Let me ask you Laker Fans this question.

[MigrainePatrol]

If somehow Pau Gasol was acquired for the rights to Marc Gasol plus cash considerations straight up without Kwame Brown being part of the deal, do you think that the Lakers could better defend the paint and probably give them a better chance of winning it in 2008 against the Celtics? Remember Bynum was out and injured and Kobe after that Finals was talking about how there was no presence available to protect the paint other than just Pau Gasol. Don't get me wrong Kwame is garbage but as a defender against Celts post players and Rondo and Pierce penetration he is still better than nothing then be rid of by the off season or trade dead line. Please lock this thread if it was brought up already.

[Dalakerbox]

I for one have always made the argument that Kwame was a darn good defender and rebounder. Those are the reasons I kind of wanted him back this year, however the difference in that 08 series was the same is this years, (homecourt advantage) I really believe if we had home court on 08 we would have walked away champs and maybe the dame can be said for the Celts. Imagine game 7 on Boston with Kobe and Pau having off games....

[laduane1]

Many Laker fans wanted to keep Marc and get Pau. That would be one great front line.

[Patterns]

I think the Celtics would have beaten us anyways with Kwame. Kwame sucked that year. His confidence was at an all time low. Remember the Phoenix Suns game when the home fans booed him? It was ugly.

The Celtics would have packed the lane even more with Kwame in there.

[The Skyhook]

I think the Celtics would have beaten us anyways with Kwame. Kwame sucked that year. His confidence was at an all time low. Remember the Phoenix Suns game when the home fans booed him? It was ugly.

The Celtics would have packed the lane even more with Kwame in there.

I feel like Pau could have restored Kwame's confidence. Pau and Kobe would have diverted a lot of attention from everyone and with Gasol being such a great passer in the post Kwame could have got some easy baskets. He mainly would have been asked to defend and rebound while playing with Pau. However like you pointed out I'm not sure if it would have been enough to beat Boston. Its amazing how far this team has come since 08.

I think the Lakers just took everyone by storm and people claimed them the favorites. If you were to dissect that match up now we were outmatched and its actually surprising how many people had us as the favorites. It still stings that we blew a 24 point lead. That series could have been totally different if we never blew that lead. It gave Boston too much confidence.

[MigrainePatrol]

I think that not having a post presence besides Gasol put pressure for Kobe to do more than he needed to that series. He literally had to be a post player and retrieve as many rebounds as possible while defending way out of his position. I Kobe had an awful time scoring game 7 2 years later doing the same stuff he had to do since Bynum was not 100%. In 2008, you put Kwame in there as a post presence to rebound, defend, alter and block shots and you get a domino effect. Kobe and Pau have more energy to do their thing and Lakers would have won that 2008 title. Let's look at this way, why did Pau have so much trouble? You go back to the footage and you see him guarding multiple Celtic bigs from Perkins, Davis, KG and PJ Brown off the bench and also having to deal with Rondo and Pierce penetrating. He had to do this because he was it, there was no other line of defense. Pau gets outmanned because he has the only presence tall enough to defend 2 bigs at the same time and Kobe has to spend energy and chip in letting the perimeter play of Rondo/Pierce/Allen get to the basket several times.

[stunnar0b]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtSFuMqjRVg


you know perk wanted to say soft but didnt want to go there, and by a "little bit" he meant a lot

[Sedale Threatt]

...and with Gasol being such a great passer in the post Kwame could have got some easy baskets.

Or, more likely, he would have just fumbled the ball out of bounds.

[crazyeights]

...and with Gasol being such a great passer in the post Kwame could have got some easy baskets.

Or, more likely, he would have just fumbled the ball out of bounds.

how soon we forget.

[Dr Aki]

we wouldve used his 9mil expiring ass to acquire someone else.

that said, no way we were making up the difference with walton/mckie's bird rights

[FranklinWalker]

wow so interesting questions

[Jase]

Many Laker fans wanted to keep Marc and get Pau. That would be one great front line.

Count me on that list.

[Gek]

What if we never traded you the pick that landed you ladies Rajon Rondo?
What if Paul Pierce never faked an injury?
What if Bill Russel and Wilt Chamberlain never retired?

[LApwnd]

What if we never traded you the pick that landed you ladies Rajon Rondo?
What if Paul Pierce never faked an injury?
What if Bill Russel and Wilt Chamberlain never retired?

wasn't Rondo pick result of trade of JJ to Pho?

[Tee212]

So the OP is proposing if we had kwame instead of pau in 08 we would of beat the celtics? A stiff post defender was all hes good for. He under achieved as a 7ft center rebounding wise.

-he has no outside game
-he has no inside game
-he cannot put 1 go to move into memory
-he has tiny brick hands
-he cannot make layups
-he can barely dunk with 2 hands safely
-he cannot make ft's
-he can barely dribble 2 bounces at most
-hardly hardly alter shots

Sooo yeeeeaaaah im goona have to say no on that.

[Dalakerbox]

So the OP is proposing if we had kwame instead of pau in 08 we would of beat the celtics? A stiff post defender was all hes good for. He under achieved as a 7ft center rebounding wise.

-he has no outside game
-he has no inside game
-he cannot put 1 go to move into memory
-he has tiny brick hands
-he cannot make layups
-he can barely dunk with 2 hands safely
-he cannot make ft's
-he can barely dribble 2 bounces at most
-hardly hardly alter shots

Sooo yeeeeaaaah im goona have to say no on that.

I think he is asking if we would beat the Celts with Pau and Kwame as opposed to just Pau

[Tee212]

Ahh my bad, but i still dont think he would of helped any. His negatives will over power his positives.

[ChampagnePapa]

Better chance? Maybe...translated to a win? Probably not. As close as the Lakers were in games 1 and 2 and the chances they had 3-5...the Celtics came with it more than LA did. Pau was fresh off losing memphis attitude, the cohesion wasn't set right at the time. There was too much missing in Bynum, Ariza and chemistry to call Kwame an X factor...but his size would have helped.

[TonyMontana]

We did get to the finals because of Pau, so I guess you can say with Kwame we probably would've got bounced out of the 1st round again.

[So Gutta]

If somehow Pau Gasol was acquired for the rights to Marc Gasol plus cash considerations straight up without Kwame Brown being part of the deal, do you think that the Lakers could better defend the paint and probably give them a better chance of winning it in 2008 against the Celtics? Remember Bynum was out and injured and Kobe after that Finals was talking about how there was no presence available to protect the paint other than just Pau Gasol. Don't get me wrong Kwame is garbage but as a defender against Celts post players and Rondo and Pierce penetration he is still better than nothing then be rid of by the off season or trade dead line. Please lock this thread if it was brought up already.

Who gives a f***! Everyone just got a little bit dumber after your question.