Official Lakers 2006-2007 Thread

[imaged]

Go LAKERS!

Return to the WCF. Thats what I say.

[Chip Douglass]

Re: Official Lakers 2006-2007 Thread

This team has 7th or 8th seed written all over it.

Meh, I think the "2006-2007 Kobe Bryant and other guys thread" would be more accurate

[DoubleDeuce]

Re: Official Lakers 2006-2007 Thread

I think I read players can't wear tights anymore, so no more tights for Kobe. Is it just me or did he seem to play better in tights?

[ex carrabba fan]

Re: Official Lakers 2006-2007 Thread

Seems like a pointless rule to ban those..

I'm not expecting much this season, with the West being as competetive as it is.. but I'm encouraged to hear that the players have been getting up at the crack of dawn and working out together.. even 24. He was on an interview last night where he said they're all itching to avenge their first round defeat.

[Chip Douglass]

Re: Official Lakers 2006-2007 Thread

I haven't seen this team play in over 2 years, so fellow Laker fans....tell me the outlook of the season.

[Tha_Kid]

Re: Official Lakers 2006-2007 Thread

Finals or bust ... WCFinals

[ex carrabba fan]

Re: Official Lakers 2006-2007 Thread

I hate to doubt my team, but they are going to struggle to even make the playoffs. If they get there, especially after watching last playoffs, anything can happen. Especially with another year of maturity for 24, they'll be a dangerous team if they can grind through the regular season.

I can't wait to see if the Rad signing was a waste, but I also can't wait to see how 24 plays with someone who can actually hit open set shots. Rad should open up passing/driving lanes for 24 and Odom. I see it working.

Two big question marks: Parker and the PG play/interior toughness and rebounding.. Turiaf/Brown/Bynum/Mihm I feel can get the job done inside, but I'm skeptical about Parker- not to mention Sasha.. Hopefully Farmar picks up right where he left off with his heady play from the summer league.

I expect Bynum to get meaningful minutes and I have high hopes for him. I'm guessing they squeeze in to the postseason..

[bateman11]

Re: Official Lakers 2006-2007 Thread

Here is my overview.
PG: Smush/Williams/Farmar
SG: Kobe/Evans/Sasha
SF: Rad/Walton
PF: Odom/Cook/Turiaf
C: Brown/Mihm/Bynum

PG- I think Smush will be more consistent this year. He will start because he knows the triangle and has experience with it. Williams will help spread the floor with his shooting. Farmar will get better as the season goes along. I think by mid season next year if not earlier he will be our starting point.

SG- If Kobe can get his teammates involved this team should shine this year. His leadership skills are getting better over time. Mo Evans should come off the bench and play solid D. He is also a good penetrator and can throw one down. Just to balance things out I put Sasha at SG instead of PG. I think he will play more at the 2 this season. He can shoot the lights out, play good D, and finish softly around the hoop.

SF- I predict Rad to start at the three this season. This way he will be out on the perimeter more often than he would at the 4. He will help spread the floor and should put up decent numbers in this offense. Walton played very solid ball near the end of the season and in the playoffs last year. He has developed a very nice turnaround jumper on the baseline. He also has good court vision and is a good passer. Three point shot is okay but is inconsistent.

PF- I expect Odom to put up even better numbers this year. Somewhere around 19/10/7. I recently read an article on Brian Cook and it appears he has been working hard on his game this summer. If he could be a better rebounder and defender, I think he will get more playing time. I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't in a Laker uniform by the trade deadline, though. I see Turiaf getting more playing time this year but not significant numbers. He can provide a great spark this year and provides excellent energy and gives his all every game.

C- Kwame Brown. I think he is the biggest X-factor this year. Really started playing well near the end of the season but he needs to be more consistent. I think he will come through and have a solid season this year. I don't think Chris Mihm will be around by the trading deadline, either. When he is healthy, he can put up very solid numbers but keeping him healthy is the key. Now on to Bynum. I have very high hopes for him in the future but don't see him getting a whole lot of minutes this year. More than last year but it will all depend on how he performs. Loads of ptoential, though.

Just a few spectulations. Let's go Lakers!!!!

[fobbybobby23]

Re: Official Lakers 2006-2007 Thread

I like this team. It's tougher!! Even if its just cause Maurice Evans is on the team now.

Shammond Williams isn't bad either, if the pieces fall right this team can be very very dangerous. I think its a lot more deep/dangerous this year than last year. A lot more 3 point shooters, and Evans is an athletic beast. Radman can rain 3's all day, and if LO and Kwame start where they left off, and Mihm is healthy, this team won't have a problem making it to the 2nd round.

[Chip Douglass]

Re: Official Lakers 2006-2007 Thread

How many Lakers' fans are on this board?

