Lakers Decade by Decade Breakdown
Posted: Thu Dec 3, 2009 6:20 pm
When I did this for the Bullets/Wizards, had a request to do so for other teams. This is a decades breakdown for the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers using the stat adjustments from the All-time team competition thread (per 36 min numbers adjusted for league pace and shooting percentages relative to the year 2000). Do the 50s have enough shooting to compete (assuming they can play at their relative level)? Can the 60s bigs slow Mikan, Kareem, and Shaq? Can the 72 title team be the same without Jerry West? Can the Showtime Lakers rebound (even Magic's rebounding numbers pale a bit)? Is Shaq enough by himself? Can last year's title team go up against the all-time squads?
RANK THE ERAS STRONGEST TO WEAKEST
1950s – The Mikan Era -- pts reb ast fg% 3pt% ft%
C 1954 George Mikan 6’11 25.0 19.7 4.7 .490 .777
PF 1955 Vern Mickelson 6’8 20.1 11.0 2.1 .493 .747
SF 1952 Jim Pollard 6’5 17.0 10.0 3.9 .437 .704
SG 1957 Dick Garmaker 6’4 17.7 5.0 2.8 .474 .839
PG 1953 Slater Martin 5’11 12.7 3.1 4.2 .499 .780
C/F 1956 Clyde Lovellette 6’10 21.7 14.1 2.3 .505 .757
G/F 1959 Hot Rod Hundley 6’5 13.7 5.0 4.1 .410 .752
G 1956 Whitey Skoog 6’0 13.1 4.5 4.0 .463 .803
1960s – Elgin Baylor and Jerry West
C 1968 Darrell Imhoff 6’11 10.4 12.2 2.8 .482 .619
PF 1961 Elgin Baylor 6’6 24.7 14.1 3.6 .466 .783
SF 1962 Rudy LaRusso 6’8 15.2 8.7 1.9 .492 .763
SG 1963 Dick Barnett 6’5 17.6 2.9 2.8 .481 .815
PG 1966 Jerry West 6’3 24.0 5.5 4.7 .492 .860
C/F 1968 Mel Counts 7’1 17.0 13.0 2.5 .479 .748
F 1968 Tom Hawkins 6’6 11.3 5.7 1.5 .505 .570
G 1968 Archie Clark 6’3 16.4 3.6 3.6 .484 .740
1970s – Wilt wins a ring, enter Kareem
C 1973 Wilt Chamberlain 7’2 10.2 14.4 3.4 .717 .510
PF 1974 Happy Hairston 6’8 13.7 12.8 2.6 .497 .771
SF 1972 Jim McMillan 6’6 16.1 5.6 2.3 .477 .791
SG 1972 Gail Goodrich 6’2 22.9 3.2 3.9 .482 .850
PG 1974 Jim Price 6’4 16.4 4.9 4.8 .440 .799
C 1974 Elmore Smith 7’0 11.8 10.6 1.8 .450 .590
SF 1978 Adrian Dantley 6’5 15.7 5.2 2.1 .473 .854
G 1977 Lucius Allen 6’3 15.5 3.4 5.5 .441 .774
1980s Showtime – Magic and Kareem
C 1981 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 7’2 23.4 9.2 3.1 .531 ---- .766
PF 1986 James Worthy 6’9 20.0 5.2 2.6 .535 ---- .771
SF 1981 Jamaal Wilkes 6’6 20.9 5.0 2.7 .487 ---- .728
SG 1988 Byron Scott 6’3 19.1 3.6 3.7 .494 .383 .858
PG 1987 Magic Johnson 6’8 21.6 5.6 11.0 .489 ---- .848
F/C 1989 A.C. Green 6’9 14.3 9.7 1.4 .499 ---- .786
G/F 1986 Michael Cooper 6’5 10.9 3.5 6.7 .418 .480 .865
G 1982 Norm Nixon 6’2 15.7 1.9 7.2 .452 ---- .808
1990s The Diesel pulls into Tinseltown
C 1998 Shaquille O’Neal 7’1 29.4 11.8 2.5 .584 ---- .527
PF 1996 Elden Campbell 6’11 15.4 8.3 2.4 .490 ---- .713
SF 1996 Cedric Ceballos 6’6 22.8 7.3 1.6 .516 .264 .804
SG 1998 Eddie Jones 6’6 17.5 3.9 3.1 .484 .393 .765
PG 1995 Nick Van Excel 6’1 16.3 2.7 8.0 .406 .353 .783
C 1995 Vlade Divac 7’1 16.2 10.5 4.1 .490 ---- .777
F 1998 Robert Horry 6’9 9.2 9.3 2.5 .476 .206 .692
G 1992 Sedale Threatt 6.2 13.8 2.8 4.7 .466 ---- .831
2000s Shaq and Kobe becomes the Kobe Show
C 2009 Pau Gasol 7’0 18.3 9.4 3.4 .556 ---- .781
