Who's their coach? We know how it goes, dont we. Taking turns. Kobe iso two poessions, Odom then gets one, Kobe gets some more, Kobe again, Odom gets one, Caron then wouldnt give up the ball like Kenny.T. Lakers welcome you to the 1970's NBA.
Wow, you know, I was one of the people out there that thought people weren't actually giving the Lakers enough credit...Maybe they'd be something like a 4-5 seed and win at least 50 games, but after looking at their depth chart, I don't see how anyone could be too excited. Kobe would have to just go insane, throwing up better stats than he ever has before, and I don't mean scoring 30 + ppg, either. When you have Chucky Atkins as your starting PG with a Euro rookie backing him up, you have issues. Vlade Divac + Chris Mihm at center? You know Vlade is going to miss at least a few games this year...You're telling me you're going to succeed with Atkins as your PG and Mihm as your C? I don't think so. Good luck.
I agree. Kobe would have to be a lot more efficient scorer for the Lakers to win 50 games. The dudes never shot better than 47% for a season...I guess that's okay when you have the most dominant and efficient low post scorer in the game to help you out. This year is going to show what Kobe is all about. I don't think he can raise his game anymore than he has, but we'll see.
Kobe is just crazy and manic enough to make this a successful year in LaLaLand, tho not a title contender. Odom will play a lot of point '4' and Rudy is a master of mismatches. he'll have plenty with KB, LO, and even CB. Tierre Brown is their solution at the '1'.
Odom will more than likely switch over to point forward when Chucky Atkins goes to the bench and Kobe will slide to the 3 making room for Butler. I see the Lakers making the playoffs as a 6th or 7th seed. You can't discount the fact that they have some veteran players with playoff experience and a proven coach that will let Kobe jack up as many shots as he wants to get them into the playoffs.
Lakers suck, period. No big man, no perimter defensive stopper besides kobe, no real rebounding machine, no spot up shooter, only 2 good-enough passers... Compete in the West? Doubt it...compete for the lottery? No...but they'll have the type the season Golden State had...leading a late charge that's too late...
Pretty much agree with those that say they don't have enough inside to compete in the West, they have too much depth at SG and SF, too little at PG and PF, not good enough at rebounding and interior defense at PF and C. Now they do have some players to work in trades like Jumaine Jones, Deavon George, Luke Walton, all those guys won't see much time on this team but can help other teams. Without any moves they'll probably win around 42-45 games and will just miss the playoffs, with some real help inside they could win 50+ games and get home court for the first round.
Has Karla Malone even said he's going to play this season? I think he still hasn't decided. -- droxford
Divac /Mihm/Medvedenko B Grant /Cook/Walton Odom /Butler/Jones Bryant /George/Rush Atkins /Vujacic/(Johnson, Bobbitt) -The center by committee approach should be adequate, guys with decent size and mediocore skills. -The power forward depth is thin. Grant should be solid returning to his natural position and be a defensive anchor every night. However, if he goes down, it won't be pretty. Forget the Karl Malone crap. If he does come back, it'll be no sooner than January, and it would be shocking if he was even as good as he was last year. -The swing positions are almost certain to give us disgruntled players. Butler and George see themselves as starters, but no way do they get a nod, unless Rudy shows some genius and makes Odom his PG. Jones won't like being last off the bench, and Rush sees himself as a rising star that wants to build on the 17 mins a night he got last year (don't bet on it). -The PG spot is wretched. Maybe Vujacic takes the league by storm at 18 y/o and 6'7" 193 lbs. Maybe not. Maybe Odom plays here full time and hopes for the best on D (Western Conference PGs aren't as scary as they used to be). -On offense, Odom needs the ball to be fully effective, and Kobe will almost certainly look to dominate it. This smells of a team that will stand around and watch its star go 1 on 5 nearly every time court. Probably a lot of pick and rolls and screens. There's very little doubt Rudy will do anything to discourage 30+ shots a game from Kobe. On defense, there's a possibility that this team could become dangerous ball-hawks. Kobe has shown he can be a 2+ steals/game guy, Odom is a passing-lane menace with his plastic-man arms, and even Divac has been a crafty thief as well as fast break starter throughout his career. As far as halfcourt defense, however, there are more than a few cracks. If this team really makes transition game a priority, they have a chance at the playoffs. If they can't develop the defense or chemistry to make that happen, however, they're dead in the water. Evan
Solid team...but unless Kobe go for 30 / 7 / 7 / 2 stls / less 3 TO's and 40 min a night...AND make the all nba D team... no way lakers make playoffs...even if he does do all that, they wont make it pass 1sts round. wc is too brutal...absurd...
i think we might see a different line-up than most people here are talking about. im looking back at the year we had quitten. (shudders)...rudy started 2 shooting guards because b****in could play point. i think with so many swingmen on the lakers, and so few PG's, we might see this: divac-mihm-cook grant-medvedenko odom-george-walton butler-rush kobe-atkins-vujacic kobe won't be playing point! odom will. kobe will help bring it up a lot, but it will mostly be odom and atkins. this doesn't compromise any ball controll. odom and bryant are great passers and ball handlers. defensively it makes them much tougher. offensively it creates a missmatch everygame. rudy went that way before, and he wanted to again during the steve/cat era.
