don't be like everybody else and underestimate the lakers!
 

i'm highly looking forward to them at least in the 2nd round of the playoffs! i think their front line is fine if a bit creaky w/ vlade who although is hurt now has only missed a handful of games the last six years, brian grant: a solid defender, and frickin lamar odom who was one of the only bright spots of the olympics and has beautiful scotty pippen magic wingman potential written all over him! also w/ odom, we can use him to back grant and medvedenko or slide him over to point guard if chucky's not workin out! anyway, i don't care about how good the west has gotten, because i just think back to kobe's streak of 40 plus point games and his stats when shaq didn't play and smile.

They will get to the first round and get bumped off. The West HAS gotten a lot better and the Lakers have gotten a lot worse.
Sorry man but when you lose the most dominate big man in the league your team just ain't gonna be as good.

They won't make the playoffs. San Antonio, Dallas, Sacramento, Denver, Minnesota, Utah, Houston, Memphis, & maybe even Portland & Golden State will be ahead of the Lakers this year. I'm not trying to hate, I just think that they will need a season or two to take all the new puzzle peices & make them fit together right.

I've already posted my thoughts about the Lakers (and the rest of the Western Conference) here. But, my basic summary is not enough at the 1 or 5 positions, which are the most important positions in today's league. I think LA finishes no higher than 5th in the West, probably loosing in the first round.

Oh, and believe me, I've been watching Golden State enough for the past four years to know that no matter how they look on paper at the beginning of the season, they'll find a way to eff it up. Don't count on them winning more than 30-32 games this year. Especially with a rookie coach instilling a whole new defensive and offensive scheme, and new pieces at PG and Center. (Okay, Foyle isn't a new piece, but he barely played last year).

trust me......the lakers will not win 40 games....too hard in the west

i just hope this thread is still up when they're going into game 3 of the 2nd round of the playoffs. y'all are forgetting kobe.

You're forgetting Shaq. Part of the reason Kobe is consistently in the top 3 in scoring averages is because he's always had Shaq to draw defenders into the paint, leaving Kobe relatively free for a midrange to deep shot. Vlade and Brian Grant certainly aren't going to attract that kind of attention, leaving defenders free to help out on Kobe. If the Lakers play Odom at the 4, he'll certainly draw defenders, but I don't think Odom can consistently play the 4 out West. (Of course, I thought the same thing about Andrei Kirilenko last year).

That being said, I still think Kobe is going to have a huge year, and will probably have higher averages than ever before. But, only because he doesn't have to defer to Shaq in the triangle. After Kobe and Odom, whose gonna score on that squad?

I'm not forgeting him. I'm just not bowing down in worship of him thinking he's the next Jordan and he's not. Again the Lakers lost THE most dominate player in THE most important position in the game. And in case you didn't remember they Lakers STILL lost with him you think they will repeat or improve upon that performane without him?

agreed. lakers lack frontcourt size to compete in the west, and are thin in terms of backcourt depth. will have to battle either memphis or utah for the 8th spot...and i doubt the lakers could edge out either of them.

The West is still to strong for them IMO. Vlade is washed up, Grant is a defender, but a defender in the East is entirely different then in the West.

Bottom Line: almost everyone in the West reloaded this offseason, and the Lakers let go of the most dominating center in the NBA so that Kobe could stop feeling "tired of being a sidekick."

They don't have the depth, and they most definitely don't have the leadership now.

i love not havin one single person agree w/ me... don't worry, they're putting this kind of stuff up on the chalkboard and getting fired up! they'll be throwing chairs before long! bring it on! everbody loves a comeback!

Nobody agrees with you because you are wrong.

Y'all are forgetting Chris Mihm!
CHRIS MIHM BABY!

jinx I can't take you or your entire post seriously, Just by the fact you mention Medvedenko by name, or Odom at point guard. You have an outdated front court, and a virgin back court that is largely one dimensional. The biggest think that is missing is Shaq and his presence. Brian Grant is not a legitimate center, he is a midget with a bad weave, and Vlade is the fucking tinman. Every night the Lake Show will get crushed on the boards. And then there's Kobe. Give him the ball, oh please give him the ball. I hope that the playoffs weren't a just a one time thing, the ego on this man... he thinks he is god's gift to basketball, him and his ego is the reason why the lakers didn't win it this year, anyone remember his pull up left handed 20 foot fade away???

they're old. kobe is their only player still in his prime and dominant and he couldnt even do it with shaq so i really dont think he can do it by himself

I don't think you could find a bigger Laker fan than me and even I know the Lakers are going nowhere this year. No Shaq No Ring.

I just hope that the Heat knock the pistons on their rears.

Even with all the talent they had last year the Lakers couldn't win a championship because they had no teamwork. Their talent pool has dwindled to just Kobe this year.. and while they might be able to squeak into the playoffs, they won't be able to play as a team so.. again they will lose. (Unless, by some miracle, Kobe learns how to pass)

kobe's been known to knock out a triple double before... and if i remember correctly, his assist numbers go way up in all the games he's played while shaqless!

Ok. Even if Kobe plays TWICE as well as he did when Shaq was gone, the Lakers will not be even close to the best team in the league. Didn't you learn ANYTHING from the finals last year? Pure talent is not the most important factor in going all the way in basketball. It's teamwork. However, you must also have the talent to go along with said teamwork. Last year, the Lakers showed they did not have it. This year, even if they somehow, in some way manage to play like a team better than anyone, they still will not win it all, or even close. They have no middle presence worth mentioning... I still can't believe you think Kobe + anyone will win a championship.

