Is this team as good as it gets?

[Minstrel]

What I tried to say is that if Oden had stayed healthy this year he probably would look a lot like Camby does now - great defensive numbers, clogs the middle, mediocre offense. So even with Camby we see a glimpse, a hint, of what the future might look like I think.

And if that is true, then this does not look like a team that is a championship team, sorry to say.

I don't think that's true. Camby is a great rebounder and weak side defender. He isn't nearly as good as Oden as a man defender and he doesn't have Oden's offensive presence.

Oden is still far from a star offensive performer, but he's hard to stop near the hoop and attracts frequent double-teams. Double-teams in the paint are a godsend to an offense.

Even in terms of shot-blocking/shot-altering, Oden brings more. Camby is more of a sniper...comes from the blind side to swat away the shots of the unwary. He's not an intimidating presence in the middle that makes players think twice about going to the hoop or makes players alter their shots due to his being there. Oden can block shots coming from the weak side, but he also makes players wary of driving it toward him.

 

[Denny Crane]

I feel where Stevenson is coming from. For me it comes down to Aldrdige. He has been advertised and paid as one of the faces of the franchise.

I've been a Aldrdige fan from the get go, but I'm getting concerned if he is one of the big three. To me that means a player taht will produce game in and game out. Lately I don't know if he is capable of that (the smiles while he is struggling and the game is close doesn't help, IMO).

At the begining of the year, the future looked so bright with Roy, Aldridge and th potential of Oden at the big three. Those three don't seem to have the luster they had at the begining of the year.

But maybe next year coming in not as the team of the future but as a team on the bubble of playoffs will give this team a different focus.

Championship teams need a big 4, not a big 3.

Lakers: Kobe, Gasol, Odom, Bynum (and Artest)
Celtics: Garnett, Allen, Pierce, Rondo

If you have LMA as one of your big 4, you're doing fine.

 

[Ed O]

What I tried to say is that if Oden had stayed healthy this year he probably would look a lot like Camby does now - great defensive numbers, clogs the middle, mediocre offense. So even with Camby we see a glimpse, a hint, of what the future might look like I think.

Oden draws double-teams. Camby does not. Oden's got a 118 Offensive Rating, while Camby's is 87 with the Blazers. Oden is just a far superior offensive player.

And he's YEARS from his prime.

I like the Camby pickup and he's a huge upgrade over Howard, but I don't think that a healthy Oden's ceiling is anywhere nearly limited to what the current Marcus Camby is... and a Roy and Aldridge should get better, too, along with the younger guys.

Ed O.

 

[KingSpeed]

I don't even think it has to be a tough PF type. It just as to be somebody who is tough, period. Too many nice guys on this team.

Lakers don't have any "tough" in their frontcourt and they won last year. Pau is as soft as they come. And Odom is one of the most inconsistent players in the league. Bynum completely disappears when the chips are on the table.

 

[KingSpeed]

Championship teams need a big 4, not a big 3.

Lakers: Kobe, Gasol, Odom, Bynum (and Artest)
Celtics: Garnett, Allen, Pierce, Rondo

If you have LMA as one of your big 4, you're doing fine.

You've gotta be kidding me. Bynum doesn't qualify as a part of a Big anything. He averaged 6 pts and 4 rebs in the playoffs last year. Also, the Spurs didn't have a big 4 when they won. The Rockets didn't have a big 4 when they won. The Bulls didn't have a big 4 when they won. And the 2000-02 Lakers didn't have a big 4 when they won. Please.

 

[shamelessblazer]

I would really like to package Pryzbilla/Bayless for a PG prospect Conley and a future pick? Something with Rubio (to come over the year after next)? Etc...

But I honestly would love to see a roster of this:

Miller/Koponen/Mills
Roy/Fernandez
Batum/Webster
Aldridge/Cunningham/Howard
Oden/Camby/Pendergraph

Get to mature a bit, grow together, develop chemistry, and play consistent minutes. I'm (one of the few) thinking that we have all we need, we just need chemistry, consistency, defined roles, and a bit of motion in the offense. I'm not sure if Mcmillan (or Roy's willingness to play a little more off the ball) can provide that, but our future is still bright.