I'm going to draw my lines in the sand. I had high hopes for Dlo, and hedged with JC when he showed promise, but not with these guys. I'm bullish. I love this roster.

I think we have all stars in the making.

-BI is going to be a superstar. I've said it before, and I think he'll be at least as good as Jimmy Butler. At minimum. He has every physical gift you could possibly want, and reports are he's already adding some muscle. His jumper, his length, his footwork, his drive to the basket, his offensive toolbox is superb. He's going to be a defensive standout.

Injuries are a concern though, but not overwhelmingly so.

-I think Kuzma is going to prove to be an all-star caliber wing. His offensive game was/is surprisingly refined. I'm calling it now, him vs Tatum is going to be a debate. By all accounts he's got a dog mentality, and I think that's going to serve to elevate him in a big way. He's already showing a propensity for not just taking, but applying advice he's been given, even from outside basketball.

-Zo. He's going to improve on every metric this year. His D is going to take a significant step forward. Offensively, he's the perfect point guard on a team full of dynamic wings, and we have them. He'll probably be more assertive offensively.

-JYJ. RESIGN. Not max, not if we don't have to, but man... get it done. He's a beast.

I think all for, plus Hart, are going to take a significant step forward.

I know, I know, people want that instant gratification. But nah. No. Nada. I hope we whiff on all of the big names. I'd have loved to have added a guy like Cuz, prior to the Achilles, but nah. Not now. Not at the price tag.

I say let the kids cook.

I also say that if we don't, that if we jettison this group, we'll regret it inside of two years. We're not beating a well-oiled, prime time machine like GSW with LBJ, PG, Kawhi and spare parts.

Two years from now, BI and Kuz will be the sort of young, dynamic players teams are clearing space and mortgaging rosters to get. Zo is going to be a point guard's point guard.

We're going to want, if not need, guys like them in two years. And they'll be hitting a stride into their prime at a time when a window opens.

If we swap them out for a bunch of vets that put us in a win-now position, cool. I'll enjoy that ride too, and if we wind up with a chip, even better. I'll gladly eat crow. . But I firmly believe that this team, as the core is presently constructed, will not only be incredibly fun to watch, but greatly improved, for this next season.

Let this hand ride. I've got a good feeling about it.

And only way this offseason is a disappointment is if we somehow miss out on PG and give Randle a max contract (20 should be ceiling but 18 feels better).

if we can get pg/bron/kawhi + parts, bring the warriors the fuck on.

There was a poll posted by Arash Markazi and over 60 percent of respondents DID NOT want to sign LeBron James. No hedging or qualifiers or context, just yes or no should they sign him.

It's nice to know that delusions are alive and well.

Of the group they have, I like Ingram a lot and think he can be a true centerpiece. The other guys are more in the "solid piece" category but solid pieces are so expensive now that you almost have to pass on that hoping for a bigger star, or at least pick the one you think will pan out better and move the other. Of course if they do pursue the youth movement, they have a couple years to make decisions in Ball and Kuzma.

Still, with no pick this year, it will be a verrrrry tough sell to head into next year with a very similar roster.

One thing we don't know is if all the guys in the FA market are going to team up or there will be some one-off type signings to be made. Bringing in LeBron means going into win-now mode, but let's say he goes to a more established team (Boston, Philly, Milwaukee, whatever). Now they'd have a shot at adding George or Cousins without really disrupting their young core. So the possibilities are many, but I don't think simply staying the course is realistic.

First off, Lebron is the best player in the league. Bar none. But, like I said in the other post, with Lebron (and PG or PG/KL or some other voltron formation)... do the Lakers beat THIS Warriors team? I'm really not sure.

So is it worth tearing up this young core to try and challenge a historically dominant team at the peak of their powers? Or just wait a single year for another chance at a big FA class, after the intact core gets another shot at cracking the playoffs?

So that Markazi poll is less about Lebron's ability and more about the expectations that comes with him if he's on the team. Because, if he's on the team, the Lakers fail if they don't *win now*. And if the Lakers' core are all 1st/2nd/3rd years... why not wait till next year when the Warriors roster will likely change drastically?

Context matters. If the Warriors weren't THIS GOOD then yeah, getting Lebron makes a whole lot more sense. But saying "no" to Lebron isn't solely because of Lebron.

the warrors go 5 deep and can't afford to add anyone. meanwhile, those three guys can switch and swallow everything. they're long and ahtletic enough to completely gum up the warriors offense and limit them to isos. basically, they can play houston's defense better than houston.

as a sixers fan, i hope you guys do tell free agents to get lost, because i want to sign them.

In other scenarios we can't stop them bombing from the outside because our best three players all play the same position. Or somewhere in between and the Lakers still lose to this historic, record breaking Warriors team.

Again, the assets we'd lose for contending this year instead of next year is huge. The last time the Lakers traded for a player in the last year of his contract it didn't work out so well. We waited and didn't trade for Paul George last year, so why not wait out another year for Kawhi?

Then what

The league has guards, wings, and bigs....there's no more 1-5 positions.

The Warriors kryptonite is a team that can switch everything defensively and forces GS to work on the defensive end, especially Steph when he switches. We saw that with Houston.

Yes, of course switching is a thing. Luke imported the same system from the Warriors. That post was a response to shelly about whatifs, not a serious analytical debate.

The point of that post wasn't about defensive schemes, it was why trade the core when we can sign key players outright.

>First off, Lebron is the best player in the league. Bar
>none. But, like I said in the other post, with Lebron (and PG
>or PG/KL or some other voltron formation)... do the Lakers
>beat THIS Warriors team? I'm really not sure.

They are a fuck of a lot closer than being a lottery team, which they would be again if they return the same group.

>So is it worth tearing up this young core to try and challenge
>a historically dominant team at the peak of their powers? Or
>just wait a single year for another chance at a big FA class,
>after the intact core gets another shot at cracking the
>playoffs?

How much bigger is next year's FA class going to be? LeBron, PG, Boogie, Kawhi and more all potentially in play this year. This is the biggest offseason since 1976, or 1996 at least.

>So that Markazi poll is less about Lebron's ability and more
>about the expectations that comes with him if he's on the
>team. Because, if he's on the team, the Lakers fail if they
>don't *win now*. And if the Lakers' core are all 1st/2nd/3rd
>years... why not wait till next year when the Warriors roster
>will likely change drastically?

The question was simple and unqualified: Do you want the Lakers to sign LeBron James?

>Context matters. If the Warriors weren't THIS GOOD then yeah,
>getting Lebron makes a whole lot more sense. But saying "no"
>to Lebron isn't solely because of Lebron.

Why are they so scary? The Rockets just had them on the ropes. The Spurs could have challenged them last year with a healthy Leonard. They are a great team and a potential dynasty but you can't cowtow to them. Even the '60s Celtics and Showtime Lakers were challenged successfully, and as good as the Dubs are, they aren't as good as those teams were.

I just don't understand the idea that signing LeBron, the fastest track to challenging the Dubs and a guy who managed to beat them just a couple seasons ago, would be met with any resentment. I suspect there are the people who think Kobe could still drop 50 in there and the straight-up LeBron haters but they can't comprise over 60% of the fans. That's just crazy to me. What is the alternative? Signing inferior FAs? Sticking it out with these young guys? Signing inferior FAs next year?

I mean, if guys like Ingram and Ball were up for new contracts, *maybe* I could understand, but they aren't. A LeBron push means, on its face, losing Randle, anything else may or may not happen.

"It's not a sure thing, so let's not even try. OK. Sensible."

It's so insanely misguided and devoid of context.

Paul George wanted to come to the Lakers last year and by some accounts Ingram would have completed that trade. But he said publicly he wanted to sign with the Lakers... during an offseason where the Lakers could offer him the max.

Kawhi Leonard wants to the come to the Lakers this year and by some accounts Ingram (and/or Kuzma and/or Lonzo) would complete that trade. But he is sorta saying publicly he wants to sign with the Lakers... during an offseason where the Lakers could offer him the max.

> A LeBron push means, on its face, losing Randle, anything else may or may not happen.

Signing both George and Lebron to max contracts necessitates giving up Randle AND trading Deng. How do you get someone to take Deng? By trading assets.


This whole thing is fucking hilarious because the Lakers didn't even make the playoffs this year. Lebron's not even on the team and already you're accusing the Lakers of "cowtow"-ing to the Warriors. The current four best players are all still on (or just came off) rookie contracts and have zero playoff experience. Get some perspective here.

> What is the alternative? Signing inferior FAs? Sticking it out with these young guys? Signing inferior FAs next year?

Sign Paul George and Randle this year? Sign Kawhi or Klay next year? Keep all the young guys? Dunno, sounds pretty good to me.

>"It's not a sure thing, so let's not even try. OK.
>Sensible."
>
>It's so insanely misguided and devoid of context.

It's a pretty accurate summary of this "let's hang onto everyone and not sacrifice anything to get sure talent" approach is what it is.

>Paul George wanted to come to the Lakers last year and by some
>accounts Ingram would have completed that trade. But he said
>publicly he wanted to sign with the Lakers... during an
>offseason where the Lakers could offer him the max.

Remains to be seen if that strategy will pay off or not. If he signs somewhere else, then it was an L, because they could have secured him and very likely extended him. It was a sure thing versus now a wait-and-see thing as LeBron's decision is guaranteed to have a domino effect.

>Kawhi Leonard wants to the come to the Lakers this year and by
>some accounts Ingram (and/or Kuzma and/or Lonzo) would
>complete that trade. But he is sorta saying publicly he wants
>to sign with the Lakers... during an offseason where the
>Lakers could offer him the max.

