Lakers Thread

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Re: Lakers Thread

Postby Jackal on Wed Oct 04, 2017 4:11 am

Kuzma has been pretty damn good through summer league and the first couple of preseason games. For his draft position he really could be a total steal.

What happens with Randle after this year? He's in a contract year. What's the maximum the team should/would pay to keep him?

The Nike jerseys have a habit of untucking quite often, it's kind of annoying to see. Looks sloppy during the game.

Ingram has been aggressive with his moves, his shot doesn't look good though. Has bulked up a bit but if his shot isn't falling all of that won't make much of a difference. None the less, liked his aggression.

Ball is fun to watch, the Lakers probably won't win many games this season but at least we can hope for some exciting plays from them.

Bryant has been pretty fun to watch. He looks like a cabbage patch kid. From the visual test, I'd give him more minutes over Zubac at the moment.
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Re: Lakers Thread

Postby air gordon on Wed Oct 04, 2017 5:11 am

Are randle and Clarkson even part of the future plans since the Lakers want to save as much as to pay tampering fines and sign LBJ and George?
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Re: Lakers Thread

Postby Jackal on Wed Oct 04, 2017 5:42 am

I don't even get that narrative. Why would they manage to sign two max FA's and then have nothing else on the roster? Especially in the West.

Clarkson has already been paid. Remains to be seen what happens with Randle.

Something else I find a bit odd is that this team has nothing in place on offense for half court sets. Season starts on the 19th and they have absolutely nothing on half court sets? Is that usual? :|

At least Deng played semi-usefully last game. He's best suited at the 4 though...should be interesting. BLopez, Bogut, Zubac, Bryant, Nance Jr., Randle, Kuz & Deng. None of them especially any good at rim protection. Ball isn't much of a defensive presence on the perimeter. KCP gonna earn that 18 million this year.
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Re: Lakers Thread

Postby air gordon on Wed Oct 04, 2017 6:29 am

Depends what you define nothing as. And if not signing randle and getting out of Clarkson (and Deng's) contract gives them the chance to land the big fish, id be all for it
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Re: Lakers Thread

Postby Jackal on Wed Oct 04, 2017 7:57 am

I'm for it for sure, I think any team would appreciate two max FA's like George/James or George/Cousins, but realistically speaking, I just don't see it happening. Who was their last big free agent signing? Shaq?
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Re: Lakers Thread

Postby air gordon on Wed Oct 04, 2017 8:17 am

Who cares? Can't win the lottery if you don't buy the ticket. I would have trust in your management to have a smart backup plan if it doesn't happen

But hey disappointment is a familiar thing for a lot fans of various franchises here
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Re: Lakers Thread

Postby Jackal on Wed Oct 04, 2017 8:23 am

True that.

Let's enjoy the Big Baller Brand for now.
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Re: Lakers Thread

Postby Sauru on Wed Oct 04, 2017 9:40 am

kobe drove free agents away. todays players are more about having fun than having a killer mentality.players now that you guys have lonzo you will start bringing in the free agents again. dude is young, talented, has a level head, and on a rookie contract. thats all you need to start building in a city like LA
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Re: Lakers Thread

Postby air gordon on Sat Oct 07, 2017 2:55 am

so who should start/finishing games?
start ball-kcp-ingram-randall- lopez

finish with ball-kcp-kuzma-deng-lopez?
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Re: Lakers Thread

Postby [Q] on Sat Oct 21, 2017 2:43 am

What a shit show. I talked a lot of smack about Blake before the game but he proved me wrong. Weird starting lineup. Lonzo had no one to set up. Liked Clarkson's intensity and sense of urgency.

Hopefully kcp makes a difference
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Re: Lakers Thread

Postby Bruce on Sun Oct 22, 2017 2:06 am

[Q] wrote:What a shit show. I talked a lot of smack about Blake before the game but he proved me wrong. Weird starting lineup. Lonzo had no one to set up. Liked Clarkson's intensity and sense of urgency.

Hopefully kcp makes a difference


It looks like the Lakers are using Brewer in the starting lineup to see how a defensive minded wing will workout int he starting lineup. Hopefully, when KCP comes back after the suspension and injury, KCP would provide more offense than Brewer did. But in the end, a lot of the Lakers are still not playing good defense. Last game versus the Suns, both teams were playing piss poor defense.

