Should the Lakers try to aquire Jax
lakers primary goal should be a pg not a wing who takes questionable shots. FIsher is done, i mean done like dont give him any more minutes and let him be strictly a locker room guy done. Blake is hands down better then fish and that speaks volumes not about blake, but about how bad fish is. And blake would be a fine backup, but we need sessions or someone who can start.
But overall the lakers are not as bad as people seem to think. 16-12 and now going back home where they are 11-2 after a long road trip. They are still contenders for the ring
I would've been more into this if he was playing like he was in Charlotte or GS but he's been a bum lately for whatever reason (injuries, no extension, coach issues). I would much rather love to pry Luc Richard Mbah a Moute from the bucks.
Ha, and there is no way the league will allow Ron Artest and Captain Jack to be on the same team again!
no way they are not contenders for the ring? You must be reading too much bill simmons still. Lakers have the best insdie big man duo in the league, they defend better then they have in years and kobe is still kobe. They are going through some rough shooting stretches, but who in the league has been so much more impressive? OKC is the only west team clearly ahead of the lakers and they havent played each other yet. An older half court syle team that is better suited for the playoffs. Go ahead and count them out, youll see.
as a bucks fan, yes jackson doesn't want to be here, and the bucks are frusterated with him, but even though he's not playing well, his value is higher then 2 average prospects, and if milwaukee isn't going to get a expiring contract in return then there's no need to make the deal, weather jennings stays or not, that's who they plan to build around, getting players who are on the bottom of the depth chart doesn't help a team thats fighting for a low playoff seed
I just don't see it. They lack a point guard, and the bench is borderline terrible. You have Bynum and Gasol, but you're pretty much forcing them to play 39-40 min a night. If Bynum gets in foul trouble, it's a wrap. Los Angeles does have the experience to be interesting in the playoffs, but I just don't see them making the finals.
- Oklahoma City is just better
- Clippers are a great matchup for you, but with K-Mart there, they now have depth, and the point guard that killed you in last year's playoffs.
- San Antonio is deeper, but you could beat them
- Dallas swept you last season....
- You could beat Houston
- Denver could give you issues
- Portland is a slugfest for you guys
I'm not being bias, or reading too much Simmons, I'm just stating my opinion on how they line up in the West. Two great bigs, a top 8 player all time, but no depth, and a questionable coach equals no title IMO.
other then okc, not one of those teams really scares me as a laker fan. Dallas isnt the same as last year and bynum is better this year. And with no barea, they dont have a speedy pg who really scares us. Plus pau played the worst basketball since he came to the nba in that series. The lakers beat them already this season, i like our chances in a rematch.. All those teams are tough, but i cant see an argument that any are gonna be a tougher out then the lakers come playoff time. Of course the lakers do need help at the pg spot. Maybe they make a move. If not, i still think we can win it all. Lakers arent built for the regular season and yet right now they are just 1 game back of having homecourt in the first round.
Perez is right, Lakers are still contenders but their margin of error is a lot smaller. If they could get some pg help and more depth. Also they have 4 sf and none of them is really good. Artest may be ready for the playoff though because right now he is still out of shape. he needs to get smaller like he was in the year the won it all. No more drinks for him.
If the can get Arenas to play 20-25 minutes and possibly get some more bench help, things can get interesting. AI may be able to help them off the bench because I think AI still have game if he plays 20 minutes or so.
I genuinely laugh at the idea that the Lakers are done. As long s you have Kobe Bryant you still have a chance. Throw in 2 all-star 7footers and the best defense they have played in YEARS. If even 2 Lakers could knock down a 3 ball at a high clip this wouldn't be nearly as questionable as it is. They are lacking good pg play yes, but in the past 10 years, when haven't they been getting torched by opposing PG's. This isn't something new or anything they haven't overcome. All they need is to not have their pg and sf as complete liabilities on the offensive end. Honestly, Ariza,Vujacic, and Farmar would be perfect for this team with the makeup as is.
Think about it, an 8.8 million dollar TPE, 2 first rounders, a couple bad contracts, and a few shooters finishing up their overseas deals(JR Smith and Vujacic). The deals are out there, and LAL is looking at every possible one. I honestly wouldn't be surprised to see the puzzle pieces take care of themselves around the all-star break or after once some players contracts are bought out.
As for Jackson, if the price was right, yes he could help assuming he relearns how to score/shoot. But only if he's coming for next to nothing after getting amnestied.
My thing with the Lakers is the bench. I don't see anyone who's coming off that bench who could have a great game. Noone is saying it's all over, but the lack of depth and an offensive gameplan to me, could kill the Lakers in close games. Roddy B is perfect for that Barea place, but I understand what you mean. I personally think OKC, Dallas, and the Spurs would love to face LA in round one. They can matchup well, as well have interesting advantages (OKC's stars are LA's weaknesses, Dallas got so many pretty good lineup sets thanks to Odom's versatility, and SA has depth and youth at the right spots).
The Lakers need a whole roster overhaul
Blake 9.20
Goudelock 9.17
Murphy 8.92
Fisher 8.54
Kapono 5.49
MWP 5.43
Morris 7.31
Walton 8.67
McRoberts 10.45
Ebanks 8.17
That's the PER of the role players on the Lakers. The majority of those are in the bottom half of the league. It's no coincidence considering they are averaging an abysmal 92ppg IIRC?
I think they should have reopened the talks with the Rockets and gotten Dragic, Martin, and Scola, for Pau and some fillers. I would prefer Lowry, but that probably wouldn't happen. That depth adds a lot more to the Lakers than whatever value Pau adds to the Lakers. Pau and Bynum haven't been playing well together this year anyway.
