SPORTS ILLUSTRATED NBA Season Preview 2013-14

They were shitty with Kobe last year.

 

In other words, you're telling KS to "learn the league mandate, then post."

 

Repped for making me laugh so hard I chocked on some chips and woke my daughter up.

 

BNM- where do I begin? Gasol is their starting center, not Kaman. When an offense is run through Gasol, good things happen. Dude is capable of triple doubles, 20 rebound games etc. I assume Kaman comes off the bench.

 

Oh and the Grizzlies do suck. 56 wins was fine in weak West last season but they won't keep up this year.

 

Gasol has put up 20 rebounds 3 times in the past 240 games. He's still a good rebounder, but it's not like 20 boards is a regular occurrence. And even if it were, Pau only played 49 games last year. He had knee surgery at the end of last season, he has a history of plantar fascitis, he's 33, he's played one season of more than 65 games in the past 4 years, and he's been playing pro basketball since 1998.

I like Gasol a lot, but not as the guy who will have half the responsibility of carrying my team into the playoffs.

Of all the teams expected to be in the playoffs, I see the Lakers as the most obvious candidate to go into full tank mode by late December. If Nash, Kobe or Pau has any kind of injury problem beyond what's expected, and given history they probably will, it's just not going to be a very good team.

And even if they stay healthy, I just don't see Nash and Kobe co-existing. Even in a D'Antoni offense.

 

Man, I wish you were coaching the Lakers. Oh, never mind. D'Antoni is just as clueless.

Fine Coach, start Gasol at center and now who's your starting power forward? Shawne Williams who had PER = 4.9 and shot .286 from the field last year. Bwaa ha ha...

The Lakers would be better off starting Gasol at the 4 and Kaman, or even Jordan Hill at the 5, but neither one of them is going to give them the defense and rebounding they got from Dwight last season. Fine, run the offense through Gasol (like that will happen once Kobe is back, when Kobe plays the offense ALWAYS runs through Kobe). But, what the heck, might as well let both offenses run through Gasol.

BNM

 

You do realize that the Lakers BARELY made the playoffs in that same "weak" Western Conference last season, right? And they are going to be even worse this year. So, if the West was so weak last year, why did the Lakers only win 45 games with 4 future Hall of Famers on their roster?

Here's a hint: age. Other than Dwight Howard, those Hall of Famers are all old and injury prone - and they are another year older, the best of them is starting the year on the inactive list after major surgery and the other two missed 32 and 33 games last year.

BNM

 

You all know when it comes down to the Lakers it comes down to Kobe. They surrounded him with enough role players to make the playoffs if Kobe returns to last year's years form. And everyone else stays healthy.......That is a big if though. But possible. #8 is more likely than #6

 

I shake my head at some of your guys' posts. Geesh. Lakers would've gotten higher seed if Dwight wasn't bricking free throws. Addition by substraction. Also, the Lakers have Farmar this year. SI isn't stupid. They're professional sports analysts.

 

And you agreed that the lakers wouldn't pass us? The only people shaking their heads are the ones trying to understand your logic

 

It's SPORTS ILLUSTRATED that said this. I'm just explaining THEIR logic.

 

Probably why no one takes them seriously anymore, unless they show them swim suits

 

Fixed it for you/SI.

 

It's extremely easy to get porn these days too, so they aren't even useful for that anymore either.

 

Glad you agree with me that the Grizzlies are a lotto team.

 

Lakers at 6.

Media trying to brainwash. They never learn.

 

I'm not arguing one way or another about the Grizz. Don't care.

 

You put them at 9th