I'd love to say the Mavs will win it again, but a good chunk of their success last year was due to Dirk's action hero performance. Not that they won't be motivated, but it's not going to have the same edge.
I could really see the Thunder doing something this year, making it to the finals. But my greatest fear, Miami winning it all, could be realized.
But the point of that piece was that the Lakers will be forced to develop players instead of buying the natural talent.
The Lakers will have a chip on their shoulders, but so will a few other teams who's star players realize they almost lost a year of their career. That ring is right there and Mike Brown isn't Phil Jackson in terms of dealing with egos.
The Lakers will not win the NBA le
I feel that the Heat could win it all. I don't see anyone in the East stopping them. The West has at least 2 teams as good as the Heat though, perhaps more. For some of the West teams, it's more an issue of confidence than ability. The Thunder could beat anyone if they had the savvy, if Westbrook understood he had weapons other than himself.
I don't want Miami to win, but it wouldn't be the kiss of death that it would have been last year. With the new CBA, teams cannot just buy superstars and lump them together to dominate the league. These guys will have to accept smaller payouts to team up. Not saying it won't happen, but a lot of people are money motivated and don't sacrifice that for a ring until much later in their careers.
So much of the Thunder's weakness is maturity. They could be scary good, you're right. I saw it in the WCF last year...I honestly think it was a lot closer than the 5 games the series went.
Phil Jackson is not a developer of talent either--but like you said he is the best ego-manager. LA is still the most desired career destination in the nba, so although they'll be more constrained financially, FA's will still flock to here first before testing the waters elsewhere.
This season--besides the lockout--already has me thinking about the 1991 team. Brown is our new Dunleavy, and this aging Lakers squad will have one last run in them before the new dynasty takes over (bulls, heat)
Nah... Brown is Rudy Tomjanovich part 2... Lakeshow will need to make a move... Pau alone won't take them all the way
Holy Trill Clinton is re ed
LOL JR Smith AND Kenyon Martin stuck playing overseas.
If only we had a coach who started a fruitcake sf, a 6-5 pf, and gave a useless ginger 30+ minutes/game we'd be set
Mike Brown was actually a decent hire for LA imo.
His Cleveland teams overachieved given their talent level, at the very least he'll improve LA's defense from last year.
But you don't have him and we do so ha! Oh wait all those things are bad...
The man has gone senile.
That's the hope at least...I'm excited for the effect his defensive mentality will have on Bynum...could turn him into a monster on D. Ron should have no problem buying into his defensive mindset either.
But you don't have him and we do so ha! Oh wait all those things are bad...
The man has gone senile.
The thing is Pop is still a good coach, as evidenced by his record with that roster last year...he got caught up in his own success though and never made a concerted effort to develop Splitter. Yes, he was injured for a part of the year, but there was still ample time to give him big minutes. Bonner-ball was doomed to fail.
lol Patriots looking to trade Wilfork to the CowboysWINNERS: Player development experts
With luxury tax more punitive than ever, there will be a premium on those who can help a team round out a roster with incredibly cheap but productive players. The Spurs have had a habit of finding and developing those guys -- now every team will have to do so.
lets see the laker fansthis /lkrfan
I don't understand why lakers are still so hyped. They have been swept by the mavs. They won't be better next year, there is absolutely no reason for that.
Lakers like Spurs are done
Looks like Deadly Re is still in denial about the Lakers no longer being contenders. Lakers are washed up they will have the same problems the Spur have had with their big 3 the last few years. Kobe is old,Artest is done, Fisher is done, and the Lakers have no bench. I don't see the Lakers beating the Thunder or Mavs in a 7 game series they lack the youth and the depth to do it. Also with Phill gone I don't see the lakers getting special treatment from the refs. Lakers are a second round team at best.
I will say this for them though; if Pau gets his game on and Kobe becomes as much a playmaker as a scorer, and if Bynum improves on both ends of the floor, they could surprise a few.
They went from champs to chumps in one year. That's usually a sign of an internal issue, because it wasn't injury related. We all know Pau was butthurt over his fiancee' ing Shannon Brown.
Don't be surprised to see the Lakers back in form, regardless of how much I would like to see otherwise. Mike Brown would be the only detractor there.
I think they will win a good amount of games during the regular season and at times people will think they are back to being contenders but they have several holes that will get exploited during the playoffs. Their PG position is absolute trash,the SF spot is also garbage and this includes Artest, and their bench is garbage. They have no legit backup center,pg,sg,sf and that in itself is horrendous. I'm sure they will get one solid FA with their mle but that will only fix one of their holes. Coaching is also an x-factor and the reality is they got a dumber version of Pop so look for some stupid coaching errors to be made at crucial times. They will miss Phill when it comes to manipulation. They also don't have the aura of invincibility like they once did. Your right they went from being champs to chumps in a year even though they were healthy but the same could be said about the '08 spurs. Just like the spurs what really happened was AGE caught up to them. The Lakers have no young prospects under 30 besides Bynum.
As far as i'm concerned Lakers are still contenders. Is Kobe a bag? Yes, but that's because he hasn't accepted it. If he does the team will perform better he will defer to his team more. As a result chemistry will flourish. Pau will play up to what he is capable of doing. If Bynum didn't eat donuts all off-season he should be better. Bynum is a beast and he should only get better. Bring in a piece or two and they are in it. Even a player like B. Davis will help, IMO. Mike Brown should help with the defense. Boiled down the Lakers are contenders and it's stupid to think other wise.
Wow, you seem pretty sure of yourself
So you really believe LA can't even get out of the 2nd round?
Some coaches know how to ride on HoF talent. Mike Brown isn't one of them.
How do you know?
I'm a trend setter.
I set trends.
Although you're right...im still baffled he couldnt get by dwight howard, or the celtics with the trifecta of lebron james, ilgauskas, and boobie gibson. That team was dynastic, and loaded with hof'ers
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