WOW,

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/8252042/sources-dwight-howard-los-angeles-lakers-four-team-deal-complete

The Lakers are going to be scary good. Too bad I hate the Lakers.

The Lakers are going to be scary good. Too bad I hate the Lakers.


howard
nash
kobe
artest
gasol


say hello to your 2013 champs

howard
nash
kobe
artest
gasol


say hello to your 2013 champs





It's almost unfair to even play the season out :lol: No! There are a lot of other really talented teams too. But nobody with a dominating center like Howard. There isn't even another Howard in the whole NBA. The closest thing too it is playing for the 76ers now.

I can already picture it Lakers vs. Heat Lebron vs. his old coach Mike Brown. I don't know which team I hate worse.

It's almost unfair to even play the season out :lol: No! There are a lot of other really talented teams too. But nobody with a dominating center like Howard. There isn't even another Howard in the whole NBA. The closest thing too it is playing for the 76ers now.


Boston still has a better team the Sixers

Boston still has a better team the Sixers





I would personally take the Celtics over any team other than the Blazers. Because Paul Pierce is my favorite player and, I’m a big fan of the passing ability of Rajon Rondo. I just meant the 76ers have the second best center in the NBA. Not team they are still pretty far from having a team, that will do anything other than lose in the first round.

They just lost Igudala to the Nuggets.

They just lost Igudala to the Nuggets.


I don't think Bynum is all that good offensively since he is strictly a low post player and can only play with his back to the basket. That's why he is a one-dmensional center

I don't think Bynum is all that good offensively since he is strictly a low post player and can only play with his back to the basket. That's why he is a one-dmensional center



Yeah, That's the sad thing though. These days there really isn't much talent at center. It's a sad day. When Bynum is the second best center in the nba. I'm not counting Love or Duncan . I count them as power forward.

Yeah, That's the sad thing though. These days there really isn't much talent at center. It's a sad day. When Bynum is the second best center in the nba. I'm not counting Love or Duncan . I count them as power forward.


You hit the nail on the head.

The quality of centers in the NBA during the past 10 years has been absolutely pathetic.

Case in point: Ben Wallace. This guy has actually been a 2nd team ALL-NBA center (three times!!). He's never even averaged 10 points per game, and he's been in the league for 16 seasons.

Yeah, he's been a 4x DPOY, but when you're a center in the NBA, who do you have to guard? Wallace is a career 47% FG shooter and a career 41% FT shooter.

He was a decent rebounder for 6-7 years, but to be 2nd team all NBA with no offensive skills at all tells us all we need to know about the quality of NBA centers since guys like Ewing, Robinson and Olajuwon retired.

And I would agree with classifying Duncan and Love as PFs.


Wilt Chamberlain retired in 1973. Since then, the following NBA centers have been inducted into the HOF without ever having played against Wilt (or played in the NBA prior to Wilt's career):

Bill Walton - inducted 1993
Moses Malone - inducted 2001
Robert Parrish - inducted 2003
Patrick Ewing - inducted 2008
Hakeem Olajuwon - also inducted 2008
David Robinson - inducted 2009


That's basically it. Shaq will go in as soon as he's eligible, of course. But that's not a lot of HOF centers during the past 30 years, especially considering that the league has expanded the way it has.

Ralph Sampson and Arvydas Sabonis have also been inducted, although not for their NBA careers. Sampson was a college star and Sabonis an international star.

Artis Gilmore was inducted last year, he was an ABA center who played against Wilt in a couple of NBA/ABA all star games. Same with Mel Daniels.

You hit the nail on the head.

The quality of centers in the NBA during the past 10 years has been absolutely pathetic.

Case in point: Ben Wallace. This guy has actually been a 2nd team ALL-NBA center (three times!!). He's never even averaged 10 points per game, and he's been in the league for 16 seasons.

Yeah, he's been a 4x DPOY, but when you're a center in the NBA, who do you have to guard? Wallace is a career 47% FG shooter and a career 41% FT shooter.

He was a decent rebounder for 6-7 years, but to be 2nd team all NBA with no offensive skills at all tells us all we need to know about the quality of NBA centers since guys like Ewing, Robinson and Olajuwon retired.

And I would agree with classifying Duncan and Love as PFs.


Wilt Chamberlain retired in 1973. Since then, the following NBA centers have been inducted into the HOF without ever having played against Wilt (or played in the NBA prior to Wilt's career):

Bill Walton - inducted 1993
Moses Malone - inducted 2001
Robert Parrish - inducted 2003
Patrick Ewing - inducted 2008
Hakeem Olajuwon - also inducted 2008
David Robinson - inducted 2009


That's basically it. Shaq will go in as soon as he's eligible, of course. But that's not a lot of HOF centers during the past 30 years, especially considering that the league has expanded the way it has.

