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Well...some drama going on behind the scenes...Looks like they both lost.

https://ftw.usatoday.com/story/spor...e-fired-calvin-booth-nuggets-why/82993743007/

 

TMWG

@sirronstuff

 

rent free in your empty head

 

Too bad so sad. Mike Malone fired.

 

So did I. I can't help but think Brick played (involuntarily) a significant role in Malone getting canned.

I'd like to say, Hey Mikey...if Lakers assistant coaches Nate McMillan or Scott Brooks get hired somewhere else as a head coach, you can always be an assistant for the Lakers. But I doubt anyone in the org would want to hire you with the way you gloated like a cheezy dipjit after Jokic helped eliminate the Lakers in the playoffs. So...uhh...good effing luck, lispy Mikey!

 

Oh believe me we know that and it’s still amazing what a really dumb hill you picked to die on with those excuses for his sorry a** play. Considering “most” of your observations are solid. Not 1 … not 2 … not 3 …. 4 …. FOUR coaches loathe to play him in crunch time. Had/Has jack to do with LeBron or AD playing or not …. the way that green fart smoke steams out of Russ’s ears at the worst possible times.

 

You see.. you still don't get it bro. I didn't care, what other people thought about Russ. He played for us, he went and asked the owner to come here, after his team declined the trade. Lebron and AD just got hurt, Rob put a s***ty roster together. A lot of things went wrong.

For some reason fans, wanted to dump all their frustrations on that man. Fans jump on media narratives, and run with them sometimes, like they really know these people.

Even YOU, stooped , to calling this guy a locker room cancer. In spite of every single FO, he ever played for totally rejecting that noise. Our own young kids rejected that BS too. Austin, Rui, Lonnie Walker. It still wasn't enough, they somehow were just being nice, just like everyone that ever played with him , they were just being nice too.

That s*** got out of hand man. This is how players get stalked by fans, get death threats, have people say all kinds of nasty s*** to them, in front of their families at games.

I don't like s*** like that, it crosses lines beyond the game. So hell yeah, I stood up for Russ. This board was over the top with that Westbrook stuff. I'll stand alone on an island by myself, if I think it's the right thing to do. That's just me.

It didn't work out, we moved on, I still don't see the need to continuously bash that man after he's gone either. For a kid from the hood, from south central LA, playing for the Lakers had to be a dream. It was probably more like a nightmare for him. Yet he never spoke a bad word about our fans, about how he was recived by some of us. I still respect that and I wish him well. Tinkerbell is the MF that actually cost us a shot a chip. Yet some folks around, here still like him. To each his own I guess.

 

russ was awful for us. killed everything. just like he has since. it's ok to like him; it's not ok to tell stories about how he wasn't THE problem. 50 million dollars for a guy who actively made your team worse on the floor, night in and night out, no matter who was available.

 

That's your opinion and I don't share it. The gig was up period, without Lebron and AD IMO. Every thing else was just conversation.

 

Well I don't think OKC wants to see the Lakers on the playoffs. They were in real trouble this game before Tony Brothers crew decided to take over

 

I was never a Russ fan either. And the Lakers were in on it for $50 million and gave up the championship role players for him. If he was getting $10 million, it probably wouldn't have gotten as nasty as it did. Clippers fans were complaining about him when he was getting only $5 million... he was the highest paid player on the Lakers and sucked doodoo. It was a Godsend that the Lakers were able to get D'Lo and the other dudes into the Lakers when they did but then it turned out D'Lo was a playoffs choker.

All he's good for is hustle plays so he'll inevitably get his stats. But he has zero clue how to play organized championship basketball.

You can tell he only plays for stats because he doesn't put as much effort on the defensive end. He had the physical traits to be an elite defender but he would rather use all his energy to stuff the stat sheets.

 

Brick's anti-clutch playing aside, I wouldn't be one of those who diss his azz endlessly - I am one of those - if he had just not acted like nothing he did hurt the team. When he was terrible for us the writers in the locker room gave him every chance to say, "I had a really bad night. That's on me. I gotta be better." He should know that we knew he had the stats to be first ballot HoF. We had reasons to expect much better from him. We wanted him to man-up.

But he did NOT do that. Instead, he was obtuse and acted like, you know: I don't know what you guys are talking about. I remember so many lousy games from him where he eventually asked the reporters, "What do you want me to say?" If he just owned his bad play I would've been much more understanding, albeit I would've wanted him gone ASAP anyway. Because, as a Laker, he was just not good.

These actions by him offended my sense of proportion and sportsmanlike ethics. He violated all of what I value in professional athletes with his inability to own up to...WHAT WE ALL f***ING SAW WITH OUR OWN EYES. Don't try 'n mind-eff us, Brick. We know what we saw. We saw you bricking bunnies with the game on the line. We saw you throwing the ball out of bounds and other unforced errors. We saw you bricking wide open jumpers, hitting the side of the backboard. For some reason, there were fairly wide-open looks that you missed by two feet. Maybe you were scared because something had gone downhill for you and you couldn't face whatever it was. I have no idea. But I do know this: Brick never manned-up. He found himself in LA, a hot kitchen with the Lakers legacy, Lebron, AD...and that kitchen was too hot for him.He couldn't handle it.

Back to your regularly scheduled scrolling.

 

yeah, just pouting when people ask him to come off the bench, zero accountability. his problems went beyond the court--whether he was well-liked by teammates or not, he was a major issue.

i don't care if dlo choked in the playoffs, getting him for russ was a MASSIVE upgrade because i could at least watch games again without trying to gouge out my eyes. and by the time he left, dlo was paid like a 6th man and produced like one. he helped us win playoff series before ultimately being a big reason we lost some. russ never helped us do anything but bottom out.

my wish for every offseason is not to do another russ-type trade ever.

 

Meh...We should have moved Russ for Kyrie when we had the chance. I don't give a damn what Stein said. Kyrie was in the bag if we wanted him that summer. We'd have another ring already. Probably wouldn't have Luka now tho. So TBD

But even with MVP Westbrook we weren't winning Jack without Lebron and AD that season. Westbrook didn't bottom out s***. We had an old folks home roster to boot. And they all quit on Frank early.

Tinkerbell made 30M in that choke job season. Beasley was a non factor and some folks are still hating on Vando. Tell the whole story Professor!

 

that we went to the conference finals immediately after dumping russ for dlo?

 

I hate Russ but @Slick2021 hill to die on was that if AD/Lebron weren't healthy who cares they weren't going to win anyway just like the year before. Technically that is true in the for that season.

The problem I have with this though is that Russ was specifically brought in today to reduce the workload of those two and if anything it was the opposite! In addition he became a dead weight asset if they didn't make the move and still didn't go anywhere the folks they moved to get Russ (and losing.AC to the cap hit caused by Russ contract) had more value! The lack of assets basically cost the Lakers last 2 years as that version was a title contender but lacking a few pieces which they couldn't make a move for due to Brick

 

And he choked away a chance at a chip, with a healthy Lebron and AD, which Russ never had? Westbrook played 44 total games with Lebron and AD, the record was 22-22.

 

what was the lakers' record with healthy AD and lebron before and after russ?

there's simply not an argument that russ was a good player here. just not even close. total anchor. only when he became a vet min backup did it not seem like a terrible idea to have him on your team. and even then, i think folks are pretty split, tbh.

but while he's actively pouting and eating 1/3 of the cap...yeesh.