Problem was Howard is nowhere near the offensive player AD was. Guy had literally no ability to stretch the floor and basically no ability to score at all outside of like 5 feet. That's a main reason why it didn't work.
LeBron is better than Kobe and had a much more well-rounded skill set, and Nash was nowhere near his peak at that point (Westbrook and Nash are very different style point guards for what it's worth, don't necessarily think one is much better than the other).
Gasol was solid. I was more just comparing the 3v3.
As far as the other shit:
- Westbrook has gotten slightly better at the distribution piece since leaving OKC. I also think having an alpha like LeBron on the team, instead of a beta like KD, will help him stay more grounded. I could be wrong though
- I think he fine playing the 5 as long as he has some freedom to play inside/out. They really need him more at the 5 defensively than anything
I'm just saying it's closer than you think. Put that Big 3, vs that Big 4 in their prime, it's very close. I know not all players in the mix are/were in their prime. I'm just talking talent on the court. Way closer than you are making it out to be.
Anyway, it's neither here nor there. Whats more important is the here and now. This Lakers team won't meet your expectations. I predict Lebron never sees another NBA Finals. I'm pretty confident in that.
League was not nearly as deep that year, and a healthy Brooklyn Nets squad didn't exist.
That being said, that price was an absolute joke -- to the point that it's hard to believe. That team would have been swept out of the building by the Heat that year, and that was not hard for most objective/somewhat knowledgeable NBA observers to see. Were they the favorites over the Heat?
Kobe was well past his golden days by that point, and his golden days were never as good LeBron's. People don't want to admit this, but Kobe was not great at elevating teammates and didn't make players better the way LeBron is. Very different skillset. And even with LeBron being a much better team player than Kobe, LeBron is also the better scorer.
Then you have Dwight/AD. AD at least has some sort of offensive game, something that Dwight pretty much never had. Only real argument for Dwight here is athleticism, but an edge in durability. On the court though, AD is much better.
Nash's more fundamentally skilled than Westbrook obviously, but the discrepancy in athleticism but Nash not being able to guard a fence post makes it kind of a wash for me.
As an adult at that time I do remember it quite well. If it was a legitimate line, it was a bad one. Oddsmakers can fuck up too.
This team is a lot better than that team was, and it's not really close. Doesn't really matter what the rest of the league was like. A team like the 2012-13 Lakers could've only really made a deep run if:
1) Dwight Howard developed an offensive skillset
2) Kobe learned how to be an effective passer
3) the league had an injury rush similar to this years
Not hard to see how that was not gonna work. It didn't make sense fit-wise, and the players weren't all that great
This makes you sound like a major, past posting douche. Like Railbird status.
You always seem like an expert after the fact. Only time I've seen you try to pick something before it happened, you were beneath me. And I don't even really follow basketball.
Let's see you actually make a good call on something. Without making excuses afterwards. Good luck.
I was very afraid the Lakers would pick up a guy like Conley or Lowry or CJ McCollum who would have been a great fit. Instead they get a guy who has never served in the role he will be asked for here plus is an unreliable playoff player. Take a look at the LAL roster and remember they have very limited cap space so every guy who might join the team will be taking a pay cut. Enter Carmelo and other old guys sticking around to earn a paycheck. It is more likely LeBron plays the 5 before they talk AD into moving to the paint.
I think Lowry would have been the best. Issue with Conley is he is at Davis-like durability it seems. McColum just isn’t that good at the end of the day, plus he isn’t a point guard
The whole point of getting Westbrook is to get a guy who can take some of the ball handling duties off Lebron and allow him to play off the ball more. They can get their 3pt shooting elsewhere, and it’s not like they have to be a top tier 3 point shooting team to win the title
There was no ideal fit out there really, but at least they got a playmaking guard who is going to show up and play balls out every night.
You still don't get it. Of course everyone knows NOW that the 2012/13 Lakers were not that great. They ended up being a 7 seed and swept in the 1st round.
That's not the point. Of course you, I, and everyone know that. The point is, they had major respect going in as a championship contender based on the roster they put together. They were favorites to win the West that preseason and their odds going in were only slightly behind Miami.
That's fact. To act like you knew back then, what you know now, is dumb. And disingenuous.
Expect another L on this one. The 2021-22 Lakers will NOT make the Finals.
And don't be using injuries as an excuse when they get bounced early again next year. Injuries will most likely be a big part as to why they will not live up to expectations.
I find injuries hard to predict. I think Davis will likely have some sort of injury problem at some point in the year, based on his history, but it's hard to predict when that'll be. Seems more likely than not he will be healthy when it matters most
Since LeBron left Cleveland after his first stint there, he has played in the NBA finals every single season that he didn't miss significant time to injury. So that's 9 of 11 seasons overall. Pretty phenomenal run. He showed that he hasn't really slowed down much when healthy. There's no evidence to suggest he's dipped in productivity and efficiency much. So it really boils down to whether or not you think he'll get injured. I would bet he doesn't based off of history of being pretty damn durable, but it's possible. Very hard to predict shit like that though.
Add to that a talented player in Westbrook, who I think will fit in pretty well and help them get through stretches when LeBron isn't on the floor, and I think you have a team that at the very least makes the NBA Finals. I think they have a good shot to beat Brooklyn in the Finals too
