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

[mjsaver]

For those of you that want to tank our way to keep the protected top 5 pick next year you do realize that we have to do WORSE than we did last year ...let that sink in... Just let it sink in.

You know how hard it will be to do worse this year than last?? At that point you would seriously have to work hard to be that bad. It's not gonna happen. It just wont. The same thing is gonna happen next year as this year. We are gonna to go thru torture as a fanbase. Blame everybody under the sun for our failures. Just to get the #6 pick while the Cavs get the #1 again.

Let Phoenix get the top 5 pick. That shouldn't be our concern really. We have lots of money (minus Kobe's idiotic contract). We will always be a destination city. It's time for us to start maneuvering the building process.

We can still build thru the draft. Next year we will still be a fringe playoff team. We don't have to tank to do it.

I bet there's only like 3 people in here that even knows the projected top 5 picks next year anyway.
So everyone needs to just get a grip. Lol

What part of anything Mitch has said over the past few months triggered you to think that the Lakers aren't going to make moves in FA to better this team?
What makes you think that Kobe(Who takes losing about as bad as anyone i've ever seen in sports) was going to sign that contract in order to waist his last two years on a team purposely not trying to improve?
Why do you think the Lakers, A franchise that's missed the playoffs maybe 5 times max in the past 30 years, is going to lay down and not even attempt to make plays towards getting better?

Your making an assumption that LA is fine with throwing away the season based off nothing, nothing from the star player, the GM, or the Owners has been stated to make you believe that this is their choice of action. So that's why they can't be worse because the Lakers went out and filled their team with D-league players, Had injuries to every player on the roster, Didn't have Kobe AT ALL.... and still ended up with the 6th pick... with a team set up to fail. The Lakers aren't going into the season with that mindset this year.

And personally who gives a goddamn if the suns get the pick they have been getting Lottery Picks for years and failing miserably at it... They have way too many young players already. This draft already isn't particularly good, and it isn't worth another season setting them up to fail just to keep them away from the pick.

For the record I don't think anyone in here has said anything about getting old, taking on salary, or getting 10 year old vets.

Some are just against tanking for a top 5 pick that you stay may not get even if you do lose to get young.

People read "young, low salary, etc." and don't even know why you need to do it. So stupid.

I completely see why some would want to tank.... the point i'm making is that despite what ya'll want, Management, Players & ownership doesn't want to do that so why continue advocating for it.

We've had this discussion in the past and you were advocating for signings of Bledsoe/Monroe/Stephenson and i didn't think it was wise to sign all of those guys and take ALL of our cap space... I much rather have as much cap as possible in 2016.

With that said i also didn't want to go into 2016 With Julius Randle and some random *** rookie as what's luring FA here because just as theirs a chance for them to flourish their is a huge chance for Them to fail at the pro level also, and then we have no real reason for people to be here besides money.

I rather the middle ground and say we pick up one of those guys this year... Fill the roster with medium contracts for two years, then next year nash comes off we have money for another AS Caliber player... By the 2016 come & Kobe comes off we have Randle, 1 of the young guys in Stevenson/Bledsoe/Monroe & possibly a K.Love or any other young stud picked up in 2015 FA. And we can make our pitch to whoever is on FA 2016 or Any young superstar who is displeased with their current situation.

But this idea of Not adding any pieces in the short term to lose and rely purely on rookies sets very serious risk to 2016. Long Story short the way the lottery has gone the past few years your getting alot more Corey Brewer Than KD, and it's not worth passing over young proven players for hope in the draft.

The one thing we can agree with is that L.A needs to stay away from anybody above 30 who isn't a Superstar (Melo/Bron) or isn't willing to take no more than a 2 year deal. Like them signing a guy like Deng to a 3-4 year deal would make me want to bash my skull in. But giving 12 Mill to a Bledsoe i'm fine with because he's a good piece for the future and I KNOW he can play at a high level already.

View media item 1049639

 

[eyedea]

so is randle wearing #30?

 

[CP1708]

And for the record, no one in here, and I do mean no one, is saying go into tanking/lottery for year after year after year.

2 years. Last year, and this year. That's it.

That closes out the old Lakers, the Dwight, Kobe, Ron, Nash, Pau era that slammed shut abruptly. When Dwight left, our direction HAD to change.

Why the big contract came, I have no idea, it would have been kind of nice to have our entire cap space right now, with LeBron, Melo, Bosh, Wade, Lowry, Gortat, Lance, Bledsoe, etc on the market, would it not?

