Know Thy Enemy: Houston, Seattle, New Orleans, Utah
Back by (semi) popular demand! Today we'll take a look at the rest of the Western Conference's lottery squads. While the Baltic Avenues of the West don't shape up as threats this season, this bunch, including the Rockets, Sonics, Hornets and Jazz, could make a little noise. But will they be better or worse than the Lakers?
HOUSTON ROCKETS (34-48 last season)
Big Gains: Traded for Shane Battier, Kirk Snyder.
Big Losses: Traded Stromile Swift. Bob Sura?
Big things were expected from the Rockets last season, with Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady (permanently referred to by Mom as "Yao's friend," since she always draws a blank trying to remember his name), having played a full season as a duo. Instead, the team suffered so many injuries, you expected news of Jeff Van Gundy getting shanked in the shower as a capper. But the talent is there, if stunningly fragile.
After healing up, Yao Ming spent the season's second half newly aggressive and absolutely balling, including a 28 point/11 board/2 block March. With Shaq on the decline (and content to let Wade carry his ass), "NBA's best center" could be Yao's for the taking. T-Mac is labeled by some as a poor man's Kobe Bryant (one hopes he has a rich man's Kobe Bryant health insurance plan), but Kobe-lite still shreds teams on a regular basis. Throw in Shane Battier, who can do just about everything (including take pressure off McGrady), and that's a pretty tough trio, reinforced by solid compliments Juwan Howard, Luther Head, Ryan Bowen, Rafer Alston, Deke "Cookie Monster" Motumbo, Snyder and Sura (assuming injuries don't force retirement, resigning him to life as a Stephen Baldwin impersonator). Then again, should everyone's medical history remain consistent, you could very well end up with Van Gundy's slower-than-a-parked-car offense being run through whoever's capable of walking. We watched that version last season. Ain't pretty.
Final Verdict: This a really tough one to call, since it's entirely health dependent. Should they all stay on the court, Yao-McGrady-Battier could keep Houston running side by side or even slightly ahead of the Purple and Gold. However, I've firmly established myself as a "gotta see it to believe it" kinda guy on this blog, so I'm gonna label them "worse than the Lakers." But an asterisk is understood. (AK)
SEATTLE SUPERSONICS (35-47 last season)
Big Gains: Drafted Mouhamed Saer Sene (not so much a big gain as a tall one), Denham Brown, Yotam Halperin, and brought '05 pick Mickael Gelabale over from Spain.
Big Losses: Traded Mikki Moore (and all his reptiles) for a second rounder in '09.
After a surprising '04-'05 campaign that saw them win 52 games and the Northwest, the Sonics took a serious step backward last year. And unless the NBA decides to award teams an extra five wins for every inexperienced, raw, below-the-legal-drinking-age center that they keep on the roster, they're one of the few W.C. squads shaping up to be worse this year than last. Most of the speculation around the team this summer has centered around where they'll play and who will sign the checks, as opposed to finding better players to receive them. Yes, they've still got Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, but after that, the talent level drops off the Space Needle. Luke Ridnour is a solid player, as is Earl Watson. Nick Collison doesn't hurt anyone. Chris Wilcox, who is likely to return, if only on a one year tender deal, played well for Seattle after coming over from the Clips. Good players all, but nothing that excites you, and maybe just a mite backcourt heavy?
Even with Wilcox, there may not be a team in basketball with a more questionable frontcourt than the Sonics. They seem to be collecting young projects in the post with the enthusiasm of sci-fi geeks hoarding commemorative Star Wars glasses from Burger King. Robert Swift, Johan Petro, and Sene have a total of three years experience between them, and all need more work than a rusted out Chevette. Seattle was so weak on the boards last year that Wilcox, whose motor was constantly questioned in L.A., was easily their best rebounder at 8.2 a game. Sure he played well, but it would have been almost impossible for him not to be a force on Seattle's glass. They were among the worst rebounding teams in the league, especially on the defensive end (Reggie Evans, who only played 20 minutes a game before being traded to Denver, was second on the team with 6.7 RPG). Combine those problems with their tendency to let other teams score with Scott Baio-esque frequency (Seattle allowed 105.6 ppg, an NBA worst), and it paints an ugly picture.
Final Verdict: In a conference headed north, Seattle's going the wrong way. Much worse than the Lakers. (BK)
NEW ORLEANS/OKLAHOMA CITY HORNETS (38-44)
Big Gains: Traded for Tyson Chandler. Signed Peja Stojakovic, Bobby Jackson. Drafted Hilton Armstrong and Cedric Simmons.
Big Losses: Traded P.J. Brown, Kirk Snyder, J.R. Smith. Lost Speedy Claxton and Aaron Williams to free agency. Waived Moochie Norris (which is actually irrelevant, but he's one of my favorite scrub players, so I'll throw him in there).
Remember how Melrose Place started out as a totally unwatchable, boring piece of crap on the verge of getting canceled, then Heather Locklear joined the cast and it became awesome? That's basically the effect Chris Paul had on the Hornets. People talk about how dependent the Lakers are on Kobe. And that's often been the case. But the Hornets' relationship with CP could be summed up in two words: Crackhead. Pipe. Do you even remember how God awful these guys were just a season earlier? And with all due respect to '05-06 addition Desmond Mason (solid on both sides of the ball and likely the NBA's best artist) and the strides made by F David West (2nd in MIP balloting), Paul made it happen. Beyond anybody's craziest of dreams.
Cue aggressive overhaul.
Whether "aggressive" equals "overpaid and overrated" has divided many an NBA analyst. But even if none of the new additions are worth their paycheck, they all have their uses. Chandler is pricey for a guy without a go-to move, but he's an energetic rebounder and defender (West can provide the front court scoring). The way too expensive Stojakovic is older and injury-prone, but can stroke it from the French Quarter and moves well without the rock. Me thinks Paul will find him for a lot of wide open looks. And for the 40 games Jackson's healthy (I don't remember which reader calls Jax "The Suit," since he's always wearing one on the sidelines, but it's a great nickname), he gives them scoring, D, and serious nads. Plus, he's taking over for Claxton, who's always hurt anyway. And bottom line, if anyone can spark automatic meshing, it's Paul. He's the best rook point guard to emerge in eons. And if CP's running of a less talented squad indicates anything, these Hornets could pack a mighty... wait for it... sting.
Final Verdict: These guys upgraded, but so have other teams. The West is seriously tough. And even if the Lakers improve by just 3 wins, I'm skeptical as to whether NO/OKC's new parts equal the 11 necessary to pass them. They'll finish behind the Lakers (although not by enough to breathe easy). (AK)
UTAH JAZZ (41-41)
Big Gains: Drafted Ronnie Brewer, Dee Brown, and Paul Millsap (no relation to Ronnie, in either blood or spelling). Traded for Derek Fisher and Rafael Araujo, resigned Matt Harpring and Jarron Collins.
Big Losses: Traded Devin Brown, Keith McCloud, and Andre Owens to GSW, Kris Humphries and Robert Whaley to Toronto, while Greg Ostertag (mercifully) retired.
Two years ago, I had Utah in the playoffs, and they were terrible. Last year, I thought they'd struggle and they nearly cracked the playoff ladder. Maybe I'm the wrong guy to make an evaluation on these guys? They were basically a .500 team both with and without Carlos Boozer last year, so it's hard to say a healthy season from the big PF will be the difference maker, even if the words "healthy" and "Carlos Boozer" could be put in the same sentence without causing laughter. Utah has a great player in Andre Kiralenko, and some good ones in Boozer, Mehmet Okur (who at 18/9 probably tops the NBA's Unknown Production Team), and Harpring, plus some potential in Deron Williams and Brewer. While I'm not sure I'd have been running out to add his contract to my payroll, acquiring Derek Fisher will help take pressure off Williams and bolster Utah's backcourt. There's theoretically enough talent to challenge for a playoff spot, but Utah will have to find more scoring. 92 points a game is even boring in Utah.
They'll also have to fix a point differential (-2.6, worse than six lottery teams) that suggests they were lucky in '04-'05 to finish with at .500. I have a sneaking suspicion Utah will be this year what they were last year- a group that isn't talented enough to beat good teams that play to their capabilities, but will frustrate good teams on off nights. They won't blow into the gym and wipe people out. If the chips fall their way, they could contend for a playoff spot. But given the improvement around the conference, it'll be a tough road in for the Jazz.
Final Verdict: Almost a litmus test for playoff hopefuls in the West, like one of those signs you see heading onto a roller coaster. "You must be at least as tall as the Utah Jazz to ride this playoff ride." Being better than them won't necessarily get you in, but being worse means you're definitely out. Fortunately for the Lakers, they're on the top side of the hand. (BK)
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Good stuff AK so you really think we're better then the Rockets?
