I'm sorry but............. The Lakers are a great team and a contender when healthy

[QUOTE=livingby3's]If im not wrong the Lakers are at the bottom 10 teams in opponents ppg last season, and that's with Metta and Dwight through various point of the season.
like other posters mentioned, the Lakers have MDA as the coach, probably the oldest and one of the worst defensive backcourt in the league, having Kaman defending the paint instead of Dwight, all of that in this guards driven league, it's not looking good.[/QUOTE]



yet the lakers will still have a better record than last year


i'l bet my avatar on it

if the lakers don't have a better record i'l change it to whatever you want. if they're a worse team next year you have to change it to whatever i want

They are 1 trade from being a legit contender. If they can somehow trade Blake and Wesley Johnson for Trevor Ariza and then sign Odom, then they are gonna be a tough out for the top 4 seeds.

tbh i think this team will have better chemistry than last year. Nash pau kobe play well together.

[QUOTE=dbk123]tbh i think this team will have better chemistry than last year. Nash pau kobe play well together.[/QUOTE]


all i'm gonna say is... addition by subtraction


they could have just waived howard and metta. not added anyone. and been better


the fact that they got young, johnson and kaman blew me away. i was surprised they all took pay cuts to come here.

Their defense will be abysmal. Unspeakably bad. Plus, it seems like a lot of Laker fans are in denial about Kobe. He'll be 35 coming off a major injury. It's unlikely he'll be anywhere near the same player once he returns.

A healthy Laker team could maybe get a lower seed and be out in the 1st round, but there's a good chance this simply isn't a playoff team. You can almost be sure that their defense will be terrible.

Given their age and recent injuries, good health is unlikely. Who expects a 40 year old point who was injured most of last season to stay healthy? Listing Nash's 2012 all-star selection doesn't mean anything. He no longer has a team built to his strengths and is no longer the centerpiece, plus he no longer gives you enough offense to make up for his defense, and his defense has gone from bad to worse.

Pau is 33, was also injured last season and hasn't played like an elite big man in 2 seasons. It's nice that he got an all-nba second team selection in 2011, but he's not that player anymore.

Same with Kaman's all-star selection. Since that 2010 season, he's missed a significant amount of games each year, and been on 3 different teams that all missed the playoffs. Besides, I think he's set to be the back up center.

Kobe is the only player I can see living up to the accolades listed in the OP, but at 35 coming off such a serious injury, even he's far from a sure thing. You can't count him out, and it wouldn't surprise me one bit if he averages 25 ppg, but truthfully, we don't know when he'll be ready to play yet or what level he'll be able to play at.

And then there's Pringles coaching the team. There's not much of a chance this team contends in the West. Playoffs are possible, but nobody thinks they're a serious threat to come out of the West. There's a reason the Lakers are looking towards the 2014 offseason.

[QUOTE=GrapeApe]Their defense will be abysmal. Unspeakably bad. Plus, it seems like a lot of Laker fans are in denial about Kobe. He'll be 35 coming off a major injury. It's unlikely he'll be anywhere near the same player once he returns.[/QUOTE]


non laker fans are the ones in denial about kobe. every year you guys predict hes gonna average 22-23ppg on 40% shooting and fall out of 1st team honors

every single god damn year for the last half decade

you people are clueless on hard work, dedication, inovative rehab, science and unlimited resources. hes not an average man who rehabs on his spare time. every waking moment of the day is spent training. you think he wants to give up 30 mill a season? he'l average 25/5/5+ next year. i'l bet my life on it. and if fully healthy i say he drops 28-29 a game


and on good percentages

The Lakers = [IMG]http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9vHmf2JVdig/TYbFL0XdnPI/AAAAAAAAOi4/sgN_Vgk44ko/s400/The%2BPerfect%2BBreakfast003.jpg[/IMG]

[QUOTE=ShaqAttack3234]A healthy Laker team could maybe get a lower seed and be out in the 1st round, but there's a good chance this simply isn't a playoff team. You can almost be sure that their defense will be terrible.

