Ariza would help also. I keep forgetting about him. We might see him over Sasha at the end of close games for defensive reasons.

Chandler is good. i know that, but I think Bynum and/or Pau is better, and IF Chandler were able to neutralize one, we still have the other. Advantage us. When we played NOH with a healthy Bynum, we killed them. When we played them with Pau, we killed them. Specifically because of the center position. We’ll now have both (let’s pray), nevermind the fact that, they have no one who can match up with Lamar.

NOH is an awesome team. I just think the Lakers are a very bad matchup for them.

Snoopy2006,

Pau is better than you think on defense. West is physical player on offense, which helps, but Pau length provides problems. Though, when I mentioned West, I said it with Lamar in mind covering him, but also agree with Reed. Pau did a decent job against BETTER power forwards. All time great PF’s.

We DO have a player who can guard West – but he might start the game on the bench for us. Odom is the perfect player to match up with West, with his length, speed, and strength virtually mirroring West’s. We actually would have matched up (defensively) better with NO last year, with Odom at the 4.

I agree with Reed about Houston. Their undefined variables outweigh their known quantities.

Utah doesn’t scare me because when we faced them last year they were completely healthy and we weren’t. And we beat them. It’s up to them to show how much they can improve before I fear them.

David West would have the same problems Boozer had with us. He think he would be neutralized. I just don’t see NOH’s bigs matching up with ours. Chandler will get outclassed by Pau and/or Bynum, and who else do they have? Melvin Ely? Posey will help them, but Posey will not have the KG and Perk backing him up. Offensively, CP3 would make us look good, but I expect the Lakers to be much improved, and this year, I expect to see kobe playing Paul, and Sasha playing the other guard. That will make a huge difference this year. NO is good. But not like us.

I’m really not concerned with any other team. None of them got better than the Lakers got, and the Lakers walked through the West Playoffs last year. It’s Houston or no one. And that’s a big “if” with the Rockets.

who is going to win tonight

I worry about San Antonio and New Orleans. Both teams have the size to somewhat neutralize our twin bigs. If Gasol and Bynum aren’t scoring efficiently (55+% shooting) our offense could slow down and evolve into Kobe ball. Both teams have bigs that could put ours in foul trouble (Duncan, West), although neither teams have the depth up front that we do (with Odom). Both teams have elite wing defenders that can make Kobe work (Posey, Bowen). Both have speedy point guards that we have absolutely no answer for (Paul, Parker). Both have shooters to punish us when their PGs get into the lane (Peja, Peterson, Posey, Ginobili, Finley, Bowen). Both are well coached. San Antonio also has Manu, one of the elite clutch “closers.” Our big advantage over both teams lies in our bench, as neither SA nor NO is particularly deep.

I think Utah matches up very well with both SA and NO, so it may be a game of rock-paper-scissors, with Utah wanting to avoid us, and us wanting to avoid NO/SA. Although, the truth is that if healthy we will have a small advantage over any of these teams.

I have no idea what to make of Houston until I see them play several times. They are a complete enigma.