Is anyone concerned with our lack of speed?

It's a huge concern. It's not about speed, it's about our lack of athleticism. It's glaring. And with Farmar gone and Brown possibly gone, it's going to be even a bigger issue. No, having athletic players doesn't mean you have to run an up tempo offense. It just means that you CAN when needed and CAN defend it when needed. The NBA is a game full of some of the best athletes in the world. The fact that we played the Celtics kind of hid this flaw because they play such a grind it out style. But you have to have some of that natural athleticism on your team. We direly need a Ariza type player off the bench. I just hope the FO didn't miss this because of the Celtics series.

Kobe Bryant 8 wrote:

puffyusaf#2 wrote:not really since the Lakers aren't a run and gun team like that.

Speed is more than just scoring in transition. It's taking people off the dribble, it's getting into passing lanes, etc.

Not to mention, people who can move without the basketball, slashing to the basket, providing help defense, jumping passing lanes and running down a loose ball. When you don't have any athleticism, you limit your team. We can pound it like no one can but we sacrifice this for speed/athleticism. I think maybe too much.

Athleticism also allows you to score in ways that you couldn't without it. A lot of them are of the easy variety. You can't grind and pound on every possession. Sometimes you need to get some easy points. The Celtics could run because they had Rhondo. If we lose Farmar and Brown, we will really have no one on the wing who can run the break and stretch defenses. Think about some of the fast break points Farmar/Brown got for us in the playoffs. Some of them can change momentum and ignite teams.

Barnes could give us some much needed speed in our second unit.

Our lack of quickness is a concern. But I'm confident that Mitch will address that need in due time. Whether it be re-signing Shannon, adding Gerald Green or signing someone else, Mitch will handle it. Besides, we're the freakin' LOS ANGELES LAKERS! In the end, we always get what we want!

We're like the Spurs now, we've lost our young athletic talented and will have some trouble flowing up and down the court. Plus, we'll all look like chuckers...

One of the hallmarks of our Lakers for the last few seasons has been the ability to play up-tempo 100+ scoring games if we wanted to do that, or to play grind-it-out, heavy footed defensive games if we wanted to do that. It was one of the most talked about things about what made this team special. There was no singular 'counter' that worked consistently enough to shut us down for a full series.

But, it seems like, between 2008 and today, the team has receded from having athleticism, speed and countless scoring options to being generally a slower, older, tougher squad. The good news is that this team has more experience than any other team in the league right now. The best leadership, the best veterans and the best 'poise' to be continued champions(or at the very least, strong contenders). If you're going to have a slower team, that is the best thing you can hope for, that you also have experience, savvy and toughness to make up for the lack in raw athleticism. This Lakers team has that in spades. No other team really comes close(Boston is a somewhat distant second).

The downside is that even a team like Boston still has their Rondo, a guy who is arguably one of the fastest and most competent (at speed) players in the game. So, although most of their game isn't based on speed, they have 'that guy' who can really light it up, and true to form, Boston is kind of a fast break oriented team, it's just their 'fast' is a few steps slower than say, the Nuggets, Suns, Thunder or Magic.

So, with that in mind. I hope we retain Shannon, and I hope he works his [Swearing is not permitted at Clublakers. You must edit this post prior to submitting.] off with a group this summer. I think Shannon has all the raw talent you'd hope for in a basketball player, but his biggest flaws are his court awareness, decision making and passing abilities. He's otherwise a competent ball handler, a decent shooter(notably off-the-dribble which is an increasingly rare talent in today's league) an outstanding physical freak of an athlete, and he's got pretty good size. I feel like he really could be doing a lot more for us as a #1 guard or a #2 guard. It's just a question of raising his B-ball IQ. If we can get a better Shannon Brown next season, and if Sasha retains that edge he finished last season with, then I'll feel pretty good about this team being otherwise 'slow'.

Is anyone concerned with our lack of speed?

Yes.

That was my initial comment on the Blake thread.

Who will we have who can stay in front of quicker guards like Brooks, Westbrook, et al?

Yup. I mentioned it after we got word of the Blake signing. Great signing but right now our roster has zero speed/athleticism.

KDRPAL wrote:One of the hallmarks of our Lakers for the last few seasons has been the ability to play up-tempo 100+ scoring games if we wanted to do that, or to play grind-it-out, heavy footed defensive games if we wanted to do that. It was one of the most talked about things about what made this team special. There was no singular 'counter' that worked consistently enough to shut us down for a full series.

But, it seems like, between 2008 and today, the team has receded from having athleticism, speed and countless scoring options to being generally a slower, older, tougher squad. The good news is that this team has more experience than any other team in the league right now. The best leadership, the best veterans and the best 'poise' to be continued champions(or at the very least, strong contenders). If you're going to have a slower team, that is the best thing you can hope for, that you also have experience, savvy and toughness to make up for the lack in raw athleticism. This Lakers team has that in spades. No other team really comes close(Boston is a somewhat distant second).

The downside is that even a team like Boston still has their Rondo, a guy who is arguably one of the fastest and most competent (at speed) players in the game. So, although most of their game isn't based on speed, they have 'that guy' who can really light it up, and true to form, Boston is kind of a fast break oriented team, it's just their 'fast' is a few steps slower than say, the Nuggets, Suns, Thunder or Magic.

