POLL How far will these misfit Lakers go?

[trojanfan12]

This question really boils down to how much you think LeBron helps the team.

Last years team wasn't as bad as their record indicates. They lost 28 games by 10 pts or less. The biggest thing the young Lakers lacked was a go to guy to close out games and make things happen.

They have that now with LeBron.

So, how many of those 28 games do they win this year with LeBron, not to mention the continued growth of the young players that will continue to improve with LeBron and his style of play.

Guys will have more open looks than last year with teams focused on stopping LeBron.

If you go conservative and say half those games end in W's, the Lakers are a 49 win team and a 3 or 4 seed in the West.

Plus, their defense will be even better with the addition of LeBron, so they will score more and their defense will be better.

They won't beat the Warriors, but they could beat any of the other teams.

Agree. The only thing I'd say different is, unless CP3 "fall off a cliff" as far as his decline or gets injured again, the Lakers aren't beating the Rockets either.

 

[ANGELAKERAMS]

Agree. The only thing I'd say different is, unless CP3 "fall off a cliff" as far as his decline or gets injured again, the Lakers aren't beating the Rockets either.

TJ

I would agree with the exception that the Lakers will have the defense to limit Houston's offense.

They have multiple guys they can throw at CP and Hardin ( Rondo, Ball, Hart, Ingram, even Kuzma and LeBron could take turns on Hardin ).

I think it's more even than most realize if the young guys continue to develop as they have so far.

Ingram isn't far from being a 20 ppg player and having LeBron to set him up and draw the defense, that could very well happen this season. Ball's shooting should only improve ( it can't get much worse ) and his defense was better than expected last season.

Hart and Kuzma showed what they could do starting or off the bench.

Their only matchup problem is Capela who the Lakers really have no counter for. But if they are limiting CP and Hardin, they will live with whatever Capela does.

 

[blazer prophet]

Bottom line is that it isn't a very talented team with an aging super star. 6-8 seed.

 

[lebron23james]

Lebron is going to have to go all out, or they won't make the playoffs

 

[lebron23james]

Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma are special young talents in the same breath as Jalyen Brown and Jayson Tatum is. Should I not glow about those guys?

Is Josh Hart not a promising young role player? Does Lonzo Ball not have talent and potential?

You do realize that Jalyen Brown and Jayson Tatum where balling out against lebron and took him to 7...What exactly was Kuzma and Ingram doing...

Plus they lost Randle, Nance and Clarkson...They were contributors to the lakers 35 win season

 

[bksballer89]

ESPN predicts they miss the playoffs

 

[trojanfan12]

TJ

I would agree with the exception that the Lakers will have the defense to limit Houston's offense.

They have multiple guys they can throw at CP and Hardin ( Rondo, Ball, Hart, Ingram, even Kuzma and LeBron could take turns on Hardin ).

I think it's more even than most realize if the young guys continue to develop as they have so far.

Ingram isn't far from being a 20 ppg player and having LeBron to set him up and draw the defense, that could very well happen this season. Ball's shooting should only improve ( it can't get much worse ) and his defense was better than expected last season.

Hart and Kuzma showed what they could do starting or off the bench.

Their only matchup problem is Capela who the Lakers really have no counter for. But if they are limiting CP and Hardin, they will live with whatever Capela does.

I agree with this and I do think that the Lakers chances vs. the Rockets are better than against the Warriors. But I still think the Rockets win. I think the Lakers would lose in 6 to the Rockets.

The Lakers defense definitely can slow the Rockets and make the series interesting. But the gap between the teams offensively is still too wide for the Lakers to win a 7 game series, imo.

Having said all of that, I really hope I'm wrong.

 

[Shaqdaddy11]

ESPN predicts they miss the playoffs

ESPN also had lebron picking either philly or houston before the Lakers.

 

[Shaqdaddy11]

You do realize that Jalyen Brown and Jayson Tatum where balling out against lebron and took him to 7...What exactly was Kuzma and Ingram doing...

Plus they lost Randle, Nance and Clarkson...They were contributors to the lakers 35 win season

Have you figured out what a RFA is yet?

 

[tlance]

You're hardly discussing. You're getting upset about what other people have posted.

Whatever works for you.

Serious question:

Why do you always assume people are getting upset when they are debating a topic here?

Back and forth discussions do tend to play like arguments. It is literally why we are all here. But just because people are engaged in a back and forth it does not mean they are upset.

 

[tlance]

Hey, if you want to continue to be wrong. I'm certainly not going to stand in your way.



Wasn't trying to move anything. I was pointing out the difference between the C's role players and the Lakers role players and that the C's role players were better.



Agree. Kuzma was in school for, I believe, 3 years (might be 4). Yeah, Brown is a better defender and Kuzma is better on offense. I think that they will each improve their weak spots and will become essentially the same player. Although I think Brown will always be a little better defender and Kuzma a little better on offense.



Scariest thing about Tatum is that he performed that well in the playoffs as a rookie. I was really impressed with his poise.

Kuzma is a nice player, better than anybody thought he would be.

But, as you have said before, he is closer to a finished product than most rookies. Brown is already pretty good and he has a lot more room to grow than Kuzma. I would frankly be shocked if they ended up being similar players in their respective primes. Brown is significantly better overall.

 

[tlance]

Shawn Marion had a pretty funky shot, huh?

