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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jun 14, 2017 21:24:45 GMT -5
Do you guys like the players on the current Lakers' squad? You think they're good, and have the potential to make this franchise notable again?
Particularly, what are your thoughts of D'Angelo Russell?
I thought he was an interesting prospect while at Ohio State, thought he had potential as a scorer. But boy, I don't care for this guy's character, and his game is best suited for a James Harden mimicking contest. He reminds me a lot of Nick Young -- a talented offensive player who cares more about scoring 25 pts than actually winning a game.
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Post by eja117 on Jun 14, 2017 22:03:21 GMT -5
I like Ingram. I think Julius Randle is underrated. Russell seems notable to me and a reasonably decent young player but he doesn't seem to be what they hoped for. I think Jordan Clarkson is underrated. I suspect Larry Nance might be underrated too.
I think it's a bit of a mishmash and adding Mosgov to this group was dumb, especially for what they paid him.
If I were a team like the Lakers I'd consider bringing in vets that don't make tons of money but know how to survive in this league. I'd also consider drafting seniors in the draft. Otherwise I think they could be waiting a very long time to get better.
A good example of this is the TWolves. They drafted so much youth that eventually they had a reasonably decent looking future, but even then it's not good enough. It's not good enough because by the time you finally have some talent a guy like Rubio is getting ready to move on and you have nothing to replace him with because Tyus Jones isn't the answer and Kris Dunn is a bit of a bust.
So at SF you have Wiggins, who's good but not looking like an all star and then backing him up is a player only a year or two older. That's them at almost every position except KAT. So now they have to draft again and here they go again. Maybe they take Dennis Smith to make up for losing Rubio and they just go around in circles.
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Post by eja117 on Jun 14, 2017 22:04:03 GMT -5
And then you find yourselves in NBA purgatory. Welcome to Milwaukee Bucks/Atlanta Hawks Land.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jun 14, 2017 22:17:11 GMT -5
A good example of this is the TWolves. They drafted so much youth that eventually they had a reasonably decent looking future, but even then it's not good enough. It's not good enough because by the time you finally have some talent a guy like Rubio is getting ready to move on and you have nothing to replace him with because Tyus Jones isn't the answer and Kris Dunn is a bit of a bust. So at SF you have Wiggins, who's good but not looking like an all star and then backing him up is a player only a year or two older. That's them at almost every position except KAT. So now they have to draft again and here they go again. Maybe they take Dennis Smith to make up for losing Rubio and they just go around in circles. Which makes what we are doing so unique and special. Not only are we drafting high level young players, but they are getting trained and experienced the right way -- like Jaylen said, he had to earn every minute, every moment on the court. A mistake during the game will get you back on the bench. Young guys will have to work their tail off to get floor time, and all the while, they are playing on a team that is among the top 5 in the NBA. |
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Post by Roadrunner on Jun 18, 2017 23:12:05 GMT -5
My take on the Fakers is as follows:
>Upside: young, up and coming coach; note - Luke Walton will be a much better coach, than player.
>Downside: 4 extremely high lottery selections, nothing to show for.
>Upside: solid second round selections; Clarkson, Nance.
Outlook: lottery bound next season.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jun 19, 2017 1:26:23 GMT -5
Lottery bound is good for us (as long as it lands between 2 - 5).
I think 2 of their young players aren't going to add up to much when it is all said and done. Julius Randall and D'Angelo Russell put up empty stats and don't contribute to winning.
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Post by jmost on Jun 19, 2017 11:10:40 GMT -5
I don't see the Lakers play much, but if these guys are any good it seems they should have won more games than they did last year. Maybe they'll figure it out. Maybe Ball will help them. But I hope not.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jun 19, 2017 13:27:57 GMT -5
Russell is a guy who is offensively talented, but much like Nick Young, you get the sense that it's all for themselves.
Randle can put up decent numbers, but it doesn't seem to happen in crunch time, when it really matters.
