2012/2013 NBA season thread

[PeteLFan]

I don't know what you guys want me to say. They are 12-14 barely got past the mighty bobcats and beat the wizards and 76ers along the way.

The record speaks for itself they haven't played well. I've pointed out the issue and how it can be fixed, and that we can't pass judgement on them until they have a healthy lineup.

We are playing out 3rd and 4th point guard so far.

On the bright dude Jodie Meeks has looked really good.

[OILFAN #81]

Kobe Bryant is still one of the top 5 players in the league (I have him as #3), and the Lakers will probably make the playoffs as a lower seed. With that said, the top 4 teams are much better then them. OKC, San Antonio, Memphis, LA Clippers would all beat the Lakers in the 1st round. I think 3 of those 4 would beat them in 5 games or less.

[trackercowe]

A repeat finals (Miami/OKC) is almost a sure thing in my mind. Unless LeBron or Durant go down with injuries I can't see another team beating either of them. Now who wins this time around is debatable. Durant and Westbrook are a year older, and they probably learned a lot from going to the finals last year only to lose. Hopefully they find a way to beat the Heat this time around, as it would be nice to have smaller team like the Thunder win a title.

Aside from the Spurs I can't even remember the last time a small market team won the title... You can't really count Detroit or Houston, so probably all the way back in 1979 when Seattle won their only title.

[Senator Clay Davis]

The thing is Pete, is that even fully healthy, do you really think they are good enough to win it all? I seriously doubt it. They do not match up well with any of the top 4 in the West or either of the top 2 teams in the East (NYK/MIA). I understand you want to hope for the best, but reality is what it is. You say wait to reserve judgement, but we know already Steve Nash is a very, very bad defensive player and that he'll have to potentially in a row stop Chris Paul, Tony Parker and Russell Westbrook in the playoffs. He will get embarassed by all 3.

The Lakers have such an awful bench they basically need to ride 4 players in their 30's and a guy coming off back surgery to win a title against younger, better competition. Unless they can flip Gasol for a really strong return, I just don't see them even getting out of the first round. The best teams in the league all have 3-6 player deep benches who actually make meaningful contributions. The Lakers have literally nobody.

[PeteLFan]

I have never claimed Nash is going to be stopping the other team. What I continue to repeat is, that him handling the ball will lessen the burden on the rest of the team to create, thus less turnovers, and not having to play as much transition defense where we are getting shredded.

Yes I know Nash is not a very good defensive player, but hes not here to defend. His job is to faciliate the offense, get Howard easy shots, and open up the floor for Kobe and Meeks. When Metta World Peace is handling the ball, thats a issue, now he can just catch and shoot thankfully, and save my eyes from the autrocity that is him trying to dribble.

The Lakers as a team have not played the Clippers, Spurs or Thunder with a full roster.

The 1 game we did play was against Dallas with Mike Brown and the awful Princeton offense, which had Nash looking useless.

Lets see what happens on Christmas day when Nash, Meeks, Kobe, Pau and Howard play as the starting 5.

Lets give the team a proper look with a full healthy roster, and running a offense that best suits Nash and Howard. Kobe will be Kobe in any system hes going to get his. This offense is about Nash and Howard to me. If they click on the pick and roll, and Meeks continues his strong play it should be fine. The issue then becomes Gasol who is being treated like garbage which is unfair. His length will be huge in the playoffs, but this monkey D'Antoni refuses to have him post up, instead havng him play outside.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Isn't that the true sign the Lakers season is over? Relying on Jodie Meeks to come through? Almost every Laker fan I knew was predicting 65 wins as the minimum number of wins this Laker team would get this season. If I told Laker fans on Oct 1st Jodie Meeks would be a critical component just to keep them a playoff team, Laker fans would have torn me apart. Now its reality.

And if you're going with the lets wait and see what then they have the offense that suits Nash, we have seen what that is. The Suns winning games 115-113 under the same coach who won't adapt, who is the coach the Lakers have now. D'Antoni doesn't even know what the word defense means. The Knicks sure do miss him this year eh? Slam Mike Brown all you'd like, at least he had them playing hard on defense. D'Antoni couldn't care less about defense.

And again, a fully healthy team doesn't change the atrocious bench. In the playoffs the Lakers are going to need four 30 year olds and Dwight to probably play 40-45 minutes a night (after an already long season) in potentially four 7 game series in a row. I'm sorry, but if the Lakers have to go to the bench for any extended period, they are dead. Why didn't the Heat win in 2011, but they did in 2012? They had a real bench in 2012. The Lakers bench will be their demise.

[PeteLFan]

The bench will be fine they will have world peace, hill, Jamison coming off the bench and a rotation of gasol and Howard.

D'Antoni never had Kobe on his team and Howard and Kobe both know the importance of defense, they won't allow the lackadaisical defending to continue.

