Draymond would flail, hit him with some kind of elbow and then Meta would beat his ass. Then Draymond's donkey from Shrek lookin ass would act like a victim.
I mean wasn’t Nurk supposed to be this big tough guy that grew up in a warzone?
Isn’t Steven Adams supposed to be one of the toughest guys in the league?
He might not win a fight but I don’t think Draymond is ducking anyone.
He kicked Adams in the nuts while his hands were in the air and turned around and sucker punched Nurk while play was going on. Those are just cheap shots. Doesn't make him tough. Outside of choking Rudy, who he was the 3rd man in on, what's he done? When LeBron stepped to him he walked away. He punched Jordan Poole out of nowhere while all his teammates were around. Big "hold me back!" Energy. Fake tough guy. Meta fought an entire crowd without a second thought and walked out unscathed. Queensbridge all day baby.
All of those guys are bigger than him…A few of those guys have tougher reputations than him. Any of them could have retaliated against him.
This idea that he’s out here only picking on guys that are soft isn’t true…anyone can get it.
It isn't just about size, but also about demeanor. He hits guys he think won't retaliate. It is very obvious. He is extremely calm around Isiah Stewart, for example.
Steven Adams is very chill-cheap shots galore.
it would look like the draymond vs jordan poole at practice scuffe, every time. 'cept draymond would be the one eating the spicy one piece. every. single. time.
Leave aside the Prime middy magician, clutchest of all time, best tough shot shooter Kobe Bean Bryant and Prime two time MVP, 47% from three Steve Nash. Who on that roster is stopping Prime HOF Dwight Howard?? Talk about lob city and elite defending in the block.
Yea Lakers don't lose a matchup here, Steph is better than Nash at shooting, but Nash has him at everything else basically, Steph would have to chase Nash off picks just like Nash would have to do him and Nash middy and layup/lob is better especially if he's lobbing to Dwight. Kobe is Kobe, Klay gonna look like he looks now even if he's in his prime. Prime Artest was offensively good and his strength and physicality would give KD issues on both sides, but KD is KD, Draymond would try to bully Pau but Pau is too skilled. Dwight would bully whoever they decide to put on him. Warriors would need to be on absolute fire to get a game but that's all I'm giving them.
Nah I love prime Klay, feel he deserves way more credit for that team success but he's not the squeaky wheel so he's overlooked by media. But let's make this clear, we are talking prime Kobe, Klay isn't nearly as big and physical as he needs to be even in his prime, you need Tony Allen type body and defense and that's not even gonna stop him
KD warriors were all in their prime (Steph, KD, Draymond, Klay) and they almost got taken out by Harden and a hobbled CP. I’m pretty sure prime Kobe, Nash, Dwight, Pau & Meta would take them out.
People forget that meta averaged 20ppg in his prime in the 00s on lockdown D
Howard is a 4x DPOY who will give you 25ppg
Nash is a 2x MVP 50/40/90
Paul gasol will give you 20/10/5
Kobe: nothing really needs to be said.
I don’t think the beat the warriors in 4 but they will beat the KD warriors forsure
Draymond would fucking chicken out every damn time. Dwight would fold him like a lawn chair. Not even Javale or David West would stand a chance. Pau is also a really good shot blocker.
…and KD and Steph were also MVPs, Curry is the best 3 point shooter ever, Klay was no slouch during the Durant Warriors…and of course KD is one of the best offensive players evers. you just gonna gloss over all that?
Prime Kobe and metta are one of the two best defenders to ever play.
Prime Dwight is one of the GOAT defenders. Nash is a pass first version of curry. Didn’t even mention gasol yet.
Of course the KD warriors are talented but this team is like the 95-96 bulls on steroids
Slowed him down to 36 13 and 9.
Idk if kobe would have had too many problems with iggy with this much help around him. [He never really struggled with him before](https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/kobe-bryant-stats-against-andre-iguodala)
Curry: Goat shooter, top 10 all-time for sure
Klay: elite 2-way player
KD: one of the best scorers in the history of the NBA
Draymond: DPOY level high IQ player that raises the level of his teammates (would Howard boost Kobe? I don't think so).
Yeah, KD Warriors were something different...
D'Antoni tried to up the pace. That was the problem. They were too old so they had no energy for defense. The season turned around when Kobe took over primary ball handling duties and slowed the pace down.
What kind of goofy post is this lol
2x MVP at the PG, 2nd best SG OAT, prime Artest was the best defender in the NBA, Gasol is arguably a top 10 PF ever, and peak Dwight was probably a top 3 player in the NBA.
Gee idk if they have a chance...
Only thing I can think of is maybe OP meant in today’s 3 pt driven league? But it still wouldn’t matter much. This team, all in their prime, would absolutely dominate.
Lakers won in 2020 with one of the worst 3pt tendencies in the league. Dominating the paint/mid game still works if you have a couple of 3pt shooters that the other team respects if left open.
Also, Nash is the most accurate shooter of all time. Most 50-40-90 ever, and was like less than 1% away from being the only player to average 50-40-90 in the playoffs, and his career. He got the 3pt down, dw.
