Rasheeed!!! wrote:This thread is very amusing. Neither team is a clear cut favorite to go to the Finals.
Hopefully the NBA finals has 2 fun teams to watch like the C's and Lakers. Rather then 2 boring teams like Detroit and San Antonio.
Lakers Just Became the Best Team in the League
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ParticleMan
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Rasheeed!!! wrote:-= original quote snipped =-
The Finals haven't been fun since Walker was shimmying and chucking 3's all over the place.
i do agreee that neither the lakers or C's are locks to go to the finals. it's just that in the EC, it's the C's or Detroit, while in the WC there are about 5 teams who could make it, so the competition is a lot tougher. While Gasol puts the Lakers into that group, it doesn't make them the favorite imo.
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reggielewis
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i did not read this whole thread so forgive me if this was already said. the lakers def got better, but it may take thema few to get it together. the thing that makes our lineup work is that KG/Perk are defensive minded players. Gasol is an amazing offensive guy but he is not a superb rebounder or defender. Bynum is still improving his defensive but still has lots to learn. having said that i think this trade does 2 things for them.
one if this doesnt work and kobe again asks to be moved, the lakers now hae 2 building blocks to soften the blow in bynum/gasol. that makes the loss of kb24 a bit easier in what u get in return.
two if the lakers are smart odom is on his way foe either a true pg or a true 3 like artest or someone.
but the real question is this, which western team should be most pist off about this? i am going to say Golden State should be. u just waited a half season for Cwebb when u may have been able to acquire gasol by keppiing baron, and jackson. hmmm
one if this doesnt work and kobe again asks to be moved, the lakers now hae 2 building blocks to soften the blow in bynum/gasol. that makes the loss of kb24 a bit easier in what u get in return.
two if the lakers are smart odom is on his way foe either a true pg or a true 3 like artest or someone.
but the real question is this, which western team should be most pist off about this? i am going to say Golden State should be. u just waited a half season for Cwebb when u may have been able to acquire gasol by keppiing baron, and jackson. hmmm
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Rasheeed!!!
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GuyClinch
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Great move by the Lakers. I actually agree with the trolls to some extent. They are absolutely far and away #1 in the West right now. You can forget about SA which has now slipped past it's window. They will overpower the Suns who are too small too compete with them. Finally throw in the Kobe gets all the calls factor and the rest of the league is screwed.
I hope I am wrong but it's absolutley going to be a Lakers/C's finals I think. The only good news is that they are in the West. The bad news is our window is much shorter. I think both Allen and PP have slipped a bit - and I am not convinced guys like Rondo at TA are going to be enough to offset that. We need to win THIS YEAR.
Pete
I hope I am wrong but it's absolutley going to be a Lakers/C's finals I think. The only good news is that they are in the West. The bad news is our window is much shorter. I think both Allen and PP have slipped a bit - and I am not convinced guys like Rondo at TA are going to be enough to offset that. We need to win THIS YEAR.
Pete
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Kaykoose
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GuyClinch wrote:Great move by the Lakers. I actually agree with the trolls to some extent. They are absolutely far and away #1 in the West right now. You can forget about SA which has now slipped past it's window. They will overpower the Suns who are too small too compete with them. Finally throw in the Kobe gets all the calls factor and the rest of the league is screwed.
I hope I am wrong but it's absolutley going to be a Lakers/C's finals I think. The only good news is that they are in the West. The bad news is our window is much shorter. I think both Allen and PP have slipped a bit - and I am not convinced guys like Rondo at TA are going to be enough to offset that. We need to win THIS YEAR.
Pete
Pierce is playing the best basketball of his career.-
humblebum
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Let me say first, Congratulations to Laker Fans... Your team has definitely improved quite a bit with this deal.
The big questions going forward for the Lakers:
How will Gasol be able to coexist/gel with the team this season? In the long run it seems that it's probably a decent fit with the Lakers roster having really good balance and depth. But it may take some time for them to get fully up to speed, especially considering that it usually takes guys a little while to get acclimated to the Triangle offense. I'd also be worried about what this deal means for Lamar Odom. I don't think he's a consistent enough perimeter performer on either end to play the 3 spot full time.
How soon will Andrew Bynum recover and how effective will he be? He's an important piece to the puzzle for the Lakers and without him they don't really have an overly impressive frontcourt. Gasol is nice but he's not a top 5 PF anymore (Boozer, KG, Duncan, Bosh, Sheed) and he's not a great defender. From a matchup standpoint with the C's Bynum is practically a non-factor as Perkins has shown the ability to put the clamps on him completely.
Finally, How will the Lakers play on the defensive end of the court? No one questions their ability to score and that was without Gasol. They're going to be really good offensively with lots of different looks they can give teams. But can they make the big stops come playoff time? I'm not sure they can.