Given their age and recent injuries, good health is unlikely. Who expects a 40 year old point who was injured most of last season to stay healthy? Listing Nash's 2012 all-star selection doesn't mean anything. He no longer has a team built to his strengths and is no longer the centerpiece, plus he no longer gives you enough offense to make up for his defense, and his defense has gone from bad to worse.

Pau is 33, was also injured last season and hasn't played like an elite big man in 2 seasons. It's nice that he got an all-nba second team selection in 2011, but he's not that player anymore.

Same with Kaman's all-star selection. Since that 2010 season, he's missed a significant amount of games each year, and been on 3 different teams that all missed the playoffs. Besides, I think he's set to be the back up center.

Kobe is the only player I can see living up to the accolades listed in the OP, but at 35 coming off such a serious injury, even he's far from a sure thing. You can't count him out, and it wouldn't surprise me one bit if he averages 25 ppg, but truthfully, we don't know when he'll be ready to play yet or what level he'll be able to play at.

And then there's Pringles coaching the team. There's not much of a chance this team contends in the West. Playoffs are possible, but nobody thinks they're a serious threat to come out of the West. There's a reason the Lakers are looking towards the 2014 offseason.[/QUOTE]


you assuming all of the worst possible outcomes is no different than me assuming all of the best possible outcomes

in reality i'm sure there will be set backs next season. but not even half as many as last year. theyel have a better record

mettas defense was trash last year and howard gambled and had no timing either on d... they were coasting on rep. the whole team barely defended. they all were lazy on d... i say the less big names you have the more hustle you give. i think this team will take pride this year in giving 100% on defense

Troll thread successful...5 pages and counting.

Good job Griff.

[QUOTE=kennethgriffin]non laker fans are the ones in denial about kobe. every year you guys predict hes gonna average 22-23ppg on 40% shooting and fall out of 1st team honors

every single god damn year for the last half decade

you people are clueless on hard work, dedication, inovative rehab, science and unlimited resources. hes not an average man who rehabs on his spare time. every waking moment of the day is spent training. you think he wants to give up 30 mill a season? he'l average 25/5/5+ next year. i'l bet my life on it. and if fully healthy i say he drops 28-29 a game


and on good percentages[/QUOTE]

Listen, I like Kobe and I hope he returns to form and has a successful comeback. I'm just being realistic. I know he works hard and has great medical/rehab resources but he's still human. Father time is usually unkind to athletes with a serious injury at Kobe's age.

[QUOTE=KG215]Troll thread successful...5 pages and counting.

Good job Griff.[/QUOTE]

They may not be contenders, but I do think this Laker team is a lot better ON PAPER than people are giving it credit for. I'm optimistic. I'll even do an avy bet that they'll be in the playoffs.

[QUOTE=SpecialQue]They may not be contenders, but I do think this Laker team is a lot better ON PAPER than people are giving it credit for. I'm optimistic. I'll even do an avy bet that they'll be in the playoffs.[/QUOTE]
I agree. I think the 7 and 8 spots are pretty wide-open (OKC, Spurs, Clippers, Grizz, Rockets, Warriors will finish 1-6 in some order) and the Lakers are one of the teams that can challenge for either spot. But Griff is trying to selling them as contenders and I don't see that being a possibility.

Good offensive pieces but that's only half of the game...when the playoffs roll around its all about multiple stops

[QUOTE=GrapeApe]Listen, I like Kobe and I hope he returns to form and has a successful comeback. I'm just being realistic. I know he works hard and has great medical/rehab resources but he's still human. Father time is usually unkind to athletes with a serious injury at Kobe's age.[/QUOTE]


there's never been another kobe type player whos gone down with this kind of injury though. you can count on one hand how many people work as hard as this guy and who have the same drive inside them

the average mans spirit is broken

even a good/great player will give in most of the time

but when you have as much riding on your recovery as kobe does. you do 8-10 hour rehab days instead of 3-4. you do more research and homework. hire more staff. and are open to more innovative therapy


kobe has the all time scoring record, a sixth championship, 30 million dollars, and a bunch of critics to prove wrong

give him just 1 of those reasons to come back strong and he'd do it. all 4 reasons combined and i'l bet he makes a full recovery by the 2nd week of the season at the latest