How far would these teams go..

[HarlemHeat37]

Replace Kobe with James Harden, how much better/worse would the Lakers be?..

Replace Derrick Rose with Kyle Lowry, how much better/worse would the Bulls be?..

[Robz4000]

Both very well may be better. With Harden instead of Kobe, more FG would be available for Gasol and Bynum. With Lowry rather than Rose, the offense goes more inside-out, and tonight it really seems to work for the Bulls. It also makes them better defensively as they don't have to hide Rose. Not sure how much better defensively Lowry is as I haven't really watched that aspect of his game, but if he plays even average D the Bulls can be much more dangerous.

[ChrisRichards]

Absolutely not a knock on Kobe but the Lakers would be, perhaps, +5 games better. In the playoffs however, I'd still take my chances with Kobe even at this age/mileage. There are certain things much more valuable than youth, speed and athleticism in the playoffs and Kobe has that intangible going for him.

[Giuseppe]

:rolleyes

[BUMP]

Absolutely not a knock on Kobe but the Lakers would be, perhaps, +5 games better. In the playoffs however, I'd still take my chances with Kobe even at this age.

This.

I actually think the Lakers would have more regular season wins with Harden instead of Kobe. They would have to feed it to Gasol/Bynum more and they would pretty much be Memphis on steroids.

In the playoffs, I'd much rather have Kobe

[Giuseppe]

I actually think the Lakers would have more regular season wins with Harden instead of Kobe.

I'll just bet you do.:rolleyes

[ChrisRichards]

Whats with your constant use of :rolleyes

[ElNono]

I'm actually going to go the other way around. I'll keep Kobe for the regular season. At this point in his career, his chucking and occasional game where he gives a shit is still good enough to keep the Lakers as a middle-of-the-pack team in the West.

In the playoffs, you switch it to the true dominant guys that really produce, Bynum and Gasol. They still need a supporting cast on the perimeter to keep the other team honest, and Harden would probably be good enough to fill those shoes.

[Giuseppe]

Whats with your constant use of :rolleyes

The poster has embarrassed himself and I'm displaying my embarrassment for them.

[Kindergarten Cop]

Whats with your constant use of :rolleyes

He is most definitely NOT defending his fandom. It's his religion. :rolleyes

[rayjayjohnson]

Lakers get better

Bulls get worse

[pass1st]

They both improve season-wise, but probably will have a harder time in the playoffs

[BUMP]

I'll just bet you do.:rolleyes

I never defend my opinions

It's my spiritual practice.

[JRHernandez88]

lakers up
bulls down

[mercos]

Kobe has won the Lakers more games than he has cost them, so switching him for Harden would be a net loss. The optimal situation for the Lakers is to have Kobe, but have him distribute more. Especially to the bigs who are playing great. None of this fixes the Lakers biggest problem right now, which is a weak bench and weak 3 point shooting. How far the Lakers go will depend on who they play in the playoffs. Favorable match ups could easily get them into the Conference Finals. Not sure they can beat OKC in a seven game series, but after seeing Duncan and Blair manhandle them in the post it is a possibility.

If you take Derrick Rose off the Bulls you have a defensive version of the Denver Nuggets, a loaded team with no superstar. I guess another fair comparison would be the '03-'05 Pistons. They would definitely miss Derrick Rose late in games. I don't think I would pick that team to beat Miami in a seven game series.

[LkrFan]

:lmao :lmao :lmao @ this thread tbh. :downspin:

[100%duncan]

Lakers will be better while bulls will get worse.

[Killakobe81]

Kobe has won the Lakers more games than he has cost them, so switching him for Harden would be a net loss. The optimal situation for the Lakers is to have Kobe, but have him distribute more. Especially to the bigs who are playing great. None of this fixes the Lakers biggest problem right now, which is a weak bench and weak 3 point shooting. How far the Lakers go will depend on who they play in the playoffs. Favorable match ups could easily get them into the Conference Finals. Not sure they can beat OKC in a seven game series, but after seeing Duncan and Blair manhandle them in the post it is a possibility.

If you take Derrick Rose off the Bulls you have a defensive version of the Denver Nuggets, a loaded team with no superstar. I guess another fair comparison would be the '03-'05 Pistons. They would definitely miss Derrick Rose late in games. I don't think I would pick that team to beat Miami in a seven game series.

The 2nd scenario though i like Lowry is laughable ... the first one only less so. A backcourt of Blake and Harden is not winning shit ...
Easy for Harden to thrive as a 6th man, dealing with double teams on the regular is different. Both lowry and Harden are more efficient players that take far less shots ... but both teams would be less successful.

If you said Paul and Lebron or Dwill and Wade for rose and Kobe, that would make more sense ...

[Hoops Czar]

Replace Kobe with James Harden, how much better/worse would the Lakers be?..

Replace Derrick Rose with Kyle Lowry, how much better/worse would the Bulls be?..

Well, Chicago wouldn't win the East but they'd probably be s top 4 seed considering the strength of the conference.

La would struggle immensley. They would probably struggle to make the playoffs. If they do manage to squeeze in, its one and done.


I'll do ya one better, what if we replace Lebron James with Dirk Nowitski, how much better would the Heat be?

[DMC]

Whats with your constant use of :rolleyes
That's his dashboard warning symbol for being butt hurt.

[Mal]

Lakers would be same. More touches for Gasol and Bynum. Harden could easily score 20 points on 20 shots. Still big unknown how will Kobe play in playoffs.

Bulls would be placed 6th in eastern, no chances for championship. Still great defense, but they would loss many games because of lack of clutchness. Rose is clutch