**LA LAKERS THREAD** Sitting on 17! 2023-2024 offseason begins

[pdino]

-Starting/Playing Prince 33+ minutes for more than half the season was a mistake
-Starting reddish/playing him 30+ minutes for a third of the season was a mistake
-Benching Reaves and limiting his minutes was a mistake

Roster/minutes are nearly optimized now but it took 2/3rds of the season to figure it out.

Bron, AD, DLo, Rui, Vando, AR make up like 95% of the salary cap. What’s a “tear down” look like? Mix n match the mid level and veteran minimum guys?

 

[grittyman]

-Starting/Playing Prince 33+ minutes for more than half the season was a mistake
-Starting reddish/playing him 30+ minutes for a third of the season was a mistake
-Benching Reaves and limiting his minutes was a mistake

Roster/minutes are nearly optimized now but it took 2/3rds of the season to figure it out.

Bron, AD, DLo, Rui, Vando, AR make up like 95% of the salary cap. What’s a “tear down” look like? Mix n match the mid level and veteran minimum guys?

So C CP1708 is making the same point I've been getting at...

Who cares if they gotta win X number of games to get in.

If this "optimized" roster is so great, it doesn't matter what position this team is in because they'll handle whoever with no problem.

 

[SORIANOTRON]

You crazy. He's got two more years left in him, and he's not leaving without a farewell tour.

yeah you probably right, didn’t consider the farewell tour + the bronny situation:

If we loose 1st round he gonna be crazy frustrated though. Probably gonna be talking wild

 

[SORIANOTRON]

So C CP1708 is making the same point I've been getting at...

Who cares if they gotta win X number of games to get in.

If this "optimized" roster is so great, it doesn't matter what position this team is in because they'll handle whoever with no problem.

Continutity and time.

If the optimized roster had more reps together they’d be an even better version of themselves now.

 

[grittyman]

Continutity and time.

If the optimized roster had more reps together they’d be an even better version of themselves now.

If we're being realistic about this team they're a pretty good offensive team, maaaaybe they could be slightly better offensively (but probably not by much)

Defensively there's just a ceiling for the team with the current personnel... now if AD and Lebron go supernova that's a different story.

Let me ask you this... Who are these Lakers better than right now, and what teams do you think they need just a little more chemistry together to be better than?

 

[grittyman]

Thanks Pelicans

 

[pmatic]

Blazers almost pulled off the upset until they barfed at the very end.

 

[mrdieselfuel09]

Hello 10th seed

 

[pdino]

So C CP1708 is making the same point I've been getting at...

Who cares if they gotta win X number of games to get in.

If this "optimized" roster is so great, it doesn't matter what position this team is in because they'll handle whoever with no problem.

Chemistry matters. Continuity matters. Rotations matter. Matchups matters. None of these are going to be ideal this season and could’ve been better if things were figured out quicker.

Denver has been a nightmare matchup for awhile now. If Lakers get through the play-in, they’ll be lined up to play Denver 1st round.

If they had a slightly better record (literally a couple games), they wouldn’t have to be in the play-in to take on Denver. Teams have shown they can grow up exponentially in the playoffs (lakers last year, Miami last year for example). Lakers likely won’t have that opportunity this playoffs

Denver been playing the same squad/rotations (unless injured) for 82 games. Lakers been about 30

 

[pmatic]

Lakers can go from 10th to 8th tomorrow if they win and:

Pelicans win over Warriors
Suns win over Kings

 

[mrdieselfuel09]

My question is this though….

Would you rather face the Nuggets early on in the playoffs where I guess you can say the legs are still “fresh” or if they even make it to the Confrence finals…where they might have played 16 games before facing off with them?

 

[CP1708]

So C CP1708 is making the same point I've been getting at...

Who cares if they gotta win X number of games to get in.

If this "optimized" roster is so great, it doesn't matter what position this team is in because they'll handle whoever with no problem.

Couple more years of daily posting about whoever this 9th post Phil coach is they'll inch closer to still not getting it. I know they can (not) do it.

Especially when you view us against the rest of the West.

Soon it won't matter anyway, Wemby is inevitable.

 

[CP1708]

Continutity and time.

If the optimized roster had more reps together they’d be an even better version of themselves now.

Just need our best players to stay healthy to achieve this. Since Vando has burnt this season, we'll need this plan to happen next year.

When Bron is 40 and AD will be 32.

Oh, and they are likely to move multiple pieces for a new toy, also eliminating your continuity plan, FYI.

Phil could come back, not gonna fix anything.

 

[Dhizzle]

This team is bad. 9th seed bad. Some slight glimmer of hope and occassional over performance but at the end of the day, this team just don’t have enough

 

[grittyman]

Chemistry matters. Continuity matters. Rotations matter. Matchups matters. None of these are going to be ideal this season and could’ve been better if things were figured out quicker.

Denver has been a nightmare matchup for awhile now. If Lakers get through the play-in, they’ll be lined up to play Denver 1st round.

If they had a slightly better record (literally a couple games), they wouldn’t have to be in the play-in to take on Denver. Teams have shown they can grow up exponentially in the playoffs (lakers last year, Miami last year for example). Lakers likely won’t have that opportunity this playoffs

Denver been playing the same squad/rotations (unless injured) for 82 games. Lakers been about 30

This is the same lineup who played a lot of games together last year right? Lol, let's not act like they were just assembled this season.

The Lakers matchup with pretty much every team the same to me regardless of seeding...

If the Lakers were in the 4/5 slot and had to face Luka or the Clippers I wouldn't feel great about their odds of coming out of a series against either of them... pretty much feel the same way about playing the Suns, Kings and maybe the Warriors as well. Would feel pretty confident about playing the Thunder and Pelicans, but that's probably about it.