We stretch Nash, we'd have about 4 million on our payroll right now and then Randle's 2.5ish, so under 7 mil total, and room to buy up anyone we want. Pick your players fellas, we'll find you some friends.

We failed that plan, so now new plan.

Randle, 2015 Top 5 pick to keep, and then we are free in 2016 to do what we should be doing right now. Spending spree, with 2 blu chippers (cheap, blue chippers) already in house. Get 2 max guys in 2016, a nice 3rd wheel, and suddenly we have 5 solid pieces ready to go. Like Miami, vets wanting rings would line up to join and fill out our bench. Boom, just like that.

2 years, one of them already done.


We aren't saying the Lakers should go the Sacramento Kings 9 year lottery rebuild plan, 2, single, years. Durant, Russ/Ibaka, and go.

The Thunder went the extra year and got Harden, and then cheaped their *** out and sold Harden EARLY. We wouldn't have to do that. We get our 2 pieces, and spend to fill in the rest. OKC didn't have that luxury, we do.

It's one more year guys, to keep our pick, pair him with Randle, and finish out the Nash and Kobe contracts from hell. Then we shop, and no longer tank.

 

[CP1708]

I'm going to need Uncle Julius to put off surgery until company time.

Maybe he and grandpa Kobe could go to Germany together in November.

 

[senorroboto2k5]

Exactly. When I said more aggressive in fa I meant throw more money at guys like lance and bledsoe. A core of say bledsoe/lance/randle with complimentary pieces like farmar/kelly/sacre can transition you from a kobe to a durant without a complete overhaul of the roster, just plugging in mid level guys and vets

Come on man, then why didn't you just say THAT?
Bledsoe and Lance (guys that are better than what the Lakers have and might make a difference on their own) are a different caliber of player/FA than Ariza, Gortat, and Deng (guys that are better than what the Lakers have and probably won't make a difference on their own)...

 

[CP1708]

I rather the middle ground and say we pick up one of those guys this year... Fill the roster with medium contracts for two years, then next year nash comes off we have money for another AS Caliber player... By the 2016 come & Kobe comes off we have Randle, 1 of the young guys in Stevenson/Bledsoe/Monroe & possibly a K.Love or any other young stud picked up in 2015 FA. And we can make our pitch to whoever is on FA 2016 or Any young superstar who is displeased with their current situation.

But this idea of Not adding any pieces in the short term to lose and rely purely on rookies sets very serious risk to 2016. Long Story short the way the lottery has gone the past few years your getting alot more Corey Brewer Than KD, and it's not worth passing over young proven players for hope in the draft.

Do you not see how flawed that thinking is? Middle ground? So, no titles, and no blue chip prospects. The least, of both worlds?

Proven players, like Lance, Bledsoe, Monroe, etc. Yes, they are proven. And proven to not win titles, because they are not LeBron, Duncan, Kobe, Durant types. Hence, middle ground. No titles, and no chance at lottery gold.

Fill the roster with medium contracts........to do, what? Finish 41-41? For what purpose are you aiming?


Again, I give you examples. Are Steph and Klay pushing away players from Golden State as young players with small contracts?
Were Blake Griffin, and Eric Gordon hindering the Clippers when they got involved in the CP3 talks?
Durant and Russ push away vets from wanting to play in OKC when they were 20-21?

You don't think Randle and a top 5 pick next year could be a nice young duo that others see as attractive players to play alongside, with a ton of cap space, and the city of LA and our history as selling points? That logic puts us at risk, in 2016? How?


I see you LTB.

 

[sohi 23]

You're assuming that if we tank next year we will have two great draft picks on cheap contracts. As of right now we don't even have one . Look at teams that went all in on tanking like Philly and orlando. Look how they still suck and are in awkward positions going forward. Hopefully randle is so good he helps carry the team on his back, I thought that was supposed to be the idea of getting a good draft pick anyway.

What do you mean we don't have 1 great draft pick on a cheap contract? We just got Randle.
And dude, I'd kill for Philly or Orlando's rosters.
Noel, Embiid, MCW, Vucevic, Harris, Oladipo, Gordon are all better assets than the Lakers currently have except for Randle.

 

[brandon3000]

View media item 1049676
check out young Julius Randle reppin KB8

 

[junglejim]

Do you not see how flawed that thinking is? Middle ground? So, no titles, and no blue chip prospects. The least, of both worlds?

