Lakers Decade by Decade Breakdown

[penbeast0]

When I did this for the Bullets/Wizards, had a request to do so for other teams. This is a decades breakdown for the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers using the stat adjustments from the All-time team competition thread (per 36 min numbers adjusted for league pace and shooting percentages relative to the year 2000). Do the 50s have enough shooting to compete (assuming they can play at their relative level)? Can the 60s bigs slow Mikan, Kareem, and Shaq? Can the 72 title team be the same without Jerry West? Can the Showtime Lakers rebound (even Magic's rebounding numbers pale a bit)? Is Shaq enough by himself? Can last year's title team go up against the all-time squads?

RANK THE ERAS STRONGEST TO WEAKEST

1950s – The Mikan Era -- pts reb ast fg% 3pt% ft%
C 1954 George Mikan 6’11 25.0 19.7 4.7 .490 .777
PF 1955 Vern Mickelson 6’8 20.1 11.0 2.1 .493 .747
SF 1952 Jim Pollard 6’5 17.0 10.0 3.9 .437 .704
SG 1957 Dick Garmaker 6’4 17.7 5.0 2.8 .474 .839
PG 1953 Slater Martin 5’11 12.7 3.1 4.2 .499 .780

C/F 1956 Clyde Lovellette 6’10 21.7 14.1 2.3 .505 .757
G/F 1959 Hot Rod Hundley 6’5 13.7 5.0 4.1 .410 .752
G 1956 Whitey Skoog 6’0 13.1 4.5 4.0 .463 .803


1960s – Elgin Baylor and Jerry West
C 1968 Darrell Imhoff 6’11 10.4 12.2 2.8 .482 .619
PF 1961 Elgin Baylor 6’6 24.7 14.1 3.6 .466 .783
SF 1962 Rudy LaRusso 6’8 15.2 8.7 1.9 .492 .763
SG 1963 Dick Barnett 6’5 17.6 2.9 2.8 .481 .815
PG 1966 Jerry West 6’3 24.0 5.5 4.7 .492 .860

C/F 1968 Mel Counts 7’1 17.0 13.0 2.5 .479 .748
F 1968 Tom Hawkins 6’6 11.3 5.7 1.5 .505 .570
G 1968 Archie Clark 6’3 16.4 3.6 3.6 .484 .740


1970s – Wilt wins a ring, enter Kareem
C 1973 Wilt Chamberlain 7’2 10.2 14.4 3.4 .717 .510
PF 1974 Happy Hairston 6’8 13.7 12.8 2.6 .497 .771
SF 1972 Jim McMillan 6’6 16.1 5.6 2.3 .477 .791
SG 1972 Gail Goodrich 6’2 22.9 3.2 3.9 .482 .850
PG 1974 Jim Price 6’4 16.4 4.9 4.8 .440 .799

C 1974 Elmore Smith 7’0 11.8 10.6 1.8 .450 .590
SF 1978 Adrian Dantley 6’5 15.7 5.2 2.1 .473 .854
G 1977 Lucius Allen 6’3 15.5 3.4 5.5 .441 .774


1980s Showtime – Magic and Kareem
C 1981 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 7’2 23.4 9.2 3.1 .531 ---- .766
PF 1986 James Worthy 6’9 20.0 5.2 2.6 .535 ---- .771
SF 1981 Jamaal Wilkes 6’6 20.9 5.0 2.7 .487 ---- .728
SG 1988 Byron Scott 6’3 19.1 3.6 3.7 .494 .383 .858
PG 1987 Magic Johnson 6’8 21.6 5.6 11.0 .489 ---- .848

F/C 1989 A.C. Green 6’9 14.3 9.7 1.4 .499 ---- .786
G/F 1986 Michael Cooper 6’5 10.9 3.5 6.7 .418 .480 .865
G 1982 Norm Nixon 6’2 15.7 1.9 7.2 .452 ---- .808


1990s The Diesel pulls into Tinseltown
C 1998 Shaquille O’Neal 7’1 29.4 11.8 2.5 .584 ---- .527
PF 1996 Elden Campbell 6’11 15.4 8.3 2.4 .490 ---- .713
SF 1996 Cedric Ceballos 6’6 22.8 7.3 1.6 .516 .264 .804
SG 1998 Eddie Jones 6’6 17.5 3.9 3.1 .484 .393 .765
PG 1995 Nick Van Excel 6’1 16.3 2.7 8.0 .406 .353 .783

