that's the impression i got from reading that...the stuttering might actually be better than saying 'longterm plan? oh yea, Giannis did pushups with Kobe or Yea we didnt really want Logo back' with a straight face
Look man i love the logo too but c'mon he wan't the only one in GState, in fact Bob Myers kept that team together and the players got Durant not West. You think West got Kawhi? LA got Kawhi and Presti gifted him PG, this would've happened with or without West. You wanna Jerry West's track record since he left the Lakers? There's a reason he only been a consultant these last 12 years since he left Memphis. What did Menphis win when he was in charge? He went in to Gstate 3 years after they already built the team and said no to the Love trade. Great Job. With our team there's no long term plan, there's a short in the now and that's giving Lebron his best chance to win a title and we did a good job of that this offseason. In the longterm we give AD the best chance to win after Lebron leaves. As we all know alot can happen in 3 years and maybe Giannis doesn't come but who would've thought all these superstars would be in different cities this season. Anything can happen and closing your eyes to those possibilities is not how the owner of any team should be thinking. If Jeannie wants to go all in on Giannis well we will have AD in his prime just hitting 30 and he will be recruiting and i can't see alot of players saying no to him. Look at the Clips in 3 years, 2 superstars who are in their 30s missing 30 to 40 games each with no picks. You wanna say our longterm outlook doesn't look better then them?
no, Logo didn't get Kawhi but it was probably Logo that told Doc, Ballmer and Lawrence Frank to pull the trigger on giving away all those picks to prevent another Laker dynasty
Just to chime in with my own thoughts, I think it's fair to give the Lakers a little time to figure out their long term plan, especially since it would have been likely very different had Kawhi signed. Plus, we don't know how AD will work out, or what he even does in the offseason. However, I agree with many here, that I would be nervous if all our efforts were centered around trying to get Giannis... though that would be pretty awesome if it happened! I'll continue to update as I learn more. Let's see how the Lakers design their roadmap and figure out how to beat the Clippers in business and basketball!!
Kind of off topic, but what role do you think rondo will play? He was signed for the minimum so is there any chance Caruso plays more since Lebron is playing pg now apparently?
What makes you or anyone else think they "don't" have plans B,C & D? Especially with what they did in the 72 hours after clippersnake did what he did? This story here? Shirley you can't be serious. There's not a glut of A level stars or Superstars following AD & Snake. Anyone think Balmer wouldn't "Blake Griffin" Leonard for AD in a heartbeat if it was possible?
@myunibrodavis I can't give you that type of visibility right now because those things won't be decided until training camp. Right now, the only sure-fire starters are LeBron James, Danny Green, and Anthony Davis. If I had to bet, McGee will likely start too, just because I know his attitude when it comes to starting, and I believe it played an important role in him resigning here. However, it is possible he later backs off on the demand, because no matter if he starts or comes off the bench, the Lakers are likely to best situation for him statistically, which will ultimately help him get another contract down the line. Let's see how good the coaching staff is at handling him.
I get AEG's frustration over Jeannie Magic and Rob passing over Jerry West. I remember exactly where I was when I read about it. I was talking to my friends and we were all saying, "That's a big mistake." You don't pass on Jerry West when he's offering his services unless A. You are so good that you don't need his help or B. There just isn't room in the FO for him (although you really just go ahead and make space for him if that's the case!). I think Magic and Rob didn't want Jerry in the mix and Jeannie was probably fine with that, remembering well how Jerry quit because of her boyfriend Phil Jackson. Ultimately it was a dumb move to snub Jerry and it came back to bite us in the butt just as I feared that it might. But blaming the FO for not getting Kawhi after netting AD is kind of ridiculous. This was clearly Kawhi's choice and he got what he wanted - NOT to play alongside Lebron but still get an LA franchise. Hey, he was the best player in the playoffs last year, deserved the Finals MVP all the way and his people said we were in the mix. So we did the right thing and went after him. Can't blame us for trying. In the meantime the whole "all the other good FA's got chosen because we waited" thing is absolutely untrue. Thank goodness we didn't chase and overpay a guy like DLO. We recovered extremely well with a terrific plan B and a bunch of good signings. As always Go Lakers! We are tied for best Vegas odds to win a championship. Hopefully AEG blew off the steam they needed and can appreciate that we have two monster superstars and AD is in his very prime. Hype it up!