Proven players, like Lance, Bledsoe, Monroe, etc. Yes, they are proven. And proven to not win titles, because they are not LeBron, Duncan, Kobe, Durant types. Hence, middle ground. No titles, and no chance at lottery gold.

Fill the roster with medium contracts........to do, what? Finish 41-41? For what purpose are you aiming?


Again, I give you examples. Are Steph and Klay pushing away players from Golden State as young players with small contracts?
Were Blake Griffin, and Eric Gordon hindering the Clippers when they got involved in the CP3 talks?
Durant and Russ push away vets from wanting to play in OKC when they were 20-21?

You don't think Randle and a top 5 pick next year could be a nice young duo that others see as attractive players to play alongside, with a ton of cap space, and the city of LA and our history as selling points? That logic puts us at risk, in 2016? How?

I agree that tanking next year will make us better IF we get a top 5 pick, but that is a huge if.  Do you really think we are going to finish in the bottom 5 with Kobe, Randle, and whoever else we get?  We couldn't even finish bottom five without Kobe, how the hell are we going to do that with Kobe.  The 6ers are still going to be way worse than us next year, same with the Magic. The 76ers have proven that they can go next level tanking if need be. I don't think Utah is going to be that much better with just the addition of Exum, and the Celtics are still going to be awful since they are probably going to trade Rondo. Sacramento is habitually terrible and the Twolves are going to be awful after they trade love.  Milwaukee will be better, but I don't see them winning 15-20 more games than they did this year.  When Melo leaves the Knicks that leaves a starting roster of Calderon, Dalembert, Hardaway Jr, Amare, and JR Smith with a bench of insert turds here and no cap room.  We have to be in the bottom 2 to be guaranteed a top 5 next year.  You know damn well that Cleveland will manage to get the number 1 pick next year after finishing 14 in the lottery.

I completely agree a top 5 pick will help us next year, but I don't see us being that terrible next year and even if we are the 3,4, or 5th worst team in the draft we still aren't guaranteed a top 5 pick.  What happens if we do nothing and end up at 6?  Then we get nothing and wasted a season for no reason.

 

[BIG LEEMELONE]

What do you mean we don't have 1 great draft pick on a cheap contract? We just got Randle.
And dude, I'd kill for Philly or Orlando's rosters.
Noel, Embiid, MCW, Vucevic, Harris, Oladipo, Gordon are all better assets than the Lakers currently have except for Randle.

Randle might be out of the league in 3 years, we won't know how good he is for a while. What I'm trying to say is you are jumping the gun saying all we have to do is tank and bam, two superstars. Randle might not play for 6 months, totally unforseen, and you're already pegging the next great lotto pick. Of all the assets cleveland, Philly and orlando have piled up they still have not managed to build contenders. You have to build thru free agency sooner or later and the lakers are in position to build progressively thru free agency year after year starting now.

 

[senorroboto2k5]

Just gonna quote this again. Salary cap is $63.2 million.

Two directions... Keep Nash, or stretch Nash.

10 roster spots, assuming we go after 2 guys.

View media item 1048629

 

[kingjaffejo]

Max out Bledsoe and keep Nash. Don't stretch him. Really don't want him lingering around any longer than he has to. Just get his salary off the books as quick as possible.

 

[senorroboto2k5]

Yes. There's some possibility (slight) he might have value as an expiring contract. That chance is worth more than having him hang around on the books.

 

[pmatic]

IF they decided to spend, I would rather spend it on Lance.

A possible headache, but less injury woes than Bledsoe.

 

[mjsaver]

Honest question for the cap and front office gurus

Why is every team struggling to deal with the cap, so much restructuring and maneuvering with the salaries I don't remember it ever being this tight ?

Was the last CBA that bad , seems like the players got shafted all I hear about nowadays is opting out , luxury tax, or paycuts what happend ?

 

[sohi 23]

I completely see why some would want to tank.... the point i'm making is that despite what ya'll want, Management, Players & ownership doesn't want to do that so why continue advocating for it.

We've had this discussion in the past and you were advocating for signings of Bledsoe/Monroe/Stephenson and i didn't think it was wise to sign all of those guys and take ALL of our cap space... I much rather have as much cap as possible in 2016.

With that said i also didn't want to go into 2016 With Julius Randle and some random *** rookie as what's luring FA here because just as theirs a chance for them to flourish their is a huge chance for Them to fail at the pro level also, and then we have no real reason for people to be here besides money.

