Surprising!!

L

Lamar_Odom

Bench
Even the most casual NBA fan would agree that the Lakers at 8-3, first in their div. was too much to foresee even by the biggest of homers. Kobe can still ball. Got to love that, is that Kwame Brown? Wow!
 
While I am happy too...It's a L-O-N-G season, Lamar....I wouldn't start this now.
 
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Haha. Nice.

They won 45 last year after losing 8 of their first 14 at home. Rite now they're 7-1 at home. Not sayin they're worldbeaters judging by how ugly some of these wins have been, but that record bodes well for April. If healthy, they shouldn't deviate too much from a 50 win pace.
 
I have thought all summer that the Lakers would be much better than people around here seemed to think. Any team with Kobe on it is going to be in the running at the end.
 
D-Mass said:
I have thought all summer that the Lakers would be much better than people around here seemed to think...
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Precisely what did you expect? This board is divided into two groups: people who hate the Lakers, and Gargamel, hoopsfan and Lamar_Odom.

Nobody on this board is going to give the Lakers any dap, ever. And why should we?
 
Lamar_Odom said:
Here's to good health, and good luck to all!!!
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This is what's suprising to me, nlbtorturer (in order). Remember this is the NBA forum, peeps. ;)

1. Bynum. 9.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.4 bpg, .561 fg, .761 ft (35/46). Looking back on last year, he was in poor NBA shape, he had awkward footwork, a much weaker base, almost no moves on O. His rookie year consisted of the move on Shaq and the 16 garbage time points at MSG and various glimpses that he knew how to intimidate in the paint. Not a lot, but at least he showed that he had a motor unlike someone like Olowokandi. Even by showing that little, it was clear that he was still the right pick at 10.

FF to now, and it's pretty clear that if he played 2-3 years at UConn, he'd be a top 3 pick. The thing that escapes most people is the vast improvement in his conditioning. He's about as heavy as he was last year, but he's much more cut. He will never be Shaq, but a center that works out in the offseason brings tears to my eyes. Beyond that, he shows a lot of patience in the paint on O for a C his age. The media claims that Kareem is trying to teach him the skyhook, but that's bogus. His pet move is getting the ball down low and pivoting until he gets his man shook, then he puts it up.

2. Walton. 12.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.4 spg, .576 fg, 10/14 treys. Goodness gracious, snakes alive! The beauty...the pagentry...the spectacle that is Luke Walton. What balance! What on-court awareness! He is the epitome of competitive greatness. His passing is among the greatest in the history of the Laker franchise too, Snapper.

3. Kobe. 24.0 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 5.1 apg, 1.6 spg, .504 fg. His stats aren't the thing, but what was surprising was how long it took him to round into the shape he's just getting to. He's wearing necessary knee support now for the first time I can remember, he hasn't been able to throw down yet. Early on there was a play where Tayshaun Prince put a forearm into his chest on a drive and Kobe fell because his knee gave out. Last nite's 40 pt gm w/ the aggressive shots at the end was the first time he looked like the Kobe of last year. Hope that means he's turning the corner. When he gets there, if he decides to play like the early-03 Kobe (27, 7, 6 type level), we got somethin.

The turnovers are very high, hopefully that was a function of being out of shape. The media claims he's a new player, but I think that's bogus too because he's not in shape to score like he did last year. When he's 100% able to abuse defenders, we'll see how much he continues to pass.

4. Farmar. 5.0 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 2.3 apg in 16 mins. How do you think Smush feels to know that this is the guy who will eventually take his job? I've seen worse shooters, but the tri likes its short guards to have 3 range, which he lacks so far (5/20). He's got a good eye and he's a smart kid (unlike Smush). He's also self-assured and he doesn't mope around like Smush.

5. Odom. Peaks and valleys, peaks and valleys. His stats always look about the same, but he's never going to be at Kobe's level because of those off nights. Those prevent him from becoming a superstar and as a result, it's up to Kobe to decide whether to treat him like an equal. Kobe gets a lot of crap for his supposed unwilligness to do that, but the proof's in the puddin. Kobe and Phil have tried to convince Lamar to be more aggressive many times. The Clipper game is the most aggressive offensively that I've seen Lamar, bar none. He was putting up crazy S and driving to the rim every time in the first half. I wonder if that was the gameplan. Maybe so as Kaman and Brand both fouled out.

6. Vlad. I'm laughing inside because I was telling HRE and Walt last August that all these youngsters at LG who were penciling Vlad in as a starter were oblivious during Phil's entire career. There are no set minutes for Phil aside for his top-2 guys. Sure enough, Vlad's getting choppy minutes because he's a defensive liability. In turn that's making him nervous to shoot (he was scared to shoot a trey last nite while Sasha is happy to shoot and miss them). I think Vlad should be spotting up like he did at Seattle. Sure, Vlad wanted to get away from being a sniper, but we now see why Seattle used him in that fashion. Maybe I'm crazy, but I don't see why we don't use Vlad to post up at the arc, but we'll have Sasha do that -- a kid who is a putrid shooter (and player).

7. Cook and Sasha not playing. Can't fault you there anymore, Phil. Thx, man.

8. 8-3 start. The Seattle road loss was a wanton giveaway by Jackson to boot. We lucked out w/ the frontloaded home sked. We'd probably be about .500 if it were even H/R.
 