In terms of how the lineup looks right now. I think the Lakers should make a bid to claim Jameer Nelson off waivers. A verteran like Jameer might be able to bring some stability on offense in the second unit.Caruso makes things interesting, but I do not think he belongs in the big league. Ennis, does not look like he has any more potential. I'm shedding no tears for Randle losing the starting job. Nance is doing well on being a smart player. I believe Steve Kerr is correct when he said that the PF position is non-existent in the current NBA. And Randle is not quite capable playing as an undersized center, neither do I think he is capable of playing the wing. Had Randle showed any signs that he could come close to playing like Draymon Green or Paul Millsap, then I think he would still have his starting job.
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Re: Lakers Thread

Postby NovU on Sun Oct 22, 2017 4:45 am

It's kinda crazy. Devin Booker and Eric Bledsoe got schooled against a rookie Lonzo. He made it look casual and once it becomes his routine, a modern era Jason Kidd perhaps?

Zo was easily considered the best prospect in stats world. But many of other rookies are also looking good this season. Strong class as advertised? However Fultz has struggled in his 2 games, not sure how much of it is due to his bad shoulder. Perhaps this is why Ainge traded the pick, kid was flawed(?). Only if he had guts to set his foot down and tell Lonzo "you are coming to play for us", we wouldn't be hearing Dee crying as much these days.


Haven't watched much Randle neither paid much attention. How is the kid? My perception is that he's stiff, strong but undersized, not reliable shooter(perhaps Jordan Hill range & ability) though can hit open shots, won't develop as a stretch 4 because of lack of natural shooting talent, won't be a force in rebound/blk/stl, but has ability to bully defenders with aggressiveness/power/speed, meaning good for scoring(especially team that needs one), versatile defender tho not dominant.
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Re: Lakers Thread

Postby Dee4Three on Sun Oct 22, 2017 4:48 am

NovU wrote:Only if he had guts to set his foot down and tell Lonzo "you are coming to play for us", we wouldn't be hearing Dee crying as much these days.


And this is why you are a tool.

Never cried once about Lonzo, or the Celtics this season. Everything I have said about the C's was positive.

Any more shit you want to make up NovU? What a damn tool.
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Re: Lakers Thread

Postby [Q] on Sun Oct 22, 2017 6:15 am

Lakers actually played pretty good defense in the 3rd, forcing turnovers which allowed them to get a bit of separation. They gave it back in the 4th beginning with 3 straight fouls from randle to help out them until penalty.

I had high hopes for Randle and Clarkson this year and Clarkson has been doing his thing. Randle has been a poor man's Odom but he seems to have a problem staying focused and playing under control. Unfortunately with Nance and now kuzma that actually makes him expendable for a Max player this summer.

Lonzo's numbers look like he dominated but that really wasn't the case. He had a great game, but Chandler allowed him to lay the ball up uncontested on the pick and roll. He does make a great effort on the boards though.
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Re: Lakers Thread

Postby Jackal on Sun Oct 22, 2017 10:53 am

I'm glad Luke didn't trot out Deng as a starter this time around. Also gave Ball & Kuzma minutes together as opposed to the first game where they barely played together. Good move by the coaching staff.

Lonzo Ball is everything I hoped D'Angelo Russell would've been when he was drafted. He had an amazing amount of points but I'm not about that. That kid is always, always looking to pass the ball. I love that. Give me a PG who scores 10 points and dishes out 10-12 assists over a PG who scores 20 and has 2 assists any day of the year. I wish Russell well in Brooklyn, rooting for him to do well but not too well.

Ingram finally had a good game. It's such a relief. He has a bit of tunnel vision and is a bit iso-happy. Hopefully he keeps developing in positively and looks to involve his teammates. He needs to really dig in defensively too, he's got the tools to be an amazing defender so I hope he doesn't look to just be an iso-type scorer. None the less, relieved to see his shot drop and him having a good game.