I rather the middle ground and say we pick up one of those guys this year... Fill the roster with medium contracts for two years, then next year nash comes off we have money for another AS Caliber player... By the 2016 come & Kobe comes off we have Randle, 1 of the young guys in Stevenson/Bledsoe/Monroe & possibly a K.Love or any other young stud picked up in 2015 FA. And we can make our pitch to whoever is on FA 2016 or Any young superstar who is displeased with their current situation.

But this idea of Not adding any pieces in the short term to lose and rely purely on rookies sets very serious risk to 2016. Long Story short the way the lottery has gone the past few years your getting alot more Corey Brewer Than KD, and it's not worth passing over young proven players for hope in the draft.

The one thing we can agree with is that L.A needs to stay away from anybody above 30 who isn't a Superstar (Melo/Bron) or isn't willing to take no more than a 2 year deal. Like them signing a guy like Deng to a 3-4 year deal would make me want to bash my skull in. But giving 12 Mill to a Bledsoe i'm fine with because he's a good piece for the future and I KNOW he can play at a high level already.

I can agree with this, there's nothing wrong with your thinking.

Basically there is 2 roads to getting better:

1.) We can sign Bledsoe/Lowry/Lance to a 5 year deal, sign a good coach (maybe give Fizdale a chance?), try and win as many games as we can and compete in the playoffs this year. Randle gets valuable experience, plus our Randle/Kobe/PG get a lot of playing time together, hopefully building chemistry. We lose our 2015 pick to the Suns, preferably a late teen pick somewhere in the 15-25 range. If we lost a non lottery pick to the Suns, I don't think anyone would care because the odds of getting a superstar in that range isn't high. Nash expires and we have enough money to go after a good player in 2015 + bench pieces. Then we set all eyes on the championship.


2.) We sign the ****tiest coach we possibly can, looking at Rambis or Scott... go all in for a top 5 pick next year. I'd love Okafor or Winslow, seen em play and I know they'd help us win a ring. I don't know much about Mudiay, I've heard good things about Alexander and Karl Towns but haven't seen them play too much so I can't really form an opinion on them. But that's 5 players we can choose from that would at the very least contribute without taking cap space. The problem with this scenario is if we suck and don't get a top 5 pick. That's nightmare scenario, but I think telling Randle to take his time to heal from surgery + letting Kobe shoot 40 times a game and gun for the scoring record = top 5 ****** team. If we don't get a top 5 pick OR if we strike out and miss than it's a wasted season. However, I trust Mitch and believe he'll draft a good player if he was given a top 5 pick next year. Then we have Kobe on 24 mil + 2 studs making 5-6 mil combined + a **** ton of money of spend. Now we set all eyes on a ring with Kobe/Randle/2015pick/2015Max. Kobe expires in 2016 which allows us to offer a max in 2016 too. Longterm: Randle/2015pick/2015max/2016max, we're chasing a ring for the next 5 years.
edit: I'd fire Rambis or Scott pretty quickly if we went scenario 2

 

[pmatic]

The CBA made it that way because contracts are shorter and the luxury tax is more punitive the more a team is in it.

 

[sohi 23]

Honest question for the cap and front office gurus

Why is every team struggling to deal with the cap, so much restructuring and maneuvering with the salaries I don't remember it ever being this tight ?

Was the last CBA that bad , seems like the players got shafted all I hear about nowadays is opting out , luxury tax, or paycuts what happend ?

You can't restructure contracts in the NBA. The new CBA really puts salary cap management a premium. If you go over, the luxury tax becomes ginormous and you lose too much money.

New CBA + Kobe's new contract is the reason where in such a ****** predicament.

 

[mjsaver]

The CBA made it that way because contracts are shorter and the luxury tax is more punitive the more a team is in it.

Obviously I'm late but how the hell did the players let this happen , Fisher dropped the ball or what ?

Seems like these dudes gettin screwed , I hate lockouts because I love bball but I wouldn't be mad if the players locked out and stuck to their guns because this system seems like it needs work.

 

[senorroboto2k5]

Honest question for the cap and front office gurus

Why is every team struggling to deal with the cap, so much restructuring and maneuvering with the salaries I don't remember it ever being this tight ?

Was the last CBA that bad , seems like the players got shafted all I hear about nowadays is opting out , luxury tax, or paycuts what happend ?

It's really always been this way.

For the Lakers, it only seems tight now because they're gonna be operating below the salary cap for the first time in a long while (since Shaq came, I think). That salary cap ceiling is something they HAVE to follow, no matter how much they're willing to spend.

