Optimism Discussion: The Laker's Sky Is Not Falling

First team to finish 10th and to win the title

 

good chance we're sitting around .500 when lebron and AD should be available. should be around 15 games left to play then. that stretch isn't too terrible, so we should be able to squeak into the playoffs.

silver lining--think we have a weird reverse protection on our pick, which could mean we get a reasonably high pick (teens) that we keep this year.

 

Nice to see Optimism posts (counting this?) currently leading WMC posts 8 to 4. All I got.

 

This is all happening early enough to recover. Our depth can keep us alive. The bench is going to gel. Need Gasol to get back and step up big time.
Odds dropped but they still can get this done...

 

Just blows that the team and Vogel was getting the most out of the roster finally. Team reached a different gear with THT Caruso and DS playing a lot of screen and roll ge with Trezz and Kuzma

 

right. lots of the same guys who won it will be there, so the chemistry issue won't be as big--though they were just finally starting to find the right combinations with DS and trez, etc. so that's a downer.

still--we get in as an 8 seed and utah/phx/lac is wetting the bed a bit.

 

Absolutely no one would want to play as a 7 or 8 seed.

 

We have the tie breaker over Warriors /Grizz and NOP suck so I don't think we'll finish worse than 10th.

Grizz still have 33 games left to play too.

 

I'm more worried about AD than Bron given AD's low pain tolerance and his fears everytime he gets kicked/falls

 

Seeding doesn't matter this year. No homecourt advantage. Anywhere.

 

One thing I keep reminding myself: the Lakers looked pretty weak and discombobulated in the bubble seeding games, and there was plenty of doom and gloom out there (at least among my friends though personally I'm an eternal optimist), but as soon as the playoffs began, we absolutely WAXED every Western Conference team that was supposed to pose some unique challenge to us.

It's not entirely analogous, as we weren't coming off injuries (quite the opposite, we had just had months of rest), but the takeaway for me is that this squad doesn't need to spend some substantial amount of time getting into a rhythm. If we have our guys, we're still the best team in the West. As a wiser person than myself once said, "we have the tools, we have the talent."

 

Depends on whether or not Jeanie follows suit with other teams and at least partially opens up Staples capacity wise. If allowed. Still it is what it is with the injuries situation.

 

We might get a good 1st round pick as a result of these injuries to LBJ and AD. Welcome back my old friend.

 

this is good news

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id...xpected-get-covid-19-vaccine-week-sources-say

 

i mentioned this the other day. honestly, i sorta want that 8 seed at this point. we get a high pick without risking losing it in the lotto (due to reverse protections on it) and we probably get the easier bracket in that utah or phx looks like they're going to finish 1st and the clips look locked into 2nd/3rd.

 

I'm glad we didn't fold & throw in THT to get Lowry. I would've been fine with Schroder + KCP + Future 1st..
One of the 1st trade deadlines I was actively wishing for nothing to go down.
Add Drummond, get healthy & be ready to rock come Playoff time.

 

Next five games:


vs 76ers

vs Cavaliers

vs Magic

vs Bucks

@ Kings


4 of those 5 are very winnable imo.

 

trying to be a realist. Maybe magic or cavs will be the winnable one. The rest? I simply don’t see it w our big dogs out.