau
Disagree again. I'd call this a tie. Spoelstra uses Bosh better than D'Antoni uses Gasol though.


Chalmers is (arguably) better than Nash (and most certainly a better fit)...
Disagree strongly with this. Nash - even at this age - is so much better than Chalmers that I wouldn't even call it close. Again though, Spoelstra uses Chalmers better than D'Antoni uses Nash.

Talent wise, I'd take Laker's starting 5 over Maimi's, but talent is only a part of the big picture. The biggest differences between the 2011 Heat and the 2013 Lakers is that:

1. Dwyane Wade wasn't playing with an injured back for a good portion of the season.
2. Chris Bosh didn't miss 33 games.
3. Mario Chalmers didn't miss 32 games.
4. Miami's coach actively worked to get a system in place that maximized the talents of his roster. LA's coach tried to implement a system that he was comfortable with, but didn't really fit the roster he had.
5. 26 year year old James was a better player than 34 year old Bryant.

Those would be the biggest reasons I'd cite to explain the disparity in first year success. With all that's happened with this team: the injuries, the lack of bench, and the coaching, it's not really fair to call this the greatest failure of all time. All time is a monumental statement, and I just don't think this team fits the bill.

[boozehound]

Why are injuries an excuse?

Your great god Kobe Bryant played 78 games this year. Dwight played 76 albeit not 100%, but he is still has a case for best C in the league (or top 3, whatever) Bulls played a whole season without Rose and still managed a 5th seed.

Laker fans are pathetic.
this. the injuries derailed this team is so far removed from reality its laughable. Sure, injuries hurt them down the stretch, but they were hot garbage this season with dwight and kobe playing almost every game. Its a convenient excuse for the blind homers, but this lakers team is bad. and will be for at least the next two years.

[boozehound]

Let's see...

Lebron is better than Kobe
Wade is better than Howard
Bosh is better than Pau
Chalmers is (arguably) better than Nash (and most certainly a better fit)...

The Heat didn't win in their first season because they still had to work out the kinks and get a deeper bench. They obviously made it further than the Lakers will, but this season has come as no surprise to me. When the Heat team was assembled, they were more talented than the Lakers team, and I still was shocked they made the finals. Was telling everyone that they needed a bench. Now a worse, older Lakers team, and people think they don't need a bench? Come on. Not all of us Laker fans thought it would be a title season.. some of us can be realistic in our expectations (and this team even fell short of my realistic ones).

Amnesty Kobe (hate to do this, but it makes way too much financial sense), trade Pau for multiple useful pieces, trade Nash for anything younger than 25, and rebuild around Howard. Ideal situation? No. But a salvageable one.
those realistic lakes fans were few and far between. The preseason was dominated by idiot lakers fans like kennet and nick young crowing about how this was the best team ever assembled in the nba, etc., blah blah blah. go back and look at the threads from that time and you will not find very many, if any, posts from lakers fans with reasonable expectations. You may have been there, but you were silent in the face of douchebaggery by the vast majority of lakers fans.

[kshutts1]

Agree


Disagree, especially these last two or three years. Howard brings more to the table when you factor in defense.


Disagree again. I'd call this a tie. Spoelstra uses Bosh better than D'Antoni uses Gasol though.


Disagree strongly with this. Nash - even at this age - is so much better than Chalmers that I wouldn't even call it close. Again though, Spoelstra uses Chalmers better than D'Antoni uses Nash.

Talent wise, I'd take Laker's starting 5 over Maimi's, but talent is only a part of the big picture. The biggest differences between the 2011 Heat and the 2013 Lakers is that:

1. Dwyane Wade wasn't playing with an injured back for a good portion of the season.
2. Chris Bosh didn't miss 33 games.
3. Mario Chalmers didn't miss 32 games.
4. Miami's coach actively worked to get a system in place that maximized the talents of his roster. LA's coach tried to implement a system that he was comfortable with, but didn't really fit the roster he had.
5. 26 year year old James was a better player than 34 year old Bryant.

Those would be the biggest reasons I'd cite to explain the disparity in first year success. With all that's happened with this team: the injuries, the lack of bench, and the coaching, it's not really fair to call this the greatest failure of all time. All time is a monumental statement, and I just don't think this team fits the bill.

Have to agree to disagree, then. Wade is a pretty solid defender in his own right, and Howard was hurt and has pretty visibly not been himself since he became a Laker.. which is the only thing that matters in this thread.

As for Nash vs Chalmers... Nash, at his age, is best used as a spot up shooter (particularly on this Lakers team) and Chalmers is only percentage points behind Nash in 3p %, plus he is a positive influence on the defensive side whereas Nash is a negative influence. Bosh and Pau I'll say that Pau is the better post option, but Bosh is the better player.

[Bandito]

04 would be the biggest failure IMO. Easy 4 peat and look at what Kobe did. Like Lebron but 10x worseWhat 4 peat? They lost to the Spurs the year before. Do you watch the NBA and not just espn.com stats?

[Flush]

Is Tony Montana the biggest ******* on this site?
Yeah he is the biggest ******* because he f***s Lakers fans with arguments through behind their butts.

[DonDadda59]

Awful excuse. If you build an old team and play those guys heavy minutes, don't be surprised if they get injured. The Lakers were a badly put together team - awful defensively, decrepit/unathletic backcourt, over-reliant on threes, no bench, turnover-prone.