Posted by: LakeMan | August 10, 2006 at 09:59 PM
Just one question...how does the other person think of the teams (like the ones with BK reactions, how do you feel AK? and vice versa). Just so I can eliminate you guys trying to make us feel better with these favorable results---lol, jk. But I really am interested, unless it's a matter of one speaking for the other.
Thanks
Posted by: Faith | August 10, 2006 at 10:03 PM
LakeMan,
Like I said, I really don't know with Houston. It's all about health, which killed them last season. If they're in the pink, they're tough. If they're hurt, they're horrible. It's really that cut and dry.
AK
Posted by: Andrew Kamenetzky | August 10, 2006 at 10:17 PM
Faith,
Yeah, I basically agree with BK. I think Seattle will be absolutely horrific, not to mention filled with miserable players (particularly Fortson, whom I fear may kill someone if he's not traded soon). And I think he's pegged Utah pretty well. The Lakers better play them hard (because you know a Jerry Sloan team won't slack). But assuming the Lakers play hard, they should win.
AK
Posted by: Andrew Kamenetzky | August 10, 2006 at 10:26 PM
Ak,
Sounds like Seattle is a unnatural disaster waiting to happen with Fortson and Wilcox. Is Fortson makin' too much or is he a candidate for Kobe security? He's like a Maurice Lucas without the talent. That's the one Shaq factor I miss, we were always tougher.
Posted by: Vman | August 10, 2006 at 11:05 PM
Based on your previous and current assessments you (AK/BK) basically are having the Lakers finishing in the top 8 teams of the west. And I imagine you’re placing them between the 7th and 8th seed or maybe maybe stretching your kindness they could finish 6th.
In my opinion Sacramento is not better than the Lakers even with Ron Artest, one more year with Ron but is that good?
Denver is not better than the Lakers, unless they get AL Harrington and trade K-Mart. Memphis is not better than the Lakers. I know Memphis got a couple of good draft picks, but I think Gasol is soft; maybe the Lakers could be better than them.
That leaves San Antonio, Dallas, Phoenix and Clippers (in that order), we know you think these four teams are better than the Lakers and they are. But no one really knows what’s going to happen during an NBA season, certain teams may surprise you and others disappoint you. On paper a team may be better, but other factors factor in.
I know you are giving your assessments of what teams you think are better or worse than the Lakers, and are not placing the teams in order of seeding or anything like that, but well I thought of this reading your conclusions for each assessment.
Posted by: lakofan | August 10, 2006 at 11:17 PM
BK and AK,
There're others enemies in the West (Dallas, SA,Phoenix...). You should post something about those teams too. They're our worst enemies now. Because we're still weak. So they try to catch our trophy.
GO
Posted by: Guy Owanlele | August 10, 2006 at 11:25 PM
Lakofan and Guy,
We're simply going through all the teams in reverse order of the '05-'06 finish. Everyone in the conference will end up evaluated soon enough.
AK
Posted by: Andrew Kamenetzky | August 10, 2006 at 11:30 PM
Good Job guys.
Houston
Has 2 great players in Yao and T-Mac and its too bad they barely get to play together. That being said maybe they havent developed too much chemistry due to injury and its gonnna be hard for all of them to play as a team.
"(permanently referred to by Mom as "Yao's friend," since she always draws a blank trying to remember his name)"
LOL just dont tell T-Mac that because when he was referred to as Air Canada's cousin in Toronto he got up and left.
Seattle
I feel sorry for Ray Allen. There's a guy like A.I. and KG that have the talent but not the rigth team. They wont be a threat to L.A. but I like to see Kobe smash on Ray "he got game" Allen.
New Orleans/Oklahoma City
I think they will greatly improve. They didnt really have "home games" since they mostly didnt play in NO and with a player like Paul who made his teammates better you cant count them out specially with a good shooter like Peja. Paul is just gonna keep getting better and so will his team. Its kinda hard to see how much better they will get depending on how healthy Peja stays and how much Chandler can bring.
Utah
I use to hate watching these guys when Stockton and Malone where there. Those guys were sooooooooooooo boring to watch. Its a new team now with AK-47 and are A LOT more exciting. They have enough talent to get around a .500 record but with the West being the most difficutl conference not even .500 is good enough no more to get to the playoffs. Even our Lakers having a much better team can barely get in so that leaves them out. However, they do play in the weakest division (northwest) and if they can pull it off and beat out the Nuggets then they get a free entrance into the playoffs for winning their division. Im sure the Nuggets wont give up that easily but you shouldnt count out anyone.
Posted by: Shady | August 10, 2006 at 11:33 PM
This could finally be the year of the Yao. Now that he's shown he can play option #1 it might save T Mac's back a bit. If Mac makes 70 games, you have to like their playoff chances. No one scores easier than the Mac man but I do believe the boy is destined for his annual stay at hotel DL.
Posted by: Vman | August 10, 2006 at 11:33 PM
AK/BK,
Great thread. I laughed, I cried...lol. Anyways, Houston and NOK need to be watched very closly this year. Utah won't be too shabby either. Seatle, what happened?
dan
Posted by: dan the man aka smushcalade | August 10, 2006 at 11:38 PM
AK / BK how many wins do you guys think we'll get next year? based on reports the roster seems set so there isn't a wait and see what kind of deals comes up that might change our prediction this is our roster in the season opener.
Posted by: LakeMan | August 10, 2006 at 11:46 PM
Lakofan
"That leaves San Antonio, Dallas, Phoenix and Clippers (in that order)"
It actually goes by the leader in each divison (best record first) and then the 4th seed goes to best record overall after division leaders and the goes down like that. Thats why the Nuggets were the 3rd seed even though they had the had like the 6th best record. There's no way the Lakers will win their division against the Suns and also in the same one as the Clippers (will be a close one). Its not necessarily just being better than the other team but also how good your record is and where you land in your division. I wouldnt be suprised if the Lakers went all the way to the 5th seed since Memphis (5th) only beat us by 4 games and the Clippers (6th) only beat us by 2 games. We can better match up now to other teams and with more experience we will be able to win more games. The West definetly got better but we will have to get more win in the East and in close games. That should give us an extra 5-10 more wins getting us to that 50+ win season. Even if we did overachieve last season we should be a tougher team to beat and hopefully get a higher seed in the west.
Posted by: Shady | August 10, 2006 at 11:46 PM
Thanks AK.
Despite this good evaluation, it would be hard every night against those teams. Last year, sometimes they spank us hardly. Our playoffs chances rely on these "easy" games. So I hope we learned our lessons. Wait and see.
GO
Posted by: Guy Owanlele | August 10, 2006 at 11:50 PM
Faith (and others)-
With Houston, I think they have an excellent chance to make noise if everyone stays healthy. They were a pretty dominating team when T-Mac and Yao both were on the court together. Adding Battier to the mix is a great addition (at least in the short term), though it came at a steep price in Rudy Gay. I'm not a big Rafer Alston fan, but think Kirk Snyder might be a quietly solid pickup, and I like Luther Head. And Juwon Howard is still a pretty good player when he doesn't have to carry anything.
But the main thing is with Yao and T-Mac, they could have arguably the most impressive inside/outside combo in the WC. 82 games of that, and I would put them right up with the Lakers in terms of wins/losses, possibly a game or two ahead. The problem for them is, you can't count on 82 games (or even 72) from either. So right now, I'd say the Lakers are better.
As for NO/OKC, I don't think they're better right now, and I think in three years they'll regret the $ they're paying Peja, but this is a very dangerous team. They made some serious strides last year, and added talent in Chandler and Peja, plus Jackson. West improved a great deal and will have more room to operate b/c of improved shooting on the perimeter. They picked up more bulk up front in the draft, have a great stopper defensively in Desmond Mason, and I like that they resigned Rasual Butler. If all those new parts come together, they could be the surprise team in the West, w/ Chris Paul driving the ship. Injuries are an issue with this bunch, no doubt, and that could be their undoing. I'll put the Lakers ahead of them, but if they slip at all, the Hornets could be in a position to pass them up. In the East, they're a playoff team easily.
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | August 10, 2006 at 11:51 PM
I know you are going in reverse, that's why I said the next teams. It is only predictable that you will say they are better or equal to the Lakers and they are. Since you are going in "reverse mode" it is only obvious who "got" better or are as equally good as last year.
Posted by: lakofan | August 10, 2006 at 11:53 PM
Lakofan,
Okay, for some reason I thought you were also wondering when we were getting to those teams.
AK
Posted by: Andrew Kamenetzky | August 10, 2006 at 11:57 PM
Nop I wasn't wondering that, I just got ahead.
Posted by: lakofan | August 11, 2006 at 12:12 AM
I think Lakers will split the season with Rockets. Rockets did not make the playoffs last season because they were plagued by injuries on T-Mac then Yao Ming. Now they have added another tall forwards who could render damage to any team, that's Shane Battier. On some games you can expect Juwan Howard and Lutherhead to do some damage, but not on consistent basis.