So, with that in mind. I hope we retain Shannon, and I hope he works his [Swearing is not permitted at Clublakers. You must edit this post prior to submitting.] off with a group this summer. I think Shannon has all the raw talent you'd hope for in a basketball player, but his biggest flaws are his court awareness, decision making and passing abilities. He's otherwise a competent ball handler, a decent shooter(notably off-the-dribble which is an increasingly rare talent in today's league) an outstanding physical freak of an athlete, and he's got pretty good size. I feel like he really could be doing a lot more for us as a #1 guard or a #2 guard. It's just a question of raising his B-ball IQ. If we can get a better Shannon Brown next season, and if Sasha retains that edge he finished last season with, then I'll feel pretty good about this team being otherwise 'slow'.

It's been a shift to an absolute win now situtation..

it really became evident when Ariza was esspentially traded for Artest. Obviously, Artest has worked out in our favor but this summer is simply continuing that trend: Blake over Farmar/other younger pg's etc.

We went from one of the young offensive machine teams with a few very solid vets, to a defensive stalwart veteran team with a few younger players.

Well the younger players kept acting like idiots and sucking so I guess they asked for it.

Farmar could have started for LA if he wouldn't have been so foolish.

Now the true reality of our lack of speed/athleticism is obvious to everyone. This is something i worried about even in 2009-2010 with the change of Artest/Ariza. Now, we are without a doubt the oldest, slowest and most unathletic team in the entire NBA. We can only play one way. Grind it out basketball. And it just shocks me that the team would even consider brining in more old vets like Arenas or Wallace. I mean really?

When are people going to realize that the lack of athleticism is the core reason for our failures since 2010? Defense? That's directly linked to a lack of athleticism. The inability to cover ground quickly, run after loose balls, provide quick secondary help, run the floor and stop the ball, etc. All the things Miami or the Clipps can do. They can suffocate you with their athleticism at times on defense because they cover so much ground, are so explosive, they stun you at times. We are the opposite of this. It's not just about playing hard on defense. Playing hard only gets you so far if the team you're playing has much better athletes.

This is not the same prime Gasol of our championship years. He was athletic in his prime. Now he's slowed down. Kobe is on his last legs. He's brilliant offensively but he's a limp on defense and in running the floor. Artest? Without a doubt the most unathletic 3 in the game. And you throw in Nash? Come on. This is not rocket science. It's a blessing we replaced Howard for Bynum.

This team has had no infusion of young talent outside of Dwight for years. Our cores players outside of Howard are utterly unathletic and we get overwhelmed on a regular basis on both offense and defense because of a lack of athleticism.

What's with the ancient thread bumps? Also, a lot of people agreed that our lack of speed was a concern, even after we had just won the title 2 years in a row.

Weezy wrote:What's with the ancient thread bumps? Also, a lot of people agreed that our lack of speed was a concern, even after we had just won the title 2 years in a row.

Not true at all. Only a couple of people agreed. Most said i was just being a negative person. I mean what person complains after winning a ring right? It started with replacing Artest/Ariza. Then we let Brown and Farmar go. And Kobe, Odom and Gasol got old. No infusion of young talent. Just getting older and older. That's our biggest issue. That's why i kept saying we need to replace Artest with Ariza/Barnes to stop this trend. To stop getting older and slower.

Also let me add that at least San Antonio has regularly implemented young talent to complement their aging stars. Our team has been complementing our aging stars with more aging players.

I'm pretty concerned. There's no way we "run on" OKC and Miami with what we got. It's up to D'Antoni to set the right pace (12 seconds or less, whatever it is) and utilize our bigs in half court.

Unfortunately, it looks more likely that we make a roster change before MDA changes his game plan.

how long did it take you to find this thread?

Morris is quick, still suck.

We have Meeks and Howard, upgrades from nothing and Bynum.

We SHOULD be a quicker team this year than previous, but it's all about communication and effort. Right now, that's lacking more than athleticism.

lakerfan2 wrote:Morris is quick, still suck.

We have Meeks and Howard, upgrades from nothing and Bynum.

We SHOULD be a quicker team this year than previous, but it's all about communication and effort. Right now, that's lacking more than athleticism.

Just look at our core players and not the guys who seldom play. This is a very old, very unathletic team that gets overwhelmed by the opposition's superior athleticism on BOTH ENDS OF THE FLOOR and they simply can't compensate for this weakness. Only because we replaced Howard with Bynum are we even close to .500 right now. People have been saying it's not lack of talent but something else like lack of effort or lack of communication or not playing as a team etc. How long can people make that excuse? We last won a title in 2010. This is 2013. We haven't infused this team with any young talent outside of Howard.

In the words of Kobe Bryant "I'm one of the fastest playes we've got and I'm 50. What does that tell you?"

John3:16 wrote:In the words of Kobe Bryant "I'm one of the fastest playes we've got and I'm 50. What does that tell you?"

When did he say this? Yesterday or something?

Lets Go Lakers wrote:

John3:16 wrote:In the words of Kobe Bryant "I'm one of the fastest playes we've got and I'm 50. What does that tell you?"

When did he say this? Yesterday or something?

It's the Quote of the Day in ESPN Daily Dime.

^^^
Yeah, saw that now. Even D'Antoni said "maybe were just slow". Well, duh. This team is pretty much doomed until it acquires some young legs/young talent that can keep up with the pace of today's game. Or if Nash comes back and makes us so effective offensively that we might be able to get away with this weakness. It is a possibility and i hope that is the case.

I was concerned 2 years ago when they had D-fish still at PG. Sometimes people are stubborn and believe the old ways will win. Well, there weren't freak players like LeBron, Durant and Westbrook a decade or 2 ago. You could argue M and Pippen but that just validates the point. You need athletic players not aging sloths like Gasol and Artest. They'll have some nice reg. season games but playoffs, not anymore.