Enough is enough

[trojanfight]

 

[tomodach10]

I agree ram. Just like Aldredge last year, they want to go to a contender. I think the Lakers need to look at other free agents. I don't see KD here.

 

[Rambunctious]

Dump everyone from Kupchak down to the lowest bench player and start all over. I'm sickened at what I'm seeing on the court in Lakers uniforms and on the sidelines...coaches without a clue and no talent players. They do not have the three most important things that an NBA team must have...a good head coach a good point guard and a big decent center. If I were Mitch I would samurai myself.

 

[trojanfan12]

Report: Remainder of season a 'trial' for Lakers coach Byron Scott

It should be a trial. This is a young team that needs the right coach to grow into a very good team. If Byron is the right guy to do that, then it'll show over the remainder of the season. If he isn't, that'll show too.

 

[trojanfan12]

Wojnarowski seems to think the Lakers have little-to-none chance of signing Durant because Durant wants to stay in OKC or he wants to go to a championship contender like Golden State. I tend to agree with him at this juncture because nobody wants to come to this team in its present state and help build a contender that may or may not win anything in the playoffs. I think we will go after guys like Whiteside before we sign Durant.

And others have reported that the Lakers have been led to believe that they are the front runners for Durant. Before FA is over, every FA out there will be rumored to be looking at the Lakers and every FA out there will be rumored to not be interested in the Lakers. It's nothing but speculation.

Who the Lakers get will have a lot to do with how things go the rest of the season.

 

[True Lakers Fan]

It should be a trial. This is a young team that needs the right coach to grow into a very good team. If Byron is the right guy to do that, then it'll show over the remainder of the season. If he isn't, that'll show too.

I am okay with that but I don't see it happening since they have already said that the development of the young players will take a back seat to Kobe's last year who will be playing for the last time in many areas on the road. Most of those games have already sold out at a premium rate by those wanting to see that, so they are going to be mindful of the cash cow they have for the last several months. In addition I am convinced that they are close enough to that top three protected pick to make a run for it. It's still a gamble, but a worthy one considering that they could have their future team set for years to come short of free agents. It's going to be a bummer waiting, but next year will get better and in a couple of years these Lakers will be playoff bound and that is the worst case scenario which doesn't see free agents coming. It will only take one huge free agent to be the leader in coming to Los Angeles. Others will then come.

It all comes down to being patient and letting this unfold. I've said from the beginning this is a slow process that would take a few years. The Lakers got Randle the year before and Russell last year and they added Clarkson. With a little luck they could be adding the next Michael Jordan this year and then top it off with a good free agent.

 

[wildturkey]

You guys are wasting your time giving Scott the benefit of the doubt. He has no clue what he's doing. It's as simple as that. Most all his quotes and reasonings he gives contradict each other. Like for example, this past week he's called out Russell (his favorite punching bag for no reason at all) for being overconfident to the point of cocky and days later he's saying that he's worried Russell has lost his confidence and that's why he's struggled at times. Which is it? Is he cocky or is losing confidence. Something caused him to lose his confidence you say? HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM. Wonder why that may have happened? Could it be because someone keeps yanking his minutes around without explaining what exactly he's doing wrong and how to correct it like a real coach would? The year is filled with crap like this and its the same stuff that's plagued Scott his entire career, which is what I warned you all about. His coaching is the problem but he masks his own shortcomings by blaming the players using bullshit cliches about hustle/effort/want to. He can't coach. His strategies don't work so he blames his players. His Nets quit on him because of it. His Hornets quit on him because of it. His Cavs never bought in and were a disaster on both sides of the ball (just like this team). It's no different here. This "tryout" story from today is just goodwill PR. Anyone with half a basketball brain has Scott's pink slip already drawn up. They're just waiting till April

 

[trojanfight]

i agree just when your talking replacements who are legit candidates?...we have heard tom thibodeau interest. personally i don't think he makes it to the offseason without a job. luke walton? not so sure he just didn't just look good filling in on a great warrior team.

 

[trojanfan12]

i agree just when your talking replacements who are legit candidates?...we have heard tom thibodeau interest. personally i don't think he makes it to the offseason without a job. luke walton? not so sure he just didn't just look good filling in on a great warrior team.

Exactly. You don't fire the coach just to fire the coach. You need to have a replacement in mind that you believe is better and be at least reasonably assured that you can get him. Otherwise, you go into free agency with one arm tied behind your back, unable to tell FA's who is going to be coaching them like they did in 2014.

There is literally no harm in giving Scott the benefit of the doubt. Either what he claims his plan is works and we see improved play, more consistent playing time for the youngsters, etc. (possibly losing any chance of keeping that lottery pick) and have some positive momentum going into the off-season.

Or, things continue the way they are, they keep the lottery pick and he's canned at the end of the season. Either one works, imo.

I will say this, last night was the best offense I've seen out of this team all season. It was a lot of fun to watch and had to be fun for the guys to play. If we continue to see something close to that kind of offense the rest of the season, I'll take it.