The other three teams Jazz powered by AK, Harpring plus of course the Fish who could train their rookie guards. This team is tall so on a given night they could create headache with the Lakers on the match ups in the post. Hornets is practically a new team but Chris Paul and Stepa. could lead them to the winning column. Lastly, Sonics. Lakers beat them consecutively on the 2nd round but Allen, Mason could still inflict damage. Definitely, these four teams are much better than the previous teams on the other thread. Am I making sense? I'm getting sleepy!
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | August 11, 2006 at 12:14 AM
I agree Houston's trio is very solid, But as long as Kawme, Smush and Lamar play the way they are capable of playing and continue what they were doing at the end of last season. Then, we need not worry about Houston.
Honents got some intreguing talents. But, first year together for a lot of important pieces, is simply not ready. Besides, I think Lakers still have better overall talent.
Jazz & Memphise are perplexing to me. We have better talents than either club, but we just can't seem to OWN them. In order for the Lakers to be consider serious championship contender. We need to be able to own these two teams.
I think the 2 teams neck to neck with Lakers are the Clippers and Kings. It would be really interesting to see how each battle turn out.
Can't wait for the season to begin.
bvh
Posted by: bvh | August 11, 2006 at 12:19 AM
bvh
Yeah, Houston doesn't bother me. Kwame will shut Yao down and Kobe can more than cancel out T.Mc.!
The Hornets should be a fun squad to watch. If Paul can pick up where he left off last year and Peja hits his open shots, they should put up a fight. Plus the addition of Tyson in the west should be interesting. If there was ever a time for him to peake, it's right now.
dan
Posted by: dan the man aka smushcalade | August 11, 2006 at 12:34 AM
PHILING the TREYS
It was just 4 and some years ago. NELLIE'S MAVS were here in LA. DIRK, NASH and FINLEY would JACK UP the 3S, make EM. the PHIL would get up CALMLEY, do his trade mark WISTLE and call a 2 point play for SHAQ. it was the RULE a sure 2 would BEAT the 3 ANYDAY. after PHIL took the one year break and came BACK something was different. NOW instead of the SPURS and the PISTONS, the SUNS and the MAVS are the POWER houses. and UNTIL the HEAT started making the TREYS they didn't get a RING. after the day of SHAQ got his FORTH ring PHIL had aconversation with DAN PATRICK on radio show and he ADMITTED how important the THREE point line has become as one of the ESSENCES to build a CHAMPIONSHIP team. PHIL is PHILING the important of the made SHOTS beyond the ARC. it USED to be you LIVE by the THREEs you DIE by the THREEs. NOW its you LIVE by the THREEs and you DIE without them....
Posted by: rayray | August 11, 2006 at 12:42 AM
So in other words..the Lakers will be the 5th seed.
Posted by: Derek | August 11, 2006 at 02:18 AM
Is it just me or was the 04 season standings impossibly painful to look at without noticing the Lakers missing the playoffs by about 10 games? That year, or rather the last half of the season, was just painful. Im just glad i wasnt reading this blog then...i think that would have amounted to some federal law being broken the way these bloggers are lol.
Posted by: Caesar | August 11, 2006 at 03:08 AM
thanks AK, BK
I Like your assessment of each team (not because you ranked them lower than us haha but because i agreed with them LOL)
Houston- i think they have a chance as long as Yao stays healthy. i mean, hes a center. if Yao goes down the other teams can make Tracy try and beat them by himself and more often than not he might not (he [italicized is] Kobelite.) but if they try and make Yao beat them by himself, he just might, soley based on the fact that he gets a lot more high percentage shots due to his position, ooh and his hieght.
NO- CP is scary, nuff said. i think this team will struggle with consistency this year, and next year may be too late for Peja. .my prediction, their talented enough to make the playoffs, but they wont be consistent enough to win a 7gam series
Jazz- i always thought Okour and AK-47 were undervalued. this team seems to underperform for some reason. maybe this year will be different. I'm converting to AK-ism's see first believe later (while secretly rooting for the lakers lol)
Sonics- suprise to make the playoffs, still good as a litmus test i suppose
bottom line: the Jon-O-Meter has the following teams with the following records
New Orleans: (being the 2005 lakers of 2006) 45-48W-34-37L, maybe enough for a playoff spot, maybe not
the Jazz 06': 43-47W-35-39L, enough for casual Jazz fans to tune in during the last 20games or so.
the Sonics 06': 30-35W-47-52 maybe the owners will pay the team to lose so that theyll get kicked out of Seattle (or get a really good draft pick...hmm conspircy theory)
the Rockets...hmm the Jon-O-Meter broke down, im going to have to do this one manually
Rockets: 30-50W-32-52L best case scenerio both Yao and friend are healthy for 72games, worst case both are out for significant periods of season. (Yao still makes all-star)
Jon(inJapan)
Posted by: joninjapan | August 11, 2006 at 05:27 AM
Nice job, K Brothers!
You guys are going to be in camp in Hawai'i, right?
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon Kavulic | August 11, 2006 at 05:45 AM
I'm a little worried about the Rockets and the Hornets. You never know when one of these teams will either have an injury-free season (Houston) or when everything will come together New Orleans/OKC).
Vman- I loved the line about Fortson (Maurice Lucas without the talent)
Maybe after last years playoff, Luke Walton is our enforcer! :)
rayray: good insights on Phil's view of the trey. This league has definitely become a guards' league with more importance on the outside game. Even bigs with a good outside game seem to be more the rage. I think that's why we picked up Radmanovic
Posted by: rdlee | August 11, 2006 at 05:51 AM
Our season is based on getting off to a very good start with a front-loaded home schedule. I slow start won't cut it this year. Last years schedule had a nice home court advantage at years end !
Posted by: LALAKERLOVER | August 11, 2006 at 07:05 AM
Good to see you being consistent AK. According to your standards of "gotta see it to believe it", T-Mac is still injured, the Rockets haven't acquired Battier yet, and Yao is still undrafted.
Posted by: McGarnagle | August 11, 2006 at 07:29 AM
AK & BK,
Thanks for your further assessment of the teams that did not make the post season last year. I agree with what you have stated for the most part. However, I do have 2 of 3 teams in this list which I believe will potentially crack the top 8 grouping this season. Depending on injuries along with meshing of talent, I believe that 1 or possibly 2 of the following 3 teams will make the post season this year.
Hornets, Rockets, Jazz.
My prediction is that the Hornets and Rockets will be the two teams that make it, while the Jazz will finish in the 9th, 10th or 11th spot battling for the 8th spot.
In order for 1 or more of these 3 teams to make the top 8, somebody is going to have to falter. Right now, I predict that the Kings and Grizzlies will fall out of the top 8 this season. That will make room for 2 teams to rise in the standings.
My question therefore is not so much who will make the top 8. Instead, my question is, how will those 8 positions fall into place based on records?
The only thing I am pretty confident about right now is that the Nuggets will be in the 4th position as the ONLY representative from the Northwest Division. That is a DEFAULT position for them right now.
The other 7 positions could actually be a little hard to put together.
I will reserve the right to go into greater detail of the other 7 positions during training camp.
Posted by: JJ | August 11, 2006 at 07:59 AM
Thanks Jon. As for camp, this year it is, like my wallet, in El Segundo.
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | August 11, 2006 at 08:16 AM
Rayray: Slow down on the coffee... you're talking kinda weird. =)
Posted by: Digtaz | August 11, 2006 at 08:25 AM
I don't think the Clippers are going to make the playoffs this season
Posted by: Zakee | August 11, 2006 at 08:26 AM
Like I said, I think the Rockets, if fully healthy, are just as good as the Lakers, and have the potential to be a game or two better. I just don't think you can count on a healthy season from TMac and Yao.
The flip side, of course, is that we're all assuming a healthy 82 from Kobe and LO. While these guys aren't exactly brittle, it's not like they're locks to play 80 games, either. Both have missed significant time over their careers. That Kobe is coming off knee surgery isn't the most encouraging sign.
That's what's going to make this season so interesting. A five game injury to Kobe may be all it takes to close the gap between LA and Houston, NO/OKC, and possibly even Utah. Among last year's playoff teams, certainly the bottom half is going to be tight and tough to handicap. Conversely, the teams above the Lakers don't have much wiggle room either.
There's going to be very little margin for error this season.
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | August 11, 2006 at 08:26 AM
I like the idea of camp being in El Segundo this year. That takes away all of the "we are relaxing" approach that can come when working out in a vacation spot.
The Lakers need to enter training camp with a worman's attitude coming in. I mean, I think all 19 or 20 that come to training camp need to have a chip on their shoulder that they are out to prove something to everybody else as well as here to work as hard as possible. That will make training camp very beneficial. The competitive attitude will then be continued into the season.
