Yes and no. On the level of the 5th-8th guys, sure. For example, Diaw and Barbosa look a lot better on the Suns than they would elsewhere. But in terms of the top 2-3 guys, in terms of getting to the championship level, I think it is about who they are more than the system.

“So where would Detroit’s paradigm be then?”

You can play that game all day. What if Chris Webber and Valde Divac had made more of their FTs in Game 7 of the Western Finals that year? And, the point about Detroit was that it is possible to get the trophy that way, but harder. Much harder, historically.

I’ll bet Kobe would agree.

I only recently discovered your blog, and in a day and age where the Net is polluted with mindless ranting and venom, your posts are always a joy to read. Thank you.

Looking back to the ’04 Finals, the two main reasons the Pistons beat the Lakers were that, 1) the Lakers had no chemistry, it seemed like everyone on that team hated eachother, and 2) Karl Malone got injured and we had no interior defense.

You could also argue that if Tayshaun Prince hadn’t swatted away Reggie Miller’s layup at the end of game 4 in the Eastern semis that year, and Indy had gone up 3-1 on Detroit, the Pacers might have won, and that also might have led to the Lakers winning another title. So where would Detroit’s paradigm be then?

If Golden State upsets Dallas, that’s not a validation of their paradigm, it’s a validation of Don Nelson tactics against his former team. If the Warriors had faced the Spurs instead, I think they’d be home by now, just like the Nuggets are.

Kurt’s right, it’s not so much about which system/paradigm you use, it’s about who has the best personnel for their system and who executes their system the most effectively.

Also, I write about more than the Lakers on Fanhouse. If you only see the Lakers posts, it shows me how much you don’t pay attention to things.

Lastly, what’s your favorite team? Do you have one? Unlike you, I happen to have one. It’s the Lakers. It’s been the Lakers since I started watching basketball. If Kobe Bryant left the Lakers, I’m still going to be a fan of the Forum Blue and Gold. That’s what real fans do. This negativity. The hating on Kobe and the Lakers. Where does it come from? Let’s be real here. The Lakers are the most successful franchise in the History of basketball. They’ve pretty much been in Finals in every single decade. They’ve won, what, 14 Championships (in Minn and LA)? Sorry if they don’t win every year. But I don’t see those Suns or Clippers or Kings, or whatever team you’re a fan of today with any sort of ring.

And I’m still waiting on my apology. You were wrong with the salary cap, just like you’re wrong about Kobe and the downfall of the Lakers. The Lakers have won three championships this decade. More than anyone else this decade. I’d say their doing just fine for themselves. Ask the warriors fans (who had to wait 13 years to appear in the playoffs again) what a poorly run franchise is about. Ask the Clippers fans who are happy with making the playoffs every ten years what a poorly run franchise is like. It’s not like the Lakers. In the 28 years Buss has run this franchise the Lakers have won the championship 8 times, and been 13 NBA Finals and 15 Conference Finals. If you don’t have faith in the Lakers becoming a championship team again, it just shows why you really aren’t a Laker fan. Do us all a favor and stay out of Forum Blue and Gold threads.

It appears to me that basketball has been going through some kind of paradigm shift–perhaps continuously.

It was started most recently by the Pistons when they eliminated the classic “Shaq-Kobe” Lakers with a “team” versus center and a”star.”

Phoenix kept the “team,” but switched the focus to a distributor. San Antonio remains “old school,” but relies on a power forward rather than a center–with a new international flavor. Dallas has found a way to merge the two with both a power forward and a team approach that balances offense and defense in a modified D’Antonio.

Until the playoffs, Dallas seemed to be the next and best evolutionary step–leaving innovative Phoenix without a title.

In facing Nelly, the Dallas approach seems suddenly old and out of date. Phoenix once again seems the better model for the future. If the Warriors and Phoenix both make their way to the Western Division final, we may be looking at two colors of the new pro paradigm. If either Golden State or Phoenix faces either Detroit or Chicago, it will be a new team generation of offense meeting the existing team champion of defense for the NBA title.

If the Laker ideal is San Antonio (and I think that it is), but the San Antonio approach has been passed by, might not the newest and possibly “future” way be found not far from San Francisco Bay–and the victory last year by Miami was the last gasp of a dinasour.

If the paradigm has already gone beyond the Suns toward the Warriors, maybe the Lakers are already a lot closer than we think. Adding a Kevin Garnett might point us backward while Nellie, like Dumars, moves forward with the Baron Davis that the Lakers didn’t want, the Matt Barnhes that nobody wanted, and the Al Harrington that Indiana rejected twice.

Dumars act of genius this year was to get a Chris Webber that had been kicked around in recent years–and we didn’t want.

Is the paradigm shifting? As the NBA playoffs continue, we may get more clues.

It might just add up to the frustrations. All the speculations and hearsays.

Anyways,in case the front office will indeed be busy this off-season, I just wish the team will be able to acquire a couple of pure shooters and a bigman capable of creating a shot off the dribble. Basically something that the triangle requires.

Ime Uodoka has a good range. I hope we can accomodate JO. How about drafting certified gunner from the Euro League (No more practice shooters like Shasha please!).

A point guard who has a decent jumpshot and can play defense will be enough in the triangle.

Honestly, I am not expecting something big. Hoping and praying would be a better way to put it, I guess.