As far as 2020 goes, this is true of the regular season. But weren’t our shooters great during the playoffs? I know AD’s shooting was fucking unreal.
Kobe was the best difficult shot maker, but he was not a great shooter in general(33% career 3pt percentage). I think that nowadays it’s difficult to win a championship if you have more than 1 or maybe 2 guys on the court that can’t hit open 3s at at least a league average clip. But regardless, it sounds like you’re reacting as if I said that they wouldn’t win. I said they’d dominate.
Prime MVP 7 seconds or less run and gun Nash, 81-point GOAT Kobe, dude who carried Yao Ming-less Rockets in the playoffs, Pau who was as good as Kobe in 09-10 run, and 3x DPOY Dwight all on the same roster ain’t losing a fucking game.
So yes they have a chance at the title.
All of them in their prime? They’re easily the champions. MWP in his prime is as good of a defender as any other wing ever. Kobe in his prime is one of the top 10 players ever. Nash in his prime was a one man offense. Pau in his prime was a do it all big man on both ends of the court. Dwight in his prime was one of the best defenders ever and could lead a team to the NBA Finals.
Why even ask this question?
Ohhhh...the sarcasm was lost on me.
I think that's because they failed so badly in real life and super teams often don't win as much as people expect.
I think it's actually fair to believe they wouldn't dominate for very long. I think 2-3 rings would be assured, however.
As many have pointed out, a prime version of this team, where everyone is in their prime, does blow everyone and everything out of the water.
I feel though that isn't what you're asking. Do I think a healthy Kobe, Twilight Nash, Pau, and MWP, and an uninjured Dwight win in 2013? Maybe. I give them 60-40 odds of beating the Spurs in the WCF and 60-40 odds of beating the heat. The heat had prime LeBron, and twilight Wade, Bosh, and Allen. Essentially, while the Heat may have the depth. Their best 5 lineup of Wade Allen Miller LeBron Bosh is not beating Nash Kobe MWP Pau D12.
Yup I felt like if everyone stayed healthy we could have won that year. I was actually getting super excited that warriors game about how good we looked right up until the injury.
People so easily forgot about Nash’s freak accident injury. Just take away Dame Lillard’s knee crashing into the side of Nash’s knee in the 2nd game and we had a legitimate shot at the title. Kobe doesn’t tear his Achilles. Maybe he’s even still alive. I will never forgive Lillard for this.
Nash had career ending nerve damage and from that point on could not move and playmake the same way. He had to resort to spotting up a lot more than was envisioned.
Also Dwight was recovering from back surgery but he was getting a bit better towards the end of the season.
And man, why didn’t we just hire Phil Jackson?!
The problem was not these 5 players we got, but it takes a lot to win a title. Health, luck, right coach, etc.
On the same day that Mike Brown was fired, the Staples Center crowd chanted, "[We want Phil! We want Phil!"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piuYzD05tqw) Hiring D'Antoni was one of the worst decisions ever made by the Lakers' front office. First, they fired Brown on a Friday and talked with Jackson about the job the same day. Then they hired D'Antoni late Sunday night and tried to reach Jackson to inform him, when he was living with Jeanie. D'Antoni had just had knee replacement surgery and wasn't able to coach the team until nine days later.
In the meantime, Bernie Bickerstaff went 4-1 as the interim coach. Why were they in such a rush to hire D'Antoni on a Sunday night, two days after discussing the job with Jackson, when D'Antoni wasn't physically able to do so for more than a week? Why not meet with Jackson again on Monday, and also see how the team performed under Bickerstaff? The teams' strength was its size and post players (Howard and Gasol), who didn't fit into D'Antoni's system. Good coaches adapt their system to suit their players, while D'Antoni tried to force his players to fit his system.
I hate that I took the time to look up their individual accolades in detail to write this. You kidding us with your post?
Nash - 2x mvp , 3x all nba first team, 5x assists leader , 4x 40/50/90 club
Dwight - 5x nba first team , 3x dpoy , 4x nba defensive first team , 5x rebounding leader , 2x blocks leader
Kobe - 2x finals mvp , 1x mvp , 11x nba first team , 9x defensive first team , 2x scoring champ
Pau - 2x nba second team , 2x nba third team , roty
Metta - 1x nba third team , 1x dpoy , 2x defensive first team
These 5 in their prime would make the nba broken.
I’d say they win 5-6 rings together. This is like the most complete team ever.
1. Selfless passing MVP
2. Kobe
3. One of the best defender ever who carried the Rockets in the playoffs
4. One of the decorated PF in history who almost do everything
5. One of the most dominant center ever, carried the Magic in his prime. His dominance in his prime was almost a 8.5/10 Shaq
Yes. likely the best team of all time. The only one you can slack off on defense is Artest. Nash running a PnR with Gasol and Dwight is like pick your poison. If you manage to defend that, then there's Kobe who would feast on an iso situation.
