Not Howard's fault. It's the PG, as it always has been (the past couple years). Bugatti has a great point. Nash and Kobe is not a good fit at all.

It is a terrible fit. They may still find ways to generate the points but it is just a bad system. Nash's game is contingent upon having spot-up shooters and guys he can distribute to. Not to mention a cardboard cutout of Tom Brady could penetrate right past him. Howard - without Kobe - is a good fit with Nash. And they ain't dumping Kobe.

 

How can a team with Dwight Howard in the middle be statistically one of the worst defensive teams in the league?

I'm not a Lakers fan, but I haven't threw in the towel for them just yet. Although they are highly dysfunctional right now, they still have a little time to straighten things out. They have very little room for error now, but if they can win down the stretch and make the playoffs they could be dangerous considering how they are playing. If they are playing like this then no, but considering its a whole new team, with a whole new coach, with a whole lot of injuries, if something happens and they start to find some chemistry they may end up being a lot better than this. If that happens and they get some momentum, they may get hot around playoff time. The thing that would worry me though if I was a Lakers fan is the chemistry. It's already looking like Dwight was a bad idea, regardless of who's fault it may be. If they really can't stand each other then that could spell the end, but if they can get it together and realize they got to get stuff done there is still hope. Right now that looks like it has 0.001% chance of happening, but winning cures a lot of things, attitude is one of them.

 

In recent years it has taken 48 wins to get into the playoffs as an 8 seed in the west. For them to do that they would have to go 31-10 the rest of the way. Only 2 teams currently have a winning percentage that high...

It is a terrible fit. They may still find ways to generate the points but it is just a bad system. Nash's game is contingent upon having spot-up shooters and guys he can distribute to. Not to mention a cardboard cutout of Tom Brady could penetrate right past him. Howard - without Kobe - is a good fit with Nash. And they ain't dumping Kobe.

 

How can a team with Dwight Howard in the middle be statistically one of the worst defensive teams in the league?

 

Because Dwight Howard is playing at about 70-80% on any given night and some nights he will get out rebounded by Spencer Hawes.

It is a terrible fit. They may still find ways to generate the points but it is just a bad system. Nash's game is contingent upon having spot-up shooters and guys he can distribute to. Not to mention a cardboard cutout of Tom Brady could penetrate right past him. Howard - without Kobe - is a good fit with Nash. And they ain't dumping Kobe.

 

How can a team with Dwight Howard in the middle be statistically one of the worst defensive teams in the league?

 

Do either of you have the NBA League Pass?

At the time, many of us were excited when the Lakers traded for Dwight and many thought that the Lakers would be back and could win another title. Obviously things haven't panned out thus far.... But considering this, how bad of a trade do you consider this now? Where does this rank among some of the other notoriously bad trades the Lakers have made (which haven't been many considering how good of a team they have been over their existence)?

Not Howard's fault. It's the PG, as it always has been (the past couple years). Bugatti has a great point. Nash and Kobe is not a good fit at all.

 

Let's try Kobe's fault! Dude wants the be the most dominate player on the court, he doesn't know how to get everyone involved. That's why Shaq ended up leaving and same with Bynamn (sp).

Let's try Kobe's fault! Dude wants the be the most dominate player on the court, he doesn't know how to get everyone involved. That's why Shaq ended up leaving and same with Bynamn (sp).

 

Horrible argument.

 

How many teams has Shaq played for? Funny how Shaq feuded EVERYWHERE he went but it was always someone else's fault.

 

Bynum didn't want to leave. He didn't leave on his own free will. What did Bynum in was his attitude and likely the comment, "every city has a bank so I don't care where I play at. I'll still get paid." Bynum has yet to play a game this season. Bet he's still getting paid though.

 

Kobe is a shooting guard. Not a point guard. Not a point forward. A shooting guard. It's not his job to get everyone involved. It is his job to score. Jordan didn't get everyone involved. It was a collective effort by the team. Paul Pierce doesn't get everyone involved. Joe Johnson doesn't get everyone involved. Kevin Durant doesn't get everyone involved. I don't understand why or how Kobe is supposed to get everyone involved.

Do either of you have the NBA League Pass?

 

Nope. Waste of money IMO.

At the time, many of us were excited when the Lakers traded for Dwight and many thought that the Lakers would be back and could win another title. Obviously things haven't panned out thus far.... But considering this, how bad of a trade do you consider this now? Where does this rank among some of the other notoriously bad trades the Lakers have made (which haven't been many considering how good of a team they have been over their existence)?

 

I'm still not even sure I would consider this a bad trade. Obviously Bynum isn't a player you can really depend on, so if you can flip him for someone like Howard, or a Kevin Love, whoever, I still think it was a good trade on their part. They hadn't made it past confernce semi's with Bynum and Gasol, I doubt Nash, Jamison, and Meeks were enough to get them any further and if so maybe one round further and that's it.

Nope. Waste of money IMO.

 

Then trust me. It's not Nash or the PG position that is their downfall this season. I've seen about 80% of their games this year and Howard's inconsistency in the post, Gasol's inconsistent season, horrible bench play, lack of team defense(especially transition defense) and the inability to close games has been a bigger issue than the PG position.

I'm still not even sure I would consider this a bad trade. Obviously Bynum isn't a player you can really depend on, so if you can flip him for someone like Howard, or a Kevin Love, whoever, I still think it was a good trade on their part. They hadn't made it past confernce semi's with Bynum and Gasol, I doubt Nash, Jamison, and Meeks were enough to get them any further and if so maybe one round further and that's it.

 

At this point I'd love to try Love instead of Howard.

 

I still like Nash, Jamison and Meeks better than Barnes, Blake and nobody. Too bad D'Antoni likes Meeks one week then buries him on the bench and likes Jamison for one week and buries him on the bench. Now he likes Earl Clark over Gasol??????

Then trust me. It's not Nash or the PG position that is their downfall this season. I've seen about 80% of their games this year and Howard's inconsistency in the post, Gasol's inconsistent season, horrible bench play, lack of team defense(especially transition defense) and the inability to close games has been a bigger issue than the PG position.

 

I've probably seen 50% of their games. They're on ESPN, NBATV, or TNT multiple times a week. Nash has been solid, it's a simple matter of he and Kobe are an awful combination together.

I've probably seen 50% of their games. They're on ESPN, NBATV, or TNT multiple times a week. Nash has been solid, it's a simple matter of he and Kobe are an awful combination together.

 

I disagree. The problems run way deeper than Nash/Kobe chemistry. Chemistry that is what 15 games in together?

Nash/Dirk.

 

Nash/Johnson.

 

Nash/Stoudemire.

 

Nash/Shaq.

 

Nash/whatever jabronis he had last year.

 

 

Nash and Kobe will be fine. They are not why the Lakers suck.

Another great defensive performance thus far as Memphis has their highest scoring first half of the season according to the commentators.