MISSED REGULAR SEASON GAMES 2012-13

LAKERS:
Dwight Howard -- 06
Pau Gasol -- 33
Kobe Bryant -- 04
Steve Nash -- 32
TOTAL FOR LAKERS BIG FOUR = 75
LAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD = 45-37

SPURS:
Manu Ginobili = 22
Tony Parker = 16
Tim Duncan = 13
Kawhi Leonard = 24
TOTAL FOR SPURS BIG FOUR = 75
SAS REGULAR SEASON RECORD = 58-24

:applause:

Teams like the Spurs, Knicks, Bulls don't want to hear all that whining about injuries. Knicks played the entire season with the exception of a relative handful of games without their second best player, their frontcourt was decimated by injuries, they were the oldest team in NBA History... but somehow they managed to string together a great season.

The Lakers were at their worst when everyone was healthy and playing together. As you pointed out they were 8-14 (not counting the 0-8 preseason record) when their 'big 4' were on the court together.

Just a disaster of an abortion of a season. Easily one of the worst failures in sports history.

[TonyMontana]

Lebron stan like Montana always point out to Kobe being a chucker. But guess what he was a horrible chucker last year (43% FG) and he went to the second round only to be beat by the Thunder. This year he was playing way better than he has since the championship run

No he hasn't. Defense is 50% of the game and Kobes defense was worse than ever. And all of his "epic games" were vs bottom feeder teams like the Bobcats and Trailblazers. Kobe simply can't perform at a high level vs good teams anymore. And its evidenced by LAs lack of ability to beat the good teams. Nearly all of their 45 wins were off of nonplayoff teams or first round fodder.


Awful excuse. If you build an old team and play those guys heavy minutes, don't be surprised if they get injured. The Lakers were a badly put together team - awful defensively, decrepit/unathletic backcourt, over-reliant on threes, no bench, turnover-prone.

MISSED REGULAR SEASON GAMES 2012-13

LAKERS:
Dwight Howard -- 06
Pau Gasol -- 33
Kobe Bryant -- 04
Steve Nash -- 32
TOTAL FOR LAKERS BIG FOUR = 75
LAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD = 45-37

SPURS:
Manu Ginobili = 22
Tony Parker = 16
Tim Duncan = 13
Kawhi Leonard = 24
TOTAL FOR SPURS BIG FOUR = 75
SAS REGULAR SEASON RECORD = 58-24

:bowdown:
:applause: :applause: :applause:


They've had tons of injuries. I give them somewhat of a pass (2004 was more of a failure and indictment against Kobe).

No superstar has come up smaller than '11 Bron did. Fact. :oldlol:

LeBron James 2011 Finals: 17.8 PPG 7.2 RPG 6.8 APG 48% shooting

Kobe Bryant 2004 Finals: 22.6 PPG 2.8 RPG 4.6 APG 38% shooting

Kobe Bryant 2000 Finals: 15.6 PPG 4.6 RPG 4.2 APG 36% shooting

Kobe Bryant 2013 Playoffs: 0 PPG 0 RPG 0 APG 0% shooting

The 2011 Heat were still entertaining to watch regardless and got to the Finals. This 2013 Lakers team just plain sucks. AND this team was picked to make it to the Finals and win the title by ALL of their fans. :oldlol:


Tony Montana is the best April 2013 poster so far. May be biased cause the actual character Tony Motana is a fvcking G but still, keep ballin

just made the nikka go green

My man....:cheers:

[alleykat]

Ice cold thread....

But ya....never seen such hype only to fail when ur main offensive threats were playing every game...

[takai]

Injuries
The starting four only played a combined 22 or so games together
Owner died
Coaching changes
Injuries again



/thread.

[KyleKong]

Injuries
The starting four only played a combined 22 or so games together
Owner died
Coaching changes
Injuries again



/thread.

People who /thread their own posts. :facepalm

[okayabc123]

I think if you add Metta to the mix, the starting 5 of the lakers only played 16-18 games together all season.

The length of the NBA season goes through streaks of winning and losing, and you just can't build any type of momentum to win consistently by only playing 15-20 games together. Add to the fact, Meeks, Jamison are new to playing with Kobe. Blake didn't play until 1/3 way into the season, Hill was out with an injury. And oh yeah, you changed one bad coach to another one.

Add to that Howard didn't practice much preseason, and his atrocious ft shooting probably cost Lakers at least 5 Ws this season. If Lakers had won 5 more games, they would've been a 50 win team this year, and I think given the injuries, coaches situation, that would be pretty amazing for what they accomplish.

But that's all in hindsight, on paper, Lakers should have dominated with that roster, on the court and in reality, Lakers just didn't put it together.

[Manny98]

https://i.postimg.cc/sg4JTp9K/1235580887-0.jpg

[8Ball]

What a legendary thread.

That Tony Montana dude was a legend.

[Full Court]

2020 Lakers are the biggest failures of all time. It's not even close, really.

[Shooter]

https://i.postimg.cc/sg4JTp9K/1235580887-0.jpg

That 1st round sweep got Manny feeling some type of way :lol Bumping threads from 2013 :lol

[8Ball]

2020 Lakers are the biggest failures of all time. It's not even close, really.

This happened in 2020 :roll:

https://sportshub.cbsistatic.com/i/r/2020/10/12/8fab22d7-e8fd-447d-9fed-86eb61c8bede/thumbnail/1200x675/c948ef375bb9da69fd5188ada3a9743a/lakers-title.jpg

[2much_knowledge]

What a legendary thread.

That Tony Montana dude was a legend.

Legendary thread in which theres absolutely no mention of any of the numerous injuries in that season. So lying is how one make legendary threads....

[kawhileonard2]

https://i.postimg.cc/sg4JTp9K/1235580887-0.jpg

This!