Sorta, but the Clippers are also on his list and well-positioned to sign him. Some of these rumored deals are ridiculous (Ingram/Hart/Kuzma/1sts/Randle for Kawhi and a shitty contract LMAO) but if they could get a fair deal with say Randle, Ball and another asset, they should take it. It'll be tough to keep Randle anyway with two big-ticket players coming in either this year or next.

>> A LeBron push means, on its face, losing Randle, anything
>else may or may not happen.
>
>Signing both George and Lebron to max contracts necessitates
>giving up Randle AND trading Deng. How do you get someone to
>take Deng? By trading assets.

You wouldn't give up a first-rounder to dump a shitty contract and sign a max player? That's just part of doing business, and they already got saved by the Nets last year in being able to get rid of Mozgov's deal at what may very well turn out to be a net benefit with Kuzma coming from Russell.

>This whole thing is fucking hilarious because the Lakers
>didn't even make the playoffs this year. Lebron's not even on
>the team and already you're accusing the Lakers of
>"cowtow"-ing to the Warriors. The current four best players
>are all still on (or just came off) rookie contracts and have
>zero playoff experience. Get some perspective here.
>
>> What is the alternative? Signing inferior FAs? Sticking it
>out with these young guys? Signing inferior FAs next year?
>
>Sign Paul George and Randle this year? Sign Kawhi or Klay next
>year? Keep all the young guys? Dunno, sounds pretty good to
>me.

Klay is not going anywhere, more 710 ESPN Radio wet dreams there. If they have the opportunity to purse LeBron and/or Kawhi, they should, and they will, just listen to Magic's statements. He understands the mission. You're looking at a scenario where they sign George now, keep all their young guys and sign Leonard next year. Sounds great but probably isn't feasible. If they could sign George and LeBron now they would be in a much better position, if the cost is Randle (for whom they could potentially salvage some asset) and a first-rounder (to dump Deng's deal), so be it. If they don't get LeBron what exactly is attracting George there? They'd be wise to turn their efforts to Leonard at that point. You're making huge assumptions that these guys will sign when their deals are up. It could go the other way completely. OKC remains in the mix for George and if he signs there or really anywhere else, it will have been a bad gamble not to have made a deal for him.

There won't be any Kawhi either.

That said, my opinions were predicated on the (obviously wrong) assumption that Paul George was signing for sure.

Not giving up assets for Lebron? Let's fucking go.




(Not gonna lie, I was fucking shitting bricks for a while though)

congrats on lebron, interested to see how this all shakes out. for sure he is gonna get that hollywood $$$$$

I'm willing to put money on that.

If we wind up starting this season without any of the big free agents and we play next year with Randle, BI, Kuz, and Zo as our core four, we're not hitting the lottery. I guarantee that and I'll put my money where my mouth is.

CC is the same dude who said we had a better chance of losing our 3rd worst record draft pick in 2016 than keeping it (top 3 protected that year)...even though the odds of keeping it were objectively better than losing it (55% vs 45%).

That’s the kind of slant he views the Lakers with

I'm sure he disagrees completely.

I'm bullish enough on this cast that I'm willing to place a good-natured bet on the matter though.

given all the shit i have stirred in laker land over the years.

There are subjective opinions about players, teams, etc but odds in a lottery are not subjective. You took those non-favorable facts and through your lens still skewed them as somehow in your favor...Fox News spin lol

barely making or barely missing doesn't make much difference. we are talking about being mediocre-ish or going all in, big swing there.

we can revisit the wager once we see how things shake out.

It would be the first major step toward contention of this slow build.

And if this team, as presently constructed is a playoff team next year, that means everyone has showed significant improvement.

Unless you believe that said improvement will be the peak potential of everyone on the roster, that's the sort of team that looks attractive to free agents next year.

Deng would be much easier to jettison, and any of the core players traded would likely have significantly increased value.

I'm all for taking the home run swing, but I'd rather take anothher inning to better load our bases, so that we retain youth and depth when we add that big dog.

And yes, I'm betting that at least one among BI/Kuz/Zo takes a leap in that direction. While I'm actually bullish on all three taking that leap, I think the above scenario is rather conservative and very likely.

I think the current menu is tempting, but not the best path toward long term success.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2014/03/19/americans-read-headlines-and-not-much-else/

>There was a poll posted by Arash Markazi and over 60 percent
>of respondents DID NOT want to sign LeBron James. No hedging
>or qualifiers or context, just yes or no should they sign
>him.
>
>It's nice to know that delusions are alive and well.

Not sure how delusion is the reason, without context.

>Of the group they have, I like Ingram a lot and think he can
>be a true centerpiece. The other guys are more in the "solid
>piece" category but solid pieces are so expensive now that you
>almost have to pass on that hoping for a bigger star.

All of this. I'm also a proponent of balance, and I think these are pieces that do, and will continue to, fit well together. And I think they all make a significant step forward this year, Hart included.

>least pick the one you think will pan out better and move the
>other. Of course if they do pursue the youth movement, they
>have a couple years to make decisions in Ball and Kuzma.

This. Part of my issue is that we are selling low right now. Giving them another year does one of two things:

-The core pieces improve and, consequently, the team improves. I think this is a given, but I also think there's a good chance that we take a leap into the playoffs this year. If that's the case, it's even more reason to stay the course.

-The core pieces improve, and, consequently, so does their trade value. If Kuz winds up dropping 20/7/4 w/40% from three, he's a guy who could net a more developed player in his prime without having to give up BI and/or Zo in the process, or be used in a S&T.

But again, if those sorts of results occur, it only makes sense to stay the course, because we'd be very attractive to a guy like, say, Klay next year.

>Still, with no pick this year, it will be a verrrrry tough
>sell to head into next year with a very similar roster.

I don't think so. I think there's plenty of reason to be excited about this team this season if there are no changes at all. I know I am.

>One thing we don't know is if all the guys in the FA market
>are going to team up or there will be some one-off type
>signings to be made. Bringing in LeBron means going into
>win-now mode

Honestly, that's my issue. I'd love to add PG or a similar player, but maintaining an eye toward the future. I don't think it's wise to jump into win now mode right this minute. I think next year is the time to add, and not with subtraction, and I think we'd be better positioned for long term success this way.

Yes, the idea of Brawn & Friends is titillating, but I'm dubious about the outcome and I'd rather gamble on this group of kids. I'm 100% in on them going forward.

but let's say he goes to a more established team
>(Boston, Philly, Milwaukee, whatever). Now they'd have a shot
>at adding George or Cousins without really disrupting their
>young core. So the possibilities are many, but I don't think
>simply staying the course is realistic.

I think it's very realistic, and I think enough of the fan base are in love enough with this team to go forward with what we have.

The more I think about it, I'd rather take a flyer on adding Cuz and a shooter, and keeping the kids.

If you can get a 27 year old Kawhi Leonard for, say, Kuzma, Ball, a S&T Julius, and next year's first, then you pull that trigger in a heartbeat imo. Ingram's the only guy whose ceiling sniffs Leonard's and who has both end potential in an increasingly versatile NBA-- and he's on the rookie deal another few years. It'd take a *lot* to get Pop to trade Kawhi to the Lakers of all places, especially before the season starts.

But if you can't get Leonard at first, cool-- wait that shit out. Sign George, see if you can sign Bron. Leonard will be a free agent after another season IIRC. Especially if PG and Bron are on board, Kawhi will still want to join. Let the Spurs sweat.

But even going in "just adding George" would be pretty tight. A Ball/Ingram/George/Kuzma/Randle lineup would be incredibly versatile and compelling to watch. Zubac and Bryant have potential down low, but they're still young, so just look for a free agent to sign to either an expensive 1-year deal to hold down the fort-- or maybe try to package the 25th and 47th to move up to nab Mitchell Robinson if you think they aren't long-term answers in the paint. If no trade, use those picks wisely-- some wing scorers are available at 25 (I like guys like DiVincenzo, Jerome Robinson, Trent, and Khyri Thomas), and you have some potential backup PG options that could fall to 47 in a perfect world (guys like Duval, Jevon Carter, Tony Carr, Shake Milton).

Without Bron or Kawhi, it's still just a playoff team, not a real contender-- so keep adding and building. Unless you can get Bron and/or Kawhi. In which case, don't fuck around-- do so.

But I bet the majority of Laker fans would put Ingram atop the untradeable list. If it were for Bron, that’d be one thing, but a beat-up Kawhi who’ll be a free agent after next season and who’s said he wants to come to LA? Cmon. They ain’t winning it all next year without Bron anyway. Only way I trade Ingram is if Bron comes and they can win right away if they deal Ingram for Kawhi. Otherwise, if it’s just PG coming to town, wait it out.

There has been no evidence in 2 years that Brandon Ingram is a star let alone a superstar let alone one of the Top 5 (arguably), Top 10 (definitely) players in the league.

So I doubt SA is interested in a Kawhi for Ingram deal.

But Ingram has a maturity in his game that can be quite astonishing because of how young he is.

Ingram should be the most untouchable young player on the roster but the problem is his natural position is shared by all the top FA's associated with the Lakers right now.

thats a deal you make for a guy with 3 years left on his contract imo

considering he wants to play there anyways, youre spending ALL that to get him one year earlier when your core is under 23?

not worth it to me

.

thing is that other teams are going to be able to offer him a more featured role than the Lakers will be. Plus with Kuzma there..if he plays the 4...you have a bit of a log jam if you keep Julius.... Julius can play small ball center, but that's not going to be his primary spot..

if you move Kuz to the 3 and move BI to the 2 so that Randle can play the 4.... then your potential Free Agent signings over the next couple years potentially...where are they going to play???