The last thing the Lakers want is another ball hog or a semi ball hog in Jackson's case. What they need is a good old fashioned point guard who can set the play, shoot, and is quick enough to defend or beat his defender to the basket in a broken play.
LLperez, what do you think of Gilbert Arenas possibly going to the Lakers, heard they held a private workout with him today.
And I beg to differ in that you say that other than OKC, no one in the West scares you. To me there potentially 6-8 teams that could make a big run in the playoffs(including the Lakers) and the Lakers would be top 3 on that list, but remember, LAC are young, but have talent, not too much depth, but I feel that if they get into a running game with the Lakers, it could be over in a hurry. San Antonio scares me just as much as OKC. I know they won 60 games last season and still lost in the first round, but Manu has been hurt the past 4 playoff sieres. And they are 19-9 without Manu. With him, a hot Tony Parker, and a rested old, but still more than capable Tim Duncan, I would watch out for them. They have a lot of depth, and they could play the halfcourt game and run with you. One more solid piece and they would be my favorites. Dallas has tons of depth, although I feel really weary if they have Haywood and Mahinmi in the middle. None the less, they still play sufforcating D, adn if Nowitzki can build off these 30 point games, they might make a run again. Denver's success hinges on Galinari coming back healthy, along with Wilson Chandler on the wing, that gives you another quality player. If they can stay afloat till either Gallo or Chandler come back, their depth and youth could help them beat some really good teams, although their lack of a go to guy will always haunt them. Portland doesn't look like a team that will be able to get out of the first round, but they have a good team, same with Memphis, and Houston is playing great team ball, but I don't think that tehy have enbough to make a run.
Don't get me wrong, the Lakers are still top contenders, but other than Kobe, Pau, and Bynum, they don't get any help. If Kobe can get himself to defer to the bigs, then I like their chances, because Kobe is absolutely exhausted, understandably so, but they need tot continue to throw it inside to the bigs, like they did in New York the other night, and I would rather have Goudlock or Morris than Fish, he can't guard anyone anymore.
The LAL bigs aren't the kind of players you can throw the ball into and force fead and expect points. Pau isn't aggressive enough often holding the ball AT LEAST 5 seconds waiting for something to develop and Bynum is TOO agressive as he often dominates for a little while, then becomes a defensive focus and suddenly can't handle the double teams often forcing up shots or commiting turnovers. If Kobe has to play as facilitator creating for said bigs, he drains all of his energy moreso having to do too much. By the time the end of the game comes rolling around, he hasn't got the legs to close when he's needed.
BTW, The Clippers can't handle the Lakers in 7. Tht run and gun &$#%#&@! don't work come playoff time. Especially since the Clipps don't play D well aside from flopping and getting an occasional block, and from top to bottom no one aside from CP3 and K-Mart are really even battle tested. And personally I'd dare to say that K-Mart may even be too far gone to make THAT big of an impact. Think about it, either he gets the job of defending Kobe(which I don't think he has the athleticism for anymore) and becomes an offensive liability who effects spacing offensively as a 3 not being abkel to hit the long ball. Second option, he gets a surplus of minutes at the 4 moving Griffin to the 5 which then turns him into a foul waiting to happen as Bynum is simply TOO big for even DeAndre, much less Griff or K-Mart. Thrid and final option, he simply only gets 10-15 mpg and doesn't have really enough time to make much impact. CP3 will be their only shot, and I really don't think it's going to be enough. Last year's Hornets may have torched LAL, but they played with far greater passion the Lob City and went against a Pau Gasol that played with ZERO fire or passion. Not to mention Emeka and Gray together provided enough size/depth to challege Bynum. Drew has gotten better and is just waiting for a real breakout. The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of the Clipps in the first round. The only teams that worry me in the West are Memphis(if healthy), OKC(obvious), and Portland(Wallace seems to be Laker kryptonite).
lakers are 3-1 vs those teams you just listed knicksboy. Lakers step up to the opposition and thats not an excuse for losses but just how they are. They dont have the young legs to go hard vs everyone as much as we would all like to see that.
In a 7 game series right now the Lakers have an advantage. Dallas will not be able to defend the inside like they did without Chandler. OKC is the team in the West to be and Portland is a dark horse. The Lakers are right where they need to be but they do need to make a few small moves to get over the hump. Kobe was not as healthy as he is this year so right now if Lakers can add some pieces and Artest can defend Durant like he did when they won it, Lakers are the team to beat in the West but still dont know if they can beat Miami, or possibly new New York Knicks who could click and be a dark horse to win it all.
But regular season doesn't matter all the time. I watched Orlando kill Atlanta last season in the regular season, only for Atlanta to beat them in the playoffs. Again, I'm not saying it's impossible, but I think those are the teams that could beat them. Playoff basketball is different then regular season basketball as well.
I disagree Shelt about Dallas. Haywood and Mahmni (sp) have played well as a tandem this season. They could hold the paint down. I think Dallas wouldn't sweep them, but I would pick Dallas overall because they are deeper and they got two clutch players to LA's one.
The Lakers could try use some of there young guys like Ebanks and Morris and bad contracts like Luke Walton to make a deal for Stephen Jackson.
Would this help them?
Would it be dumb financially in the future?
Would the Bucks not do it? Would they expect more?
Thoughts?
I keep going back and forth in my mind thinking of what it could possibly do for both teams and I'm not sure how it'd work out.