Series Thread: 2023 Western Conference Finals: 1) Nuggets vs 7) Lakers (Bubble Rematch)

[tlance]

Lol I’m not the one creating the content. There’s thousands of comments like these on Twitter. The opinion of majority of laker fans is Denver got the favorable whistles and non whistles. Those 2 plays there’s probably 20 or more just like that across the series. Denver is a good team and yeah it’s not only reason they lost but it had a hand in it. They are good enough you can’t beat them and the bad calls too

Well that is your problem right there!

Lakers have some of the biggest homer fans out there. You looking like one.

Thankfully the regulars here aren’t too bad.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Yeah, they are pretty much fucked here.

They have to preserve D’Lo salary slot and pray some sucker will eat his deal for a draft pick later on.

exactly.

I am sure they would rather let him walk, but they need the salary slot.

and like I said- I am not even sure if a sign and trade is possible for an over the cap team. It might be but there are some weird restrictions around it i think....it would take some research.

 

[shopson67]

no way on Trae....you gotta be kidding me...lol.....

I am not even sure if the Lakers have sign and trades available anyway since they are over the cap....the rules are really funky now on what you can and cannot do when you are over the cap....id have to do some serious analysis to concretely know the rule on sign and trades and cap implications right now as they stand.

Lakers can send a S&T player, but not receive one without becoming hard-capped.

 

[shopson67]

I expect the Nugz, Grizz, Suns, Kings to be better than the Lakers if you return close to the same roster.

Yes, they beat the Griz.

Lets not forget the Griz we’re missing 2 starters.

I am still holding out hope the Clippers blow it up and I don’t know what to expect out of the Dubs.

So, if you consider top 5 a contender, sure.

Chance at home court should be a contender IMO. Anything can happen from there (or even lower, as we've seen this season).

 

[WiggyRuss]

Lakers can send a S&T player, but not receive one without becoming hard-capped.

gotcha. thanks.

the hard cap is another weird thing. I think teams avoid that like the plague.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Chance at home court should be a contender IMO.

tell that to the Chokaliers

 

[tlance]

Did I say 'sharp decline'? I've been a fan of LeBron longer than you have since I liked him before he joined the Lakers. What I said was your rebuttal is stupid, as if he can do yesterday every night in the playoffs. He can't, and less so in a year. This isn't 2013.

Sure, they were so close this year.

Kinda, yeah. Celtics underperformed. Lakers probably got as far as that team can get. Guess what? So did the Warriors probably.

Yeah, I came away yesterday even more convinced his days as a superstar are passed.

He put the cape on the first half and looked like vintage LeBron.

Then he gassed out in the second.

Great player still. Just can’t be an elite player for 40 minutes every night.

 

[tlance]

Twist what I said to fit your argument. I merely said counting on Lebron to decline before he shows any real sign of it is premature. His age indicates it should happen, but then again that indicator has been flashing for a few seasons now. The team doesn't need him to play like that consistently, and even when he does (like last night), it has the undesired effect of freezing out the other players to some degree.

They lost 4 closely contested games. It's not like they gave up before game 3 like the Celtics.

Are you going to claim that anyone else in the West is ready to take it to the Nuggets? Are you claiming the West is a single contender conference?

He has declined bro.

Sorry, but each year that goes by he is less dominant.

Stats still look great. That doesn’t tell the whole story.

 

[msgkings322]

Yeah, I came away yesterday even more convinced his days as a superstar are passed.

He put the cape on the first half and looked like vintage LeBron.

Then he gassed out in the second.

Great player still. Just can’t be an elite player for 40 minutes every night.

That's all I'm saying too, and I'm one of his biggest fans here.

 

[WiggyRuss]

That's all I'm saying too, and I'm one of his biggest fans here.

his defense has fallen off more than anything.

and the explosiveness obviously. He could not do "The Block" today in my opinion- especially in the 4th qtr.

I dont think he wants it all on his shoulders anymore e ither.

And I mean Davis played well- but he played about as well as Jamal Murray- I think Murray played even better. Lakers didnt bring in DAvis to be Jamal Murray.

I think LeBron came away from this series thinking that - hey it was great Davis was healthy- but he does not have it in him to be The Guy--- and I am not sure LeBron wants to have to be the guy all the time anymore.

I think he would instantly agree to go to Golden State or Phoenix or Cleveland if he had the chance.

