Lets compare the top two players from each team: Lakers Kobe > Yao Gasol > KM Nuggets Carmelo > Yao Billups > KM Mavs Dirk > yao butler = KM I think we need a good 3rd player to have a chance.
We weren't supposed to be in their class during the playoffs last season and took them to seven games. Next year's team will be a much better, much more balanced team, in my opinion, and yes, Bryant will be a year older. I like our chances.
No chance, we are a far cry away athletically to the front lines of the Lakers or even the Nuggets. ANd now that we don't have Landry, we need a TON of help. I would say the next and final piece to the puzzle is finding a way to get a top tier PF.
You're kidding, right? None of those players play the same position. Even Butler is a 3. It's all about matchups and I think we will match up well. Add to that the fact that no one will have a center like Yao Ming. We just need to be healthy.
You don't have to be one of the top two or three teams to contend. You probably do need to be a top six team. With a healthy Yao, we might be one of the top five or six teams. I think we could contend if all the pieces come together the way we hope.
HELL YES. and this is the depth chart Brooks/Lowry Martin/Buddinger Ariza/Battier/Jeffries Scola/Andersen/Hill Yao/Hayes/Armstrong +5 picks in the next two years. Even more bargaining chips/young talent. Armstrong is more valuable than Hill and Jeffries. Why would you leave him off?
I answered this earlier . . . It was a flat out no. If it were a case of us keeping Landry and somehow landing Martin, picking up good backup center, and then bring back a healthy Yao, next year or somehow landing one of those top 5 FAs (which is fantasy thinking to begin with). I'd say they'd have a fair chance of knocking off the Lakers. This team has no chance of beating the Lakers (and possibly the Mavs/Nuggets/Jazz) right now (in playoff series), it's not like last year's team where we built up momentum as the series went along and somewhat surprised them or where we had roster (a front line that could match them on both ends of the floor) - Yao, Landry, Scola, Hayes, and Mutombo. Top 2 center in the league with two above average offensive pfs and two of the best defensive big men in the league (Mutombo and Hayes). Combined that with our advantages at PG and two players who could guard Kobe for the full length of the game, while being an outstanding team defensively. That was our kryptonite against Lakers. It slipped away as the injuries came, though, especially to Yao and Mutombo. I've harped on the Mutombo slot all season We have such a scrappy team that might could steal a game or two, but we don't have the defense (anymore) or the advantage on the front line to beat them. That's how that team was built mainly to stop Phoenix (when they were kind of the hot team out west) by getting bigger (and better) on the front court. Adding Gasol (and later Artest) to Odom and Bynum sort of put the icing on the cake, but you have to also mentioned that the Lakers were in 1st, a month or so before Gasol arrived, as they were winning with Kwame, Bynum, and Odom. The only we are going to get passed them is Yao Ming playing the series of his life (coming a very serious injury), or having another halfway decent center and power forward coming off the bench (like Landry, Hayes, and Mutombo). I'd say we are probably 2 or 3 years away from being title contender. Though, if Yao is somewhat healthy, we are probably comparable to Denver/Dallas/Utah/Phoenix. KnicksScholar24 (2nd to last post, I think he sort of hit what reality will be for this team) http://www.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=988475&start=750
On paper, the team is a level below the Lakers, but I think the team has enough heart to contend. With this team, even the most impossible can happen.
With this team (+Yao, of course), no... I don't think we're quite there yet. If we can get Bosh, I would be willing to bet the starting lineup would be this: Lowry Martin Ariza Bosh Yao And Brooks, Budinger, and Hill (if he can improve enough) would be coming in off the bench. That would be a legitimate contender, in my opinion.
Brooks is the starter no matter what, that is not gonna change. Scola would also be coming off the bench. Other than that, this looks like the best team in the league.
