Its still their preseason. come end of year and playoff time, they will start to bring it. They do this same routine every year.
MM, The Lakers are currently only 3 1/2 games out of the playoff picture and have 3/4 of the season left to make up that difference. I dont think they have a shot at a high seed, but id very shocked if they didnt get in, and once they are, they are still the team to beat. I just cant see the Lakers struggling a whole lot when they have virtually the same team as they did last year. Key is, keeping O'Neal healthy.
Our Father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name Bring down vegeance and furious anger upon the Laker team. That should do it
I think I know exactly what is wrong with the Lakers. The problem is not entirely Shaq or Kobe's fault (although Shaq looks extremely overweight lately). The problem is with the role players. Guys like Fox, Horry, and Fisher have been playing with a lack of urgency this year. My theory is that these guys already have the money, fame, and the rings. What else is there to accomplish? These guys have reached the pennicle of their career's and have nothing else to prove to themselves or anyone else.
I think maybe they do suck. Their team is predicated on good defense and then the offensive skills of 2 players with good jumpshooting from the rest of the team. I think perhaps with the maturation of zone defenses the Lakers offense is weighted more heavily on Kobe and Shaq as the rest of the team is negated. And, when they're off or ailing, the Lakers don't have much else to go to. They do the same thing every year, I know. But, one year it will be different, and I get the feeling it is this one. They've lost more than they've gained year over year, while Dallas and Sacramento (and Houston) have gained.
i agree with bangin screw...seems to me it's the role players who are the problem...though i must say, kobe shooting 45 times to score 35 points can't be that encouraging for laker fan. i guess i should be more illustrative regarding the word "suck." in the nba, every team and his dog makes the playoffs. geez, more teams make the playoffs than don't. so simply making the playoffs doesn't mean they don't suck in this conversation...particularly considering recent Laker history and their championships. how about this...is this team going to repeat this year? just your best guess given what you've seen so far and what you think will happen.
You might want to edit that to 7-13. If they do lose the next 10 then I'll chip in and say the Lakers suck. B
Here's the straight scoop on the Lake Show, as I perceive it to be, that is. Phil Jax wanted to tank with Shaq out to show Kobe that 40 pts, 45 shots, whatever, the they lose. Now Shaq is baq, but they haven't undone the poison from letting Kobe go unleashed. Does anyone want to lay $$$ that the Lakers won't win it all? Unless the Queens (or Mavs?) show nads and speed and nads and send LAL home early (LOL)?
from what i've seen so far, the kings are the best team in the nba and nobody else is close. you honestly believe phil jackson tanked for that purpose? seriously? i heard he consulted with aliens, elvis and hitler about that plan, but i can't believe he would actually put it into practice!
Nobody else is CLOSE?? Overall record: Dallas Scoring: Dallas FG%: Dallas Points allowed: Dallas FG% allowed: Dallas If the Lakers don't get their act together, it looks like it's Kings/Mavs on a collision course in the WC Finals. Dallas has the edge in the starting lineup, but the Kings have a deeper bench, considering their record with all the injuries they've had. Sacramento probably has a better home court advantage Who would you pick in a seven game series? If Sacramento has home court, I'd take them, but if Dallas has home court, I'd proably take them...
Please tell me you guys have been watching the Lakers lately. Shaq is very, very fat and extremeeeeely slow. He can't jump and he isn't very coodinated. What the Lakers are left with is a team full of spares and Kobe. Shaq isn't even an option on the low post this year. He seems to onyl score on putbacks. Forget about his shot. He can't hit crap. Also, Shaq has to expend too much energy to fight for rebounding position. Shaq is the reason the team has won in the past. Now, Shaq sux so the team sux. Just my opinion. One more thing. I have thouroughly enjoyed watching that blubber butt lose games.
Shaq...the fat, slow and earth bound version is not dominant. A 80-90% Shaq is just another all-star.....Amazing! He can't carry the team, and other teams are good enough to take the LAL out. Right now they are less than a 500 ball club. I don't think Shaq will do the work to ever become the "old" Shaq......well, Kobe wanted a team, he'd better step up and take it or the playoffs are very questionable let alone a 4th title. END OF AN ERA!
I'll make a guess and say it will take 43 wins to make the playoffs. That means the Lakers would have to go 36-26 the rest of the way, which is a winning percentage of .58. Over a full season a .58 winning percentage would be equivalent to a 48-36 record. If the Lakers can't do that, they don't deserve to make the playoffs.
O'Neal: Some players don't know what's going on -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ESPN.com news services The Lakers are 4-4 since Shaquille O'Neal's return, and the big man himself is not happy about it. O'Neal said he wasn't making excuses for his recent outing -- he missed 15 of 23 shots in Los Angeles' 93-85 loss to Utah on Wednesday night. But according to a report in Thursday's Los Angeles Times, Shaq is beginning to question the players around him and wondering if they are the right players. When asked by the Times if those players could lead the Lakers to a fourth straight NBA crown, O'Neal said, "No comment." "I just want eight guys out there with me who want to play," Shaq told the newspaper. "The problem is that the whole team is not playing with enough energy or enough fire," O'Neal added. "I'd like to touch the ball more too, especially when I'm shooting seven for 10 from the line." Los Angeles again is in last place in the Pacific Division. The worst record through 20 games by a team that eventually won an NBA championship is 11-9, by the Philadelphia Warriors during the 1946-47 season. O'Neal returned from surgery on his big toe and they have won four of eight games. But the upcoming schedule provides no relief for the Lakers, who host Dallas (17-1) and Utah returns on Sunday. "There's really no excuse," O'Neal told the Times. "We're all professionals and we have to be ready. You know, it seems like sometimes we have five out there and a couple of guys don't know what's going on."
