Pistons are 1-3 in the preseason... the way I look at it, teams that play their starters more then their 2nd string have either retarded coaching staff, a brand new team that the starting core needs all the time they can get together, or they are just flat up embarrased about their bench :P

True my friend but unlike the Lakers :) whom had Kobe playing 44mins in an OT loss :lol: and brian cook was the second leading scorer :lol: we're playing our starters as much as the next team and we're still impressing. I'm not getting carried away with our performances yet but i think it's a good sign that the chemistry is there with our new team.

Suns are on the rise again :thumbsup:

Ticket, Alien, Predator, Wally World, and dare I say Kandi man > all

Oh, don't get me wrong. The Suns look very promising this year. They're my third favorite team, behind the Pistons and Magic.

you laugh now, but i'm here to proclaim that that guys the real deal! he's like a 6'10" michael redd!

lets see how much you laugh when he drops 20 on stoudemire before he gets a hand up!

I think it should be mentioned that the Lakers have been playing without Kareem Rush, Luke Walton, Slava Medvedenko, Vlade Divac, and Devean George for the preseason. You can't play guys like Neil Yanke (who?) for more than 10 minutes in a game because they are unlikely to make the team anyways. That was by far the most minutes Rudy has had Kobe play. He has kept Kobe at 30 min max otherwise. Kobe is learning his way in a new offense, and being the most critical component to the team, he should be in there a 'good' amount of the time. By the way, during the Lakers 3 peat they always sucked in the preseason. They even went winless in the '99 preseason, then started the season with something like 12 straight wins and went on to the title. Preseason means little as an indicator of regular season play.

Kobe is to make this team work. Brian Grant is a good but limited player. Vlade is pushing 36-37, I don't think he has much left. Lamar Odom is ok, but suffers from the same shooting inconsistency that plagues most of the young stars in the game.

The lakers playoff fate is Kobe's fate. If he doesn't let the other players play they might not even make the playoffs. His m.o. id when things get bad to try and take over. Belive me things will get bad this year. If Kobe doesn't rely on his teamates, it will be ugly.

Lamar Odom will never be a star with Kobe on his team. They have similar games that require them to have the ball in there hands. And from looking at the past I think Kobe will win out.

After another excellent preseason game, I am so excited for the new season to start. All you skeptics have NO clue what you're talking about. We have amazing depth, skill and energy. You're not gonna know what hit you.

thank you hal! its not about the quantity of support, it's about the quality! it's amazing how few supporters showed up to this thread after 2 pages have gone by. you fair weather fans should be ashamed of yourselves. but after seeing a handful of preseason games, i cannot believe how well the gary payton trade came together with last years leftovers. don't worry, the bandwagon will be there for you to jump on later this year. you're all going to have to bust out your car flags that you stashed in your garage after the shaq trade! c'mon, i know you got 'em !

Preseason... You are actually gauging the success of your team on Preseason games?

Like I said, we'll see how well the Lakers will be now that they actually have to play 82 games in a season.

This made me laugh at the office, got some funny looks. Just saying! When I think Kobe, I don't think team. Medvedenko? Cmon.

I personally think the Lakers make the playoffs, be actully be competitve, and have a chance at making a run.. very unlikely. They don't have enough size, and if they can play as a team with the speed and ability to run, they could actully be quite good. But, again, I don't think Kobe can push his ego aside long enough to give this team that kind of chance.

With that said, the Lakers will probably be a 6 or 7. Spurs, Wolves, Rockets, Kings, Memphis, Denver, Lakers, Phoenix.

Hal, preseason games are a complete joke, they mean absolutley nothing, even more considering in 7 games, they played 6 games against teams there were sub .500 last season. Two of those were against two of the least competitive teams in the NBA for about, oh, the last 2 decades. I would hope the Lakers have enough talent with Kobe and the Miami stars to overcome those kinds of teams.

We'll see what happens after 82 games that count, and the stars are playing 35+ minutes a game. But, I do think the Lakers make the postseason.

The Lakers have a good team, but I do not see them winning a lot of games just because the lack of teamwork on the captain of the team.
If he can play in team, they will get more wins.
Odom is a great player, as well as Caron Butler.

I'm making the claim right now, the Lakers will not be above .500 this season.

Geez, that just tells me that none of you have seen a minute of their preseason games.

I saw them loose in overtime to Golden State, with Kobe playing 44 minutes and scoring 35 points.

Reality check Hal, Preseason means dick. It's going to be fun watching the Lakers having to play a full season for a change with a shot hoarding cancer as the franchise.

a couple quotes for y'all....

Denver Coach Jeff Bzdelik, when asked about the Lakers' chances this season: "Do not, do not, do not underestimate the Lakers."

thats what i've been tryin to tell you! see the title of this thread?!

and hal, i KNOW your gonna love this one ...

"The Minnesota Timberwolves are no longer pursuing Karl Malone because they firmly believe he would re-sign with the Lakers if he decided to play again, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Malone said last month he would return to the Lakers if he decided not to retire..."- from today's L.A. times

what then huh? what about the lakers then?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm waitin' for all the nay-sayers to apologize right now. You know who you are and you know you were wrong.

