Laker's supporting cast - over rated ?

[guy1]

The Laker supporting cast is the best offensively but defensively it is not even close to being the best. The Lakers supposting cast is definatley overrated when it come to defense.

Best supporting cast offensively=Lakers
Best supporting cast defensively=Cavs

Edge to Cavs supporting cast.

Not really. I never hear anyone say the Lakers are good at defense, so I don't see how they are overrated. That is really their main criticism. There basically looked as a potentiall great defensive team with alot of length in Bynum, Gasol, and Odom and good perimeter defenders in Kobe and Ariza, but they don't put enough effort into that. This is all true, so there rated about right. They are not overrated at all at defense.

And I don't see how that means the edge goes to the Cavs? Both their defense and offense would be significantly worse if Lebron wasn't there. The same can be said about the Lakers without Kobe, but not nearly as worse.

I worded it wrong. What I meant that the Lakers are overrated in the sense that many people, on this board and the media, seen to think the Lakers supporting cast is way above everyone elses and I say they are not because of defense.

I meant the edge goes to the Cavs supporting cast because I think when trying to win the championship and I rather have a better defensive team than a better offensive team. Offense comes and goes but defense can be the one consistent. Also, you can't take Lebron and Kobe out of the equasion because then they would no longer be supporting cast.

You have to take that into the equation, then its not really much of a discussion. A big reason why the Cavs players are great is because they're playing with Lebron, and the same can be said about the Lakers and Kobe but not to the same degree. Its pretty clear that Lebron uses his teammates better then Kobe does, but that doesn't mean Kobe doesn't have the more talented supporting cast. I would say the Lebron has the more mentally tough cast, but that doesn't outweigh the difference in talent.

[SimonAdebisi]

I can't believe people still argue with JordanBulls about the Lakers LOL. For the Fisher as a great defensive PG argument, he's going to reference the coaches giving Fisher votes, book it.

[JordansBulls]

Excellent PG and defender and great clutch player at PG as well.

And one of the top 3-4 PF's in the game today with a top 4 Center in the league.
This team should be unstoppable.

Did the Lakers clone Gasol while we weren't looking?

Considering Gasol finished tops in Win Shares on an elite team over one of my favorite players ever who I may add finished 2nd in MVP voting, would show that Gasol is an elite big man and one of the best in the business.

[USA]

The Lakers are loaded. This is the type of team you need to have to win it all. Inside game and outside game. Excellent PG and defender and great clutch player at PG as well. One of the top 5 best players in the league nowadays and top 15 all time. And one of the top 3-4 PF's in the game today with a top 4 Center in the league.
This team should be unstoppable.

LOL @ the bolded parts but the question is, can they stop the Nuggets, Cavs, Celtics or Magic? I know you are being somewhat sarcastic but you should know as well as any, defense wins championships and out of those 4 teams I named, the Lakers are worse then all 4 of them defensively.

[RUSSDUCK]

You guy's are funny. Oh how we forget last year's Celtic's being took to the brink in every series last year. Look at those playoff threads back then. Celtic's looked weak but still made it to the finals and crushed Los Angeles.

Los Angeles may not be perfect but there is no doubt in my mind that they are better then denver, and should be challenged by the Cav's (Lebron brings so many intangibles to the game) in the finals.

I'll take 16 wins any way I can get them. I'm sure no Eastern Conference team or even the Nuggets out west would be happy to face Utah or Houston. So just wash the bs out your eyes.

[wreck]

The Cavs are loaded with great defenders, rebounders, and shooters and the team has excellent chemistry. The Lakers have none of these elements which are essential for a championship team. You can't just look at a list of names.

The Cleveland Cavaliers... A team so loaded that it is winless (0-8) since the start of the 2007-2008 season in games that LeBron doesn't play.

I still don't get why people continue to overrate the rest of the Cavaliers team because if LeBron doesn't suit up, they aren't even close to being a playoff team, let alone a championship contender.

[RUSSDUCK]

The Lakers are loaded. This is the type of team you need to have to win it all. Inside game and outside game. Excellent PG and defender and great clutch player at PG as well. One of the top 5 best players in the league nowadays and top 15 all time. And one of the top 3-4 PF's in the game today with a top 4 Center in the league.
This team should be unstoppable.

LOL @ the bolded parts but the question is, can they stop the Nuggets, Cavs, Celtics or Magic? I know you are being somewhat sarcastic but you should know as well as any, defense wins championships and out of those 4 teams I named, the Lakers are worse then all 4 of them defensively.

When did any team out west become better than the Laker's? You've watched them dismantle garbage teams and now their better?

[USA]

8 games over 2 seasons?

[USA]

The Lakers are loaded. This is the type of team you need to have to win it all. Inside game and outside game. Excellent PG and defender and great clutch player at PG as well. One of the top 5 best players in the league nowadays and top 15 all time. And one of the top 3-4 PF's in the game today with a top 4 Center in the league.
This team should be unstoppable.

LOL @ the bolded parts but the question is, can they stop the Nuggets, Cavs, Celtics or Magic? I know you are being somewhat sarcastic but you should know as well as any, defense wins championships and out of those 4 teams I named, the Lakers are worse then all 4 of them defensively.

When did any team out west become better than the Laker's? You've watched them dismantle garbage teams and now their better?

