Jeanie: "Come to Hollywood and we'll make you a star, tee-hee." Insert FA: "Umm...lady. I'm a monstrous, ultra-competitive, testosterone-filled alpha athlete. I want to win more than the other several hundred monster athletes in this league. No offense, but do you understand male competitiveness? WTF do I care about glamor and glitz?"
I'm telling you guys, they are pushing the "glamour" side of playing in Hollywood. These FAs don't care about that.
There is some validity there... Marketing was her strength I believe but Dr. Buss had that innate quality to relate to players as men. My intent is not diminish her intelligence at all but this is a whole different arena for her. Of course, on the other hand Pops had the allure of having a stacked squad as a bargaining chip. Back then, free agents wanted us not the other way around. Some player initiated inquiries were close to the point of getting the organization nailed for tampering.
I hate to say this, but you can't really blame the front office here. Yes, we have money, but that doesn't mean free agents automatically want to flock here just because we're the Lakers. We're STILL in a rebuilding phase. Two of our "centerpieces" haven't even played a full game regular season game yet. I know there is debate whether or not we should have got Okafor, but the fact of the matter is, we would still be waiting anyway. Most of the players we're targeting are players who are in their prime and are hungry for a championship. The team we currently have constructed will not compete in the next 2 years AT LEAST. We as Laker fans have been spoiled, plain and simple. Having a player as good as Kobe for as long as he did was a godsend. Not just because of his greatness, but because he kept us competing night in, night out. But that bucket is dried out now. We need to be patient. Yes we have the money, yes we will be back, but we need to get our own guys going first. I'm as frustrated as any fan out there, but realistically, it was to be expected. We have to allow time for our new guys to grow and become stars. For now, we'll do whatever we can to attract the best crop we can, but it's unlikely we can draw any interest with what we have. Learn from these failed meetings with stars, no more showboating, no more marketing media hype, and focus on basketball and development of our franchise. The success will come with patience, and a plan. 1. Stick with our young guys. Let them grow into their own and develop a sense of hunger, and Laker pride. 2. Try to sign players WHO WANT TO BE HERE. Players who respect the purple and gold and are willing to be that leader if need be. Sign players that will fill a role and happily do it. 3. Build the Laker brand back up. No more lottery. No more under .500 records. Fight for every game and start competing for a playoff spot and look competive. In time, we will be back. In time, we will be attracting THE RIGHT guys. It's okay to accept that we are still rebuilding right now, because once we do, the league will be back to hating us more than ever, and it will ever so sweet.
agreed, who knows. either they dont wanna pay or they have their own internal reasons, but i dont remember the last time they paid big money for someone. idk where it comes from when these are closed door meetings. you'd think it was televised when you start reading these reports, but with that said, if it IS true that our pitches are underwhelming then there needs to be changes asap or its gonna be the same thing year in year out. you cant say the same s*** to everyone and expect a different result every time
Agreed. Not sure why cause our current roster plus 1 max FA this year and another max FA next year would be a solid team. Pitch that
Not to be in the wrong thread but in an existential sense this belongs here If we could sign Shawn Marion or Shane Battier for this team - in their prime - would that be a win and elevate us? If you say hell yes...I just took a closer look at Larry Nance, Jr....and think Mitch knows what he is doing...
I'm sure they have pitched that. But it's not enough. Players don't wanna hear about what we might be able to do next year when they have the option to join stacked teams this year as an alternative. As a result, we have to hope that the business advantages of LA are enough. It's not, but it's our only option.
agreed thats what i keep saying i really believe that all this FA frenzy has been a last ditch effort to win one last ring with kobe but the way things have been handled has been laughable media making us look like were some low market team thats never won anything best way to solve this is to play the rooks, hope that they pan out and build around them, thats when players will come flocking to us and knocking on our door saying they WANT to be here. we cant and should not expect players to be oooh'd and ahhh'd by what we've done before. everyone is all about NOW just like life, all they care about is what have you done lately? and last but not least dont beg a player to come here, if you dont want us so be it we dont want you gotta show respect to command respect simple as that
My final thought before I go to bed: Sure the FO only has the roster they have and if FAs don't want to play with them, there's nothing they can do about it. But the Lakers made this roster. This is what they've built. If what they've built isn't enough to attract FAs, that's THEIR fault.
real - fair enough. let's not forget a steve nash injury, a kobe achilles injury, and a major vetoed trade. see you tomrrow.
Im taking a step back from all of this....Aldridge was not a good fit...Love (some have said) plays no defense...or is incapable of becoming an elite defender...Butler was RFA...DJ can not shoot free throws and is a rim protector but is not the guy to give a max deal to (why do it if its not going to bring you a championship and we are many pieces or years of experience away from that with this team)...we did not mortgage the future for one guy (boogie) and we have through the draft built a very solid looking team for the future...who knows what these players become but if they all hit...all 230 pages of this thread will be long forgotten...even if half or a third hit...we have cap space and there are only so many teams that have enjoyed the enduring success that our team has...time...patience...trust...the glory will be ours...Randle, Clarkson, Black, Russell, Nance...2018