Anyway, come back when the Lakers either barely squeak into the playoffs and lose in the first round, or don't even make them. Yeah. Then we'll see if you've learned anything.

Not to mention the fact that Kobe does not play team ball. He is in it for himself, and he has shown that time and time again. When his coach told him he was taking too many shots, the baby took only a few in a game. What a pussy. How are the lakers going to pull together as a team, when their supposed leader doesn't care about teamwork? Luke fricking Walton going to lead the team? Give me a break.

ok, its' obvious they're a real longshot this year for a championship. i said in an earlier post i see them in the 2nd round of the playoffs. thats the average of where i see them landing... unless karl malone comes back to them! but anyway, i see them contending for another championship in 2 or 3 years after they successfully use all the cap space they've cleared up and they replace their creakiest players with more talented ones for the high salaries. i don't understand why you hate the lakes so much, espi... they handed you a championship by disintegrating in front of your eyes!

Lakers: They still have Kobe. And with the possible exception of Pau Gasol, there probably wasn't a better player in the world this summer than Lamar Odom. -espi in another post.

there you go! i couldn't have said it better myself! also you listed them at 6th going into the playoffs in you're own projection! that puts them not against the wolves or the spurs.... 2nd round baby! here we come!

Don't see it happening man... sorry.

Kobe is gonna account for 90% of the lakers points, and it sure won't be enough to get the W's.

Wait, so you think they're going to finish 6th in the western conference, but the only teams they cant beat in the playoffs are Minnesota and SA? Heh. This is pointless.

What about the Suns bro? GS over the Suns? :crazy:

Like some have said, no enough at the 1, 4 and 5. Vlade is old. LA Just aren't big enough. Who starts at PF for LA? If you guys can get Malone to play some at PF if he wants to come back it's a lil diff. In the East you could get away with Odom playing PF but not in the West.

Should be one of more interesting things to watch for this season. wouldn't it be fun to see the Lakers as the CLipper bitch for once. Now that would be funny. :)

GO SUNS!

I don't think they're finishing sixth... you do, espi... that was your quote. i'm thinkin 5th or even 4th.... which would be even better for the playoff picture.

after watching him in the preseason, those words shall ring ever so true as the season marches on.

no Shaq and no Phil = no championship. I dont think they will be a top four team in the west this year, I think Kobe will hurt more than help, actually.

LOL...high_jinx, you keep putting words in my mouth. Or at least attributing comments made by others to me. espi != Nimbletoe ;)

In any case, you're right, I did pick Lakers as sixth in the West, but that doesn't necessarily mean I would pick them to beat anyone in the first round. I think the Lakers have an advantage over some of the other middle tier Western Conference teams because they're the Lakers - they have the Aura and Mystique that seems to take away the confidence of some other teams. (Maybe Jack on the sidelines is too intimidating for some).

I was gonna do a Dr. Jack-style breakdown of a playoff matchup between the 04-05 Lakers vs. the 04-05 Mavs (the first round as it matches up in my previous rankings), but I think the Mavs are just too much up in the air for me to make any head-to-head player/position comparisions between the two teams. Especially since I don't know where Rudy T plans on plugging in his pieces.

*If* the Mavs play better defense this year, *if* Jason Terry can pull off the pick and roll, *if* Erick Dampier manages to play 75-82 games this season, *if* Stackhouse can come off the bench and not pout about it, and *if* Dirk Diggler steps up his production this year, they'll be pretty good. Probably too good for the Lakers. But, check back with me around the all star break, and I'll do the breakdown for you.

If you think the Lakers are going to finish 4th, you are going to be one sad, sad lakers fan this season. But hey, you keep thinking what you want. Opinions are like assholes, everyone has one.

I just wanted to applaud this statement. So elegant and precise.

ok there, lil' buddy... you just go ahead and get ahold of me now if you need some help with your little draft cheat seat before our big day on the 30th. if you wait till the all star break it'll be too late.



oh, and oops on the nimbletoe thing. my bad. i've made my mistake for the year.

Yep... you're a Lakers fan.

I don't need help with my draft from someone that actually lists Mendevenko as a legitimate option in the Lakers rotation. ;)

Hey everyone, I am new to the board and just saw this Lakers thread. I have been a Lakers fan since I was a kid and am probably the least excited about this season as I have been about anyone I can remember. I just don't think they will be very good at all. They might be more fun to watch (if you don't mind watching them lose) but they won't be as good. I really hate that Kobe and Shaq were so selfish that they couldn't get along for the good of the team.

Until somebody knocks off the Pistons, I'll have to be a shameless homer and say it's theirs to lose. ;) Honestly, I think there are a bunch of very good teams and any one of which could give the Pistons a run for their money. So, I think it'll be a close race the entire season, but I have to go with Detroit.

As for the Lakers, it's a definite 'maybe.' All other things aside, Kobe Bryant is a terrific player and for better or worse it's his team to lead. He might end up carrying them into the playoffs, but they are clearly not the same team that dominated the NBA a few years back.

What about the Suns people. 4 and 0 in the preseason. 41pt thrashing of the Jazz.

Lakers will struggle.

We don't speak of this.

I've also been thinking, the Laker's can no longer afford to play grab ass during the regular season. They are going to have to play every game.