I agree with the person that stated that the Lakers need to be solid out of the gate. I believe that the first 10 games of the season (1st leg) need to be strong and the rule games. They can set the standard for how the season will go with how they perform out of the blocks. If they can start out in the pack...it will be easier to remain in the pack by the close of the season.
That is really what Seattle did 2 years ago when they ended up winning their division. They had such a high start in the first 15 to 20 games that they were in a nice position to build off of. Having a poor start puts a lot of weight on you to produce later.
EVERY team is trying to get adjusted in those first 15 to 20 games to the new season. It is very possible to catch teams that you normally wouldn't have a good shot at beating, by surprise and get a jump on the standings.
Posted by: JJ | August 11, 2006 at 08:26 AM
lol i dont think anyones going to stop you JJ. . .or force you to otherwise for that matter
Posted by: joninjapan | August 11, 2006 at 08:34 AM
Is it me, cause i think yao stinks. I don't see Huston as any kind of threat this year. Yao has never had the eye of the tiger. Hope we never make a play for him. GO LAKERS!!
Posted by: keifo | August 11, 2006 at 08:34 AM
If you think Houston will be a better team than the Lakers this season, then you are definitely smoking that good stuff. PASS THAT!!
No way...houston has been injury-prone for years now and they have NO team chemistry. LA has been mixing it up and building a lot of team chemistry the past 2 seasons. Of course, having a healthy T-Mac and Yao on the same squad wll definitely cause some ruckus, but no way will they be a better team, thats just silly.
None of the teams BK listed above will be better than the Lakers this season. I think the all have improved from last year(besides Seattle). Actually the hornets should be the most improved from that list, but still La has em all in check.
TO be honest, we dont have to worry about those teams, the teasm we need to worry about is San Antonio, Dallas and Phoenix...
Posted by: Blaze1bx | August 11, 2006 at 08:46 AM
Keifo-
Did you miss the second half of last season? Yao was as dominating as any player in basketball.
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | August 11, 2006 at 09:09 AM
Blaze1bx
for the lakers to be truely successful this season they will need to "worry" about everybody
yes, even the knicks
Posted by: joninjapan | August 11, 2006 at 09:09 AM
dan,
Yao put the smack down on Kwame last year, he's the one big man that takes Kwame's one-on-one defense out of the equation. His ability to shoot from mid-range, use both hands with shots around the bucket, and sheer height kind of make Kwame and his position based strength defense kind of mute. At least with a guy like Shaq Kwame can hold his own strength wise, with KG and Duncan he's strong enough, and has quick enough feet to keep those guys off balance. Yao just has too many things going for him.
Posted by: Andrew Z | August 11, 2006 at 09:21 AM
I think Bynum is better than Yao right now! Didn't you see that move that Andrew put on Shaq?! No way I would take Yao over Bynum!
Posted by: exhelodrvr | August 11, 2006 at 09:34 AM
While I agree with most assessments thus far, I must admit that mentioning injuries as a factor for the Lakers is a mute point. First, it's mute because any of the teams that are built around 1 or 2 superstars, can't afford to lose that superstar for any significant length of time to remain at the same level as they would without them. This year, injuries will be crucial for the Spurs like never before. They have lost both Rasho and Nazr. They are super thin in the paint, and will rely heavy on Elson and Horry. Horry has been the man, but he is really old and Elson has yet to really be tested for his ability to come through for a team when needed.
What will happen if duncan gets hurt? It could mean lottery time if it is significantly long.
The second reason inuries are a mute point is because Kobe Bryant rarely misses significant numbers of games due to injuries. He normally plays through them. Last season he missed only 2 games all year counting the first round of the playoffs and that was because of suspension. Lamar, I believe, only missed a few games himself.
I don't believe this will be huge this year either.
Posted by: JJ | August 11, 2006 at 09:55 AM
joninjapan,
Yea u are definitely right. The Lakers can't sleep on any team in order to be successful this season, but those teams BK mentioned are towards the bottom of the list, if anything.
Call me crazy, but I think the Knicks are gonna turn it around this season. Thomas is gonna have them playing like the team they're supposed to be playing like. (I'm not just saying that because I am from New York either!) NYC is buzzing right now about how much better the Knicks will be.
Don't hate on NY....The Lakers have quite a few New Yorkers playing for them (Shammond Williams, Lamar Odom, & Smush Parker...with Bynum (NJ) and Kobe (Philly) nothing but a quick drive away!)
Posted by: Blaze1bx | August 11, 2006 at 09:57 AM
I respect Battier for his work ethic and his ability to do a little bit of everything on the court, but I don't think it's a sign of stregnth if he's your third name on your team. He's a solid 5th or 6th man, who is great to compliment others. James Worthy or even Dennis Rodman he's not.
Posted by: Mannie Jenkins | August 11, 2006 at 10:03 AM
I pretty much weighed in on all these teams yesterday - and agree with the assesments. But check this match up:
Alston/Snyder -- Smush/ShamWill
T-Mac/Head -- Kobe/Sasha
Battier -- Odom
Howard -- Cook/Turiaf
Yao/Deek -- Kwame/Mihm
Assuming health - which we've already identified as key to Houston's chances -- that is a pretty dead even match up. VladRad might be a difference maker. Also, I suppose they could shift Battier to the 4, but who's backing up Howard? This is going to be a fun series to watch.
In Utah, you have pretty interesting match ups as well, since Mehmet likes to jack it from outside, and AK is such a freak you never know where he's going to get his points. I like our advantage in the backcourt there with Kobe, but D-Fish is going to school his new team on Kobe's tendencies. Again, AK/BK hit it right - can't sleep on this team when they come to town.
Seattle will go as far as -- WILCOX of all people -- will take them. He played like a monster once he got out of Brand's shadow, but his D is suspect. You know what you're getting in Allen and Lewis, but unless Wilcox can give them consistent post presence, they will live and die by the long ball - and the lack of D.
NO/OKC just is too soon to tell. I don't like Peja's demeanor on the court. He's soft. He pouts. He's moody. CP (the Crack Pipe. That's jacked up!) will keep him moving, but if they hit a slump, Peja could become the anchor that pulls that ship down. Tyson? Whatever. He's like Dikembe without the finger waggle or the fundamentals. We should beat this team.
Now tell me.... what is going to happen with the Al Harrington saga? And is Wilcox staying in Seattle really a forgone conclucion? You telling me no East coast team is trying to pull him in? Is there anyone out there the lakers mighr add? Or have they reached maximum capacity.
Posted by: dmack | August 11, 2006 at 10:04 AM
Smushcalade,
Yeah, I was at that Rockets-Lakers game and Yao absolutely torched Kwame. 22/10 in the first HALF. And the scary thing is that Kwame actually played him really well. He stuck to him like glue and was extremely active. Yao was just on and unstoppable. It was one of those games where he made a shot and you'd say to yourself, "You can't do anything about that."
And he spent most of the season's second half in that zone. The guy may have turned a real corner, in terms of aggressiveness (the talent was always there).
AK
Posted by: Andrew Kamenetzky | August 11, 2006 at 10:04 AM
not hating on ny bro, just citing a team thats had bad manegment
i think theyll turn around too...course it should be easy to turn around 23wins...right?
you know i was looking at the big board fantasy top fifty and i was looking for a big name...perenial allstar...he wasnt there
think his name was shaq or something
not even an honourable mention
Posted by: joninjapan | August 11, 2006 at 10:09 AM
Blaze1bx - Of course the Knickerbockers will be better, they bottomed out last year, I cannot fathom them doing worse than their 20 something win record, I believe it was. Plus, THEY DO have talent in their young guns, most notably, Frye, and don't laugh, 1st rounder(BALKMAN).. And I am not saying that either cuz I am a New Yorker. Nonetheless, I don't see them making the playoffs though and if they do, I can't see them advancing.
But back to the Lakers, I think we will handle the Rockets 3-1 and all other WCF foes. I wrote it be4 and I am writing it again, we can do .750 against our conference if we eliminate the dumb ISH like closing out games at the end, etc.
GO LAKERS -- Kobe 2007 MVP
Posted by: lakersrydeordie | August 11, 2006 at 10:10 AM
Dmack,
To answer your question, I think Ryan Bowen would back up both Howard (and the 3 spot a fair amount). He's not much in the scoring department, but his energy and defense is often disruptive. He can make you work.
AK
Posted by: Andrew Kamenetzky | August 11, 2006 at 10:10 AM
One more to consider on two of those four teams are changes in their locations where they are going to play. NO Hornets played their games in OK land after Katrina when their fans were scattered in Texas & Southern states. Next season, the Hornets are going back to Silverdome in New Orleans but the area is still economically devastated. If there is a slack in attendance, Hornets would have to relocate again where they could generate revenues.
The Sonics franchise was sold this year to an OK billionaire, Mr. Bennett. He gave the city council of Seattle a deadline to construct a new stadium or he will move the team elsewhere. Elsewhere could be Oklahoma City since this is his business base and I'm sure the home of the Sooners have captivated new NBA fans after tasting NBA games of NO/K playing in their area.
