Could the Lakers make the playoffs without Kobe?

skillz23 · Post #1 » by **skillz23** » Thu Jun 5, 2008 4:14 pm

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?

JordansBulls · Post #2 » by **JordansBulls** » Thu Jun 5, 2008 4:40 pm

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.

skillz23 · Post #3 » by **skillz23** » Thu Jun 5, 2008 4:45 pm

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.

Milan24 · Post #4 » by **Milan24** » Thu Jun 5, 2008 5:02 pm

Today's west is more competetive then it was a few years ago so it would be difficult.

Malinhion · Post #5 » by **Malinhion** » Thu Jun 5, 2008 5:41 pm

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.

Post #6 » by **CBS7** » Thu Jun 5, 2008 5:54 pm

Yeah, but get swept in the first round.

thamadkant · Post #7 » by **thamadkant** » Thu Jun 5, 2008 7:39 pm

^ 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.

KNICKS1970 · Post #8 » by **KNICKS1970** » Thu Jun 5, 2008 8:49 pm

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.

Post #9 » by **tkb** » Thu Jun 5, 2008 11:51 pm

If Bynum only plays 35 games like this season, I doubt we make playoffs without Kobe even with Gasol for the whole year.

chrice · Post #10 » by **chrice** » Fri Jun 6, 2008 12:38 am

Yes. There was a stretch where they had to play without Kobe and they held their own.

ponder276 · Post #11 » by **ponder276** » Fri Jun 6, 2008 1:07 am

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.

shawngoat23 · Post #12 » by **shawngoat23** » Fri Jun 6, 2008 1:17 am

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.

Cybulski37 · Post #13 » by **Cybulski37** » Fri Jun 6, 2008 1:49 am

They would probably be in the 7-10 range with no Kobe and a healthy Gasol+Bynum.

farzi · Post #14 » by **farzi** » Fri Jun 6, 2008 7:19 am

They wouldn't be better than GSW, and they didn't make the playoffs