Series Thread: 2) Phoenix Suns vs 7) LA Lakers

[tabascojet]

The Lakers killed the team that they were building when they signed LeBron. He is old and he sucks. They over paid for a washed up has been. I watched a total of 3 games this season after not missing any Lakers games since 1999. I probably wont watch many next season as well. Can't wait for this bum to get off the team.

Hot take....

 

[WiggyRuss]

Depends on how you define over.

His window of being a dominant MVP candidate that can take over a series and carry a team might be over.

But he can still be an all star level contributor for the next few years. He is a freak and he has evolved his game enough so that he will be able to play effectively for a good bit.

Good off season moves and good health for the Lakers can put them right back among the top.

Lakers are very restricted cap wise- and of course still owe multiple picks to the Pelicans. They really do not have much to work with over there to improve in the offseason beside vets who want to try and chase a ring- and honestly- vets might choose a different place to chase a ring (Brooklyn?)

 

[WiggyRuss]

This loss is on Vogel and the staff. For one, it was completely stupid and reckless to put Davis out there when he CLEARLY wasn't ready right from the get go. You're fucking up your game plan right from the start. He starts Gasol, but there's no adjustments from the previous game. They're playing the Suns the exact same way defensively they did with Drummond and they got cooked. Then guess what happened. After halftime, they start trapping the Suns PnRs, hard doubling Booker, and then playing 5 out sets on offense with Gasol or Morris and SURPRISE, they're way more effective. Almost clawed their way back into the game. I'd actually rather they would've been blown out because now I'm pissed off since I knew that's the way they should have played from the start. It worked in game 2. It worked at the end of game 4 when they almost came back to steal it after the Davis injury. Yet Vogel was so damn reluctant to play this way. Just shittyass coaching out of him this series (really since about Jan/Feb)

i agreed with you- and said the same thing- 5 out, let LeBron collapse and kick out to the shooters. Its like Vogel never watched LeBron in a playoff series before.

One of the issues was though that Gasol sucked and you would have needed him to hit from outside. Gasol is fine as a bench vet- but he looked like he lost a lot steam this year.

I dont know what the Lakers do with Schroeder. I would have to look at it in more detail- but I am pretty sure you cannot sign and trade if you are over the cap. There is some kind of restrictive rule about that but I forget the details.

Pelinka is going to have to get very creative since he really does not have much ammo to make a move. No one is giving up anything of value for Kyle Kuzma.

 

[WiggyRuss]

If only the Lakers had Brandon Ingram, Jason Hart, and Lonzo. I mean just look at how amazing the Pels are with them plus a once every few years top pick.

they of course made the right move trading for Davis

but it would be interesting to see:

PG- Russell
SG- Ingram
SF- Bron
PF- Randle
C- Zubica

totally hypothetical of course.

 

[shopson67]

Rofl those poor Lakers fans. So fucking glad the Suns won.

Don't lump us all in with this "Laker fan" that watched 3 games this year. Laker haters watched more than that.

 

[DJ]

Please write off the Lakers.....

We'll be back next season.

 

[DJ]

We should have kept Danny Green....Schroder was such a joke.

 

[Stakesarehigh]

they of course made the right move trading for Davis

but it would be interesting to see:

PG- Russell
SG- Ingram
SF- Bron
PF- Randle
C- Zubica

totally hypothetical of course.

I would have to see what all they'd have to undo to make that happen

 

[shopson67]

i agreed with you- and said the same thing- 5 out, let LeBron collapse and kick out to the shooters. Its like Vogel never watched LeBron in a playoff series before.

One of the issues was though that Gasol sucked and you would have needed him to hit from outside. Gasol is fine as a bench vet- but he looked like he lost a lot steam this year.

I dont know what the Lakers do with Schroeder. I would have to look at it in more detail- but I am pretty sure you cannot sign and trade if you are over the cap. There is some kind of restrictive rule about that but I forget the details.

Pelinka is going to have to get very creative since he really does not have much ammo to make a move. No one is giving up anything of value for Kyle Kuzma.

It's like you haven't watched the Lakers this year. What shooters? Their highest percentage 3 pt shooters are either too timid (KCP) or a reserve (Caruso, who went out early last night with an ankle injury) and Gasol. Schroder hasn't been a true 3 point threat and Matthews was a disappointment overall (but still at least brought the defensive effort). Pelinka has to take some of the blame for the roster construction.

The S&T rule concerns the apron:

• The team receiving the player cannot have a payroll that exceeds the so-called "apron"—a designated level above the NBA luxury tax threshold—after the trade. A team with a payroll above the apron can only receive a player in a sign-and-trade if the transaction drops that team's payroll below the apron. Once the transaction is complete, the team receiving the player is hard capped at the apron for the entire season.

Lakers stayed under the apron this season (by half a mil) which was just short of $138M. They have a ways to go to get to that for next season ($14.7M in space currently). As a result, Schroder may not be an option to retain unless Harrell walks (as I would expect anyway), which would give them almost $10M more in space under the apron (and get them just under the salary cap, not including cap holds).

 

[DJ]

I would have to see what all they'd have to undo to make that happen

LOL.

 

[shopson67]

they of course made the right move trading for Davis

but it would be interesting to see:

PG- Russell
SG- Ingram
SF- Bron
PF- Randle
C- Zubica

totally hypothetical of course.

Who's Zubica, lol?

