Along with winning an impressive seven rings during his career, Horry was also known for his clutch shots in the NBA playoffs and NBA Finals. Even though Horry went on to play for the rival Spurs after winning three titles with the Lakers, “Big Shot Rob” is considered one of the Lakers’ key contributors during the three straight titles won with Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant running the show.
With the Lakers reloading by adding Steve Nash and Dwight Howard into the mix, some heated debates have begun to circulate about the team’s chances of contending for title next season and beyond.
Horry put his two cents in about his former team’s new additions according to Shreyas Sharma of IndiaToday.in:
“I don’t think the Lakers are going to be in the NBA Finals, despite Howard and Nash. To go deep into the play-offs, you need a strong bench, not just a great starting line-up. I still believe (last year’s runner-up) Oklahoma City Thunder are the favourites in the Western Conference, and (champions) Miami of course have just gotten stronger with Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis.
You pick up history and you’ll see the bench that outplays its opponents usually wins,” Horry told Mail Today.
Horry isn’t the first former player to voice their opinion about the new-look Lakers and definitely won’t be the last. Even though at first glance it appears that the seven-time NBA champion is taking a shot at his old team, Horry does make a solid point as the Lakers may struggle next season to build some chemistry and might find their bench to be weaker than anticipated.
The additions of Antawn Jamison and Jodie Meeks were definitely steps in the right direction for the Lakers this summer as they were able to add some depth to arguably one of the worst benches in the league. Re-signing Jordan Hill was crucial as a backup for Howard and Pau Gasol in the frontcourt.
It could be argued that more depth is needed off the bench as the Lakers might not be able to make a deep run without as Horry mentioned. Leandro Barbosa remains a possibility for Los Angeles as the Brazilian recently mentioned that he’s still in talks with the team, but it’s uncertain whether or not the Lakers’ front office is willing to bring in another player before next season.
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