2014-15 Lakers Season Thread (21-61) KAT

[Maximus Meridius]

CP with the full tank break down.


Jeremy Linn really pulled off a heist gettting that contract from Houston. Dude might be the softest player in the league.

 

[kal-el-8]

Currently at 13-40

Vs Nets
Vs Celtics
At Jazz
Vs Bucks

Vs OKC
At Hornets
At Heat (back to back)
At Memphis
Vs Dallas
Vs Detroit
Vs Knicks
Vs Hawks
At GS (back to back)
Vs Jazz
Vs Philly
At OKC
At Minnesota (back to back)
At Toronto
At Nets
At Philly (back to back)

Vs Pelicans
Vs Blazers
Vs Clippers
At Clippers
At Denver (back to back)
Vs Minnesota
Vs Dallas
At Kings (back to back)
Vs Kings



6 games on a back to back. At the Heat, At the Warriors, at the Wolves, at Philly, at Denver, and at Kings.

I don’t think we catch the Knicks at this point, so they may be moot, but we play Philly twice, and we play the T-Wolves twice. Lose those games, and the back to backs, we’d damn near be a lock for the #2 spot.

We’d have to go 7-22 just to get to 20-62 on the year. I’m not real sure why they’d even try to get to 7 wins the rest of the way at this point, when they know the more they lose, the closer they are guaranteed to Okafor, Russell, or Towns. Any of these 3 will be perfect for Randle and beyond.

I don’t know what Mitch will do, if anything, but I would think that guys like Boozer, Ellington, Lin, Hill, etc would want to play for a contender. They might try somethin like buyin out Boozer so he can sign anywhere. Maybe a small deal for Ellington. Something to thin the roster even more, and assure only the young guys and one or two vets are left, at that point, can’t see them winning too many “extra” games. We could very well top out at 18-19 wins, if that. That should be good enough for #2, at least. Then just hope no one jumps us in the lottery and pushes us down further.

Great Breakdown.

What will mitch do?

Max Jeremy Lin and Carlos Boozer.

Sign Kobe to an extension.

Draft Kristaps Porzingis

 

[Mr.Guy]

I hope the lakers tank and end up with the #10 pick.

 

[CP1708]

I hope the lakers tank and end up with the #10 pick.

Get the **** out of this thread for not understanding it's not possible to tank as far down as we are and end up with the 10th pick.


And get the **** out of this thread because you don't belong either. Troll somewhere else.

 

[lovehateself]

I hope the lakers tank and end up with the #10 pick.

 

[three6mafia2007]

I see us winning 6-7 more games the rest of the way

 

[pmatic]

Pelton's Analytical Big Board:

1. D'Angelo Russell WARP: 3.3

Chad Ford and I went long on Russell last week, explaining what has allowed him to rise to the top of my WARP projections. Since then, Russell has only reinforced his versatility by posting his first career triple-double (23 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists) in a win over Rutgers.

5. Karl-Anthony Towns WARP: 2.7

As the dominant interior force (he's top 10 nationally in block rate) on the nation's best defense, Towns has the NCAA's lowest individual defensive rating, according to College-Basketball-Reference. While his offense isn't quite as polished, he has the potential to be nearly as good at the other end.

14. Jahlil Okafor WARP: 2.1

Don't be alarmed by Okafor's low projection. As I've explained, Okafor throws my system for a loop because his 2-point percentage is such an outlier. Removing the factor of regressing player projections to the mean, and Okafor shoots to second on the list behind Russell.

19. Stanley Johnson WARP: 2.1

Physically, Johnson looks like a man among boys playing against older opponents. He also has proven a better shooter than expected, making 3-pointers at a 39.3 percent clip. Surprisingly, Johnson's shortcoming has been his finishing. He's shooting just 50.0 percent at the rim, according to Hoop-Math.com.

 

[tupac003]

Currently at 13-40

Vs Nets
Vs Celtics
At Jazz
Vs Bucks

Vs OKC
At Hornets
At Heat (back to back)
At Memphis
Vs Dallas
Vs Detroit
Vs Knicks
Vs Hawks
At GS (back to back)
Vs Jazz
Vs Philly
At OKC
At Minnesota (back to back)
At Toronto
At NetsAt Philly (back to back)

Vs Pelicans
Vs Blazers
Vs Clippers
At Clippers
At Denver (back to back)
Vs Minnesota
Vs Dallas
At Kings (back to back)
Vs Kings

Games in bold are the only ones that worry me. I would love to lose the rest.

My girl has been looking at me crazy since I'm cheering for losses....

 

[lakers29]

Melo very likely to be shut down after ASG...

 

[licensed to ball]

I feel like we're so lucky Melo decided to stay in new York "because it's home" (he wanted the money) because this dude would of killed our chances of retooling for 4 straight meaningless years.

