I think I would just hang on to them as veteran presence on the team and for potential flexibility in moving a young asset or 2 to match salaries if a star where to come available without selling too much of the farm. I still think a professional presence is important when having such a young team..... for not just on the court but off the court and establishing work habits. IMO this young core is going to be broken up sooner or later and one of these contracts we are discussing will be needed to make a move ...... I'm not a huge fan of what Randle brings to the table as an overall player..... too many weaknesses that get exploited.... not a very good defender and not exactly a floor spacer out there either on the offensive end. I don't think this is because of his work ethic, it's because of certain liabilities with his frame and wing span that his athleticism doesn't make up for...... he's basically an oversized SF who can't shoot or a undersized PF who can't defend todays 4s. I also think Russell is a 2 guard or combo guard at best..... nor am I sold that he really has the work ethic to become what many hoped he could which is a legitimate leader and the floor general. At one point I thought the coach was holding him back last year.... but the same under walton makes me wonder if it's russell himself. Of course I'm not willing to give up yet on Russell due to his young age but at some point I think the Lakers have to start thinking about finding a PG and possibly moving Russell to the 2 which fits more with his natural inclination to score. If by some luck the Lakers get to keep their top 3 draft pick I think moving Randle and possibly Russell could be keys to building around that pick (Ball anyone?),Clarkson, Ingram, Zubac, Nance and hopefully Paul George either thru trade or FA. Heck you might be in position to pry Thompson out of GS in 2019 if he looks to move on from Currie's long shadow.......
You haven't noticed the finer play and more frequent ESPN Sports Science Guy passing since the all star break? Some of these passes are becoming routine now. Magic seems to be talking to him about leadership. If not Magic who better. Give it some more time here with DAR. At the point. At this point.
this won't be popular, but i was thinking about this today...mozgov's production isn't THAT far off from what i expected when we signed him. i knew it was an overpay, and i was ok with it. the benching was unexpected, and the team really hasn't been better for it. so what does that all mean? i don't know. it's still depressing, but i'm not sure what exactly to make of it all.
Mozgov is a serviceable back up, expensive but serviceable. Between the two, Deng is the one I'd try to find a way to get rid of.
As noted, others shared that opinion that his production isn't that far from off what was expected. I have an entirely different opinion that the Lakers signed him with the expectation that he'd produce what he did when he was a starter with the Nuggets/Cavs and not the expectation that he'd produce based on a career statline that was often as a reserve. In the end, what people expected is irrelevant at this point because the agonizing end result is still the same.
i think my point was that it seems the benching kind of solidified the "this was a terrible contract in all ways" angle, but that's only if you think the benching was justified. i'm not positive i agree. i will say that russell probably looks better when he's sharing the floor with any of the other bigs. but it's not like the team is winning now.
These deals not only sealed the fate of Kupchak and Jimbo but handcuffed our team for the next few years.
Those two should be the ones (particularly Deng) running sprints and not dragging the rest with along with them.
I think it means that surrounded by a good team Moz would be an asset. Developing a team like ours he just isn't quite good enough to make a big difference. I don't mind Moz and not dissing him at all. He might be much more valuable as a back up to Zu next year. I know some will think he is a high priced back up but who could foresee the emergence of "The Zu"! Yes, I'm one of those that thinks Zu is a big find.
At this point I would be ready to get rid of Deng/Mozgov by packaging him with a guy like Randle or Clarkson if thats what it takes.
give up an asset to go back to the cap space plan? hell no. that was even sadder than having these terrible contracts, i think. getting crapped on by every available FA year after year? i think i'd rather pretend i'm not interested or something.
yeah, or even hang on until their last year and use them as salary ballast for trades. a lot depends on how things trend in general. i still sort of can't believe how bad deng's been on the offensive end. i wonder if the coaching staff/FO overestimated the ability of moz/deng to raise the defensive execution of the younger players. that was my thought when they signed: here are two vets who know how to play defense and understand their roles. but defense requires 5 guys on a string, and when at any given time, two of those guys are russell/randle/clarkson/lou williams, you're asking a lot of the other three guys. and then on offense moz/deng are gumming up the works with bad hands and no three point shots, and you're down 30. this is a long-winded way of saying i think our young players' collective disinterest in defense might doom any defensive role player we decide to bring in.
Nwaba has been almost effective. Brewer too! But I think the FO greatly overestimated what Deng brings to the table. I steadfastly stand by Mozgov's mediocrity and market contract. I think he's okay. The biggest problem is Deng... he is awful and his contract is easily top 3 awful. I won't give up assets to dump of him though. I'll hold on until he's an expiring if I have to. The only way I'd stretch him is if I was guaranteed to add a max FA. As in someone says, "I'm coming to LA just clear the cap space."
Times have changed abeer. This is not 2013 or 2014 Lakers. We now have some young players that are about to be paid. This wasn't the case in the past. I'm not saying free cap space to go after FAs...getting rid of Mozgov and/or Deng gives us the ability to resign our own players.
i'm guessing the lakers re-sign their own players regardless. the cap's not that small, and the first contracts aren't that much bigger than moz/deng, even at the max. i also question whether any of our guys is heading for a max at this point. if they are, we can go over to keep them. i think we're safe.
