46 replies to this topic

[haztronic]

Are you coach of the Lakers? Cuz your opinions won't become a reality. He won't be resting for any games. We dug ourselves into a big enough hole and now its time to get W's

[fido]

I have doubt whether the Lakers can beat ANYONE at full strength, let alone any team without everyone on board.

Just an awful idea.

[iDreamShake]

relax guys, dwight will be close enough to 100%(reminding you of the old dwight) by the ASB,,,,and its not his conditioning thats troubling him. hes said in previous interviews that his back muscles need to get back to firing at optimal levels, and also his leg muscles take 9months to get full strength after surgery(one more month). just be patient, he'll get there, and he'll help us alot on his way there.

ive seen steady improvement in dwights springyness about every 2-3 weeks, he'll make it known late this month/early next month that the dwight we traded for is not far away..

[KB24BlackMamba]

With Artest out of the starting five, and Dwight out, it would only be Kobe roaming around and trying to defend...and with Nash and Gasol having bigger roles in the offense, we would be a bottom three defensive team in the NBA.

Kobe has been carrying everyone else through the mud for almost two months now. With Nash back in, it puts Howard and Nash P&R on the map, and gives Kobe needed rest. He's already showing signs of "season fatigue" and having trouble elevating on shots, something that wasn't happening in November.

This team does nothing without Kobe. It's only the end of December. We need to start winning games decisively ASAP, so we can lower Kobe's minutes. Otherwise, we will suffer from it, like we did over the last two seasons, when help was coming inconsistently.

Since you are one of the few, who I really respect and trust when it comes to basketball acknowledge and reading your posts this season, things aren´t looking good AT ALL for the Lakers going forward.

[Carpe Diem]

and your not the coach to say he needs to rest.

Edited by Carpe Diem, December 24, 2012 - 08:20 PM.

[GCMD]

This team needs to win at a high clip to just make the playoffs.

There is no time to unnecessarily rest any of the core players.

That would be disastrous.

Know what else would be disastrous?

Howard having a major setback.

If we can't win 2 out of 3 against DEN, Philly and Portland without Dwight, we've got bigger issues.


And I'm not talking about him setting for a month or 2 like Pau or Nash...10 days and a total of 3 games. I think we can manage that and it could go a LONG WAY towards getting a HEALTHY Dwight, not just a Dwight in attendance.


I can't believe some of you can't see that Dwight's riding a real slippery slope...he's a hair's breadth between progression and serious regression...

Maybe it's just me.

But 3 games is not that big of a deal...especially since we've had a pretty favorable home schedule early...and the road is not conducive to rehab.

Edited by GCMD, December 24, 2012 - 09:23 PM.

[Majesty]

Know what else would be disastrous?

Howard having a major setback.

If we can't win 2 out of 3 against DEN, Philly and Portland without Dwight, we've got bigger issues.


And I'm not talking about him setting for a month or 2 like Pau or Nash...10 days and a total of 3 games. I think we can manage that and it could go a LONG WAY towards getting a HEALTHY Dwight, not just a Dwight in attendance.


I can't believe some of you can't see that Dwight's riding a real slippery slope...he's a hair's breadth between progression and serious regression...

Maybe it's just me.

But 3 games is not that big of a deal...especially since we've had a pretty favorable home schedule early...and the road is not conducive to rehab.

It is.

Dwight isn't going to get his stamina back by sitting out games nor is he going to get his muscles used to firing in all directions by not playing. If anything it would only prologue what he's trying to do and cause it take longer. he actually increases his chances of injuring himself again by taking time off and then trying to come back when his stamina has faltered.

The only way Dwight is going to get better is by playing.

The player that should take your advice and take more games off isn't Dwight Howard, it's Ricky Rubio.

Edited by Majesty, December 24, 2012 - 09:31 PM.

[GCMD]

We are 13-14...that's 27 games...meaning we have 55 games remaining...

And you guys are seriously saying we can't rest Dwight for 3 games?

We are 1 game out of the 8th spot but the "Sky is falling" on our playoff chances 1/3rd of the way into the season?



And for everyone who wants Kobe's minutes limited, not taking 41 shots could help limit fatigue. How about a healthy Dwight? Defensive anchor => to better defense => to larger and sustained leads => reduced minutes for the starters...


Oh, how about winning at a high clip? How about a healthy Dwight? Faster and more athletic and more coordinated => to increased PPG => more efficient team scoring and balance => more wins...


3 games mean nothing...not 1/3rd of the way into the season. MINN is 2 losses ahead of us as the 8th playoff spot...(13-12) It's not like we are 5 games behind right now.



