never mind Kobe, Gasol nor Bynum. Lakers' 3rd option now, and the 4th option when Bynam returns, is avg close to a triple double. Can Rox's 3rd or 4th option top that? the dizzying height of homerism. actually, it's much bigger than people think.
I don't know. Bynum was playing awfully well before he went down. They'll have 2 seven footers down low, one of them is going to abuse Scola. Yao can't dominate them both (unless they double-team him). They have great coaching, great perimeter shooters, great post up play (when Bynum comes back), great clutchness (Kobe and DFish), perimeter D is ok...I don't know...they look pretty damn good right now. Their length is crazy and they have a pretty deep bench. The Rockets are good, but so are the Lakers. I wouldn't be surprised if they end up being 1st in the West.
Exaclty, TheFreak is a total dumbass. We need less posters like him. If he'd been a CF.net regular posting conspicuously thoughtful and insightful commentary for about a decade that would be one thing. But as we all know, he is a demonstrably ignorant basketball fan.
If Rockets can beat 86' Lakers, they can surely beat this one; and 08's celtics aint no match for 86' celtics.
LMAO @ You people thinking Stern loves the Lakers, Kobe is the most hated player in american sports, Stern hates the Lakers and especially Kobe.
You're saying Odom is a 4th option? I've always said he was a 3rd option masquerading as a 2nd but Odom's much more established on offense than Bynum. But no, Rockets cant top either combo I dont think Fisher is that much better than Rafer, or Farmar that much better than Bobby Jackson. Everyone values Fisher as an elite point guard but he's more dependable middle-of-the-pack guard. Farmar's an unsung backup but its not like him and Fisher put chills into the Rockets. Yao has been scoring on everyone this year from scrub to All Star. Yao's not going to singlehandedly shut down Gasol and Bynum but not TOO much reason to think he won't score on them. Not like Gasol's a great defender..,,its more that Gasol would equal Yao's offense with his own, cuz he used to have good games against Yao. Rockets are the hottest team in the league, and they've been hot for a while. Rockets havent given their fans any reason to fear other teams.
Its ALL about matchups... its some squads that can give the Lakers problems...GS, SA, HOU... Like with GS...the lakers D stats wise arent that bad except for the 101 ppg they allow, but with a team like the Warriors....bynum and gasol would do alot of going to the perimeter to guard guys like harrington and jackson. That wouldn't sit well for their D, so they'd probably play a slow it down game to avoid the Run game. With SA...you can try to play physical with them, but they'll just wear you out at the end...ask the Jazz about the 07 WCF. To beat them, you gotta do what the Mavs did in 2006....run run run run and play some D. SA has two awesome defenders in the low block in K. Thomas and Duncan. It'll be difficult to score a mass amount of pts vs those two in a 7 gm series. With us...we're not as long as them, but we can throw some good defense around them and swarm their main ballhandlers. Scola has some decent lateral quickness in case Gasol wants to take him off the dribble. Kobe's assist numbers come from mostly him creating with dribble penetration, so the Rockets would have to avoid collapsing with the DP and force bad shots or a long jumper with a hand in a shooters face. (all this, is based on Bynum comin back healthy.)
Rubbish. Bynum is excellently trained. He ran with the Warriors the past two time we faced them and dominated. He isn't Shaq. Neither is Gasol who didn't look even a little tired at the end against the suns. Our bigs are much better conditioned than most teams. We also Have kobe while the Rockets have Tmac. You'd be a crazy man to bet tmac against Kobe.
In a 7-game series, I think we can go head-to-head with just about anyone out West except for the Lakers and maybe the Jazz. Lakers and the Rockets would be on the same level if Kobe was only playing at 50% to 60%. If he's 90-100%, then we're screwed. Jazz plays old-school defense (aka hard, tough fouls every time). We can still beat em' in a series, but it'll be tough just because we need to solve D. Will, AK47, and Boozer. Those 3 are deadly and we create mismatch problems for us.
