The Los Angeles Lakers

[IndyHawk]

I hope they take the three point shot away personally at some point, it would change the dynamics back to guys working harder on different skill sets, like rebounding, boxing out and getting your own shot off.

Not to say some of the players today can't but overall the league skill set is diminished from what the game intentions were, imagine the NFL without any Defensive or offensive line do to speak, Arena Football.

The overall skill-set required to be in the league today is so far superior to what it was its mind-boggling. Joel Embiid and Anthony Davis are both 7 footers who can dribble, hit the midrange, post up, rebound, and shoot 3s. They would absolutely dominate any era. Here's the difference, If you were a 7 footer in the 80s - 90s you camped near the basket to protect the paint. In today's game teams scheme their offense to isolate those big guys on perimeter guys, so if they don't have the skill to guard on the perimeter it really doesn't matter how great they are at rebounding or scoring. They are bench players in the modern NBA.
You see this show up with a guy like Boban Marjanovic. He's an advanced stat god. He'd be one of the 20 best players in the league in the 90s. He barely plays 10 minutes a game in the modern NBA.

[youtube]CZqyEHErXMc[/youtube]

I can post guys from the past who in their prime with todays
special training whatever you call it could do the same and play defense..Three Sonics come to mind
Detlef Shremph,Jack Sikma and Sam Perkins and theres Wilt who would be an absolute monster in
his prime playing today..This is all of course under the easier rules of today and basically street ball
three point shooting most of the game..You do forget the rules have changed and defense is not a
priority anymore..I agree the big men like Shaq would be on the bench today but you say it yourself
that they have to go away from paint..Flipside to this is a lot of the players you see today wouldn't be
stars as you don't shoot 30 3's like Curry and not play defense period..That takes out quite a few
other players also and makes them bench players..You had to be tough and it was harder by far
to score under 70-2000 rules..The Ron Artest fight changed a lot of things.

 

[mrt144]

They suck, and so does the NBA, but go Raptors if that makes any sense.

It makes all the sense. I grew up on Warriors basketball and it was awful. They ran promotions with Roundtable Pizza where if they scored over 120 the whole crowd got free personal pan pizzas. I can count on 2 fingers how often that happened in about 10 dozen games.

So I have rooted for them at a distance, knowing they aren't really 'my team' any longer but all my buds were having the time of their lives soaking it in.

No more!

Go Raptors. Shame them.

 

[knownone]

I hope they take the three point shot away personally at some point, it would change the dynamics back to guys working harder on different skill sets, like rebounding, boxing out and getting your own shot off.

Not to say some of the players today can't but overall the league skill set is diminished from what the game intentions were, imagine the NFL without any Defensive or offensive line do to speak, Arena Football.

The overall skill-set required to be in the league today is so far superior to what it was its mind-boggling. Joel Embiid and Anthony Davis are both 7 footers who can dribble, hit the midrange, post up, rebound, and shoot 3s. They would absolutely dominate any era. Here's the difference, If you were a 7 footer in the 80s - 90s you camped near the basket to protect the paint. In today's game teams scheme their offense to isolate those big guys on perimeter guys, so if they don't have the skill to guard on the perimeter it really doesn't matter how great they are at rebounding or scoring. They are bench players in the modern NBA.
You see this show up with a guy like Boban Marjanovic. He's an advanced stat god. He'd be one of the 20 best players in the league in the 90s. He barely plays 10 minutes a game in the modern NBA.

[youtube]CZqyEHErXMc[/youtube]

I can post guys from the past who in their prime with todays
special training whatever you call it could do the same and play defense..Three Sonics come to mind
Detlef Shremph,Jack Sikma and Sam Perkins and theres Wilt who would be an absolute monster in
his prime playing today..This is all of course under the easier rules of today and basically street ball
three point shooting most of the game..You do forget the rules have changed and defense is not a
priority anymore..I agree the big men like Shaq would be on the bench today but you say it yourself
that they have to go away from paint..Flipside to this is a lot of the players you see today wouldn't be
stars as you don't shoot 30 3's like Curry and not play defense period..That takes out quite a few
other players also and makes them bench players..You had to be tough and it was harder by far
to score under 70-2000 rules..The Ron Artest fight changed a lot of things.

Are we talking about raw athletes or skill sets? I'm not saying the athletes today are significantly better than they were in the past. I'm saying they've grown up with better training at younger ages and have better overall skill sets.