Do you bring Kuzma off the bench? You're not going to bring Randle off the bench because even if other teams don't make him a featured guy...they certainly got a starting spot for him...

Julius really played well as the year progressed..he even played some defense last year..

but he's likely gone.... We have a ton of flexibility with what we can do, but I wouldn't expect Julius to compromise for that now that he's a free agent

Doesn't start but still gets 30+ minutes and will likely close the game.

Edit: I'm still convinced the reason we traded Nance/Clarkson is to give us the ability to resign Randle without sacrificing our big FA plans. He was a top 15 player in the league during that second half and *consistent* at that.

How many other big men can initiate the offense, hit 60% in the post, get 20/10/4 and shut down guards on defense?

Forgetting Randle in all this FA frenzy would be a really, really foolish thing to do.

I just think the offers Jules will get ...not just the money..but as far as a lead roll on another team...that's going to be too much for him to turn down...

IF we don't get 2 of the top FA's this year.... then I could see Randle being a solid plan B for us

and that he wants to stay here. The teams with the most space other than the Lakers are (IIRC) Atlanta, Chicago and Dallas.

Hopefully it's not just the money with him, but I think 18-20m for 4 years would be worth it for the Lakers (and I feel could be viewed as a huge bargain once the contract is played out).

And Randle isn't a "Plan B" if we just sign George. Keeping him should absolutely be a priority for the team.

and wait out Kawhi for the next. Those two + your core + possible destruction of the Warriors = Cloak Money

LeBron comes over there, your team will be blown up. I don't think it's worth it, right now to do it. Boston is looming once the Warriors fall off. An unseen team may rise. the Lakers can stockpile and destroy once the doors are all the way open.

I'm not a big fan of Zo tho, but willing to let him have some time to build along with the rest.

5 layups and 5 floor shots could have him averaging 18 and 10.

..a solid young core with plenty of potential.

In a perfect world, the Lakers would exercise patience, pursue PG, re-sign JYJ, and continue building a contender at a steady pace.

Unfortunately, this isn't that.

As such, the Lakers will likely pursue a deal that will make them contenders immediately, while sacrificing everything they've worked so hard to correct over the past 4 yrs.

such is life.


*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

I like PG, great 2 way player still in his prime, can score from all levels and a plus defender. Also seems to be a great character guy I've never heard anything negative about him off the court.

If Bron wants to come and sign a long term deal and finish his career as a Laker I'm all for it. But if he wants to continue the mercenary route and sign one year deals and hold the franchise hostage every year waiting on his "Decision" then fuck that.

Like other people have said I'd rather wait and see on Kawhi. Is he actually healthy? When was the last time someone actually saw him work out? Are we 100% sure he can get back to being the player he was?

As far as other free agents I'd like to see us have a legit rim-protector. Maybe kick the tires on DeAndre Jordan to see if he's interesting in staying in LA on a reasonable deal.

As far is our guys I like Julius but think he's best suited for a 6th man role but I think he wants to be "the man". We may have to part ways with him, maybe do a sign and trade and get something back.

Let the rest of the young guys cook.Ingram should be making and huge leap in year 3 if he really is what people think he is. Hopefully Lonzo is spending as much time in the gym as he is in the studio working on the jumper. Kuz needs to stay hungry and continue to develop.

getting PG without trading any youngsters is a way better move than getting Kawhi and losing BI and/or Kuz for him...…

I really hope they don't mess it up.

So...no.

certainly i wouldnt be concerned that these guys can't play together, all three are versatile. lebron is basically a one, kawhi can play three spots, george can get in where he fits in. zero concern there whereas with OKC the problem was overlap between melo and PG, also the fact that melo is washed and russy can't seem to get out of AI mode (maybe he shouldn't either lol).

Lebron is reaching out to Pop saying “I need y’all to trade him to LA”

Between the Warriors dominance and Lebron’s legacy being bigger than the league, I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility for him to manufacturing this super team despite people saying Pop will never trade Kawhi to LA.

Part of me thinks that teams won’t offer Spurs shit because they would only be renting Kawhi for the year but then part of me thinks, Spurs ain’t trading Kawhi where he wants to go.

But now I’m thinking, does Lebron have the kind of pull to influence the Spurs to trade Kawhi to LA for his sake of winning championships and knocking off the Warriors?

Maybe that’s a crazy thought *shrugs*

>But now I’m thinking, does Lebron have the kind of pull to
>influence the Spurs to trade Kawhi to LA for his sake of
>winning championships and knocking off the Warriors?
>
>Maybe that’s a crazy thought *shrugs*

*shrugs*

This is reaching flat earth levels of tin foil hat foolishness.

I wouldn't be surprised!
Could be!
You never know!
Anything can happen!

These are all phrases that still require some logical foundation before getting to the point where you use them.

It's reasonable to say you wouldn't be surprised if Lebron joins the Lakers, because there exists a set of circumstances that make that a plausible landing place for him.

It's batshit to say you wouldn't be surprised if Lebron has enough pull with the Spurs to get their notoriously no-nonsense coach to tell their historically competent GM to trade their generationally talented, two-way unicorn MVP caliber star to their greatest conference rival for the benefit of the legacy of a player they've beaten twice for the title.

That this has to be explained to anyone in such detail is one of the great, mind-boggling absurdities we've ever seen in OKS.

You trying to pile on like the shit isn’t possible.

People do shit like this all the time.

>You trying to pile on like the shit isn’t possible.

Possible?

How about probable?
Likely?
Reasonably certain?

I mean, I'm talking like there's no sound, logical foundation upon which you've built this "theory". If you have some framework, some thread to follow to give creedence, then by all means.

>People do shit like this all the time.

Cool, so it should be very simple for you to point to multiple examples of situations similar to yours, where player X convinces coach A from team B to convince gm C to trade superstar player Y to their rival, team D, for the benefit of the legacy of player X, against whom they have a 2-0 Finals record.

As it stands, you're "just throwing it out there", and if Chris Broussard can be mercilessly ridiculed for such hack journalist tactics... you can at least be challenged on the logic of yours.

But again, if you have something factual to point to, this should be easy. Up to and until then, it's just lunacy. "I wouldn't be surprised" and "it happens all the time" are just assertions.

So I assume you have information, yes?

*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

Ainge has the assets (kings pick, young talent, vet talent). Kawhi would probably stay also if they made the finals (likely).

I still think Brown or Tatum, Kings pick and either Smart or Rozier (resigned and traded) is what moves him to Boston.

It dislodges the jam on the wing, upgrades them and allows them to keep Kyrie and Hayward.

They'll roll out:

Kyrie
Kawhi
Hayward
Tatum or Brown
Horford

as the starters...have some height on the bench for bigger teams and dominate the east next yr.

He fits really well into everything we want on the floor and off the floor

Michigan's 247 posted an article i cant find anymore, but it sounds like they fell in love with him right off the bat. tbh, he and Magic are like kindred spirits. they both have some je ne sais quoi while they're on the court because theyre the ones having the most fun.

i cant remember being this invested in a player's success, but he makes you want him to win just by being who he is...kinda like Magic.

but to bring it back to empiricism, Mo faced Bamba, Jaren Jackson x2, Omari Spellman, Robert Williams last year, all on the road road or neutral, 3 in postseason play.

Mo did 18/5 with 5 total steals in those games (outlier 10/3 vs Mo Bamba after rolling his ankle with 8min to play up 14) with a 52/43/86 slash line (outlier 1-7 from deep vs MSU in B1G tourney). He scored more and shot better against those guys than he did for his season average. Michigan went 4-1.

we need better 3 point shooting...and with Nance gone....Julius maybe gone...we need depth at the 4...and Mortiz is a tough dude with some offensive game....

Our track record speaks for itself - Nance, Clarkson, Kuzma, Hart, Zubac, Thomas Bryant

>Our track record speaks for itself - Nance, Clarkson, Kuzma,
>Hart, Zubac, Thomas Bryant

seriously? Nance and Clarkson got run here on a lottery team but after a few games were considered trash on a playoff team lol. Kuz is solid, Josh Hart is just a guy, and wtf have Zubac and Thomas Bryant done?

I don't see Wagner being a rotational player on a good team.

And a lot of his weaknesses can be fixed over time:

https://youtu.be/XD_yukjI_cQ

>And a lot of his weaknesses can be fixed over time:
>
>https://youtu.be/XD_yukjI_cQ

Sad how you're so clingy to your uninformed narrative when the counterfactual is literally right there.

what I saw.

He's a liability on defense, and his offense isn't good enough to outweigh that liability.

Welcome to the NBA.

... before the cherry-picked timestamp?

If you want to use evidence from the video, you need to acknowledge the *whoooole* video.

scoring 25-30 on the offensive end you're not going to play a lot in the NBA point blank period not on a good team anyway.

because his DRTG was 3rd in the big 10

>because his DRTG was 3rd in the big 10
>
>

Bates-Diop dumbass lol

this is why everyone makes fun of you all the time lmao

Scheme matters. Randle, Lopez and Lonzo were all considered to be below average defenders coming into the season and all did GREAT defensively for the Lakers.

If he fucks up, he'll get pulled, same as Kuzma. But his upside on the offensive end is too enticing when his defensive deficiencies (at this time) can mostly be worked on.

>Scheme matters. Randle, Lopez and Lonzo were all considered
>to be below average defenders coming into the season and all
>did GREAT defensively for the Lakers.

Those guys are all different players, Randle gets bodied by legit post guys but he hustles enough to stay in from of perimeter guys as a "small ball" center in the Lakers switch everything defense. Lopez gives you some rim-protection but he's so slow footed if he gets pulled away from the basket he's not getting back. Lonzo is a big guard that knows how to use his length to his advantage.