Dude it was one game. So if we apologize now and the Lakers don't make the playoffs do you apologize for making us apologize?

...



hahahahahahhaha



Wooo, they beat Denver with a career game from the fearsome CHRIS MIHM!! Sorry Pistons, hand over the trophy now, this season is done.

it was only one game. but they did really well. great teamwork all around. spanking Denver like that is no easy task. i'm excited to see how the lakers do. i was one saying i think the lakers could possibly make it beyond the 1st round of the play offs before the preseason even started. that's just my opinion. i am a lakers fan, so what would you expect. but the lakers will definitely be above .500 this year. and i'm sure they'll make the playoffs too. i think they'll take the number 5 spot, at worst maybe 6.

Alright.. don't say I didn't warn you.. THREE TIMES.

... Ignoring the fact that Voshon Leonard went down early... yes, spanking Denver like that isn't easy.

Lenard did not go down 'early' .. far from it. The game was already out of reach. Please dont detract from a perfectly valid WHOMPING.

Apologize for what? I hope your not talking about the same type of ass-whooping they are getting from the Jazz tonight?

They have 23 points tonight with 1:53 left in the first half, and they are down 20. It's early. But they are getting out hustled, outplayed, out-everything by the Jazz tonight.

Sorry, but this will be the killer for LA's season. No middle presence, no size. Boozer and Kirilenko probably aren't even the top 5 best front-court in basketball, and the Lakers cannot do anything. If they can't figure out how to win the paint against the Jazz, they may never win a game with the T-Wolves, Sacramento, or the Spurs. I really didn't think they'd be that ineffective in the paint against a team with alot of size, but this ineffective against a team with a _little_ size?

EDIT: Yes, it's early, yes they can win. So, save it. :) However, it's not pretty for them tonight. Time will tell though.

Well they almost lost by 30 points. As expected Kobe put up nearly 40 points, didn't do dick for them.

But hey that Denver win was nice right?

that was pretty bad huh? You'd lose too if you were defended like that on the second of back to back games.

and after you're plane came in at 3 am followed by you watching the election till 5 a.m.

i'm not gonna excuse them, that was a bad game... they will have those. but even tonite there were points where they almost came back, and when # 8 is on your team and you're down by 15 or less goin into the 4th... you have a shot at every single one of those games.

You guys got an excuse for everything. I also gotta say that jinxie here is puttin way too much faith in Kobes skillz... Hes good but not that good. In those 4th quarters hes gonna push himself hard, too hard, probably making matters worse than they already are.

Face it, its gonna be a very long season for Kob... er, I mean the Lakers...

At best, the 2004-05 Lakers resemble the 1985-86 Bulls. Kobe will score a ton and probably get them to the playoffs, but they'll go out in the first round. Chris Mihm in the starting lineup for any team (including the WBNA) is a very bad thing.

Kobe hater...I mean Mojo :)

If you watched the game you would have noticed that the rest of the Lakers were doing crap at the beginning. Kobe got them opportunities in the first 20 minutes of the game and they didn't convert. Kobe did what he had to do to try to get them back in the game and thus started to pour on the scoring. He wasn't being the "shot-hoarding cancer" you've called him by any stretch.

As for the team they played, Utah, they are a very good team and the Delta Center has never been kind to the Lakers, especially on the back end of a back to back. Friday's game against the Spurs will be a nice measuring stick. If the Lakers get blown out, then us Laker fans will need to realize that it may be a long season.

The lakers are a great eastern conferance team. That said kobe is not good enough to carry a team all by him self. rudy t is not that good of a coach.


They are not going to play team ball no it will be kobe ball and that wont work. I am not a pistions fan but they and my pacers play the game the right way and its why they are successful. Face it the days of laker domianted ball are gone and will be till kobe grows up.

your pacers are gimpier than a post-billyclubbed nancy kerrigan.

hahahahahaha


do have to agree that they have had some injury issues though but you know what when your deep and trust in bird man well you get 12 guys that can play and when the system is simple and fundemental well you get double ot wins on opening night.


thats right you take kobe away form the lakers and they suck even more ah but you take reggie and tinsely an foster and o the rest of teh starters with ron all by himself and we still can play admit it its the system

um laker fans hello ....were is the smack talk guys ....what lost to the best team in the nba and at home to lol ....funny how losing quiets them up.

Hmm, losing to San Antonio is nothing to be ashamed of. People that think that the lakers are going to be great this year are nuts. People that think they're going to blow this year are nuts.

They have one of the best players in the league in kobe, and decent depth. Remember, they're playing right now without George or Divac. But they don't have the offensive firepower, or the size to compete enough in the west. I think they'll make it into the playoffs, but go out first round.

i agree nimble toe .....they are good enough to beat other teams that rely on altheic ablity but not good enough to beat a team that acutally plays like one. good this year not great.

so based on the lakers team, if they dont make the playoffs it means one thing...
that dwayne wade is better than kobe bryant. (no it doesnt mean the east is worse than the west....shut up. Go HEAT!)