They need to get some work done on that defense though. If they hadn't outshot the T-Wolves 12-4 from 3 point range, the defense costs them that game.

 

[Retroram52]

Yea, the offense was sleep-walking in the first part of the first quarter and then Clarkson, Russell, and Kobe starting hit shots and Black started playing some D. That D is so porous that ANY effort looks stellar. Yep, if we had not out-shot the Wolves, that D would have cost us the game.

 

[trojanfan12]

Yea, the offense was sleep-walking in the first part of the first quarter and then Clarkson, Russell, and Kobe starting hit shots and Black started playing some D. That D is so porous that ANY effort looks stellar. Yep, if we had not out-shot the Wolves, that D would have cost us the game.

Yeah, it looked to me like they were using their athleticism and getting up and down the floor a bit instead of walking the ball up the floor. They were moving the ball pretty well last night too.

 

[Retroram52]

I think Rubio and LaVine forced the issue a bit because those two were just blasting up the court when they got the inbounds pass and when our guards along with Black's D started the same, the game really took off. Then when Kobe started burying threes, it was fun to watch!

 

[Rambunctious]

Anyone with half a basketball brain has Scott's pink slip already drawn up. They're just waiting till April

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

 

[wlk3]

I think we should consider trading Randle... I love his effort and he has heart, but he doesn't have "IT" IMO... How many layups does he miss before he stuffs it...? That's rhetorical because he doesn't have the lift to put them down... That's why he continues to shift the ball to around in the air and tries to spin the ball so much... Joakim Noah was my target but another injury has him sidelined, I just don't trust him not to get hurt... He has a 3 man rotation in Chicago where he doesn't play a ton of minutes and he keeps breaking down... Randle needs to be moved or continue to come off the bench and try to dominate the second units... I said it early in this season I liked Nance... I think he's that guy you need that does all the necessary little things... The more I see him the more I like him... If we can somehow keep Hibbert and bring him off the bench...

1. ?
2. Lou Williams
3. ?
4. Randle
5. Hibbert

That's a deep bench... Maybe see if we could snatch a Dunleavy maybe a Mo Williams and you got a crazy bench... I do like Luke, but he was coaching a group that play real well and Steph is a player coach... His substitutions were pretty solid though... I'd much rather Thibs and maybe hire Blatt as his assistant... Something like that not sure... This was my biggest fear when I was saying I was upset about some of the decision being made a few years back... The talk is now we are starting over and we need to start filling a roster to get FAs... We are a year or 2 behind for no reason...

 

[trojanfan12]

I think we should consider trading Randle... I love his effort and he has heart, but he doesn't have "IT" IMO... How many layups does he miss before he stuffs it...? That's rhetorical because he doesn't have the lift to put them down... That's why he continues to shift the ball to around in the air and tries to spin the ball so much... Joakim Noah was my target but another injury has him sidelined, I just don't trust him not to get hurt... He has a 3 man rotation in Chicago where he doesn't play a ton of minutes and he keeps breaking down... Randle needs to be moved or continue to come off the bench and try to dominate the second units... I said it early in this season I liked Nance... I think he's that guy you need that does all the necessary little things... The more I see him the more I like him... If we can somehow keep Hibbert and bring him off the bench...

1. ?
2. Lou Williams
3. ?
4. Randle
5. Hibbert

That's a deep bench... Maybe see if we could snatch a Dunleavy maybe a Mo Williams and you got a crazy bench... I do like Luke, but he was coaching a group that play real well and Steph is a player coach... His substitutions were pretty solid though... I'd much rather Thibs and maybe hire Blatt as his assistant... Something like that not sure... This was my biggest fear when I was saying I was upset about some of the decision being made a few years back... The talk is now we are starting over and we need to start filling a roster to get FAs... We are a year or 2 behind for no reason...

I think any and all moves will be determined by where the Lakers land in the lottery. As for Randle. I like him starting at PF. He's quick for his size, fast and can handle the ball. Plus, he has a nasty streak in him and won't back down from anyone.

He's also becoming a virtual lock for a double-double most nights. If you put/develop some top tier talent around him, he becomes a more talented version of Rambis/AC Green.

 

[wlk3]

I think any and all moves will be determined by where the Lakers land in the lottery. As for Randle. I like him starting at PF. He's quick for his size, fast and can handle the ball. Plus, he has a nasty streak in him and won't back down from anyone.

He's also becoming a virtual lock for a double-double most nights. If you put/develop some top tier talent around him, he becomes a more talented version of Rambis/AC Green.

