RealGM

Lakers will need to Board vs Celtics.

KG and Perkins are big guys.

Odom will try to Board but he is a little small to KG and underweight to Perkins.

Gasol is to light. He will have to learn to be more physical and boxout if the LA is to take home a title.

Turiaf is too short even with his great hops.

Bynum would be nice.

A wonder if Mihm can play on Perkins, with LO at SM
he hasn't played but the Lakers need height and weight.

Boston will get a lot of offensive boards and dominate the defensive boards.

I see this as a problem unless Kobe nails and crew are nailing their shots.

Turiaf is 6'10 which is the same height as Perkins. How is that to short?

Turiaf is listed at 6'10", but he's actually 6'8". With shoes, he's a 6'9.25", which is rounded up to 6'10". Perkins is probably at least an inch taller, has a better reach, and most importantly, has at least 30 pounds on Turiaf.

Turiaf is always game, but he is a bit undersized at center, and he can get overpowered as well.

Perkins is a bull. The dude is big and strong. It's going to be tough, I'm not going to front. It's obviously weighing on the Lakers' mind as well, as they're not entirely sure on the rotations and matchups, and apparently Odom is going to try battling it out with Perkins.

As the series goes along, I wouldn't be surprised if everybody gets a crack at him, until something works. My bet? Probably Mbenga!

I agree with the OP.

The team that wins the battle of the boards will probably win the series. It worries me greatly.

I don't think we'll win the battle of the boards...On top of Perk and KG, Rondo gets a lot of boards for a point guard. Odom and Gasol will have to step up. HOpefully Kobe will have a 10 rebound game or two also.

probably will be a lot like the jazz series when they got all kinds of offensive rebounds, lets hope they don't hit their shots

Boards are vital. However, for one reason or another this Laker team has kept winning despite their weaknesses. Not enough D to stop Denver. People thought this would be a 5 or 6 game series for the Lakers. Against Utah we were outboarded a lot and were too soft. We still won. Against the champs we weren't experienced enough. We finished them off in 5.

BallAboveAll wrote:Boards are vital. However, for one reason or another this Laker team has kept winning despite their weaknesses. Not enough D to stop Denver. People thought this would be a 5 or 6 game series for the Lakers. Against Utah we were outboarded a lot and were too soft. We still won. Against the champs we weren't experienced enough. We finished them off in 5.

Good post. You've got an excellent point. I guess this is what happens when you have a coach like Phil Jackson. There isn't a coach greater. This goes without saying that without Red Auerbach, there would be no Phil Jackson. All that knowledge passed down over the years has finally been augmented.

KG doesn't board like he did when he was 27. Odom and Gasol will board and Kobe will get 5.

Like posted it is a big concern.
But yeah hopefully Kobe will get in theri and pick a few off. the problem is see is KG is so long and can jump over Odom, Turiaf and Gasol while Perkins can take up so much space he pushes people away from the hoop. Also Posey and Pierce will be there.

Will be a great 6 or 7 not 5 or 4 like some think.

Iceburg Slim wrote:-= original quote snipped =-



Good post. You've got an excellent point. I guess this is what happens when you have a coach like Phil Jackson. There isn't a coach greater. This goes without saying that without Red Auerbach, there would be no Phil Jackson. All that knowledge passed down over the years has finally been augmented.

Wow... I applaud you Laker fan... I've seen some less than classy comments about Red over here due to Phil's oppurtunity to surpass him, and I have kept my mouth shut because it is the Laker board even though Red is one of the key people who made the NBA what it is, but that is something I have to break silence to tell you just how classy I think that is. Good Luck to you, and thank God this isn't another snoozer Spurs-Detroit series.

Edit: Sorry for the bad grammar, I'm going to have a hang-over tomorrow...

Just looking to jump into a discussion of some merit. I wouldn't look at the frontcourt to determine the rebounding issue. The C's are rugged up front on the glass but Odom and Gasol are fine they will hold their own it was essentially even along the frontline.

The bigger issue is the guards. For whatever reason Ray Allen rebounds like a beast against Kobe and Rondo is an excellent rebounder. I think this series isn't going to come down to how much Kobe shoots, now is the time for him to be a little selfish, it is were he shoots. Ray avgs 6 boards a game head to head against Kobe but is closer to 7 or 8 in games Ray's team win. I think the issue is whether Kobe is getting to the rack or taking those fall away 17fts. Last night your backcourt got doubled up on the glass.

kobe does need to get in there and rebound, lakers need all the boards they can get