Garbage teams or not, Denver has been playing better defense than the Lakers this playoffs.

[wreck]

8 games over 2 seasons?

You'd think if a team was so great, they could win at least 1 game without their star player, right?

Even the post-Shaq Lakers (before Pau Gasol came aboard) were able to win games when Lamar Odom was out, even if it wasn't many.

[SimonAdebisi]

Laker fans are just making excuses before-hand, as they always do when it involves Kobe. He doesn't exactly have a good history when he makes the Finals, so expecting a good series out of him might be too much. It's good to call out his supporting cast beforehand.

[ddubb]

The supporting cast is extremely talented, they are just weak in key areas like defending the pg position and front line toughness.

They are easily the deepest team in the league though. My opinion is they take their talent for granted. Kobe will have no excuses if they fall short this year.

[Basileus777]

Excellent PG and defender and great clutch player at PG as well.

And one of the top 3-4 PF's in the game today with a top 4 Center in the league.
This team should be unstoppable.

Did the Lakers clone Gasol while we weren't looking?

Considering Gasol finished tops in Win Shares on an elite team over one of my favorite players ever who I may add finished 2nd in MVP voting, would show that Gasol is an elite big man and one of the best in the business.

That's nice, but it has nothing to do with my response. The Lakers don't have a top 3 PF and a top 4 center, not unless Gasol is counted twice.

[Kobay]

^^i dont think they are deep. Lakers have the best first unit arguably, the depth is an illusion, nothing more than scrubs being thrown into a mix with starters and looking good for that. But this is only on offense. Defense is garbage, comes from hole in the pg, soft bigs who can't box out to rebound.

[Basileus777]

I don't know how the Lakers are the deepest team in the league. Do inconsistent and often just bad players like Farmar, Sasha, and Walton really strike people as key elements of the best bench in the league? Do people not watch the Lakers and see that their bench is nowhere near as productive or effective as it was last year?

[Silver Bullet]

The Cavs are loaded with great defenders, rebounders, and shooters and the team has excellent chemistry. The Lakers have none of these elements which are essential for a championship team. You can't just look at a list of names.

The Cleveland Cavaliers... A team so loaded that it is winless (0-8) since the start of the 2007-2008 season in games that LeBron doesn't play.

I still don't get why people continue to overrate the rest of the Cavaliers team because if LeBron doesn't suit up, they aren't even close to being a playoff team, let alone a championship contender.

What does that have to do with anything ? Put Lebron on the Knicks, would they be better than the current Cavs, IMO, absolutely not.

The whole point is that the Cavs are built better around Lebron than the Lakers are built around Kobe. Put Zach Randolph as the Cavs starting PF, do they get better or worse ?

[wreck]

^^i dont think they are deep. Lakers have the best first unit arguably, the depth is an illusion, nothing more than scrubs being thrown into a mix with starters and looking good for that. But this is only on offense. Defense is garbage, comes from hole in the pg, soft bigs who can't box out to rebound.

The 5th ranked team defensively during the regular season is garbage? The 5th ranked team in rebounding efficiency during the regular season can't rebound? If that's the case what are the other teams?

[wreck]

What does that have to do with anything ? Put Lebron on the Knicks, would they be better than the current Cavs, IMO, absolutely not.

The whole point is that the Cavs are built better around Lebron than the Lakers are built around Kobe. Put Zach Randolph as the Cavs starting PF, do they get better or worse ?

The Knicks would have made the playoffs if LeBron was on their roster and would be head and shoulders better than a Cavaliers team that played without him.

Put Randolph on the Cavaliers and the Cavaliers would still be successful because LeBron is just that good. Similar to how the Lakers were able to succeed during the Shaq era despite having Bryant on the team.

The reason the Cavaliers appear to be built better than the Lakers is obvious. LeBron is a franchise player that you can build a successful team around. Bryant has proven that he is not.

You Bryant fans are just in denial about this and want to downplay the talent level of the rest of the team so you'll have an excuse built in when the Lakers fail to win the title.

[guy1]

The Cavs are loaded with great defenders, rebounders, and shooters and the team has excellent chemistry. The Lakers have none of these elements which are essential for a championship team. You can't just look at a list of names.

The Cleveland Cavaliers... A team so loaded that it is winless (0-8) since the start of the 2007-2008 season in games that LeBron doesn't play.

I still don't get why people continue to overrate the rest of the Cavaliers team because if LeBron doesn't suit up, they aren't even close to being a playoff team, let alone a championship contender.

What does that have to do with anything ? Put Lebron on the Knicks, would they be better than the current Cavs, IMO, absolutely not.

The whole point is that the Cavs are built better around Lebron than the Lakers are built around Kobe. Put Zach Randolph as the Cavs starting PF, do they get better or worse ?

Are you saying that the Cavs - Lebron > Knicks + Lebron?

[Dat Pass]

I don't know how the Lakers are the deepest team in the league. Do inconsistent and often just bad players like Farmar, Sasha, and Walton really strike people as key elements of the best bench in the league? Do people not watch the Lakers and see that their bench is nowhere near as productive or effective as it was last year?

Yea their bench has been awful at times this season. Especially when Bynum was hurt. Sasha, Farmar and Walton is not a good bench by any stretch of the imagination.