2025-26 Team Developments: Trades / Free Agents / News / Rumors / Ideas

Can Lakers use a real PG to dish the ball instead of Luka and Austin jacking? After all Luka does burn out and works well with other point guards in the past.

 

lol this place is bonkers. too many wild takes to address all at once, tbh.

at least vince admits we have to keep reaves, basically at any cost. if you can't agree to this, i'm not sure what there is to discuss. you just want to be mad.

 

and i think you're overblowing it and underestimating the fact that you actually can go out and get defensive players to mitigate this like denver and dallas did (100 million years ago in 2023 and 2024).

the continued problem has been trying to re-tool whilst trying to figure out the lebron denouement.

 

Have to or want to is not one and the same. Lakers have been reluctant to move Austin for some time. Austin will be back because Lakers want to. Right now the only question is how much. We all know this. This was even before Luka and Austin bromance. That's not the point. The point is is this a legitimate championship blueprint. Even if Luka/lakers want him back.

 

we have no idea if they've reluctant to move reaves or what's been offered for him, nor does it matter at this point.

energy should be focused on how to make it work, not if it can work. you're in it already.

btw, you know who are bad defenders that have been successfully targeted in the playoffs? jalen brunson and karl anthony towns. no way knicks can possibly field a real contender, right?

 

Lakers can be out in the 1st round for the next 2 seasons and they will still defend. We have been down this road many times Dlo/Austin Luka/Austin. Each season ends the same with the same concern moving forward. It's dejavu. Each season comes with hopes of a different result doing the same things.

 

I think Lakers should move on from Lebron and bring Austin back. However I am not expecting a championship. This is why I think they should lean and go on the younger side.

 

60M as #1 on a team at 32 years …. no. 38-40M as a 2 yes. At 25-28 years yes of course and we did. Talent. Anyone can get injured especially if paying their *** off every minute they’re on on the floor. Salary cap keeps going up each year traditionally as well.

 

Difference there is you paid base on results. You seem reluctant when the odds get stacked. So hesitant when have to shell out max. Davis was a beast in NO and was easily a #1 option playing the role of a big man. Lakers never won a title without an allstar big man. I would shell out 60 million on that before a guard I can easily replace unless it's a super talent like Kobe.

 

What kind of dance are you doing you asked about #1 option decision NOW on AD knowing HIS injury history, Plus I don’t agree with half your opinions about AR in the first place especially short changing what he does for the team offensively with his complete combination of skills nor your simplistic one way player nonsense as if he doesn’t compete his a** off every night out there and got better this year, nor that there’s no way for a brilliant new owner in Walter to build a competitive team with a shot health willing every year simply because an outstanding team player like AR is on the team at 38-40M.

 

and that's what I was talking about earlier. Mavs was hesitant on paying Luka even as a top 3 player because of health and work ethic. He is now a Laker. It's not about Austin that's my point. Is who we need to help Luka. I am not short changing Austin or what he does. I am questioning his fit with Luka if the goal is to win a championship. Yes given Davis injury history he is no longer a max player. Lebron no longer a max player. Austin do not come close to the impact these players had in their prime. Meaning at no point is he a max player. So it's not short changing. That is why I make a comparison to Markkanen. Nice player but if the goal is to win you cannot make him your max player.

 

In short if I teamed let's say prime Wade a Davis I have a level I know I will be a top team. Let's say I teamed Austin and Markkanen i am not sure what I got there.so now I am scrambling thinking what can I add to them to elevate the team to the level I am trying to be.

 

Shoot the front office and Mark all your thoughts on why they’re doing it wrong and you’re not going drop it until they acknowledge that You “might” be smarter than them. Will have the same exact effect as all the energy spent here telling us it is a fact there’s no way to win a chip with AR on the team at the salary he will be paid. And for some reason keep leaving Luka out of the legitimate for a club real max money conversation. He’s that guy salary wise not AR. Done with this. It’s meaningless just differences of opinion. I’m not the one saying AR it’s a fact will allow us to win a ring. Health of the team and what new ownership does for the franchise is what will give us the “chance” going forward.

 

It's not about being a pro everyone has their own opinions. Ex like don't draft Lonzo, don't let Caruso walk, don't trade for Westbrook etc. so it's not like they get everything right. So as fans we to have views even if it's not our call or go the way we want. It's sport talk no different that analysts at espn. Paul, Horry etc all voiced their opinion that Austin was to be on the bench. Well guess what who knows if they were right? Lakers did not win. Here is the deal leading up to Austin and Luka injuries my opinion was for them to put personal agendas aside in fear they would get injured or worn out at the same time. Guess what happened? So who knows if they could have won if healthy? It's not like they didn't have the pieces or not top 3 in the west? So you can blame injuries or not being strategic late in the season.

 

so close?

 

I less blame injuries for this season because I saw it coming. So technically it was injures but in my eye avoidable at that point of the season so I call it not being strategic. We know Luka history and Austin as well. Would they have gotten injured or worn later on the playoffs? Maybe and still may not have won.

 

I am not sure the tone is unnecessary.

 

so now we have to not only have two top ten players, we have to have the kind that never get hurt. because they're available and/or growing on trees.

 

I haven't seen any other topic on this forum as touchy as questioning AR.

I think it's not too much to ask that we can disagree without being d***heads to each other

 

Some injuries are avoidable or at the very least can be reduced with proper conditioning and exercise. If that fail it's reckless to be pushing hard to keep a 40 point avg or push for mvp with a few games left. The whole idea to stagger the talent is also to manage minutes work load etc. does it mean you can't get injured?