Bynum should be coming back full strength next year with another year under his belt. Just curious what you all think of the matchup since I feel the future road to the Finals goes through LA. Do you think the Yao/Scola combo can effectively neutralize Gasol/Pao or are they better or worse? What player in the NBA that is possibly tradeable would you put alongside Yao to match up with Gasol/Bynum? Please don't throw out Garnett, Brand, etc. That is to say ungettable players. What are some realistic players that you would prefer in this matchup over Scola since obviously we have to have Yao out there? Could a guy like Jared Jeffries defend with Yao? He's long, skinny, and athletic. Not very strong base though. He has a good perimeter defender reputation. Right now, I'm okay with Scola/Landry at the 4. But I can see the possibility of getting into the playoffs and teams like LA trying to exploit a size mismatch there. So, it does make sense if we could acquire a 6'11" to 7' player that can play the 4 for a few minutes and offer some good defense alongside Yao. to force Pao/Bynum to have to shoot over the top. I'm throwing out Jeffries as a possibility since he has a contract that NY would probably love to move for expirings. I've thought about Melvin Ely. I've also considered Raef when he is let go at the trade deadline. I think these guys could play the 4 in a big lineup with Yao for a few minutes if other teams tried to outsize us on the interior. LA has Pao/Bynum. If Kirk Thomas re-signs with SA, they've got Duncan/Thomas. PHX obviously has Amare/Shaq. Would Ratliff be a decent option, can he still play the 4? Others?
can gasol/bynum guard yao and scola? no one can guard yao one-on-one. scola proved he can score double figures on average against big teams (utah).
Yeah I was gonna say the same thing. I think Bynum won't be as fast after his injury, and Gasol is a mediocre defender.
I think Boozer, although slumping right now, is much harder for Luis to match up with and guard than Gasol will be. I think we'd all agree that (especially for a rookie) Luis did fine against Boozer. Then we have Yao vs. Bynum which, until Bynum gets a couple more years and some offensive post moves under belt, is nowhere near close in my opinion.
Pau would give Scola a lot of trouble, but I'm fine with the matchup. We can't afford to put a bigger, slower player in the lineup to guard Pau because he will run the floor and leave them in the dust. Plus, do you really want another big player in the game alongside Yao except for a possession or two? No. The fact is that if Bynum and Pau mesh next season, Pau will destroy a lot of PFs. The best way for us to combat this is have Scola go right back at him on offense. If Bynum recovers well, it's scary to think how good the Lakers offense can be with Bynum, Pau, Odom & Kobe playing at the same time. Bynum can post up; Pau can roam around between the opposite post and midrange; Kobe and Odom will be able to catch the ball on the wing anywhere they want; Fisher, Sasha or Farmar can park at the 3 point line. That's a perfect lineup for the triangle offense.
No, not a big slow player. A tall, agile, fast player, athlete. And I do think Yao and Scola present Gasol/Bynum plenty of problems offensively. I think it's a matter of who gets into foul trouble first.
okur had some help (as opposed to not at all) and yao was clearly not 100%. even with that, yao averaged 25/10 in the series. if you call that a successful 1-on-1 defense, then i've got nothing to say.
Jared Jeffries is an overpaid stiff. Raef would be a complete joke trying to guard Pau. The only (big player) frontcourt help we really need is a backup center. If we do that, I'll take my chances against the Lakers frontline.
What makes you think Yao can't defend Bynum? When has Bynum or Gasol ever slow down Yao Ming? Gasol has never slowed down Yao, it was Memphis fronting defense/JVG lack offensive strategy that did that. Scola might could make Gasol work for his shots, Hayes could as well.
If Yao stops shooting fade aways, no one can guard Yao one on one. Put Memo on Yao without help defense, don't joke yourselves. Sloan wouldn't. In the last year series, it wasn't Okur on Yao one on one on the post strictly speaking either.
Yao can guard Bynum as of right now because Yao is simply too big n strong for Bynum whose offensive moves need more polishing. On the other hand, Bynum cant guard Yao, that's why Phil Jackson always put Kwame Brown on Yao every times Lakers played Rockets. Gasol could be the one that give Yao problems! Gasol and Scola will have flopping contesting with each other and cancel each other out. Now, Yao + Scola > Bynum + Gasol! After 3-4 years, when Bynum reaches his prime, then maybe Yao cant handle him!
nate robinson blocked yao once too, would you say he can guard yao one on one? my point still stands. no one can guard him in single coverge.
Whether Bynum can stay healthy till next season is still questionable. I read from a couple Chinese articles claiming that he feels pain in the knee which could end up in a surgery. I am too lazy to verify the news, please correct me if I am wrong. I wish him stay healthy though. Yao, Bynum, Oden, Howard, they are going to catch the lime lights back from those midget guards.
Yao has owned Bynum until this year -- Bynum once picked like 4 fouls against Yao in 6 minutes. That is why PJ always used Kwame on Yao. But Bynum has really improved this season, and the trend likely will continue. However Yao will have a clear advantage for the foreseeable future. Gasol certainly has a big advantage over Scola because of his edge in size and athleticism. However, Scola is the type that never gives up and Gasol is kinda soft, with Scola getting acquainted to the style of the NBA, he should be adequate against Gasol, at least not getting abused. I am not too worried about this matchup. It is the other three positions and the bench that I worry about. The Lakers are simply too talented, very big and athletic (and young) too. I was hoping we could have gone all the way this year before Bynum becomes really matured in the next year or two. The Lakers could dominate the league if they tighten up their defense.
