2024-25 Team Developments: Trades / Free Agents / News / Rumors / Ideas

Discussion in 'Lakers Discussion' started by TIME, May 22, 2024.

  1. pika1708

    pika1708 - Lakers Starter -

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    I think moving the needle means: as it stands we are in the fight for the top 6. Getting him makes us how much better? Are we joining the top3 tier? I don't think so. I think he's better than Rui but not "FRP better". Rui grew a lot since we got him and I think he's a starter/6th man in a lot of teams.

    I think Ham was bad enough to be worth seeing what this team looks like. We had multiple strides with this group where we looked top 5 in the league. Ham constantly started Prince or Cam instead of Rui and Vando. We even had Rui, Reaves and DLo off the bench at some point. That's insane. Rui or Vando with the starting group have ALWAYS been net positive. ALWAYS

    I get the irk of not adding anything after a 1st round exit, but looking at the big picture we are better than that. In our play-in game we had the 5 starters with 20+ points, in an elimination game. That tells how deep and good your roster is. There's also always better deals during the season (as we proved 2 years ago) and waiting for Lauri and Ingram's dominos to fall can also play at our advantage. I'm more and more ok with this roster to start the season and excited to see it how it looks like under JJ. Then later we can make some tweaking to cover DLo's struggles in the offseason

    If we gave up Gabe, our backup PG is JHS. We're stuck with him and DLo unless another PG is traded too or someone gets waived. This can happen near the deadline, before I don't see a way to make it work. I think the best PG available right now is Fultz, I don't think we want anymore non-shooters in our rotation
    There's not a list of all players to my knowledge. Doing some easy math, there's 30 teams in the league. So he would have to be a clear #2 option in any team to be top 50. He's not, right? And this is not counting teams who have 3 or more better players than Grant
     
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  2. FrontOfJersey22

    FrontOfJersey22 - Lakers All Star -

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    I think the majority of teams are happy that under this new CBA, it’s very difficult for us to make fair trades. The dumb part is- they made it equally hard for themselves(almost)(no Laker Tax).
     
  3. Slick2021

    Slick2021 - Lakers MVP -

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    Yeah I agree with you on that. The money is crazy now, a few seasons ago, Danny Green, was "overpaid", as our 3rd highest contract, at 15M.

    I suspect a lockout might be looming, to get rid of, or expand these apron restrictions.

    As it is now though, we need to add a bigger contract, while we still have LeBron. We aren't getting 50M in cap space, to sign another player when he retires. Then we will be left with AD at 65M per, and no other sizable contract, to trade for another franchise caliber guy. You'd have to give up 3or 4 rotation players, to make it happen. Still f***ed
     
  4. Slick2021

    Slick2021 - Lakers MVP -

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    Well damn..30 teams means 60 players doesn't it? My math must be getting leaky.

    FWIW.. Espn.com has him rated at 58, but that list is kinda trash IMO.

    We currently have 1 guy besides Lebron and AD, listed in the top 100. Reaves at 66. With Redick talking about adding a traditional 5, and Rob trying to find anyone that will take Tinkerbell, without robbing us blind. I don't really see, how you can believe, that our FO thinks that this team, simply needed a different HC.

    Name these teams that have 3 or 4 better players than Grant. That's CAP.
     
  5. KuzmoBall17

    KuzmoBall17 - Lakers Starter -

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    What Peter Pan has to do with NBA
    I just don't get it
     
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  6. sk2408

    sk2408 - Rookie -

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    Agree with all of this. Rui or Vando, when overly relied upon, will have their flaws exposed by great teams. But when you're able to deploy each of them in lineups/matchups that play to their strengths, I think they can each be pretty useful. The lineup data for LeBron/AD/Wood playing together last year was surprisingly good, I think there's a chance Wood is more useful next year too. I genuinely believe there's a scenario where we start the season with the current roster and are near the top of the West a month or two in. Then we can negotiate from a position of strength, rather than everyone thinking we're desperate to ship out DLo and asking for two picks for players like Grant.
     
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  7. abeer3

    abeer3 - Lakers Legend -

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    i said this in another thread, but i'm kinda baffled by it all. i could make an argument that among non-rookie, non-vet min deals, he might be one of the biggest bargains in the league. yes, yes, denver, playoffs, etc., but you play 82 other games. we tried to find a playoff performer to fill in when he chokes (gabe), but he died. it was the right idea, and it's better than just dumping dlo for...whatever.
     
  8. Slick2021

    Slick2021 - Lakers MVP -

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    You can't have Rui, Vanderbilt, Wood, Lebron, and AD all playing 4. I think that we should be prudent, and actually cater to AD's wishes for once. We are about to pay that man 60M plus starting next season. At some point it should be about Anthony Davis, not whatever is best for Lebron. He's said that himself, several times now.

    We are 1-9 in our last two playoff series with this group, that's more issues going on, than just "coaching ".
     