The Trailblazers were for sale at the close of the season which is owned by Microsoft co-founder, Paul Allen. Lately, he took off the for sale sign but lots of speculations are still swirling that he could move his team up north because they could not raise enough revenue to pay their high-prized players, Miles & Randolf (lol! j/k only). It is possible that if Sonics moves to OK, Trailblazers would take their place within the border of Washington/Portland to attract the NBA fans of both states, unless Seattle would build a new stadium and insist on their own team.
Team movements are part of the history of the NBA. As a reminder to everyone, it is okay to be a fan but not to the extent of being too emotionally involved, this is just an entertainment and a business venture at the same time. No doubt about it, the owners would disregard any kind of fan allegiance once they notice that money do not flow in their coffers. Having said that, the Maloof Brothers could not take away that Las Vegas "Cha-ching" at the back of their minds. As a dryrun, the All Star game next year will be in Las Vegas.
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | August 11, 2006 at 10:17 AM
BK - yeah i watctched last year, but still think he's missing that "killer instinct". Can someone point me to the USA schedule please?
Posted by: keifo | August 11, 2006 at 10:24 AM
AK/BK ~ Any Kwame sightings in the gym, or in El Segundo yet?
Good assessment! We'll finish above all four of these teams though. Houston made a great move bring in Battier, but health will be their big obstacle. Utah, forget it!, NO/OK is the sleeper team and might be the Clippers for this year. (I don't think the Clipps will be as great as last year but it was nice to watch) The Hornets however, are going to play bigger and better than the roster suggests. The next set of enemies that I'm concerned about and like posts above our guys need to come out the gate early building confidence. Even though I favor teams that are playing good after the break more so than those who peak before. The Clippers and Detroit come to mind with good starts, shocking the league and burning out in the end, which makes for nothing more than a over-hyped season, ending in huge disapointment.
Posted by: LakerFaze | August 11, 2006 at 10:33 AM
i think the lakers canbeat these teams and all the top ones as well if u remember the lakers beat all the top teams last year they beat the mavs twice the heat the spurs the pistons the cavs and the suns so the lakers have shone they can be the best they just need to close out games and play beter D
Posted by: allboutthemlakers | August 11, 2006 at 10:42 AM
allboutthemlakers,
I'm glad you said that about the Lakers. I can't understand for the life of me why Laker Fans are so pessimistic right now about the Lakers? They have shown the ability to play with the best and win.....
They just have to work on closing out games and staying focused. Anybody that understands the league should know that the young teams always have problems with those two areas initially. The whole point of maturing is that you learn how to handle those two areas. If those weren't key areas, the champions would be decided by MOST TALENTED always. Instead, how smart you play is most important.
Posted by: JJ | August 11, 2006 at 10:52 AM
JJ,
I don't think anyone on this blog is pessimistic. I'm one of the group that just looks at the entire thing a little more realistically. When a blogger states all the IFs the Lakers have to do to be successful, the same thing holds true for all the other teams. When you take that into account and just look at the other rosters, there are quite a few that look stronger than the Lakers. Plus, a lot of the things that many bloggers claim the Lakers need to do to win 55 games or the Western conference or whatever are aspects of the games that teams like the Spurs, Mavs, Suns, Heat, Pistons, have already done.
It definitely isn't about being pessimistic, it's about being realistic.
Posted by: Andrew Z | August 11, 2006 at 11:14 AM
Anyone can beat anyone any night this year but the AK/BK Houston assessment is spot on. Healthy, they would be tough for any team. Yao's confidence and consistency gleaned from being the #1 option is probably permanent. Those that think the Kwam or Socks can stick him are wearing their Laker hats too low over their eyes.
Posted by: Vman | August 11, 2006 at 11:14 AM
Andrew Z,
Realistic is not synonymous with negativity. However, whenever any of you "realistic" people give an assessment of the Lakers, it's always in the direction of negativity. Why is that the realistic viewport is never the optimistic viewpoint?
Posted by: JJ | August 11, 2006 at 11:30 AM
AZ,
Another thing....the opposite of pessimism is not realism.....it's optimism.
You can be optimistic and still be realistic at the same time.
Posted by: JJ | August 11, 2006 at 11:32 AM
BK,
Nice Tribe shotout!
Andrew Z.
True, Yao will be one of Kwames biggest hurdles as far as man to man defense next year, but remember, you can get into Yao's head. Give me the Kwame that was shown on Shady's video post yesterday, and show you a rattled Yao. Unfortunately, we play most of our season games with them by the middle of december. So next to Mihm, Kwame will be on his own if Socks is in the d-league. Our final game is mid January and hopfully Socks will back to sik on him.
dan
dan
Posted by: dan the man aka smushcalade | August 11, 2006 at 11:34 AM
Houston Assessment,
When did Yao Ming become such a great player? Because he has been voted to the All-Star team a few years, doesn't make him Mr. Great. Sure he has ability and he does well on the floor. However, his game is still flawed to the point that his influence on a game is not imposing over the competition. He doesn't impose his presence on everyone else.
T-Mac has yet to demonstrate his ability to play defense consistently against the higher level of 2's or 3's. They can win games if healthy, however, I doubt that they are ready to be a great team.
Posted by: JJ | August 11, 2006 at 11:36 AM
JJ,
I don't think I am negative. I think my prediction that the Lakers will win 48 games and have a good chance to get to the second round of the playoffs is optimistic and positive. They didn't make any drastic changes to an overachieving roster in a conference that got nothing but better. Just because they have another year playing together doesn't make up for the fact that so did all the other teams, plus a few of them added major pieces. When we start saying that we could be so successful players if everyone on our roster has a better season than last, well that holds true to every team. It could also be said that we were very fortunate to have very few injury problems last year, a very favorable schedule down the stretch, and yet we still managed to just sneak into the playoffs. Show me one reason why I should believe that we will win substantially more games, and also why the other teams ahead of us won't. Until then I think we're a 48 win team, seven seed, ousted in the first round. And I don't think that's negative, it's where we are as a team.
Posted by: Andrew Z | August 11, 2006 at 11:40 AM
I missed te report stating that Bynum is headed to the D-League?
Posted by: JJ | August 11, 2006 at 11:40 AM
JJ
maybe because the glass is actually 4/10ths full and the optomistic people keep insisting that its (at least) half-full
don't get too down though, i think a team with a half empty glass stands a chance to win a championship
or something
Jon(inJapan)
Posted by: joninjapan | August 11, 2006 at 11:41 AM
JJ
Yao was absolutely a beast after he had his toe infection surgery. he said he was playing with this toe infection for years and he got used to it. It supposely felt like there's a rock inside his shoe... but not on the bottom but on top of his foot. So it really affected his mobility. After he had the surgery one, he was just going crazy, avging like 30 and 10. he said he never felt that good.
i think Yao the coming season will become the best center in the league.
Posted by: The Lamar Show | August 11, 2006 at 11:43 AM
to other optimists,
if you think Andrew Z and others are being pessimistic now, you just wait until the next round of "Know thy Enemy"
i shudder to think of it
-----------------------
trying to stay neutural
Jon(inJapan)
Posted by: joninjapan | August 11, 2006 at 11:44 AM
JJ,
Yao being labeled "great" has nothing to do with All-Star voting. It's his play. His second half of the season was awesome.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3599/gamelog;_ylt=Ap6KLE_a9KZcvcj0k9tW7LGkvLYF
You can't put up those kind of numbers for 2-3 straight months and not be imposing your will. And his last visit to Staples, he absolutely owned the floor. 22 and 10 in the first HALF. The only reason Houston lost is they inexplicably stopped giving him the ball.
Granted, it's up to Yao to play this aggressively this for an entire season (which I acknowledged in the write up). But if he does, sorry, but dude's huge. That's just fact.
AK
Posted by: Andrew Kamenetzky | August 11, 2006 at 11:46 AM
Correct me if I'm wrong...but hasn't the rules changed? I think I read a couple of days back that they are no longer putting the divisions leaders up 1, 2, 3, 4 instead they're doing it by records, with the winners placing based on their record (though they'd still make the playoffs if the 8th seed won more than them, I believe). If I'm right, it's just a lil FYI, if I''m wrong, forgetaboutit.
Posted by: Faith | August 11, 2006 at 11:49 AM
AK,
He's big from a physical standpoint, however, he remains soft. We'll see what happens....
It's just interesting to me that the talk about these other teams is always on the upward side and the Lakers talk is on the downward side.
Posted by: JJ | August 11, 2006 at 11:50 AM
dan,
If we're counting on Kwame to get into someone's head, we're in deep poo.
