Reply With Quote
6th in the West is their ceiling. If this streak is their switch, then it came way too late.
Certainly they aren't as bad as their record, and they may not be as good as their current win streak, time will tell..every good team in the NBA has successful stretches, including wins over quality teams..
Where do you think the Lakers will rank as a contender by the beginning of the playoffs?..
All factors considered, they will be the 6th best team in the NBA and a dark horse contender behind Miami/OKC/SA/LA/CHI IMO..
Where does everybody think they will rank, re: as contenders(not seeding)..
Last edited by HarlemHeat37; 01-31-2013 at 12:48 AM.
6th in the West is their ceiling. If this streak is their switch, then it came way too late.
8th or 9th. If they make the 8th seed, Spurs will dismantle them. That's a big "if" as it stands now.
We're number one. A team with this amount of talent, it was only a matter of time. I knew it all along.
Too early to tell, honestly. Once again, the Lakers have completely revamped their iden y, and I think it's catching the opposition off-guard, much like when Bickerstaff came in and had the Lakers playing free and loose after the Mike Brown experiment.
I expect Clark to eventually come back down to earth, and Nash and Jamison to wear down (although since Nash has been reduced to the Derek Fisher role, his wearing down won't hurt the Lakers as much as when he was the engine behind the offense) in the latter half of the season. Once that happens and when teams start gameplanning for this new gimmick of Kobe as playmaker, I think they might struggle again.
They just have too many roster flaws (lack of depth, athleticism, perimeter defense) to be a legitimate contender.
Their absolute ceiling is becoming the '11 Memphis Grizzlies. They have no chance against OKC in the 1st round, but if they go into the playoffs hot, I think they have a puncher's chance to beat the Spurs and the Clippers.
at them being a darkhorse contender Harlem, that's hilarious
They're the 10th best team in the NBA or so. They have no argument over Denver whatsoever. Just because they have more starpower does not make them a better team.
Look at their record, look at their point differential, that IS who they are. That's a 45 game sample. It's not gonna get much better or worse.
And all those flaws were magnified in this game.
I'm with Ghazi on this one...
Disagree..
Those other teams I listed on the 3rd tier have just as many flaws, but without Kobe..they have been winning games with Kobe distributing and playing out of the post + Howard's improved effort level..if Howard doesn't get hurt vs. Phoenix, they win by double digits..
Howard's injury is no excuse for losing on the road to a horrible team.
They're 20-26, 5-16 on the road (wow) and have a point differential barely above 1.
That is the metrics of a team that's slightly better than average.
They have no injury or effort excuses. The Heat have been half assing on defense and are still 29-13 and +6, and the Spurs deal with injuries and limit minutes and have the best record in the NBA and over a +8 differential.
They're just not a great basketball team..
Me too.
That win against OKC was the worst thing to in' happen this week. Overnight, the Lakers become a "contender." What everyone failed to do was analyze that game in context. The Thunder were finishing up a long road trip and were playing very uninspiring basketball as of late. OKC was ripe for an upset and the Lakers just happened to be there at the right time.
They've figured nothing out.
yep, that lowly ass, cellar dweller Suns team agree to your assertion.
They're better than Phoenix and New Orleans... that's not saying much though... they only had a fluke win against OKC at home...
They're a terrible road team and they're old... the wear and tear is only going to get worse. Every team has a shot to beat them.
I think their record is actually accurate.
Howard has played half-ass basketball for most of the year, they have dealt with injuries and they are still finding their iden y..
Their metrics are skewed and inaccurate IMO..
We'll have a better understanding of their potential success by the 2nd week of March IMO..
Teams like the Nuggets and Warriors would not scare me at all, I'd much rather play them in the playoffs, rather than the Lakers, tbh..
With a passer and unselfish Kobe they are clearly contenders.
With a normal Kobe (superKobe) they are out of the POs.
Shut up Bible Kemp
^This. The Nuggets suck (any team Ghazi roots for tbh is always a joke) and GS while playing very well, is not scary. LA is far more scary than any team in the West outside of LAC/OKC and maybe MEM if they gel with their new pieces.
They have talent to be better than they are. But they also are running a system that doesn't work for old legs, and the younger legs are all tweeners.
Like I said in the game thread, Lakeshow have been riding MWP and Jamison 3pt mirage. At some point that had to regress to the mean, and that's what happened tonight (MWP going 3-10 IIRC).
Lakers don't scare me at all, tbh
Howard is still a huge question mark.
Is he still "recovering?" Or has his back surgery permanently affected his athleticism? If the latter is the case, Howard will never again be that force he was in Orlando.
There are only 2 teams with fewer road wins than the LOLakers in the entire LEAGUE: Suns and Wizards. Nice company you're keeping there. Figured it out much?
Nuggets are 100% to make the playoffs at this point
Lakers are less than 50%
Nuggets have flaws and would lose to the Spurs or Heat in 5, but their cohesion/chemistry/depth/athleticism ... LA can only dream of it.
I'm pretty confident that the Spurs would beat LA in a series in 5 games or so, but I'd still rather play Denver or Golden State..teams of that nature are strictly regular season teams that post gaudy advanced metrics and encouraging numbers that don't translate in the playoffs(once coaches focus on adjusting their defense for an entire series)..
Star power is still in LA's favor..Kobe in the post is very effective and they have some experienced playoff performers(unlike those other West teams)..
They'll be right there with the Pelicans/Kings once Dwight shuts it down for the year tbh
good post tbh
Nuggets are 100% to make the playoffs at this point
Lakers are less than 50%
Nuggets have flaws and would lose to the Spurs or Heat in 5, but their cohesion/chemistry/depth/athleticism ... LA can only dream of it.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
