Will The Lakers Make the Playoffs?

[Mitchell]

As we all know, this is Phil Jackson's first season back coaching the Lakers, after his one year retirement. Right now, the Western Conference is very tightly packed. My question here is, will the Lakers make the playoffs?
I say, that yes, they will, but it may well be in the number eight position, where they could end up with a first round matchup like Dallas or San Antonio.
I am going to post a poll with this, the question being, will the Lakers make the playoffs.

Mitch

 

[ticklingfeet4fu]

Mitchell as much as it pains me to admit it, yeah, they will make the playoffs. I see there are still teams in the chase for the last few spots but they will make it. I actually think that the reason will be because of ( again hate to admit it ) Kobe. I think he will lead them to the playoffs. They won't go very far, but they will get there. I know when Primetime reads what I have written he is going to laugh to himself. But I MUST remain honest with myself. I am not a fan of Kobe but he is right now the one reason the Lakers are even in it.

 

[Soulfly]

I don't think so. It will be close, but I doubt it.

 

[primetime]

i know everybody knew i was going to reply to this thread. will the Lakers make the playoffs? honestly, i have no freakin' clue. this has been one aggravating year.

Kobe Bryant is the man, but as we all know, he cant do it by himself. the Lakers have got to be the most inconsistent team in the NBA. i mean, one day they can beat Detroit, San Antonio and Miami and the next day, they lose to Boston, Atlanta and Portland. this season is up and down, up and down and up and down. i know this for sure, here in the LA area, we talk about the Lakers everyday. we are not the most confident bunch right now and with good reason.

Kobe is great, but he is getting fatigued. for most of the season, he has been the most consistent Laker. unfortunately, his teammates are the very definition of inconsistent. Lamar Odom goes way up and way down. Kwame Brown, is well, Kwame Brown. Smush Parker disappears, Luke Walton is erratic and Chris Mihm is foul prone.

now, Odom is playing consistently well, Kwame is actually worth a little something with his defense and the rest of the team is still okay. but Kobe is not hitting his shots. he's tired. you cant carry a team the whole year. playoffs maybe, but not the regular season. so, making the playoffs will be a challenge. i now watch Laker games and wonder if they are going to win. if they do make the playoffs, then who knows what will happen. this is one erratic team.

 

[ticklingfeet4fu]

i know everybody knew i was going to reply to this thread. will the Lakers make the playoffs? honestly, i have no freakin' clue. this has been one aggravating year.

Kobe Bryant is the man, but as we all know, he cant do it by himself. the Lakers have got to be the most inconsistent team in the NBA. i mean, one day they can beat Detroit, San Antonio and Miami and the next day, they lose to Boston, Atlanta and Portland. this season is up and down, up and down and up and down. i know this for sure, here in the LA area, we talk about the Lakers everyday. we are not the most confident bunch right now and with good reason.

Kobe is great, but he is getting fatigued. for most of the season, he has been the most consistent Laker. unfortunately, his teammates are the very definition of inconsistent. Lamar Odom goes way up and way down. Kwame Brown, is well, Kwame Brown. Smush Parker disappears, Luke Walton is erratic and Chris Mihm is foul prone.

now, Odom is playing consistently well, Kwame is actually worth a little something with his defense and the rest of the team is still okay. but Kobe is not hitting his shots. he's tired. you cant carry a team the whole year. playoffs maybe, but not the regular season. so, making the playoffs will be a challenge. i now watch Laker games and wonder if they are going to win. if they do make the playoffs, then who knows what will happen. this is one erratic team.

Very rarely am I surprised by an answer only because most people are pretty predictable. But your answer stuns me. I figured you would at least give the Lakers a playoff birth. I figured you would have them get knocked out in the the playoffs. I am surprised you are saying they might not make it for the second straight year. What does that say for Phil Jackson though Prime if he can't get this team into the playoffs??? And what does it say for Kobe??? Then what does the Shaq factor really mean to the Lakers? ( Please note Prime, I am not trying to rehash last spring. ) Does it give more to the idea that Jackson's system being reintroduced without Shaq doesn't work without Shaq or another superstar??? I still feel they will get in the playoffs. But if they don't, do Laker fans start to question the Shaq factor???

 

[primetime]

actually, the reason why i have doubts is because the team is so damn inconsistent. again, we can beat Detroit, Miami and San Antonio, but we lose to Atlanta, Boston and New Orleans. talk about banging your head on the wall.

as for the "Shaq" factor, it really has nothing to do with him. keep in mind, look at the people Shaq always had around him. in Orlando, he had Penny Hardaway and Nick Anderson, who were considered really good players and they were at that time. look at the Lakers. he had Kobe, Horry, Fisher, Fox and for one year, Malone and Payton. look at Miami, he has Payton, Wade, Antoine Walker, Jason Williams, Alonzo Mourning, etc. Shaq ALWAYS has good talent around him. it's not Shaq that makes the team better, it's the damn GM.

look at these Lakers. you have Kobe Bryant. and? yeah, Odom doesnt exactly strike fear and Kwame Brown is and will probably always be a bust. is there anyone on the Lakers that you would trust with the ball in the closing seconds besides Kobe Bryant? nope. that's why we have doubt.

these Lakers are being designed like the Bulls. where the primary scorer is a guard, not the center. so, Phil and Kobe need a "Pippen" in order to make this work. granted, Lamar Odom has been playing really well and if he can keep it going, then these Lakers make the playoffs and in the future, will really be a team to reckon with. Phil has a team full of misfits and for them even to be in the position that they are in now is a testament to his coaching abilities. but the Lakers are one GOOD player, not necessarily GREAT, but a GOOD player away from getting over the hump. i pray Mitch Kupchak gets that player.

 

[tickletoy3]

I think a bigger question would be "Will the Playoffs miss the Lakers?"

You know.. showtime? Hollywood? The Laker Girls? A chance to highlight 81? Pay tribute to Phil Jackson for leading a team on the edge of collapse to yet again, the NBA playoffs? Show the backstage drama between Phil and Kobe? How do they really get along?

Hey, just TV food for thought. Ratings people, ratings.

 

[primetime]

if the Lakers do make the playoffs, it would be a major feat. before the season, i claimed they were going to make playoffs, but then during the season, i had a lot of doubts. the Lakers are too inconsistent. right now, they are playing well (again), but myself as well as fellow Laker fans are wondering if they are going to go back into a funk again. they have 13 games left. if they have a winning record, they should be in the playoffs. now once they get into the playoffs, who knows. Kobe Bryant is one of the best players in the NBA, if not the best. i still think the Lakers are one good player away from being a championship team.

 

[Strider]

It'd be nice, they're coming off a three-game streak, and obviously I'll be hoping they beat the Hornets tonight, but they've been spotty this season, to put it mildly.