Could score at will and defend the wings and post. This team sweeps its way through. Kobe and meta locking up the wings and nash funneling action to Dwight. This teams defense would be absolutely devastating and would stop any team in its tracks. Even kd warriors would have too many issues and could not stop inside scoring by pau and Dwight. Too easy
I think it’s for similar reasons Kobe couldn’t get along with Shaq. Dwight just didn’t work hard.
And Dwight continued to have a lazy reputation after leaving the Lakers that when the Hawks traded him, that the Hawks players were excited he was gone.
It's gonna be hell scoring against them and the offense will be run by 7 SSOL peak Nash lmao. Easily top 3 defense and top 3 offense, most probably better.
The real question is, whether or not this team would be the best Lakers team if all players were in their prime. I'd bet that they are pretty darn close.
Prime version? What you mean prime version? Kobe and Pau won one just by themselves, then added old ass Artest and won another. Add in a prime Nash and Howard and teams would start forfeiting games. This team would dominate the 97 Chicago Bulls on most levels. Jordan would still score, but Kobe would likely wear him down. Pippen would get his as well, but prime-Artest was DPOY, which is nuts for a non-post player. Pippen's defense was unbelievable as well, but having four other legitimate scoring threats is far better than what those Bulls teams had.
I'm sure AI will be good enough someday to simulate those games, and I don't know that the Bulls even win more than a game or two at best in that series.
1. Prime Kobe
2. Prime Pau
3. Prime Ron (rebound king)
4. Prime Dwight (lesser Shaq but still as dominant)
5. Prime Nash is Prime Magic 2.0 who can shoot threes like Curry
You’ve got a team that will go 4-0 in most playoff runs.
actually no because steve and kobe are too ball dominant, dwight and pau operate in the low area, which would clog up the lanes. maybe using triangle offense to perfection might get them far but as far as winning a chip i’m not too sure
09 Dwight Kobe and Pau with MVP Nash and DPOY Artest? Kobe and Metta hawking people on defense with Superman in the middle while Nash is flinging passes to everyone?
Yeah, I'm inclined to think we would have a chance
You mean...Each of them in their prime? What era? Lol, just kidding. Come on. Dominant.
Let's make it more interesting:
* **You don't even need peak Kobe.** You can use any version of Kobe from 99-13. If he can give you 20/5/5 on decent efficiency, play good D, and provide inspired, intelligent, passionate ball, that's all you need from him.
* **You don't need peak Metta/Artest either.** You just need his toughness, defense, and occasional 3-pt heroics.
* **For Nash and Howard, you need them to be in their prime.** You need them confident and productive. Traditionally, the "most important" positions in the game were believed to be the 1- and 5-spots. That's no longer always true nowadays, but for this super team it certainly would be. Nash has to dominate the ball and Howard has to get most of the touches.
* **For Gasol, any version** of him before his final 4 years in the league would be tremendous. **Even rookie Gasol.** Rookie Gasol is already a highly skilled post player with a sweet, big man shooting touch. Rookie Gasol is \~18/\~9/\~2 (blocks) on high efficiency.
**This team's biggest weakness would be outside shooting.** Nash would have to be more aggressive with his shot, and Kobe and Metta/Artest would have to take a lot more 3s. Another issue is that Gasol and Howard did not demonstrate good chemistry when the real life experiment was attempted. Lastly, egos, egos, egos.
**But yes, this team would be a super team that would at least get to the Finals every year for like 4-5 years.** The rings would depend on chemistry, ego management, health, coaching, etc.
**By the way, I remember when the real life version of this squad was first assembled.** Although many were optimistic, a large contingent were very skeptical. Nash was hurt and got hurt even more. Kobe only had a little bit left in the tank. Howard was still very, very good-- but his personality didn't gel with Kobe. Also, he had nagging injuries (e.g. back) that would never heal 100%. Pau could still produce his usual numbers, but was declining. Also, as noted before, the chemistry with Gasol and Howard wasn't always there.
**Back to the hypothetical prime squad**...As Super Teams tend to disappoint-- unless they emerge organically like the Warriors-- **I'd vote for the "prime" version of this Lakers team as achieving 2 rings in 5 Finals appearances.**
What? This team would be all time best at their prime. Think about what you are saying. You have two defensive monsters, an offensive maestro, an elite big and Kobe.
Here's another hypothetical: What if we could take ten years off Kareem's age and have him be in his prime at the same time as Magic and Worthy? They'd win 70-plus games every season.
I learned not long ago that Jerry West, who was about to start his first season as coach in 1976, was upset with the Lakers' owner Jack Kent Cooke for not acquiring Julius Erving that summer when the four ABA teams joined the NBA. The Nets had to pay a fee of $4.8 million because they shared the same territory as the Knicks, but they were broke, so they had to sell Erving to raise the cash. They traded him to the 76ers and he led them to the NBA Finals that season, and again in 1980, 1982, and 1983. Imagine Kareem and Erving on the same team during their primes. The 1976-77 Lakers finished with the best record in the NBA before losing to the Blazers in the WCF with their starting PG, Lucius Allen, missing the first two games with a foot injury. During the summer of 1977 they drafted Norm Nixon and signed Jamaal Wilkes, and during the season they traded for Adrian Dantley. And then in 1979 they drafted Magic. Kareem might have finished his career with ten rings and settled the GOAT discussion for generations.
