Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Ladies and gentlement, your 04-05 Los Angeles Lakers

Halx · 07-22-2004, 05:12 PM

I forgot to address the bench issue. I'm assuming Malone makes his way back, and we'll probably sign a backup point guard like Mike James. Having Rush, Butler, Grant, Walton, Slava, Cook, Vujacic (our rookie, who shows signs of being like Brent Barry or Manu Ginobili in point guard form), Douthit (our other rookie who has been doing his best Emeka Okafor impression in summer league), and whoever we get for George and Fox (that's actually wishful thinking) is not a bad bench at all.

I think they key to the game is not the talent anymore. It's about how you play as a team. The Pistons proved it. As it usually is in sports, most of the teams make adjustments to change their gameplan to something that resembles that of the previous year's champion. (Remember all the American League teams trying to play small-ball in 2003 after the Angels won the world series?) We should see an emphasis on teamwork and hustle this year. Talent be damned.

Hustle, I can tell you, is one thing Shaq is not capable of.

And yes, Payton is on his last legs, but he's like Malone. He's not a high flyer so he stays healthy and adapts to smart play instead of trying to push his old body to the limit.

I honestly think the Lakers will end up in #2 spot again, helped out by the 3-division format.

Contenders:
Spurs - picked up Brent Barry to replace Hedo Turkey-Glue. Not a bad move, but they remain essentially the same team. They will be #1.
Timberpups - Have to re-sign Fred Hoiberg or another gutsy shooter. Essentially the same team as last. They beat people with talent and guts. They will be #3
Queens - Replaced Vlade with Ostertag. That means they're sunk in the middle. No matter how good their passing is, something about that team prevents them from winning anything worthwhile. #5
Grizz - This team played awesome last year. There is little different between them and the Lakers now, except the Lakers have more experience and more elite coach. #6
Nuggets - Great moves! Kiki should be exec of the year. #4
Jazz and Mavs round out the top 8. Jazz get in through their additions and Mavs slip down through their losses.

07-22-2004, 05:12 PM	#54 (permalink)
Halx Please touch this. Owner/Admin Location: Manhattan	I forgot to address the bench issue. I'm assuming Malone makes his way back, and we'll probably sign a backup point guard like Mike James. Having Rush, Butler, Grant, Walton, Slava, Cook, Vujacic (our rookie, who shows signs of being like Brent Barry or Manu Ginobili in point guard form), Douthit (our other rookie who has been doing his best Emeka Okafor impression in summer league), and whoever we get for George and Fox (that's actually wishful thinking) is not a bad bench at all. I think they key to the game is not the talent anymore. It's about how you play as a team. The Pistons proved it. As it usually is in sports, most of the teams make adjustments to change their gameplan to something that resembles that of the previous year's champion. (Remember all the American League teams trying to play small-ball in 2003 after the Angels won the world series?) We should see an emphasis on teamwork and hustle this year. Talent be damned. Hustle, I can tell you, is one thing Shaq is not capable of. And yes, Payton is on his last legs, but he's like Malone. He's not a high flyer so he stays healthy and adapts to smart play instead of trying to push his old body to the limit. I honestly think the Lakers will end up in #2 spot again, helped out by the 3-division format. Contenders: Spurs - picked up Brent Barry to replace Hedo Turkey-Glue. Not a bad move, but they remain essentially the same team. They will be #1. Timberpups - Have to re-sign Fred Hoiberg or another gutsy shooter. Essentially the same team as last. They beat people with talent and guts. They will be #3 Queens - Replaced Vlade with Ostertag. That means they're sunk in the middle. No matter how good their passing is, something about that team prevents them from winning anything worthwhile. #5 Grizz - This team played awesome last year. There is little different between them and the Lakers now, except the Lakers have more experience and more elite coach. #6 Nuggets - Great moves! Kiki should be exec of the year. #4 Jazz and Mavs round out the top 8. Jazz get in through their additions and Mavs slip down through their losses. __________________ You have found this post informative. -The Administrator [Don't Feed The Animals]