OT: Wow...Lakers get GASOL

[Bgil]

Wow you guys are assessing our team horribly. I'm not saying we're better than you guys but still:

Gasol is a far better rebounder than Kwame particularly on the offensive glass.

Gasol has 100x the passing ability and bballIQ of Kwame. In our offense that means virtually everything. Not to mention Gasol's superior range will open our offense up quite a bit.

Kwame also plays 20mpg for about 50 games per year. His defensive presence is nothing if he's not on the floor. Gasol, contrary to popular belief, isn't soft or a bad defender. Just a few years ago Memphis was one of the best defensive teams in the league. Given his shot blocking ability and his ability to stay on the floor that makes him defensively more valuable over 82 games than Kwame.

I don't really think I need to explain the difference between Kwame and Gasol offensively but I will say that Kwame is stone hands and Pau is not. That right there gives Kobe, Fish, and Lamar another awesome target. Not to mention that Gasol can actually finish under the basket and shoots 81% from the line vs Kwame's 40%.

Prior to today, our team really didn't have a ton of talent just a bunch of players that worked extremely well in our system. Now Gasol brings All-Star quality talent in to replace Kwame (bust) Brown AND he's a perfect fit for the triangle.

Make no mistake, we got SIGNIFICANTLY better in every area with this trade (except our salary cap situation is insane for the next 3 years at least).

[Bgil]

why are people talking about the Lakers in the finals? Between New Orleans, SA, Dallas, GS, Denver, Portland etc. the west is stacked, adding a soft center to a team doesnt make them any better than these teams.

We were already better than Denver, GS, and Portland before the trade. I think we were better than Phoenix too.
I think we're up there with SA now.

[greenbeans]

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We were already better than Denver, GS, and Portland before the trade. I think we were better than Phoenix too.
I think we're up there with SA now.

i think tedy bruschis gonna be our answer at backup pg. what you or i think doesnt mean anyhting though.

i think all the teams you listed exc. portland could bring LA to a 7game series. dont get TOO cocky.

[Rocky5000]

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We were already better than Denver, GS, and Portland before the trade. I think we were better than Phoenix too.
I think we're up there with SA now.

I'm not so sure about that. The Lakers should be looking towards next year as the time for them to compete. I don't think that Bynum is going to back early enough to matter. Despite what you might think, Memphis had 2 borderline all-star quality players(Miller and Gay)around Gasol already in Memphis and they were still a below average team. He moves to LA where he has one all-star in Kobe and maybe a future All-star in Bynum. Odom goes back to being a role player.

[Bgil]

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i think tedy bruschis gonna be our answer at backup pg. what you or i think doesnt mean anyhting though.

i think all the teams you listed exc. portland could bring LA to a 7game series. dont get TOO cocky.

What make you think they could take us to 7 games? We swept Denver this year with relative ease. GS has beaten us once in like the last two years. Phoenix took us to 7 games two years ago when we were not even half the team we are now.

Now that we're a running team there's no other running team in the league that can beat us (PHX, GS, Den). The way to beat the Lakers (before the Gasol trade) is to abuse us at PF (LO) and to play great D. None of those teams can do that. Now that we have Gasol and it makes us even better.

Dallas, SA, and NO could beat us but definitely no one else in the West... assuming we're healthy.

[greenbeans]

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What make you think they could take us to 7 games? We swept Denver this year with relative ease. GS has beaten us once in like the last two years. Phoenix took us to 7 games two years ago when we were not even half the team we are now.

Now that we're a running team there's no other running team in the league that can beat us (PHX, GS, Den). The way to beat the Lakers (before the Gasol trade) is to abuse us at PF (LO) and to play great D. None of those teams can do that. Now that we have Gasol and it makes us even better.

Dallas, SA, and NO could beat us but definitely no one else in the West... assuming we're healthy.

okay, so there isnt ONE team that can even take the celtics to 7 games. it cant happen, its impossible. thats as foolish as you saying none of those other teams even have a shot at the lakers.


lakers=New Jersey west. . . looks good on paper, but they play on parquet

[daveisceltics]

Go to the Lakers board.
They don't really have much to say about the trade so far.
Why are we overreacting?
We have the best record in the NBA, and have the number 1 defense.
No worries.

[Bgil]

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okay, so there isnt ONE team that can even take the celtics to 7 games. it cant happen, its impossible. thats as foolish as you saying none of those other teams even have a shot at the lakers.


lakers=New Jersey west. . . looks good on paper, but they play on parquet

Except that we had the best record in the West before Bynum went down and before Gasol while NJ w/VC is an average team in the East at full strength.

Hell, even without Bynum, Gasol, Ariza, Mihm, and Luke we're probably still better than NJ.