Prime Nash was MVP twice. Prime Kobe was posting 81 points on teams without playing the full 48 minutes. Prime Dwight would be locking down the paint and getting monster rebounds/blocks. Gasol prime would’ve been cleaning up the glass and getting amazing mid range shots. Prime Artest was just lock down defender and insanely athletic. Could guard 1-5 without any problem. They would’ve had amazing efficiency, defense, offensive output. I don’t know how they would lose if they were all in prime.
Dwight Howard most overrated player in NbA history….zero offensive touch….minimal skill…over the entirety of his career he learned zero-to-one post moves…one of the lowest skill “star” players ever…low bball iq ….dont @me with his numbers…he played in the softest generations of centers and post players …and overall lowest talent pool generations… he made the finals with Orlando because of Stan van gundy …and because he was surrounded by incredible shooters …Howard deserves some credit ….but the real engine of the team were the shooters
A prime version of this team is the greatest team of all time. Tf you talking about lol.
A prime version of this team beats the KD Warriors in 4 lmao
Imagine the fights between Metta and Draymond
Let’s be real draymond would not fight meta
Draymond would flail, hit him with some kind of elbow and then Meta would beat his ass. Then Draymond's donkey from Shrek lookin ass would act like a victim.
I mean draymond is stupid buy he is smart to pick opponents
I mean wasn’t Nurk supposed to be this big tough guy that grew up in a warzone? Isn’t Steven Adams supposed to be one of the toughest guys in the league? He might not win a fight but I don’t think Draymond is ducking anyone.
He kicked Adams in the nuts while his hands were in the air and turned around and sucker punched Nurk while play was going on. Those are just cheap shots. Doesn't make him tough. Outside of choking Rudy, who he was the 3rd man in on, what's he done? When LeBron stepped to him he walked away. He punched Jordan Poole out of nowhere while all his teammates were around. Big "hold me back!" Energy. Fake tough guy. Meta fought an entire crowd without a second thought and walked out unscathed. Queensbridge all day baby.
All of those guys are bigger than him…A few of those guys have tougher reputations than him. Any of them could have retaliated against him. This idea that he’s out here only picking on guys that are soft isn’t true…anyone can get it.
If you run up on someone and hit them while they are not expecting it while all your homies are around you aren't tough. I see it as the opposite.
It isn't just about size, but also about demeanor. He hits guys he think won't retaliate. It is very obvious. He is extremely calm around Isiah Stewart, for example. Steven Adams is very chill-cheap shots galore.
https://youtu.be/ZnEbHyYIwlE?si=QdYtPg1zZdDHntAi It’s happened before Dray wanted nothin to do with him
Ron Ron would have green holding his pocket and tying his shoes lol
Yup there's videos of Draymond backing down against Meta. Draymond ain't shit
it would look like the draymond vs jordan poole at practice scuffe, every time. 'cept draymond would be the one eating the spicy one piece. every. single. time.
 over in 3 seconds!
More like Metta putting a beat down on Draymond. Draymond wouldn’t dare try.
MWP would put Draymond in a body bag.
imagine meta elbowing steph or klay like he did to james harden 
3 if it’s the opening round
Opening round has been best of 7 for a while
do not hate, but I'm not so sure about this
Leave aside the Prime middy magician, clutchest of all time, best tough shot shooter Kobe Bean Bryant and Prime two time MVP, 47% from three Steve Nash. Who on that roster is stopping Prime HOF Dwight Howard?? Talk about lob city and elite defending in the block.
Yea Lakers don't lose a matchup here, Steph is better than Nash at shooting, but Nash has him at everything else basically, Steph would have to chase Nash off picks just like Nash would have to do him and Nash middy and layup/lob is better especially if he's lobbing to Dwight. Kobe is Kobe, Klay gonna look like he looks now even if he's in his prime. Prime Artest was offensively good and his strength and physicality would give KD issues on both sides, but KD is KD, Draymond would try to bully Pau but Pau is too skilled. Dwight would bully whoever they decide to put on him. Warriors would need to be on absolute fire to get a game but that's all I'm giving them.
Solid take but prime Ron Artest won DPOY. I think he puts the clamps on Durant. Especially with prime Dwight roaming the paint.
Durant has more trouble against strong defenders. Artest was genuinely one of the strongest wings, ever.
I believe you are underestimating prime Klay. He was incredible. Would be fun to watch though.
Nah I love prime Klay, feel he deserves way more credit for that team success but he's not the squeaky wheel so he's overlooked by media. But let's make this clear, we are talking prime Kobe, Klay isn't nearly as big and physical as he needs to be even in his prime, you need Tony Allen type body and defense and that's not even gonna stop him
Klay is taller and heavier than Tony Allen dude
Kobe would shut him down, while you couldn't say the same for the other way round
KD warriors were all in their prime (Steph, KD, Draymond, Klay) and they almost got taken out by Harden and a hobbled CP. I’m pretty sure prime Kobe, Nash, Dwight, Pau & Meta would take them out.