My point is they were all perceived as weak defensively until this season, when defense was obviously the focal point since the beginning... ie, overall team defense can help cover individual weaknesses.

Now you want to address the other parts of his game or what

that a 3rd string center, I don't think he's better than Zubac and Zubac is not a starter lol

That said, Zubac doesn't have an outside shot. One reason we targeted Lopez is because he can shoot. So there's a reason why we got two shooters in the draft.

Defense can be worked on, but you're conveniently forgetting that we SORELY lacked consistent outside shooting last season.

only played like 23mpg. Its all about players that can play and defend multiple positions or rim-protectors which Wagner is neither. If you're a big man unless you're extremely talented on one or both ends of the floor you're just not going to play a lot. Look at Ryan Anderson in Houston he was all but phased out by the end of the season in Houston.

... because a lot of those went to Randle to close games. But he *started* those games because he could shoot. Having a center that can hit the 3 is.. pretty valuable?

I find it telling that you still have yet to acknowledge we drafted to fill THE glaring weakness of the team.

out your feelings.

He’s a backup at best and how many minutes do you think backup centers get in today’s NBA? People are always asking me about watching games, what games are y’all watching?

This thread was about you asking "Do you really think this dude will play?"

It was never about "being the starter"

Dude got drafted because he's a smart, heady player that can shoot. That's more than enough to earn his way to get at least spot minutes his rookie season, with potential for more later.

You're the one moving the goalposts here.

I don't watch any college bball so I have no agenda with this dude. Don't give a fuck about Michigan either.

But I basically consider Laker Film Room as gospel and if he's high on the guy then I'm all for him.

You've got second sentences everywhere. Or is it about Zubac? LOL

I'll put $100 on it right now that he'll get more tick than Zubac for the Lakers.


But either way, you could be wrong about his defense and you have yet to acknowledge his offense. And it's obvious you're deflecting because that's the actual reason why the Lakers drafted him.

It's hilarious how deep into a corner you've painted yourself. I can go all day.

>You've got second sentences everywhere. Or is it about
>Zubac? LOL
>
>I'll put $100 on it right now that he'll get more tick than
>Zubac for the Lakers.
>
>
>But either way, you could be wrong about his defense and you
>have yet to acknowledge his offense. And it's obvious you're
>deflecting because that's the actual reason why the Lakers
>drafted him.
>
>It's hilarious how deep into a corner you've painted yourself.
> I can go all day.

Go all the back to post #60, my original question was “how much is he going to play?”

That’s the same question I’m asking 50 posts later lol

"Dude got drafted because he's a smart, heady player that can shoot. That's more than enough to earn his way to get at least spot minutes his rookie season, with potential for more later."

$100 says he becomes a rotational player for the Lakers.

>"Dude got drafted because he's a smart, heady player that can
>shoot. That's more than enough to earn his way to get at least
>spot minutes his rookie season, with potential for more
>later."
>
>$100 says he becomes a rotational player for the Lakers.

Define “rotational”, how many mpg?

Brewer and Ennis were under 13, Caruso was at 15.

>Brewer and Ennis were under 13, Caruso was at 15.

bet.

I'm reconsidering my decisions, lol.

But a bet's a bet, we're on.

Michigan has never had a player under Beilein who was coached to gather help-blocks, and the last time Michigan was top 100 in team blocks was his first year (with Ekpe Udoh)

meanwhile they are almost always top 10 in fewest fouls

all that is to say that a significant portion of all of his defensive issues was him being coached to scheme. it was better for Michigan for Mo NOT to foul giving help than to give up a basket in almost every situation.

What I thought notable from LFR's breakdown is that all his defensive weaknesses can be fixed through scheme.

Guys that were expected to be weak defensively last year (Lonzo, Randle, Lopez) took major leaps forward because of the improved defensive scheme.

in fact his defFG% at the rim will probably top out at average

but nobody was ever going to draft him for that anyways. besides... 3>2

https://lakeshowlife.com/2018/06/24/los-angeles-lakers-selection-moritz-wagner-named-reach-nba-draft/

i especially like the part about his foot quickness

https://twitter.com/DefPenHoops/status/997598256069832705?s=09

go ahead and play around with this

https://stats.nba.com/draft/combine-strength-agility/#!?sort=THREE_QUARTER_SPRINT&dir=-1&SeasonYear=2018-19

faster shuttle than hamidou diallo, and i dont see anyone talking about fat ass Omari Spellman's foot speed 🤔

He has some stuff to overcome but he could have a long (I dunno about good) pro career.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
<---- 5....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dlgiritpmfo

=======================================

https://twitter.com/NBALakersNation/status/1009983031858249728?s=09

that 0:55 mark...that sweet sweet 0:55 mark.

and poor sparty. Mo really copped a squat on them at Breslin this yeat.

we took a dump on Sparty @ Breslin and in the B1G tourney... fuck dem bums..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
<---- 5....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dlgiritpmfo

=======================================

i said when Mo declared that Ward got his first good night's sleep in a year

(between Connor Cook and Donkeylips I have some hate for them now)

if i cant get top free agents this summer or next summer..i'm done... wtf is this shit? so if you cant snag Bron +1...you gone? what kind of GM does this? well if i cant get one of the best players ever..im not going to put in the real work to build a winning team... i'm done..

I thought he meant just big time names, in general...not simply Bron. Like...if he can't get big time players to come to the Lakers, this summer or next, when there will be a ton of them available, he'll bounce. I like what he said. Dude was like "I've played in 9 Finals...I'm Magic Johnson...I'm gone do my job". That's boss as shit.

like, he's Magic Johnson...if he can't get players to sign with the Lakers, then he's not the guy for the job. I respect him taking accountability.

or whatever buss said.

there was a decent read on the athletic about it, that it's arbitrary and pointless to impose these timelines. i suspect it's to keep the fans engaged, i guess at least

>what kind of GM does this?

A GM that already has a verbal commitment or 2.

no need to go do anything crazy to sign/acquire anyone else.

i know woj, windy, and ramona are completely plugged into the situation. i still think he's going to the lakers.

and there's word that Magic is trying to get a 1st round pick from someone to add to the pot for Leonard..


I can't imagined we'd include both Kuzma and BI.... and I honestly wouldn't trade either one of them....

of our youngsters, Lonzo would be the one I'd move before anyone else..... Maybe you add a 3rd team that would take Lonzo…

but either way.....

if the Spurs don't take Julius, Hart, Mo, and 2 first round picks..... they can kick rocks...

... browse /r/nba and /r/lakers by 'rising' and the creative narratives are going wild. You can spin any little thing any which way.

I would be shocked if the Lakers went all out for Kawhi... I can see any one of the core four but trading two (and losing Randle) would be too much. Not in terms of value but in leverage. Considering Plan B is just signing PG and Randle and signing Kawhi outright next year? That's been the oldest, and least disruptive, plan all along. No reason to get jumpy here.

And if you’re actually trying to build an effective team, Lonzo is the last guy you wanna move. Effective without a high usage rate, already one of the best defensive guards in the league, and would now have 2 horses on the wings with Bron and Kawhi.

There’s zero reason to feel any pressure to make moves this summer.

and they aren’t reporting anything factual.

The Lakers have absolutely zero reason to be desperate to do anything right now.

Loaded with young talent and cap space....they don’t have to give up all their young assets to get some stars. They can just sign them outright...if not this year, then next year.

Get PG, and tell Bron that they're getting Kawhi next year-- and if for whatever reason, Kawhi backs out of wanting to be in LA, then fuck it, someone else-- Lakers will *always* be a draw.

A roster of (assuming Randle gets more money elsewhere) Ball, Ingram, Bron, PG, Zubac, Kuzma, Hart, Wagner, with room to get some one-year vet deals, theoretically more first-round picks in the future (albeit low ones, but they've done well there) and saving space to get Kawhi the following year? I mean, that's a very nice setup for Bron's golden years imo.

Whereas if you have to deal a ton of assets and picks to get Kawhi, and instead you go forward with Ball/PG/Bron/Kawhi and whichever one-year vet deals... it's obviously an upgrade for Bron, but the last year in Cleveland should've taught Bron that depth of talent is *really* important. Also, Ingram will have just turned 21, has multiple years left on a rookie deal, Kuzma has multiple years left on a rookie deal, Ball, Wagner... I think Ingram is *easily* good enough today to be the third best player on a title contender.

The caveat, of course, is that nothing is guaranteed in this league, so say Bron or PG blows out a knee, or say Kawhi likes wherever else he gets traded, or whatever else could happen that would fuck up the best-laid plans... I understand the people who want to make moves *now.* It just feels like they'd have to pay a steep, steep price, and they could very easily be left with a three-stud, no-depth scenario in a difficult West.

I think the team *without* adding Kawhi next year, assuming they got PG and Bron and lost nobody major, is still good enough for a Top 3 seed in the West, and I'm not sure with Kawhi but losing their entire depth that projection changes *too* much (maybe up to Top 2 seed?). Maybe they don't make the Finals next year without Kawhi... but you may not make them with him either, *and* you put Bron in a long-term good situation, with lots of supporting help and young talent around him, with the money to add another piece either this season or next, if he really wants Kawhi to round out that Big 3.

And it's a media agenda. Jesus Christ.

Lakers are loaded with young talent and cap space....they don’t have to trade everybody with a pulse. They can just sign stars outright when the fit and timing are right.