I would prefer Thomas Bryant back over Zubac, due to his perimeter range. Both would be useful for different matchups. They couldn't have Russell and Lebron though, as they traded Russell to create cap space to sign Lebron. Add in Hart, Caruso, and Kuzma coming off the bench? They would still have that draft pick traded to the Cavs, so Garland would be the starting PG with Ball still in the mix.

PG - Garland, Ball, Caruso
SG - Ingram, Hart
SF - Lebron, Kuzma
PF - Randle
C - Bryant, Zubac

Problem is, how well do these guys match up with Lebron? Still not a lot of reliable 3 pt shooters in that mix.

 

[WiggyRuss]

It's like you haven't watched the Lakers this year. What shooters? Their highest percentage 3 pt shooters are either too timid (KCP) or a reserve (Caruso, who went out early last night with an ankle injury) and Gasol. Schroder hasn't been a true 3 point threat and Matthews was a disappointment overall (but still at least brought the defensive effort). Pelinka has to take some of the blame for the roster construction.

The S&T rule concerns the apron:

• The team receiving the player cannot have a payroll that exceeds the so-called "apron"—a designated level above the NBA luxury tax threshold—after the trade. A team with a payroll above the apron can only receive a player in a sign-and-trade if the transaction drops that team's payroll below the apron. Once the transaction is complete, the team receiving the player is hard capped at the apron for the entire season.

Lakers stayed under the apron this season (by half a mil) which was just short of $138M. They have a ways to go to get to that for next season ($14.7M in space currently). As a result, Schroder may not be an option to retain unless Harrell walks (as I would expect anyway), which would give them almost $10M more in space under the apron (and get them just under the salary cap, not including cap holds).

thanks for looking that up on the apron. I knew it was something like that but couldnt quite remember off the top of my head. That should make it interesting.

basically- if yo uwant to use the sign and trade to bring someone in- Schroder is the only candidate- it comes down to- can you get something in a sign and trade for Schroeder? Who would want Schroeder and give up an asset for the right to pay him a lot of money?

Is there a team out there that wants to pay Schroeder $15-20 million a year so much- that they give up an asset to do so? I have my doubts but you never know.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Who's Zubica, lol?

I would prefer Thomas Bryant back over Zubac, due to his perimeter range. Both would be useful for different matchups. They couldn't have Russell and Lebron though, as they traded Russell to create cap space to sign Lebron. Add in Hart, Caruso, and Kuzma coming off the bench? They would still have that draft pick traded to the Cavs, so Garland would be the starting PG with Ball still in the mix.

PG - Garland, Ball, Caruso
SG - Ingram, Hart
SF - Lebron, Kuzma
PF - Randle
C - Bryant, Zubac

Problem is, how well do these guys match up with Lebron? Still not a lot of reliable 3 pt shooters in that mix.

rigiht-

i mean totally hypothetical.

Garland really came around this year. I like his future a lot.

 

[shopson67]

I would have to see what all they'd have to undo to make that happen

Simple, no AD trade (other than Russell, who was traded to make cap space to sign Lebron) and no Zubac/Beasley for Muscala trade. Randle left as a free agent. That Muscala trade was made to try to add a shooter, which is the main problem with that lineup.

 

[shopson67]

rigiht-

i mean totally hypothetical.

Garland really came around this year. I like his future a lot.

Yep. Lakers were interested in Garland at the time before trading the pick. Advertised as a pure shooter, but with a very limited college sample size due to injury. He's rounding into form.

 

[flyerhawk]

thanks for looking that up on the apron. I knew it was something like that but couldnt quite remember off the top of my head. That should make it interesting.

basically- if yo uwant to use the sign and trade to bring someone in- Schroder is the only candidate- it comes down to- can you get something in a sign and trade for Schroeder? Who would want Schroeder and give up an asset for the right to pay him a lot of money?

Is there a team out there that wants to pay Schroeder $15-20 million a year so much- that they give up an asset to do so? I have my doubts but you never know.

Well aren't you talking about a S&T which isn't so much about a team giving up an asset as much as recouping something for an asset walking?

Maybe the Raptors would be willing to take back Shroder for Lowry instead of getting nothing for him? It would certainly require that a player really wanted to go to the Lakers.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Well aren't you talking about a S&T which isn't so much about a team giving up an asset as much as recouping something for an asset walking?

Maybe the Raptors would be willing to take back Shroder for Lowry instead of getting nothing for him? It would certainly require that a player really wanted to go to the Lakers.

I was thinking about that destination but with Van Fleet- youn and making a ton of money- I dont really see adding Schroeder is realistic. I think they could do better on the open market.

One place I was thinking- ironically enough- was if the Twolves wanted to move on from Russell and his big deal? I dont know.

Basically- what you are looking at is trading for a guy who is talented- got a big contract- kind of underperformed- a team wants to get rid of the contract- but he could be revived under LeBron.

 

[DJ]

Dame or Steph.

Make it happen, Rob Lowe.

 

[WiggyRuss]

an oladipo/schroder sign and trade swap?

would the Lakers gamble on John Wall? They could prob. extract some assets too. --- not sure if that would work cap wise though.

would the Celtics want to swap out Kemba for Schroeder? prob not- but another guy I was thinking might fit the criteria.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Dame or Steph.

Make it happen, Rob Lowe.

theres a better chance Kate Upton leaves Justin Verlander for you.