Nitro

Damn ya'll argue like a buncha [expletive]in 14 year old schoolgirls. People catching way too many internet feeling here.

Dwight IMO was better than Kobe the last 1-2 years, and I am not really in the minority when it comes to that opinion, either (it's pretty split). At least 20/10 on ridiculous efficiency and arguably the best defense in the league is more than Kobe offers at this point. And I am gonna count out LA having the best record in the league. Nash is out for a few weeks, Dwight is still recovering from his surgery, they have to deal with a coaching change while half the newly rennovated roster is gaining chemistry, and they still have holes that should be filled at the deadline. Miami is the defending champs with the most talent in the league, and they are only gonna get better. And, for that matter, I have doubts LA will have a better regular season record than OKC, although I do think by the time the playoffs roll around LA will be the better team. Stats aren't that big of a deal if your team has the best record and you don't have much star talent around you...it's how Dirk, Rose and Nash won their MVP's. Their teams surpassed expectations and they put up strong stats as clearcut leaders. Kobe is not in their situation...he is not the underdog, and he won't be putting up the kind of stats a guy like LeBron (and probably Durant, for that matter) will. That is why I think CP3 has a strong shot, because he will be impressive statistically and the Clippers should be winning a ton of games this season with him as the clear-cut leader and best player.

Kobe's playing extremely well, but right now he's got no shot at LeBron. Statistically, LeBron is just about doubling him up in rebounds and assists, has less than half the turnovers that Kobe has, and both have been disgustingly efficienct with Kobe averaging a few more points. LeBron is the much more impactful defender, his team is performing much better than Kobe's is (and record-wise I don't think LA will catch up to Miami), and with LA there is a question who their best player is. LeBron, after 2 years, is finally in the position where there is NO question who the man is. If it ain't LeBron, I think it will be someone like CP3, who could have a top team while putting up terrific stats, has never been MVP and is very clearly the #1 guy on his team.

The scary part is he's been in super-coast mode. He's putting in the least amount of effort he ever has to score points, playing PF has raised his rebounding numbers, and with guys like Ray and Shard, as well as Chalmers' improvements he has been doing less ballhandling so his turnovers are at a career low. I don't know if I'd put him as MVP right now, but by the end of the season once his minutes, points and defensive effort go up a bit, he'll be there.

D'Antoni struggled to keep a team with Melo, Amare and Chandler at .500 for half a season. His coaching decisions consistently cheated Phoenix in the post-season. He mentally collapsed in NY, when the expectations weren't nearly as high as with this Lakers team. Even though LA had plenty of talent when he won championships, he still made pretty much all the right moves, pushed the correct buttons and knew how to manage the ego's and media. And lol @ you not mentioning MJ. Stop baiting.

Is this a serious question? One guy has 11 rings, the other hasn't been to the NBA Finals and just got ran out of NY.

Rondo is severely underrated among most fans. People see his inconsistent jumpshot and the stars he's played with his entire career and really lowball how good this kid really is. It is reflected from the unfair criticisms to even his contract, which is one of the biggest values in the entire league. Bottom line is he's uber athletic, incredible at getting to the rim and finishing, has arguably the best court vision in the entire league, probably the best rebounding PG in the league, and unlike many of his peers he makes a significant impact defensively. When he is on his game, he is as devestating offensively as just about anyone.

Nash doesn't need to be a 20/12 guy on this team, and that's not what I'm proposing. Last year he made an awful team into a 9th ranked offense, and he did so averaging 11APG with his usual ridiculous shooting percentages. He doesn't need to do that heavy lifting on this Laker team, but he is still VERY capable of being the centerpiece of an elite offense. He's proven that over and over and over and over again. I believe everything should start with Nash. He should dictate how the offense flows, where people catch the ball, getting it to certain players in sweet spots, and doing what he does best...playing the PnR to perfection and making smart decisions. I am not saying making Gasol and Kobe into spotup shooters or running the same offense that Phoenix had...but he is the guy with the least amount of offensive flaws, and he has proven to be the most capable of all these stars at orchestrating an elite offense. Sloan coached Stockton for many years...he knows how to coach elite PG's as well, and the Nash/Dwight combo could be just as scary as the Stockton/Malone combo, but this time he'll have Kobe and Gasol by his side instead of Hornecak and Ostertag. The year Dallas made the Finals Phoenix was starting Boris [expletive]ing Diaw at C. The next season, Phoenix royally [expletive]ed themselves with the suspensions. IMO if they were at full strengths both those series' in 06 and 07, they would have won it all. But that's neither here 'nor there. Offense wasn't ever the problem for Nash or the Suns. It was defense. Now Nash has arguably more offensive weapons than ever. IMO there is no reason to not let Nash run the show.

For the record, offense was NEVER the reason Nash never made it into the Finals, and you know that. It isn't like his offenses took huge plummets in the post-season. The defense of those teams were often terrible, and he never had the type of closers and elite options that he will now. A PnR offense based around Nash and arguably the best PnR big man in the league in Dwight (and another very good one in Gasol) will be very difficult to defend. Kobe will need to learn to play off-ball a bit more, although he should definitely get his fair share of iso's (hopefully in the midrange/post area). I just feel letting a guy who has led a bunch of top offenses, and is more concerned with getting other players looks as opposed to himself, is ideal. A Kobe-centric offense ain't getting this team anywhere, and the Dwight offense was proven flawed on 2 accounts...1) 3pt shooting teams go cold, and that bounces them at some point in the playoffs, and 2) His passing and high turnover rate makes him a questionable #1 option.