Media trying to make it like they got to do it NOW and give up everybody to do it. They don’t.

this is a potentially historic offseason, in terms of player movement it could be the biggest since the ABA-NBA merger 42 years ago.

not reporting anything, just wondering how you feel about this:
https://twitter.com/Trevor_Lane/status/1012390305713172481

Of course, Kawhi's health is a concern, and it's a gamble because Ingram is special...but you take the known asset, I think.

https://twitter.com/taniaganguli/status/1012497343059333120

"A small update on where things stand with the Lakers and trade talks. A league source tells me that so far the Lakers haven't offered Brandon Ingram in any deals."

"There's also a difference between being willing to include him and actually making an offer that includes him. When push comes to shove, would they trade Ingram if that's what it took to get Leonard? I believe so."


As for your question.... uuuurrrggh, it would hurt, but it's well more than reasonable. I think any combination where we lose any two from Ingram/Kuzma/Ball/Randle (via renounce) is too much (with the very big assumption that Kawhi would sign with the Lakers next year).




And, honestly... Kawhi may just want to be in LA. The Clippers could be dark horses in all this.

and that's still an instant yes.

He’s gonna ask for at least two more players. Maybe a pick too. He wants LA to bleed if he’s gonna give em Kawhi.

You guys are drastically over-rating your
“Young talent”

If you have a legit shot at a combo of Bron, Kawhi,
and/or PG you take it.

As far as Kawhi specifically, before he got hurt
he was a top 3-4 player in the league and
improving.

I know the injury makes things dicey, but Laker
fans need a shot of reality. This current group
isn’t going to be truly competitive any time soon,
if at all.

If you gotta lose BI, Randle, and Lonzo’s over-rated
ass, you do it in a heart beat.

Not a Lakers (obviously) but I don't think that's a great deal for either team though it's not illogical. From SA's perspective they get a starting forward of the future and another asset, albeit not a particularly valuable one. From LA's standpoint, they accelerate their process.

The problems are though that from SA's standpoint they don't just need to replace one player, they need to change the direction of their whole organization. Their roster is old as shit and they need at least two solid pieces to go forward with and they could probably stand to tidy up their books a little, too. Ideally they would get three pieces--a firm one and two with good enough potential that one would work out--and maybe some peripheral benefit (e.g. dumping a contract), but that may be getting greedy.

From the Lakers' standpoint they deal the guy who might be the most talented player and the closest to breaking out in their young group. That'd be fine if they were trading for LeBron or Giannis, but Leonard, though a similar caliber player, has some question marks surrounding him. One year left on his deal, just had a serious injury, just had a falling out with his previous organization, etc. Not the kind of sure bet you'd be hoping for.

Personally I would not be that attached to Kuzma if the Spurs want him (and I'd move Ball before BI) and while they have been burned overpaying in futures before, LeBron's presence pretty well ensures picking in the bottom third of the draft for a while.

It all depends on the competing offers, too, of course. One thing I find interesting is that since Leonard has become the biggest fish by far in this market, there have been some guys talking trade or departure suddenly (Butler, Lillard) and obviously the guys up for new deals next year are always at least a remote possibility. That could be hurting his value, especially with the Lakers, Sixers, Mavs, Clippers and Knicks all well-positioned for next year, among others. LA, Philly and I guess Dallas *could* make a big move now, but they don't have to.

Siiiiiiick.... Looooove this shit. Really fun stuff.


(please don't trade them... sigh)


http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/23929488/los-angeles-lakers-use-celebrity-speaker-series-promote-culture-success

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Seated in comfortable gray leather chairs in the team's state-of-the-art film room, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Brook Lopez and the Los Angeles Lakers are captivated by the scene in front of them.

The speaker at the front of the room is cursing -- a lot -- and begins pounding on the wall. No, this wasn't an irate Luke Walton reprimanding his inexperienced rookies for taking selfish shots, nor was this Magic Johnson trying to fire up his young team with a charismatic speech straight out of the Showtime era.

On this March day, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is holding court at the Lakers' training facility, and Hollywood's biggest action-film star is commanding the Lakers' attention like he once did with sold-out arenas as WWE's biggest and most entertaining draw.

The Rock walks over to the wall between a flat-screen television and a projector screen and places his right hand flat on it before knocking on the wall a couple of times.

Then Johnson rests his muscular back against the wall.

"This is what works for me," Johnson tells everyone of how he starts every morning. "Excuse my language, my back is up against this m-----f----- ... every day. It's against this m-----f----- because that's what I believe in, and when my back is against this m-----f-----, then there's nowhere to go ... but that way."

Johnson points both his index fingers forward, then continues his 30-minute-plus motivational talk, delivering the kind of insight that Fortune 500 companies pay big money to successful personalities to impart upon their leaders and employees. This past season, the Lakers brought in their own All-Star cast of movers and shakers in Johnson, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Hollywood heavyweight Jeffrey Katzenberg and Olympic and world champion sprinter Allyson Felix to share the secrets to their success as part of the "Los Angeles Lakers Genius Series."

Not only did some of the world's brightest help inspire young Lakers such as Brandon Ingram, but the Lakers' brass credits the series with helping transform Kuzma's body and Ball's diet, and even aiding the front office with further identifying the type of winning player the Lakers look to add as they try to return to NBA prominence.


Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka and team president of basketball operations Magic Johnson have been trying to restore the team's culture as they rebuild the roster. The duo sometimes leans on what they refer to as "Lakers DNA" -- core pillars and characteristics they look for in players to add to their rebuild. Among those traits are a high basketball IQ, a healthy obsession with basketball, strong work ethic and habits, and a burning desire to win.

Before the Lakers set out to land superstars like LeBron James and Paul George in free agency in the coming weeks -- superstars who embody all of those traits -- Johnson and Pelinka exposed their young core to some of the most successful individuals on the planet.

"Under any scenario, will be a huge, rich benefit for the development of the guys," Pelinka said. "Whether it is getting them ready for when the other star geniuses come or becoming that themselves."

After spending two decades around Kobe Bryant as his agent and friend, Pelinka saw how obsessed the Lakers legend was with improving and constantly searching for new ways to find any advantage he could get over his opponent. It was Bryant's curiosity that in part inspired Pelinka to create the Genius Series.

"I remember one time called me and was like, 'Have you ever seen the way a cheetah attacks its prey? Like when it is hunting down a wildebeest?'" Pelinka said. "He said, 'I have really been thinking of ways to creatively change some of my movements and noticed that there was this incredible beauty in how a cheetah uses its tail to balance itself when it jumps in the air.' And he said, 'I have been moving my foot in different ways, almost like the tail of a cheetah, to learn how to have proper balance when I am shooting my fadeaway jumper.'"

Pelinka also wants to see his players develop diverse interests off the court, much like Bryant, who became an Academy Award-winning filmmaker (animated short category) after retiring. It's why the Lakers GM -- who constantly is reading up on what made some of history's most successful figures like Leonardo da Vinci tick -- organized team field trips to Broadway's "Hamilton" and Musk's SpaceX, where Walton and his players were surprised to see how young many of Musk's brightest rocket scientists are.

Musk was asked by one Lakers player what his take is on preparing for his competition.

"Like the mad scientist in the lab, he looks down and shuffles and is pondering the question," Pelinka said. "And he said, 'Well, I know if I am making the greatest rockets in the world, and if I am making cars that can do things that no other cars in the universe can do and drive themselves, be powered by the sun, the competition becomes irrelevant to me.

"'So if you as Lakers are committed to being so good at pursuing your own form of excellence, it won't really matter as much what the competition is doing.'"

“
This series has meant a lot to our Lakers. To have them in front of our guys, explaining how they became successful, has meant a lot and it changed their lives.

”- Magic Johnson
For Felix, speaking to the Lakers gave the six-time Olympic gold medalist a chance to put competition into perspective, telling the players she envied their opportunities to play 82 regular-season games and -- if they achieve their goals -- playoff games beyond that.

"Every year you get a chance to go to the championship," Felix recalled of what she told the Lakers. "And for me, you get every four years, my chance can come down to about 21 seconds."

Magic Johnson looked around the room and saw his players realize just how much they might take things for granted.

"She said, 'I can't even pick up a pound -- I got to stay in shape for four years,'" the executive said. "You can just see they were, like, amazed by the time and work that she has to put in to run her race that lasts less than 30 seconds."

Lakers guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had the room busting out in laughter when he challenged Felix to a race. Walton said with a smile that he wants to invite the champion sprinter to training camp to humble his fastest players.

"For me it was just really a cool experience, growing up being such a Lakers fan," said Felix, who is from Los Angeles. "One of the neatest things was that they brought in a woman to speak to them. I thought that was really special, that they could find the value there.

"As athletes, usually you are trying to hunt for the answers on your own, and you are trying to get in touch with certain people. To have them brought to you, and what I really love is people from all different industries, to me you find such inspiration in different places. ... I would love to have something like that during my career."

Magic Johnson, who might know more than anyone how special being a member of the Lakers organization can be, says the Genius Series has had a measurable impact on a young roster that included 13 different players with two or fewer years of NBA experience last season.

"Listen, this series has meant a lot to our Lakers," Johnson told ESPN. "To have them in front of our guys, explaining how they became successful, has meant a lot, and it changed their lives. ... I have been enjoying this just as much as the players. There's greatness in what they all do and how they do it. But everything came down to the same thing: preparation ... discipline.

"The Rock came in and was so passionate," Magic Johnson continued, as his eyes and voice grew more animated. "He really fired them up and got them going and like, 'Hey, I need to stay in this gym and do the things I need to do.' gave them the discipline. Making sure what you put in your body. That was a big thing, too. Everybody changed their diets now -- Lonzo changed ."

