Us vs. the Lakers (and every other team) in the future

[Gyp Rosetti]

I keep reading "Would he have gotten us past the Lakers? No..." And these sentiments for whatever players have been mentioned are true. Udoh, Aldrich, Henry. None of them would have helped even close to enough to get us past the Lakers this year or next. However, do we build a team to contend vs. the Lakers? That seems idiotic. In 2-3 years time, they won't be the same team. Kobe will be a step or two slower imo, Bynum may or may not be in a wheelchair, Artest may or may not be there. Hell, Phil's almost certainly gone. So to continue to say we need to build our team in a way that matches directly up with the Lakers is just silly imo.

What happens when the Lakers are no longer that team and the Thunder (hypothetically) are. We'll say we need to get quicker and longer? We'' say we need to get someone like AK in his prime to guard Durant? We need to trade Deron because he's a step too slow to guard Westbrook?

C'mon.

I'm the first person to be frustrated at our deficiencies and just how good the Lakers roster has been built. #1 player in the league. A top 3-5 big in the league. An insanely horrendous matchup for any team with Odom. A 22 year old 7 footer with skill and size. A very good defender with the mindset and toughness that should come with that in Artest...it's insane...but there will be a time when the torch is passed and we and every other team are chasing someone else.

Sorry, I'm not quite sure the exact reason why I started this thread. It wasn't to vent. I suppose it was to just put that idea out there that the Lakers are "human" and will succumb to some other team in the near future. It happens all the time. And to build our Jazz to match up vs. them is dumb. We need to get as many players as possible who are athletic, long, skilled, and have that passion to win. I know, Cap'n Obvious. Just sayin'.

 

[TheMulletMutilator]

You bring up some excellent points. I hate the excuses this board has for drafting Hayward. We aren't going to beat the Lakers but shouldn't that be what we are working towards and how does Hayward help us in that aspect. We can't match up with their bigs at all and it's not even fun to watch them get offensive rebound after offensive rebound because they have a half a foot on some of our guys. We should have picked a big.

 

[Gyp Rosetti]

You bring up some excellent points. I hate the excuses this board has for drafting Hayward. We aren't going to beat the Lakers but shouldn't that be what we are working towards and how does Hayward help us in that aspect. We can't match up with their bigs at all and it's not even fun to watch them get offensive rebound after offensive rebound because they have a half a foot on some of our guys. We should have picked a big.

How long 'til that big can truly contribute? 2-3 years...by which time, like I said, we may be chasing the Thunder.

Unless it was Favors or Cousins, none of those bigs even make a dent in the Lakers for a year or two. Maybe Aldrich.

 

[Ferguson_Mellochill]

Aldrich won't make a dent really. Tomic might. His upside is Pau Gasol. Give him a year or two.

The teams to compete with are the Thunder, the Blazers, the Bulls (if they get Lebron & Bosh), the Kings (if Cousins pans out), and the Magic.

Any contending team needs a top 5 big, a top 8 wing player, and a good PG, which we have for the moment.

 

[Ben10]

I agree with this tread in that taking a big that was still on the board at nine really doesn't help us right now. In 3 years when the Lakers are starting to go down we finally get a big man developed that can play against them. But now there are 3 other teams above us that we can't match up with.

If the Jazz were healthy this year I still think they could have beat any team in the playoffs except the Lakers.

 

[carolinajazz]

....some good points in this thread being discussed! Like the Jazz of old, with Stockton and Malone.....WE put together a team that the OTHER guys have to beat! Let's not worry about what they have, let's just get the best athletic, team oriented, fast, quick, big, smart players we can....and let the OTHER teams worry about matching up with us!

 

[Mambo]

Past Champions

Lakers Gasol Bynum
Lakers Gasol Bynum
Celtics KG Perkins
Spurs Duncan
Heat Shaq
Spurs Duncan
Pistons Wallace & Wallace
Spurs Duncan Robinson
Lakers Shaq
Lakers Shaq
Lakers Shaq
Spurs Duncan Robinson


Look the excuse of getting a big man just to beat the lakers is BS. To win a championship having a defensive/ scoring threat big is necessary excluding the Bulls rings where they have the GOAT.

Drafting Aldrich mightve not been as explosive or Offensive scoring as we needed or what hayward can provide. But he is a defensive minded Big that couldve developed into a Perkins/Wallace player

WE NEED A BIG TO WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP unless we are stacked at 3 positions with 3 superstar/all stars which we dont have.

 

[Ferguson_Mellochill]

Totally agree.

If you look at the Lakers, they got bounced in the first round of the playoffs two years in a row (to Phoenix). Kobe was having MVP years both seasons. Once the Lakers got Pau Gasol, they went to the NBA Finals three years in a row and won the championship twice. Otherwise, they were basically the same, identical team that used to get the #7 or 8 seed and lose in the first round. Say what you want about Kobe/Lamar/Fisher/Ariza/Artest, etc., but Pau was the real difference on that team.

Likewise, Shaq was the difference between the Heat going out in the first or second round and winning a championship. It just took them a year or two to get past Detroit, who wasn't a great team, but was good enough with steely defense to win the chip in a down year.

The year David Robinson was injurred, the Spurs went from a 2nd-round playoff team to one of the worst teams in the league, which is why they were able to win the lottery and draft Tim Duncan.

I'm not saying the Jazz have had the chance to get a big-time PF or C during this rebuilding process so far, but they spent their chips on AK, Boozer and Okur. Along with Williams, it made them one of the top 4 or 5 teams in the West and one of the top 7 or 8 teams in the league, but it can't really take them further.

 

[//r00t 4 Jazz]

Yep I agree with most everything being said here, it bugs me that nobody ever remembers (or at least mentions) the short comings of LA Kobe's pre Gasol, also it isn't reasonable to expect the Jazz or almost any other team to get the "breaks" LA did to build their team.

It took 2 things that haven't happened in modern basketball history (or at least that I can remember) 1 Fisher being released from his contract the way he was (no buy out) and free to sign with any team and that so called "trade" for Gasol that again a franchise PF/C being traded for draft picks, cap fillers including a player that was coaching another team.

Fisher the only problem Jazz fans had with him is Sloan playing him at SG and his salary was a bit over priced. Obviously he is the smaller part of that and LA maybe could've won 1 championship without him being included but maybe not looking at their other PG's and he is that glue tough guy every team likes to have. Like I said the circumstances and the way he was released has never happened in modern CBA history and just so happens it would need to be approved by the players union and who is the president of the players union? Fisher

 

[Chad Feldheimer]

Past Champions

Lakers Gasol Bynum
Lakers Gasol Bynum
Celtics KG Perkins
Spurs Duncan
Heat Shaq
Spurs Duncan
Pistons Wallace & Wallace
Spurs Duncan Robinson
Lakers Shaq
Lakers Shaq
Lakers Shaq
Spurs Duncan Robinson


Look the excuse of getting a big man just to beat the lakers is BS. To win a championship having a defensive/ scoring threat big is necessary excluding the Bulls rings where they have the GOAT.

Drafting Aldrich mightve not been as explosive or Offensive scoring as we needed or what hayward can provide. But he is a defensive minded Big that couldve developed into a Perkins/Wallace player

WE NEED A BIG TO WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP unless we are stacked at 3 positions with 3 superstar/all stars which we dont have.

That must really hurt as a Portland fan huh?



Also I guess Kobe, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Wade, Parker, or Gionobili weren't reasons huh? Perkins was more important that Paul Pierce? Yeah ok....