I've been diving into the narrative that it was harder to play in 70s-00s. The league was certainly more physical, but the numbers don't really back up the idea that defense is worse now. In fact, this season is the only season this decade that exceeds or even comes close to the average points per game in the 1980's. From 1995-2016 is the lowest scoring stretch in the NBA since the 1946-1957 seasons.

 

[IndyHawk]

I hope they take the three point shot away personally at some point, it would change the dynamics back to guys working harder on different skill sets, like rebounding, boxing out and getting your own shot off.

Not to say some of the players today can't but overall the league skill set is diminished from what the game intentions were, imagine the NFL without any Defensive or offensive line do to speak, Arena Football.

The overall skill-set required to be in the league today is so far superior to what it was its mind-boggling. Joel Embiid and Anthony Davis are both 7 footers who can dribble, hit the midrange, post up, rebound, and shoot 3s. They would absolutely dominate any era. Here's the difference, If you were a 7 footer in the 80s - 90s you camped near the basket to protect the paint. In today's game teams scheme their offense to isolate those big guys on perimeter guys, so if they don't have the skill to guard on the perimeter it really doesn't matter how great they are at rebounding or scoring. They are bench players in the modern NBA.
You see this show up with a guy like Boban Marjanovic. He's an advanced stat god. He'd be one of the 20 best players in the league in the 90s. He barely plays 10 minutes a game in the modern NBA.

[youtube]CZqyEHErXMc[/youtube]

I can post guys from the past who in their prime with todays
special training whatever you call it could do the same and play defense..Three Sonics come to mind
Detlef Shremph,Jack Sikma and Sam Perkins and theres Wilt who would be an absolute monster in
his prime playing today..This is all of course under the easier rules of today and basically street ball
three point shooting most of the game..You do forget the rules have changed and defense is not a
priority anymore..I agree the big men like Shaq would be on the bench today but you say it yourself
that they have to go away from paint..Flipside to this is a lot of the players you see today wouldn't be
stars as you don't shoot 30 3's like Curry and not play defense period..That takes out quite a few
other players also and makes them bench players..You had to be tough and it was harder by far
to score under 70-2000 rules..The Ron Artest fight changed a lot of things.

Are we talking about raw athletes or skill sets? I'm not saying the athletes today are significantly better than they were in the past. I'm saying they've grown up with better training at younger ages and have better overall skill sets.

I've been diving into the narrative that it was harder to play in 70s-00s. The league was certainly more physical, but the numbers don't really back up the idea that defense is worse now. In fact, this season is the only season this decade that exceeds or even comes close to the average points per game in the 1980's. From 1995-2016 is the lowest scoring stretch in the NBA since the 1946-1957 seasons.

On bold I can agree with you on for todays players..I do question the toughness when they
hurt things I never heard of and miss a lot..
I'm not sure we agree on defense..When I see every game is over 100 just about ,I question
the rules and players worrying just about energy for scoring..I know the Three point spacing
leads to easy inside buckets so there is that..

 

[Vesuve]

Anybody here care about the NBA?

Anybody here follow the Lakers??

I'm a Seattle born and raised on Sonics basketball but since the Sonics left, years later, I started following the Lakers (I love the city of Los Angeles).

Currently, if you are following the Lakers, they are a complete mess.

I wish Jeannie Buss would hire me to be second in charge of the Lakers basketball operations.

I'd turn that team around so fast, they'll be winning (playoff games) again in 3-5 years.

Championship in 6-7 years. Tops!

I'm born raised in the Seattle area too, love LA to have fun and lived there for a year.
I casually follow the Lakers because we've been teamless in Seattle 10 Years.....

Cheers.

 

[Threedee]

I just root for whoever is playing OKC. Beyond that, my nostalgia is for the Celtics, rather than the Lakers. It was fun seeing the Raptors beat the Warriors this last time. I don't even dislike the Warriors, but, they were getting tiresome.

 

[Bobblehead]

Anybody here care about the NBA?

Anybody here follow the Lakers??

I'm a Seattle born and raised on Sonics basketball but since the Sonics left, years later, I started following the Lakers (I love the city of Los Angeles).!

Why do you love LA? It's the worst sports town in the country and IMO doesn't deserve success.

It's a sports city of all the assholes from other cities who move there to be even bigger sports assholes...........they talk mad crap about how LA isn't like <fill in Philly, NY, Boston, Chicago, etc), yet when the Lakers, Dodgers or Angels are doing well they won't shut up. But then when they suck, it's back to "oh well I'm from Boston, so I love me some Red Sox anyway."

Screw the Lakers, and all LA sports teams. Their fans are garbage, if they even bother to show up before halftime or the 5th inning.

Hows that different from Seattle?