Dudes heart pumps Kool Aid.
Say what you want about Kobe, but even though he's a complete liability and he's way past his prime and almost hurts your chances every minute he's on the court now, at least dude makes an effort to earn his pay and fight the fight with his squad when he can. Off of knee fractures and a torn Achilles this dude was back putting in 40+ minutes a night in his 19th season!! (Thanks partly to Byrons stupidity)

Point is tho... Dude came back and gave it his all and his body broke down for it.

Meanwhile Melo feels a little "knee soreness" and wants to go on a paid vacation after he plays in the all star break

 

[lakers29]

I feel like we're so lucky Melo decided to stay in new York "because it's home" (he wanted the money) because this dude would of killed our chances of retooling for 4 straight meaningless years.

Dudes heart pumps Kool Aid.
Say what you want about Kobe, but even though he's a complete liability and he's way past his prime and almost hurts your chances every minute he's on the court now, at least dude makes an effort to earn his pay and fight the fight with his squad when he can. Off of knee fractures and a torn Achilles this dude was back putting in 40+ minutes a night in his 19th season!! (Thanks partly to Byrons stupidity)

Point is tho... Dude came back and gave it his all and his body broke down for it.

Meanwhile Melo feels a little "knee soreness" and wants to go on a paid vacation after he plays in the all star break

interesting points you make.  I agree that kobe gives it his all, but the bottom line is teams need to tank or be good. being in the middle of the pack does nothing for you.  whether melo is soft or faking it,  I think the zen master knows what is best for his team...and that is to tank it up

 

[tupac003]

I feel like we're so lucky Melo decided to stay in new York "because it's home" (he wanted the money) because this dude would of killed our chances of retooling for 4 straight meaningless years.

Dudes heart pumps Kool Aid.
Say what you want about Kobe, but even though he's a complete liability and he's way past his prime and almost hurts your chances every minute he's on the court now, at least dude makes an effort to earn his pay and fight the fight with his squad when he can. Off of knee fractures and a torn Achilles this dude was back putting in 40+ minutes a night in his 19th season!! (Thanks partly to Byrons stupidity)

Point is tho... Dude came back and gave it his all and his body broke down for it.

Meanwhile Melo feels a little "knee soreness" and wants to go on a paid vacation after he plays in the all star break

I was 100% wrong when I was hoping this guy would come. We lucked out...

As much as this type of season was needed.

It really sucks not being able to stomach a whole game. I mean my world used to stop when the Lakers were on...now all I can stomach is flipping to it to make sure they are getting killed.

|I

 

[pmatic]

I should just make a NBA Draft thread.

Ford & Pelton:

How good is Stanley Johnson?

Question: After combo guard D'Angelo Russell, Arizona forward Stanley Johnson is the top-rated American wing on Chad's big board (10th). How good is Johnson?

Kevin Pelton: I have Johnson rated a little lower. He's 19th on my first statistical big board of 2015, though there isn't a great deal of separation between 11th and 24th and Johnson could land almost anywhere in that group. The big factor working in Johnson's favor right now is his age. He won't turn 19 until May 29, before the draft, making him the second-youngest prospect likely to go in the first round (Kentucky's Devin Booker is the youngest; he turns 19 on Oct. 30). But based on his performance this season, I project him to be about replacement level when he enters the NBA. Is that reasonable?

Chad Ford: There's an interesting split on Johnson among scouts and execs. Just about everyone I speak to has him somewhere between fifth and 12th. But the guys who have him at No. 5 think he has a chance to be a NBA superstar while those who have him in the 10 to 12 range see a solid starter, maybe a role player. People tend to be firmly planted in one camp or the other. Clearly the numbers suggest the latter is more appropriate.

What do the numbers like about him (besides his age) and what are they wary of?

Question: What are Johnson's strengths and weaknesses as a prospect?

Pelton: The interesting thing about Johnson's freshman season is the lack of glaring strengths and weaknesses. In terms of the core projected statistics I look at to measure skills, the only one where he's in either the top or bottom 25 percent among NBA-bound small forwards (how I define strengths and weaknesses statistically) is his good steal rate. The upside here is that means Johnson has been better than advertised as an outside shooter, making nearly 40 percent of his selective 3-point opportunities. The downside is he hasn't been very good as a finisher. You and I have both highlighted that he's only making 50 percent of his attempts around the rim, according to Hoop-Math.com. Nobody else on the Arizona roster is making less than 60 percent of those shots.

One more area I think will be a plus for Johnson as a pro is rebounding. He's not far from making that a strength, and because coach Sean Miller often plays Johnson and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson together on the wing, there's a lot of competition on the glass in Tucson.

