Suciniac

Amen to that and couldn't agree anymore.

koЯnut

Give them a year together. I don't see big changes next year for the Lakers. The second half of the season has proved to be a big improvement in the team game.

Teams need chemistry to win championships in the NBA. One more year will do wonders for those guys.

Anibal

true look at Memphis, Clippers, Cavs (lebron has stepped up but they were shit like a team before) those teams have improved a whole lot in the past years. But right now, the LA Lakers roster is garbage, u take kobe out and that team wouldnt win more than 15 games in a season (lol that was too harsh lets say no more than 25).

koЯnut

Hate to say this but....you take the star player off of every team in the NBA....most wouldn't win much more than twenty five.

S.A., and Detriot are the exceptions.

Take Nash off the Suns....crap. Take Carmello off the Nuggets....crap. Take Wade off the Heat....crap. And so on and so on.

Suciniac

I agree on S.A and Detroit but the rest will win more than 25 games for sure.You take Nash off and you still have Marion and shooters from the top to the bottom.Any decent PG and they wil be allright.With or without Carmelo, Denver right now is a dangerous defensive team than people give them credit for.Lastly Miami will win far more than just 25 games simply because of Shaq.Also when your backup Center is Alonzo Mournig they are far from being crap.

The thing these team share in common are injuries. Phoenix are without Amare,Denver's front-court altough hugely talented is a injury mess.You have Nene out for the season in the very first game of the season and Camby & Maritn are just likely to miss more game than they play.Same goes for Shaq & Zo.Allthough nobody could have predicted Zo's injury,Shaq is just too bulky and old to be relied upon for the duration for the entire season and the playoffs.

jusskisscharlie

yessir, I can't even remember what this thread was about after reading everyone's comments. Well, it's been months and it's time to update:

I think Vince has gotten more confidence with the game on the line now that he's in Jersey. He's doing pretty damn good.

Now we see Kobe taking the last shot every single game (almost) because the Lakers always seem to be in that situation... given that large sampling rate.. it has come out to be 50/50. Half of the time he wins it, and the other half he doesn't. I don't think you can give him crap for it. He's doing all he can, and the team damn well appreciates it.

And uh... I don't know about that "Mailman/Bryant" fantasy team. It just doesn't seem to complementing. Malone isn't an all-star without an all-star point guard. Having said that, what the Lakers need is a super-poised point guard. One that thinks pass-first and has great knowledge of the game and confidence. He doesn't need to be a scorer or even a penetrating-dishman.

Who I think fits that bill is Jason Kidd. What the Lakers have always lacked since Van Exel left was a true starting point guard. Kidd/Shaq/Kobe would spell a 5-peat in my opinion. But the way that Kwame Brown has improved as a defender and inside scorer, the current Laker squad plus Jason Kidd would, dare I say, take it to the Western Conference finals.

Anibal

i disagree plenty (not all) of the teams can survive without there stars, the last laker game i saw was against the suns ... it was funny, kobe was guarding his man and he knew which sun was open he pointed to him and no one covered, then, they (suns) gave the ball to THAT open player for an open shot... u take kobe out of there and their is NO player (or team work) to help that team win a single game.

koЯnut

Discounting the Spurs and Pistons....tell me which teams can.

Anibal

it would be pointless, ill never convince u and u will never convince me, plus we had to go out and injure them stars to see if their team can actually win without them.

hey if u are up to it ill tell you wich teams i think can win more than 25, then next season we can go hunt'em down to see who is right :happycow: im game if u are

Suciniac

Phoenix without Amare.Not many thought they will even reach the playofss(including myself) but they are the 2nd seed in the west.
Indian without J.O and Artest.Artest left them O Neal's having a horrible season and their starting PG Tinsley is the most injury prone player in the league.Still they are in the playoffs.Miami without Shaq will still be a dangerous team.

koЯnut

click on one of our sponsors! OR REMOVE ADS

Okay...lets be honest. Without thier stars teams could make the playoffs. But thats because 16 friggin teams get in! Right now three teams in the East are in with losing records!

About Amare...without Nash ( Who I would consider the true star of the team...hello MVP), wouldn't be as dominant as he is.

Pacers are in because the East is weak. Take Jermaine off that team all year and they don't win 30 games.

As well as Miami. Without Wade they aren't shit. Even with guys like Walker, Payton and Wililams...they still would struggle withou D-Wade. I don't care if you have Shaq on your team or not....he alone would never be able to get it done.

jusskisscharlie

Agreed. But Miami without Shaq would be in the 7th seed, tops. Take shaq out and then you've got Wade. Wade is close to, but less than Kobe. Laker's 2nd best player, Odom, is better than anyone else on Miami besides Wade. The rest of the players sort of weed out, Miami's halfcourt defense will wither into nothing without Shaq. Even if Zo plays, he can't put in 33 minutes. The lakers have much more scoring power, and I give their defense (at full strength) the edge over Miami. So, Lakers would be better than Miami if Miami were without Shaq.

Suciniac

To quote raizzen here,"you'll never convince me and I'll never convince you".I think Amare like Shaq only needs the ball in his hands to be dominant and any decent passer will be enough for him to dominate.

Indian is not in the playoffs because the East is weak,they are so low in the standing because they themselves have been a mess this season.With all the injuries to all their players and the mess created by Artest I am surprised and respect they are still in the playoff picture.This is the team that took the Pistons to 7 games without Artest.Allready without Artest it would be difficult to win 30 games without even J.O but with the heart and gut this team has shown i wouldn't be surprised if they won 35 games.

Without Wade they(Miami) aren't shit without Shaq, they are.Atleast Shaq commands some respect and teamwork from Walker and Williams.Without Shaq you have a backcourt trio of shooters and scorers who couldn't defend a dead man.Without Shaq clogging the lane everyonee will have layups practice.I agree that Shaq is past his prime and couldn't win a championship on his own but he will do far better with the rest of the team than Wade.After all he did take them into the conf finals in his first year with the team.

jusskisscharlie

I really don't understand your Indiana logic. Kornut has a point because their record is 39-40 and that is good enough to put them in 5th place. Secondly, this is not the team that took Detroit to 7 games, you are missing one thing, REGGIE. Indiana is a mess this year, and the only reason they are in the playoffs, and a team like Houston is not, is because the East is weak. Weaksauce.

About Miami. Agreed. I don't believe that D-Wade is a team leader at this point of his career. He's just a scorer and a pretty good passer. If D-Wade had to play the whole season without Shaq, they would definitely fall nearly out of the playoff picture. And in Wade's first year, Miami going to the semi's was more because of Lamar Odom's superstar play and leadership.