Second Pass: If Kobe Bryant misses an extended period of time, can the Los Angeles Lakers still make the playoffs?
Jeremy Bauman: They can make the playoffs. Ironically, they may even be more capable of doing so.
They still have Steve Nash and Dwight Howard, both of whom touch the ball less with the Lakers than they used to with the Suns and Magic.
If I’m Howard in particular, I’m anxious, excited and nervous all at once. If the Lakers continue to rack up wins and can somehow get to the sixth spot in the West with Bryant out, it’ll likely mean that Nash and Howard exhibit beautiful chemistry in pick-and-roll situations while teammates spot up on the perimeter. Howard will also be featured in the post more regularly, as he was when he finished with 39 points and 39 free throw attempts on Tuesday against the Magic
If the Lakers fail to make the playoffs without Kobe… Well that’s on Nash and Dwight as well. Either way, the Lakers have a chance to come together as a unit, which could help them come playoff time if Kobe can come back with a vengeance.
Maxwell Ogden: This is no slight on Kobe Bryant, but I’d certainly hope so.
Steve Nash led a mediocre Phoenix Suns team to the brink of the postseason in 2011-12. Dwight Howard led a significantly weaker Orlando Magic to six consecutive postseason appearances. Kobe Bryant may be one of the best in the league, but so are Nash and Howard—so why couldn’t they make the playoffs on their own?
If the Lakers were led by only Howard and Nash for 82 games, they would still be an elite team. Subtract one superstar and you still have two left.
Look for Jodie Meeks to serve as a spot-up shooter that thrives in a Steve Nash-led offense.
Ben Baroff: The Lakers can still make the playoffs with Kobe Bryant out indefinitely.
But whether they will or not will rest on the shoulders of Steve Nash.
The ball will finally be back in his hands, and if Nash can properly pull the correct strings of this team while Kobe (and Pau Gasol) are out, then the Lakers should be able to hold onto the 8th seed.
Can Nash keep Dwight engaged offensively? Will he be able to makeup for the loss of Kobe by finding Jodie Meeks, Antawn Jamison and Earl Clark in the right spots? Is he still a leader?
After Friday night’s game at Indiana, the Lakers will play the Kings, Suns and Wizards – three of the league’s worst teams.
And let’s be real here, Kobe Bryant is not going to miss more time than he needs to. In fact, knowing Bryant’s legendary tolerance for pain and desire to make the playoffs, he will almost definitely miss less time than he needs to.