K.G/Kobe (West)>K.G/P2/Ray (East)?

[Kosta]

Seeing what the Celtics are doing this season to the rest of the league with their great trio, did the Lakers make a mistake by not pushing harder for Garnett? I mean you're talking about putting together the most dynamic player in the game with the best big man in the game (Better than Duncan this season).

So we go back to the future, L.A trades Bynum and Odom for K.G, are the Lakers the next dynasty? Are they better than the current Celtics, even in the West?

EDIT: I used this specific thread to break the formatting of to figure out an obnoxious, format-breaking issue. High-five to anybody who finds this thread (not counting rascal mods that can see the edits I make, you lads are just cheaters!). What a momentous moment in RealGM History. -Dome

[HarlemHeat37]

Difficult to say yes IMO..we already know what Boston gives us, they have the best record in the NBA..Kobe and KG would also have to play in the West, which is more difficult..

I'd rather have 3 than 2, but that's just my opinion..we've seen what Kobe does with a low post big, but KG isn't a traditional big anyways..

I'm not saying they wouldn't be good, because they'd definitely be a contender..but I already know what Boston has shown me so far this season..

[NetsForce]

The Lakers duo would be better but would have a harder time making it to the finals since they're in the west.

[m1kenoff]

The current situation is IMO better.

Kobe/KG would be good but not good enough because of depth/injury/fatigue issues especially in the western conference. Furthermore, who would be there next best player? Other than Luke Walton, they would have almost noone.

[celticfan42487]

I think LA would have to trade Farmar as well.

Bynum is less proven then Big AL right now, and was much more then last year.

We'll assume LA has traded 2 first round draft picks as well.

And that Ratliff's capspace plus the young quality bench player of Gomes will = Odom...because Mchale wants to win after trading Garnett?

Well we have to in this scenerio.

The combo of Pierce+ Ray= Kobe. So it'd come down to supporting cast.

Fisher would be a huge steal and they would nab him still in this scenerio.

They already have VladRad, and now KG so they'd be at the cap and would let Walton go.

Fisher/Critt
Kobe/Sasha or *House*
*Posey*?/Kobe
KG/Vlad Rad or Turiaf
Kwame/Mihm

I'd say they'd snag Posey in from Heat. And House signed because of the combo, I think LA would pick him up from NJ as well because he's accustomed to coming off the bench for contenders and draining 3s.

I'd say the team would be just as good as BOS and potentially better depending on pick ups from free agency, specifically Posey.

[Laker1]

Lakers did push hard for KG they offered anyone not named Kobe. I think the offer was Kwame,Odom,Bynum,and a couple of 1st for KG.

[Dirty Water]

not to sound out of place but its hard to be better than 27-3, imo

[Laker1]

I think that KG and Kobe would have a less impressive record because the Lakers do have a tougher schedule this year. But come playoff time they would be a better team simply because of coaching and bench production.

[TonyMontana]

I dont think it was the Lakers that didnt push hard enough top get K.G , it was McHales wanting to help the Celtics more than the Lakers .
Also rarely do we see a big trade within the same Conf.

[6and33areGOD]

Fisher/Critt
Kobe/Sasha or *House*
*Posey*?/Kobe
KG/Vlad Rad or Turiaf
Kwame/Mihm

versus

Rondo/ House
Allen/T.Allen
Pierce/Posey
Garnett/Posey/Davis
Perkins/Pollard

Call me a homer, but I think this Celtics team is better than the theoretical Lakers team. Kobe is the best of the bunch, but this Celtics team has more firepower tahn that Lakers team. Having both Pierce and Allen allows one or two of th Celts stars to coast on a given night, while LA would need Kobe and KG to produce every night. Also, as shown by Pierce's 3rd quarter explosion against LA, having the ability to coast a little bit allows for a high energy level late in games.

[Frosty]

The Celts are playing well because they put their egos aside in order to win. I'm not convinced that the same would take place in LA.

[NetsForce]

The Celts are playing well because they put their egos aside in order to win. I'm not convinced that the same would take place in LA.

