madmaxmedia wrote:Ouch to the bolded part, because it's true. At one point I was hoping for 40. But what I think I really meant was that I think they can play like a 40-win team maybe half the time, and thus win about half those games. The other half, they will have plenty of off nights where Kobe is off, or defense intensity is flagging, players are hurt, etc.
Kobe is going to have nights where he looks unstoppable. His usage, post game and shooting ability alone will probably see him average over 20 a game, probably the only SG in the league outside of Harden and maybe Derozan who does it this season.
Kobe will win you games. But, there will be nights when he looks great and is firing offensively, but the defensive will be so bad that any bucket he gets you guys, it will be given straight back up by the team’s defense.
I am not sure if Laker fans realise how bad Boozer is on that end. The only positive about Boozer in LA is that you’re not paying his total earnings for the year.
Of course, Kobe will also have some poor games as well, which is natural given what he is coming back from and his age.
I see Kobe averaging 23, 5 & 5 on .540 TS%.
They’re very good numbers for a guy coming back from what he has and at his age.
I just can’t get over how bad the rest of your roster is, though. That front court is hideous. I have no faith in Nick Young being comfortable with a lesser role. I think Lin will be a good addition, but he needs the ball in his hands to be most effective. Those opportunities will be limited if Bryant is on the floor with him at the same time.
Tank it in, save yourselves the embarrassment of losing a pick in the 6-10 range and grab another high quality kid in the top 5 range to add to Randle and the pending cap space in the future.
If LA let pride get in the way and try to get a few more Ws, and ultimately end up somewhere in the 32-35 range, that’s going to hurt you long term.
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— Mags