We are not relying on Jodie Meeks to save the season. He's been a underrated player for years, now getting a shot to be mentored by Kobe.

[Hockey_Ninja]

Man. I should change the thread title to the LA Lakers 2012/2013 season thread.

[PeteLFan]

Originally Posted by Hockey_Ninja

Man. I should change the thread title to the LA Lakers 2012/2013 season thread.

Well it seems like the only time this thread is bumped is to talk about the Lakers. I don't know if its the hatred people have for me here, or what but it just seems like 1 loss time to bump the thread.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Because as I mentioned, every Laker fan thought 65 wins was the floor and 75 was the ceiling. That kind of delusion is ridiculous. And now that 55 might be their ceiling, Laker haters (like me) are falling over each other laughing. I mean the fans thought it was a forgone conclusion, just put em in the Finals, beat LeBron and Kobe is the GOAT (wrong even if it happens, but whatever). Now its going to take a miracle to get to the Finals.

That, and when you read Pete's posts, he clearly thinks the Lakers will still be the best team in the NBA when everyone comes back, more delusion that is insulting to OKC, the real, obvious best team in the league. The Lakers aren't even the best, or second best team in California right now. By the end of the season they probably still won't be the best team in LA. It's like the Eagles last year in the NFL, its fun watching "The Dream Team" fall apart.

[PeteLFan]

I don't know when I said they are best when they get healthy I said lets wait and see. I've conceded Okc is the best,

[Pierre "Monster" McGuire]

Originally Posted by Hockey_Ninja

Man. I should change the thread title to the LA Lakers 2012/2013 season thread.

I keep forgetting this thread is here. There are so few NBA fans on CP.

I'm not a big follower of the NBA, but love the Trail Blazers. Gotta start posting here more.

[moon]

Originally Posted by PeteLFan

Well it seems like the only time this thread is bumped is to talk about the Lakers. I don't know if its the hatred people have for me here, or what but it just seems like 1 loss time to bump the thread.

I think it is because it is about the only interesting thing going on right now.

I guess people could talk about OKC, Spurs, Heat etc. all being great again but that would get boring fast.

Knicks are somewhat interesting but probably unlikely to maintain it long term.

The Lakers failures after the bragging and handing them the championship by the media and Lakers fans make this all that much better. Especially because it looks like their is no way it gets much but Nash or no Nash.

[Hockey_Ninja]

What a great game between the Lakers and Warriors. PeteL has to be doing flips that Nash is back and contributed big time to the Lakers win.

[PeteLFan]

Fantastic game to watch. Too bad Howard was in foul trouble all game contributed to the warriors going up.

4 straight. The team didn't look old last night.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Kobe's most embarassing performance ever? 34 points, 41 (Forty freaking one!) shots. I mean you cannot be enjoying that fact can you Pete? Lakers will not be a playoff team if Kobe is taking 40, 30 or even 25 shots a night. And we saw what I said the Lakers would be with Steve and Gasol: A team thats going to have to win game 110-109, like the Nash era Suns. Difference is unlike the Nash era Suns when only the Spurs and Mavericks were threats, now its the Spurs, OKC, LAC, and Memphis, with Utah, Denver and Golden State all on par with the Lakers.

[PeteLFan]

You just don't stop do you? Dwight Howard was hardly on the court last night he was I'm foul trouble. When they gambled and had him out there it was 34-21 in the 4th. They win the overtime period with Howard in.

I don't know what was embarrassing Kobe played fine. He took a lot of shots but the refs called a awful game.

[Hockey_Ninja]

I have to agree with Pete here. Kobe only took 1 free throw last night off a technical and didn't get called when he clearly got fouled a lot during the game. He did what he had to do. Pau was soft as fata and Dwight got into foul trouble early. He hit big shots down the stretch and was on fire in OT (That shot he hit after he went down on his knees was incredible) before Nash stole the show with his last shot.

[Senator Clay Davis]

I'm reading Laker board and they were pissed at Kobe last night. How can you be happy with one guy taking 41 shots? Especially when he wasn't shooting it well (16-41). For fun, LeBron had 4 less points last night on 21 fewer shots. Yikes. The Lakers need more balance, not Kobe always playing hero ball and needing MWP and Nash to bail him out at the end. The funny thing was last night exposed D'Antoni for the weak minded coach he is. You know damn well Phil is benching Kobe for continuing to shoot at will (even when shooting poorly). D'Antoni just lets it happen. He won't coach defense and he won't reign Kobe in. Doesn't sound like it'll end well.

And remember this wasn't one of the five teams everyone thinks is better than you. Play like that against OKC or the Clippers and the Lakers get blown out. The defense to me simply will not be good enough for them to not get bounced by one of the big 5, and beat 4 of them? Not gonna happen.

[Hockey_Ninja]

Not disagreeing with you Senator, he shot it too much, but at least they got the win. In the end that is really what matters, especially with how the Lakers have been playing all season.