There is absolutely no reason to panic right now...and getting Dwight healthy SHOULD be our #1 priority because despite popular opinion, it's Dwight and Nash that are going to get us to the playoffs and keep us in the hunt. Of COURSE, Kobe puts us over the top but it's been proven over and over that Kobe can't do it alone...


And what does Kobe "doing it alone" get us? 13-14...that alone proves my point. He needs help...REAL help. Not Dwight-Lite.

[L.A.K.E.R]

Can't rest players when we've dug ourselves into such a deep hole. Just not worth the risk, and we can't replace Dwight's impact on the defensive end. Having Pau as our last line of defense with Steve Nash defending the opposing pointguard is a recipe for disaster. The goal isn't to squeak into the postseason as an 8th seed, we definitely want to fight our way back into the top 4 to at least guarantee HCA for one round of the playoffs. Dropping a string of games would drastically hurt our chances at that.

We play a back-to-back with NYK/DEN which is followed by a day off. Then there is a three day lay-off after the game against Portland on the 28th, play the Sixers on January 1st, then they get another two days off before playing the Clippers. So between December 27th and January 3rd, he's getting a total of 6 days off with only two games in that 8 day span.

That's more than enough rest time, we don't need to sit him any extra games. We can't shoulder his absence on the defensive end with both Steve Nash and Pau Gasol playing big minutes. Lawson, Lillard and Holiday would rip us to shreds if we rested Dwight for those three games.

[iDreamShake]

We are 13-14...that's 27 games...meaning we have 55 games remaining...

And you guys are seriously saying we can't rest Dwight for 3 games?

We are 1 game out of the 8th spot but the "Sky is falling" on our playoff chances 1/3rd of the way into the season?



And for everyone who wants Kobe's minutes limited, not taking 41 shots could help limit fatigue. How about a healthy Dwight? Defensive anchor => to better defense => to larger and sustained leads => reduced minutes for the starters...


Oh, how about winning at a high clip? How about a healthy Dwight? Faster and more athletic and more coordinated => to increased PPG => more efficient team scoring and balance => more wins...


3 games mean nothing...not 1/3rd of the way into the season. MINN is 2 losses ahead of us as the 8th playoff spot...(13-12) It's not like we are 5 games behind right now.



There is absolutely no reason to panic right now...and getting Dwight healthy SHOULD be our #1 priority because despite popular opinion, it's Dwight and Nash that are going to get us to the playoffs and keep us in the hunt. Of COURSE, Kobe puts us over the top but it's been proven over and over that Kobe can't do it alone...


And what does Kobe "doing it alone" get us? 13-14...that alone proves my point. He needs help...REAL help. Not Dwight-Lite.

most of yall needa check the standings more,,,we're 1.5 games out of the 6th spot. 6th. not bad for our miscues this year,,,,most teams in the west have done the same..

Edited by GMTradePau4aBench, December 24, 2012 - 10:11 PM.

[Real Deal]

If three games isn't that big of a deal...understand that a three-game rest isn't going to do THAT much for Dwight, either. It just gives Kobe a reason to take 30 shots in 45 minutes, because Nash and Gasol aren't going to make up for it.

Word was that Dwight wasn't going to return until January. He's been playing for two months now. What will a three-game rest do for him? He's healing from a major back surgery, not a low-grade ankle sprain.

If we really want to change it up, his physical therapy can be on the court, with a much lesser role in those three games (on the offensive end). Act as if he's Rodman for a bit, but don't take him out completely. But what we'll find out (we have already, but I suppose it needs more confirmation) is that we can't run, and we need to play through Kobe and Dwight (the two superstars on this team) rather than pray to God that our legs will hold up in an offense that puts us at a disadvantage against the faster teams (and there are many of them that are faster, almost the entire league).

[Cj2008nw]

Rest Dwight and risk not making the playoffs or have Dwight not healthy if we do make the playoffs

Tough call

[UKUGA]

I think it comes down to a combination of whether he is risking another injury by playing and what the return will be by having him sit a few games.


I'm not in a position to speak to this for obvious reasons. That said, Dwight has a max contract waiting for him to sigh July 15. I don't think he would risk further injury right now just to increase our odds of winning 3 regular season games in December.

[noknife]

He will be fine. He isn't a moron. If he feels like he is jeopardizing a 100 million dollar body and career, he will shut himself down.

[UKUGA]

If three games isn't that big of a deal...understand that a three-game rest isn't going to do THAT much for Dwight, either.

Those are 2 different arguments. The argument for resting him after today is that it gives him 8 days off while only missing 3 games. Another 8 day stretch would probably cost 4 or more games against higher quality opponents).

These 3 games are important, however, they are three games that appear very winnable even without Dwight on the court.

