Los Angeles Lakers 2018-2019 Season Thread

[Retroram52]

Maybe Lonzo Ball is taking control off his life and cleaning-up the bullshit that seems to come-out of nowhere with many of these players. He would do himself a big favor to move away from his nutjob father once and for all.

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/report...en-15-m-allegedly-goes-missing-003628042.html

 

[trojanfan12]

Laker fans have every right to be angry and complain!!!! Who are you to tell Laker fans how they should feel??? Who here said this was a championship roster???? The bottom line is, this seaon is a failure and Laker fans have a right to complain. Don't come here with this bullshit!!!

lol

I'm not telling anyone how to feel. I'm simply pointing out that, imo, it's a waste of time to complain about a bunch of players that were very unlikely to be on the team past this one season. They were here to bridge a gap between a season where the Lakers knew they weren't going to be contending and future seasons where they could be.

Yes, the season was a failure. But it was a failure because of injuries and internal issues the vast majority of which stem from the AD debacle. Not because they signed a bunch of guys to 1 year deals to preserve cap space for this coming off-season.

Yes, Lakers fans have a right to complain, I never said they didn't. I'm complaining too. But I'm complaining about how the AD trade thing was handled, the fact that they have allowed speculation about Luke's job to continue all season long rather than making a definitive statement of support or just firing him and injuries.

But I'm not complaining about a bunch of guys who were never intended to be anything but 1 years salary cap preservers.

 

[trojanfan12]

I disagree with ya TJF12. AD can yap about he is going to control things on which team he goes to but his rights are still owned by the Pelicans and in the immediate future, he goes where they send him until he becomes a FA. Then he can determine his outcome. The rest is utter bullshit with the reality being the Lakers will be looking totally stupid if they try to trade for AD when the Pelicans have already stated they will not oblige under any circumstances or list of assets.

So, since you are of the opinion that they shouldn't even try to for AD, that also means that they shouldn't still try to get as many quality assets as possible so they can possibly trade for another player who can help the team?

Look, whether you, or I, or anyone else likes it or not. The Lakers are going to try to trade for AD. They really don't have much choice. Even if the Pels refuse to deal with them, which would go a long way to showing why they have never come close to winning a championship, they have to still make a solid offer.

The reason they have to is the same reason that PG is currently having an MVP caliber season for the Thunder instead of the Lakers.

PG was supposedly coming to the Lakers, but in the end a combination of the reception he got from the Thunder and him not feeling like the Lakers tried hard enough to trade for him, kept him in OKC.

So, imo, they have no choice but to try or they risk another situation like what happened with PG. AD can't be upset with them if they make a fair offer and the Pels refuse to take it. But he can be if they don't even try.

And as I said in my post, even if they don't get AD. If they gather the kind of assets that could get them AD, they can still use those to trade for another player, like a Bradley Beal (who would fit well with Lebron) and either keep the cap space to possibly get AD as an FA after next season or bring in someone like Vucevic.

 

[trojanfan12]

Maybe Lonzo Ball is taking control off his life and cleaning-up the bullshit that seems to come-out of nowhere with many of these players. He would do himself a big favor to move away from his nutjob father once and for all.

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/report...en-15-m-allegedly-goes-missing-003628042.html

Read about that. Hopefully, he is taking more control of things. I think it would really help him if he just basically told his Dad "I'm taking control of my career and you need to stfu".

 

[Retroram52]

Exactly TJF12.

 

[Retroram52]

No TJF12, I think a better option would be to stop trying to offer anything to the Pelicans and wait until AD is a FA. Then persuade him like PG in Oklahoma. PG was set to becoming a FA, yes?. So they then went after him with that scenario not while he was under contract.

In the meantime, the Lakers should pursue building the team to the tune it was before they gave a boatload of cash to an aging star with the fatal notion that his elevation of the team to a better winning team would entice other stars to want to come and play with James and the Lakers.

