Quote:
Originally Posted by andyduckets
to be honest, if u take kobe away this year, the lakers would still be in the top 8 or 9, and could make a legitimate push come play off time (especially if they had paou)
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I dont know about that one man....its only like a 4 game difference from 1st to 10th in the west. No Kobe almost certainly means no playoff chance for the lakers. Even if they were lucky enough to make the playoffs without him, they couldnt win a 7 game series against any of the top 8.
Golden State is a badass team and they are fighting just to make the post season this year, as is Denver....both of which have a solid group of guys.
Kobe does more than just score points and defend, as does Lebron. Those guys are floor generals out there...they keep their teams together and make the other guys play at a higher level. Jordan provided the same lift for Chicago and there really isnt a stat for that kind of thing.
I think the Lakers would be lost without Kobe and the Cavs would be lost without James. Again, Kobe gets the edge because they play out west where the talent is just unbelievable. The only two eastern teams that could make the playoffs in the west would be Detroit and Boston, and even those teams would probably be 5 or 6 seeds there year.
The lakers have a tough stretch comin up and if the they can hold that #1 spot when its all said and done, they should give it to Kobe.