8-3 is a great record... however they've had seven home games I think. I'd expect it to even out a bit soon.

If it doesn't, kudos to them.
 
SacKings384 said:
Why don't you play a road game for once? Or maybe a good opponent for once...
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I heard there was some kind of show at Staples this year that will give them an 8 gm road trip. So yeah, I'm concerned about the sked toughening up.

I thot the Clipps were supposed to be LA's team now. That's what I've been hearing on NBAtv, sports radio, and at various fansites. I guess they were exaggerating.

We've both played a lot of the same teams. You've got more road games, but you opened at Minny, Chicago, and Milwaukee who are all playing mediocre. If the Lakers could have that trip at this point in time, they would probably be all for it.
 
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Mr. S£im Citrus said:
Seeing Bynum play only makes me hate the Lakers that much more... why do those ****ers get all the breaks, especially when it comes to big men? :mad:
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"Cupcake" may have outdone Petrie for once. We'll have to see how it all pans out. I am happy with his progress under Kareem's tutelage though.
 
And that's another thing; how many teams have the luxury of asking Kareem F. Abdul-Jabbar to train their big men? :mad:
 
Mr. S£im Citrus said:
I'm pretty sure I'd heard the story about Magic before. And you're right: I probably don't want to hear about how they got Worthy.
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Well, I'll tell both stories because I'm a history buff. ;)

1976 - Gail Goodrich signs w/ Jazz as a FA. Per the rules of the time, LA gets compensation from the Jazz in the form of future first round picks. Three years later, the Jazz finish with the worst record. That 1979 pick belongs to the Lakers who win the coin toss w/ Chicago for the top pick. Chicago gets David Greenwood, Lakers get Magic.

1980 - Lakers trade Don Ford and a first rounder (Chad Kinch) to Cleveland for Butch Lee and a 1982 first rounder. Two years later, the Cavs finish with the worst record and the Lakers beat the Clippers in the coin toss. Clippers get Terry Cummings (who played 2 years for them), Lakers get Worthy. At his retirement in 95, Worthy addressed that coin toss, got on one knee and said, "I'll tell ya what, thank GOD...thank GOD..." Naturally all of us hyena Laker fans laughed our asses off.

Those were the days before the lotto and protected picks, obviously. Two worst records flipped for the top 2 picks.

Another bit of lore is how plausible it was that the Lakers could've ended up with Larry Bird on top of what they had. They had Norm Nixon, Adrian Dantley, James Edwards to trade to any of the top 5 pickers in the 78 Draft. Later on, Nixon landed the 4th pick (Scott) and Dantley landed Spencer Haywood (who was a top player in the league prior to the drug addiction he faced in LA). Either of those two probably could've gotten a pick higher than Boston's that year. Jerry Krause was working as a scout for the Lakers at the time and he advised Jack Kent Cooke in writing to draft Bird at all costs. Lakers never made a move, apparently.

Scary thing is that even if they had gotten Bird, that would not have prevented Magic and Worthy from coming. I think the NBA Gods of Fairness must've had a hand in preventing that from happening. Even forgetting Bird, the NBA Gods of Fairness must've introduced Haywood to crystal meth that year. Lakers could've gotten a very good player for Dantley to go along w/ the team that won the title anyway. Instead, Haywood was cut after passing out during a practice in the Finals. A couple games before that, he got in an tussle with Magic in the lockeroom because he was convinced that he was throwing passes that he couldn't catch (in reality, he was horrible because he was always high). Haywood flew back to LA after being cut and admitted that he tried to hire someone to sever the brake lines on Paul Westhead's car. No joke.

As an aside, people always focus on Portland taking Bowie over Jordan in 84, but they forget that the Blazers had the top pick in the 78 Draft and chose Mychal Thompson instead of Bird. They also had the top pick in the 72 Draft and chose LaRue Martin (worst top pick ever) instead of McAdoo. They also were the only other team besides LA to work out Bynum privately, but took Martell Webster instead w/ the 6th pick. Only time will tell on that one...

As another aside, the pick that Boston used to take Bird was simply waived by the SD Clipps. The Celts and the Buffalo Braves' owners swapped ownership and the former Celts owner took Buffalo out to San Diego (Clipps). Part of that deal was a convoluted trade including picks. The Celts were to get a future first rounder if the Clipps chose not to keep it, which they didn't. That pick ended up being Larry Bird. Then GS traded Parish and McHale (the real top pick of the 80 Draft) for the 1st and 4th picks. That 1st overall pick that the Celts traded to GS didn't originally belong to Boston. They got it from Detroit in a similar deal that landed the Lakers Worthy. Detroit owed them their highest 1980 first rounder. In 79, Detroit finished w/ the worst record and Boston won the coin flip. Talking about luck...
 
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The Lakers continue with their surprising start with a victory over the Nets, and have improved to 9-4 in the, tops in the Pacific. The Lakers played a well-balanced game led by Lamar Odom with 21 points and 6 rebounds. Kobe Bryant also played a complete game with 18 points and 10 assists.
 
Lamar_Odom - Nah, it's not a crime. You, Gargamel and hoopsfan have almost always been exemplary posters around here. I think we can survive one thread about the Lakers without turning into pumpkins.

First time I see a large orange vegetable in a Kings jersey, however, all bets are off.

;)

Talk about mixed feelings? I missed one of my fantasy drafts this year and the computer gave me Kobe.
 
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