JJ,
I can be optimistic, but not to the point of being crazy. At a certain point you have to say the likelihood of something happening is extremely slim. I would say the Lakers chance of winning 55 games is probably about 3-5%. To me, thinking that could happen is not being optimistic, it's being unreasonable. I think the Lakers chance of winning 48 games is about 70%, and that is a much more realisitic, but still optimistic outlook.
Posted by: Andrew Z | August 11, 2006 at 11:52 AM
JJ,
Do you honestly beleive that Phill is going to throw Bynum into the fire during the first half of the season? He needs minutes!
dan
Posted by: dan the man aka smushcalade | August 11, 2006 at 11:52 AM
Since it's Friday on a summer day and not much news on the Lakers, I thought I repost this great article on Kobe from Hoopsworld from a while back. It's freaking long but its one of the best articles I've read. So if you have time, it's a MUST READ!!
________________________________
GREAT article on Kobe from Hoopsworld
Wednesday night Kobe Bryant addressed the issue at hand -- the issue of his Game 7 performance against the Suns, and the issue between him and Charles Barkley that had developed over the last week. Barkley called Bryant "selfish" on national television after the Lakers lost huge in a Game 7, a game in which Kobe took only three shots and scored one point in the second half.
It may have been the most confusing performance of his career. It was also the moment when it became overtly evident that no matter what he does for the rest of his career, Kobe Bryant can't win.
"The important part is that we play the game and play the game to win to label me as selfish is something that I took up with Charles it's one thing to criticize an individual's game but it's another thing to "
On the TNT set Kobe spoke his peace. Said what he felt needed to be said, explained the issue and not necessarily why he did what he did, but where his mind was and why he didn't do what he'd normally do. Or more directly, what we all know someone else would have done if he'd been in the same situation.
Bryant said, "we stuck to the script " and "it depends on who we're playing " and "to demoralize them you have to stop them " when answering questions about his performance. About Barkley, he then said, "I'm not going to jump over the table and lump him in the head."
As the words left his mouth he seemed comfortable in his belief, comfortable in why he went out like he did and "allowed" Game 7 to end the way it did. And regardless of what he said, there seemed to be something left unsaid. Something deeper than a strategy and plan that he and the Lakers wanted to execute.
And the problem is: Even if he did go deeper and tell all of us what we wanted to hear, half of us would still hate him and not believe him while the other half would hold on to his every word as gospel.
He can't win.
And probably never will.
The reason he won't is because of the ghost that has followed him ever since he entered the NBA. The ghost of Jordan. Outside of never winning with the fans, teammates, Madison Avenue or the media, Kobe Bryant's mythical but amazingly eerie connection to Michael Jordan is the single reason why this paradox of life follows him the way that it does.
Kenny Smith even alluded to it when KB was on the set. "The barbershop question" is what he called it, to which Kobe responded, "I handle the ball more [than Jordan] the only similarities I see are our competitiveness we're different, we're just different."
But no one sees that but him. Just as no one sees his three-shot second half to end his unbelievable 2005-06 season as something that is a part of his basketball character.
And the Jordan "thing" is why we think that. Essentially, the rationale everyone used after Kobe's Game 7 performance -- making the judgments much more severe than they should have been -- is the mental attachment that, "Well, Jordan wouldn't have gone out like that."
And anyone who says they haven't said that out loud or to themselves since May 7 is lying.
Theories give reason. If this is true, here's two to grow on.
Theory 23/45/23: Had Michael Jordan never existed, Kobe Bryant would probably be the most celebrated basketball player in the world.
Why? Because we would have never seen anyone do what he does on the basketball court; we'd be amazed the same way we were when He blessed us in 1984. But the problem is, he did bless us and he did exist. Which is good for us, but over the years has made Kobe Bryant's life a living hell.
Theory 8/24: Had Kobe Bryant come into the league in 2002 with Amare or 2003 with LeBron, D-Wade, C-Bosh and Melo, or in 2004 with Dwight, or any year after Michael Jordan left the NBA, the comparisons would not haunt him the way they do.
And without haunting him, we -- the fans and the media -- would not forever draw the immediate comparisons between the intimacy of MJ's exit and KB's entrance. Had LeBron James come into the NBA in 1990, while Magic was still playing, and LB played against Magic, his life would be haunted the same way Kobe's is.
But LeBron didn't; he lucked out. So all we do is make general analogies, suggested resemblances. It's the difference between "LeBron James is the next Magic," as opposed to "Kobe Bryant is trying to be like Jordan."
There's an extremely big dissimilarity in the two statements. One that probably only Kobe recognizes because he's the one that has to live and live with it.
But the fact that Kobe came into the L on the heels of Jordan's second exodus -- and being so Jordanesque at the time -- human nature alone makes us connect him to Jordan like Bapes to Air Force Ones, Ask.com to Google, Chris Brown to Usher, Dime to Slam.
And this season may have been the worst for Kobe. By averaging 35.4 ppg, it took everyone back to 1986-87, when Jordan went ballistic, averaging over 37 a clip.
It's funny when they reminisce over you inside of a paradox like this, because no one mentioned how that season the Bulls played under-.500 basketball (40-42, fifth in their division, 17 games out of first place) and how they got swept in the first round by Boston, yet Kobe got the Lakers to play over-.500 ball (45-37, third in their division, nine games from first) and push the Suns to a "win or go home" game in the first round and he gets dogged. Or how Michael came in second in MVP voting that year to Magic, yet Kobe came in fourth this year, fifth in the general managers voting poll.
Yet, they basically had the exact same statistical season.
MJ, '86-87: 37.1 ppg/5.2 rpg/4.6 apg
KB, '05-06: 35.4 ppg/5.3 rpg/4.5 apg
Yet, Kobe's season is being held against him.
Which leaves the question open: Is the MJ lineage Kobe inherited unfair?
The answer is yes.
It's yes because without Jordan, direct analogies would not be made about everything he does on the basketball court; it's yes because we would not have a barometer to judge his every success and failure; it's yes because we wouldn't automatically say things like, "Damn he sounds just like MJ when he talks and damn he walks like MJ when he walks" to "his shoes don't sell like MJ's and he didn't sign with Brand Jordan because he wanted to be Nike's Jordan" to "the only reason he cut his Afro was to be more like MJ and the reason he's switching his number to 24 is because it's one number higher than MJ's."
He can never run from it.
His career is Jordan's in reverse. Win early, struggle late. But Jordan never had to go through this. Never had to deal with this type of scrutiny, never had to deal with this type of hate, never had to come on national television to discuss why he did what he did in the second half of a ball game that was lost at halftime.
In a season that was lost the minute the ref tossed up the ball in the very first game.
Overlooked in all of this new Kobegate is a point Kenny Smith made during and after the infamous Game 7. He talked about Kobe being in a place no other basketball player exists. A damned if he does, damned if he doesn't place. Hoops purgatory. A place where he can't win.
Which is funny, because the first comment out of Kobe's mouth the other night was, "We play the game to win."
Unfortunately for Kobe, you can only play basketball to win.
The game that is his life has slowly become a no-win situation.
- Scoop Jackson
Posted by: The Lamar Show | August 11, 2006 at 11:54 AM
I am not taking anything away from Yao......it's just that the way you all are talking about him in here it would give the impression that he is on the verge of taking the league by storm.
It will be interesting to see how the sports writers on ESPN, NBA TV and Fox Sports assess the teams before the season. I wonder how high they will put the Rockets.
Posted by: JJ | August 11, 2006 at 11:54 AM
JJ,
Take that last part back. He needs HOURS!
dan
Posted by: dan the man aka smushcalade | August 11, 2006 at 11:54 AM
joninjapan,
Just callin' em' as I sees em'. I honestly feel that the Spurs, Mavs, Suns, Clippers, Kings, and Grizzlies will be better than the Lakers this season. Those are all really good teams and it's not a put-down on the Lakers, they could still win 48-50 games and end up behind those six.
I understand everyone's rush to say "there's parity in the league, anyone can win a title" and maybe part of that is true, maybe there isn't the one dominant team who should run the show, but there are more teams at the top than I can remember in a long time and that makes it even harder to get through them. I just think a lot of people on the blog don't bother to look at it that way.
Posted by: Andrew Z | August 11, 2006 at 11:58 AM
JJ
I agree about T Mac's defense but I'm sure you agree the man scores as easy as the Ice Man back when. Yao may not be dominant but he's got consistent scoring options as well. Aside from injury, I think the problem with Houston is the mind set of their two stars. You just never see that "refuse to lose" look of the Mamba shining out from their eyes.
Posted by: Vman | August 11, 2006 at 11:58 AM
DMack.
"Tell me the saga of Al Harrington & Chris Wilcox."
Al Harrington is like the late Marilyn Monroe, he has a lot suitors and He kept on saying "yes to all" but still waiting for his new agent, Arn Tellem to come aboard. In a nutshell, it's all talk, noise but nothing concrete until Arn talks to all teams and present the total picture to Al Harrington. Being the Lakers, I feel we have an inside chance of getting this deal provided the disparity of offers would not be too much. Of hand, Lakers do not have that $7.5M of free MLE money that Pacers has but they don't have the players to trade Mihm & Co., who are carrying one year contracts.