Ralph Sampson and Arvydas Sabonis have also been inducted, although not for their NBA careers. Sampson was a college star and Sabonis an international star.

Artis Gilmore was inducted last year, he was an ABA center who played against Wilt in a couple of NBA/ABA all star games. Same with Mel Daniels.



It's pretty sad; when I was growing up we had Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, Robert Parish, Arvydas Sabonis, Moses Malone, and Shaquille O’Neal. A lot of other guys too who we're pretty good, the likes of Duckworth, Cartwright, Eaton, Mutumbo, Camby at a time. Wallace great defender but he couldn't shoot his way out of a wet paper sack.

I am sure I’m forgetting some guys. But when you look around the NBA right now who's really out there that you can rely on? Dwight Howard, Andrew Bynum. There is nobody else, as far as a center goes.

Yao Ming that's one guy I forgot. Unfortunately he was plagued with injuries and, we all know what happened with Greg Oden. The worst possible investment any team ever made.

Not surprising at all, but as a fan of the league, very disappointing to me. There are really only four teams in the league who are even contenders at this point. Those teams are, Miami, L.A., OKC, and Chicago if D-Rose can stay healthy. It's a toss up in my mind as to who the best team out of Miami and LA will be, but I give Miami the slight advantage. This LA team should be good for a couple years, and might get one more title, but Miami is a team built for the future. I'm predicting now, that it will be L.A. vs Miami in the Finals, and L.A. will win in six.

Wow, I just realized that Pau was still on this team. I thought he got traded. Wow, yeah, with that, I think LA is clearly the best team in the league right now. Miami is too small for a team with Dwight, and Pau. (the new twin towers) Last season Pau still pulled down nearly 10 boards, and got over two blocks a game. If I were Miami, I'd consider trying to make a trade for Marc Gasol. See if they can trade Bosh for Gasol. He is young, is a monster rebounder, and a quality shot blocker.

Not surprising at all, but as a fan of the league, very disappointing to me. There are really only four teams in the league who are even contenders at this point. Those teams are, Miami, L.A., OKC, and Chicago if D-Rose can stay healthy. It's a toss up in my mind as to who the best team out of Miami and LA will be, but I give Miami the slight advantage. This LA team should be good for a couple years, and might get one more title, but Miami is a team built for the future. I'm predicting now, that it will be L.A. vs Miami in the Finals, and L.A. will win in six.

Wow, I just realized that Pau was still on this team. I thought he got traded. Wow, yeah, with that, I think LA is clearly the best team in the league right now. Miami is too small for a team with Dwight, and Pau. (the new twin towers) Last season Pau still pulled down nearly 10 boards, and got over two blocks a game. If I were Miami, I'd consider trying to make a trade for Marc Gasol. See if they can trade Bosh for Gasol. He is young, is a monster rebounder, and a quality shot blocker.


I can only think of maybe 2 years when the Lakers wasn't a contender since 1987

1994 and I think 1997, maybe 1998

I can only think of maybe 2 years when the Lakers wasn't a contender since 1987

1994 and I think 1997, maybe 1998

Yeah, much like the Yankees, and the deep pockets they have, it's pretty rare that the Lakers don't have a quality team. And of course, location is a big part of it too. Who doesn't want to live in beautiful, sunny Los Angeles, California?

The Lakers have been in the NBA since the beginning (64 seasons, beginning in 1948-49), and have only missed the playoffs 5 times (1958, 1975, 1976, 1994 and 2005).

Although the Celtics have one more title than the Lakers (17 to 16), the Celtics have missed the playoffs about 16 times, including 6 in a row from 1996 to 2001. Those six straight playoff misses are more than the Lakers have had in their entire history. That's why I would consider the Lakers to be the #1 franchise in NBA history (acknowledging that nothing will ever match the Celtics' sustained level of league dominance during the Russell era).

I know Dwight is happy to be outta Orlando because he wasn't gonna win a championship there. Now he has a chance to win a championship with one of the best players which is Kobe. He's also playing with a good smart point guard which is Steve Nash even though he's old. This is Steve and Kobe's last chance at trying to get a championship because they're old. So if they don't get a championship in a few years, they'll probably retire. Pau Gasol is also starting to get older. Dwight is still young. So i wonder if he's gonna stay with the Lakers when Kobe retires.