Where New-Look LA Lakers Big 4 Ranks Among All Superteam Cores

It is not an exaggeration to say that the 2012-13 Lakers have a chance to be one of the best teams ever. 

It will take a lot of work, and they will need to develop a chemistry that results in them winning at least one championship, but it can happen.

Even if it doesn't, though, this current incarnation of the Lakers has one of the best cores of all time. They don't need to win at the highest level for that to be true. All they have to do is take the floor for a single game and we can say that this group was one of the best to ever play together.

With Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard, the Lakers' possess four Hall-of-Fame level players in their starting lineup. All four have carried teams to the playoffs and all four have accolades (both in the NBA and internationally) that place them at a stature only a handful of other groups can match.

Who are some of those other groups and how do they compare? Let's discuss.

The Showtime Lakers

The Showtime Lakers were one of the greatest teams ever. It's not even really fair to classify them as a single team because their dominance stretched for the entire decade of the '80s. The team also mixed multiple groups of players to form different incarnations that produced some of the best basketball the league has ever seen.

For the purposes of this discussion, let's focus on the team that represented the moniker "Showtime" the best and look at the group from the mid- to late '80s.

The core of those teams was Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy. In comparing those three to the Lakers' core four, we see some striking similarities.

At point guard, both teams possess a true difference-maker. Magic is the best point guard the league has ever seen, with his size (and how that translated to all-court dominance) being a key attribute.

Nash, meanwhile, is a legendary point guard in his own right and the owner of two MVP awards to back up his place in history. And while there are comparisons to be made in terms of the effectiveness of both players, the edge would have to go to Magic.

At forward, Gasol and Worthy are a very close match. Pau's size, length and versatility make him one of the game's best big men. Worthy, on the other hand, never put up eye-popping stats, but always raised his game in the playoffs and even has a Finals MVP on his resume as proof.

From a sheer talent standpoint, I'd call this a draw, with Worthy's clutch factor battling Pau's all-around game and some big playoff moments tacked on to break the tie. In the end, I'd have to go with Worthy over Pau.

At center, there's really no comparison. Not to insult Howard, but Abdul-Jabbar is one of the game's best handful of players ever, and Howard is simply his era's best big man. There's really no need to compare the two any further than to say that Kareem holds countless NBA records and won six league MVP awards. Dwight is a fantastic talent, but he's not close to Kareem's level. The edge in this matchup is clearly Kareem's.

The only player left to discuss is Kobe, and this is where things get tricky. The Showtime Lakers only had a big three and this current Lakers team has four superstars. Plus, Kobe is an all-time great in his own right. By the time he retires, he'll likely be in the top three in all-time points and, even without winning another title, will match Magic's five championships. 

So, while the Showtime team has swept the three comparisons so far, Kobe makes up a lot of ground simply because that '80s group doesn't even have a player to compare him to. 

Ultimately though, even with Kobe being the ultimate trump card, I'd still give the edge to the Showtime team. They have two of the top five players of all time as part of their core. It's pretty difficult to find a group better than that.

The '80s Celtics

The '80s Celtics, like the Lakers, represent a fantastic group of players that will go down in history as one of the best core groups ever.

With Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish and Dennis Johnson, those Celtics had four Hall of Fame players; the fact that they had four top-flight players makes the comparison to this Lakers team quite fun.

Let's start at guard where we have Dennis Johnson and Steve Nash. We all know what Nash brings to the table, but Johnson's exploits are a bit less known. A supreme defensive player and a guard with tremendous feel for spacing and timing, Johnson was a key component of those Celtics teams. He had several clutch moments in key games and there was no one Bird trusted more. All that said, I'd probably still take Nash over DJ, solely because of Nash's offensive brilliance. As one of the best shooters of all time, Nash is a driving force on offense rather than a supporting player.

At center it's Parish vs. Howard, and I'll lean towards the Lakers' current big man. The Chief was a great player in his own right, playing fantastic post defense while possessing an underrated offensive game. However, Howard's defense is even better that Parish's, and even if you'd call their offensive games a tie (I'd choose Dwight here, but that's not the point), the difference in defensive ability and presence is enough to go with Howard here.

At power forward, choosing between McHale and Gasol really is as close to a toss-up as you can get. McHale was certainly the better scoring threat, possessing a low post game that is still unrivaled today. His array of up-and-unders, drop steps, and face-up moves is the gold standard for big men to emulate. Gasol, though, also offers a magnificent post-up game and adds a dimension as a passer that McHale did not have.

McHale was the more gifted defensive player, but Pau is no slouch in that area. Ultimately, I'd give the edge to McHale, but it's close. Pau is probably the closest approximation to a modern day McHale that you'll find in the league.

That leaves us with a matchup between Kobe and Bird. Both are top ten players all time. Bird is one of the best shooters ever and Kobe is one of the best scorers of all time. Bird was a tremendous rebounder and Kobe is a great creator for others (even if his assist totals don't always reflect it). At the end of games, both have shown a killer instinct that struck fear in opponents. Ultimately, I'll call this matchup a draw and leave it at that. 

