2014-15 Official Lakers Season Thread, Vol: We Love Each Other

How Many Wins This Season?

  • 20-25

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  • 25-30

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  • 30-35

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  • 35-40

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 40-45

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  • 45-50

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  • 50-60

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  • Total voters
    0
  • Poll closed .
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Ya'll Honestly being Lakers Fans and listening to everything Kobe has said over the past few months & everything that Mitch has said over the past few months actually believe that the Lakers are going to roll out a starting line up of

Nobody
Kobe
Nobody
Randle
Nobody

on opening night? A team that has had one lottery pick in thirty years is suddenly just gonna be Ok with being a complete joke for the next two years? AFTER they just signed Kobe to 48 Million.

Ya'll dudes are speaking on wishful thinking because NOTHING they have done has indicated that they were planning on Tanking long term. They forcefully sucked last year to get Cap room & too pick up a good pick in one of the deepest drafts of the past 20 years. Got a guy who they believe will be a star and have cap room to play with. L.A is definitely going to start making moves to put together a competitive squad.
 
I mean, what can they really do.

LeBron and Melo have much more attractive teams to go to, Bledsoe, Hayward, Parsons and Monroe are restricted and Lance is Lance. I think Lowry is staying in Toronto (or even Miami). After that, uhhhhhhh? Deng? Ariza? Gortat? :lol

There's been reports they won't spend just to spend. Maybe they'll sign one guy in the $6-10M range, but that's that most significant signing I can see happening.
 
I'm not upset but rather disappointed because I don't think this kid is a building block for the future which is what the whole tanking premise was based on.

Y'all can act like you didn't read Ps write up on bully boy but we all did and it wasnt pretty :{, and u just said yourself he wasnt your first or second choice so lets stop pretending like we should be so happy for somebody most of us really didnt want.

:lol @ the team not doing what we suggested , they never do bro that's why we're the fans...besides Lakers don't tank :lol not in the DNA

Basically you sold a bad idea all year long and now it's being exposed, you're the Team Tank President and you don't even want the guy but instead of admitting it wasnt a good idea you blame the team for not listening to the fans :lol that's hilarious.

Man I respect P, that's my guy, but you're basing your whole opinion on a player on what he says, that's your bad
 
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I mean, what can they really do.

LeBron and Melo have much more attractive teams to go to, Bledsoe, Hayward, Parsons and Monroe are restricted and Lance is Lance. I think Lowry is staying in Toronto (or even Miami). After that, uhhhhhhh? Deng? Ariza? Gortat? :lol

There's been reports they won't spend just to spend. Maybe they'll sign one guy in the $6-10M range, but that's that most significant signing I can see happening.

That's the method i'm fine with.. I under no circumstance want All are money tapped out in 4 year deals for a trio of Parsons/ Lowry/ Lance etc etc.

But i see them signing One of the 3 for about 10 a year and throwing some two year deals out to young vets who may still have some upside.

With that said their is no chance that a team With Kobe, One of the guys you mentioned, Randle & some decent role players will be a bottom five team in the league. In which case are pick is gone anyway. My point is that the Lakers are going to try their hardest to put a competitive team on the floor, will they actually make the playoffs depending on who's signed maybe, but the fact remains that we aren't keeping that lottery pick next year and i don't really think we should be tanking to get one Especially in this draft.
 
Saver, I have no idea where you’re going with this, maybe I’m the one not getting it now.

But what is your deal with “tanking is now exposed” What in the blue **** are you talking about? If Julius Randle comes out and balls his *** off and wins ROY and turns into the next Z-bo, is Tanking suddenly a good idea again? :lol

Dude, we made a top 7 pick, on a player who would have been the #1 draft pick last year. We got him at 7.

Andrew Bynum looked like a wasted pick at 10, and he turned out to be a skilled C when healthy. Kobe looked like a reach of all reaches at 13, for a High School guard, and I think he worked out alright.