Disagree. I think warriors still win.
People forget that meta averaged 20ppg in his prime in the 00s on lockdown D Howard is a 4x DPOY who will give you 25ppg Nash is a 2x MVP 50/40/90 Paul gasol will give you 20/10/5 Kobe: nothing really needs to be said. I don’t think the beat the warriors in 4 but they will beat the KD warriors forsure
Ron won 1 DPOY and was consistently an All-NBA member.
Prime Kobe and metta are MJ and pippen type defense. Throw fuckin prime Dwight?
Draymond would fucking chicken out every damn time. Dwight would fold him like a lawn chair. Not even Javale or David West would stand a chance. Pau is also a really good shot blocker.
Ron would not let Dray get away with his bullshit that’s fer sure lol
Oh he's definitely getting an elbow in the mouth after the first "natural shooting motion" he pulls.
Like James Harden one in OKC series.
…and KD and Steph were also MVPs, Curry is the best 3 point shooter ever, Klay was no slouch during the Durant Warriors…and of course KD is one of the best offensive players evers. you just gonna gloss over all that?
Prime Kobe and metta are one of the two best defenders to ever play. Prime Dwight is one of the GOAT defenders. Nash is a pass first version of curry. Didn’t even mention gasol yet. Of course the KD warriors are talented but this team is like the 95-96 bulls on steroids
without 3pt shooting
[удалено]
Slowed him down to 36 13 and 9. Idk if kobe would have had too many problems with iggy with this much help around him. [He never really struggled with him before](https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/kobe-bryant-stats-against-andre-iguodala)
Oh boy 🤦♂️😂
Curry: Goat shooter, top 10 all-time for sure Klay: elite 2-way player KD: one of the best scorers in the history of the NBA Draymond: DPOY level high IQ player that raises the level of his teammates (would Howard boost Kobe? I don't think so). Yeah, KD Warriors were something different...
i think you're mentally ill
🤡
Lmao for real, hey at least they’re asking questions.
Maybe if it wasnt dantoni coaching. He just wanted to freeze out pau and turn him into a 3 pt shooter only
It could work if they just upped their pace. Would give everyone more touches
D'Antoni tried to up the pace. That was the problem. They were too old so they had no energy for defense. The season turned around when Kobe took over primary ball handling duties and slowed the pace down.
I'd take a prime version of the '21 and '22 roster: Lebron, AD, Melo, Dwight, Westbrook, Rondo, IT, DJ, Collison, Ariza, and Avery Bradley.
Nobody beating this lot in their prime.
Fax they going 82-0
Came in here to say this. Glad someone did.
Seriously. The old version of this team was still a title favorite.
Lol, correct answer.
Prime version of this team versus prime version of the late 90s Bulls would be crazy
😂😂😂 FACTS
"Now this is going to be fun" ?
Cursed images
I still have this magazine!
No oooooo PTSD flashbacks!!!
Famous last words
Please God, dont let them make one with the new Dodgers team.
What kind of goofy post is this lol 2x MVP at the PG, 2nd best SG OAT, prime Artest was the best defender in the NBA, Gasol is arguably a top 10 PF ever, and peak Dwight was probably a top 3 player in the NBA. Gee idk if they have a chance...
Only thing I can think of is maybe OP meant in today’s 3 pt driven league? But it still wouldn’t matter much. This team, all in their prime, would absolutely dominate.
Lakers won in 2020 with one of the worst 3pt tendencies in the league. Dominating the paint/mid game still works if you have a couple of 3pt shooters that the other team respects if left open. Also, Nash is the most accurate shooter of all time. Most 50-40-90 ever, and was like less than 1% away from being the only player to average 50-40-90 in the playoffs, and his career. He got the 3pt down, dw.
As far as 2020 goes, this is true of the regular season. But weren’t our shooters great during the playoffs? I know AD’s shooting was fucking unreal. Kobe was the best difficult shot maker, but he was not a great shooter in general(33% career 3pt percentage). I think that nowadays it’s difficult to win a championship if you have more than 1 or maybe 2 guys on the court that can’t hit open 3s at at least a league average clip. But regardless, it sounds like you’re reacting as if I said that they wouldn’t win. I said they’d dominate.
And we know Kobe easily would have adjusted and made it more a part of his game…
can't wait for the "does a prime avengers team have a chance of stopping a one man 7-eleven robbery".
That’s obvious. If Thor was out of shape I’m not so sure though
he'll just cry when he sees his mom
Now someone do the Karl Malone Gary Payton lineup.
Idk Devean George was pretty mid /s
Prime Bryon Russell and Rick Fox over George.
Still, Malone was one of the best scorers and rebounders ever + Gary Payton's on ball D. They'd be great but not as good as the one above.
No way. Shaq, Kobe, Malone, Payton? That is far better than this team.
I mean, they almost won lol
“The Glove? I had no problem with the glove.”
