Serious question, are the Lakers going to be better with Kobe gone?

[DonDadda59]

Coachbe with a 3-1 record this season (counting the game he 'played' against IND) and 8-3 overall the past 2 seasons. Watch out D'Antoni, Lakers might've found your replacement

[Sharmer]

These are my reasons:

1) Gasol and Howard have more touches. With kobe gone, both of them have to step up offensively. Seeing both make 20 ppg each is not unrealistic.

2) Nash would be able to handle the ball most of the times (Instead of Kobe) which we know is his most effective game as he can easily deliver good looks for the big men.

3) The spirit of the team gets stronger. We have seen it with Kevin Ware and the Louisville team, one ugly injury and it spirited the team to win the national championship just to honor the fallen teammate. Now we have Kobe with a full blown achilles tendon and a video of him crying in the press conference. Im not saying the Lakers will win it all, but maybe they make a deep run for their fallen hero..

Much better without him.

Now they have to run their offense through two 7 footers.

This is a much better method for success than having Kobe take so many shots.

[chazzy]

Much better without him.

Now they have to run their offense through two 7 footers.

This is a much better method for success than having Kobe take so many shots.

Laker offense was like a well oiled machine tonight, beautiful stuff

[miles berg]

Can't answer this question without seeing Nash in there with Dwight, Gasol, Artest, Meeks, Clark, & Blake.

Could be a very potent team.

[Mrofir]

it takes an off-game Duncan and a 1-10 FG Tony Parker for Lakers to hang in there with the Spurs without Kobe.

And Gasol went 3-17 from the field. They played a basketball game and the Lakers won. That's what happened.

[Sharmer]

And Gasol went 3-17 from the field. They played a basketball game and the Lakers won. That's what happened.

But Dwight was there for the put backs when Gasol went for 3/17.

With Kobe having the lane cleared and taking fade away shots, Dwight is not there for offense rebounds or put backs.

[Heavincent]

When your best player is out, you get significantly worse.

It's really simple stuff, but apparently a few of you need it to be explained.

[disel]

Considering Dwight>choke when used with a right method.

[Sharmer]

When your best player is out, you get significantly worse.

It's really simple stuff, but apparently a few of you need it to be explained.

Have you even watched Kobe defense this year, its pathetic.

[PickernRoller]

But Dwight was there for the put backs when Gasol went for 3/17.

With Kobe having the lane cleared and taking fade away shots, Dwight is not there for offense rebounds or put backs.

Actually that's most of the way Dwight gets his points - putbacks, and easy lobs - regardless of who's on the floor.

Son, why try so hard. It's a lost cause.

[BlackVVaves]

Yep. Their hanging with the Spurs.

If Kobe was playing they'd be down by double digits and Kobes field goal percentage would be >45%.

The Lakers have never been about Kobe. Their only going as far as Dwight Howard can take them and without Kobe hogging the ball they can actually run their offense through the correct player. Kobe is an old inefficient chucker at this point.

Should I pull out some stats for you, or just reduce my post to a plethora of terms that highlight your distinct idiocy as a poster?

And you've been here for less than a month. Good god.

[outbreak]

Kobe has been great this year but his style hasn't worked well with Howard. Personally I think they may actually be a bit better with out Kobe and running through Howard and Gasol. This isn't a knock on Kobe, he's a great player, but I just think they haven't geled right and so neither has been performing to the best that they could.

[Sharmer]

Of course their going to be better going through Dwight and Gasol. Basketball 101, don't run your offense through jump shooters.

[Mrofir]

my official answer to the thread question:

This season, and right now, the Lakers are better without Kobe.

In the grand scheme, the team can never reach its full potential without Kobe.

But it's gotta be a Kobe that figures out how to maximize the potential of his teammates, not the one from this season. I've said it for a while now and I'll keep saying it. I always thought he would come back next season as a different player and figure out how to mesh better. If he's such a great coach and tactician the least he could do is figure out how to fit into this team.

[PickernRoller]

Should I pull out some stats for you, or just reduce my post to a plethora of terms that highlight your distinct idiocy as a poster?

And you've been here for less than a month. Good god.

Prob an alt. Like most anyway - no need for proof when it's the same rhetoric repeated a 1000 times.

As for this thread - Simply NO. A bunch of hypotheticals, a bunch of speculation, a bunch of nothing. The thread ask if the team is better or not - not full potential or half potential or ultimate goal BS.

The system and coaching is horrible - the injuries plagued the team + some pieces are just a bad fit/not what the team needs. Not necessarily a Dwight and Kobe meshing issue. Look how well Pau and Kobe meshed the last few games of the season + the Kobe, Pau, Dwight connection. They just got their shit together and forget whatever D'Antoni was preaching. D'Antoni himself admitted the system was messed up.

Not necessarily all teams tank and perform horrible when their stars go down or rest. Proof of that is everywhere - if you can't find it then f'ck yourself for being a moron.