Question: Who are comparisons for Johnson?

Ford: Other than his NBA body and terrific motor, there isn't a lot that stands out for Johnson one way or the other. I love his fearlessness and his confidence. He plays like a senior, not a freshman. And when he wants to, he gets at it defensively (though I think Hollis-Jefferson is a better and more versatile on-the-ball defender). I have been surprised, too, with how well he's shot the ball, given that his form isn't particularly impressive and it wasn't a strength in high school. And I wonder if the poor numbers finishing at the basket are pointing to the fact that he isn't as explosive athletically as he looks and he's not great at creating off the dribble. I always look for players like Johnson to have at least one skill that could become elite at the NBA level and I haven't found his yet. His body, his toughness and his clutchness (a word I'm sure you hate) are the closest things I can find. He wants the ball and plays that way. But I see more upside in several of the other wings.

I'm curious who his NBA comps are, and maybe even more curious how he stacks up against the other top wings on your board. Scouts have him in a scrum with Mario Hezonja, Kelly Oubre and Justise Winslow and there are several other wings like Devin Booker and R.J. Hunter who are interesting.

Pelton: His top three comps by SCHOENE are Marvin Williams, Luol Deng and Thaddeus Young. I think that's a reasonable ballpark for his NBA value, with Deng as an optimistic view, Williams more pessimistic and Young realistic.

Looking at the other wings, Hunter (2.6 projected WARP) is the only player in the conversation I have rated substantially ahead of Johnson (2.0). He and Oubre (1.9) are very similar on my board. Hezonja (1.7) is a bit behind, though rising with his strong season, and Winslow (1.0) isn't in this mix statistically because he's not yet an efficient scorer and hasn't translated his defense into the box score. The surprise is Booker (1.5) has dropped quite a bit since we last discussed him. While he's still shooting the ball well, Booker has two steals in 11 SEC games and is averaging just 3.0 rebounds per 40 minutes in conference play, putting up red flags about whether he can hold his own defensively.

Ford: Interesting. The comp I've used for him in the past is Ron Artest, which -- if you take out the challenging personality stuff -- makes him a terrific prospect. I like the Thad Young one as well.

As for the order here, I have Hezonja slightly leading the pack right now on my big board. I'm sure the early-season numbers (when he was getting minimal playing time) have hurt him a bit, but he's been terrific lately. I have Johnson just one spot ahead of Oubre, so that checks out. Winslow was slowed down by a bad shoulder and sore ribs, but seems to be playing better lately. However, I'm scared to death by his poor 2-point jump shot percentage (16.2 percent according to Hoop-Math.com). Teams are still gaga over Booker, but I have noticed a dip in production (and shooting) the past few games. It's tough with Kentucky given all the talented moving parts.

I loved Hunter this summer when I watched tape and heard from scouts about his play in summer camps, but he's shooting just 31 percent from 3 this season. I'm curious how much his projected WARP is based on his previous two years and whether his poor shooting this year might just be a fluke. Overall, I have all of them in my top 20. This is a pretty good draft for wings.

It's time to move onto our sleepers and I have another athletic wing that I'm excited about. But you go first ...

 

[licensed to ball]

I wish I had the attention span to read all the text you post P

i need cliff notes

 

[noblekane]

I hope the lakers tank and end up with the #10 pick.

View media item 1398975

 

[pmatic]

I wish I had the attention span to read all the text you post P

i need cliff notes

Analytically speaking, Johnson is young for this draft class which helps his stock when projecting him down the road. He doesn't do anything great, but he's been a surpringly accurate shooter yet struggles finishing. That's the opposite of what one would expect of Johnson before the start of the season. He should be a plus rebounder and defender.

 

[CP1708]

I think in terms of where we sit, and what we want, if we are at 2, I want either Towns or Russell. If they think they can sign a C, then I'm fine with Russell and Kobe as guards, with Clarkson the #3.

If they think they can sign a PG (like Dragic or Reggie) then Towns/Randle is an outstanding young duo inside. Imagine the Kobe assists next year when he shoots 35% and they both average 10+ rebounds a game.


If we fall to 3, no decision needed, we take whichever one is left.

If we are at 4. Then I worry.

If it's #5......I wonder if Willie Cauley Stein jumps into the mix.


Mudiay and Stanley are wild cards to me, at this point. 4-5 range, but not crackin the top 3 of Okafor, Towns and Russell.

And if we got #1, I don't think I would want Okafor, because not sure he and Randle can play together. I'd be interested in a 1-2 swap if a team wanted to move up for Okafor tho.


Towns and Russell are my two faves right now tho.

 

[pmatic]

I wish I could find highlights of Towns vs Florida. The full game is on YT though.

