2021-2022 NBA Season

[dtgold88]

Not really. It kind of proves @tlance point. Considering they just won a title, they are kind of having a successful era right now, if not necessarily a successful current season Neither of those things happen if Short Buss is still there.

Everything else being equal or even slightly better with a team that is in a non-destination city, most top FAs are going to a destination city. That makes for a chance to win titles quickly.

I get not really in you to admit your logic is off base (and can I get a warning before a boot?) but do you know what you are even saying? Their era now includes Lebron saving them after 6 years of no playoffs. You think with no Lebron for this discussion they can turn it around quickly even though Pelinka has yet to be able to bring in an elite FA to play there not named Lebron? Might he? sure....but what has he done to make you so confident he can do it quickly?

 

[dtgold88]

They used cap room to extend AD, so yes, they were.

Ad was not a FA who they lured. Try again. He also wanted to come play with Lebron who will no longer be there for this discussion.

 

[bksballer89]

 

[msgkings322]

Yeah, the things you mentioned show up on stat sheets. Thats not really what Im talking about. Im talking about the dirty work. Like Fisher, Dray is the guy sacrificing his body, setting picks, taking charges, making sure they stay in their offense, etc. Its not that difficult to replace his stats. Replacing that other stuff is harder to do.

Also quarterbacking the defense etc. Agreed.

 

[Retroram52]

Yep. IT turned-out to be another trashed-out veteran player and the Lakers already have a whole roster full of them. Dude did way more missing shots than making them and he didn't play much defense after he had one decent game. The Johnson signing really exposed IT and he is out-the-door as Johnson was the better and younger signing who can consistently score and is willing to play good defense along with Monk and to some extent THT.

Those three are the beginning of a good young core that Vogel really wanted from the beginning. When they add Nunn, the Jones brothers, and they should start playing Huff at Center, LeBron will have his young core who can then develop a championship level team in say a year or two with getting AD back. Old dudes are consistently unproductive are going to be shown the door and the Lakers will re-group quietly.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Because they have done it 17 times before.

History tends to repeat.

A lot of those advantages the Lakers relied on for year and years have dried up and blown away in the wind. The financial advantages, the location advantages, the pull of ownership etc. have been thoroughly mitigated by the modern game. No longer does a player have to play in LA or NY or CHI to be a huge star. 15 years ago the biggest endorsers in the game were located in Orlando and Cleveland. That simply was not possible during the Lakers Showtime heyday of the 80's. Now its the rule- not the exception. The Lakers can no longer rely on just being the Lakers to attract talent. That should be something that has become painfully obvious by now. This is no longer the 80's where you can sell Jerry Buss, more money, and the attraction of a national television audience to players as they can get those things anywhere. Those institutional advantages have been significantly and thoroughly mitigated.


back in the day- your national tv games consisted of the Lakers and Celtics on Sunday night. The league had less teams. Certain teams had a lot more money than other teams. You could not become a huge marketer if you werent in a huge market. All things that are no longer true.

now- anyone can see any teams every single game
now- the richest owners in the NBA reside in Portland and Cleveland. The Lakers just let Caruso go because they were too cheap to pay anymore tax.- owners pockets matter more than team revenue generation.
No one has paid more in luxury tax than the Cavs and Warriors- not the Knicks and Lakers.
now- any player can be the biggest marketer in the world from any market.

LA still has the draw of a glamour market- but the institutional advantages that helped them to 17 titles are VASTLY VASTLY smaller than they used to be 20 years ago--- and INSANELY mitigated compared to 40+ years ago.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Yep. IT turned-out to be another trashed-out veteran player and the Lakers already have a whole roster full of them. Dude did way more missing shots than making them and he didn't play much defense after he had one decent game. The Johnson signing really exposed IT and he is out-the-door as Johnson was the better and younger signing who can consistently score and is willing to play good defense along with Monk and to some extent THT.

Those three are the beginning of a good young core that Vogel really wanted from the beginning. When they add Nunn, the Jones brothers, and they should start playing Huff at Center, LeBron will have his young core who can then develop a championship level team in say a year or two with getting AD back. Old dudes are consistently unproductive are going to be shown the door and the Lakers will re-group quietly.

once Monk got back they just didnt need or want IT.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Actually, because of the difference in cap rules, it isn't very valid at all.

The NFL basically has a hard cap...that's why when a QB "gets his bag", teams have to start making salary cuts in other areas. In the NBA, a team can pay a superstar player and still add at least 1 or 2 more because of all of the different ways there are to go over the cap.

Because the NBA has more ways to work around the cap, NBA FA's have more choices and, like it or not, most are going to choose "destination cities". The advantage isn't as big as it used to be...but it's still there and we see it play out in some fashion most off seasons.

last offseason the Lakers had no cap room so no one could go there

back in the day there was no salary cap

the Lakers let Caruso go because they didnt want to pay the extra tax to keep him- a guy who would easily be their 4th best player- and its not like he broke the bank.

