An Nba Detective Story: Who In The Lakers Organization Knows They’re Tanking?

Discussion in 'Lakers Discussion' started by Battle Tested20, Nov 4, 2014.

  1. Battle Tested20

    Battle Tested20 Moderator Staff Member

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    http://grantland.com/the-triangle/a...the-lakers-organization-knows-theyre-tanking/

    Haha. I thought the comparison of Kobe as Tom Cruise in the movie, The Last Samurai, holding off five samurai with the flagpole was really funny and on point.

    Also if you haven't already. Follow this guy on twitter, he is just awesome when it comes to funny things he picks up on or creates out of thing air regarding the NBA and life in general (@netw4rk)
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 4, 2014
  2. TIME

    TIME Administrator Staff Member

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    I was wondering how long it would take before a Tank thread was created. I like your style. Your thread is actually a "Shadow" tanking thread since you are not openly rooting for a tank. Is that you Mitch? :think:
     
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  3. therealdeal

    therealdeal Moderator Staff Member

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    Some good points and I think it's what is actually happening at this point. EXCEPT...

    Kobe is definitely in on it. It's like we've been saying all along: it's not a real tank. A real tank is trading everybody away to suck. This kind of tanking is different. It's "we'll put these guys out there and see what happens" not "put the team in a bag, toss some bricks in the bag, and throw the bag in the river!" like Philadelphia is doing.

    I'm sure what they told Kobe was," This summer we swing for the fences and try to get your buddy. If we don't get your buddy we'll be in a rough situation until next summer. We won't TRY to lose... but it could be a tough year. Get yourself ready mentally. Next summer we'll find you a running mate and things will be a little different."
     
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  4. trodgers

    trodgers Administrator Staff Member

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    I think real's right. Is Kobe already in F-it mode? It's a rough year, for sure, but there are far bluer skies ahead.
     
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  5. SamsonMiodek

    SamsonMiodek - Lakers 6th Man -

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    Wow, some optimism in a tanking thread. I like that.

    BTW, excuse me for the off topic but why don't we have a doomsday thread yet? I don't consider myself worthy of creating one, but it's something to cheer us up during this seemingly next terrible season. Cleveland is not looking good, neither is LeBron, there should be a ton of great and insightful messages from the Cavs fans :rock:
     
  6. LaVarBallsDad

    LaVarBallsDad - Lakers Legend -

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    It's the way too go, unfortunately. Get your top 5 protected pick, you'll also have Houston's 1st round pick; Young, Lin (Resigned hopefully), Clarkson, Randle, Kobe, Kelly, Davis & a ton of cap space. That would give us a lot more flexibility going into next summer.
     
  7. abeer3

    abeer3 - Lakers Legend -

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    kobe had to know when they punted in FA for one-year deals that this was going to be ugly. i'm sort of surprised at how much of the fanbase didn't pick up on that immediately, though.

    kobe's statement about how hard management tried is a bit disingenuous, imo. they tried hard to get melo or lebron. they didn't try hard after that. but again, that was the plan, not some sort of failure out of laziness. they didn't want isaiah thomas for 6 million; they wanted melo for 25 million or bust. time will tell if the strategy was appropriate.
     
  8. therealdeal

    therealdeal Moderator Staff Member

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    Yeah I keep hearing the argument that it'd be better if we just took those cheaper young assets and flipped them as necessary, but I think the Lakers didn't want to do that.

    They're trying hard to fashion themselves into the "player's" team. The team that takes players in, treats them right, pays them well, etc. How would that look if we signed Isaiah Thomas only to have a shot at signing Rondo the next summer so we jettison Thomas to clear cap space? That doesn't scream well-intentioned "player's" team to me.

    So instead you swing for the fences knowing you'll likely miss, put together the best pieces you can off the scrap heap, and then get ready for next year.
     
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  9. TIME

    TIME Administrator Staff Member

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    You might be on to something there. Dr. Buss had his own special style as an owner. Now the new owners have to find their own style. Since Jeannie is the new face of ownership it would fit to brand themselves as players first team. Her going to bat for Kobe in the media fits that profile.
     
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  10. therealdeal

    therealdeal Moderator Staff Member

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    That's more or less what I have in mind. I'm thinking of writing up an editorial for the site with that concept centering around why we're so bad right now and why things should get better.
     