I believe AEG's frustration isn't just losing Kawhi. It's all the other FA failures except Lebron for the last 8 years. Dwight Howard, Lemarcus Aldridge, Paul George, etc. We haven't won a playoff game since Bynum was on this team. Some say it's not the Laker's FO fault for injuries last season. But who hires our training staff? Who hires our medical staff? I don't fault AEG for believing that Jeanie and basketball ops are making excuses and pointing fingers at others instead of taking responsibility.
One would hope Giannis and Simmons will develop that aspect of their games. I got a feeling will attempt to acquire one of them in the coming years.
If all those 3 guys need to be told to get PG then none of them deserve to be in any position of power. I'm sure any one of those 3 would've made the decision cause it's pretty easy. I don't get it guys, i really don't. What has Jerry West done since leaving us back in 2000 that warrants all this love? Was it the team he built in Memphis that failed to win 1 playoff games and got swept in each of their playoff seasons? Is it the years of consulting for the Gstate? He didn't draft or build that team. He didn't bring Durant to them, that was Steph. He said NO to trading for Klove. Ok great job but that wasn't just his decision he just gave his opinion. He didn't bring Kawhi to LAC, he was going regardless of who was in charge. Seriously what has he done since 2000 when he left us. I mean i grew up with the logo but the man was not at fault in his time here either. Trading Van Exel for Lue or trading Elden Campbell and Eddie Jones for an over the hill Rice and an awful Jr Reid. His last good move was signing Phil Jackson, which was Jerry Buss's decision not his. That team we built in 2000 was a leftover of his terrible trades in 99 plus Phil Jackson guys we had to sign for the triangle. I love the guy too but this Jerry lovin is getting ridiculous considering he hasn't been here in almost 20 years and since he left we won 5 more rings.
I think you actually make a valid point. I'm not going to discount his input to GS's accomplishments, but neither should we deify him. He hasn't been the main man for years and when he was, he almost always had others pushing the agenda. West didn't come up with the idea to go after Shaq, but he did bring him in. I think he has done even less since then, but somehow he gets all the credit wherever he works.
Seems as though tempers have cooled off a bit. Looks like a lot of AEG's concern is stemming from their fear that if the Clippers build a new arena where superstars are playing, it'll drive traffic away from Staples, LA Live, etc and cost them a lot. They're already losing a bit on Oracle Arena with the Warriors, and are worried losses here will be worse. It's very business motivated, and they have a staunch interest in the Lakers being a better basketball team than the Clippers, it seems. In any case, business aside, here's to hoping the Lakers kick the Clippers to the curb this year!!!
They should be thrilled that Kawhi chose the Clippers. Lakers were already going to fill seats, now the Clips will do the same (while they’re still at Staples). If it’s just the arena, they should take that out on Ballmer. Not sure how not getting Kawhi affects the arena issue.
@Mr. Rambis A while back you mentioned hearing Vogel liked the idea of AD playing center in modern nba offenses. Since they’ve signed Javale and cousins, both guys who should get plenty of minutes at center, has Vogel changed his mind, leaving AD at mostly pf (though I’m sure he’ll play some center)? Thanks
It will cost them a lot. That stadium will be top notch in a convenient location next to an open development with retail, casino, hotel, residential and the football stadium. All brand new. It’s close proximity to freeways and LAX airport. It’s more of a hassle going to downtown L.A. for a game and to socialize afterwards. The irony, the new clipper venue will be right down the street from the once Fabulous Forum, home of the Showtime Lakers. The only thing the clippers will have to do is win championships to make themselves legit. The Lakers should consider going back to the Forum. Inglewood will be a So. Cal sports mecca. The Lakers need to be a part of that.
