Jeff Van Gundy: "Kobe plays with a bunch of softies" (video)

[Lizakers]

cliffnotes:

-Lakers have a soft front-line
-Lakers would have no chance at winning without Kobe's will and passion, elevating his teammates to care as much as he does
-Lakers lost a lot of depth this year (lost Ronny's defense and energy, lost Vlade's shooting, Jordan due to injury, Sasha and Luke regressed)
-Lakers coach should be tempted to play DJ over Drew (uh-oh JVG will regret saying this cuz Drew fanatics will go nuts)
-Lakers can't count on anybody off their bench (except Shannon Brown)
-LA couldn't surround Kobe with shooters the way Cleveland surrounded LeBron with shooters (gives James more room and Kobe less room to go to the basket)

other comments:

-Jordan should start over Fisher
-Celtics without Garnett can beat the Lakers
-Cavs can beat the Lakers

 

[vietishi]

Majority of that is true. I'm sick of people saying Bynum is tough when in reality dude is soft along with Gasol.

 

[highrep87]

my dude JVG

 

[acemulholland]

Everyone on the Lakers outside of Kobe is softer than Charmin. I bet they wish they still had Turiaf.

 

[kookcle]

Its been true the whole year. We have a long front court but they are not tough.

BTW Farmar is playing well its just that Brooks is playing way better

 

[enrique23]

how is jvg even thinking that the rockets might beat us?
stern is not allowing the rockets or denver to beat us
the cavs/lakers final has already been decided

 

[mjsaver]

its true for real....

The front office needs a slap for not finding a way to keep Turiaf..

hopefully they make the right moves this offseason..

 

[enrique23]

Originally Posted by AceMulholland

Everyone on the Lakers outside of Kobe is softer than Charmin. I bet they wish they still had Turiaf.

not everyone. mbenga and brown arent soft, they just arent getting the sufficient pt that they should be getting

i do wish we had kept ronny though, i'd rather have him than a 30% shooting sasha

 

[kookcle]

There was no way Turiaf was going to be resigned the Warriors offer was too much

I was for bringing back Kwame for cheap because he was a good post defender

 

[vietishi]

Trevor Ariza is not soft. Hate how Pau just shows intensity against Boston and thats about it.

 

[downtown43]

this is what i've been saying.

people put the blame on Kobe, but the reality is that he is the only one on the team that plays tough. he can't MAKE the other players around him tougher,because they just aren't tough people.

i mean, Pau Gasol is a soft man. Andrew Bynum is a soft man. there's nothing anyone can do about it.. that's just the personnel they're workingwith.

what LA should have done is to surround Kobe with tough, hustle players... even if they don't have the same talent as the current team, they would mostcertainly get further because they have a better mentality to basketball. imagine if LA had Kobe, Gasol, Ariza, and some of the Rockets role players... Brooks,Scola, Landry, Battier, Hayes instead of Odom, Bynum, Fisher, Sasha, Luke.. they would be unstoppable.

 

[franchise3]

JVG ain't ever lied.

Pretty much spot on.

 

[Lizakers]

Originally Posted by DOWNTOWN43

this is what i've been saying.

people put the blame on Kobe, but the reality is that he is the only one on the team that plays tough. he can't MAKE the other players around him tougher, because they just aren't tough people.

i mean, Pau Gasol is a soft man. Andrew Bynum is a soft man. there's nothing anyone can do about it.. that's just the personnel they're working with.

what LA should have done is to surround Kobe with tough, hustle players... even if they don't have the same talent as the current team, they would most certainly get further because they have a better mentality to basketball. imagine if LA had Kobe, Gasol, Ariza, and some of the Rockets role players... Brooks, Scola, Landry, Battier, Hayes instead of Odom, Bynum, Fisher, Sasha, Luke.. they would be unstoppable.

well-said. Artest tougher than Odom. Scola tougher than Gasol. Hayes tougher than Bynum. Landry tougher than Luke.

it's pretty sad how soft the Lakers are.