Randle, while not my first choice, can still be a solid player. Ska, is thrilled to death with him. I’m looking around for some Kentucky fans I know to hear what they think as well. P clearly knows his stuff, and likes Randle offensively, and is just worried how his defense will translate. A valid concern. But he’s not a finished product either. He will have limitations, but he can also improve other areas and become at least somewhat useable on that end. And if he is as dog as he says he, maybe, just maybe he will learn something from Kobe on how to work, and how to push to improve every day. And if he does that, even slightly, how on earth are you going to say tanking isn’t worth that?

What you are clearly not getting is, we were not winning a title last year. Not even remotely close. We could have played hard all year long, we wouldn’t even sniff the playoffs. The Wolves and Suns didn’t even make it, and they were way ahead of us. The absolute best we could have hoped for is 11th in the West. At that point, we end up with the 12th pick or some ****, why in the hell do you think that’s better than landing at 7, and choosing between Randle and Vonleh? Mitch made his pick, that’s that. If Vonleh comes out and destroys, well, that sucks, and adds more fuel to the Mitch is out of his head lately camp, but if Randle does his job, even if Vonleh shows out, if Randle just does what he does, then we’ll be ok. Just because you are disappointed in Randle, doesn’t mean the plan of attack was wrong. YOUR plan of attack would have netted us a worse pick, are you not grasping that?

He’s not my first choice, but he’s still a talented 19 year old PF with an NBA body. Kid is a solid 6-9, 250. That’s NBA right there. And he led his team to the title game as a freshman. Double doubles in damn near every game. And we got him at 7!!!!!! Hell, us pro tankers wanted us to get into the top 3-4, but the Lakers wouldn’t embrace that idea. But at 7, we still pulled a kid with a lot of potential. Now it’s up to him to work for it, and it’s up to us to teach him. Get Madsen in there with him, get AC Green in practice, get Kobe on him, have Cap talk to him, have Magic give him a call, etc. Robert Horry, Worthy, and on and on. It’s the Lakers job now to make that kid great. As much as I wanted Vonleh, what he gonna lean on in Charlotte? He might not have the support that Randle will have. You are overlooking all these factors, and trying to blame or expose us pro tankers, for…..I have no idea why. :lol

Again, there was a clear cut top 8 in this draft. We drafted 7th. So we lost the ability to “choose” from all the top guys, but as I said, repeatedly, we wanted inside that 3-4 range. How is that a “bad” idea, when as you said, we have no impact on the actual team? You say the team isn’t going to listen to me, or us as fans, then blame me for them getting the 7th pick, and taking Randle. Huh? :lol :lol :lol

You lashin out at us, and don’t even know why. You just throwin stuff at a wall to see what sticks. Sorry man, you got nothin to be angry about. We got a good player, just not the one some of us would have preferred. Some did prefer Randle, that’s just how it is.
 
Y'all gotta chill on the tank talk.
Trust me I know the benefits and why it would
be overall smarter for us to do it as far as to expedite out comeback but no.

Let's just change subjects off that tank ledge. Talk about something else.

Clerks on looks like he could be decent in about 3 years if he works hard on his game. Mitch did an ok this draft. Still my mans

To clarify on Randle. Don't hate the dude. Don't think he will be a bust. I just don't think the way he plays will translate that well in the league at his size n speed. We shall see tho.

As a true Lakers can I will root for him every single day. Welcome to the family Randle
 
Any UCLA fans want to give me some quality info on Zach LaVine? That I wouldn't get elsewhere.

I'm very very very negative, at the moment.
 
Any UCLA fans want to give me some quality info on Zach LaVine? That I wouldn't get elsewhere.

I'm very very very negative, at the moment.
He can jump and shoot threes. I see nothing else at the moment.
 
Explosive combo guard, good shooting form, but he looks very, very lite. Needs to add muscle. Streaky as a shooter, but good enough form he could be a good one with the right work put in.

Rangy, quick feet, he could be a solid defender when he gains strength.

Open court he'll be fun to watch. And at 13, that's about where he should have gone.

And maybe they wanted to try and appeal to Kevin's UCLA nature. :lol
 
That's the method i'm fine with.. I under no circumstance want All are money tapped out in 4 year deals for a trio of Parsons/ Lowry/ Lance etc etc.