In the case of C. Wilcox, they have been meeting for almost three weeks now but there's no "meat" coming out from it. One time, Wilcox was willing to play $3.6M per year just to get out of that restricted free agent and test the market next season. There is about $ 2M per year discrepancy on what Sonics wants, at $19 for 3 years while Wilcox is dreaming of $24M.
So D'Mack here is my own take...if the Lakers will be aggressive enough in getting these two free agents, hell go for broke! get Wilcox for one year and Harrington for multiple years, PJ will not have any excuses that he has no players to compete for the big one. In essence, the Lakers will compete in '06-'07 with Kobe, Lo, Vlad, Kwame, Harrington & Wilcox plus the role players. If the formula do not work, the Lakers could offer Harrinton/Wilcox/Kwame or Bynum to T'wolves in exchange of KG. McHale will think twice for not accepting that rosy offer. We were able to save LO and transformed our team into Kobe, LO, KG and Kwame or Bynum in 07-08.
In another analogy, you have elevated the competition to the top Cola markets (Coke & Pepsi) rather than competing in the second-tier of Colas attracting only Wal Mart & Cosco customers. haha!
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | August 11, 2006 at 12:01 PM
JJ,
I don't recall anyone talking about the Lakers on the downside, it's just that the majority tend to really overvalue the Lakers so it overshadows the bit of reality I like to throw in there. Other teams in the NBA are good, and have less weaknesses than we do, it's just the way it is. We have a lot of good things going for us, but we still have some gaping holes that can't be there for a team to win 55 games or contend for a ring.
Posted by: Andrew Z | August 11, 2006 at 12:02 PM
AK,
How is it unreasonable to think that the Lakers can improve on last season to the point of winning 50plus games when in fact they were close to that this with over 20 games that were decided by 5 points or less...which they lost!. You simply don't get it!
Smush...whateva your name is....,
Did I ever say that Bynum was going to be thrown anywhere? All I asked was had an article come out stating that he would be playing in the D-League. You all have a tendency to make up the news some times so I wanted to see what the truth was. I don't know what Phil is going to do....however, I do find it unlikely that he would put him in the D-League the SECOND year after not doing it the first year.
Posted by: JJ | August 11, 2006 at 12:03 PM
JJ
perhaps Yao is on the verge of taking the league by storm
he's almost like Kwame Brown. dissapointing first couple of seasons in the NBA, good second half of the season, now we're wondering which Yao/Kwame is gonna show up
and yes i know Yao has been a more dominant force than Kwame has (overall) im not comparing the players skills or statistics, just the situation
Jon(inJapan)
Posted by: joninjapan | August 11, 2006 at 12:14 PM
JJ,
I think Yao gets labeled "soft" by a lot of people because he hasn't always been aggressive enough (fair) and he because he doesn't run around with a nasty snarl on his face, beating his chest after making a dunk and squaring up like he's all "hard" (unfair). But his play spoke for itself in the second half. We'll see if that continues next season.
As far as writing up the Lakers on "the downside," I'm not sure where that's coming from, since we pegged all four of these teams to finish behind the Lakers. But not acknowledging that the Rockets (for example) could be a considerably better team if their two best (and considerably talented) players are healthy is just common sense. How can you not talk about that when analyzing Houston (or other aspects with various teams)?
And for that matter, when have BK or I said that the Lakers would do worse next season?
AK
Posted by: Andrew Kamenetzky | August 11, 2006 at 12:23 PM
Lamar Show -- I remember that Hoopsworld Kobe article, all I can say is "WORD"! Scoop was all up in the pockets on that one...Kobe is one damned player if I ever seen one.
But people hate you when you are great, and aspire to be a better person/player in a sport. And that measuring stick they always seem to use Kobe for when comparing other players as to suggest their superiority, say's it all. Yet they are not willing to concede what they truly believe deep within themselves..Oh how sad, but oh so TRUE.
Any ole wayz, Kobe is one guy who can handle anything. He's already shown as much. Glad he's a LAKER !
KB24 MVP 07!
Posted by: lakersrydeordie | August 11, 2006 at 12:31 PM
Dang it! My first post was deleted! It was much more poignant than this re-hash.
I think that 55 wins is a little too pie-in-the-sky for me. Looking at the Lakers schedule, they have the following:
17 back to back games. If they go .500 there, that's 17-17, if they man up and play .600 ball then they are 20-14.
Now, what the 55 game-winners are telling us is that the Lakers can go 38-10 through the rest of their schedule, or 35-13 under the aforementioned .600 theory. I really wish they could.
I wish they'd go 82-0 in the regular season, 16-0 though the playoffs so that 8/24 could get his fourth ring and get the fata** 399 pound Gorilla off of his back.
I'll take 48 wins and a first-round win on the rocks thank you!
Posted by: onesocalkid | August 11, 2006 at 12:33 PM
You are saying that they'll do worse when you are putting more teams ahead of them....simple math!
As for saying that Houston's main key is injuries....you are saying that the only way they will not do well is injuries...I disagree.
In saying that Yao could be on the verge as is Kwame....could be true.....
In saying that Yao was a monster the second half....but not give Kwame the SAME recognition is wrong.....
I haven't seen you cut the Lakers to pieces, you have just praised the others so much that it overshadows the little that you say positive about the Lakers.
Why wait until a team wins the title before you say that they could win a title?
Posted by: JJ | August 11, 2006 at 12:35 PM
55 wins?
Where did this whole 55 win stuff come from? Why is 55 so important to people?
Are you saying that the Lakers need to win 55 wins in order to do something? Is that the official mark for this season?
I fail to understand what is meant by it.
Do you not realize that if the rest of the league UNDER the top teams wins more games.....it has an equally imposing effect on the production of those top teams as if they won those games.
In other words.....if the poor teams (the ones that have gotten better) win more games against the top teams....in turn it brings those top teams down and makes the necessary total number of wins drop. In essence, the bar is lowered.
That could happen this season.
Posted by: JJ | August 11, 2006 at 12:38 PM
JJ and AK
JJ please stop. You are killing them with the fact.
20 games lost by less then 5 pts.
Plus we beat all the Top teams in the league last year.
Hey if you guys can't see how much Evan/Racman/Shammond/Farmer/Mihms only becuase he was hurt at the end of the year is going to take the Lakers to the next level then I don't know what to tell any of you anymore.
The only thing that stopped us last year was spacing on the offensive end. That is the realistic truth. If our offense was alittle more spreaded out and we would have won about 5-8 more game easliy. Racman is going to help this part of our game tremedously. I am not worried about defense becuase all of Phils teams play defense. Plus we got Evans in case of emergencies. Kwame got us in the post along ith LO. We are good on Deefense. The problem last year was that know body wanted to shot the ball besides Kobe. Well that has now changed with the additions that we added. Now that is the truth
Posted by: Zakee | August 11, 2006 at 12:41 PM
48 wins....
Am I to take from that that those that feel this way are basically saying the Lakers will a total of 3 more games next season than they did this past season? That's really stretching your view of their abilities!!! I guess 50 wins is completely unthinkable at this point.
That is what I am talking about. The lakers have improved their team without losing the key players that helped them finish where they did this past season, yet all it is predicted to gain them is 3 more wins???? If that's what being realistic is....I'm completely unrealistic and proud of it!
Posted by: JJ | August 11, 2006 at 12:44 PM
JJ,
"You are saying that they'll do worse when you are putting more teams ahead of them....simple math!"
We've written up 7 teams and picked all 7 to finish behind the Lakers. So again, not a clue what you're talking about.
As far as not giving Kwame's improvements the same praise as Yao's, that's because they weren't close to as big. Yao's game has way fewer flaws than Kwame's. He's a better scorer, shooter, rebounder, shot blocker and passer. You take away one on one post D (not even overall D, just that particular aspect) and there's nothing else Kwame can consistently be counted on for. I'm not saying Kwame can't improve, but to put him in the same sentence as Yao is ridiculous, even if Yao doesn't play like he did in the second half.
If you're asking me if I think the Lakers will win it all next year, my answer is no. But that's just me being honest. But it's not just being negative, either. I think they're fully capable of a good season. Is there no middle ground for you when it comes to predictions? You either predict a title or you're a pessimist?
AK
Posted by: Andrew Kamenetzky | August 11, 2006 at 12:46 PM
AK
I agree, the Yao visual doesn't strike fear, but hasn't his demeanor been a refreshing change to this league? You can win without being a gansta. Still, we probably log 5 wins a year just on Kobe's glare.
Posted by: Vman | August 11, 2006 at 12:49 PM
I joined the 55 win bandwagon albeit I would sacrifice win totals if it meant we could win a championship regardless of our win total..Dont make me no diff really, I just want KOBE to WIN another TROPHY dont care how it gets done as long as it's done!