Houston is the best defending team in the West, and they are showing it.

it also hurts that we have no shooters to spread the floor

 

[kookcle]

Originally Posted by DOWNTOWN43


what LA should have done is to surround Kobe with tough, hustle players... even if they don't have the same talent as the current team, they would most certainly get further because they have a better mentality to basketball. imagine if LA had Kobe, Gasol, Ariza, and some of the Rockets role players... Brooks, Scola, Landry, Battier, Hayes instead of Odom, Bynum, Fisher, Sasha, Luke.. they would be unstoppable.

Its not that they dont hustle. They just have this offensive mentality. Theyre so eager to get to the offensive side of the ball that they do ahorrible job on the defensive end.

 

[thachosen123]

I dont mind the idea of DJ gettin more PT, cause he knows his role very well, and that is to get in the game, bang around a couple(NH), crash the board and useup your fouls

But nows NOT the time to do that, maybe(hopefully) in the WCF

 

[mjsaver]

Originally Posted by Kookcle

There was no way Turiaf was going to be resigned the Warriors offer was too much

I was for bringing back Kwame for cheap because he was a good post defender

I know the warriors offered him a lotta money...

Still, it had to get to that point first..

They didnt realize how important he was, shouldve attempted to sign him even before he became a free agent.

OR didnt think any one would offer that much.....Either way they made a mistake..


*hes not the end of their problems*
but they still could really use a hustle type big.

 

[westcoastsfinest]

Originally Posted by enrique23

Originally Posted by AceMulholland

Everyone on the Lakers outside of Kobe is softer than Charmin. I bet they wish they still had Turiaf.

not everyone. mbenga and brown arent soft, they just arent getting the sufficient pt that they should be getting

i do wish we had kept ronny though, i'd rather have him than a 30% shooting sasha

QFT...its funny ive been getting heat here by Laker fans for saying we shouldve used that money for ronny


isnt bill simmons a celtic homer?...but jeffs on point everything hes saying

 

[knightngale]

@ people still thinking that lebron is doing more with less
dude has the best team in the league BY FAR

dude has shooters, tough defensive guys, veteran players, post up players, basically everything
once ilgauskas retires or regresses it is a wrap for Lebron

The lakers should not have traded Radmanovich

@ signing vujacic instead of turiaf

 

[daytona 5000]

It sucks because when the Lakers fail (which they will.......AGAIN) its going to fall directly on Kobe's shoulders. I wonder what caused this mentalbreakdown so late in the season.

This is why I like JVG...dude always keeps it real

 

[dman14]

Originally Posted by knightngale

@ people still thinking that lebron is doing more with less
dude has the best team in the league BY FAR

dude has shooters, tough defensive guys, veteran players, post up players, basically everything
once ilgauskas retires or regresses it is a wrap for Lebron

The lakers should not have traded Radmanovich

@ signing vujacic instead of turiaf

the lakers is also one of the best teams in the leauge. in my opinion cle and la are basically the same, so, their supporting cast is just aboutequal. but cle just performing better in the playoffs.
i think lebron will be able to draw free agents to come to cle, if, he is able to win a chip this yr.

 

[downtown43]

BTW, after hearing Bill Simmons fruity @!+ voice i hate him even more....

 

[shatterkneesinc]

is true

even kobe fangirls acknowledge this and they are women

 

[de phx jose]

Sounds like some Lakers fans are whining in here. It's the players' fault, there's nothing you nor Kobe can do about it

 

[purplerelgn]

bill simmons voice is the way i imagine the voices of all lakers/kobe haters on here

 

[bangtcg]

Originally Posted by DOWNTOWN43

BTW, after hearing Bill Simmons fruity @!+ voice i hate him even more....

Originally Posted by purpleRElGN

bill simmons voice is the way i imagine the voices of all lakers/kobe haters on here

yup. simmons voice is so hilariously weak.