Ultimately, I'd have to take the Lakers' core over the Celtics. It's a close call, but Nash and Howard put them over the top.

The 2008-12 Celtics

In 2008, the Celtics franchise became revitalized with the formation of their Big Three, made up of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. When you added a young Rajon Rondo to the mix, this was a formidable group that ultimately went on to win the championship that same season.

At the time, no one knew if they would really be a super team, but hindsight tells us that even with only the single championship, this group qualifies. KG, Pierce and Allen are all headed to the Hall of Fame, and if Rondo's career trajectory stays on its current path, he has a good chance to make it one day as well.

This makes them a good comparison for this year's Lakers.

At point guard, the choice between Rondo and Nash isn't as straightforward as it might seem. Rondo is a defensive ace, and that's an area where Nash has struggled. As playmakers, Nash has the slight edge (though Rondo is tremendous in this area), but it's closer than many would admit. Rondo is the superior rebounder, but Nash is so far ahead as an overall offensive force with his shooting and scoring ability that I'll go with him in the end. He's simply too good on O to have Rondo's superior D overtake him.

As big men, the battle between KG and Howard is as equally tight as the one at point guard. People get distracted by the antics, but KG really has been one of the very best big men of the past 20 years. His offensive game is as polished as you'll find in his era. He possessed a strong post game and a very good perimeter one, and had the passing acumen to complement his scoring touch. And when you add in his game-changing defense, KG will be remembered as an all-time great. Whether all of that makes him better than Howard is a tough call, but I'd have to say it does. 

At the other forward spot, it's Pierce vs. Gasol and this is another tough choice. Gasol possesses the size and that's always an advantage. Plus, Pau's passing ability and feel for the game are superior to Pierce's. That said, "The Truth" is a fantastic clutch player and a much better scoring option than Pau. And while Pau is a better rebounder, Pierce is superior in creating his own shot and a more reliable offensive option throughout the course of the game. These two play different positions, so a straight-up comparison is tough, but I'd likely have to take Pierce simply because his offensive reliability trumps Pau's versatility. This was another tough choice, though.

At shooting guard, this is much like the Howard/Kareem comparison from earlier. Allen, for all of his career accomplishments and how good of a player he's been, simply doesn't match up with Kobe. Yes, Allen is the better shooter, but Kobe does everything else on a basketball court better, and in most areas, by a far margin. The edge here is clearly Kobe's.

Ultimately, I'd take the Lakers' core over the Celtics, but it's close. The advantages of Kobe and Nash outweigh the slight ones that KG and Pierce possess in their comps.

The Current Miami Heat

The reigning NBA champs belong on this list simply because at the time this trio was put together in the summer of 2010, they were arguably three of the top 15 players in the league joining forces. Whatever your opinion of LeBron, he'd already won two league MVPs by that point while Wade and Bosh were both highly decorated players in their own right.

The fact that they went to two consecutive Finals and won a title in their first two seasons together only reinforces the idea that this trio is one of the best cores to ever play together.

But how do they compare to this Lakers team?

At shooting guard, I'd have to take Kobe over Wade. Wade is one of the more underrated players of his era, combining efficiency and late-game prowess with top-level defense. When it's all said and done, he'll likely be right in the conversation with Jerry West as the third best shooting guard ever.

But historically, he will rank behind Kobe. Everything Wade has done, Kobe's done it too, save for shooting the same percentage from the field and being a high assists man over the course of a full season. But Kobe's the better jump shooter and post player, and has played top-level defense for more years (though to be fair to Wade, he's an elite defender and hasn't played as long).

At forward, this is another race that's not close. Talk up Gasol all you want, but he's simply no where near the class of player LeBron is. The latter has the chance to be one of the best handful of players ever and that's not something that you can simply gloss over. By the time LeBron's career is over, he may have a handful of rings and MVP awards with scoring titles and all-defense awards to go with them. He is one of a kind.

At big man, it's finesse vs power. I'm probably one of Chris Bosh's bigger fans and think he's still not given the credit he deserves on this Heat team. His jump shooting is vital to giving LeBron and Wade space to drive to the rim and his defense and rebounding are key to keeping the Heat near the top of the defensive rankings each season. That said, Howard is the game's best defensive big man and controls the paint on both ends of the floor in ways that Bosh simply can't. Howard is a perennial MVP candidate and Bosh isn't at that level. Give me Howard any day.

Like the comparison to the Showtime Lakers, this last comparison is where they run into issues. The Heat have a big three, and with Steve Nash, the Lakers have a fourth player we have to account for. And for that reason, I'm going to have to go with the Lakers core over the Heat's. 

Even though LeBron is clearly the best player and the Wade/Kobe comparison is closer than some would admit, with Howard superior to Bosh and no one to compare Nash to at all, the Lakers' core stands above.