Then, you get a more rested (healthier?) Dwight for the upcoming stretch that is more grueling in both quantity and quality. You also hope that this rest helps with his overall health and this pays dividends down the stretch and beyond.

[Mumford]

We need 53-55 wins desperately.

[Real Deal]

Those are 2 different arguments. The argument for resting him after today is that it gives him 8 days off while only missing 3 games. Another 8 day stretch would probably cost 4 or more games against higher quality opponents).

These 3 games are important, however, they are three games that appear very winnable even without Dwight on the court.

Then, you get a more rested (healthier?) Dwight for the upcoming stretch that is more grueling in both quantity and quality. You also hope that this rest helps with his overall health and this pays dividends down the stretch and beyond.

With Dwight, we beat the Bobcats (third worst team in the East) by one point. It's difficult for me to say any games are "very winnable" without or defensive anchor and superstar center.

[Majesty]

Those are 2 different arguments. The argument for resting him after today is that it gives him 8 days off while only missing 3 games. Another 8 day stretch would probably cost 4 or more games against higher quality opponents).

These 3 games are important, however, they are three games that appear very winnable even without Dwight on the court.

Then, you get a more rested (healthier?) Dwight for the upcoming stretch that is more grueling in both quantity and quality. You also hope that this rest helps with his overall health and this pays dividends down the stretch and beyond.

Our team still doesn't have an Identity yet. And putting Pau at the 5 and asking him to be the kind of anchor Dwight is against any of those teams is...well....

Here's that guy from the Princess Bride to explain



Now is NOT the time to take Dwight out when we're JUST starting to find the semblance of an identity.

[GCMD]

UKUGA gets what I'm saying and I believe Kobe does too. Phil would have done or said the same thing.

We aren't going to make a miraculous comeback to grab one of the top 4 seeds in the West without Dwight at his best.


Even if we do and Dwight limps into the playoffs, having pushed himself over the edge, what are our REALISTIC chances?


Some of you act like I'm saying rest Dwight for a month! I said 3 games...~10 days total at the 1/3rd mark of the season!! It's not that drastic.

Majesty - you're not even in the same conversation I'm in, IMHO. For some reason, everything has become an indictment on policy with you. You have become the Laker Defense Attorney. I'm fine with you having your own opinion but badgering others because of their opinion is hypocritical. My suggestions are not outlandish and they have merit, both medically and philosophically. You want credit for you ideas and opinions, be willing to give others their due too.

RD, your view of the situation is myopic. We have a MUCH larger goal than winning 3 games in January. We have the most talented starting 5 in the league. None of that matters in the playoffs if our ANCHOR is still not 100% because we didn't want to (possibly) sacrifice 3 games in January. None of that matters if we can't get the most out of the Best P&R Duo in the league. All of the "heavy lifting" (read: volume shooting) Kobe's doing is because Dwight's NOT 100%. Our defensive lapses that were expected to disappear with Dwight as the anchor? Still here. Why? Dwight's not 100%.

I'm not saying Dwight sitting out is a miracle cure. It does give him time to rest a little and possibly get his bearings. Some people believe he needs to keep plugging away and things will get better...well, they haven't. Definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Dwight may not be risking his career but is that the same as Dwight being "Dwight"? NO.

And that's the point. We are going to NEED Dwight. Not now...Later...when everything needs to come together...when we are gearing up for our push into the playoffs...when our team needs to peak. That's when we are going to need him.


And for those of you who don't know, back pain is excruciating. It takes a long time to recover from the procedure Howard had and I'm quite certain that he returned at least a month too early. Had he sat out 1 more month, he'd be much closer to the Dwight he was a year ago than the one we have now.


Will 1 week do the trick? Is it worth POTENTIALLY losing 3 games to get him that rest? What can we realistically expect from him when he returns? What I can and will say to all of those questions is he can only get better with rest. We can't say the same about him playing those 3 games, nor is there any guarantee that the current Dwight makes those 3 games a lock to win.


So in the grand scheme of things, what do we have to lose?

3 games out of the next 54?


What do we stand to gain?

A healthier, better rested Dwight to go up against LAC, SAS and OKC?
A healthier, better rested Dwight to play strong going into the AllStar Break?


So many people praised Popovich for sitting his players, allowing them to get rest early in the season...but my suggestion is trash? Wow...and the players Pop rested weren't recovering from MAJOR SPINAL SURGERY.

[iDreamShake]

dwight looks good to me(as in hes steadily improving;looking more athletic every 2-3 weeks) hes not gunna limp into the playoffs, the more games he plays,the stronger his legs get.. he's gunna be the old dwight by playoff time, and he's gunna be AMAZING by the ASB