Sorry, but I disagree with just about everything you said here. Lakers/Warriors: The last couple of years, the Lakers have won almost every game against the Warriors. In the two games I watched this season, the Warriors seem like they lose their mojo the minute they see the Lakers, who are tailor made to beat them. If they meet in the playoffs, it's 4-0 or 4-1 Lakers. Lakers/Spurs: The Lakers have their own version of the twin towers that makes it very difficult for the Spurs to match up. Kurt Thomas helps the Spurs a lot in this matchup. Still, the depth and athleticism of the Laker gives them the edge against an aging Spurs team yet to demonstrate they measure up to last year. I know many say never count the Spurs out, but I'm ready to do that unless they demonstrate some snap. Beating the T-Wolves by 1 point because Randy Foye is a complete moron doesn't show me much. Lakers/Rockets: It's a series we could win but it would take nearly perfect basketball. If the Rockets play as good as last night's Hornets game, we can beat anyone. I'm not ready to say we will do that. I remember the awesome 9-1 run we had last season without Yao. The Rockets peaked too early and I'm concerned that could be happening again. But if we are playing at the top of our game, we can beat anyone in a 7 game series.
prior to the Spanish Acquisition by the Lakers, LO can't cope w the pressure of being the 2nd option. since Gasol's arrival, that pressure dissipated. and LO, with no pressure on him, has performed consistently well. concur while that is logical, inasmuch as the Spurs are the defending champs, i am not ready to write them off. Adelman has a history of having a negative vibe on his player. witness the choke jobs by his teams---Blazers and Sacto Kings--in critical playoff games. History (Adelman's team performing under pressure in the playoff) will repeat itself
the lakers have everything right now. i would not like to see them in the first round at all. our chances would be better in a second rd matchup IMO, because i dont think we can really play our best basketball until 10 ton first round gorilla off of his back. but c'mon man, a frontline of bynum and gasol ? then you throw in odom who is 6'10 (they will OWN the glass), not to mention the greatest player on the planet kobe bryant. oh and for icing on the cake we have clutch shooting of the veteran derek fisher and the best bench in the league.... its not looking good for everyone else in the west right now when you compare.
I don't know why everyone, in the public and media is saying that once Bynum comes back he'll be in the starting lineup. I see Bynum comming off the bench once he gets back, because their starting 5 is playing great right now. Their rotation is gonna look like this. Fisher / Farmar Kobe / Vujacic VladRad / Walton / Ariza Odem / Turiaf Gasol / Bynum / Mihm or Mbenga
They just blew out the clippers. They just seem to be blowing people out and to think this team was going to implode at the start of the season.
Kobe the most hated player in American Sports? Barry Bonds may have something to say about that. How long have you been watching the NBA? I'm pretty sure they would love to see Lakers and Celtics in the finals
blowing out the clippers doesnt impress me with all the injuries they had and it was a "home" game for the lakers as well. but overall they have looked amazing lately. I dont know they got gasol for nothing at all which at times just seems totally unfair but oh well. The have great chemistry as it has been pretty much the same squad the past few years and they have added some key pieces (fisher, gasol) while their young guys, bynum and farmar have developed tremendously since last year. Its going to be interesting to see how they will play with bynum back he does take up the space gasol is used to occupying or if he will return to be as efficient as he was before the injury. personally right now if the lakers do lose in the playoffs its going to be in a 7 game series i dont see them losing in in 4-6 games. well a lot hinges on kobe's finger too if that gets any worse they will be in serious trouble. hopefully he stays healthy though for the rest of the season. I hate him as a person but I love watching him play as a player
Hold on, aren't you a Laker fan? I'd think you would know more than anybody what Bynum brings to the Lakers. The Lakers are playing Great right now, but with Bynum we could be ALOT better for the simple fact he brings us a defensive anchor and rebounding. Those are two things we are desperately needing right now more than anything.
And the sad thing is they didn't even have to mortage their future to do this trade. They only had to give up (if you call it giving up) Kwame Brown... Pau is still pretty young, Bynum IS young, Farmar is young, Kobe has a good while left in the league... Scary. I hate the Lakers.