As far as a potential Laker vs. Celtic matchup I don't think the chances are too great for them to meet in the finals but I will say that the true contenders are now: Boston, Detroit, Cleveland and to a lesser extent Orlando from the east with San Antonio, New Orleans, Phoenix, and the Lakers from the west with a slight, slight chance of Dallas making it.
The Celtics happen to match up pretty favorably with the Lakers. Here is why:
The C's have players to guard all of the Lakers main offensive options, plus the C's team defense is stellar.
KG and Perkins can guard Gasol and Bynum very, very well. Ray Allen hates Kobe and defends him surprisingly well and the C's also have Tony Allen and Pierce who are reasonably capable of defending Kobe. On the flip side Kobe has to guard Ray or Pierce while having to lead his team offensively. Odom on Pierce is a terrible mismatch in Bostons favor. And finally Gasol, Bynum have no shot at stopping or slowing down KG/Perk.
The big questions going forward for the Lakers:
How will Gasol be able to coexist/gel with the team this season? In the long run it seems that it's probably a decent fit with the Lakers roster having really good balance and depth. But it may take some time for them to get fully up to speed, especially considering that it usually takes guys a little while to get acclimated to the Triangle offense. I'd also be worried about what this deal means for Lamar Odom. I don't think he's a consistent enough perimeter performer on either end to play the 3 spot full time.
How soon will Andrew Bynum recover and how effective will he be? He's an important piece to the puzzle for the Lakers and without him they don't really have an overly impressive frontcourt. Gasol is nice but he's not a top 5 PF anymore (Boozer, KG, Duncan, Bosh, Sheed) and he's not a great defender. From a matchup standpoint with the C's Bynum is practically a non-factor as Perkins has shown the ability to put the clamps on him completely.
Finally, How will the Lakers play on the defensive end of the court? No one questions their ability to score and that was without Gasol. They're going to be really good offensively with lots of different looks they can give teams. But can they make the big stops come playoff time? I'm not sure they can.
As far as a potential Laker vs. Celtic matchup I don't think the chances are too great for them to meet in the finals but I will say that the true contenders are now: Boston, Detroit, Cleveland and to a lesser extent Orlando from the east with San Antonio, New Orleans, Phoenix, and the Lakers from the west with a slight, slight chance of Dallas making it.
The Celtics happen to match up pretty favorably with the Lakers. Here is why:
The C's have players to guard all of the Lakers main offensive options, plus the C's team defense is stellar.
KG and Perkins can guard Gasol and Bynum very, very well. Ray Allen hates Kobe and defends him surprisingly well and the C's also have Tony Allen and Pierce who are reasonably capable of defending Kobe. On the flip side Kobe has to guard Ray or Pierce while having to lead his team offensively. Odom on Pierce is a terrible mismatch in Bostons favor. And finally Gasol, Bynum have no shot at stopping or slowing down KG/Perk.
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billfromBoston
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....I'm sorry, but a finals match-up with the Lakers is in no way the cake-walk you're trying to make it out to be...the diversity of their offense will stretch any defense to its limit, forcing rotations and taking advantage of defenders in transition...
LA will take some time to come together, but by playoff time they should be perfectly capable of beating anyone they face....
....and don't rule out the possibility that Jason Kidd may very well end up out there as well...
LA will take some time to come together, but by playoff time they should be perfectly capable of beating anyone they face....
....and don't rule out the possibility that Jason Kidd may very well end up out there as well...
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Fencer reregistered
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billfromBoston wrote:
....and don't rule out the possibility that Jason Kidd may very well end up out there as well...
Seems fairly unlikely. It seems extremely unlikely unless Odom is shipped out in the deal, but he's not a great fit for NJ nor for most other teams that are looking to add a star right now.
I'm sure Riley would love Odom back, but what does he have to trade?
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return2glory
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It's so funny. Most of the posters here are giving excuses why the Lakers won't be a championship team this year.
It sounds like those NBA so called experts who only 3 months ago were talking ish about our weak bench and predicting that the Raptors would finish in front of us.
The Lakers should have just as good of a chance of winning the championship as we do this year. They may even have a better chance now if Bynum can get healthy.
Again, **** Chris Wallace. He just got fisted by Jerry West.
It sounds like those NBA so called experts who only 3 months ago were talking ish about our weak bench and predicting that the Raptors would finish in front of us.
The Lakers should have just as good of a chance of winning the championship as we do this year. They may even have a better chance now if Bynum can get healthy.
Again, **** Chris Wallace. He just got fisted by Jerry West.
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humblebum
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Who said anything about a cakewalk?
I'm talking about advantages that the C's have over the Lakers that will give the C's the upperhand if we were to meet in the finals. To me Kobe and KG cancel each other out along with Ray and Gasol. Pierce then becomes the X factor which is a decided advantage for the Celtics. The Lakers simply cannot guard both Pierce and Ray with adequate defenders. Couple that with the fact that Perkins has PROVEN that he can guard Bynum effectively and you eliminate much of that potential advantage as well. Fisher is a clutch shooter but I don't think he can handle Rondo's penetration. The C's have two proven performers off the bench in House and Posey and they're looking to add Cassell or another vet as well. I'll take Davis, Powe, Scal, Pollard over Turiaf and Vlad.