AS we know, the opposite happened due in part to many players really disliking James' whole "act". This also contributed to PG staying in Oklahoma City. Now AD would come and play with James due in part to both players having the same agent.

Why is the icon's model so abhorrent to people when every where he has gone, he has created a champion and he is doing it again for the Clip Joint. The Yankees have proven time and again that ya can't buy a championship by throwing boatloads of cash at so-called superstars. Why does the Lakers under Magic and Pelinka believe that they can now do the same thing.

 

[Retroram52]

I am beginning to think this is what James does best:Whine and Cry.

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/lebron-james-talks-missing-playoffs-170744700.html

 

[trojanfan12]

No TJF12, I think a better option would be to stop trying to offer anything to the Pelicans and wait until AD is a FA. Then persuade him like PG in Oklahoma. PG was set to becoming a FA, yes?. So they then went after him with that scenario not while he was under contract.

They did try to trade for PG while he was under contract, even though they thought they could get him as an FA. They didn't make a good enough offer for the Pacers because they thought they would get him in free agency. If memory serves, the Pacers wanted the #2 pick along with whatever else they offered and the Lakers refused. Essentially, they were trying to have their cake and eat it too. They wanted to keep the #2 pick AND get PG.

PG himself named 2 things that persuaded him to stay in OKC:

1.) He was overwhelmed by his reception.

2.) The Lakers didn't try hard enough to trade for him.

Had they included the #2 pick, then he may very well have come to the Lakers, even if they didn't get him in the trade. At least it would have shown PG how serious they were.

In the meantime, the Lakers should pursue building the team to the tune it was before they gave a boatload of cash to an aging star with the fatal notion that his elevation of the team to a better winning team would entice other stars to want to come and play with James and the Lakers.

There is no more pursuing building that team. You can't put the toothpaste back in the tube. Whether or not they should have signed Lebron doesn't matter at this point. The fact is that they signed him and now they have to figure out how to put a team around him that can win. That means trying to gather assets to trade for someone and/or trying to sign someone else in FA. Hopefully, they can hang on to some combo of 2 of Ingram, Kuz, Hart and Ball.

AS we know, the opposite happened due in part to many players really disliking James' whole "act". This also contributed to PG staying in Oklahoma City. Now AD would come and play with James due in part to both players having the same agent.

We don't know that. Everyone assumes that no one wants to play with him, but the top FA's like KD, Klay, Kawhi, etc. also have plenty of non-Lebron related reasons to not come to the Lakers. I have yet to hear one player say that he won't come to the Lakers because of Lebron.

Having said that, I do think that Lebron is going to have to recruit his ass off because of the AD debacle. If players didn't have 2nd thoughts before that happened, they probably have them now.

PG has never said that Lebron was part of why he didn't sign with the Lakers. He said he didn't for the reasons I quoted earlier. In fact, based on the timing of his announcement, PG was agreeing to terms with OKC while Magic was walking up to Lebron's front door. PG agreed to terms with the Thunder about a week before Lebron agreed to terms with the Lakers and signed the actual contract with them a few days before Lebron signed his with the Lakers.

Why is the icon's model so abhorrent to people when every where he has gone, he has created a champion and he is doing it again for the Clip Joint. The Yankees have proven time and again that ya can't buy a championship by throwing boatloads of cash at so-called superstars. Why does the Lakers under Magic and Pelinka believe that they can now do the same thing.

I don't think anyone finds The Logo's model abhorrent. What Magic and Pelinka are trying to do is The Logo's model. His model has been a combination of draft, trade and free agency. That is what the Lakers are trying to do. It's how the Showtime Lakers were built, it's how the Shaq/Kobe Lakers were built and it's how the Kobe/Pau Lakers were built. It's also what he did with the Warriors and what he's attempting to do with the Clips.