I am not saying run an uptempo offense...this Laker team is painfully slow and unathletic, so that'd be suicide. I do think everything should start with Nash, though. Since 01-02 he has led 9 top 2 offenses (6 of them being ranked 1st). Kobe, Dwight and Gasol combined don't have that kind of track record leading offenses. Don't get me wrong, everyone needs their touches and shot attempts in comfort areas, but the offense really needs to be built around Nash.

I don't know why people would be excited over the return of the triangle and yet destroy the idea of the Princeton offense. It's the same principles, and both offenses take away many of Nash's strengths.

http://gifrific.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Boy-That-Escalated-Quickly-Anchorman.gif It's unfair, but if it means they get a Sloan/JVG type out of it, it will have definitely been the right move. 5 games in, though...wow

Ditching any offense for iso's is not a smart decision in clutch time. Miami did that for 1.5 years with the Big 3 and it cost them countless big leads and close losses. Relying on a 17 year veteran to beat tough defenses in pressure situations via iso's is a recipe for failure. It freezes out teammates and is easy pickings for a good defense. With all the versatile weapons the Lakers have in their starting 5 they should never have to resort to iso ball with any type of consistency. I believe that properly developing in the regular season is more important than record. Unless they are playing Miami, who they had little shot at beating record-wise anyway, they will always have more talent than whoever their counterpart is in the post-season. They also will have a number of guys with championship experience/deep playoff runs. Homecourt would be a nice luxury, but won't be necessary. If I were the Lakers I'd want to see the team run at full capabilities come the post-season, rather than sacrificing certain things just to get as many regular season wins as possible. Not saying that I agree with all, or even most of Brown's decision. The above two paragraphs are moreso generalizations than anything.

My point is that Spo did a lot of things wrong early on as well, and also did things right that looked wrong, but as the team developed they turned out to be smart decisions. The Princeton offense could turn out to be a good thing...it's not much different than the triangle, but as you know that takes a while to develop. With Nash I question it's effectiveness, but with him out it can definitely make this team dangerous, and when he comes back they will have a system which they can fit Steve into, along with occasionally breaking it off for Nash/Howard PnR's and Kobe/Howard iso's. But in order to get to the point where they have an effective, fluid offense there will be some bad growing pains. It will be worth the slow start if it starts to really kick into geat around January, and then be well-oiled for the playoffs.

Jeb has no shot at winning the presidency IMO. This country HATES the job his brother did, and one of the main reasons we are in such economic turmoil. He can be the smartest guy in the world, but there is no chance at him escaping the legacy of his family, which is still very fresh in the American people's minds (as well as the Republican party, who has tried extremely hard to detach from the W era).

To put this all on Mike Brown is silly. This is a new offense, mostly new roster, their (All-Star) PG is out, and Howard still isn't anywhere near 100%. The Heat had the best player in the league, the 2nd/3rd best player in the league and another top 15 player, all in their primes, and it still took 20 games for them just to get past .500. Mike Brown is NOT a good coach, and I question a lot of his decisions, but this level of talent can and should carry you in the regular season. You can hire a WNBA edition Barbie doll as coach and this team should still win 50+ games. Right now they are banged up and it's a totally new team and system which will not be what it could be until they have time to mesh and get everyone healthy. Give it time and see how they adapt to Brown's vision before making any conclusive statements.

Hilary and Christie IMO.

It's not too far off from the triangle. The issue with that offense for this specific team is it basically nullifies most of Nash's abilities, and without him performing at a high level I can't see this team beating Miami, and they will have a very tough time getting through the likes of OKC, SA and LAC.

Nets still look a little disorganized, and Deron and JJ missed a LOT of makeable shots that would have kept the game interesting. They were absolutely pounding Miami on the boards early on, but they were commiting too many turnovers and missing easy shots to capitalize on Miami's mistakes. Miami's defense is definitely a concern early on this season. They held Brooklyn under 40% shooting, and forced a lot of turnovers, but the fundementals weren't there. They weren't getting back on defense, not cutting off penetration via the 2nd line of defense, and they are struggling keeping teams off the offensive glass. With Joel losing his spot in the rotation they also lost a good chunk of shotblocking around the rim, as well. As amazing as their ball movement and overall play on the offensive side of the ball has been this season, they are really cheating themselves of fulfilling their potential with their lazy defense. In games like this it doesn't matter, but if this becomes a trend it will definitely hinder their chances in the post-season, although they do have the talent to turn it on defensively once they hit the post-season.

HoF, I agree. But to get your jersey retired at one of either two of the worst organizations in the league is another.

Honestly, I wouldn't mind his jersey being retired in Brooklyn. He had his best season as a Net, was consistent, never caused any issues and along with Kidd kept the Nets a very respectable team for years. Definitely one of my favorite Nets ever.

Every facet? No. Rondo is a much better finisher at the rim, better rebounder, defends size much better, and IMO he's got the slightly better court vision. I still take Paul because he is a much more reliable, versatile scorer, and is historically careful with the ball while Rondo gets careless.

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/14378_396346053769166_488699354_n.jpg

I never said he was playing smarter (offensively, anyway). And playing harder fixes up some issues, but doesn't change the fact that he still has poor shot selection, has a hard time playing off-ball and isn't great at making plays for others. Dude averaged 28PPG just a few seasons ago. He has a shitload of talent and is one of the best players in the NBA. What he's done through the first few games isn't necessarily anything new, and until he can fix up those other areas of his game I will always question if he can be the #1 guy on a title team.