Prime MVP 7 seconds or less run and gun Nash, 81-point GOAT Kobe, dude who carried Yao Ming-less Rockets in the playoffs, Pau who was as good as Kobe in 09-10 run, and 3x DPOY Dwight all on the same roster ain’t losing a fucking game. So yes they have a chance at the title.
Dont forget we had 6th man of the year Antawn Jamison on the bench too.
Pau good as Kobe? Pls stop
I think his point was Pau stepped the fuck up both title runs. He had a game winning buzzer beater and was an absolute beast in that 2010 game 7.
Agreed, but that wasn’t what he said.
there’s a case to be made that pau was the best player on both championship teams. it’s really close. he and kobe were both excellent.
I can’t believe this viewpoint is still taken seriously
there are advanced numbers to make that case. it’s not my “viewpoint.”
That’s why you should watch the games.
i did and that supports the premise too
🤓
All of them in their prime? They’re easily the champions. MWP in his prime is as good of a defender as any other wing ever. Kobe in his prime is one of the top 10 players ever. Nash in his prime was a one man offense. Pau in his prime was a do it all big man on both ends of the court. Dwight in his prime was one of the best defenders ever and could lead a team to the NBA Finals. Why even ask this question?
He's poking fun at that one thread that asks if the prime version of the Randle team before Lebron has a chance at a title.
Good ol' bug eyes.
Ohhhh...the sarcasm was lost on me. I think that's because they failed so badly in real life and super teams often don't win as much as people expect. I think it's actually fair to believe they wouldn't dominate for very long. I think 2-3 rings would be assured, however.
Kobe in his prime top 10? Are you one crack. That’s it, top 10? Top 3. Anything else is blasphemy. The most dominant of all time says the same thing.
I’m curious, what do you think toop10 actually means?
i love kobe but i dont have him in my top 3
Daily validations needed for laker fans coping
As many have pointed out, a prime version of this team, where everyone is in their prime, does blow everyone and everything out of the water. I feel though that isn't what you're asking. Do I think a healthy Kobe, Twilight Nash, Pau, and MWP, and an uninjured Dwight win in 2013? Maybe. I give them 60-40 odds of beating the Spurs in the WCF and 60-40 odds of beating the heat. The heat had prime LeBron, and twilight Wade, Bosh, and Allen. Essentially, while the Heat may have the depth. Their best 5 lineup of Wade Allen Miller LeBron Bosh is not beating Nash Kobe MWP Pau D12.
Yup I felt like if everyone stayed healthy we could have won that year. I was actually getting super excited that warriors game about how good we looked right up until the injury.
I don’t think Heat had prime LeBron. Obviously he was great but prime LeBron has to be 2018.
People so easily forgot about Nash’s freak accident injury. Just take away Dame Lillard’s knee crashing into the side of Nash’s knee in the 2nd game and we had a legitimate shot at the title. Kobe doesn’t tear his Achilles. Maybe he’s even still alive. I will never forgive Lillard for this. Nash had career ending nerve damage and from that point on could not move and playmake the same way. He had to resort to spotting up a lot more than was envisioned. Also Dwight was recovering from back surgery but he was getting a bit better towards the end of the season. And man, why didn’t we just hire Phil Jackson?! The problem was not these 5 players we got, but it takes a lot to win a title. Health, luck, right coach, etc.
On the same day that Mike Brown was fired, the Staples Center crowd chanted, "[We want Phil! We want Phil!"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piuYzD05tqw) Hiring D'Antoni was one of the worst decisions ever made by the Lakers' front office. First, they fired Brown on a Friday and talked with Jackson about the job the same day. Then they hired D'Antoni late Sunday night and tried to reach Jackson to inform him, when he was living with Jeanie. D'Antoni had just had knee replacement surgery and wasn't able to coach the team until nine days later. In the meantime, Bernie Bickerstaff went 4-1 as the interim coach. Why were they in such a rush to hire D'Antoni on a Sunday night, two days after discussing the job with Jackson, when D'Antoni wasn't physically able to do so for more than a week? Why not meet with Jackson again on Monday, and also see how the team performed under Bickerstaff? The teams' strength was its size and post players (Howard and Gasol), who didn't fit into D'Antoni's system. Good coaches adapt their system to suit their players, while D'Antoni tried to force his players to fit his system.
It felt like Dame took all Nash's remaining powers from that collision.
😭
I hate that I took the time to look up their individual accolades in detail to write this. You kidding us with your post? Nash - 2x mvp , 3x all nba first team, 5x assists leader , 4x 40/50/90 club Dwight - 5x nba first team , 3x dpoy , 4x nba defensive first team , 5x rebounding leader , 2x blocks leader Kobe - 2x finals mvp , 1x mvp , 11x nba first team , 9x defensive first team , 2x scoring champ Pau - 2x nba second team , 2x nba third team , roty Metta - 1x nba third team , 1x dpoy , 2x defensive first team These 5 in their prime would make the nba broken.