I'm over Randle. If Randle had 50% of the heart Nance has, he would've been the perfect 4 in the system. Perhaps add Kuzma's range and you'd really have a complete player. Randle's body language stinks. He still can't set a screen worth a damn. He doesn't even try on defense and the most infuriating part is how dumb he is when it comes to basketball IQ. He's as dumb as a rock and it's fucking annoying because if he had any IQ at all, he would be a flat-out beast. He's got the body for it (despite his T-Rex arms) and just enough skills to do some things well enough but nothing really extraordinarily well. He doesn't play hard consistently, he doesn't try defensively & he doesn't even set a half decent pick to free up his guards or wings. Maybe he gets traded, maybe he walks at the end of the year and knowing how things have been with LA lately, maybe a change of scenery wakes that dude up and eventually becomes a beast for his new team, but I don't see it working in LA long term. Lost all that body fat but still can't set a god damn pick and sulks at the end of the bench like a little bitch. I'm over it.

I love the addition of Brewer & Bogut. Bogut was out there in limited minutes but he's got passing vision & he plays tough. Brewer really messed Booker up as well and I loved, loved, loved his defensive intensity all game long. I didn't think he had it left in him at that age but color me surprised, absolutely loved it.

Easily the most fun game I've watched since Kobe's farewell game, it's been a long time. I'm glad I can expect to be entertained by Laker games against instead of hoping/wishing for players to not do the stupid thing & do the right thing when presented the opportunity. I hope Lopez resigns with LA for a semi-decent contract after this year too. Never a bad thing having someone you can rely on to get you buckets when you need them. Dude is a legit scorer. Needs to rebound consistently too though.

Randle, Clarkson & Deng fetch any decent offers of an expiring contract?
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Re: Lakers Thread

Postby [Q] on Sun Oct 22, 2017 11:45 am

Randle is definitely pouting over his lost starting gig. Nance and especially Kuzma's great play doesn't really help him either. His basketball IQ is so low, he doesn't even wait for retaliatory fouls lol. I mean, he's an okay player but all that we mentioned limits his potential, unlike a Kuzma or clarkson who you really see try hard and have the desire to be great. I think what would be awesome is packaging Randle with Deng's shitty contract, similar to how we unloaded Mozgov's terrible contract in the summer
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Re: Lakers Thread

Postby Jackal on Sun Oct 22, 2017 6:28 pm

That's all you can ask for to be honest. Just some god damn effort.

Sad thing is you'd have to throw in a Clarkson or a pick to sweeten any deal surrounding Randle/Clarkson because teams know he's up for a contract and could end up just being a rental.

Walton has gone in on him in back to back games already. It'll be interesting to see what happens with him. All the talent in the world but not a semblance of basketball smarts or consistent effort. What could have been. Had such high hopes for him when he was drafted.

I still believe he'll get traded somewhere and then just turn it on. He seems to be a player who would play better when he's soured. Although if that's the case, he should be beasting off the bench for us as well.
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Re: Lakers Thread

Postby [Q] on Mon Oct 23, 2017 8:53 am

I think if he can get his mind right, he could be a monster off the bench like Odom was back in the day. Clarkson's already embraced the role, but some players like to think that it's better to finish games than start them and you saw Kuz on the floor at the end of that game, despite him being a "bench" player.
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Re: Lakers Thread

Postby Sauru on Mon Oct 23, 2017 9:25 am

Dee4Three wrote:
NovU wrote:Only if he had guts to set his foot down and tell Lonzo "you are coming to play for us", we wouldn't be hearing Dee crying as much these days.


And this is why you are a tool.

Never cried once about Lonzo, or the Celtics this season. Everything I have said about the C's was positive.

Any more shit you want to make up NovU? What a damn tool.


its best to just ignore him. you know how every sports has 3 types of fans right. fan 1 is a die hard through thick and thin. fan 2 follows the good teams and seems to have a new "my team" every season. fan 3 does not give a shit who wins they just want to see certain teams lose. NOVU is fan 3, he enjoys watching teams lose more than he enjoys watching a team win. i saw a lot of fans like this in boston. people who could not tell you 3 guys on the red sox team but would go on forever about how much they hated the yankees and how it was "ok if the sox lose as long as the yankees dont win"
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Re: Lakers Thread

Postby Jackal on Tue Oct 24, 2017 2:29 am

Wrong. NovU just follows Wade to whichever team he is and shit talks every other team. He's a new model of fan. He's a hybrid between 2-3.

Anyways, back to Lakers.