The difference is that The Logo was able to do it quietly (as Dr. Buss always wanted) while Magic and Pelinka let things get too public. That's why, if you recall, I was hoping that they would keep Mitch around as an adviser. If he were here, I don't think things go public like they did and even if they did, he would know how to get it back under control. Magic and Pelinka didn't.

Even though not bringing in The Logo or keeping Mitch has looks to be a mistake...if the injuries and/or the AD debacle don't happen and the Lakers are solidly in the playoff hunt...Do you think these kinds of discussions are even happening?

Magic and Pelinka have done some very good things. But their inexperience has been exposed as well.

We also have to remember that Short Buss left a huge mess for them to clean up. The Lakers had virtually no cap space and little in the way of assets.

They have managed to unload the Mozgov deal and clear space for 2 max level players.

They landed the biggest fish in the pond in the last free agency.

They still have the cap space to land another max player.

They have assets that they may be able to use to trade for another good player as well.

However, imo, they have also made 3 critical errors, 2 of which may hurt them this off-season.

The first error was assuming PG was "in the bag" and not making a strong enough offer for him.

The second was not either making a definitive statement supporting Luke (even if they intended to fire him after the season) or just firing him.

The 3rd was allowing the AD debacle to become public and stay out there for as long as it did.

 

[Retroram52]

Yea your points are fair, TJF12 but I don't think the present regime is focusing on the Icon's model as closely as they could and now they are going to have to repair some things if they want to continue in that mode as you have stated. The best way to do that is go back to getting talented draft selections and developing them, quietly.

 

[trojanfan12]

I am beginning to think this is what James does best:Whine and Cry.

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/lebron-james-talks-missing-playoffs-170744700.html

Lord knows that Lebron has done his fair share of whining and crying throughout his career and I have certainly bashed him plenty for it.

But I really don't see where he is whining and crying here.

I mean, he didn't sign up for missing the playoffs, neither did anyone else. He mentioned the injuries and suspensions and not sustaining the right level of play for 48 minutes. All of which are true and all are things we all complained about during the season. Then he said the playoffs aren't promised and it's about continuing to work hard, etc.

Basically, it's pretty much what he should say at this point.

I will say though, I would be more impressed with what he said if he included the AD debacle and his and Rich Paul's roles in it.

 

[Retroram52]

Yea me two TJF12.

 

[trojanfan12]

Yea your points are fair, TJF12 but I don't think the present regime is focusing on the Icon's model as closely as they could and now they are going to have to repair some things if they want to continue in that mode as you have stated. The best way to do that is go back to getting talented draft selections and developing them, quietly.

I think they are focusing on it, but their inexperience, and let's face it, Magic being who he is (bombastic and overly enthusiastic) and wanting so badly to fix things quickly, led to some mistakes in the actual implementation of his model.

At this point, all we can really do is hope that they learn from it and do better going forward.

Again, The Logo's model has always been a combo platter of free agents, trades and draft. They did the draft part, they signed a big time FA, but the trade attempt (the big one) blew up in their face.

Now, they have a chance to "improve" the draft pick they will get this off-season and depending on where it lands...can maybe use it in a trade to bring in a player who can help.

Or, if they get really lucky, get a player that can come in and help right away without having to trade anyone.

 

[Retroram52]

That's closer to what I was thinking and have been suggesting all along. If the Lakers move up into the top ten, they have the chance to get a player that could come in right away and help the cause rather than need a lot of development. I thought that is what they were doing when they drafted Mykhailiuk but he's gone. Meanwhile, Zubac is helping alot over across the hall while the two stiffs we got in exchange aren't doing much more than sitting on the bench.

 

[trojanfan12]

That's closer to what I was thinking and have been suggesting all along. If the Lakers move up into the top ten, they have the chance to get a player that could come in right away and help the cause rather than need a lot of development. I thought that is what they were doing when they drafted Mykhailiuk but he's gone. Meanwhile, Zubac is helping alot over across the hall while the two stiffs we got in exchange aren't doing much more than sitting on the bench.

