What's going on with the Lakers? They've been playing horrible these days. Do you guys think they'll make the playoffs? What about the championship, can they win it?
2007-03-09 16:18:09 · 18 answers · asked by PufftheMagicDragon 2 in Sports ➔ Basketball
THEY ARE IN A SLUMP. THEY WILL MAKE THE PLAYOFFS. THEY WILL NOT WIN THE NBA TITLE.
2007-03-13 05:47:32 · answer #1 · answered by smitty 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Lakers are a one man show right now. With Odom and Walton on the shelf and no true point guard, they look to Kobe to do it all. And well, when he's the only option, the rest of the team just stands around and watches.
They can make the playoffs, but they can't get past many people. Kobe is an amazing player, but one player alone cannot with the Championship. He will need help. Lots of help.
When Odom and Walton are healthy, they are more balanced. Bynum and Brown need a couple more years to give Kobe the solid inside presence that the team needs. A point guard who distributes the ball well with help take pressure off Kobe handling the ball, and hopefully get the other guys more involved.
But it's hard to develop a team with Kobe's ego and will to win a title without Shaq. While he is trying to do all the things to make his team better, ultimately he is the type of player who only trusts himself in the clutch. He is the best option the Lakers have by far, so that's not so surprising. But like Jordan and many other great players before him, he will need to learn how to trust his teammates before he can win a championship.
2007-03-09 18:08:54 · answer #2 · answered by phil_cheesy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To be honest, the problem with the Lakers is very complicated. You can look at the injury situation with Lamar Odom and Luke Walton. Even the fact that Kwame Brown missed 2 months with a bad ankle hurt the Lakers. But right now the Lakers are missing Odom and Walton b/c both of these guys are perfect for the triangle offense: Good size, good rebounders, nice midrange game, and most importantly outstanding passers. The other part of the triangle is the big man, and the Lakers just dont have one who is good enough. Kwame plays soft. Bynum is erratic. Radmonovic is a shooting guard trapped in a big mans body. Kobe Bryant thus has become option 1,2,3,4,5 on the Lakers. I dont think he is tryin to be ballhog. If you watched the Phoenix game, Kobe was giving the ball up to his teammates and nobody could make anything from the outside. The Lakers play defense only in phases thus combined with a one-man offense, makes them a bad team. The Lakers are right now 6th in the West...but only 2 games up on the Nuggets, Clippers, and the 9th place Kings. The good thing for LA is that other teams continue to lose and if they struggle, they remain on top of the other teams. The Lakers have Kobe and thus should make the playoffs and once the playoffs start, again with Kobe (as shown in last years playoffs against Phoenix) anything can happen. Kobe is no Jordan but he comes close.
2007-03-09 16:43:52 · answer #3 · answered by ratman 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Back in the 1980s I used to equate the Los Angeles Lakers to another show I watched during that period. The cartoon was the Super Friends. The Superfriends is a cartoon in which all the charachters represented Good, and were unified in the fight against Evil. Although, it can be argued that the Superfriends had a team leader in Superman, the other Superfriends were equally important. Well, here's the analogy, Magic Johnson was Superman. He stood for everything good, and was an excellent basketball player, but it didn't end there. You also had Kareem Abdul Jabar, Worthy, Green, Cooper, Rambis, and other players willing to step up and get the job done. You see, in esence, despite the Jordan years, basketball is a TEAM sport. Hell, even Jordan had a well functioning team. But the Lakers of the 1980s epitomized team play. Not the case for the Lakers (and the league) anymore. Kobe Bryant is just one player. He isn't a team. He will never carry the Lakers, or any other team by himself to a NBA Championship.
2007-03-09 16:30:10 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Lakers have a very thin team right now due to injuries to players like lamar odom, luke walton, vladimir radmanovic and kwame brown trying to find his feet after an injury.
Yeah I think they will make the playoffs but as for the lakers winning the championship it is highly unlikely. Even if all the lakers players were healthy and playing at the top of their game and would be a tough ask to knock off title contenders like the Mavs or Spurs.
2007-03-09 18:57:05 · answer #5 · answered by Jive 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The lakers have no heart and Kobe is trying to prove he can do it on his own (without Shaq), and that in itself spells trouble. To make matters worse, they have been plagued by injuries and more recently, suspensions. They'll make the playoffs, but won't make a lot of noise.
2007-03-09 16:44:53 · answer #6 · answered by Fresh 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They need 20 CCs of freaky blonde chicks from Colorado stat! j/k
There in the hard part of their schedule now. 1st of the season had easier teams to play and was home heavy, now they have more away games and harder teams that are pushing for playoff spots.
They'' make the playoffs, but no finals, and no championship!
2007-03-09 16:23:21 · answer #7 · answered by Indyhawk2k 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The thing that is wrong with them is that they are playing bad basketball since they have been losing quite a bit lately. In addition, I think they will make it to the playoffs, but not the NBA finals.
2007-03-09 16:22:39 · answer #8 · answered by Huh! 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Injuries and Bynum's unwillingness to play with the team. I think they will make the playoffs, but not to the finals. Maybe in a few years or so they will make the finals.
2007-03-09 16:28:24 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
on their current roster, they aren't made well enough...they lack interior defense...and the big guys up front miss assignments on the switch and help defense...this is why you will often see someone like cook, brown, or bynum guarding a small guard on the perimeter and causing a mismatch on the other side...when shaq was on the team the power forward could always maneuver himself to help on the weak side and the Lakers would always have two experienced rebounders/defenders down low...coach Jacksons formula always ran on having a strong rebounder with intermediate range on offense, and one of the premier 3 point shooters (even if they werent the best point guards, remember paxton hodges and kerr were not good defenders but got help)...in Chicago it was Grant, then Rodman (who didnt have much offense at that point of his career but rebounded like crazy) then in LA it was Grant (again) Fox, and Horry with Shaq(I refuse to acknowledge samaki)...in a motion/isolation offense like the triangle you need everyone to know their assignment, on offense and defense...the current roster of players will need time to maximize their potential...and for someone to step up, position themselves to unselfishly rebound and play defense while not being a liability on offense(read; ben wallace)...which will be Bynums job (which is why they didnt want to pull the trigger , bynum for kidd) Another year, maybe two and one big acquisition and we should see the best of the Lakers current rebuilding project...
2007-03-09 17:59:50 · answer #10 · answered by doingitright44 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They'll make the playoffs, but they be eliminated as soon as they get in.
2007-03-09 16:24:32 · answer #11 · answered by tfoley5000 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