[nkhera1]

Re: Official Lakers 2006-2007 Thread

This team is going to have to fight just to make the playoffs. Kings should be better with Artest for a full year. Houston is coming back to strenght, and the lakers beat out a few other teams by only a few games. I think if they play like they did against the Suns they have a good shot though but its not going to be easy.

[imaged]

Re: Official Lakers 2006-2007 Thread

This team is going to have to fight just to make the playoffs. Kings should be better with Artest for a full year. Houston is coming back to strenght, and the lakers beat out a few other teams by only a few games. I think if they play like they did against the Suns they have a good shot though but its not going to be easy.

oh no doubt dude, the west is gonna be a battlefield this year. I'm looking forward to it.

[ex carrabba fan]

Re: Official Lakers 2006-2007 Thread

As tonight's first pre-season game approaches.. I am quite worried. Phil Jackson obviously had the surgery.. meaning he probably hasn't been too close to the team this past month.. the Cannons reported about a week ago that Kobe hasn't been able to run this ENTIRE off-season.. and Lamar Odom hasn't picked up a basketball since the playoffs last year because of his personal reasons. Not good.

On the flipside, hopefully this will force "the others" to be assertive, and realize that they need to contribute something if they're gonna go anywhere this season. I hear nothing but positive things of Farmar, Brown, Cook, and Walton. Hopefully they show something tonight against the Jazz.

[ex carrabba fan]

Re: Official Lakers 2006-2007 Thread

2-0 in the pre-season LOL. I have not been excited for this team since Shaq left the city, but they are honestly shaping up. Just need to get healthy!

Here's my two cents so far

Positives:

+Sasha played extremely (and note that I am a huge Sasha basher) well in his first game. Handled and shot confidently, and overall looked like a completely different player. Unfortunately for him he suffered a very slight ankle sprain, but should be ready to go for upcoming pre-season games.

+Mo Evans- A real rugged guy, the man is built like pro linebacker. He is going to be a real surprise to fans, and brings some defensive toughness to the bench backcourt. He plays smart too on both ends, I am really liking that draft night trade.

+Andrew Bynum is looking fit, engergetic, and showed some excellent footwork in the paint last night. The knock i've had on him is that he doesn't have a mean streak.. but hopefully Laker fans can credit that to his youth, and the fact that he didn't get to play any college ball. Last night he was extremely aggressive against the slew of Seattle big men (Swift, Collison, Sene, Peatro), I hope he can continue that style of play. Bynum also was injured last night, another ankle sprain but doesn't appear to be anything serious.

+Luke Walton seems to be playing with a chip on his shoulder.. he doesn't have a long-term deal, and he did have some DNP's last season.. I'm sure that fired him up to work hard on his game this off-season. It's really showing, the man looks very comfortable playing multiple positions and is shooting the ball pretty well. He can be the key guy off the bench this season.

+Ronny Turiaf- I can't say enough about how much he brings to the table. His energy and rebounding ability never cease to bring me out of my seat, even during the pre-season. He'll be another key guy off the bench

+Jordan Farmar: ! That's all I can say about this rookie, I've watched him since summerleague, and he's going to be a crowd favorite. He just sees the court so well, and really commands his team out on the court. He'll be a solid backup halfway or later through the season.

+A positive is overall the team is looking so confident without Kobe out there. Everyone seems hungry, and honestly they look different from previous pre-season outings. I am very excited about this season and can't wait to see what happens once 24 gets out there.

Negatives:

-Shammond Williams: Why did we pick this dude up? He has made some bone-headed decisions leaving his feet on several occassions to pass (right to the other team) and hasn't found his jumper (probably since his days at UNC). The only positive I see out of his signing is that it'll push Sasha to stay sharp.

-Chris Mihm.. seems like this guy can never stay healthy, hasn't played in the two games due to his ankle.. it's unfortuante because he's a class guy. It's mainly a negative because it really screws with the rotation.. I don't think the coaching staff honestly knows what rotation will be the most productive.. having to swap Mihm, Brown, Cook, Vladimir, Turiaf, and even Bynum.. at least the Lakers have some options.

-Phil Jackson.. I just hope he can get healthy asap from his hip surgery.. I don't think he's met with the team for a while. Kurt Rambis seems to be doing a great job though over these two games.

Undecided:

? Lamar Odom had a great first game, but you could really tell he is not anywhere near regular season form. I think he'll be ready to start the season though.

? Vlad Rad.. showed he could shoot a little, but he can't do much else offensively or defensively. Once Kobe gets back out there, I think other teams will be in some trouble.

[ex carrabba fan]

Re: Official Lakers 2006-2007 Thread

Another question mark is Kwame Brown. I haven't been overly impressed by his first two games, but at least I haven't been . At least he hasn't regressed, and has had a nose for rebounding. They don't need him to score a lot, just the garbage points. And catch the ball please! I'm happy to report I haven't seen him drop a pass yet!