2022-23 Team Developments: News / Trades / Free Agents / Rumors

Discussion in 'Lakers Discussion' started by BangBoomPow, Jun 3, 2021.

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  1. karacha

    karacha Moderator Staff Member

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    That's a great post, for sure. We can keep getting outscored from distance on a consistent basis and expect to win a lot of games. The situation with our depth is as follows:

    AD: he's clearly our #1 now. Plays on both ends of the floor, good enough to carry the team if the roster is balanced.
    Bron: great #2 with a lot left in the tank. Does almost everything, but takes time off on defense, which is understandable.
    Reaves & Lonnie: good role-players, young, play with a lot of energy, fit well with the two leaders of the team.
    Gabriel & Bryant: useful off the bench, add size. Not amazing, but nothing to really complain about.

    That's basically our core, and 2-3 of those guys are bench players. Everyone else could walk and you wouldn't necessarily notice. We need to add at least one elite high-volume shooter, possibly two. The second one could be more of a 3 & D specialist, who shoots and scores less but is a better defender. The primary "sniper" could coast a bit on defense if he truly brings great, consistent shooting.

    Without having this, we're a fringe play-in team. It doesn't matter that you have a guy who plays like a top-5 player in the league as well as an awesome #2, if you don't have the right pieces around them. Gone are the times when 1-2 players could carry you all the way to the playoffs due to their talent and the sheer force of will. In this modern NBA, you either score efficiently enough from outside or you lose.
     
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  2. JLaker17

    JLaker17 - Lakers Starter -

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    Team is showing signs of life but the problem is we are barely winning/losing while AD and Lebron are playing most of the games. They are going to get run down by playoff time.
     
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  3. karacha

    karacha Moderator Staff Member

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    ^
    We talking about playoffs here? :)
     
  4. Khmrp

    Khmrp - Lakers Legend -

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    [​IMG]
     
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  5. lakerjones

    lakerjones Moderator Staff Member

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    Great post and I agree all three need to go. The roster turnover is a big one but we just need to do it in order to right the ship this year and moving forward. The thing that keeps bugging me is that the Indy deal would have set us up so well in this regard even with the overpay of the picks. Both Hield and Turner are shooting about 40% from three. And with Turner you get his shot blocking, his post D (relief for AD), as well as very efficient scoring.
     
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  6. karacha

    karacha Moderator Staff Member

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    We should have pulled the trigger on that trade. Too bad.
     
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  7. Slick2021

    Slick2021 - Lakers MVP -

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    We win last night if AD simply hits his FT. Lebron has been killing us down the stretch in these close losses too. WTF is our go to play at the end of games? Give it to Lebron...he pounds the ball...and eventually launches a fade away jumper. SMH.
     
  8. lakerjones

    lakerjones Moderator Staff Member

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    Same thing as last year.
     
  9. abeer3

    abeer3 - Lakers Legend -

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    still glad we didn't. if myles turner's year turns out to be the norm for him (look at this year vs all other years he's played), maybe i'll wish we did it. but with the knowledge we had at the time, it was an easy no for me.
     
  10. Pioneer10

    Pioneer10 - Lakers All Star -

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    Washington is intriguing: Beal is hurt but Kuzma/Porzingis playing well so they can't reach true Wemby tank level

    I would look into whether they would consider a Russ for Kuzma/Zinger trade. They go full tank, save a lot of money next year and I think a first rounder is probably good enough compensation. Lakers get bigger, better defensively, and most importantly get shooting. Porzingis like Turner is almost the perfect big to put around AD. He provides good rim protection when AD sits, you can play him against certain lineups with AD as he can shoot. Kuzma is probably the best shooting wing we have a shot on.

    I'll miss Russ's playmaking but with Lebron and Reaves growth it's not an absolute need
     
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  11. Slick2021

    Slick2021 - Lakers MVP -

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    Yep. The Kang does whatever he wants, whenever he wants.
     
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  12. pika1708

    pika1708 - Lakers Starter -

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    LeBron and AD just missed half of each of last both seasons. It's a bad call to trade everything we have for so SMALL chances of winning and closing our window to compete from 2025 to 2030.
    Glad we took that call.

