I'd rather not call other LB posters - or even their approaches - "dumb and shortsighted." A top 3 pick is a nice piece, but we already have two max slots open and tons of good prospects. It's time to start cultivating a winning attitude and atmosphere so people want to play here. That's the word on the street as to why people don't want to be here. Too many question marks with this team, and the only definite is LOSSES. I think we already have an amazing young core of players. JC - by far the most accomplished, Russell, Randle, Nance, and honestly Black. Adding another "great prospect" doesn't help nearly as much as getting some vets to sign here.
Dumb and shortsighted? Pretty amateurish calling names. Why can't Jordan be an All Star? He's taken steps in each of his two seasons in the NBA. He was in a mini slump recently because of a nagging ankle injury and he's returned to form the last few games. Even if he isn't an All Star he can still be a very good player and since when do you need to have three stars on your team to win in this league? Our last championship team only had two. We're on a three game winning streak what am I supposed to do root for losses? How does that help? We need to start winning to change this losing culture. You think any free agent wants to come to a team with a losing culture? Of course they wouldn't. Could a pick help bring a veteran star? Maybe, maybe not, but the odds of keeping it aren't very high so I'd much rather this team start winning because I'm tired of losing. If that makes me short sighted well then fine I am. I'm a dumb short sighted fan for wanting my team to win and not cheering for them to lose.
Let us all have peace. We all want the same thing, and watch for the same reason. Hopefully this season will pass quickly and we show progress on our way to being contenders again.
If it's not the #1 pick, Ingram would have to REALLY continue to impress for me not to shop that pick HARD. Granted, I don't know who to really trade the pick for. The problem is we have blue chippers at 3 positions and a heck of a backup at pf. Lou is a good 6th man at either guard spot. So if we go into free agency and snag a sf, whether it be DeRozen, Barnes or Batum, the only big hole we have is at the center spot. Is the 2nd or 3rd pick worth any center that would even be available? Vucevic? Gortat? The players that would be available at that position are pretty mediocre. As for JC not being an All-Star, I agree he probably isn't going to get all the way to the all star team just because that is always going to be a VERY competitive spot. But if he's close to being all-star caliber, that is PLENTY if Russell and Randle continue to grow.
Then you need to keep trolling twitter with Boron memes because so long as this nincompoop is coach, there will be no optimism or even a silver lining for that matter.
I would really hope a top 3 pick is worth more than a Gortat or Vucevic level player. Remember when Charlotte wanted Gasol for their 2nd pick, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist? Hell Cav's turned Wiggins into K.Love. If not then I'm fine with Ingram, he's a skinny but lengthy shooter with range. Remind you of anyone? DeRozen, Barnes or Batum don't excite me. They're good players but they don't make a team as bad as us championship contenders. We need high level talent like KD or Cousins, not saying we can get them I'm just pointing out the level of talent. Please no one respond with, "If we want KD we have to win games". It's getting redundant pointing out the fact that Lakers build through trades first and drafts second. Point about JC. He's good at everything but not elite at anything.
That's a great plan let's just try and acquire superstars and not try and build this team. That'll get us back to the top. Derozan and Batum are both good, solid players. Are they superstars? No, but who cares? We're not getting a star anyway we need to try and actually build a competitive roster. No JC isn't elite at anything yet, but he's in his second season. With his profound improvement in his first year plus in the league there's no reason to think he can't continue to progress and eventually become elite at something or at his position.
Well, the pick is only worth as much as the players in that draft. If this is 2003, that pick at 2 or 3 could get us just about any center we want. Everyone is saying it's Ben Simmons...then everyone else. What I was sort of getting at is in theory I would want to shop the pick to get a long-term, veteran solution, but the reality is who would be available for that pick? I don't move that pick for Vucevic or Gortat either. I just take Ingram and hope he turns out to be better than expected. But we have to start signing players. Batum at a max deal (which he may very well get is obviously waaaaaay too expensive from a production standpoint, but we are so far below the cap next season, we may have to give a couple large deals just to get to the salary cap minimum.
You know what? I'll take this moral victory tonight. Young guns showed something in not getting blown out by 20+ points, even taking the lead a few times. Kind of feel like that Paul Walker character from the first FF movie: "Dude I almost had you!"
The young guys really put on a show tonight. I was seriously about to turn it off at halftime but kept watching and I'm glad I did. They really showed a lot out there. We just gotta learn how to finish games.
Young guys played hard and showed some GRIT. Good job for not folding. Would have liked a win but great effort.
It almost feels like a win really. These young kids don't know how to finish yet, but they will with these kinds of in game experiences. You could just see their confidence growing.
Agreed, that was a win in my book. I was about to turn this garbage off when the kids came in with Bass and just took over, showing us again what real Lakers ball feels like. It was inspiring.
Glad to see we clawed our way back into the game had a chance to win. I'd prefer if we were in games from the start instead of digging ourselves a grave early, but at least they didn't give up. Watched Cachooka's highlights, our young guys looked great except maybe for Randle. Kobe had a lot of vintage moments.
Other than the fact that Bryant probably should have passed to an open teammate on that last play, can't be mad at this loss. Good fight by the guys. Having sweet Lou drop 40 doesn't hurt either.
We looked respectable (in the end) 2 nights in a row in nationally televised games. I will take that over getting blown out by 20-40 points like we would have not long ago. I'll take any progress I can get.