Who wins a championship first: Celtics or Lakers?

[Clench123]

As a matter of fact I have bet on this but I would like to hear people's opinion on this.  Based on where both franchizes are today, who do you see winning the championship first in the foreseeable future?

[Celtics18]

Celtics.

[Evantime34]

Probably the Lakers. After Kobe is gone they will have cap space and the ability to add premier talent to contend immediately. The Celtics will be building more slowly through the draft.

[JBcat]

The west is so deep so it's going to be tough for the Lakers, and with all the draft picks we have and Ainge at the helm, my money is with the C's. 

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

Probably the Lakers. After Kobe is gone they will have cap space and the ability to add premier talent to contend immediately. The Celtics will be building more slowly through the draft.

Some good points, but even though L.A. is a major destination, Kobe's departure would leave them (presumably, based on what they have now) with no star power. Why would LeBron or Carmelo or whoever want to play for a Lakers team that featured, say, an old Pau Gasol, Nick Young, Jordan Farmar, and other less-than-attractive pieces?

[BudweiserCeltic]

Probably the Lakers. After Kobe is gone they will have cap space and the ability to add premier talent to contend immediately. The Celtics will be building more slowly through the draft.

Cap space without talent is quite meaningless, and I don't think you're aware of either the Lakers' or the Celtics cap situation if you think that the Celtics won't have cap space when Kobe retires, and if you think the Lakers will...

Even more so, the Celtics will have cap space prior to Kobe retiring, to say nothing the financial and assets they may need to sacrifice in order to keep competing with Kobe and make the most of his remaining years.

[Fafnir]

C's are in a better position to rebuild. More draft picks and a younger player leftover from their last contending team. They also have superior young talent in Sullinger as a big man.

So I'd say the Celtics, though honestly its so hard to say "when" that the current differences between the franchises are going to be drowned out by the noise of future moves both good and bad.

If its 10+ years down the road then the current assets won't factor too heavily into what happens then....

[Onslaught]

In the past 30 years I'd take the Lakers over us she it comes to building a champ. But with Jerry Buss gone I like our chances just as much as theirs.

[GreenWarrior]

I wouldn't be surprised if we won another championship before the lakers. but I have a feeling the lakers will make one last gathering of trades and free agents to surround kobe to give it one last push. so I give the lakers the edge.

[SHAQATTACK]

Agree, with Buss gone, Mitch getting senile giving Kobe all that rebuilding money,    Jackson  100 years old and looking older every day,  .....poor LA .....boo hoo

Kobe just about finished .......Pau playing like he is 40 ....... no DH to build around and Love not likely to play there anytime soon....boo hoo .....I m crying for them


I'm putting my money on Danny and Brad.   ......hanging a banner before Mitch and MDA

Unless those thieves somehow get a lottery pick this year.


They rob other teams .......I think their scamming days are done for a while. ,, the NBA has shut down many plays out of their bag of tricks to STEAL players

[Roy H.]

No matter what the reality of the situation, I'm always going to answer "Celtics" to this question.

[PhoSita]

Odds are the answer is the Lakers, just because, if history is a guide, they haven't been without a superstar franchise star since before Magic came into the league, and so probably will find a successor to Kobe and continue to be competitive. 

The Celtics, on the other hand, are probably going to be searching for a guy like that for a while, and it's much harder to win a championship with the committee-of-lesser-stars approach.

[SHAQATTACK]

If ......stern had let CP3 go to Lakers........DH would have stayed most likely ......or stayed if  Phil Jackson had been choosen over MDA.

But.  ...fortunately for Celtics all over the world .....somebody pulled a bone head call...didn't want Jackson Back in the drivers seat as coach

Had they fired MDA months before Howard had to,choose and hired Jackson ,  I think they would be ahead of the game on us.

But Lady Luck smiled on the rest of the league,  and dealt the Lakers a vicious blow denying them Jackson,  Howard and CP 3 ......strike 1 , 2 , 3 ......no banner

LA is stuck with another awful Kobe contract ....that should screw them up for another three years .

Plus they have the worthless MDA. As their coach

I think even the diehard Jack Nickleson has missed Home games recent.

[greenhead85]

I think they'd win first.

My wish though is we win 3 titles every time they win 1.

[billysan]

I say the Celtics are the overwhelming favorites as it stands now.

Only way the Lakers beat us to the punch is if they can sell a couple of goons (like Miami did with Bosh and Lebron) to join Kobe for cheap and make another big three. That attracts people like Ray, Battier, Mike Miller and Rashard Lewis.

I could see KG and Pierce joining Kobe but they are too old to make a new big three. I could see someone like Melo doing this because he is lately craving legitimacy on a relevant team. Also Brandon Jennings, maybe Kevin Love and Lamarcus Aldridge are possible candidates to be recruited in my view.