Remind me in a month or two that I posted this

quote:

Originally posted by dannyk8232:
Remind me in a month or two that I posted this

Let's see what they do without Bynum over an extended period of time....

First NBA related thread 3 months after the season started. Shows where the league is I guess.

3 wins in a row. Break Up The Knicks!

quote:

Originally posted by Dom'n'Vin'sDad:
Let's see what they do without Bynum over an extended period of time....

they should do OK, they were basically a .500 club "without him" last year at 42-40, if they can maintain that during his absence and then play a little better during his return making the playoffs shouldnt be a problem... i dont think anyone saw this progression coming this quickly... i cant wait for the kid to add 25-30 lbs of muscle and experience, should hopefully dominate the center of the floor

Agree Bynums quick development has been a pleasant surprise. Maybe Kwame can lessen the impact while he is out but I highly dount it...

I think having Fish back has been a great influence- he is so steady and allows Farmar to come off the bench for some extra energy. Anyoen else notice how much quicker Farmar seems? When he was at UCLA, his quickness was the one thing that I thought would keep him from being a good pro...

And how do you suddenly gain "quickness"? PED's. of course....

As I assume all Lakers fans are, I am very pleasantly surprised by this season thus far. Bynum has been coming on and on and was a revelation over the past three weeks before injury.

Playing without him will clearly require adjustments. Odom and others need to be more assertive to avoid leaving Kobe with all of the scoring burden. Remember, Kwame is essentially just back from injury himself and he was looking good (for him) prior to that. Vlad and Sasha are also out but should return before Bynum does.

Last year, their record was about the same when injuries hit. This year's record was more impressive because of home/away split, tougher competition and larger victory margin. Observationally, the team is deeper with additions (Fisher, Ariza, Critt) and development (Bynum, Farmar, Sasha, Turiaf). Of course, February (three home games) is going to be tough.

Most importnatly, Bynum should be back in plenty of time for the playoffs and with him, Kobe believes they are a championship caliber team. At full strenght, I'm only afraid of the Spurs in a Western playoff series.

Neil

I think with Kobe, Bynum, Fish, Ariza, Walton, Odom, Farmar and Turiaf the Lakers are headed in the right direction. Unfortunately, we also have a slew of gong show bench players such as Kwame, Radmonovic, Vujacic and...worst of all...perhaps the worst player in Laker history....Chris Mihm.

And let's not forget we are still paying Brian Grant seven figures this season.

Calling Mihm the worst player in Laker history is way off. He might be the most injured though.

I agree the team is heading in the right direction. Kwame's deal expires this year although if he's ever consistently healthy, he might be a servicable backup at a much lower salary. Vlad was a mistake but he was playing better this season before getting hurt. Sasha still might make it and he played well with the second unit before getting hurt. As for Grant, only ownership should care. He came off for cap purposes using the one-time exemption.

Neil

quote:

Originally posted by jgreen:
I think having Fish back has been a great influence- he is so steady and allows Farmar to come off the bench for some extra energy. Anyoen else notice how much quicker Farmar seems? When he was at UCLA, his quickness was the one thing that I thought would keep him from being a good pro...

I couldn't agree more about Fish. He brings the leadership and professionalism they were sorely missing last season.

Radmonovich is absolutely horrible. He thinks he's Dirk Nowitzki. Next time he plays, watch closely.

As for Mihm...he cannot jump, defend, shoot or dunk. All he does is foul and turn the ball over.

I would be interested in hearing nominees for worse Laker than Mihm.

I wish them well, but it should be known that they origionally came from minnesota where they won championships. And now the new owner of the Vikings will try to send the football team to LA too if they don't get a new stadium when the lease is up in 2011 at the metrodome.

Great news! Only a month til Spring Training when the true American sport springs anew.

Board-0, we better get alot for Santana!

Board-0, and I want all your best prospects!

Santana will be on the Red Sox soon...

Talk about a classic case of thread drift...

The Lakers, I am told had a long term offer for Andrew Bynum when he got injured. By the time Andrew is ready to return, Kwame and the ball hog will have them at least 10 games out of first place (or more). Andrew should tell them he will only sign a long term contract for at least what they payed the big blob (Mr. Shaq) - about $20M per, else he will just test the free agency - Riley will pay him - beware Laker fans.

Well their sole possession lasted all of one day. I didnt watch the whole game but man Kwame is brutal. He can't catch a a pass or finish around the hoop. 7 turnovers- blech!

Fortunately it is a long season and we shoudl get Bynum back in time for the playoffs.

Lakers worse than Mihm: I'm tempted to nominate Kwame after last night's stinker but that would be unfair. How about Chuck Nevitt, Jack Haley, Benoit Benjamin, or Antonio Harvey.

As for Vlad, yes he thinks he's an outside shooting big man. He's European!! He can shoot when healthy but is a "space cadet."

As for Bynum's extention, the offer is limited by the service based salary levels. That keeps him well below $20 per year. I assume the Lakers will ultimately offer him the maximum.

It's going to be a long two months but they are not nearly as bad as they looked last night. They will struggle but should stay solidly in the top 8. Remember, #5 seed in the playoffs would likely be very favorable.

Neil

quote:

Originally posted by Neil K.:
Lakers worse than Mihm: Chuck Nevitt,

That would have been my vote....

Neil, point taken. I will compromise with you that we can 'agree to disagree' about Lakers potentially worse than Mihm. I just don't see ANY upside to Mihm...but we are all entitled to our personal opinions.

Kwame's horrible, Bynum's not going anywhere, and I can live with the 5 seed in the playoffs. I am not too optimistic regarding our upcoming road trips - including the nine-gamer.

I maintain that it's about Mihm's health more than anything. Prior to his injury, he averaged roughly 10 and 6 while shooting 50%+ in around 25 mpg for a season and a half. Not bad at all. Of course, he might never get back to that level.

Kwame was atrocious last night. He is extremely athletic but seemingly has zero basketball skills and hasn't learned any over the years. Of course, he played much better earlier this year and last year before he was hurt.

The upcoming nine game trip had made me nervous since I looked at the schedule in October. [Thank you, Grammys!!!] However, Detroit is the only truly good team on the trip. The Lakers will likely gel a bit in response to the challenge of the road and I would say going 6-3 is a reasonable good result. [There are some really bad teams on the schedule.] I'll be at the game against the Nets.

Finally, how far back do the Lakers fans reading go with the team? I was born in Newport Beach (in '66) and my earliest Laker memory is their winning the championship in 1972. My parents moved to California at the same time as the team. BTW, I still miss Chick but we finally again have a team that would make him proud.

Neil

Kwame is extremely athletic??? Marion and Stoudemire are extremely athletic...

Mihm will never be healthy again...

6-3 on the trip would be fabulous, but I don't think that will be likely.