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Post by freshnthehouse on Jun 19, 2017 16:31:58 GMT -5
I think until their ownership issues get figured out they are gonna be in a tough spot. Rarely do franchises thrive with bad owners. That said, they are the LA Lakers. That franchise still has cache. Signing Timofy and Luol Deng to big money long term deals was an awful move. I think Walton has potential as a coach. I'm kind of 'meh' on Russell. Dude has talent, but I doubt he ever becomes even the 2nd best player on an all-star team, let alone the first. Randle is useless imo. One of the worst defensive bigs in the league, and is wildly inefficient on offense. Look at those %s and those TO numbers. Yuck. Dude can rebound and he's a decent passer. That's about it. I still like Ingram. His future is dependent on if he can ever fill out enough not to get pushed around the court. Nance is a good glue guy. Good late round pick.
I'd say right now they are one of the most woebegotten franchises in the league. But they are the Lakers, so it could turn around in a hurry.
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Post by Roadrunner on Jun 20, 2017 18:01:23 GMT -5
I think until their ownership issues get figured out they are gonna be in a tough spot. Rarely do franchises thrive with bad owners. That said, they are the LA Lakers. That franchise still has cache. Signing Timofy and Luol Deng to big money long term deals was an awful move. I think Walton has potential as a coach. I'm kind of 'meh' on Russell. Dude has talent, but I doubt he ever becomes even the 2nd best player on an all-star team, let alone the first. Randle is useless imo. One of the worst defensive bigs in the league, and is wildly inefficient on offense. Look at those %s and those TO numbers. Yuck. Dude can rebound and he's a decent passer. That's about it. I still like Ingram. His future is dependent on if he can ever fill out enough not to get pushed around the court. Nance is a good glue guy. Good late round pick. I'd say right now they are one of the most woebegotten franchises in the league. But they are the Lakers, so it could turn around in a hurry. Looks like LAL corrected 2 of those issues, by trading DA and MOZ. However, next year, say they draft Ball, they still will be terrible. Ball needs guys who can shoot to be effective. |
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Post by runrondo on Jun 21, 2017 11:02:02 GMT -5
Crazy fortune telling going on here. Start a thread questioning Russell's true potential and thoughts on the Lakers and they trade him away days later.
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Post by eja117 on Jun 24, 2017 10:26:02 GMT -5
I'm pretty curious to see what they do in free agency.
I definitely think they got better this week but maybe not tons.
I think Josh Hart is a sneaky good pick. I think adding a senior that won a college ring adds some experience and leadership that is needed there. With Brook, Ball, and Hart I think that's a good step forward in leadership.
I think it's wise of Magic to sorta grow not too slow and not too fast in this way. I think they have the cap room now to get someone that can be another positive veteran presence. Someone sorta like KO or something like that. Add to the culture.
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Post by eja117 on Jun 24, 2017 10:30:51 GMT -5
My understanding is that the Lakers have about 14.5mill in cap space. So they could get a pretty good guy on a one year deal. They could also get a decent MLE guy and also a decent minimum guy (sorta like what the Celts did with Gerald Green).
Then Lopez comes off the books next year so they're going for a free agent max guy in 2018 to put with Ball and Ingram.
They're trying to improve to look more attractive. Sell more tickets and get a good free agent. They have no incentive to tank at all because they don't have their pick next year.
I think it's pretty clear they're still a bottom ten team. Other teams just drafted ok guys too and other teams have cap space too.
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Post by Roadrunner on Jun 24, 2017 22:50:42 GMT -5
Magic, and company should just say "we own it", and focus on developing their talent this season. I think it is a mistake making Ball the face of the org, because he is unproven.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jul 13, 2017 10:53:47 GMT -5
I'm at a dilemma with our arch enemy team -- I don't want to cheer for them at all (especially cause we can get their draft pick if they do poorly this year). But I like Lonzo Ball; I think he's special. I find myself rooting for him when I watch him play. But then I catch myself and quickly try to turn back to rooting against him. It's like that the whole game.
I want him to succeed, but not at the expense of them winning.
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