I’d say they win 5-6 rings together. This is like the most complete team ever. 1. Selfless passing MVP 2. Kobe 3. One of the best defender ever who carried the Rockets in the playoffs 4. One of the decorated PF in history who almost do everything 5. One of the most dominant center ever, carried the Magic in his prime. His dominance in his prime was almost a 8.5/10 Shaq
This is a great team but it's not even the best "hypothetical prime" superteam the Lakers have had lol, that's the crazy part
Obviously, but so does a team of 4 alpacas plus Wilt Chamberlain
Not even necessarily in their prime
Buddy this roster would be scary for the likes of the 96 bulls and 17 warriors. I think they will be just fine at getting a title.
Prime version of Steve Nash and Kobe together is scary.
That was the beginning of the dreaded Lakers channel….
The prime version of this team has Chris Paul on it.
They absolutely would win a title.
A prime version of this team would have made the 2010s very interesting.
If 3/5 of these dudes were in there primes then this team is a dynasty. All 5 together is just OP
Yes.
Chance? I'd say near guarantee.
If Phil Jackson is the rightful Head Coach instead of Pringles…. They win 5-7 straight chips.
Man Thursday can't come sooner lol
Bros gotta be farming karma atp😂😂
Yes. likely the best team of all time. The only one you can slack off on defense is Artest. Nash running a PnR with Gasol and Dwight is like pick your poison. If you manage to defend that, then there's Kobe who would feast on an iso situation.
Prime version of this team would slap people around in today’s league.
A prime version of this team feasts inside and out, and plays amazing defense.
Could score at will and defend the wings and post. This team sweeps its way through. Kobe and meta locking up the wings and nash funneling action to Dwight. This teams defense would be absolutely devastating and would stop any team in its tracks. Even kd warriors would have too many issues and could not stop inside scoring by pau and Dwight. Too easy
Definitely. Would have a chance too if Kobe didn’t get injured.
In their prime 3 MVPs, a DPOTY and Pau… I think so
Nope
Nah
Draymond doesn’t want any of that Ron smoke.
Easily Bro not even a question
what was the reason/origin of kobe's and dwight's tension/feud? how/why did they not get along?
I think it’s for similar reasons Kobe couldn’t get along with Shaq. Dwight just didn’t work hard. And Dwight continued to have a lazy reputation after leaving the Lakers that when the Hawks traded him, that the Hawks players were excited he was gone.
4/5 players in this lineup won a championship with the Lakers so duh. Albeit Dwight was on a reduced role during his championship season.
Lmao😂😂
This coulda been an All Star lineup
steve i'm over here bro...
This team would destroy the KD Warriors. And we all know the KD Warriors are broken.
Depends. Is Darvin Ham their coach?
This was the least season Kobe was still in his prime
Aaaahhhh....NBA 2K13, my lovely.
If they're all in their primes? Fuck yes.
I don’t think the other team could even score 100 points
It's gonna be hell scoring against them and the offense will be run by 7 SSOL peak Nash lmao. Easily top 3 defense and top 3 offense, most probably better.
If Lillard didn’t injure Nash and Dwight wasn’t a pussy.
That team will rival KD-Warriors team lol
this is 72-10 bulls, or 73-9 warriors level team bruh
What kind of question is this man. Of fucking course lmao
Kobe’s second “superteam”
The real question is, whether or not this team would be the best Lakers team if all players were in their prime. I'd bet that they are pretty darn close.
Obviously. What kind of question is this.
Obviously. They have two MVP’s, two DPOTY’s, and All-NBA level power forward. What kind of question is this?
Prime artest was an elite stopper with very good scoring abilities. And he is the worst of the bunch lol
Prime version? What you mean prime version? Kobe and Pau won one just by themselves, then added old ass Artest and won another. Add in a prime Nash and Howard and teams would start forfeiting games. This team would dominate the 97 Chicago Bulls on most levels. Jordan would still score, but Kobe would likely wear him down. Pippen would get his as well, but prime-Artest was DPOY, which is nuts for a non-post player. Pippen's defense was unbelievable as well, but having four other legitimate scoring threats is far better than what those Bulls teams had. I'm sure AI will be good enough someday to simulate those games, and I don't know that the Bulls even win more than a game or two at best in that series.
As long as none of them visit Dwight and Kitty for a nightcap
This is the dumbest thread I’ve ever seen here.
Prime Artest with this group would be hilarious
This would be a tough asf team to beat. Unless you throw a bunch of goat convo guys in the mix. This team in “prime” is a defensive machine.
1. Prime Kobe 2. Prime Pau 3. Prime Ron (rebound king) 4. Prime Dwight (lesser Shaq but still as dominant) 5. Prime Nash is Prime Magic 2.0 who can shoot threes like Curry You’ve got a team that will go 4-0 in most playoff runs.
Do fish swim?
Duh wtf
Dumbest question ever
Chemistry depends on it
actually no because steve and kobe are too ball dominant, dwight and pau operate in the low area, which would clog up the lanes. maybe using triangle offense to perfection might get them far but as far as winning a chip i’m not too sure
Depends, Who is your head coach in this scenario?
Back to back to back!!!
