The Artesticle Posted August 30, 2012 Report Share Posted August 30, 2012 Who do you guys think is going to be the Lakers' best player this season? Dwight Howard, coming into his prime, or does old man Kobe still have enough game left to be considered LA's best player? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owner Real Deal Posted August 30, 2012 Owner Report Share Posted August 30, 2012 It really depends on how P&R-heavy our offense is, but if we stay in the Princeton, for the most part, I'm taking Bryant for the simple fact that he'll still be our go-to guy, especially late in games, and I think he'll either have a very efficient season or a stellar defensive stand (would be nice to see both, though). Tough to say, though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitro Posted August 30, 2012 Report Share Posted August 30, 2012 Probably Dwight. Will be their primary option down low and will anchor their defense and the boards. I could see Kobe having a really strong season offensively, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingfish Posted August 30, 2012 Report Share Posted August 30, 2012 Kobe will be the first and best option offensively, averaging around 28 ppg on pretty good efficiency. Dwight will be a secondary scorer offensively, anchor defensively and average around 13 rpg and 3 bpg. Either could be considered our best player depending on which way you look at it. I guess you would say Dwight is considered the better player since he makes more of an impact on both ends. Then you would also have to say prime Shaq > MJ (in his last few Bulls years at least). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitro Posted August 30, 2012 Report Share Posted August 30, 2012 Kobe will be the first and best option offensively, averaging around 28 ppg on pretty good efficiency. Dwight will be a secondary scorer offensively, anchor defensively and average around 13 rpg and 3 bpg. Either could be considered our best player depending on which way you look at it. I guess you would say Dwight is considered the better player since he makes more of an impact on both ends. Then you would also have to say prime Shaq > MJ (in his last few Bulls years at least). No way is Kobe averaging 28PPG this season. Maybe 23-25, not 28 unless Dwight is out most of the season. Remember, he now has a lot more weapons at his disposal who are capable of big scoring nights than he has had...maybe ever. And prime Shaq was > MJ during his last year or two on Chicago, though this is a pretty different arguement (Kobe hasn't been as efficient as that MJ was the last few seasons 'nor is he as good defensively, and Dwight is certainly no prime Shaq and won't be averaging nearly 30PPG like Shaq did). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingfish Posted August 30, 2012 Report Share Posted August 30, 2012 No way is Kobe averaging 28PPG this season. Maybe 23-25, not 28 unless Dwight is out most of the season. Remember, he now has a lot more weapons at his disposal who are capable of big scoring nights than he has had...maybe ever. And prime Shaq was > MJ during his last year or two on Chicago, though this is a pretty different arguement (Kobe hasn't been as efficient as that MJ was the last few seasons 'nor is he as good defensively, and Dwight is certainly no prime Shaq and won't be averaging nearly 30PPG like Shaq did).I wouldnt rule out Kobe averaging 28. Dwight is basically replacing Drew, so hel get about the same amount of shot attempts Drew did, I havent looked it up but im sure they got about the same attempts last year even with Dwight in Orlando. Other then that, Nash and Gasol would be the ones taking away shots from Bryant. But Nash is a pass first PG, hes going to be looking to set other guys up first and then take shots within the offense or if hes open, Nash wont take away shots from Kobe. Gasol will have probably see a dip in his FGA, given that hes sucked the last 2 postseasons and hes now a 4th option. You could say Kobe wont average around 28 because hes not capable of it, but the FGA will most likely be there. I see no reason why they would be significantly lower then the previous few seasons. Even if they were lower, his efficiency likely will go up due to getting easier buckets and single coverage more often, so hel get more points on fewer shots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sħãlïq™ Posted August 30, 2012 Report Share Posted August 30, 2012 (edited) It really depends on how P&R-heavy our offense is, but if we stay in the Princeton, for the most part, I'm taking Bryant for the simple fact that he'll still be our go-to guy, especially late in games, and I think he'll either have a very efficient season or a stellar defensive stand (would be nice to see both, though). (...)^ That's why I voted Kobe. And just like Nitro, I could see old Kobe-Wan having a strong season (offensively). Edited August 30, 2012 by Sħãlïq̵' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Regime Posted August 31, 2012 Report Share Posted August 31, 2012 Kobe will still be our go to guy offensively there's no doubt it. But where Dwight edges Kobe is his impact defensively and on the glass. Kobe has been a slouch on defense the last couple seasons. Kobe shouldn't have to average 28 ppg next season, not with all the talent that's surrounding him. Realistically somewhere around 25 ppg should get the job done. I want to see a more efficient season from him where he isn't a volume scorer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owner Real Deal Posted August 31, 2012 Owner Report Share Posted August 31, 2012 Whether he will or not isn't really my concern...it's more along the lines of whether he HAS TO. In the offense, Nash will get his shots when he's not handling the ball. He'll have many opportunities to hit open jumpers. Dwight will get as many looks as Drew, sometimes fewer. Gasol will get as many looks as he did last season. So, I'm going to assume Bryant will (and should) average around 24 PPG, like he did in the 2003-04 season (Kobe, Shaq, Malone and Payton). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NomarFachix Posted August 31, 2012 Report Share Posted August 31, 2012 S m u s h Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitro Posted August 31, 2012 Report Share Posted August 31, 2012 I wouldnt rule out Kobe averaging 28. Dwight is basically replacing Drew, so hel get about the same amount of shot attempts Drew did, I havent looked it up but im sure they got about the same attempts last year even with Dwight in Orlando. Other then that, Nash and Gasol would be the ones taking away shots from Bryant. But Nash is a pass first PG, hes going to be looking to set other guys up first and then take shots within the offense or if hes open, Nash wont take away shots from Kobe. Gasol will have probably see a dip in his FGA, given that hes sucked the last 2 postseasons and hes now a 4th option. You're right about Dwight, but I'm looking at the Nash effect...Nash will get more attempts than either Fisher or Sessions ever did, and he will get the role players (Jamison, Artest, Barnes, etc...) more looks than any offense they ran before. And with a much better all-around team that won't have to rely on Kobe, I expect Kobe's minutes to decline a bit, as well as his shot attempts. His efficiency may increase, but I can't see him over 25PPG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Check my Stats Posted August 31, 2012 Report Share Posted August 31, 2012 Dwight easily. I don't care if Kobe drops more buckets, Dwight is going to help you win more games. Dwight was dropping 20 a night playing with incompetent point guards for years... Steve Nash now? The offensive potential is insane for Dwight this year. Lets say he averages 19-13-3 on his usual 57% or higher, LA has a top 5 defense in the league and wins 55-60 games... Kobe is even able to drop his usual 28-5-5 on 44%, how can you tell me Dwight isn't the better player? Dwight Howard is a top 3 player in this league. Give me a break. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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