 

[shopson67]

he might want out too. Who knows. I think AD really disapointed him and he doesnt want to have everything on his shoulders. AD was healthy and still is not anything close to the guy everyone thought he would be when the Lakers dealt for him.

He went from being considered maybe the #1 asset in the league and a sure-fire top 5 future star to a guy that just doesn't look dependable to be a guy that carries the load.

They need to run more offense thru AD, inside out for those 3 pt opportunities.

AD just averaged 27/14/3bl on 50/50/88 shooting in the WCF, 23/14/3bl on 52/33/85 shooting for the entire postseason. Lets not act like was a no show. He was simply outshined by Jokic, which isn't a crime.

 

[msgkings322]

his defense has fallen off more than anything.

and the explosiveness obviously. He could not do "The Block" today in my opinion- especially in the 4th qtr.

I dont think he wants it all on his shoulders anymore e ither.

And I mean Davis played well- but he played about as well as Jamal Murray- I think Murray played even better. Lakers didnt bring in DAvis to be Jamal Murray.

I think LeBron came away from this series thinking that - hey it was great Davis was healthy- but he does not have it in him to be The Guy--- and I am not sure LeBron wants to have to be the guy all the time anymore.

I think he would instantly agree to go to Golden State or Phoenix or Cleveland if he had the chance.

Cleveland seems like a pretty reasonable possibility in a couple years, with Bronny. Come in to a place he has a ton of support, no need to be the #1 guy, be the veteran presence for 25-30 minutes a night. Perfect fit, they need a wing. If they have the rest of their core still that's a contender.

 

[shopson67]

Cleveland seems like a pretty reasonable possibility in a couple years, with Bronny. Come in to a place he has a ton of support, no need to be the #1 guy, be the veteran presence for 25-30 minutes a night. Perfect fit, they need a wing. If they have the rest of their core still that's a contender.

He's not going to do it for free. Best of luck fitting a salary he's willing to take. He's already deflated the "gotta play on the same team with Bronny" story.

Besides, I heard that at his current rate of decline, he'll need a walker in 2 years.

 

[msgkings322]

He's not going to do it for free. Best of luck fitting a salary he's willing to take. He's already deflated the "gotta play on the same team with Bronny" story.

Besides, I heard that at his current rate of decline, he'll need a walker in 2 years.

Money is the last thing that would affect his choices, being a billionaire.

You just can't look at anything Lakers objectively

 

[Mecca]

Yeah, people saying AD was part of the problem.

I disagree.

He didn’t have great offensive games every time, but he did his job overall.

Needed more from the role players not named Reaves and needed more from Ham.

Just a bad idea to pair an inexperienced coach with a team that has championship aspirations. Especially a vet team like this one.

Not saying Ham should get fired, I don’t believe that.

But I think he was drastically outcoached by Mike Malone. And LeBron bears some of the weight of that dynamic too.

He is absolutely part of the problem.

But, not all of it.

TLance, Lebron is damn near 40.

If the Lakers are going to win another chip, Davis has to be the best player.

Shit, RuI out played him, as far as consistency goes.

He showed out game 2.

The rest?

He needed to give them MORE.

 

[Mecca]

He's not going to do it for free. Best of luck fitting a salary he's willing to take. He's already deflated the "gotta play on the same team with Bronny" story.

Besides, I heard that at his current rate of decline, he'll need a walker in 2 years.

 

[shopson67]

Money is the last thing that would affect his choices, being a billionaire.

You just can't look at anything Lakers objectively

I absolutely can. How many billionaires do you know that do their thing for less than market value?

How many superstars take significantly less at the end of their careers? What is Chris Paul making these days?

 

[Mecca]

Chance at home court should be a contender IMO. Anything can happen from there (or even lower, as we've seen this season).

Yeah, I agree.

 

[msgkings322]

I absolutely can. How many billionaires do you know that do their thing for less than market value?

How many superstars take significantly less at the end of their careers? What is Chris Paul making these days?

You're right, it will never happen.

 

[Mecca]

Yeah, I came away yesterday even more convinced his days as a superstar are passed.

He put the cape on the first half and looked like vintage LeBron.

Then he gassed out in the second.

Great player still. Just can’t be an elite player for 40 minutes every night.

He can longer carry a team single-handedly.

If you want to win it all, he can’t be your best player.

But, that’s true of most guys not named Giannis and Joker.

Look at the fuckery from our current MVP.