Tony Allen is also a decent defender for Kobe too along with Ray and Paul. All these things are important to recognize in looking at a potential matchup with the Lakers.
I'm talking about advantages that the C's have over the Lakers that will give the C's the upperhand if we were to meet in the finals. To me Kobe and KG cancel each other out along with Ray and Gasol. Pierce then becomes the X factor which is a decided advantage for the Celtics. The Lakers simply cannot guard both Pierce and Ray with adequate defenders. Couple that with the fact that Perkins has PROVEN that he can guard Bynum effectively and you eliminate much of that potential advantage as well. Fisher is a clutch shooter but I don't think he can handle Rondo's penetration. The C's have two proven performers off the bench in House and Posey and they're looking to add Cassell or another vet as well. I'll take Davis, Powe, Scal, Pollard over Turiaf and Vlad.
Tony Allen is also a decent defender for Kobe too along with Ray and Paul. All these things are important to recognize in looking at a potential matchup with the Lakers.
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TonyMontana
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5 threads 100s of posts about this trade and the Lakers just on this board.
You got to be kidding me , you guys arent worried about it .
Okay if you say so .
I have looked at every board , from the Suns to your board .
You can actually sit here and tell yourself that the Lakers didnt just elevate themselves into contention by picking up Pau.
The Lakers were contenders with the current roster , before Bynum and Ariza went down .
Now this trade that cost the Lakers , well basically nothing .
Catapullted them not only in the W.C but in the league .
And I can honestly say for the next 5 to 6 years .
But think what you want to think , I mysellf think that this was a good pickup by LA .
Now I will leave it at that , since I think anyteam can be beat on any day , as far as Im concerned there are a lot of top team's in the league right now with a shot at winning it all , but to think that the Lakers arent one of those teams , you've got to be kidding yourself .
You got to be kidding me , you guys arent worried about it .
Okay if you say so .
I have looked at every board , from the Suns to your board .
You can actually sit here and tell yourself that the Lakers didnt just elevate themselves into contention by picking up Pau.
The Lakers were contenders with the current roster , before Bynum and Ariza went down .
Now this trade that cost the Lakers , well basically nothing .
Catapullted them not only in the W.C but in the league .
And I can honestly say for the next 5 to 6 years .
But think what you want to think , I mysellf think that this was a good pickup by LA .
Now I will leave it at that , since I think anyteam can be beat on any day , as far as Im concerned there are a lot of top team's in the league right now with a shot at winning it all , but to think that the Lakers arent one of those teams , you've got to be kidding yourself .
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TonyMontana
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westthebest wrote:-= original quote snipped =-
Hell no, they weren't.
Really , when healthy beating the Pistons the Suns , Spurs , Nuggets , by double digits etc , with the standings so close in the W.C before Bynum and Ariza went down being in the first place .
Last night's beating the Raptors took and almost beating the Pistons the night before minus Bynum , Arzia , Luke , still doesnt make them Contenders ?
My bad .
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kingjaffyjoe
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westthebest wrote:-= original quote snipped =-
Hell no, they weren't.
I'd really hate to burst your bubble but "hell yes, they were", They where/are a top 5 team in the west, couple that with what there team had going before bynum and ariza went down, which included showing everyone that they CAN beat the suns, showing everyone that they CAN beat the spurs and showing everyone that they CAN beat the mavs, which means in the playoffs they would of had just as good a chance of knocking them off as anyone else, like i said iam sorry to burst your bubble but what exactly is ur deff. of contender buddy?
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MVP16
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TonyMontana wrote:5 threads 100s of posts about this trade and the Lakers just on this board.
You got to be kidding me , you guys arent worried about it .
Okay if you say so .
I'm not worried about it because we're in the eastern conference. I'm worried about Detroit and to a lesser extent Cleveland. If we both make it to the finals, then we can start worrying about them, but first we have to go through Detroit/Cleveland and they have to go through San Antonio/Dallas/Phoenix/Utah/New Orleans/Houston.
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pro2020
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TonyMontana wrote:-= original quote snipped =-
Really , when healthy beating the Pistons the Suns , Spurs , Nuggets , by double digits etc , with the standings so close in the W.C before Bynum and Ariza went down being in the first place .
Last night's beating the Raptors took and almost beating the Pistons the night before minus Bynum , Arzia , Luke , still doesnt make them Contenders ?
My bad .
Lakers got waxed by the Spurs the first game, 2nd game the Lakers struggled to beat a Spurs team without Duncan and Parker and the 3rd game it was over in the 3rd quarter.