Kuzma has taken full advantage of the Genius Series, forming a tag team connection with Johnson that already is providing visible results. Growing up in Flint, Michigan, as a fan of the WWE and The Rock, Kuzma has developed a relationship with Johnson since his visit to the Lakers' facility.

Hitting the weight room this offseason, Kuzma has noticeably added muscle. He recently posted a photo of himself in a sleeveless T-shirt on Instagram saying, "Yo @therock appreciate the tips on summer gainz" with a flexed-biceps emoji.


Johnson, who has given Kuzma nutritional advice, replied on Twitter, saying, "Kuz told me he wanted his best summer ever. Boy's puttin' in the work."

-----------------------------------------------------------
Dwayne Johnson
✔
@TheRock
Kuz told me he wanted his best summer ever. Boy’s puttin’ in the work 👏🏾💪🏾

Silver Screen & Roll
✔
@LakersSBN
Kyle Kuzma thanked @TheRock for helping him pack on muscle this summer, and the results are impressive: https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2018/6/17/17472296/la-lakers-news-kyle-kuzma-the-rock-genius-talk-muscle-instagram?utm_campaign=silverscreenandroll&utm_content=chorus&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter …

-----------------------------------------------------------

Assistant coach Miles Simon, who has been running Kuzma through individual workouts this offseason, told Walton he no longer can push the 6-foot-9 Kuzma in the post anymore. Kuzma was clearly listening when Dwayne Johnson told the Lakers that his anchor to success is waking up at 4 a.m. daily "before anybody else and grounding my thought process no one will outwork me ... no one."

Regardless of what happens to the Lakers' roster this offseason, Pelinka plans to continue the Genius Series in 2018-19. He's keeping next season's lineup a secret, but Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar is a possibility after the Lakers tried getting him to talk to the team this past season.


Of course, if Johnson and Pelinka meet their lofty free-agency goals, the Lakers might have their own basketball genius residing in the Staples Center locker room.

"I think that Los Angeles is the most unique city in the world in terms of a place where, like, the greats or geniuses congregate," Pelinka said. "So why not take advantage of this here?"

"That has always been the Lakers and Hollywood," Pelinka later added. "When we are winning here, we know what it is like -- the DiCaprios, the biggest stars come out to cheer for the Lakers. We want to bring that back."

"It's why the Lakers GM -- who constantly is reading up on what made some of history's most successful figures like Leonardo da Vinci tick -- organized team field trips to Broadway's "Hamilton" and Musk's SpaceX, where Walton and his players were surprised to see how young many of Musk's brightest rocket scientists are."


*GIGANTIC EYEROLL*


People are such idiots





----------------------------



O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

It's not for you, it's for the kids. And apparently they fucking loved it.

Pelinka is so good in every facet of his position

https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1012823511935668224

Any MCL injury often results in meniscus damage as well...which may or may not ever become symptomatic. The team knew about it at the end of the season and Shams said it’s minor. It all lines up

in a deal..

i'm feeling more comfortable that we won't offer up something crazy for a guy who is a free agent in a year..

that's a wildy desperate move...

teams that are rebuilding pray to end up with 4 young ball players like we have right now in BI, Kuz,Lonzo and Hart.... You don't trade that away....you ADD to it...


I think a lot what the press is reporting is people trying to get leverage for their guy to get what he wants....

I got confidence in Magic and Pelinka to do this the right way...

ADD... don't subtract..

I understanding wanting to keep BI, I think he is very promising. But this "THEY'LL SIGN HERE ANYWAY STUFF" is delusional as you guys just found out for sure in one case. With Kawhi some formidable teams in the East have the assets to deal for him now and could likely sign him. Even if he goes to FA next summer, the Lakers will have to compete with the Clippers for him as they are very well-positioned for the 2019 FA market. If they can secure the bag now (which they probably can't anyway), they should.

But as far as securing the bag now, I don't think that's wise for a guy that's coming off a very weird injury situation. The bigger reason not to trade for him is that we could give up assets for a guy who could walk in a year.

but letting him go to another good situation elevates that risk a lot.

like you said he isn't the surest-fire bet either, lots of clouds over him but at the same time the potential reward is very, very high. in a way i guess that means the one year on his deal is a good thing, if he is himself, you start extension talks early. if he isn't, oh well, you just lost what you gave up, not a huge commitment going forward.

if you could get him for a reasonable deal...he fills a need for sure... good feet on defense....

Not sure who, but in this market he is the 2nd best big besides Cousins and a Defensive stud.

We'd have to construct it in a way that Houston declines.

I have no idea how "reasonable" an offer we could make that wouldn't get matched Houston or exceeded by them or another team.

Very good players and fits IMO, and would weaken the two top dogs in the West at the same time.

If we strike out on Brawn, I think we should first look for a quality player who could potentially be aborbed into cap space for future picks and spare parts. Who that could be, I don't know and I'm not going to do that much digging to come up with someone. There may be nobody that could work.

Beyond that?

It's most likely going to take a poison pill structure to pry CC from Houston. Very good young player, but I don't want to see a significant compromise on that front.

I do think he's a better fit for what this team needs than Randle though, so I think he's probably a better target then Randle... but I'd love to have him and Randle both if I weren't so confident that Kuz and BI were poised to take a big step forward.

If we miss out on CC, I say we sign JYJ and take a flyer on Cuz for a two year max.

If we strike out on Cuz, perhaps a guy like Noel or Len. Then we give a big ass deal to Reddick for one year and take a flyer on someone like Joe Harris at the two.

I see no reason whatsoever to stretch Deng, since the cap goes up to 109 next year and 116 the year after. That's an increase in 15 mil from today's cap, which essentially amounts to a max slot for that summer when Deng expires.

Revisit the market next year and if BI/Kuz haven't made significant improvements, it's open season.

https://twitter.com/sreekyshooter/status/1013447021519237121?s=19

https://mobile.twitter.com/wojespn/status/1013574987909824512

Lebron mfin James

JYJ would be brilliant in Pringle's offense.

Sans something like that... I dunno what moves there are left to make while maintaining flexibility for next year.

JYJ may need to go now since we gave 12 mil to KCP (SIGH). Keep the space we have, don't stretch deng, and keep space open for Klay next year.

Brook would be a great keep this year on a low deal. Outside of CC nobody really excites me and he'll be a nice fit with Brawn.

Pretty sure half the kids are gone now.

Oh, and stretching deng is a bad idea. He'll be easier to jettison next year, and the cap goes another 15 mil between now and the time his money comes off the books. No sense in keep 7 mil on the books for five more years.

of course that could change, but i doubt it.

building some solid depth here...

-->

PG- Lonzo
PG- KCP
PG- one of the summer league PGs we signed or Caruso

SG- Ingram
SG- Hart
SG- the 3 point shooter we drafted

SF- LeBron
SF- Stephenson

PF- Randle
PF- Kuzma

C- JaVale
C- Zubac
C- Moritz


the line up to end games runs Randle at Center with Bron and Kuzma… Ingram and Ball....or KCP or Hart...


Ingram and Lebron of course will run some point...


I like...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
<---- 5....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dlgiritpmfo

=======================================

Hats off to Magic Johnson and the rest of Lakers management!

Lebron was able to get players to go to Cleveland, therefore he should have no problem enticing marquee players to come ball out in Hollwood.

We are just warming up!
---------------

>Lebron was able to get players to go to Cleveland

Kyrie was already there, and anyone else of note came in a trade

they're going to have a real squad - Magic ain't done.

-->

that along with the other signings Stephenson and bringing back KCP tells me something...

I think the bottom line offer for Kawhi from the Lakers involves at a minimum Ingram and Hart.... maybe I've missed it but I haven't seen or heard BI react to Lebron yet.... something is telling me he knows he might be moved...

Kawhi has put the Spurs in a corner.... maybe Ingram and Hart ….adding Julius Randle in a sign and trade if he would want to stay in San Antonio and a 1st round pick may be enough...


it just seems interesting that the depth the Lakers are building are SGs / SFs ……. word is the Lakers have made Kuzma the untouchable wing..... looks like BI and Hart may be the ones to move for Kawhi…

I'd rather not make that deal...really don't want to trade BI...or Hart...

but that is Kawhi Leonard.

Julius is excited by the Bron signing according to Shams and I have no doubt that our FO has been in contact with him and understands what he wants. I expect a deal in the 13-15m range.

If we can get Reke on the vet min....oh boy

>Julius is excited by the Bron signing according to Shams and
>I have no doubt that our FO has been in contact with him and
>understands what he wants. I expect a deal in the 13-15m
>range.
>
>If we can get Reke on the vet min....oh boy

I dont think Javale and Zubac are gonna get the job done.

-->

Either to start or to close games.

That number will be even less this season, likely 12-15. We aren't going to use more money on a low priority need.

The NBA has been changed for years now, I don't understand how we're still getting these comments at this point.

We don't. Yet.

I'm not saying we need, or can get, an all star or a double double guy at the 5. But there's a reason that there's a question as to whether or not Randle can play the 5 consistently in today's NBA. He doesn't provide rim protection, and is a good but not great rebounder.

I desperately want to keep him, but we don't have the talent of GSW so let's not act like we do.

him in a trade or let him walk

>Julius is excited by the Bron signing according to Shams and
>I have no doubt that our FO has been in contact with him and
>understands what he wants. I expect a deal in the 13-15m
>range.
>
>If we can get Reke on the vet min....oh boy

Especially for a team that paid the LOL contracts for KCP last year and the corpses of Lopez and Deng

Also JYJ is the starting 5 on a Bron team.