I agree with everything you said... I LOVE his mean streak... It reminds me a lot of how Kobe was... The guy gets in and scraps, but IMO his biggest strength is the ability to take the bigger guys to the hoop as you pointed out (and heart)... Problem is he isn't fast enough to avoid the rotation, and he ends up settling for bad layup attempts because of his lack of lift... I've seen him dunk some, pass some, make some difficult layups but I've seen more missed layups and pump faking then missed layup... I think he's way better than Rambis and Green ceiling wise... However, I don't think he's a good fit with a ball dominant PG like Russell and Clarkson is even more ball dominant... From what I've seen of Randle he's not a guy who will find the open spot for the lob/rebound/catch and shoot... Plus he has the most value trade wise... IMO Nance needs to developing his 15/18 ft jumper and his going to be in and out of Allstar discussion for most of his career... I think he can be very close to Serge Ibaka... Again I really think Randle is a beast in the making but IMO he would fit a team like the Warriors where he could get time and space because he's a good passer when there is room... But we don't have shooters like Curry and Thompson who can afford to give the ball to Green/Randle and allow them to control the mismatch... Russell is very much a pure PG, IMO, Clarkson could handle allowing Randle to operate but I don't feel he's the best fit...

However with the obvious coaching change looming in the right system he would be the keeper and maybe I'd look to move Clarkson back to PG and trade Russell... Build a splash brothers type of team, but I don't think you can beat the Warriors by playing their style if you have the JV version of their players at every spot...

Clarkson = Fake Curry
Alec Burks = Fake Thompson
?
Randle = Fake Green
?

Unless Durant and Whiteside fill in those question marks and we get a Burks/Mathews/? It wouldn't make sense to try and be like them... Which comes back down to Russell or Randle IMO...

 

[trojanfan12]

I agree with everything you said... I LOVE his mean streak... It reminds me a lot of how Kobe was... The guy gets in and scraps, but IMO his biggest strength is the ability to take the bigger guys to the hoop as you pointed out (and heart)... Problem is he isn't fast enough to avoid the rotation, and he ends up settling for bad layup attempts because of his lack of lift... I've seen him dunk some, pass some, make some difficult layups but I've seen more missed layups and pump faking then missed layup... I think he's way better than Rambis and Green ceiling wise... However, I don't think he's a good fit with a ball dominant PG like Russell and Clarkson is even more ball dominant... From what I've seen of Randle he's not a guy who will find the open spot for the lob/rebound/catch and shoot... Plus he has the most value trade wise... IMO Nance needs to developing his 15/18 ft jumper and his going to be in and out of Allstar discussion for most of his career... I think he can be very close to Serge Ibaka... Again I really think Randle is a beast in the making but IMO he would fit a team like the Warriors where he could get time and space because he's a good passer when there is room... But we don't have shooters like Curry and Thompson who can afford to give the ball to Green/Randle and allow them to control the mismatch... Russell is very much a pure PG, IMO, Clarkson could handle allowing Randle to operate but I don't feel he's the best fit...

However with the obvious coaching change looming in the right system he would be the keeper and maybe I'd look to move Clarkson back to PG and trade Russell... Build a splash brothers type of team, but I don't think you can beat the Warriors by playing their style if you have the JV version of their players at every spot...

Clarkson = Fake Curry
Alec Burks = Fake Thompson
?
Randle = Fake Green
?

Unless Durant and Whiteside fill in those question marks and we get a Burks/Mathews/? It wouldn't make sense to try and be like them... Which comes back down to Russell or Randle IMO...

The thing to remember about Randle though, is this is essentially his rookie season. Prior to this year, his NBA career was 14 minutes.

I agree that Randle doesn't have a lot of lift, but neither does Zach Randolph. With a little work, I think that's who Randle could be like (only Randle has better handles) if he continues to work on his mid-range shots and post moves.

I don't think Randle is going to be as good as we thought when the Lakers got him. But I think he can easily be a Z-Bo level player which I'd take on the Lakers any time.

Having said that, if Randle can be traded for someone who is perhaps a better fit or a better, veteran type player, I wouldn't be upset. All things considered, he and/or Clarkson are probably the most likely of the young guys to be traded if the Lakers get the right offer.

 

[Retroram52]

I disagree somewhat. I like Randle's intensity and hustle every night that he plays. He could easily be played with Nance. Keep Randle at PF, put Nance at the SF (would present match-up problems for other teams) and get a guy like Whiteside in FA for the five backed-up by Black. Don't trade Randle for anybody. That is one helluva front court. With Russell and Clarkson in the backcourt we have one helluva starting young team.

 

[lakersrule]

I think we should consider trading Randle... I love his effort and he has heart, but he doesn't have "IT" IMO... How many layups does he miss before he stuffs it...?

The one thing Randle will never be able to improve is his arm length. That's why he has issues inside. He could dominate in college but there are a lot of lengthy bigs to deal with in the pros. If the right trade came along (i.e. Cousins last summer), I wouldn't be so hesitant to pull the trigger.

 

[wlk3]

I disagree somewhat. I like Randle's intensity and hustle every night that he plays. He could easily be played with Nance. Keep Randle at PF, put Nance at the SF (would present match-up problems for other teams) and get a guy like Whiteside in FA for the five backed-up by Black. Don't trade Randle for anybody. That is one helluva front court. With Russell and Clarkson in the backcourt we have one helluva starting young team.

Only problem with that is we'd have no spacing and either Randle or Nance would have to guard Durant/Lebron/Butler/Kawhi/George etc... While I think we would be big inside I think teams would run by us...