That's actually a good point, I've always wondered how KG would play with some one more intense / demanding than him.

[conleyorbust]

I think KG and Kobe would be a fantastic combo and Phil Jackson would probably murder someone to get a guy like KG. Huge, great passer, great shooter, very smart player, great defender. My thought is that it would work best if they did it like Boston is, run the sets through KG and let Kobe play off him like Pierce and Ray do. I just don't know if Kobe would see it that way, he had his time playing off Shaq and made it known he wanted the ball in his hands more. Would he be OK with giving it to Garnett? In some ways, Garnett is like Odom with the ball and Odom is misused in LA because he can't be an initiator.

I'd go with Boston, KG is a guy that loves to do all the little things to help you win. You need to put a good scorer with him to be truly elite but I think two great scorers with KG are just as effective as one extraordinary one.

[Young_Star11]

It would've been Odom + Bynum + Kwame + 1st round pick (s) for KG.

That really would have depleted the Lakers.

So, no.

Boston right now seems a lock for the conference finals *touch wood*.

[bballcool34]

The argument for Boston:

The advantage of having Pierce and Allen over Kobe, is that with three stars, rest comes by much easier, and the 2nd unit can excel to a greater degree. With Pierce, Allen, and Garnett- most of the time one of the Big Three is always on the floor- that's a big advantage compared to other's team 2nd units. Plus, obviously injury concerns- if one goes down then you still have two players who can carry the team. On top of that, their styles of play are ideal for each other- something that can be hard to come by when there are 3 stars on one team. Their record speaks for themselves in this instance- 27-3 (best start in Celtics franchise history).

The argument for the Lakers:

Having two top 5 players on the same team is huge. Two top 5 players who are also each top 5 defensive players at their position. Kobe's proven he can play with a big man- and though Garnett's style obviously drastically differs from Shaq's- I'm confident that Kobe, when he wants to, would be able to set up Garnett very well.
I'm of the opinion that Kobe would not mind running the offense through Garnett; Kobe would still get his shots, no doubt. And then of course, there's Phil Jackson coaching which is a distinct advantage over Doc Rivers as the Celtics coach.



Ultimately, I'd say the Celts- with three players- have more options, get more rest, and have a better second unit. And the Eastern Conference is much easier to get out of: besides Detroit, I don't see any team beating the Celts in a 7 game series. So yeah, knowing how successful the Celtics have been so far, I'm gonna go with them.

Edit: Submitted the post by accident

[bballcool34]

The Lakers duo would be better but would have a harder time making it to the finals since they're in the west.

A legit opinion, but I'd be interested to hear your take on why?

[bballcool34]

-= original quote snipped =-



That's actually a good point, I've always wondered how KG would play with some one more intense / demanding than him.

The other person was referring more so to Kobe, which I'm sure you knew.

Anyhow, is Kobe more demanding the KG and gets more upset and out of control when he doesn't get his way? Absolutely.

But, is he more intense than KG? No- there even in terms that they both bring it their all every game.

[RJM]

Lakers are currently 19-11 with their cast, so replace certain players with KG and James Posey and you have something close to 27-3. Surely not the exact record per se but considering the records I would put the Lakers at between 24 and 27 wins.

[bballcool34]

Lakers are currently 19-11 with their cast, so replace certain players with KG and James Posey and you have something close to 27-3. Surely not the exact record per se but considering the records I would put the Lakers at between 24 and 27 wins.

Possible that the Lakers would have 24-27 wins.

But, your reasoning is flawed: you can't compare the current Lakers to the Lakers with Garnett because if the Lakers had gotten Garnett they would have given up some key components for why they are playing well- namely Odom, Bynum, and Kwame (though he hasn't done much this season).

With Garnett they would be a completely different team- very likely much better- but you can't gauge how many wins they might have had, by looking at the current Lakers.

[kobe#8]

put those big three in the west and that 27-3 is a dream for them..
KG and Kobe means bling bling..
AND MCHALE HELPED HIS CELTICS, our offer was waaaay better than the celtics offer!!!