I think you can run this at times, and I agree will probably be there best line-up, but it is not going to be the standard diet I believe. The problem is Butler and Odom are way too slow to guard most of the offensive minded guards in the WC, guys like Bibby, Cassell, Parker, Nash, Tmac, Terry, BJ, Stoud, etc. The last thing they want to do is send Kobe (the only of the 3 quick enough) chasing these guys, and through picks, all game long. Even guys like Lue are too quick for Odom or Butler to try to run all over the court after. They need Kobe to focus on offense now that Shaq is gone, and the above line-up makes Kobe play the opponents best/quickest guard all the time.
Looks like Odom will start at the 4. A little surprising, IMO. LAKER REPORT Odom's Speed Is Key at Forward By Mike Bresnahan, Times Staff Writer SAN DIEGO — Can Lamar Odom hold his own against Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and even the Denver Nuggets' one-word wonder Nene? The Lakers think so. So does Odom. "Odom is a player," he said. "It doesn't matter where you put me." The Lakers plan to put him at power forward, borrowing an idea the Miami Heat used last season. Odom, listed at 6 feet 10 and 225 pounds, might not be bulky enough to withstand the game-by-game banging on defense in the Western Conference, but his speed and outside touch play into Rudy Tomjanovich's vision of an up-tempo offense. "I think we're a better running team with Lamar at [power forward]," Tomjanovich said. "I think you'll see a lot of it. He's a versatile guy. I want to cause problems for people. You use your ballhandling, you use all that stuff, they're going to have a hard time with it. Stretching the floor, opening up the floor is what everybody's trying to do." After playing almost exclusively at small forward in four seasons with the Clippers, Odom averaged 17.1 points and 9.1 rebounds last season for the Heat. But there are more dominant forwards in the West, meaning Odom will be accountable on defense more often this season. Odom's appointment to power forward means fewer minutes for veteran Brian Grant, Odom's teammate last season in Miami. Grant could play center, but Chris Mihm is expected to start in the Lakers' exhibition opener tonight against Seattle at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim. "If anyone can get more out of the position than I can, I'm all for it," Grant said. "As long as it helps us win." It all becomes moot if Karl Malone comes back and retains his rightful position, but for now Odom will get most of his minutes at power forward, which is apparently OK with him. "I'll still be getting the ball out on the wing, getting it off the rebound and pushing it," Odom said. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tonight's game is an exhibition, but Tomjanovich returns to the sideline for the first time since announcing he had bladder cancer in March 2003. Tomjanovich was hired by the Lakers in July. "I've been like a young schoolboy since this thing has happened," Tomjanovich said of joining the Lakers. "At times I haven't gotten sleep and it hasn't been anxiety. It's been excitement, like, 'Let's run that with this guy and that guy.' I've been spending a lot of evenings looking at video and trying to look at some of the skills my guys have got and how we're going to incorporate that." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Small forward Caron Butler sustained a bruised right thigh Monday in practice and said he probably would not play tonight…. Luke Walton remained out because of an ankle injury.
I think Lakers will slip this year. They have downgraded talent and coaching. Houston, Denver, Utah, Houston and SA have all improved significantly with talent and coaching is the same. Kobe will find the game doesn't come as easily without Shaq. They may make playoffs but in bottom tier.
I'll start the preseason on the wrong foot... Let's trade LA Tyronn Lue (PG) and Mo Taylor (PF)!!! They're weak at those positions! We can pick up a swingman like Butler! I don't care how ridiculous it sounds, get it done! BTW- I read that Tierre was on their roster too, I think it was Yahoo. Anyone confirm?
Lakers fans on Tierre after last night's game: "great speed, great vision, great passing.. he looks really really good. he's the type of point guard that changes the game just by being out there.. i really like what i am seeing form him.if he can shoot.. then he needs to start! " "had 3 assists in a 5 min span. i like what i'm seeing." "Tierre Brown looks great. His handles are superior to Fisher, Pargo, Lue... Wait, Pargo had no handles. Lakers will be forced to keep 15 players, he's a keeper. They need to do a two for one deal to get this guy on the active roster. They need to unload GEORGE!!"