 

[Retroram52]

Yea Wiggy and this FA dude from Indiana, Stanley Johnson is more of the type of player the Lakers really want to get a better mix of young talent and defensive-minded players to assist LeBron and AD into developing a pretty darned good team. The Jones (Mason and Jemerrio) brothers and getting Nunn back combined with keeping Anthony, (and maybe Westbrook, if would stop with the TOs and missing shots and especially FTs), Ariza, and say a Howard (maybe), that combination would solidify many of the present holes and weaknesses the Lakers have with this present roster play.

 

[Retroram52]

last offseason the Lakers had no cap room so no one could go there

back in the day there was no salary cap

the Lakers let Caruso go because they didnt want to pay the extra tax to keep him- a guy who would easily be their 4th best player- and its not like he broke the bank.

They also supposedly didn't sign Ball or DeRozan for the same money issues and this was after Pelinka told DeRozan and Ball they'd be Lakers before they actually signed their new deals. Now those three are the BIG THREE in Chicago making the Lakers look like dumbasses.

Another guy the Lakers should have kept was Montrezel, Apparently he didn't "fit" with LeBron, Howard, and possibly Vogel (If you take some sports pundit's opinions to be true). Out-the-door he went and he is having an All-star year in Washington along with Kuzma who the Lakers could have had as well if they didn't get a stiffy for Westbrook.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Yea Wiggy and this FA dude from Indiana, Stanley Johnson is more of the type of player the Lakers really want to get a better mix of talent and defensive-minded players to assist LeBron and AD into developing a pretty darned good team. The Jones (mason and Jemerrio) brothers and getting Nunn back combined with keeping Anthony, (and maybe Westbrook, if would stop with the TOs and missing shots and especially FTs), Ariza and say a Howard (maybe), that combination solidifies many of the present holes weaknesses the Lakers have with this present roster play.

Thing with Westrbrook- no one can say he doesnt care and he doesnt play hard.

Monk is the most intriguing of the bunch if you ask me since he can shoot. I'd give Monk 25-30 minutes a night and see if the can figure it out and become an everyday starter. His defense is rough, but it is what it is.

what they really need is a center that will take the burden off of AD to play physical all the time. AD has always hated playing center and being a physical player- he gets hurt.....they need a center that can clean up some mistakes and keep the pressure off AD. It doesnt look like Howard can do that anymore and Jordan is beyond cooked.

 

[CitySushi]

Jonathan Kuminga 30 minute games inevitable.

 

[bksballer89]

Jonathan Kuminga 30 minute games inevitable.

That Heat/Warriors game next week is looking like a bummer. Likely no Draymond or Lowry and who knows if there will be more positives this week

 

[WiggyRuss]

Jonathan Kuminga 30 minute games inevitable.

a draft where a talent like Kuminga goes 7 is just bonkers.

 

[Retroram52]

Thing with Westrbrook- no one can say he doesnt care and he doesnt play hard.

Monk is the most intriguing of the bunch if you ask me since he can shoot. I'd give Monk 25-30 minutes a night and see if the can figure it out and become an everyday starter. His defense is rough, but it is what it is.

what they really need is a center that will take the burden off of AD to play physical all the time. AD has always hated playing center and being a physical player- he gets hurt.....they need a center that can clean up some mistakes and keep the pressure off AD. It doesnt look like Howard can do that anymore and Jordan is beyond cooked.

They have that Center Wiggy but refuse to play him. Jay Huff. When he played against Dallas awhile back he played pretty well and provided a decent defensive presence in the paint. He can also shoot pretty well, but there he sits. Another youngster that is going to be real good is Reaves. He had a game recently where he shot 5 threes out of six and his defense his decent.

 

[tlance]

They do, eh? too bad none of those young guys grew up and chose to play with Lebron when there was a max deal available, huh?

Back to the topic again...in the future? Ok, but not exactly the same as soon or quickly is it? has the current regime really offered that much promise?

I never said quickly. You said that.

Before Cleveland? Yes. Quickly? Maybe, maybe not.

And I don’t know what you are talking about.

LeBron himself chose LA with honestly not all that much there. Then AD forced a trade and LA won a title a year and a half ago.

Is your memory that short?

 

[bksballer89]

@HurricaneDij39 he's talking about you

 

[bksballer89]

 

[CitySushi]

That Heat/Warriors game next week is looking like a bummer. Likely no Draymond or Lowry and who knows if there will be more positives this week

Yeah that’s a shame. Was really looking forward to it. Maybe Wiggins or Poole might be out of protocols by then.

 

[bksballer89]

Yeah that’s a shame. Was really looking forward to it. Maybe Wiggins or Poole might be out of protocols by then.

They should be. My guess is if they had no symptoms then both should be back by end of this week