Did the Lakers blow by us while we were watching fireworks?

[Tr1boy]

Blow by us???

Hibbert
Bass
Russell
Randle
Clarkson


Don't see it

Celtics 2nd unit would beat the Lakers.  That team still has ways to go. Only way is, if Kobe plays out of his mind

[Celtics18]

Never mind.

[D Dub]

they signed players who more people have heard of.  that doesn't mean they'll win more games. 

they did the same thing last year with Lin and Boozer -- guys with more name recognition than Thomas and Crowder -- but were they really any better?  Did they win more as result?  No, and no. 

I'll be surprised if the lakers win *HALF* what we do next year. 

[Celtics18]

Don't blink.

[dreamgreen]

They still suck and will be a lotto team. Hibbert sucks.

[cltc5]

Lakers have parts not a team.  That's what separates teams like Spurs from teams like Knicks, lakers, etc.  Spurs set the tone, commit to team plan and get pieces that help keep that mindset.  These other teams just add parts and hope they work.  How many of these makeshift, high salary teams have won the nba title?  One, Miami and that's mostly due to lebron James.  Chemistry is huge when competing for a title.

[Lakersalltheway]

They still suck and will be a lotto team. Hibbert sucks.

Want to trade coaches?

[ssspence]

The Lakers offseason has been a failure, to say the least. They're now overreacting to missing out on the big names by signing or trading for cast offs.

[Who]

Not in the immediate sense. Not in W-L column. Boston has a much stronger and deeper roster.

In the future column, I think you could make the case that they moved ahead of Boston after they got D'Angelo Russell with the #2 pick. A possible star talent. We'll have to wait to see him play but most people seem high on him. That would trump Boston's collection of role players.

[Neurotic Guy]

Well, yes -- the Lakers "blew" by the Celtics when they secured the #2 pick in the draft.   They smartly played for a top 5 pick and they ended being the only team to move up in the lottery (of course). 

D'Angelo Russel has the most upside of any player on either team. Julius Randle could be #2 (but not necessarily).  Kobe remains the best player at present (my opinion based on his on-court performance last year despite injuries and a poor shooting percentage).   

But Kobe, Bass and Hibbert are not the reasons I think the Lakers have surpassed the C's.  It's because they have a legit building block.  All LA needs is one true building block (once Kobe is gone) to lure a couple top tier FAs.  In 2-4 years LA will be back in contention -- this is the surest bet in sports.  C's could be anywhere at all 4 years from now.  This is not due to Kupchek over Ainge; it's because the Lakers' FA advantage will play itself out eventually.   

[hpantazo]

Not in the immediate sense. Not in W-L column. Boston has a much stronger and deeper roster.

In the future column, I think you could make the case that they moved ahead of Boston after they got D'Angelo Russell with the #2 pick. A possible star talent. We'll have to wait to see him play but most people seem high on him. That would trump Boston's collection of role players.

I honestly think Smart's potential is equal to Russell's. They may or may not each reach that potential, and they both have weak points to improve, but I think their potential is equal. Russell has more hype, but Smart has the athleticism and mental toughness.

[Scintan]

The Lakers have better veteran talent.  The questions will be mainly about the rookies and 2nd year players.  The major advantage the Celtics have from the vantage point of wanting to win is the difference between the  strength of the two conferences. 

[Greenback]

Not sure if Russel is better than Rozier, LOL.

This is the year the wheels fall off of Kobe.

Move on, nothing to see here.

[mgent]

Um, I'm pretty sure they just blow.

I could not be more excited that they got Hibbert.  That dude is a sinking anchor.  Any one who thinks otherwise doesn't watch the defensive side of basketball too closely.  Or they haven't noticed he's no longer much of a positive on offense.  God please explain to me why anybody would want that guy attached to their ship.

He's basically equal to Theo Ratliff when he came to the Celtics.  If the Lakers turn his expiring into a Kevin Garnett, that will really suck, but I'll be a monkey's uncle if Hibbert puts them ahead of us.

[mgent]

Lou Williams is 1000% the best player on their team, lol.


He's gonna embarass Kobe.