    Smart decision is to try to get this team better without using the picks. Smart people is what we need running our franchise
     
  13. lakerjones

    lakerjones Moderator Staff Member

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    Disagree with you about making trades. I'd rather try to make the most out of our two stars while we have them. 2025-30 is a lifetime from now. Why do you think our chance is so small to win now? The West is wide open and AD is playing at an MVP level. If he had help from the beginning of the year we wouldn't be on the outside looking in. We'd be right at the top. We just beat the 2nd best team in the East in their house and we almost beat the first last night. Imagine if we had Turner and Hield for that game. Our three point shooting is KILLING US. It's horrific. We certainly don't have a decent chance of going anywhere handicapped as we are with this roster as currently constructed.

    But that ship has sailed. We just need to do something now to salvage this season and fix the roster for next year hopefully while doing so. I'm not down to punt until 2025. That's ridiculous.
     
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  14. pika1708

    pika1708 - Lakers Starter -

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    We don't have the depth. We have high chances of getting AD or LeBron injured based on recent data. It's also unlikely that we have both in the playoffs healthy and throughout the whole season. That never happened, only in the bubble (and shorter) season.
    So yeah, we should try to win. You just said this team went neck to neck with the best teams. We just beat Milwaukee and lost in OT against the C Bags. The 2 undisputed best teams in the league.
    We should do moves. We should definitely do moves. But we shouldn't go all in. We should enjoy the ride and try to get this team has better as possible, while retaining some assets for the killer move. We don't have a killer move in sight, so we should be patient, imo. Again, still trying to move forward and get better, like the Fournier/Reddish trade. Keep those picks
     
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  15. ElginTheGreat

    ElginTheGreat - Lakers MVP -

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    Yeah. Those guys along with the way AD and LeBron are playing would have been able to make noise. Also would have had time to recoup some assets down the road if for some reason things didn't work out even if that meant utilizing the nuclear option of trading one of our Big 2.

    The Indiana ship has completely sailed now IMO.

    And to be fair to the front office, we could still figure something out to improve the team. I have come around on Fournier and have been the resident cheerleader for Reddish's potential on the forum.

    December 15th is pretty much here and other chances should start materializing soon.

    I think the team has performed well enough to keep us from punting the season and wasting what's been a great year from AD which was always my main concern. We've got a top talent in the league right now. Let's build around him.

    Just gotta hope we can put something together sooner rather than later. there's still time to put together a run that firmly puts us in the playoffs, but that window will close and letting winnable games like last night slip through our fingers is not helping.
     
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  16. Alcindor

    Alcindor - Lakers Starter -

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    Agree on 3s I target a % of about 34% on 3s as the make-break point as that is the same as shooting 50% on 2s.

    On the Lakers, shooting 34% or above on 3s, we have Walker, Reaves and Christie who total about 10 attempts per game, just weak.

    By comparison, look at the C-Bags, they have 10 guys shooting over 34% (hell they have 5 guys hitting over 40%, we have none) for a total of 41.2 attempts per game lol.

    And the C-bags shoot 57.5% from 2 which is also higher than us

    Still there is only a 4-point differential between our teams per game (exactly what we lost by), there is sooo much room for improvement and yet we don't need crazy increases in scoring, just more efficiency.
     
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  17. KobeKing4208

    KobeKing4208 - Rookie -

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    When you break it down it is pretty damn clear...

    In Game 2 we lose by 6 to the Clippers by shooting 20% from 3
    In Game 3 we lose by 2 to the Blazers by shooting 18% from 3
    In Game 4 we lose by 11 at Utah by shooting 26% from 3
    In Game 5 we lose by 9 at Minnesota without AD and are outscored by 15 from 3
    In Game 8 we lose by 14 to the Jazz and are outscored by 18 from 3
    In Game 12 we lose by 6 to the Kings without LeBron
    in Game 16 we lose by 10 at Phoenix without LeBron and are outscored by 36 while shooting 18% from 3
    In Game 19 we lose by 1 to the Pacers and are outscored by 18 from 3
    In Game 23 we lose by 14 at Cleveland without AD (plays only 8 minutes)
    In Game 24 we lose by 13 at Toronto without AD or LeBron, outscored by 15 while shooting 21% from 3
    In Game 25 we lose in OT at Philly outscored by 23 from 3
    In Game 27 we lose in OT to the C Bags and are outscored by 33 while shooting 28% from 3

    That is 12 of our losses right there....if you have AD and have just decent 3-pt shooting we are probably winning 8-10 of those games...

    Call it 8 and our record is 19-8 and we lead the West...
     
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  18. JSM

    JSM - Lakers Legend -

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  19. ElginTheGreat

    ElginTheGreat - Lakers MVP -

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  20. ElginTheGreat

    ElginTheGreat - Lakers MVP -

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