Throughout the Lakers' very recent three peat when were they ever known for their great depth? Gary Payton , kobe Bryant , Rick Fox , Derek Fisher ,Devean George , and Rush or Pargo can knock down the three. Seems to me the Lakers have basically subtracted Horry and probably Madsen for Karl Malone and Gary Payton. They have a better team right now then they did when they won their last championship.
Who's gonna back up Parker at the point. And Hedo isn't that good on D, Nestero will get molested by Shaq. The on slot that San Antonio is better than L.A. is the 4. Plus Payton is a much better floor general that Parker.
Disagree. He's at least as good as Olowokandi, and he's only going to get better. Definitely in the top half of centers in the league, which is more than adequate when you already have the best player in the league.
Rasho doesn't have the bulk or the strength of an Olowokandi or Robinson, the smarts and passing of a Divac, or the outside shooting of Yao. He does, however, have a variety of skills around the basket, including a reliable jump hook, and he'd be an 8-10 rpg player, were it not for the presence of Garnett. His shotblocking isn't nearly as good as Olowokandi's or Robinson's though, and he's more foul prone than either. Despite his wide variety of offensive skills, Nesterovic is powerless, and really can't handle guys like Shaq, Yao, or Brad Miller in the post. Further, he doesn't get to the foul line often - he only averages 1.9 FT attempts per 48 minutes, as opposed to Robinson's 6.0 (and, for that matter, Yao's 7.5). All in all though, he was who the Spurs wanted anyway, and he'll be a serviceable replacement to Robinson. Oh, and don't forget, Luke Walton is probably going to be in the Lakers' rotation at the SF.
It's a shame for whichever contender that wins next year's championship, save for the Lakers, as their trophy comes from between the forcefully opened legs of a girl.
Although a judge and jury will decide whether your statement is true, don't forget that Gary Payton is a defendant in a criminal case as well.
To me, it's just hard to bet against the Lakers. They've got the 2nd leading scorer in NBA history; the most dominant center currently playing the game; a point guard whom may be aging, but still knows his role better than most if not all of his peers; and the player whom many claim to be the next coming of Michael Jordan. If I was putting down money, I would feel stupid betting against them. Edit: Also, for whoever said that they don't have quality backups, I happen to find Horry, Fisher, and Fox to be three of the best backups in the league. Fisher and Fox can shoot lights out, and Horry, despite all you people hating him for "selling out," is better than decent. I would kill to have any of the three on the Rockets, despite the fact that, personally, I don't like any of them. Double Edit: My apologies, I somehow managed to miss the fact that the fakers no longer have Horry.
Lakers, Spurs, Kings are the contenders, mainly between the Lakers, Spurs and the referees. I expect the referees will give Lakers a huge boost in the end. TV ratings are very important for the NBA. TV stations want to see the Lakers in the final not the Spurs. Kings should beat the Lakers two years ago but they missed. Dallas is intriguing as they went to the WC final, but they need a low-post defender. Wolves are not, you dont' expect teams that have not been to the second round will suddenly become a contender. It will take at least a year for them to be a team. Plus, they are thin in the front court. You dont' expect to win in the west with a thin front court.
You also missed the part about Fox being out until December. You also failed to mention that while Fox and Fisher can shoot lights out they can also dissapear for long stretches. Their shooting is very streaky at best.
Thats just crazy. KG is one of the 3 top players in the league and with a front court of Kandi, KG and Spree to go along with a back court of Cassell and Wally world that is the most complete team in the NBA. Cassell and Spree have both been to the NBA championships so the Pups are going to be real tough and most definitely a contender. I think they have already passed Dallas with this team.
While I like the moves that the Wolves have made, chemistry could be a huge issue with this team...who knows how they will fit together. IMO, they aren't contenders until the season starts and they can prove they can play together.
Minnesota's success will hinge on Olowokandi. There's a reason he went for the MLE in a free agent market that had a number of teams (SA, Denver, Miami, Sacto, NJ, Dallas, NY, etc...) looking for bigman talent. He's the type of player who can put in a 20/10/5 game one night and then not show up for a week or month. There are questions about his health and well, his motivation.
I'm not sure I like what the Wolves have done, in terms of team chemistry. You have a crazy guy in Sprewell, an egomaniac in E.T., a ballhog in Wally, a whiner in Kandi, and a passive team leader in KG. Not to mention Troy Hudon coming off the bench. Plus, the salaries of their starting five but them in luxury tax territory. They could easily be this years' Blazers. Or they could be the champs. But where's that veteran team leader? It looks as though it's gonna be either Cassell or Spree. That's kinda scary.
With those 4 of future HOF's of them, the Lakers are the favourite this season. But i think my Spurs are still in the thick of things, alongside the lakers & Kings. Lakers 40% chance Spurs & Kings split the rest