But i see them signing One of the 3 for about 10 a year and throwing some two year deals out to young vets who may still have some upside.

With that said their is no chance that a team With Kobe, One of the guys you mentioned, Randle & some decent role players will be a bottom five team in the league. In which case are pick is gone anyway. My point is that the Lakers are going to try their hardest to put a competitive team on the floor, will they actually make the playoffs depending on who's signed maybe, but the fact remains that we aren't keeping that lottery pick next year and i don't really think we should be tanking to get one Especially in this draft.
NBA draft is rigged. Lakers just need to be just as bad as last year and we'll keep our pick. Top 5. You're all wishful thinking if Kobe coming back and everyone else leaving makes us better.
eyes.gif
 Just as bad as last year, period.
 
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Would anyone else have taken LaVine at No. 13?

It's never as easy as it sounds, but I'm struggling to figure out why they didn't trade down.

My preference would've been Rodney Hood. 6'8.75", shot 42 percent from 3-point range and 40 percent FG%, 80% at the line.
 
Day off, so I suppose I should get on that Jordan Clarkson profile.

I'm about halfway thru his DraftExpress vid, he finishes with his left almost as much as his right.

He does the whole both hands up at all times defense, his length is helpful for him .

Looks good with the ball, doesn't look uncomfortable.

ATTACKS like a crazy man. :lol

So far, I'm ok with it, at 46, I mean come on. If he gives us anything at all, we should be dancin.
 
Would anyone else have taken LaVine at No. 13?

It's never as easy as it sounds, but I'm struggling to figure out why they didn't trade down.

My preference would've been Rodney Hood. 6'8.75", shot 42 percent from 3-point range and 40 percent FG%, 80% at the line.

I would have taken LaVine at 13, yes.

Hood is a shooter only tho, LaVine "maybe" develop into more than just a shooter, and that's the gamble. Look how far Hood dropped down, he's a one trick guy. LaVine could grow into more, up to your team to teach him, and him to work for it now.

Give him a little time, he could jump in 2-3 years.
 
After graduating in four years from Marshall University and joining the Iowa State Cyclones as a graduate transfer (he redshirted his freshman season as a partial academic qualifier), DeAndre Kane is playing by far the best basketball of his career under Fred Hoiberg, and is doing so on a national stage on a top-10 ranked team. Kane missed out on the NCAA tournament in his four seasons at Marshall and looks to lead the Cyclones to the second weekend or beyond this season after ISU exited in the second round in each of the last two years.

While Kane's production in terms of raw numbers has stayed relatively consistent from last season, a deeper examination finds that he has taken a significant leap in becoming a more efficient player. Although his minutes are down from 37 to a much more manageable 32 per game, his per-40 pace adjusted production has increased notably, in terms of scoring (16.3 to 19.4) and rebounding (4.5 to 8.4), while his 2-point (48% to 58%) and 3-point percentages (25% to 35.9%) have shot up dramatically as well.

Kane has an excellent physical make-up, as he has a strong, developed frame while being measured at 6'4”. He is quick with the ball in his hands, which helps him lead one of the fastest offensive teams when they want to run in transition. He has an adequate wingspan for a player of his size and great leaping ability to complement his strength and quickness.

Nearly 30% of Kane's offense comes in transition, which is a testament to how difficult he is for opponents to stay in front of with his combination of strength, athleticism and aggressiveness, as well as Iowa State's style of play. The Cyclones love to attack defenses early in the shot-clock, sometimes even off a made basket, as they currently rank 7th in the nation in average possession length.

Kane's best skill right now is his ability to push the ball in transition and either get to the rim and finish, or draw a foul. His 8.1 free throw attempts per 40 minutes pace adjusted is an excellent mark for a guard, although it would be beneficial for him to improve on his 62.5% free throw percentage.