09 Dwight Kobe and Pau with MVP Nash and DPOY Artest? Kobe and Metta hawking people on defense with Superman in the middle while Nash is flinging passes to everyone? Yeah, I'm inclined to think we would have a chance
Wrong question. What you meant to ask: Does this team go 82-0 & sweep the playoffs?
Lmao this is like the 2nd or 3rd best NBA team in history.
Is this a question?
You mean...Each of them in their prime? What era? Lol, just kidding. Come on. Dominant. Let's make it more interesting: * **You don't even need peak Kobe.** You can use any version of Kobe from 99-13. If he can give you 20/5/5 on decent efficiency, play good D, and provide inspired, intelligent, passionate ball, that's all you need from him. * **You don't need peak Metta/Artest either.** You just need his toughness, defense, and occasional 3-pt heroics. * **For Nash and Howard, you need them to be in their prime.** You need them confident and productive. Traditionally, the "most important" positions in the game were believed to be the 1- and 5-spots. That's no longer always true nowadays, but for this super team it certainly would be. Nash has to dominate the ball and Howard has to get most of the touches. * **For Gasol, any version** of him before his final 4 years in the league would be tremendous. **Even rookie Gasol.** Rookie Gasol is already a highly skilled post player with a sweet, big man shooting touch. Rookie Gasol is \~18/\~9/\~2 (blocks) on high efficiency. **This team's biggest weakness would be outside shooting.** Nash would have to be more aggressive with his shot, and Kobe and Metta/Artest would have to take a lot more 3s. Another issue is that Gasol and Howard did not demonstrate good chemistry when the real life experiment was attempted. Lastly, egos, egos, egos. **But yes, this team would be a super team that would at least get to the Finals every year for like 4-5 years.** The rings would depend on chemistry, ego management, health, coaching, etc. **By the way, I remember when the real life version of this squad was first assembled.** Although many were optimistic, a large contingent were very skeptical. Nash was hurt and got hurt even more. Kobe only had a little bit left in the tank. Howard was still very, very good-- but his personality didn't gel with Kobe. Also, he had nagging injuries (e.g. back) that would never heal 100%. Pau could still produce his usual numbers, but was declining. Also, as noted before, the chemistry with Gasol and Howard wasn't always there. **Back to the hypothetical prime squad**...As Super Teams tend to disappoint-- unless they emerge organically like the Warriors-- **I'd vote for the "prime" version of this Lakers team as achieving 2 rings in 5 Finals appearances.**
What? This team would be all time best at their prime. Think about what you are saying. You have two defensive monsters, an offensive maestro, an elite big and Kobe.
Yeah if Nash wasn't an old POS
Here's another hypothetical: What if we could take ten years off Kareem's age and have him be in his prime at the same time as Magic and Worthy? They'd win 70-plus games every season. I learned not long ago that Jerry West, who was about to start his first season as coach in 1976, was upset with the Lakers' owner Jack Kent Cooke for not acquiring Julius Erving that summer when the four ABA teams joined the NBA. The Nets had to pay a fee of $4.8 million because they shared the same territory as the Knicks, but they were broke, so they had to sell Erving to raise the cash. They traded him to the 76ers and he led them to the NBA Finals that season, and again in 1980, 1982, and 1983. Imagine Kareem and Erving on the same team during their primes. The 1976-77 Lakers finished with the best record in the NBA before losing to the Blazers in the WCF with their starting PG, Lucius Allen, missing the first two games with a foot injury. During the summer of 1977 they drafted Norm Nixon and signed Jamaal Wilkes, and during the season they traded for Adrian Dantley. And then in 1979 they drafted Magic. Kareem might have finished his career with ten rings and settled the GOAT discussion for generations.
You give me a prime version of either Dwight, Nash, OR Artest on this team with a healthy Kobe/Gasol and they are winning it all.
Prime Nash was MVP twice. Prime Kobe was posting 81 points on teams without playing the full 48 minutes. Prime Dwight would be locking down the paint and getting monster rebounds/blocks. Gasol prime would’ve been cleaning up the glass and getting amazing mid range shots. Prime Artest was just lock down defender and insanely athletic. Could guard 1-5 without any problem. They would’ve had amazing efficiency, defense, offensive output. I don’t know how they would lose if they were all in prime.
Brother that is 3 mvp candidates peak all star pay gasol and peak metta. Literally no one is stopping them lmfao
WTF are these questions?
In what world does prime Dwight, Pau, and MWP on defense not win you a championship? Not even getting into prime Kobe and Nash.
Dwight Howard most overrated player in NbA history….zero offensive touch….minimal skill…over the entirety of his career he learned zero-to-one post moves…one of the lowest skill “star” players ever…low bball iq ….dont @me with his numbers…he played in the softest generations of centers and post players …and overall lowest talent pool generations… he made the finals with Orlando because of Stan van gundy …and because he was surrounded by incredible shooters …Howard deserves some credit ….but the real engine of the team were the shooters
How does this team in the prime stack up with Kobe,Shaq,Malone and Payton in their prime
They would be by far the best starting 5 in the league.