Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2020 8:27 pm Post subject: League going “BIG” because of the Lakers
The league has definitely gone bigger to copy and counter the Lakers.
HOU, the smallest team last season, by adding Boogie and Wood, both basically 7 footers, now actually play bigger than the current Lakers.
Even the Clippers who would play small ball in the 4th are now bigger with Ibaka and Zubac taking turns.
Aside from GSW, looks like every team in the NBA now has at least 2 big men in their rotations, but GSW, the team everyone started copying their small ball 5 years ago just drafted a 7’1 center. _________________
Our small ball was always big because AD/LeBron are freaks. That's the challenge for teams. Can you play with our speed while also combatting our strength and size?
Joined: 19 Nov 2007 Posts: 4369 Location: Lake Nacimiento
Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2020 9:07 pm Post subject:
DancingBarry wrote:
Our small ball was always big because AD/LeBron are freaks. That's the challenge for teams. Can you play with our speed while also combatting our strength and size?
Yup, it's why I was a little worried at the possibility of Dallas getting Giannis especially being in the West with him and Luka being so young. That extension to keep him in Milwaukee was huge for the Lakers.
In the regular season I see it possibly helping some teams against us but once the Playoffs roll around and AD slides to center as much as necessary there's no team that matches up to us really well this season.
I will say i'm curious to see how we play the Nuggets once we get into the season a bit.
Our small ball was always big because AD/LeBron are freaks. That's the challenge for teams. Can you play with our speed while also combatting our strength and size?
This. Small ball was just a quick way to bring guard skill to all five positions and with skilled, athletic bigs at a premium, especially five years ago, a lot of teams thought they could emulate GSW without realizing that Draymond Green is a special passer and big man defender they couldn't develop out of any 6'8 PF that came into the league.*
* Looking at you, Luke. _________________ Under New Management
Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2020 9:18 pm Post subject: Re: League going “BIG” because of the Lakers
Nash Vegas wrote:
The league has definitely gone bigger to copy and counter the Lakers.
HOU, the smallest team last season, by adding Boogie and Wood, both basically 7 footers, now actually play bigger than the current Lakers.
Even the Clippers who would play small ball in the 4th are now bigger with Ibaka and Zubac taking turns.
Aside from GSW, looks like every team in the NBA now has at least 2 big men in their rotations, but GSW, the team everyone started copying their small ball 5 years ago just drafted a 7’1 center.
Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2020 9:52 pm Post subject: Re: League going “BIG” because of the Lakers
cal1piggy wrote:
Nash Vegas wrote:
The league has definitely gone bigger to copy and counter the Lakers.
HOU, the smallest team last season, by adding Boogie and Wood, both basically 7 footers, now actually play bigger than the current Lakers.
Even the Clippers who would play small ball in the 4th are now bigger with Ibaka and Zubac taking turns.
Aside from GSW, looks like every team in the NBA now has at least 2 big men in their rotations, but GSW, the team everyone started copying their small ball 5 years ago just drafted a 7’1 center.
yet we have gotten smaller
At one position _________________ Under New Management
Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2020 10:20 pm Post subject: Re: League going “BIG” because of the Lakers
Nash Vegas wrote:
The league has definitely gone bigger to copy and counter the Lakers.
HOU, the smallest team last season, by adding Boogie and Wood, both basically 7 footers, now actually play bigger than the current Lakers.
Even the Clippers who would play small ball in the 4th are now bigger with Ibaka and Zubac taking turns.
Aside from GSW, looks like every team in the NBA now has at least 2 big men in their rotations, but GSW, the team everyone started copying their small ball 5 years ago just drafted a 7’1 center.
Two teams sign no-brainer free agents and that demonstrates the "league is doing big because of the Lakers"?
Joined: 13 Apr 2001 Posts: 5470 Location: A room with a view!
Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2020 8:29 am Post subject: Re: League going “BIG” because of the Lakers
Nash Vegas wrote:
The league has definitely gone bigger to copy and counter the Lakers.
HOU, the smallest team last season, by adding Boogie and Wood, both basically 7 footers, now actually play bigger than the current Lakers.
Even the Clippers who would play small ball in the 4th are now bigger with Ibaka and Zubac taking turns.
Aside from GSW, looks like every team in the NBA now has at least 2 big men in their rotations, but GSW, the team everyone started copying their small ball 5 years ago just drafted a 7’1 center.
The league has always been big. What the Warriors did was something that only they could do (with Clay and Curry). Others tried to copy it but who has successfully duplicated it? The league went small because there was a period of mediocre bigs and Clay and Curry were running roughshod over the league.
The Lakers have ALWAYS been about having great center play and great guard play. That has NEVER changed. This current Laker team can play both big and small which presents a HUGE problem for the rest of the league.
I never thought what the Warriors were doing was sustainable. It was great for them, but not sustainable. _________________ Let them HATE so long as they FEAR!
Christian Wood looked really good last night for the Rockets.
Houston playing big is a totally different team from last season.
If Harden stays, they could be a top 3 team in the West.
Wood did look good. What didn't look or sound good, not that I care, is the announcer yelling "who needs James Harden?" after a Wood basket. That was tacky.
I don’t know if the Lakers are really influencing anyone’s free agent decisions. Even those teams know the Lakers are winning everything for the next few years.
We killed the following narratives that had developed over the past few years.
1- A star bigman star guard combo is not going to work, as now it is a guard-wing players league when it comes to titles.
2- Posting up is outdated, see Bron-AD post up all playoffs.
3- You can not start legit Cs and play AD at 4 (we did it all RS, and half of the playoffs).
4- Bron can not play PG, that he needs someone like Wade-Kyrie to create for him.
There were more, but when we gave Houston that beatdown and won the title soon after, you knew the league was gonna try to start copying the Lakers.
What it is always been about is talent. If you have talented bigs, who defend, they will always be valuable. Teams forgot that. Lakers reminded everyone about that. Its not like the Vlade Divacs of the NBA won the titles in June. It was the Shaqs, Duncans, Garnetts. Those are freakish talents, and we have one in now in AD.
Actually if you go back to last year, the Raptors even played big. Ibaka-Gasol-Kawhi is a big time front line, as is Ibaka-Kawhi-Pascal. The Warriors title teams were great, but the Raptors team and the Lakers team last year were also outstanding. There are many ways to win, if your talent plays together. I still do not understand when the whole "Shoot only 3s or layups" thing will officially end. A great open mid-range shot, should be taken, for a NBA level basketball player, that's like a FT. A forced mid-range shot is just as bad as a forced 3 point shot. If you're a great mid-range shooter, isolate from there. If you are good at taking 3 pointers, take it from there. However to box yourself in to 3 pointers or layups, makes you so easy to defend come playoffs. The Lakers team was special last year as they played from all parts of the court - 3 pointers, mid-range and inside. Floor balance + elite talent = rings.
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