I think we win both Philly meetings; I think we split with Minnesota. 4th is our spot for better or worse come lottery night, IMO.
Karacha - you called this win all the way. Bad, bad night for the tank. New York loses yet again and Orlando gets destroyed. Oh yeah and we won. Not good.
i was having the same discussion with my roommate...i really don't get how me manage to stay in so many games. im not sure if it is a testament to our guys attitudes and willingness to fight or our opponents undersestimating us. either way it is maddening
He just seems like a player you want to avoid. He looks like a locker room problem. His production is vastly overrated, and he thinks he's a much better player than he actually is...since he turned down 4 year / $48 million from OKC like an idiot. Since acquiring him, Pistons are now 1-7 and on a 7-game losing streak. Before the trade, they were 6-3. Lol.
So my vision is fading a bit...nearsighted somewhat. Saw the score at first glance, Pistons 85 and the Lakers 83. Happy dance. Then I looked closely...realized it was "9" for LAL. Now I'm just annoyed.
I have pretty much accepted that we will end up in the 4th slot. We lost our chance at a Top 3 spot with the win streak we went on.
As long as we don't lose the lottery, I don't care if we get the 4th pick. you can do so many things with either Okafor/Mudiay/Russel/Towns.
Quick update for March 11: Philly is hosting Chicago. That's a loss. ORL@MIL - Orlando will probably lose, but we'll see. Minny@PHX. That's a loss, most likely.
Last night's game proved that: 16 wins in the Western Conference >>> 23 wins in the Eastern Conference
I would have felt much more secure if we were able to get that third spot. But that win streak destroyed that chance and last night's win comes close to sealing it. Looks like fourth is going to have to do. Just have to make sure we don't catch up to Orlando. 80% chance of keeping the pick is a heck of a lot better than 55%. Would have loved a little more breathing room at 96%. But that doesn't look like it's happening.
I think there's very little chance of Orlando surpassing us and I've been mentally prepared for the 4th spot since we started tracking this. I still think there's a puncher's chance at the 3rd spot. Really we would have that 3rd spot sewn up if it wasn't for Lin feeling like a champ after the trade deadline. What the **** is that about? Was he that nervous about being traded? Did he just NOW realize he needs to play well to get another contract? What an idiot. If he played like this for the entire season I'd love to bring him back, but clearly his mental makeup just isn't strong enough to be counted on. Either way, the 4th spot is a good one. Phoenix gave up on the pick for a reason and even Philly says they're thinking more about having a pick in the teens next season. I'm confident we'll get the pick, just not confident which spot we'll end up in.
I have no problem picking 4th, or even 5th if we drop one slot. There is (potentially) great value in any of the top 5 spots. Honestly, I could see any one of 6 guys being the best player in the draft. But 83% is NOT a sure thing. Essentially it's Russian Roulette. If I was playing Russian Roulette, I wouldn't be comforted by the 5 empty chambers. That one bullet is too great a risk when my life is on the line. And that draft pick is essentially the Lakers life for the next few seasons if they don't get it, or they get it and the pick ends up being a dud, they are dead for the next 4-5 years.