  9. sk2408

    sk2408 - Rookie -

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    I think the problem is that every other team roughly fits into one of two categories: (1) teams trying to make the playoffs and compete now, who see DLo as an inevitable playoff liability and (2) teams not trying to compete right now, who don't want DLo taking shots away from developmental players and accidently winning a few extra regular season games. Also, I think this idea that "seeding doesn't matter" (which I vehemently disagree with) that seems to have taken hold across the league makes the regular season innings eaters much less attractive. Trae is kind of the high-end version of the same archetype as DLo IMO and it seems like the Hawks backed off trading him because the market was so tepid.
     
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  10. abeer3

    abeer3 - Lakers Legend -

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    yeah, i'm actually totally fine with riding dlo to more regular season wins while understanding that his minutes will be scaled back in the playoffs or even in certain matchups during the season. at 18 million, you can afford to have a third guard to pick up that slack. we thought gabe was it; he's probably not, but i would like to see it for more than 6 games before determining that it's the wrong fit.
     
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  11. sk2408

    sk2408 - Rookie -

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    I think Max has a chance to be that guy too. If Max can be an above average perimeter defender and above average spot-up shooter (a lot to ask for a 21 year old) I'd be comfortable starting him next to DLo and closing with him next to Austin.
     
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  12. Slick2021

    Slick2021 - Lakers MVP -

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    What difference does the regular season make, when you still can't win in the playoffs?

    The idea of keeping what we have, stems a lot, from reaching the Conference Finals a couple of seasons ago. However we got swept, and the two teams that we beat, didn't even make the playoffs last season.

    I don't get, what's supposed to be soo special, about this particular group. Skip Denver, these guys wouldn't have beaten, Minnesota or Dallas either.

    This roster just isn't going to work, in the playoffs. They are defensively weak on the perimeter, and they are not consistent enough on offense, to overcome that against good teams.

    Gotta switch something up. These other teams aren't going to just sit idly by, and run it back the same way either .
     
  13. LTLakerFan

    LTLakerFan - Lakers Legend -

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    Better coaching makes both those Denver series not go 1-9 guaranteed. Effed up the first series right out of the box with the three guards against their size, and effed up Spencer right before the Denver series this year, from what he could have better contributed. Both series with Denver were a lot freaking closer than wins and. losses would have an outsider think happened. Yes we need improvement too but you downplaying Ham’s role in all of it is silly.
     
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  14. Slick2021

    Slick2021 - Lakers MVP -

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    No bro. We lost the 1st Denver series, because Tinkerbell avg 6pts and 3 assists period, end of story.

    Spencer was mediocre in Brooklyn all season, that's why he got waived. It shows just how weak we were on the perimeter, that folks were soo gaga over his brief run here.

    Here's the problem with the coaching angle. The Lakers ran up big leads in almost every single game we played. Then, in the 2nd half, we folded when the Nuggets made a run. The exact same shots were there in the 2nd halves, the ones that we were knocking down with ease. Once the intensity increased, Lebron, AD and sometimes Austin, are the only ones who didn't wilt.

    That ain't coaching man, that's on the players. It would be another story if the Nuggets switched up and started smothering our plays and sets, or something. And we failed to make adjustments, that's not what happened.

    The exact same actions, were there all game LT, start to finish, we simply choked. A coach isn't to blame, for a guy missing wide open shots, shots in their preferred spots. WTF are they out there for? We all know it wasn't for their defense.

    Malone made it a point, to call Tinkerbell out, and tell everyone , that the game plan was to take his woofing a** out. Mr I want all the smoke, folded his tent and waved the white flag. That was his response, in both series, he did have 1 good game out of 9 though. Unfortunately Rui followed suit in the 2nd Denver series.

    I have yet to see anyone, point out some serious tactical errors on Ham's part, besides some general calling more timeouts bs. Look at who we had.. What else was supposed to be done? Bench Rui and Tinkerbell? For who?

    I promise you that I will be saying, the exact same thing for JJ, it's not on the coach, for players not stepping up and doing their job,and playing the role they were expected to. If they do that and you lose, you just lost to the better team. If they don't, that s*** is on THEM.
     
  15. abeer3

    abeer3 - Lakers Legend -

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    dlo >>>>> ham
     
  16. Slick2021

    Slick2021 - Lakers MVP -

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    We won't ever win anything with Tinkerbell on the roster. It will always be someone else's fault.
     
  17. ZenMaster

    ZenMaster - Lakers All Star -

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    My kid's soiled diaper, digged out of the landfill it's been in for the last 2 years >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Pimple
     
  18. Slick2021

    Slick2021 - Lakers MVP -

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    Lol..it's going to be interesting around here, once Redick decides that Tinkerbell, is not that guy too.

    I garuntee that Javon Buha, is going to be quoting, all these "anonymous " sources talking about JJ, not knowing WTF he's doing..

    Lol..
     
  19. Slick2021

    Slick2021 - Lakers MVP -

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  20. pika1708

    pika1708 - Lakers Starter -

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    Yes, 30 teams means 60 players, so he needs to be #2 in 20 teams right? Is he? Please tell me these 20 teams.

    Forgot about ESPN list, thank you for helping my point.

    It's not cap. C Bags, Philly, Bucks, Knicks, Minny, OKC. Then you can even add Cavs, Indy, Nuggets, Phoenix or Pels. It's actually a big list lol
     
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