PF 2008 Lamar Odom 6’10 13.5 10.1 3.4 .517 .265 .698
SF 2005 Caron Butler 6’7 16.2 6.1 2.0 .445 .299 .862
SG 2006 Kobe Bryant 6’6 32.1 4.8 4.1 .446 .339 .850
PG 2004 Gary Payton 6’4 16.4 4.7 6.1 .483 .336 .714
C 2007 Andrew Bynum 7’0 13.0 9.8 1.2 .548 ---- .668
F/C 2001 Horace Grant 6’10 10.4 8.6 1.9 .469 ---- .775
G 2008 Derek Fisher 6’1 15.3 2.7 3.8 .430 .392 .883
RANK THE ERAS STRONGEST TO WEAKEST
1950s – The Mikan Era -- pts reb ast fg% 3pt% ft%
C 1954 George Mikan 6’11 25.0 19.7 4.7 .490 .777
PF 1955 Vern Mickelson 6’8 20.1 11.0 2.1 .493 .747
SF 1952 Jim Pollard 6’5 17.0 10.0 3.9 .437 .704
SG 1957 Dick Garmaker 6’4 17.7 5.0 2.8 .474 .839
PG 1953 Slater Martin 5’11 12.7 3.1 4.2 .499 .780
C/F 1956 Clyde Lovellette 6’10 21.7 14.1 2.3 .505 .757
G/F 1959 Hot Rod Hundley 6’5 13.7 5.0 4.1 .410 .752
G 1956 Whitey Skoog 6’0 13.1 4.5 4.0 .463 .803
1960s – Elgin Baylor and Jerry West
C 1968 Darrell Imhoff 6’11 10.4 12.2 2.8 .482 .619
PF 1961 Elgin Baylor 6’6 24.7 14.1 3.6 .466 .783
SF 1962 Rudy LaRusso 6’8 15.2 8.7 1.9 .492 .763
SG 1963 Dick Barnett 6’5 17.6 2.9 2.8 .481 .815
PG 1966 Jerry West 6’3 24.0 5.5 4.7 .492 .860
C/F 1968 Mel Counts 7’1 17.0 13.0 2.5 .479 .748
F 1968 Tom Hawkins 6’6 11.3 5.7 1.5 .505 .570
G 1968 Archie Clark 6’3 16.4 3.6 3.6 .484 .740
1970s – Wilt wins a ring, enter Kareem
C 1973 Wilt Chamberlain 7’2 10.2 14.4 3.4 .717 .510
PF 1974 Happy Hairston 6’8 13.7 12.8 2.6 .497 .771
SF 1972 Jim McMillan 6’6 16.1 5.6 2.3 .477 .791
SG 1972 Gail Goodrich 6’2 22.9 3.2 3.9 .482 .850
PG 1974 Jim Price 6’4 16.4 4.9 4.8 .440 .799
C 1974 Elmore Smith 7’0 11.8 10.6 1.8 .450 .590
SF 1978 Adrian Dantley 6’5 15.7 5.2 2.1 .473 .854
G 1977 Lucius Allen 6’3 15.5 3.4 5.5 .441 .774
1980s Showtime – Magic and Kareem
C 1981 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 7’2 23.4 9.2 3.1 .531 ---- .766
PF 1986 James Worthy 6’9 20.0 5.2 2.6 .535 ---- .771
SF 1981 Jamaal Wilkes 6’6 20.9 5.0 2.7 .487 ---- .728
SG 1988 Byron Scott 6’3 19.1 3.6 3.7 .494 .383 .858
PG 1987 Magic Johnson 6’8 21.6 5.6 11.0 .489 ---- .848
F/C 1989 A.C. Green 6’9 14.3 9.7 1.4 .499 ---- .786
G/F 1986 Michael Cooper 6’5 10.9 3.5 6.7 .418 .480 .865
G 1982 Norm Nixon 6’2 15.7 1.9 7.2 .452 ---- .808
1990s The Diesel pulls into Tinseltown
C 1998 Shaquille O’Neal 7’1 29.4 11.8 2.5 .584 ---- .527
PF 1996 Elden Campbell 6’11 15.4 8.3 2.4 .490 ---- .713
SF 1996 Cedric Ceballos 6’6 22.8 7.3 1.6 .516 .264 .804
SG 1998 Eddie Jones 6’6 17.5 3.9 3.1 .484 .393 .765
PG 1995 Nick Van Excel 6’1 16.3 2.7 8.0 .406 .353 .783
C 1995 Vlade Divac 7’1 16.2 10.5 4.1 .490 ---- .777
F 1998 Robert Horry 6’9 9.2 9.3 2.5 .476 .206 .692
G 1992 Sedale Threatt 6.2 13.8 2.8 4.7 .466 ---- .831
2000s Shaq and Kobe becomes the Kobe Show
C 2009 Pau Gasol 7’0 18.3 9.4 3.4 .556 ---- .781
PF 2008 Lamar Odom 6’10 13.5 10.1 3.4 .517 .265 .698
SF 2005 Caron Butler 6’7 16.2 6.1 2.0 .445 .299 .862
SG 2006 Kobe Bryant 6’6 32.1 4.8 4.1 .446 .339 .850
PG 2004 Gary Payton 6’4 16.4 4.7 6.1 .483 .336 .714
C 2007 Andrew Bynum 7’0 13.0 9.8 1.2 .548 ---- .668
F/C 2001 Horace Grant 6’10 10.4 8.6 1.9 .469 ---- .775
G 2008 Derek Fisher 6’1 15.3 2.7 3.8 .430 .392 .883