Not really in the top 10 in this draft. If they get really, really lucky and land a top 3 pick, then you are looking at a player who can come in and help right away because you're looking at getting Zion, Barret or Ja Morant.

Imo, if the Lakers get a top 3 pick...keep it. If it's after 3, trade it.

Zubac was a nice player, but folks are overvaluing him, imo. He is a very good backup/spot starter in today's NBA. He's not fast or athletic enough to guard the perimeter or defend the pick and roll and he doesn't shoot 3's.

He has a nice touch around the basket, he's a solid rim protector, he's a solid rebounder and he's a better athlete than he gets credit for. But that's it.

10 years ago, he would have been a very good starter and possibly a borderline all star. But not in today's league.

McGee is at least athletic enough to get to the perimeter and defend the pick and roll. He's actually been a bit of a pleasant surprise, imo. He's averaging 11 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks and shooting 62% from the field. He's doing that in only about 22 minutes per game too.

 

[Retroram52]

Yea McGee had 33 points the other night against the Nets but what I find with our roster is we simply cannot sustain scoring and we have this frustrating tendency to fade big time in the fourth quarter losing to loser teams we have no earthly reason for losing to when we play them wherever we play them.

 

[Retroram52]

I thought that is why we had Zubac on the roster was his defense and some occasional offense. He is certainly better than Chandler in both departments.

 

[Retroram52]

Muscala is completely useless and I know Zubac is better than that stiff we got in exchange.

 

[trojanfan12]

Yea McGee had 33 points the other night against the Nets but what I find with our roster is we simply cannot sustain scoring and we have this frustrating tendency to fade big time in the fourth quarter losing to loser teams we have no earthly reason for losing to when we play them wherever we play them.

Yeah, I think injuries are the biggest reason for the inability to sustain scoring and fading in the 4th quarter.

Lebron is on a minutes restriction, Ingram and Lonzo are both out, Hart is playing on 1 leg and has missed games (including last night) and played fewer minutes.

End result is that they have guys playing minutes they were never intended to play and guys playing when the game is still in question that wouldn't see the floor except in mop up duty otherwise.

Just looking at last nights game...McGee, who has been averaging 22 minutes per game, played 35 minutes, Lebron exceeded his minutes restriction by 4 minutes, KCP played 33 minutes, Rondo played 25 minutes, Caruso, who's not even supposed to be on the team, played 35 minutes...heck even 175 year old Tyson Chandler played 13 minutes. I may be wrong, but I think Reggie Bullock was brought in for bench scoring, not to start and play 28 minutes a game.

Safe to say, if the Lakers just had Lonzo, Ingram and a healthy Hart...KCP, Rondo and McGee don't play nearly as many minutes as they did and Caruso isn't even on the roster (and if he is, he's on the end of the bench hoping for mop up duty).

 

[Retroram52]

Yea, maybe Pat Riley has been right all along. Riley was one of the few coaches if not the only coach that advocated for a reduced reg season down to 72 games for the belief and probably fact that the long season catches up with playersphysically especially if perennial playoffs are involved. Riley first advocated for this back during the Showtime Lakers.

The owners will never stand for it and the union... ...well they may or may not go for it. WE have had another crappy season because some colossal mistakes and well, now injuries.

 

[trojanfan12]

I thought that is why we had Zubac on the roster was his defense and some occasional offense. He is certainly better than Chandler in both departments.

To a point, yes. But he still can't defend the perimeter or the pick and roll.

He was sacrificed for 3 point shooting in the Muscala trade.

Muscala has been hurt, that's why he hasn't been in.

I think Zubac may have been a salary cap casualty as well. Muscala is an unrestricted free agent after this season. Zubac is a restricted free agent.

After what they went through in the off-season with Randle, they may not have wanted to be in the same position with Zubac.

Chandlers another unrestricted free agent and, until he also got hurt, was showing himself to be a savvy vet who was helping in close games, especially late.