That is of course unless AD and Bron can both summon god level, which remains to be seen if they still have that in them

 

[Dhizzle]

Im w gritty on this. I dont feel confident against any of those teams. Mainly they are 9th seed bad with a low IQ coach, horrible chemistry, inconsistent role players, sensitive eye sockets and an aging GOAT who can’t play defense for half of a game. Did i miss anything else?

 

[grittyman]

Im w gritty on this. I dont feel confident against any of those teams. Mainly they are 9th seed bad with a low IQ coach, horrible chemistry, inconsistent role players, sensitive eye sockets and an aging GOAT who can’t play defense for half of a game. Did i miss anything else?

DLo is our 3rd best player.

I mean...

 

[Lizakers]

It’s crazy to think 2-3 more regular season games that we tricked off…..

2-3 more wins……

And we can be a 6 seed and a strong chance to get to the WCF.

Now we have to win 2 single elimination games just to play Denver.

Losing 4 to SAC this season
Rockets blowing us out twice
Losing close games to Dal
1 point loss to MIA
Lost to brooklyn
Lost to spurs
Lost to hawks

 

[essential1]

DLo is our 3rd best player.

I mean...

Top 10 in 3 pointers made.
15th in assists.

63rd in PPG, 64th in FGA/game. Pretty much what a 3rd option scorer is, and what would be asked of any player offensively on a Bron/AD team.

Could do significantly worse.


But what the issue is roster wise…. Lost their best perimeter defender for 80% of the season. Gabe was a bust of a signing and was supposed to help mix with DLo and AR (probably the wrong type of player for that anyway). Wasted an asset with their first round pick. And they didn’t prioritize a center. Not to go double bigs, but just to save themselves when AD rests during a game or gets a full game B2B rest.

 

[CP1708]

Lost their best perimeter defender for 80% of the season.

Gabe was a bust of a signing.

Wasted an asset with their first round pick.

And they didn’t prioritize a center.

Not to go double bigs, but just to save themselves when AD rests during a game or gets a full game B2B rest.

Ham shoulda done better building the roster.

 

[Hijo Del Promo]

Yall have no faith, Lakers in 2.

 

[essential1]

Ham shoulda done better building the roster.

Rob isn’t going to get fired (he should though). Jeanie can go too (but she won’t go anywhere). The “we have a relationship with you, so here’s a spot” way that Jeanie moves really stinks.

Not totally Ham’s fault. BUT with what he did have, he didn’t totally optimize it, and in some glaring examples went completely the other way.

What’s the answer coaching wise? I don’t know. But he’s not it either. Unless they decide “we will fill the obvious holes in the offseason”, and give him a really quick hook for 24-25 if it is the same, which is agreeable for me.

 

[CP1708]

Rob isn’t going to get fired (he should though). Jeanie can go too (but she won’t go anywhere). The “we have a relationship with you, so here’s a spot” way that Jeanie moves really stinks.

Not totally Ham’s fault. BUT with what he did have, he didn’t totally optimize it, and in some glaring examples went completely the other way.

What’s the answer coaching wise? I don’t know. But he’s not it either. Unless they decide “we will fill the obvious holes in the offseason”, and give him a really quick hook for 24-25 if it is the same, which is agreeable for me.

No coach is fixing it.

He plays Prince too much
He plays Cam too much
He plays Jaxson too much
Vincent was hurt
1st round pick go bust (for now)

Those are the players he was given. Vando being hurt was horrible.

Bron can't defend long term anymore, Vando out, DLo and Reaves aren't good defensively.

And yet, before 2 games ago they were the hottest team in the NBA. Bron sat one, AD sat the other.

I don't care what suit we bring in next, it isn't gonna fix ****. 4 years we've been play-in level team. Not 2 seed, not 3 seed, not 1,4,5 or 6.

Four. Years.

Bron was 36 and AD 28.

Now they gon be 40 and 32.

No coach is fixin that.

The irony will be when Rob hears we need to get young, he'll be like ok, here's Trae......

 

[grittyman]

The obvious truth to me is this…

While AD and Bron are still great players, they ain’t top 5 great any longer…I’m not really sure if both are in the top 10??? I don’t really do lists like that.

How many more games do the Lakers win if AD dominates every soft euro bum big in those center lineups? How many more games do the Lakers win if LeBron actually decided to rotate on defense, or not committing 7-8 silly unforced turnovers? How many games did we see these two come out and set the tone and hit the other team in the mouth? Or how many games did they just come out and look like they weren’t interested in playing serious hoops? Is there any pressure on these two to deliver another ring… or are we going to find another scapegoat year after year?

 

[pdino]

This is the same lineup who played a lot of games together last year right? Lol, let's not act like they were just assembled this season.

The Lakers matchup with pretty much every team the same to me regardless of seeding...

If the Lakers were in the 4/5 slot and had to face Luka or the Clippers I wouldn't feel great about their odds of coming out of a series against either of them... pretty much feel the same way about playing the Suns, Kings and maybe the Warriors as well. Would feel pretty confident about playing the Thunder and Pelicans, but that's probably about it.

That is of course unless AD and Bron can both summon god level, which remains to be seen if they still have that in them

Last year doesn't help us this year. If you've played any level of competitive sports, playing a full year together the current year builds much more chemistry than playing together for a small portion of last year (Rui was acquired at trade deadline, and didn't become a big rotation player until late season).

Not trying to say Lakers would've won the chip this year if all things were figured out sooner, but Ham took way too long to figure it out, and he's not free from blame for all the coaching decisions already outlined.

Lakers would be better, have better playoff position, and have better chances if lineup/rotations were optimized game 1, not game 65.