ok: Divac-out for a while Malone-out for a while Ho. Grant-been out since last season Russell-his game has been out for a while So basically all they have is Brian Grant and Medvedenko up front in the WC. Good luck suckaz
Something tells me Griffin and Grant will have a hard time getting to games on time with all the assisting they'll be doing at home (puff puff give foo!)
If their roster was healthy i think they could compete for a top 4 seed if everyone gels. But the way it is now, i see them struggling for the 7th seed. I do like the tandom of Kobe and Odom. But in the west it's about your front court, not your back court. But i will make one good prediction. Kobe will lead the laegue in scoring this year.
hahahha i know that was sarcasm but man...hahahha....that sounded like something off of the dave chappell show. OH!.....because they smoke mar1juana!
When did Grant become a puffer. What, just because he's got the Rasta 'do, you got to be profiling. Now Odom on the other hand is probably a little peer pressure away from a road trip to Whitecastle.
I'm going on my assumptions based on his stint with the Blazers...but I also have HARD UNREFUTABLE 100% evidence to back my post up: Because Charles Oakley said so
i had a dream last nite that the fakers and magic were vying for league's worst record....perhaps tonite it will be for league's worst record in history....man i love goin to sleep...
I obviously like the coaching staff. However, they have a weakness at point guard and backup center and potentially unhappy players at SG and SF (lack of playing time). PG -- Chucky Atkins, Sasha Vujacic (R) SG -- Bare Bryant, Kareem Rush, Devean George SF -- Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Luke Walton PF -- Brian Grant, Stanislav Medvedenko C -- Chris Mihm, Marcus Douthit (R), Vlade Divac (IR) Brian Cook and Jumaine Jones fit in there somewhere -- I just don't know where. Of course, the Lakers will hold a spot for Karl Malone and jettison either Cook or Jones.
I think the Lakers season depends on the success of Lamar Odom. If he can continue to play like he did in Miami and in Athens, the the Lakers can be playoff contenders. If not, they should definitely not make it.
The problem I see with the Lakers is that all their best players play the swing position and need the ball to be successful. Their PG situation is a joke. Kobe/Odom/Caron all need the ball in their hands. Neither is a good off the screen shooter. Even Divac to some extent needs the ball in his hands to create, b/c he can't post up much at his age. Grant is a shadow of his former self that we saw take Portland over Utah in '99. Kobe needs good shooters to spread the floor, thats why they had Fisher/Horry/Fox/Rice and even Horace Grant and Slava at PF etc to make open shots. I don't see Odom, Brian Grant or Atkins hitting those open looks allowing the opposing teams to cheat on Kobe and get back in time. I think this is going to be a tough, tough year for Kobe. I see them barely making the playoffs (6-8) or not making them at all.
It doesn't look that great to me. Alot of quantity not much quality. Only one player on the roster with a chance to make the All Star team (maaaaybe but most probably not 2). Kobe and Odom.
I think the team look among the worst of the West playoff contenders. #1 the PG situation is horrible. Worse than ours even. #2 Odom, Walton and Grant are poor from the the outside for NBA forwards. Odom and Walton are fine passers and can get Kobe the ball, but it allows the defense to callapse on him. These are not the kind of players to take the pressure off of Kobe. #3 they can surround Kobe with shooters--Rush, Medv, Mihm, Divic, Butler, etc,--but then they will have atrocious defense (especially interior) and be weak physically. Plus, in the line up like this Kobe has to be willing to pass the ball even when things are going badly. I sum see little combination where the Lakers can put out a good shooting, good interior defending, half court team around Kobe out there. And without those things I just don't think a team with will be that formidable in the West. Even the Mavs of the last couple of years, with much more talent spread around the floor, many more primariy offensive weapons to derive mismatches from, and good offensive chemistry, had the interior defense bite them. I see less constistent offense and just as many defensive problems for the Lakers.