Great, great effort by the young Lakers. In one post I kill Randle and then he comes out the next game as if he just gets it. Hope he remains this way, consistent, tough play is all Lakers fans want from him.

Edit: It might just be clicking.

Julius Randle: "For me, its more than just my play, it’s my attitude, along with my effort & how I make other people feel." Source.


Being down 22 and working their way back to actually recapture the lead, awesome effort. It's unfortunate they couldn't hold on and win the game but being a young team, that's to be expected in games such as these. I'm glad they didn't hang their heads and they fought their way back. Proud of their effort, disheartened they lost.

Edit 2: The Lakers half court offense is non-existent at the moment. The coaching staff really need to step up in that department. I am glad to see more pick & roll being run and it usually leads to a good result. Sure Ball turned it over a few times but with hard dives it usually lead to good stuff. But there's still much too much ball pounding/lack of passing/player movement. Given the reports all they focused on in training camp was defense, it doesn't show. Might as well have done some half court sets as well.

Anyways, hopefully that comes as the season progresses. If they can't do that well, they need to provide consistent energy much like they did most of the second half. It's got to be one of the two to keep them competitive. Low energy/effort and ball pounding are what got them in a 22 point hole in the first place. Guys like KCP, Kuzma, Bogut & Brewer are quickly becoming favorites just based on their energy & effort.
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Re: Lakers Thread

Postby [Q] on Tue Oct 24, 2017 5:57 am

Dammit I stopped watching at the half as I figured it would be a blowout lol

Luke needs to swap the bench and starters because he's too focused on having firepower for the second unit when there isn't enough for the starters. Lonzo is a facilitator and Ingram and Lopez are the only starters that are halfway decent at scoring and getting their own shot. Hopefully kcp becomes that main scorer for the starters once he settles in. Doesn't matter how good your bench is if they come in to a 15-20 point deficit. Glad he stopped playing that scrub ennis.
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Re: Lakers Thread

Postby Jackal on Tue Oct 24, 2017 6:14 am

Nah, I feel Nance next to Lopez is great. He balances out Lopez's lack of mobility on defense. (Although Lopez is great at going straight up.) Nance just hustles and deserves to start over Randle at the moment.

KCP looked good. He made some shots I didn't think he was capable of making and I was pleasantly surprised he was more than capable to not only get a good shot off but also able to make them.

Lopez
Nance
Ingram
KCP
Ball

Randle/Bogut
Kuzma
Brewer
Hart
Clarkson

The second unit are the ones that got the Lakers back. Walton came out and straight up said Deng is out of the rotation for the time being. I wish they'd just buy the dude out, he's not adding much this way and dude deserves to play somewhere.

You should try and watch a recap of the second half, easily one of Randle's better games/effort. He was going at Cousins on D, literally wrestling him in the post.
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Re: Lakers Thread

Postby [Q] on Tue Oct 24, 2017 6:23 am

I thought inserting bogut for defense early on worked out well against the taller players. Randle at a huge disadvantage against scoring centers. I think they got a good team here Luke just needs to figure out rotations and matching and all that. Looks like Hart got some PT in the second half. His defense probably helped as well.

Also Lakers announced that the classic jerseys are the blue mpls jerseys as Conrad predicted. The ones in NBA live were placeholders as expected
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Re: Lakers Thread

Postby NovU on Thu Oct 26, 2017 6:54 am

Stop analyzing NovU.
I anal you, not the other way around.



Considering how well Kuzma's been playing since summer league and all that, Randle becomes obvious expendable piece. Both are at age of 22, but Kuzma's new to the league so perhaps more upside with adjustment to come.

I personally, generally, consider 24 is the age when development stops unless it's a special case, also not counting adjusting/tweaking skillset. both Kuzma and Randle have 2-3 year left in that regard to shape their game.

So I hear people loving Kuzma in LA, how is his game? Does he have superstar or allstar potential? Or does he lack something, like strength, or athleticism for modern big? AFAIK, kid's got pretty good bball IQ and nice fineness/shooting for a big man.
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Re: Lakers Thread

Postby [Q] on Thu Oct 26, 2017 8:06 am

I like his attitude. Like Clarkson he's got a killer instinct and wants to be great. Skill wise he's a good all around player with surprisingly good court vision
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