Predict the Lakers record

[LarBrd33]

If healthy, how many games do the Lakers win?  They have a legitimate big 4.  I think they could realistically challenge the 72 win Bulls.  Seriously. 

Kobe last year:  28 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, 1.5 steals

Pau last year:  17 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 1.4 blocks 50% shooting

Dwight last year:  21 points, 14.5 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1.5 steals 57% shooting

Nash last year:  12.5 points, 11 assists, 53%/39%/89% shooting


Dwight's a top 4 player.  Kobe and Pau are top 10.  Nash is the best shooter in the league, arguably the league's best playmaker... and the team's 4th best player. 

Worst of all... on paper, they compliment each other PERFECTLY.  Dwight + Nash alone is a scary thought.  That's a sick inside-outside combo.  Then you add two more top 10 players (Kobe and Pau)... that's unreal.  A sickening Big 4 for the Lakers.  HOw many games do they win?

[hwangjini_1]

hard to predict the future, especially with the lakers making a major change a center and not having much bench strength. however....

last year the lakers finished a shortened season with a  41-25 , a winning percentage of .621. not chopped liver, but not fantastic.  they were tied for 6th place in the nba in terms of winning percentage.

at .621 over an entire season, they would have finished with a record of 51-31.

now then, for the lakers this year to win 73 games, as is hinted at above, the lakers would have to improve by 22 wins this coming season. to do that, the lakers would have to win 89% (.890) of their games.

here is my question  - is the difference between howard and bynum really 22 wins? will howard power the lakers that many more wins?

i am not sure about that. yes, howard is the better player most nights, but bynum is perhaps among the top 4-5 centers in the nba today.

further, the lakers bench is not good or deep. so over the bumps and bruises of an 82 game season i dont think their winning percentage will increase from .621 to .890. and a 73 win season means you win 89% of your games.

are the lakers now officially both disgusting and great? yes.

do i loath them for being loathsome and lakers? yes.

do i sacrifice small animals at an alter in the hopes that howard and lebron cripple each other during a regular season game? maybe.

will the lakers win 73 games? i doubt it.

[celtsfan84]

If healthy, how many games do the Lakers win?  They have a legitimate big 4.  I think they could realistically challenge the 72 win Bulls.  Seriously. 

Kobe last year:  28 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, 1.5 steals

Pau last year:  17 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 1.4 blocks 50% shooting

Dwight last year:  21 points, 14.5 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1.5 steals 57% shooting

Nash last year:  12.5 points, 11 assists, 53%/39%/89% shooting


Dwight's a top 4 player.  Kobe and Pau are top 10.  Nash is the best shooter in the league, arguably the league's best playmaker... and the team's 4th best player. 

Worst of all... on paper, they compliment each other PERFECTLY.   Dwight + Nash alone is a scary thought.  That's a sick inside-outside combo.  Then you add two more top 10 players (Kobe and Pau)... that's unreal.  A sickening Big 4 for the Lakers.  HOw many games do they win?

That's the worst part.  Can you imagine better pick and roll partners for Nash than Pau and Dwight?  A better defensive presence to cover ground for the older Nash and Kobe than Dwight?  You have one of the great facilitators of all time, one of the great scorers of all time, one of the most skilled big men of all time (not saying Gasol is an all-time great but he has incredible skills), and one of the best defensive / rebounding / atheltic bigs of all time.

But no, no chance they break 72.  For the below reasons:

1) Age - Nash, Kobe, and Gasol are not built for back-to-backs any longer
2) Depth - An 82 game season is a long stretch and this team only has four major contributors with not much depth behind them
3) Chemistry - It will take some time for this team to "gel".  Nash is an all-time level maestro, but he doesn't know the symphony of any of his counterparts.  It will take some time for four elite players not to step on each other's toes a little.
4) Mike Brown - I'm not as down on him as most people are, I think he's a solid defensive coach and needs help offensively, but he is no Phil Jackson.
5) Injuries - While it is probably folly to just assume that the Lakers will all fall victim to the injury bug, it is safe to assume that somone will for at least a short stretch.  Maybe Kobe misses 5 games, maybe Nash misses 10, maybe Gasol misses 8, maybe Dwight misses a few.

This is a team built for the playoffs and one that should excel there.  It is not built for 72 wins.

[Donoghus]

65-17

[LarBrd33]

hard to predict the future, especially with the lakers making a major change a center and not having much bench strength. however....

last year the lakers finished a shortened season with a  41-25 , a winning percentage of .621. not chopped liver, but not fantastic.  they were tied for 6th place in the nba in terms of winning percentage.

at .621 over an entire season, they would have finished with a record of 51-31.

now then, for the lakers this year to win 73 games, as is hinted at above, the lakers would have to improve by 22 wins this coming season. to do that, the lakers would have to win 89% (.890) of their games.

here is my question  - is the difference between howard and bynum really 22 wins? will howard power the lakers that many more wins?

i am not sure about that. yes, howard is the better player most nights, but bynum is perhaps among the top 4-5 centers in the nba today.

further, the lakers bench is not good or deep. so over the bumps and bruises of an 82 game season i dont think their winning percentage will increase from .621 to .890. and a 73 win season means you win 89% of your games.

are the lakers now officially both disgusting and great? yes.

do i loath them for being loathsome and lakers? yes.

do i sacrifice small animals at an alter in the hopes that howard and lebron cripple each other during a regular season game? maybe.

will the lakers win 73 games? i doubt it.

Put it like this... our biggest weakness was size.  Completely size.  We struggled against Atlanta once Horford showed up.  Had we met Dwight's Orlando in the playoffs, we would have been in trouble.  Once Bosh showed up in MIami, they made quick work of us.  Size was our weakness.  If the Celtics had just added an allstar big man this offseason, the impact would have been tremendous. 

Meanwhile, the Lakers biggest weakness was point guard and outside shooting.  They had nobody who could properly run the team.  Nobody who could spread teh floor for their bigs and knock down open shots.  Steve Nash plugs their biggest weakness.  He's the best shooter in the league.  He's an elite level playmaker (arguably the best in the league).  That alone is worth a buttload of wins.  Then they upgrade Bynum to the league's greatest center... yeah... I can see a 20 win jump.

[celtsfan84]

65-17

Sounds about right.

[Roy H.]

84 wins, -2 losses.

[LarBrd33]

Funny thing is... Celtics would have won about 48 games last year and yet some of the people on this forum have them pegged to win 60.  If losing Ray and adding some role players is worth 12 games... That's gotta mean Nash and Dwight is worth 20 for the Lakers.

[fairweatherfan]

84 wins, -2 losses.

Only if they're being coached by Ditka, or possibly an armada of mini-Ditkas.

[ACF]

98-0.

[celtsfan84]

98-0.

How about preseason?

[ACF]

98-0.

How about preseason?

Silly me. They'll win 200 per cent of those, too.

[Fafnir]

64-18

I can see them with less than that if they run away from the field and just sit their big guns for the last 10 games or so.

[Finkelskyhook]

48-34

Any team with Howard, Artest, and Bryant is going to melt down when they get on a losing streak because their defense is a sieve at the PG position.

Out of respect (inexplicable) for los Nash they'll call out their favorite whipping boy, Gasol....Instead of los Nash. 

This is a team that sorely lacks athletism at the wings and at PG to deal with OKC.

[CelticSooner]

Funny thing is... Celtics would have won about 48 games last year and yet some of the people on this forum have them pegged to win 60.  If losing Ray and adding some role players is worth 12 games... That's gotta mean Nash and Dwight is worth 20 for the Lakers.

Western Conference is much deeper.