>Especially for a team that paid the LOL contracts for KCP
>last year and the corpses of Lopez and Deng

KCP & Lopez were 1 year deals. Deng was another Mitch Kupchak fuckup.

>
>Also JYJ is the starting 5 on a Bron team.

No he's not.

and let JYJ walk...he ends up signing with NOR on a 2 year deal for $18M...

but JYJ actually put up 3 more PPG than KCP...in less MPG and FGA

so, they basically let a solid piece walk because of the extra year?

That's some funny logic

$9M won't stop the LAL from cloaking

c'mon

Cant have 2 Pgs that cant shoot at all
____________________

<================== Learn the name now before everyone gets dunked on

>Cant have 2 Pgs that cant shoot at all

We needed a veteran backup for Zo plus Zo can learn a lot from Rondo and take time to fully rehab his knee.

behind him last year, the message is clear “we’re not waiting for you, step up or step off”

Pels rather have randle than rondo?

https://i.imgur.com/aewCbzF.gif

https://www.theadvocate.com/new_orleans/sports/pelicans/article_18319132-7df9-11e8-a64d-afa67ea714a6.html

https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-news-anthony-davis-buys-home-near-los-angeles/

https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-news-anthony-davis-buys-home-near-los-angeles/

i remember you used to follow him heavily

http://i67.tinypic.com/6yfecj.jpg

Randle wanted more years whereas we want to keep the max slot open for next season

Being in a constant holding pattern is dumb for someone that young and talented.

We told him that his role would be different next year so he also wasn't too fond of that either. His agent, Aaron Mintz (DLo and PG), has been a major pain to work with as well

He should go thrive elsewhere. Dude's a beast and deserves a bigger role. Just unfortunate for him we got the best player in the league.

Seeing both LeBron and Rondo in the purple and gold going against the Celts in Boston should be quite the scene. I just hope the league schedules he game so it's somewhat late in the season so the game will have some playoff implications involved.

PG - Lonzo
PG - Rondo
PG - Newman

SG - KCP
SG - Hart
SG - Mykhailiuk

SF - Ingram
SF - Stephenson

PF - Lebron
PF - Kuzma
PF - Wear

C - McGee
C - Zubac
C - Moritz


I'm guessing we're looking at bringing Brook Lopez back.... but who knows.....

I'm better now...

trying to be objective for a moment..I looked at his stats from last year...he played 81 games.... averaged 16.6... 12 rebounds...


I know that Brook Lopez would fit us better....and honestly I really don't want Dwight Howard on the Lakers...I'm sure I'm not alone with that..


but if Lopez can't be had, then I think we'd have to consider it...

he's kind of punkin Giles...

Bagley dunked on him...

but he's shooting well and going to the hole...and playing with toughness...

Bagley ended up with his back to him on the block lol

Shit is looking like the Cavs with no Love.

I know these young players have promise but shit, they were screaming that about Clarkson, Hood, and Nance Jr a few months ago.

Then GS gets Boogie?!?!

This shit is a joke. LA needs more than Kawhi now.

Lots of upside, low risk, and great young players. It probably won’t work but they’ve got flexibility - something the Cavs never had.

Boogie is a 1 year rental for GS. Next summer they still have to face the free agency of Klay and KD again. Iggy is on his last legs. This is really probably GS last season as a "juggernaut" team.

The rondo signing is malpractice. Ball is easily your most intriguing prospect, particularly as a Bron compliment. Rondo is either going to steal his time or, more likely, be bitching constantly on the bench a la Chicago. A locker room with Rondo, Lance, and Javale is not a good place for youngsters, particularly combined with the inevitable Bron drama.

I’d also be pretty worried about how...uninspired these moves are. Frankly, every move the Lakers have made this off-season is something Mike from San Pedro would recommended during drive time. There’s no talk of, say, giving Randle 1 year for 20 million with a team option (credit Nate Duncan), so that he can be your center and/or reasonably attractive trade bait. There’s no Seth Curry signing, even though he’d have no problem being a backup, has never shown poor character, and provides shooting you so desperately need.

I’m not sure any of this matters for the Lakers the way it would for every other team. Magic and Rob have gotten the big stuff (LeBron and being patient with the assets) right. As long as that continues, you’ll have three guys worth the max on your squad for 19-20. Maybe that’s enough, presuming the Dubs do break up. But even Kawhi, Bron, and AD would need the other guys not to be complete washed scrubs, and I’m not sure I trust the lakers front office to get the pieces to get you over the top.

Is that they're incredibly tradeable mid season. If some player becomes available, we now have assets to ship that aren't Luol Deng to match salaries. That's kind of smart. I don't think Rondo, KCP, Javale, Lance are in the long term plans, and I think we're kinda punting anyway...but we now have some flex.

That said, perhaps there's something happening with Lonzo for Kawhi. That was my gut reaction when I saw the Rondo news. But...probably not. I think it'd be foolish to trade a guy on a rookie deal who's almost as good as Rondo is right today.

I don't disagree on blocking the kids...but I also think Magic and Pelinka deserve the benefit of the doubt. Lebron signing aside, they've also made some great moves with drafting Kuzma, trading Clarkson, etc - not to mention essentially trading DLo/Mozgov for Josh Hart and the capspace to sign Lebron. They haven't blundered anything yet so I've got confidence for now.

-->

AD
Lebron
Kawhi
DeMar
Kemba

Lol

and the bullshit will continue.

Just speaking it into existence, because FUCK Golden Piss

but the goal seems to play for next years free agency. get this one years so nobody is invested. kawhi will be free. so will cousins.

I'm ok with Javale actually, but lance and rondo....nah.

don't think zo will be better than 15/7 for his career. not bad, but not enough to move the needle.

and made all NBA doing 17/7 in 2007

more ways to impact a game than pts+ast

Over 3:1 assist to turnover ratio, effective with a very low usage rate (sub-20), significant increase in team's pace, 98th percentile perimeter defender (2nd in PPP on pick and roll)....as a rookie.

Dude had a pretty damn good rookie yr (10/7/7/almost 2 stls/almost a blk). Yes, he shot terrible but his shooting will improve.

He was in trip-dub neighborhood in YEAR 1!!! And the stls and blks stats are awesome for a first yr dude.

He gotta get the FT% into the 70's this year, increase the 3% about 4 percentage points and he'll be on his way yr 2.

Now I’m a believer.

I'm just saying he won't be the superstar that some were making him out to be.

they didnt draft him to be Russ, they drafted him to be Chauncey aka an unflappable leader that makes his teammates better on both ends

and Chauncey would be #2 in a re-draft of his year so they should be ecstatic if Lonzo turns out to be a non-superstar that is also a multiple AllNBA, multiple AllD, champ, and Finals MVP.

I don't see him being chauncey either from a leadership perspective. of course its not just numbers. chauncey basically had no superstars, so it was a better situation for him to lead those guys.

lakers are trying to bring in all world type dudes. so I feel like zo with be just on the team.

I'll be happy to be wrong, but right now I'm not seeing him in that light.

>but the goal seems to play for next years free agency. get
>this one years so nobody is invested. kawhi will be free. so
>will cousins.
>
>I'm ok with Javale actually, but lance and rondo....nah.
>

then next summer is potentially Klay, KD, Kawhi, Jimmy, Kyrie, Love, Dwight, etc...

Then 2020 is the summer of AD...

>don't think zo will be better than 15/7 for his career. not
>bad, but not enough to move the needle.

"Give us the Laker Girls, give us LA Live, give us all of it." LMAO!

https://streamable.com/cr1cz

Not surprised this is what the Spurs would ask for.

Wasn’t the supposed Philly deal like Saric, Covington and 2 firsts?

The one thing that irks me about everyone saying you give up the farm for a player of Kawhi's caliber is that that tact assumes zero risk on the part of the team trading for him.

Apart from the fact that it's a contract year and he can leave (for whatever reason), the fact remains he's coming off a very odd injury situation.

Their asking price doesn't factor the risk of the teams trading for him, which is fine. They can ask whatever they want.

But we're morons if we give up a haul like that. I don't care how good he *was* prior to injury. If we can verify that he's still on level, that's one thing, and even then.... nah. They need to ease up if they want to move him. As it stands it doesn't seem like they're remotely bargaining in good faith.

Give up NOTHING.

The Sixers were so "out of the running" that since then they acquired three more players who collectively earn slightly more than Kawhi. Even that doesn't put them "out of the running," they can still include Chandler in a deal as well as Fultz, Bayless and Covington, who have substantial salaries. As far as I know SA has not prioritized immediate cap relief here and in fact the Sixers could provide some cap relief in the long term. Think of a deal that sends Chandler, Fultz and Bayless (just under $30M in salary) plus picks for Kawhi and Gasol (about $34M in salary). Chandler and Bayless come off the books next year (Chandler useful for this year, too, or trade bait), they still have Fultz and whatever futures. Obviously guys like Saric and Covington could also factor in. My point is that there is nothing that precludes the Sixers from making a deal NOW three signings later, much less when they had signed just JJ, and that the Spurs could not only make a deal that netted them futures/prospects for Kawhi, but that also let them get cap relief for next season in the process.

I dont blame SA for trying, but they have zero leverage here. Even if someone else traded for him and it wasn't a rental ala PG, that's giving up the future. Sorry. That's just dumb.

and I understand why the lakers are like "well aight, we'll see how you feel at the trade deadline"

www.engadgethd.com - the other stuff i'm looking at

I'm more than happy for the uppage two years from now, but Ingram and Kuzma are studs. Zo's shooting will improve.

I read the lil buzz about players Magic & Rob are supposedly considering making a move for, but that's the wrong move. Guys like Lillard or Beal are nice gets, but only if they come at a minimal cost that doesn't include any of the three I mentioned.