C 1995 Vlade Divac 7’1 16.2 10.5 4.1 .490 ---- .777
F 1998 Robert Horry 6’9 9.2 9.3 2.5 .476 .206 .692
G 1992 Sedale Threatt 6.2 13.8 2.8 4.7 .466 ---- .831


2000s Shaq and Kobe becomes the Kobe Show
C 2009 Pau Gasol 7’0 18.3 9.4 3.4 .556 ---- .781
PF 2008 Lamar Odom 6’10 13.5 10.1 3.4 .517 .265 .698
SF 2005 Caron Butler 6’7 16.2 6.1 2.0 .445 .299 .862
SG 2006 Kobe Bryant 6’6 32.1 4.8 4.1 .446 .339 .850
PG 2004 Gary Payton 6’4 16.4 4.7 6.1 .483 .336 .714

C 2007 Andrew Bynum 7’0 13.0 9.8 1.2 .548 ---- .668
F/C 2001 Horace Grant 6’10 10.4 8.6 1.9 .469 ---- .775
G 2008 Derek Fisher 6’1 15.3 2.7 3.8 .430 .392 .883

[Tee212]

booooooring

[mvpmims2003]

I would argue that Shaq's Mvp numbers in 2000 should be there and Pau should be listed as the PF for the 2000's. Also I would have considered Kobe's numbers when he averaged 35ppg

[penbeast0]

I did consciously avoid any year ending in zero to avoid people complaining that part of it should have been in the next decade although I included years like 99-00 in the 90s.

As for Kobe, that IS the year he averaged 35ppg, it's normed to 2000 standards and to 36 mpg -- which affects players from other eras a lot more than it does Kobe since Kobe put up his big numbers in an era of relatively slow play.

If I list Pau as the PF for the 2000s and Shaq is counted in the 1990s (he could have been in the 2000s since he split the eras pretty evenly but I had to make a choice and he's about it in terms of great talent for the 90s) there are no centers worth mentioning. Even Bynum has never played a fulltime season and he was the next best.

[Slava]

1. 80s Showtime the greatest era of pro-basketball.
2. 2000s Shaq - Kobe, Kobe - Gasol years
3. 70s Jerry West - Baylor - Wilt - Sharman 33 straight wins and 69 wins the most by a team then.
4. 50s with Mikan
5. 60s with West & Baylor
6. 90s with Nick the quick, Vlade, Eddie Jones and crew.

[laduane1]

We all need to give Wilks more credit. He seems to be over looked in so many discussions and teams of the decades. Thanks for add him.

[LAKERS_1981]

1. 80s Showtime the greatest era of pro-basketball.
2. 2000s Shaq - Kobe, Kobe - Gasol years
3. 70s Jerry West - Baylor - Wilt - Sharman 33 straight wins and 69 wins the most by a team then.
4. 50s with Mikan
5. 60s with West & Baylor
6. 90s with Nick the quick, Vlade, Eddie Jones and crew.

I would have it like this.

1. 80s
2. 2000s
3. 60s yes we did not win a ring but this team was great
4. 70s good start but a bad ending
5. 50s
6. 90s fun to watch but not that good

[Patterns]

I am not old enough to judge anything beyond the 80's but it's the 80s at #1 and 00s at #2.

[Mamba Venom]

Love the idea of the decades but more like a nickname for each decade

[daddyfivestar]

It's about CHAMPIONSHIPS; thus

1st - 80's (1979-1991): 5 Rings in 9 Finals
2nd - 50's (1948-1960): 5 Rings in 6 Finals
3rd - 00's (1999-2009): 4 Rings in 6 Finals
4th 70's (1968-1979): 1 Ring in 4 Finals
5th 60's (1960-1968): 0 Rings in 5 Finals
6th 90's (1991-1999): 0 Rings in 0 Finals

Key era division dates
80's: 1979 - Arrival of Magic
50's/60's: 1960 - Leave Mpls to LA
00's: 1999 - Arrival of Phil
70's: 1968 - Arrival of Wilt
90's: 1991- Magic sudden retirement

[daddyfivestar]