[Bgil]

Go to the Lakers board.
They don't really have much to say about the trade so far.
Why are we overreacting?
We have the best record in the NBA, and have the number 1 defense.
No worries.

No worries? Then why are you overreacting? Those two things don't compute.

[greenbeans]

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Except that we had the best record in the West before Bynum went down and before Gasol while NJ w/VC is an average team in the East at full strength.

Hell, even without Bynum, Gasol, Ariza, Mihm, and Luke we're probably still better than NJ.

okayyyyy. . so that NJ team that went to 2 finals wasnt any good. . sureeee. .

im just sayin remember how good they looked after the VC trade. . i hope for you guys, im not sure though

[Bgil]

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I'm not so sure about that. The Lakers should be looking towards next year as the time for them to compete. I don't think that Bynum is going to back early enough to matter. Despite what you might think, Memphis had 2 borderline all-star quality players(Miller and Gay)around Gasol already in Memphis and they were still a below average team. He moves to LA where he has one all-star in Kobe and maybe a future All-star in Bynum. Odom goes back to being a role player.

We were already a top WC team with Kobe, Odom, Bynum, Fish and our bench. Adding in Gasol and taking out stone hands obviously makes us better.

[greenbeans]

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We were already a top WC team with Kobe, Odom, Bynum, Fish and our bench. Adding in Gasol and taking out stone hands obviously makes us better.

NOH is also a top WC team. doesnt mean either of you stand a chance against San Antonio.

[Bgil]

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okayyyyy. . so that NJ team that went to 2 finals wasnt any good. . sureeee. .

im just sayin remember how good they looked after the VC trade. . i hope for you guys, im not sure though

That NJ team might not have even made the playoffs in the West in 2002-2003. The following year they only won 47 games in the East.... which still means they might not have made the playoffs in the West.
Besides, swapping Kenyon (prime) for Vince (post-prime) isn't anything like swapping Kwame for Gasol.

[Bgil]

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NOH is also a top WC team. doesnt mean either of you stand a chance against San Antonio.

True but I'm not desputing the possibility of losing against NO or SA but Den and GS is ridiculous.

[greenbeans]

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That NJ team might not have even made the playoffs in the West in 2002-2003. The following year they only won 47 games in the East.... which still means they might not have made the playoffs in the West.
Besides, swapping Kenyon (prime) for Vince (post-prime) isn't anything like swapping Kwame for Gasol.

so when WAS vince's prime?? he must have come into the league past his prime.

i get your point, you got an all-star caliber* big, your excited. fair enough. good luck but it doesnt always work out the way you hope it does.

[greenbeans]

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True but I'm not desputing the possibility of losing against NO or SA but Den and GS is ridiculous.

ridiculous? i think AI will have a say in these playoffs, watch out for them, if they get rolling anywhere near the end of the season damn!! thats a hell of a matchup for the new gods of the hardwood Lakers.

AI vs Kobe adv. LA not by much though, sorry
Carmelo vs Odom adv. DEN by FARRRR
Kenyon vs Pau adv. LA by a little, Kenyon wont let Pau be soft
Camby vs Bynum adv. DEN. . . dont drop your binkies, its the truth

does that make you feel so confident?? if i were you i wouldnt be puffing my chest so much

[Bgil]

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so when WAS vince's prime?? he must have come into the league past his prime.

In his first two years I thought he was the next Jordan. Who knew he'd be overshadowed by his cousin.

[greenbeans]

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In his first two years I thought he was the next Jordan. Who knew he'd be overshadowed by his cousin.

who knew theyd BOTH be overshadowed by modern medicine.

[Bgil]

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ridiculous? i think AI will have a say in these playoffs, watch out for them, if they get rolling anywhere near the end of the season damn!! thats a hell of a matchup for the new gods of the hardwood Lakers.

AI vs Kobe adv. LA not by much though, sorry
Carmelo vs Odom adv. DEN by FARRRR
Kenyon vs Pau adv. LA by a little, Kenyon wont let Pau be soft
Camby vs Bynum adv. DEN. . . dont drop your binkies, its the truth

does that make you feel so confident?? if i were you i wouldnt be puffing my chest so much

Just like you said, that's how it looks on paper but :

127-99 Lakers
http://www.basketball-reference.com/box ... 90LAL.html
111-107 Lakers (AI even had 48)
http://www.basketball-reference.com/box ... 50DEN.html
116-99 Lakers
http://www.basketball-reference.com/box ... 10LAL.html

Lakers sweep the season series.

[Bgil]

The only thing that even made one of those games close was the fact that AI had 46 through three quarters. Other than that we're a really bad match up for them because our defense is superior and we can run with them all day.