 

[sea manup]

stanley johnson sounds like wes johnson's real name

tell me this doesnt look like a stanley

 

[kal-el-8]

stanley johnson sounds like wes johnson's real name

tell me this doesnt look like a stanley

 

[freeze]

stanley johnson sounds like wes johnson's real name

tell me this doesnt look like a stanley

you win bro.

 

[essential1]

I honestly won't be upset if there are no trades made.

If you break down the roster:

Injured, so they hold no tangible value: Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant
Guys who can't be traded: Carlos Boozer (As frustrating as he is, he's been a consummate professional and I've gained a ton of respect for him)
Guys you want to keep / have under contract next year: Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson, Tarik Black, Ryan Kelly, Nick Young
*say what you will about Nick Young, he's a good BENCH piece. And keeping him next couple years at his price could be a key to a quicker rebuild if we can get the right starters quick.

Guys who are expiring that you may want to keep next year, if price is right: Ed Davis, Wayne Ellington
*If Wayne is available at Veteran's Minimum or even if available for under $2mil, I'd strongly consider bringing him back. But Wayne probably would fit in the next category in terms of trading.


Have no value at all (Trade value and/or make no difference in us any better or worse if gone): Wes Johnson, Ronnie Price, Robert Sacre


Guys you want to trade: Jordan Hill, Jeremy Lin

1. Both expiring deals, so eliminate all teams who are pushing for the playoffs. They won't trade for either.
2. Add in that we are not taking back any contract that goes past this season's UNLESS it is an insignificant salary (a couple mil).
*That's probably over half the league eliminated already.
3. Factor in for the teams that are left that over half probably cannot use / do not have the money & criteria of what we're looking for to take either.
*Then we're probably left with maybe 2-3 teams for each guy that MAY, want to make a deal.

If we go in, and these 2 teams don't want to make a deal, or do make a deal for some cheap bum... There's absolutely nothing we can do.
If Mitch asks for Perkins + Lamb for Hill, and Sam Presti ends up going after a bum like Andrew Nicholson (you know that's the type of move he'll make) there's nothing we can do.




So we really have nowhere to go, IF the small number of teams who would want the 2 guys we'll trade, don't make any moves, OR go after guys who are far inferior to the 2 we have on the block.

I honestly hope Jordan Hill gets traded. Because he won't be back next year. And deserves to help a contender. And hopefully they pick up his option.

But I won't be upset if we don't make a move. Why? Because NBA GMs are a fickle set of human beings. And really operate by a distinct set of illogical maneuvers.

 

[kal-el-8]

I vibe with it all E.

Except when you said Nick young could lead to a quicker rebuild with the right starters. Let's not get crazy here. He's never been an integral part of any good team. He's a chucker tryna get his own and not play D. It was a mistake to resign him and he isn't gonna be apart of any winning lakers team.

 

[essential1]

I vibe with it all E.

Except when you said Nick young could lead to a quicker rebuild with the right starters. Let's not get crazy here. He's never been an integral part of any good team. He's a chucker tryna get his own and not play D. It was a mistake to resign him and he isn't gonna be apart of any winning lakers team.

I won't bother arguing it again. I've made my case. But cue the extremely good showing he had with Clippers in playoffs.


But where I'm coming from with that comment..... Look at every team who builds from ground up and then gets a star and becomes a "contender." They end up making the playoffs that first year and lose quick. why? Most commonly it's a Weak bench. Let's say we get a couple starters and then boom a superstar in 2016. What will we have that other teams didn't that? Something on the bench already in tow. Nick Young gives you something rare off the bench. And you don't have to rely on some grand performance from every single no name off the bench to go.

 

[CP1708]

But cue the extremely good showing he had with Clippers in playoffs.

43%

35% on 2 point shots.

12 rebounds, in 11 games.
3 assists, in 11 games.
20 fouls, in 11 games.

And I haven't even mentioned his "defense" yet where he posted the worst defensive rating on the roster.




He hit 17 3's in 11 games, over 50%, and that's what is considered "good showing" in the playoffs???? One stat column?


His team went a full 7 games in round 1, and then were swept in the next round.


And he'll be 31 if we're lucky enough to make the playoffs next year.



I'd slow down on

But cue the extremely good showing he had with Clippers in playoffs

Nick Young sucks. If he was on any other team but the Lakers, Laker fans would admit it with ease. But because he wears our jersey, people back him for no reason. Those numbers are PATHETIC. And him advancing in age doesn't do anything to improve them. It would be one thing if he was just 25 and could still improve, at least then you'd have a basis to work off of, but that's not the case.

He's garbage. Always has been, always will be. We need to start admitting that as a fanbase. We want titles, we have to want Title players. Not hacks like Nick Young.