This is a 35 win team that played defense and was in plenty of games that they lost at the end. Those are growing pains. I said it before any of the new additions, but this team was making the playoffs this year, and I already said I'd put my money on that.

BI and Kuz are going to be all stars. Nobody on that list of players is significantly better then what either Kuz or BI will be this year.

Nobody.

Lillard and DeRozan are fine players. All Stars. Beal? Not even sure why his name came up. I doubt he'd even be available.

But aside from scoring more points, the rest? Eh. Not exactly seismic leaps. Free throws were a problem team wide and Luke needs to get on that shit. But shooting percentage, three point percentage, rebounding, assists, defense... none of them are appreciably better than what BI or Kuz was last year, let alone the sort of improvements we can reasonably anticipate this coming year.

Look, healthy, All-World, DPOY Kawhi, without a fractured relationship with his current team, is worthwhile. But you don't give up both of these guys with the uncertainty of his health in a contract year where he could still walk.

Give up either or, plus some stuff, but not both.

Brawn already has excellent running mates in these two. He can also play off ball this year with RonZo at the point. BI can create. Lance can create. BI shot well from three, and I'm betting Kuz improves as well. KCP hit a respectable clip, despite my reservations about his price tag.

There's zero reason to make any more moves. Find a center to pay that 5 mil to- should have been Nerlens, but I digress. Brook could fit well with that. He's a sound, if unspectacular, rim protector and decent enough from three.

We're a top four seed as constructed. People can keep pretending that Kuz, BI, and Zo will only ever be as good as they were last year, but nah. This is a good team. These are good young players. Brawn has a fine supporting cast, right today, as is, and can reasonably challenge anyone not named GS.

Watch.

If the goal is to win now - some more moves need to be made. However, I do think people are underestimating this team as is currently construed. Many are saying that the Lakers would be lucky to get out of the 1st round w/ this team.

I disagree.

LeBron took an absolutely horrid Cavs team to the Finals last year and beat 3 very good teams (Pacers/Raptors/Celtics) to get there.

This Laker team is already considerably better than the Cavs were last year - and the young horses can take a lot of the heavy lift to preserve Bron for high-leverage moments. BI & Kuz are still not quite all-star ripe - but they are close and will take a lot of pressure off LeBron. The veteran pickups (Lance/Rondo/JaVale) are also solid for sustaining moments where experience is needed.

My main concern w/ this team is a lack of 3-point shooting. Caldwell-Pope is a decent long-range bomber - but there are no real elite catch & shoot guys - but this team clearly is looking for a new identity.

The Lakers played GSW tough last year in all 4 matchups - and I think any team with Bron instantly becomes a contender.
-->

If it's one of them, for a guy who is already there, and is a fantastic three point shooter, so be it.... but I think BI absolutely WILL make that leap this year, and the year after? He'll be firmly in that category. On both ends. And he'll be cheaper to max than anyone we would trade for, since they'd be due their raise.

If we can get a guy who can shoot well with the remaining 5 mil of cap space, ad who will sign for one year, absolutely.

But I don't see anyone available worth spending that money on. But Guys like DeMar, abeal, Lilard... I don't think the BI we get this year will be that far behind. And I think Kuz reaches the same point.

I think Brawn does have the horses to win now, if GSW weren't in the way. And since I don't see anyone who would be available, who would put us in that ratified air, I think we're better off staying the course. If it's BI OR Kuz for Jimmy Butler..... sure....but only if we can get assurances that he resigns, but that's not a guarantee. Which is why I say stay put on the major moves, use our space to sign someone next year, because that's an addition without subtracting anyone.

THEN it makes sense to start flipping people, because as it stands we're not quite asset rich enough to maximize a return for what we're sending.

consecutive finals appearances

That is, if LeBron was moving on from CLE AND wanted to win now, he wouldn't have gone to the LAL

Has to be a long play

because yes, this team, as currently constructed is not a finals team out of the West

Looks like the WCF will be HOU vs GSW again

and let's not forget, despite the Herculean effort from LeBron, and the complete destruction of TOR, both IND and BOS pushed CLE to 7 games

Then they got destroyed by GSW

I don't see all of these changes AND being in the WC a win now formula for LeBron

The LAL will go from not making the playoffs in 5 years...to probably a 2nd round playoff exit = YUGE improvement

But from LeBron's context, that's obviously a YUGE step back

I'm assuming he's already looking to 2019

>That is, if LeBron was moving on from CLE AND wanted to win
>now, he wouldn't have gone to the LAL
>
>Has to be a long play

All credible reports say this is precisely the case. But he- and we- are closer than many want to believe.

>because yes, this team, as currently constructed is not a
>finals team out of the West

Against GS? Not really. But maybe.

>Looks like the WCF will be HOU vs GSW again

Not a lock at all. LAL has a chance.

>and let's not forget, despite the Herculean effort from
>LeBron, and the complete destruction of TOR, both IND and BOS
>pushed CLE to 7 games

Yes. But this team is already better and deeper than the Cleveland team was. It's younger, more athletic, more playmakers and had a significantly better defense before we went into the offseason.

>I don't see all of these changes AND being in the WC a win now
>formula for LeBron

Neither do, because that's what the credible reporting points to as being precisely the case.

>The LAL will go from not making the playoffs in 5 years...to
>probably a 2nd round playoff exit = YUGE improvement
>
>But from LeBron's context, that's obviously a YUGE step back

Shrug. He seems to be cool with that.

>I'm assuming he's already looking to 2019

Doubtful. That he's trusting Magic and Rob to build long term doesn't mean he's not looking at this season as well. If he lands on the moon, that doesn't mean he- and we- won't shoot for the sun.

Would rather him than javale.

probably Brook Lopez..

I'm assuming the delay is our desire to only sign guys to a 1 year contract...


but you know we may have just drafted our starting center in Wagner

the guy can play....

and is honestly going to push for minutes at the 5 this season...

Dammit Rondo!

Most mocks I saw had him going in the early second and some in the late first. So he pretty much went where projected. Obviously he had a high profile in college, too, didn't exactly sneak up on anyone by playing at a huge program that went to the national title game.

"Push for minutes at the five" is vague. Fifteen minutes a night would be a solid season for him, 20 would be spectacular.

>the guy can play....
>
>and is honestly going to push for minutes at the 5 this
>season...

and his summer league play...


You were calling him a reach, and questioning whether or not dude would even play in the league...

will he be fired before or after Xmas is the only question

plays hard right?

prolly a little faster and bouncier than some of you expected too eh?

and yes that 17 foot baseline turnaround fadeaway is actually part of his game :)

A few major weaknesses right now (rarely attacks with his left hand, poor leverage defensively) but he will continue to work on those things (and work ethic/commitment has been a priority for our FO since they took over).

He's going to operate in a lot of space and be attacking defensive rotations with this team and that will give him plenty of advantage opportunities, while playing with 3 of the best passers in the league.

I'm very intrigued to see more of his decision making, especially the swing pass, on the short PnR. He's done a good job of recognizing when to attack or when to kick it out thus far.

>A few major weaknesses right now (rarely attacks with his
>left hand, poor leverage defensively) but he will continue to
>work on those things (and work ethic/commitment has been a
>priority for our FO since they took over).

he'll start left but he likes to use his footwork to spin back and finish with the right hand. he can end up moving into traffic as opposed to away from it. having a funky lil array of moves to get the ball in the basket helps but against longer leapers hes gotta be able to use the basket and his right shoulder to protect the ball.

the leverage issue will be growing pains. Mo was a magnet for terrible calls on the road and Beilein has always coached Michigan to avoid fouls at all costs, or be auto-benched at #2 in the first half. thats gonna be a whole new modus operandi for him. but hes smart and coordinated so he'll figure it out.

>He's going to operate in a lot of space and be attacking
>defensive rotations with this team and that will give him
>plenty of advantage opportunities, while playing with 3 of the
>best passers in the league.

Michigan isnt a "post-touch" team usually, but he always knew when he caught someone smaller on a switch, and *always* worked hard to make himself open for passes that only occasionally got to him. also great at attacking closeouts. smaller defenders dont stress him as he shoots and he has good feel for how hard a defender is coming and whether to drive or slide for another 3 look.

>I'm very intrigued to see more of his decision making,
>especially the swing pass, on the short PnR. He's done a good
>job of recognizing when to attack or when to kick it out thus
>far.

because of the way Michigan plays, he's been coached on kick outs and reversals a lot. he had one 2 nights ago to Svi that was basically a play Beilein ran for Muhammad Ali-Abdur Rakhman and Duncan Robinson. i think he likes faking that swing and letting it fly a little more than Walton may appreciate at first lol, but he was also playing with 2 guys who were not great 3 point shooters in Charles Matthews and Zavier Simpson. he was much more likely to make that pass when it was Duncan Robinson or Jordan Poole on the other end of it.

AND tbh...Mo spent last year playing with a PG who was not a great shooter. he's very good at flipping the motion upside down and making himself available for the ballhandler in the lane. his own defender cant just leave him and hes real sticky on screens.

he looked like the only dude on Michigan that belonged on the court vs Nova so i knew it could play.

a) when he returns from vacation
b) after the Lakers make another high profile acquisition
c) he's not

Thoughts?

.

.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BlCXlFkjecS/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=q2k6o9rfg4r6

And he was a guy people pegged as potentially lottery talent when he arrived in college, so getting him as late as the Lakers did is a good snag. Clearly they like the idea of having a guy who can shoot the 3 at that clip on the bench with Bron and Ball. Can't blame them, really.