He has not relied much on a jump shot so far this year, shooting 35.9% on just 39 three point attempts so far, with less than one make per game on average. This is a sharp decrease from last season, which is part of the reason that his efficiency has jumped, as he is settling for difficult pull-up jumpers far less frequently, and is instead more focused on getting to the basket or creating for others. Kane actually has solid shooting mechanics, but he tends to get off balance in his lower body at times, which is something he can still improve on.

Going into the season, Kane was just a 28% career 3-point shooter and 59% free throw shooter, and his continued struggles from the charity stripe raise some question marks about just how good of a shooter he might be long-term, especially with the longer 3-point line in the NBA.

Kane has made major strides as a passer this season, as the quality of his teammates and Fred Hoiberg's guidance has allowed him to become a much more effective distributor. He has improved his pure point rating from 0.77 to 3.76, due both to an increase in assists and a decrease in turnovers per 40 minutes pace adjusted. Despite his improvement in this area, he still struggles at times with his decision making, particularly in the half-court, causing him to force unnecessary passes which lead to turnovers. He is very right-hand dominant, looking very out of control when forced to drive left, and usually opting to spin back to his right hand, which defenses have started to pick up on.

Kane's strong frame allows him to post up weaker opponents at times and establish deep post position. He doesn't have advanced footwork here, and often tries to just power his defender, which he may not be able to replicate with quite the same success at the next level.

Defensively, Kane uses his physical assets well to slow down defenders, although he needs to show a little more consistent effort. He is often locked in when guarding the ball but has a tendency to drift when playing off the ball or when having to fight through screens. When he is engaged, the combination of his size, strength and agility allows him to cut off dribble penetration by moving his feet to slow down offensive players.

Kane is an excellent defensive rebounder for a guard, as his 6.7 defensive rebounds per 40 pace adjusted ranks tops amongst all point guards in college basketball. Part of this may be due to ISU's scheme, as he relies on the big man to box out, allowing him to crash the glass, but he has an excellent nose for the ball and uses his athletic ability to secure the rebound in traffic, and then ignite the break.

Kane is in an excellent situation at the moment, with plenty of opportunities forthcoming to play against top competition in Big 12 conference play and the NCAA tournament, which would give him tremendous visibility with NBA teams.

Something that NBA scouts will have to consider in evaluating Kane's draft stock is his unusually advanced age, as he will turn 25 in June, which means he's competing against players who are 3-6 years younger than him on a nightly basis. After attending high school with the likes of DeJuan Blair and D.J. Kennedy (who graduated from St. John's in 2011), Kane was forced to attend a fifth year prep school due to his poor academic situation, and then redshirted his freshman season at Marshall as a partial qualifier.

While Kane is undoubtedly having a tremendous season for Iowa State, the track record of mature-aged college players in the draft is extremely poor, particularly amongst non-big men. The oldest players drafted in the last 15 years include just two players: Bernard James (age 27) and Travis Hansen (25) who were the same age or older than him, with 24 year olds Mark Madsen, Melvin Ely, Darius Songaila, Joey Dorsey, Colton Iverson, Vernon Macklin, Magnum Rolle, Sam Young, Taj Gibson, Jack McClinton, Robert Vaden, Patrick Ewing Jr, Sammy Mejia, Stephane Lasme, Antonio Burks and Marcus Douthit being the next closest. NBA teams have mostly shied away from players over the age of 24 in the draft in recent years, but some exceptions, such as Hansen and James, do exist.

While question marks do exist about his age relative the level of competition he's facing, Kane has a NBA ready body and the maturity and athleticism to provide useful minutes right away. He will need to continue to show he can run an efficient offense will picking his spots to get to the rim off the dribble. It will be a tough sell due to his age but Kane has several opportunities the rest of the season to show he can provide value to a NBA team.


Grabbed him undrafted.

They know Nash is dead, and Marshall is limited, Mitch looks like he's trying to upgrade at PG any way possible. Hopefully Clarkson and Kane can help out in some way.
 
I see a lot of Laker fans on the edge bout Julius Randle. I think he'll be perfect for LA since they have Kobe to mentor him. Different position but they have to mold that NBA and leadership mentality.
 
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