The Heat and Lakers are completely different situations. The main difference is their youth. Because the main players on the Heat were/are in their primes, they could afford to play most of the game, and this was especially significant in the playoffs. If the Lakers "big 4" could all play 35-40mpg, they wouldn't have a problem either. You've already got an injury to Nash and Kobe and Gasol can't play a full season off the early minutes they have either. Since the Lakers (like the 2011 Heat) have no bench, not being able to ride the starters is problem.
Nash may not play big minutes, but the other 3 can. Kobe is averaging 37mpg. His efficiency will decrease if he logs this type of minutes the entire year, but he can play big minutes. Dwight can avg 37+ too, along with Pau.
Dwight can play big minutes but there is no way Kobe & Pau can go another season averaging close to 40mpg. That's why they are so burned out by the playoffs.
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At this point I don't see how anybody can think that the Lakers have a chance of competing this year with both Howard and Pau. If the Lakers don't ship out Pau before the trade deadline they might as well give up on the season. And even if they do trade him it's going to be hard to compete.
If they weren't such mismatched partners now (both competing for the same spot), it sure seems like Carlos Delfino would have been a trade candidate to the Lakers. You want to talk about a team that is tapped out of draft picks though ... it's the Lakers.
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I think GreatOne went back to 1978, maybe watching vintage Kareem highlights. That Lebron performance earlier this month was unreal. I love how he closed the game with a drive, a three, and a mid-range: basically saying "I can do anything I want to this defense."
Paging GreatOne1978, paging GreatOne1978... Laker boat departing for fishing expedition in T-minus two months...