Posted by: lakersrydeordie | August 11, 2006 at 12:51 PM
Onesocalkid.
Everybody has the same type of schedule when it comes down to it. Every team has disadvantages in the schedule and some have advantages. Every team has 41 games on the Road and 41 games at home. Every team has the same or right around amount of back to back games. The bottom line is that at the end of the season we will have to same amount of advantages and disadvantages as everybody in the league. The teams with the must homes games at the beginning should start out better then the teams with road games, but by the end of the season everything equals out
Posted by: Zakee | August 11, 2006 at 12:52 PM
JJ,
I think that th writting is on the wall for Bynum, He obviosly need some playing time under his belt. He got to be he biggest (pun intended) project player in the nba right now. And what do the lakers do, they become the FIRST franchise to own there very own d-league team. Why?, do you ask? To that players could be closer to the team. Last year, we had to send our players down to Fort Worth. The lakers & co want to keep a closer eye on bynum than that.
If you don't think that he will go to the d-league or be "thrown" into the fire, what exactly do you think the lakers plans are for him?
dan
Posted by: dan the man aka smushcalade | August 11, 2006 at 12:52 PM
WHO CAM UP WITH 48
Posted by: Zakee | August 11, 2006 at 12:53 PM
JJ,
Reread it. I said, "even if the Lakers improve by just 3 wins." As in, not a huge improvement, but an improvement nonetheless. Low end expectations. My point was simply that if that's all that did happen, the Hornets probably wouldn't catch them.
And FYI, I never said that's all I thought they were capable of. That 3 extra wins was it. Again, I brought it up to illustrate how much ground the Hornets needed to make up with even the barest of Laker improvement.
AK
Posted by: Andrew Kamenetzky | August 11, 2006 at 12:54 PM
***TEAM SPLITS THIS YEAR VS. LAST YEAR***
Here is our record against all of the teams in the West and East last year with their overall record last year as well as our record against them plus my predictions against them for this year in order to get to 55 wins.
Have at it, bloggers:
OPP RECLYR W - L , W - L
SA W63-19 1 - 3 , 2 - 2
DAL W60-22 2 - 1 , 2 - 1
PHO W54-28 1 - 3 , 2 - 2
MEM W49-33 1 - 3 , 2 - 2
LAC W47-35 2 - 2 , 2 - 2
DEN W44-38 2 - 1 , 2 - 1
SAC W44-38 2 - 2 , 2 - 2
**UTA W41-41 2 - 2 , 2 - 2
**NOK W38-44 3 - 1 , 3 - 1
**SEA W35-47 2 - 1 , 2 - 1
**GS W34-48 4 - 0 , 3 - 1
**HOU W34-48 2 - 1 , 2 - 1
**MIN W33-49 1 - 3 , 3 - 1
**POR W21-61 2 - 2 , 3 - 1
WEST TOTAL 27 25 , 32 20
DET E64-18 1 - 1 , 1 - 1
MIA E52-30 1 - 1 , 1 - 1
CLE E50-32 1 - 1 , 1 - 1
NJ E49-37 0 - 2 , 1 - 1
WAS E42-40 1 - 1 , 1 - 1
CHI E41-41 1 - 1 , 1 - 1
IND E41-41 1 - 1 , 1 - 1
MIL E40-42 2 - 0 , 2 - 0
**PHI E38-44 1 - 1 , 2 - 0
**ORL E36-46 2 - 0 , 2 - 0
**BOS E33-49 1 - 1 , 2 - 0
**TOR E27-55 2 - 0 , 2 - 0
**ATL E26-56 1 - 1 , 2 - 0
**CHA E26-56 1 - 1 , 2 - 0
**NY E23-59 2 - 0 , 2 - 0
EAST TOTAL 18 - 12 , 23 - 7
ALL TOTAL 45 - 37 , 55 - 27
Basically, we are picking up 5 games against teams in the West and 5 against teams in the East. The focus is not to lose to the bottom dwellers like Portland and Minnesota in the West or to Philadelphia, Boston, and Atlanta in the East.
Tom
Posted by: LakerTom | August 11, 2006 at 01:06 PM
JJ-
You might be getting what AK and I said confused. I think a healthy Houston team can compete on par with the Lakers, and if things break their way might even be a game or two better. I'm not counting on it (health factor), but it's possible. In the limited amount of time Yao and T-Mac spent on the court together last year, Houston was a very good team.
The Lakers have improved, no doubt, but in an improved conference, that may not translate to an extra 8 or so wins. Four or five, I think (which is pretty good, actually). Depending on how Utah and NO/OKC play, a healthy Houston gives the West 11 legitimate playoff teams (Denver being kind of shaky).
The Lakers, like a few other teams in the conference, are in a position where they could be a better team playing better basketball, but not actually win many more games. It should make for a really fun year, though, with a ton of great hoops.
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | August 11, 2006 at 01:08 PM
AK, I never said it was an all or nothing thing...My statement about winning it all was not really a reference about the Lakers at all. Instead it was an examnple of the twisted, inconsistent comments that you all are making.
As far as Kwame and Yao, I don't believe that there is much comparison from the standpoint of what they bring to the floor. My point was that Kwame's improvement over the second half is always downplayed as if it really wasn't a big deal or a big improvement and yet others are praised for their improvement during short periods like that. Kwame is criticized much more than he is praised and that can't be good for his growth. Everybody can't handle criticism like Kobe can.
As far as the 48 wins...i wasn't even thinking about your statement when i said that. I was thinking about the follow-up statements that continue to put the Lakers at 48 by others.... I didn't even remember you had said your statement.
As far as 55 wins are concerned....ONLY 2 teams in the West exceeded 55 last year. That was with weaker lower teams. If the lower teams play even better in BOTH conferences....55 could mean the top seed!
As far as the downplaying is concerned it's not just involving this particular thread which I am referring. I am more so talking about in GENERAL. In GENERAL the majority of you continue to downplay the Lakers. You can say you're not but the blog history says otherwise.
Posted by: JJ | August 11, 2006 at 01:09 PM
AK/BK:
OK, we've dispatched with the Connecticuts and the Baltic and dispatched the entire West lottery as role players and spoilers at best. Let's get on to the 7 other West teams that actually count. Time's a wasting and we're all tired of the Lakers vs. Clippers. Thanks.
Tom
Posted by: LakerTom | August 11, 2006 at 01:13 PM
JJ
im not down on the lakers, in fact its my dream that either this year or next year bynum is gonna start playing significant minutes with significant results and that Jordan Farmar will win the starting PG job by the end of the year and might even go on to win ROY and that the lakers will win 55+ (note 55is the minimum not the celieing) and that we can beat the clippers in a hallway series and that we'll get to the finals and we'll meet the Heat and then we'll kick their @$$ so that the whole world will know that Shaq cant beat Kobe when it matters
but thats not realistic
my realistic dream for the lakers is to win around 50+- get to the second round and, in the event of a hallway series, kick @$$,
but thats still a dream cause like it or not every single team that we have looked at and are going to look at (with the exception of maybe the Sonics) has improved, period
JJ
"In saying that Yao could be on the verge as is Kwame....could be true.....
In saying that Yao was a monster the second half....but not give Kwame the SAME recognition is wrong....."
thats why i said I'm not comparing the players skill levels or their stats, because Yao WAS a monster (or something like) during the second half, Kwame became good/normal/worth the money/its about time....its just too diffrent to give Kwame the same recognition
. . .make sense??
AK or anybody really
just how much does Yao make anyhow?
Posted by: joninjapan | August 11, 2006 at 01:17 PM
BK,
>>>You might be getting what AK and I said confused. I think a healthy Houston team can compete on par with the Lakers, and if things break their way might even be a game or two better. I'm not counting on it (health factor), but it's possible. In the limited amount of time Yao and T-Mac spent on the court together last year, Houston was a very good team.>>The Lakers have improved, no doubt, but in an improved conference, that may not translate to an extra 8 or so wins. Four or five, I think (which is pretty good, actually). Depending on how Utah and NO/OKC play, a healthy Houston gives the West 11 legitimate playoff teams (Denver being kind of shaky).>>The Lakers, like a few other teams in the conference, are in a position where they could be a better team playing better basketball, but not actually win that many more games. It should make for a really fun year, though, with a ton of great hoops.<<<
Didn't the Lakers improve from 34 to 45 wins in 1 season? Is it not possible to do it twice with an improved roster? I am not saying that they will or that it is even necessary, I'm just saying that your quick conclusion bothers me. As far as them not making up any ground yet being improved....the end will be how they play in the post season. Miami won less games tis past season yet they won the championship. They beat out a EC team in the ECF that won more games than they had the previous year.
Posted by: JJ | August 11, 2006 at 01:20 PM