Yeah. Koufos + McDaniels is a solid offseason to me. Trim Swaggy and Kelly off the roster somehow. I wouldn't be upset. Our fortunes rest with Russell and Randle any way. Outside of Gasol or Aldridge signing here, nothing was going to change that narrative.
No reason to trim Swaggy P now. We have hardly anyone on the roster worth their salt. He's our seasoned vet now. Still though, let's all hop aboard the Koufos/Lopez bandwagon before Jordan Hill gets re-signed.
I cut Swaggy because I feel like Lance and Brown will likely give us better contribution there for 4 million a season less combined. Lance is very smart and Brown is a Stanford grad so they are likely more mature than Swaggy any way. I just want the fat gone. We know what Swaggy is at his best. I'd rather give those minutes to Nance and Brown to see if they have potential to be a 3 and D expert. I don't dislike Swaggy, but with us striking out on every significant FA, I think next season needs to be another season of auditions. We could probably send him to the Clippers for something. They need scorers at the 3 spot, even with Pierce. PP is only going to play 18-20 minutes a game.
The question then is what do you get in return? Is it worth it? NIck might be the only player in the last three years that actually WANTS to be a Laker... Feels kind of nice to think of it that way.
I don't know why but I'm not as mad about this off-season as I was about last years. That's a bad sign because it means I'm getting used to this S***. I'm actually finding myself laughing at all the things happening to us in the FA thread because its sad and pitiful. At the core of me, deep down in my love for this team I still believe in Mitch. I envision Mitch hearing and taking all this criticism while being calm on the outside but steaming on the inside. And when we do finally break through, and we will eventually he'll have the biggest grin on his face. He'll also be the one pointing to all of us fans telling us "I told you mother F***** I'd pull it off"
Optimism.... the Lakers built our championship teams mostly from the draft and trades, few top free agents. We might be continuing that trend, but we have the track record to prove it works.
Still waters run deep... On topic: I'm looking forward to watching Summer League play with our kiddie corps...
Sentiment is what got us into this situation. We signed an over the hill star coming off the most devastating injury a basketball player can have to the highest salary in the league...because of essentially feel goods.
My most optimistic dream...on a winter night, 2nd of a back to back, the Lakers rest Kobe for a game, and in an unprecedented move, start 4 or 5 rooks like the NBA version of the Fab Five, and they burst on the scene as the league's next big thing... Upshaw Randle Nance Jr. Clarkson Russell It's a summer daydream, but I'm staying optimistic. Can't wait for summer league go Lakers!!!!
It took us 12 years to win our first championship since 1988 and this was with Jerry Buss and Jerry West at the helm, two individuals who are revered in Laker history. I think people are letting their emotions get the best of them and they need to take a step back and breathe. We have a nice young core of guys we can build around, lets focus on that instead of acting like the sky is falling.
I was about to mention that... It was a seven year gap from 2002 to 2009. This is year five...granted we got Sterned, bad mojo from Howard and Nash was fragile glass.
My, my, my we Lakers fans are a funny bunch. All off season I kept reading "Lakers can't be stupid and think they can build like they use to, we need to build through the draft!" So then we get the #2 pick and to the high praise of many Russell is chosen as our new stud to go along with our other young studs. Okafor was there to be taken but most were happy one way or the other. We were high with the "wow, look at this young core and we can have them for years to come." All of a sudden headcase Cousin (tech before the draft) becomes available and people are screaming to gut the young team or pieces of it at least. LMA starts to make his rounds and even though SAS have been the front runner from the jump and, as many stated earlier, the Lakers aren't a Championship contending team yet people started to see the possibilities. Of course all it took was one negative tweet to kill any optimism from our fickle crew. Jimmy is back to being a drunk, Mitch is out of it, Jeannie hasn't taken over enough, Kobe caused it with his stupid salary and getting injuredness etc etc etc etc. LMA is back for round 2 and even though he may very well not sign here and we very well may have missed out on a few names while trying to get the one that the FO likes I am not overly upset one way or the other. Why? Because, we have a young core of guys who A) want to be here, B) doesn't seem afraid of the lights (we shall see), C)the FO isn't just making moves for the sake of making them which is something I worried about' D) they are not selling the farm (Alla Dwight) just to try to Win Now. I for one am one would love LMA on our team he has been a big fav of mine but if we don't get him I am not going to cry. I also would like DJ his game is bull in china shop-ish but he would fit with that starting lineup of scorers as the defensive anchor. I am also still high on T Black who I think can be very vital to us. No, I am selling both J Hill and Nick Young if I could. We either are going to get back by swinging for the fences and finally connecting or we are going to do it one basehit at a time. The FO has put together a nice young core. I am fine with basehits right now. Thats just me though.
you make some good points here, puffy, but...paragraphs! anyway, I came here to muster optimism...i'll revert to prior statement: never expected a big name this year, still hopeful to nab a couple role players that can be part of the team going forward.
