2012-2013 NBA Season Thread

[zooopreme]

Originally Posted by FRpilot

Lakers HAVE TO offer him the max if they are serious about keeping him. If they don't, someone else will and he's not playing for anything less than the max even if he doesn't deserve it.

I'm aware of this but I would much rather keep Pau and find players that can guard the perimeter than to max a contract with Dwight.

Originally Posted by FRpilot

I can't see Dwight as THE GUY either, unless he somehow turns into Shaq, but after all these years he still hasn't got any type of go to offensive move or footwork down so I don't see that happening with the time he has left. I think he thinks he can score like Shaq or be even better than him, but the truth is Shaq was an automatic 2 points (or 3pt play) when you fed him the ball inside. Dwight has no moves so when he gets the ball inside he will sometimes score if he is lucky and has good positioning, but if he doesn't then he ends up mucking around with the ball and turning it over (which happens a lot).

A bit of exaggeration on your take on Shaq, haha. He didn't always score but there weren't many people that could guard him.

Pre 3-peat, Shaq was athletic enough and didn't necessarily have a full arsenal of moves like Hakeem Olajuwon. Shaq's build is not even close to what Dwight is. Think of Shaq like a giant bear. How could you stop him from getting into optimal position without fouling him? How could you keep him from getting closer to the basket without fouling him? Not many centers in the league at the time could stop him unless you were taller than him eg. Yao Ming

If Dwight were to ever catch up to Shaq in stats, he'll need to learn how to seal position better. Often times his defenders were able to push him out of position. And because of this he was quick to use his forearms which always got him the offensive foul. He got into foul trouble way too often because of this.

And about his offense, he's got just as many weapons as Shaq does. The only difference was Shaq's size and creativity. Dwight needs another lesson with Olajuwon.

Originally Posted by FRpilot

Dwight needs a great unselfish PG who will look for him all the time and create offense for him. Someone who can draw both defenders when driving and will throw him lobs to finish (someone more like Chris Paul and less like Kobe because let's face it, Kobe will shoot that shit haha) and Dwight should be content with that role for what's left of his career. Karl Malone made a living doing that, so he shouldn't feel like less of a man or lose his pride in that. With the right PG and his athleticism and defensive prowess, I can see him playing like some freak of nature love child that Tyson Chandler and Blake Griffin made.

Dwight has had these opportunities way too often; Nash, Kobe, and Pau were literally his lob partners in the P&R and in most of their screen plays. The Lakers do not need a PG per se, but rather a backcourt that can defend in general.

Chris Paul would be awesome but I don't think it's necessary to acquire a star PG that's going to draw double teams. The reason why they focused on Dwight in the Playoffs was because he was the main focal point of the offense whereas when Nash, Pau, and Kobe were on the floor with him, there were more people to score which would help spread the defense out.

Towards the latter half of the season, Kobe played the 1 position and he was nearly as effective as CP3 in my honest opinion. He created his own offense when the play collapsed, he was able to create for plenty of his teammates, and he guarded the ball handler on the other end. The only difference was the shot's taken.

I feel as thought Dwight will adjust to it as the years go by (assuming he's staying in LA). I think staying in LA will help him grow as a player/leader. Because elsewhere in the teams looking to pick up Dwight, Dwight will end up in an Orlando situation again with bad support.