And that is why I still can't comprehend keeping B0ron on through all the crap he's pulled. Benching the rookies, nonsense lineups, poor communication with players, no real systems on either side of the floor, poor assistant coaching staff. You don't gamble the handling of your prized rookies/young players on MAYBE getting a top pick, which is very unlikely. B0ron is costing this team credibility, and if he's not let go this summer I'll freakin lose it. If he's kept on I truly believe his presence will cost us even 2nd tier free agents, hell it's most likely going to already cost us a useful backup in Black and probably in a player who could have been much better for us if used properly in Bass.
^^ It's really a freaking wonder this bozo is still here. If he is retained next year I will also lose it, Weezy. He's the worst Lakers coach I've seen. Where do we land this year? I think bottom 3 with a coins toss chance on keeping the pick. Yes, a couple other teams are falling right now, but Boron is so terrible at coaching that we're going to lose a ton. Again, 50- 50 on whether we get lucky enough to keep the pick. Given Jimbo's luck (so opposite his dad) we'll lose it. But ultimately I won't be that upset if we do considering we'll keep our pick next year if that happens. The main thing is the offseason and we need to really put together a team going forward and a coach who can bring out the best in them.
yep. i'm basically already planning on it. philly's going to get the 4th pick from us. it feels like a lock. what concerns me then is what they do with the huge amount of cap space and no good player willing to take it. would hate to see them go post-jordan bulls and sign an eddie robinson type guy, just because...cap space! anyway, i'm not really following the college players because a) the lakers probably won't keep the pick and b) even if they do, i think they're HIGHLY likely to trade it (for several reasons). i've already started trying to console myself, though. the good news should be that if the lakers lose their pick, they'll be awful again next year, when they'll actually have their pick. maybe then the healing can begin? feels like i've been waiting a while.
FYI lsu is going against Kentucky tonight at 6 pm on ESPN if you guys wanna check out Ben Simmons against a good team.
From Chad Ford's Latest Mock draft 2. Los Angeles Lakers* Brandon Ingram Duke Freshman Forward The Lakers are playing better basketball, but thankfully for their fans, it's not good enough to mess with their lottery odds. That's important, because L.A. must send this pick to the 76ers if it falls to fourth or lower in the lottery. Finishing with the second-worst record gives the Lakers a 56 percent chance of keeping the pick. Simmons would, of course, be a godsend for the Lakers, but Ingram is also a prize and would fit a major need. The long, athletic wing has been terrific on both ends of the floor the last 10 games for Duke. He'd be a major upgrade at the 3. A combo of D'Angelo Russell and Ingram should give the Lakers a serious foundation for the future. Odds of winning lottery, projected record: 19.9 percent, 19-63
Yeah I was going to come in here and post yesterday, but I forgot. I'm starting to think Ingram could be a better fit for the Lakers and he's somehow flying "under the radar" as this Ben Simmons wave continues to roll across the country. Now don't get me wrong, Simmons is the #1 pick. He's 6'10" can handle the ball, is built well, and has next level vision. He's got vision at least on par with D'Angelo Russell which is saying a lot. Ingram however, looks fantastic. They're calling him Baby Durant and honestly I like the comparison. He's athletic, insanely long, and has a silky shooting stroke. He's rail thin, but already putting on a bit of muscle compared to his high school days (they say he put on 20 pounds of muscle or some ridiculous thing between high school and college). Despite his thin frame, he's able to get into the paint pretty regularly and has great footwork on a counter spin move he uses. I'm not sure he'll ever be a great defender, but if we keep our pick and we end up #2 with Ingram on the board, I take him. Absolutely I take him and I go into the summer VERY excited about the young core. Ingram would fit beautifully next to Russell and Clarkson. He can space the floor or he can attack. Our defense would get absolutely crushed every possession, but in a couple years we'd be able to score with anyone. Russell Clarkson/Williams Ingram Randle/Nance Jr. _____/Black That's a hell of a team in a year or two and exciting to watch next season.
Yeah. I agree. Ingram has grown on me a lot. If we end up with the number two pick, I can definitely see us taking him.
I can too. He fits the team and the needs pretty much to a tee. I've been a proponent of trading that #2 or #3 pick away for veteran talent, but I'm not sure what is out there that we could get. If Jimmy Butler was available, then sure I'd trade it but otherwise what are we getting in return? Is Paul George available? Maybe Klay Thompson? Maybe Gordon Hayward? I'm not sure there's a Center out there that I'd trade the pick for. Take Ingram if you can, then you still have plenty of money to go get another SF AND a new Center.
Ingram probably is a better fit. If we drafted Simmons we almost certainly would have to trade Julius and I really, really don't wanna do that. Also think he'd be terrific with Russell. Definitely reminds me a lot of Durant and we can run that same 1/3 pick and roll that OKC does with Durant and Westbrook.
Offensively within 2-3 years we'd be unstoppable assuming Clarkson/Russell continue to develop a jumper. Heck if we signed a guy like Horford this summer, the lane would be wide open for Randle to do his thing inside because Horford can knock down an elbow jumper with ease. This season he's hitting almost 50% on his 16 foot jumper.
Man, it's so sad that there aren't any dominant big men prospects anymore. I understand the league has transitioned into a more mobile, small ball type of game, but I miss watching someone go to work in the post with real skill. Now if it's a big we're talking a player who typically one dimensional, can play both ends but isn't an elite player, or just too raw to tell. The NBA needs more Shaq's, Hakeem's, and Kareem's. As much as I respect the Warrior's for the dominance this year and enjoy their play, they would not stand a chance against Shaq in his prime. Bogut is barely on Divac and Sabonis' level and they were just flat out eaten alive.
In all honesty, our draft pick situation doesn't feel as dire/depressing to me the more I think about it. The 4 prospects that really intrigue me in this draft are (in order) Simmons, Ingram, Dunn, and Bender. Aside from those 4, this class doesn't scream out at me with must-have players. We only get a majority of those 4 with a top 3 pick anyways.
If we end up with Ingram, land DD and Whiteside, we're loaded with young talent. The main task would be keeping that group together for the next few years - because they'd undoubtedly storm toward the playoffs in short order.
Yep. That's how I've come to terms with it. Unfortunately our moron of a coach doesn't understand still how to get these young guys going. The only thing that matters this season is their development and so far we're not seeing enough. We're tanking hard, but that can work WITH developing our young players. Instead: nah.
Although the board isn't as deep as last years, it certainly has one player that really has that dynamic edge to him that has been lacking in the past few drafts. Simmons is a beast and I'm on board the tank train for Ben.
Yea the growth we've seen so far from Dlo and Randle hasn't been all that impressive to me. JC still doing his thing. Nance pleasant surprise. Anthony Brown showing some signs of life. But collectively, it's not the worst, but...yea, not really great.
