[quote author=BigAlTheFuture
Yeah, but then again. If you take out Kobe from the Lakers or Lebron from the Cavaliers, they wouldn't be a playoff team. You take out KG from the Celtics, you still have a team that could do some damage in the playoffs.
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Not really true. KG went down when the Cs were 41 - 11. Even if Cleveland went 0 - 30 without LeBron, they still make the playoffs. And I think the Lakers would have still been pretty formidable around Gasol, Odom and Bynum starting from 41 - 11. Gasol led a less talented nucleus to 50 wins in Memphis, so I'd think the Lakers without Kobe would still be a problem against a team like the Bulls.