It's about CHAMPIONSHIPS; thus

1st - 80's (1979-1991): 5 Rings in 9 Finals
2nd - 50's (1948-1960): 5 Rings in 6 Finals
3rd - 00's (1999-2009): 4 Rings in 6 Finals
4th 70's (1968-1979): 1 Ring in 4 Finals
5th 60's (1960-1968): 0 Rings in 5 Finals
6th 90's (1991-1999): 0 Rings in 0 Finals

Key era division dates
80's: 1979 - Arrival of Magic
50's/60's: 1960 - Leave Mpls to LA
00's: 1999 - Arrival of Phil
70's: 1968 - Arrival of Wilt
90's: 1991- Magic sudden retirement

Nicknames
1st - 80's (1979-1991): 5 Rings in 9 Finals SHOW-TIME
2nd - 50's (1948-1960): 5 Rings in 6 Finals SLOW-TIME
3rd - 00's (1999-2009): 4 Rings in 6 Finals KO-TIME
4th 70's (1968-1979): 1 Ring in 4 Finals GO-TIME
5th 60's (1960-1968): 0 Rings in 5 Finals OH NO - TIME
6th 90's (1991-1999): 0 Rings in 0 Finals HELL

[spudwebb]

James Worthy wasn't a power forward. A Laker's board mod with 7000 posts should know that

[Blackfyre]

James Worthy wasn't a power forward. A Laker's board mod with 7000 posts should know that

He isn't Laker's board mod and second Worthy did play PF a lot for those 80's Lakers. Go watch some games.

[minnytola1960]

It's about CHAMPIONSHIPS; thus

1st - 80's (1979-1991): 5 Rings in 9 Finals
2nd - 50's (1948-1960): 5 Rings in 6 Finals
3rd - 00's (1999-2009): 4 Rings in 6 Finals
4th 70's (1968-1979): 1 Ring in 4 Finals
5th 60's (1960-1968): 0 Rings in 5 Finals
6th 90's (1991-1999): 0 Rings in 0 Finals

Key era division dates
80's: 1979 - Arrival of Magic
50's/60's: 1960 - Leave Mpls to LA
00's: 1999 - Arrival of Phil
70's: 1968 - Arrival of Wilt
90's: 1991- Magic sudden retirement

Lakers made the finals once in the 1990s when they still had Magic, Worthy, and rookie Vlade Divac. Including the couple of seasons in the 1940s', the Lakers are the only franchise to make the finals in all seven decades the NBA has been around. Soon to be all eight this year.

And it was a "hellish" decade only by Laker standards. We only had only two losing seasons the entire decade, two 60+ win teams, two WCF apperances and one NBA Finals apperance.

[TonyMontana]

James Worthy wasn't a power forward. A Laker's board mod with 7000 posts should know that

He isn't Laker's board mod and second Worthy did play PF a lot for those 80's Lakers. Go watch some games.

Leave the little guy alone.............

[daddyfivestar]

It's about CHAMPIONSHIPS; thus

1st - 80's (1979-1991): 5 Rings in 9 Finals
2nd - 50's (1948-1960): 5 Rings in 6 Finals
3rd - 00's (1999-2009): 4 Rings in 6 Finals
4th 70's (1968-1979): 1 Ring in 4 Finals
5th 60's (1960-1968): 0 Rings in 5 Finals
6th 90's (1991-1999): 0 Rings in 0 Finals

Key era division dates
80's: 1979 - Arrival of Magic
50's/60's: 1960 - Leave Mpls to LA
00's: 1999 - Arrival of Phil
70's: 1968 - Arrival of Wilt
90's: 1991- Magic sudden retirement

Lakers made the finals once in the 1990s when they still had Magic, Worthy, and rookie Vlade Divac. Including the couple of seasons in the 1940s', the Lakers are the only franchise to make the finals in all seven decades the NBA has been around. Soon to be all eight this year.

And it was a "hellish" decade only by Laker standards. We only had only two losing seasons the entire decade, two 60+ win teams, two WCF apperances and one NBA Finals apperance.

Read much?????
Perhaps you should decipher the entire post before commenting.

[minnytola1960]

Last time I checked 1991 is not in the 1980s'.

[daddyfivestar]

Where did you see "1980's"? I did not write 1980's anywhere in my entire post. Again, read much???
Perhaps you should decipher the entire post before commenting.