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Could the Lakers make the playoffs without Kobe?
Posted: Thu Jun 5, 2008 4:14 pm
by skillz23
Take Kobe off and replace him with...Delonte West or something.
Bynum/Mihm/Mbenga
Gasol/Turiaf/Radmanovic
Odom/Walton/Radmanovic
West/Vujacic/Carl
Fisher/Farmar
Is that a good enough team to make the playoffs, ignoring current injuries and barring serious injuries during regular season? I realize some of the recognition for their astounding play belongs to Kobe...but what if he wasn't there?
Remember, Pau Gasol led a team full of role players to 50+ wins in Memphis a couple years back.
Possible?
Re: Could the Lakers make the playoffs without Kobe?
Posted: Thu Jun 5, 2008 4:40 pm
by JordansBulls
skillz23 wrote:Take Kobe off and replace him with...Delonte West or something.
Bynum/Mihm/Mbenga
Gasol/Turiaf/Radmanovic
Odom/Walton/Radmanovic
West/Vujacic/Carl
Fisher/Farmar
Is that a good enough team to make the playoffs, ignoring current injuries and barring serious injuries during regular season? I realize some of the recognition for their astounding play belongs to Kobe...but what if he wasn't there?
Remember, Pau Gasol led a team full of role players to 50+ wins in Memphis a couple years back.
Possible?
That team would be better than the team Gasol had in Memphis. And he won 49 and 50 games with them.
Posted: Thu Jun 5, 2008 4:45 pm
by skillz23
I know. However, I'd love if someone good at researching stats can see how much impact Kobe has on a guy like Bynum. I tried basketball reference, but it's too complex for me to understand.
Posted: Thu Jun 5, 2008 5:02 pm
by Milan24
Today's west is more competetive then it was a few years ago so it would be difficult.
Posted: Thu Jun 5, 2008 5:41 pm
by Malinhion
Yes. Gasol won 50 games in the West with a worse team.
They would make the playoffs. Once they get there is a different story though.
Posted: Thu Jun 5, 2008 5:54 pm
by CBS7
Yeah, but get swept in the first round.
Posted: Thu Jun 5, 2008 7:39 pm
by thamadkant
^ as the guy said above.
No one to go to for offense come playoff grind style.
It would be OKAY, if the team was really really good defensively... IF.
Posted: Thu Jun 5, 2008 8:49 pm
by KNICKS1970
They have the talent to make the playoffs, but Kobe is the difference between a good team that'll get swept in the first round and a great team that's the favorites to win the championship.
Posted: Thu Jun 5, 2008 11:51 pm
by tkb
If Bynum only plays 35 games like this season, I doubt we make playoffs without Kobe even with Gasol for the whole year.
Posted: Fri Jun 6, 2008 12:38 am
by chrice
Yes. There was a stretch where they had to play without Kobe and they held their own.
Posted: Fri Jun 6, 2008 1:07 am
by ponder276
If they only have a half season of Gasol, and a half season of Bynum (like they had this year), then HELL NO.
Even with a full season of Gasol and Bynum, it's still a definite NO for me. In my mind that team is not better than Golden State.
Posted: Fri Jun 6, 2008 1:17 am
by shawngoat23
With Delonte West, yes, but they wouldn't get a high seed this year. If you just took off Kobe and had to replace him with Farmar or something, then I think they just miss it.
In most years, however, that team would win around 50 games, which would be enough to make the playoffs easily.
Posted: Fri Jun 6, 2008 1:49 am
by Cybulski37
They would probably be in the 7-10 range with no Kobe and a healthy Gasol+Bynum.
Posted: Fri Jun 6, 2008 7:19 am
by farzi
They wouldn't be better than GSW, and they didn't make the playoffs