  11. Battle Tested20

    Battle Tested20 Moderator Staff Member

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    Believe me! I am an Optimistic person at the heart & soul and posted this mainly because it was funny and creative. Even if some of the evidence may or may not be there
     
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  12. ThizGuy83

    ThizGuy83 - Rookie -

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    we all knew this season was gonna be a rough one. Maybe with a hope of playoffs. But the Randle injury. And Kobe looking pretty damn good on the court. I think next off season will be a good one. A top free agent signing. With a top 3 draft pick. Along with the return of Randle. I feel really good about all that happening
     
  13. abeer3

    abeer3 - Lakers Legend -

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    my argument wasn't to flip them. it was to develop them and use them as bait to attract the bigger star. no star in their prime wants to play in la right now because they know they'd be losing. if you're joining a couple other good young players, it's more plausible that you can compete right away. it's just a different rebuilding philosophy.

    the lakers have chosen a different route. honestly, I look at the mavs as an example of how to learn this lesson vicariously. they committed, at first, to hoarding space (which means tons of one-year deals) and bidding on superstars every year. that failed and failed, so they finally just committed to a multi-year deal with monta ellis (a guy of the Isaiah Thomas/lance Stephenson non-star ilk), and I think that has worked for them.

    now is when you get the "but the lakers are about championships, not contending", and I respond with "you have to crawl before you can walk". and right now, this team can barely roll over (sorry, I have a 7-month old, odd metaphors abound).

    all that said, it's possible that the lakers brain trust is right, and that by showing extreme loyalty to kobe whilst not settling for scraps in FA they're sending a message and upholding a brand that will eventually attract the next big star (like a Durant). I'm skeptical, but would love to be proven wrong here. and I can remember when I wanted to trade Bynum for Jermaine oneal, too.
     
  14. LTLakerFan

    LTLakerFan - Lakers Legend -

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    I'm assuming you're meaning once we got clobbered again by injuries, not prior, when there was actually some hope of making the playoffs, IF our health held.
     
  15. LTLakerFan

    LTLakerFan - Lakers Legend -

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    No no no no.....come on now.....we're talking about King James. This is all in HIS master plan to make HIS guys better around him. Just a little out of control right now....... [​IMG]

    http://www.businessinsider.com/lebron-letting-teammates-fail-2014-11
     
  16. SamsonMiodek

    SamsonMiodek - Lakers 6th Man -

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    ^wow. I guess we should applaud him egain. Look how se sacrified his own stats (even shoots a terible percentage) just to help make his teammates better. All hail the King
     
  17. therealdeal

    therealdeal Moderator Staff Member

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    I didn't mean you specifically. If I was meaning anyone specific it'd probably be the radio guys.

    I'm with you on the young train. There was a few of us over on the other site that thought the same way. I'm with you on my skepticism. I was big on trying to get Monroe and trying to get Stephenson. I thought having two young guys that are borderline All-Star types would really make for an attractive landing spot. Especially with Randle in the fold things would have looked up almost immediately. No we wouldn't be great and we'd probably still miss the playoffs, but we'd be young and exciting which is better than what we are now. I thought that was a better way to go than Carmelo.

    As things went along I saw the need and desire for Carmelo, I understood it. I thought with two superstars you're not only an attractive team, but one with a chance to win any given night because you have two of the three best scorers in the NBA. I get that I really do.

    I'm skeptical about attracting a huge star without another star here too. I think an aging Kobe and a bunch of underachievers isn't going to get it done. Randle hurting himself was really bad for our attractiveness too. I think if Randle had come out with a ROY of the year type of effort, we'd see more traction in free agency. All that being said, over the next two seasons we have enough cash for three max contracts. One this summer, and two next summer when Kobe expires and the cap explodes. This summer is going to be incredibly interesting. We won't be the only team with cap space. Heck we won't be the only big market team with cap space since New York will have plenty too. I'd assume we'll be fighting with them over the same exact players. It'll be very, very interesting to see if the FO is right in their estimation that stars are still drawn here.

    In a way I think the negative press is working in our favor. I think there'll be some sympathy towards the Lakers and their pitch now that ESPN is dragging our name through the mud. I think there's a good chance we'll grab someone good this summer, but it'll definitely be interesting. If we lose out on our big target this summer (Rondo or Monroe or whomever) to New York, I think things will get really frosty up in that FO.
     
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  18. D-Fish Man

    D-Fish Man - Lakers 6th Man -

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    Two things:

    1) First of all, we NEED to tank and get that top 5 pick or else this Steve Nash trade is an even bigger disaster.

    2) Does anyone know what happens to the pick if we end up getting a top 5 spot in the draft? Do we send Phoenix a pick the next year? Does the traded pick get nullified?
     
  19. trodgers

    trodgers Administrator Staff Member

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    If it's top 5, we pick. If it's not, they get the pick. Am I missing something?
     
  20. D-Fish Man

    D-Fish Man - Lakers 6th Man -

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    I just wanted to know whether or not we still owe them a future pick if this one ends up being ours, or whether our obligation to furnish them with a pick disappears entirely. For example, the trade agreement could have said, "in exchange for Nash, the Lakers will send their 2015 first-round pick to Phoenix, unless it's a top 5 pick, in which case the Lakers keep the 2015 first-round pick but agree to send [insert a different future pick here] to Phoenix."
     

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