Shawn Marion was a career 33.1% 3 point shooter. He had a couple good shooting seasons early on with Phoenix, but he was nothing resembling a good shooter. He got left open an awful lot.

If you want to talk about successful shooters with ugly shooting form, I might have gone with Reggie Miller.

 

[tlance]

Do you think that this Lakers team is noticeably more talented than the Cavs team from last year?

I do think the Lakers are FAR more talented.

But, the pieces don't fit nearly as well. It will be interesting. Overall, the two teams are probably pretty comparable.

 

[tlance]

As for Lonzo. I know Jason Kidd is a first ballot hall of famer. I'm not saying Lonzo is going to be a hall of famer. Right now he is fighting for a starting job. But I don't think the comparison is that far fetched. Lonzo is 6'5, Kidd is 6'4. Both are great passers, rebounders, and shoots a low percentage.

Jason Kidd's rookie season
- 11.7 ppg 5.4 reb 7.7 ast (38.5 % FG and 27.2 % 3pt)

Lonzo's rookie season
- 10.2 ppg 6.9 reb 7.2 ast (36.0 % FG and 30.5 % 3pt)

That is the closest comparison and likely ceiling for Lonzo. He could absolutely get there.

Kidd did become a better shooter toward the end of his career, but I think the very real concerns are twofold:

1) shooting from the PG position is at a premium more than ever before.
2) The fit concern between Ball and LeBron is very real. Ball may not be able to fully utilize his Strengths depending on his role and how Walton uses the two together.

 

[Gman]

Kuzma is a nice player, better than anybody thought he would be.

But, as you have said before, he is closer to a finished product than most rookies. Brown is already pretty good and he has a lot more room to grow than Kuzma. I would frankly be shocked if they ended up being similar players in their respective primes. Brown is significantly better overall.

^ I concur.

Ask neutral fans who would you rather have... and I bet folks take Brown over Kuzma at at least a 3 to 1 clip.

Just can't teach that elite athleticism... and Brown has proven to be a hard worker, too, who has developed his abilities each year more and more.

 

[DJ Fieri]

Shawn Marion was a career 33.1% 3 point shooter. He had a couple good shooting seasons early on with Phoenix, but he was nothing resembling a good shooter. He got left open an awful lot.

If you want to talk about successful shooters with ugly shooting form, I might have gone with Reggie Miller.

I was comparing the funky delivery only.

 

[flyerhawk]

I do think the Lakers are FAR more talented.

But, the pieces don't fit nearly as well. It will be interesting. Overall, the two teams are probably pretty comparable.

Interesting. Personally I don't see the Lakers team as being far more talented than last year's Cavs team. Kevin Love is better than anyone on the Lakers. George Hill and Rajon Rondo are, IMO, about a wash. Korver is a better shooter, by a lot, than anyone on the Lakers.

If Lebron were to blow out his knee in the pre-season, how many games would this Lakers team win? How many games will the Cavs win this season? I don't see there being a huge difference between the two. I could be wrong though.

 

[Gman]

Interesting. Personally I don't see the Lakers team as being far more talented than last year's Cavs team. Kevin Love is better than anyone on the Lakers. George Hill and Rajon Rondo are, IMO, about a wash. Korver is a better shooter, by a lot, than anyone on the Lakers.

If Lebron were to blow out his knee in the pre-season, how many games would this Lakers team win? How many games will the Cavs win this season? I don't see there being a huge difference between the two. I could be wrong though.

^ I don't necessarily disagree with you as far as W/L records next season, give the hypothetical you've laid out...

... I think probably the average NBA fan might disagree because the Laker roster has more youth and potential overall... but, of course, that potential isn't necessarily going to sway W/L next year... especially given (as @tlance notes) the odd seeming fit of all the pieces.

 

[tlance]

Interesting. Personally I don't see the Lakers team as being far more talented than last year's Cavs team. Kevin Love is better than anyone on the Lakers. George Hill and Rajon Rondo are, IMO, about a wash. Korver is a better shooter, by a lot, than anyone on the Lakers.

If Lebron were to blow out his knee in the pre-season, how many games would this Lakers team win? How many games will the Cavs win this season? I don't see there being a huge difference between the two. I could be wrong though.

I think if LeBron played 0 games the win totals would be pretty similar.

But, the Lakers have a MUCH tougher schedule by virtue of playing in the West.

Kevin Love is among the most overrated players in the entire league. He will post better numbers than anybody on the Lakers (aside from from LeBron), but in terms of overall impact on both ends, players like Ingram are pretty similar.

If Love were so great, the Celtics would not have been upset when he was declared out for game 7.

Lastly, much of what you posted here is about fit. There are many players on the Lakers better than Korver, but probably none who fit LeBron as well as Korver does.

Are George Hill and Rondo a wash? In terms of fit, maybe, but not ability. Rondo is significantly better, but again, Hill fits LEBron better than Rondo does.

 

[tlance]

^ I don't necessarily disagree with you as far as W/L records next season, give the hypothetical you've laid out...

... I think probably the average NBA fan might disagree because the Laker roster has more youth and potential overall... but, of course, that potential isn't necessarily going to sway W/L next year... especially given (as @tlance notes) the odd seeming fit of all the pieces.

Take a mediocre NBA team like the Cavs and play out an entire season. 1 where they play in the East, 1 where they play in the West. I bet they win at least 7-8 more games playing an East schedule. The middle and bottom of the West are so much tougher.