 

[pmatic]

Ford:

Duke's Okafor leads 2015 class

We are going to have a hard time topping the 2014 NBA draft. Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, Dante Exum and Joel Embiid gave us four credible choices at No. 1. Another five players looked like they could become potential All-Stars. Those kinds of drafts come along once in a decade. The 2015 draft doesn't appear to have a franchise-type player right now. There is no one guy to hang all of your hopes on. No one worthy of tanking the season over ... yet.

But that doesn't mean it will be the 2013 NBA draft either. There is talent here. Lots of it. And for the first time in a while, much of the talent stands 6-foot-10 or taller. Big man Jahlil Okafor, a Duke recruit, will be atop our new 2015 Top 100.

The top 5 prospects

1. Jahlil Okafor | Duke

Okafor is 6-foot-11 with a 7-foot-5 wingspan. He's already 270 pounds. He has great hands, a soft touch and amazing footwork for an 18-year-old. He's a rare, old-school, back-to-the-basket center. However, Okafor isn't a lock to go No. 1. He lacks elite athleticism and has struggled with conditioning issues at times. While the most optimistic scouts see a young Tim Duncan, Duncan was a better athlete than Okafor. A young Elton Brand might be a better comp.

2. Emmanuel Mudiay | SMU

Okafor's top competition for the No. 1 pick will come from Emmanuel Mudiay, a 6-foot-5 point guard committed to SMU -- the No. 2-ranked player on our Top 100. Mudiay has both size and elite athleticism for his position. He's quick, strong, is relentless at getting to the basket and finishes above the rim.

His dominant play at the Nike Hoop Summit had many scouts predicting that he would eventually overtake Okafor as the No. 1 pick in the draft. Mudiay isn't a great shooter yet, can be turnover-prone and he's going to play for a head coach, Larry Brown, who is notoriously hard on young point guards (some scouts see that as a good thing). But if he really gets things going as a freshman, his upside could easily vault him over Okafor. If I were to rank the percentage of these two going No. 1 right now, it would be Okafor at 51 percent and Mudiay at 49 percent. It's that close.

3. Karl Towns Jr. | Kentucky

Towns has the size and agility to make a run at No. 1 -- if he gets minutes. Scouts compare him to a young, less volatile DeMarcus Cousins. Towns can score both inside and out and has been a favorite of scouts for the past couple of years. But he's going to a loaded Kentucky team that also has Willie Cauley-Stein and Dakari Johnson at center. Will he be able to get the minutes he needs to make his case for a top pick? Towns has more upside than either player, but lacks the experience.

4. Kristaps Porzingis | Latvia

Porzingis would have been a likely late lottery candidate in the 2014 draft. His surprise decision to withdraw from the draft immediately vaulted him into the top 5 in the 2015 draft. Standing at 6-11 and 220 pounds, Porzingis is very athletic, runs the floor like a guard and is a very good perimeter shooter with 3-point range. He needs to get stronger, hone his post game and get more meaningful minutes in Europe this year. But if he continues to develop, there's a lot to like there.

5. Myles Turner | Texas

Turner was the most controversial selection of the group. He's the No. 2-ranked player in the freshman class, according to ESPN. He's a true 7-footer with a 7-foot-4 wingspan and has excellent athletic abilities for his size. But he's by far the rawest prospect of the top 5. He's still more comfortable playing on the perimeter, lacks toughness and post moves, and can disappear in games.

However, before jumping off the bandwagon, remember scouts said most of those same things about Andre Drummond coming out of high school. His lackluster play as a freshman dropped him to No. 9 in the 2012 draft. In retrospect, he should have gone No. 2. I've split the difference with Turner. As you get ready to dig into our initial 2015 Top 100, which will debut in a couple of weeks, here's a look at four themes for next year's draft:

1. Another elite freshman class

Freshmen continue to have a huge impact. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is trying to change that, but for now, one-and-dones are the true stars of the draft. In 2014, seven freshmen -- Wiggins, Parker, Embiid, Noah Vonleh, Julius Randle, Aaron Gordon and Zach LaVine went in the lottery. This year, we are projecting a potential record of eight freshmen -- Okafor, Mudiay, Towns, Turner, Kansas' Cliff Alexander and Kelly Oubre, Duke's Justise Winslow and Arizona's Stanley Johnson -- in the lottery.

Four other freshmen -- Duke's Tyus Jones, North Carolina's Justin Jackson and Kentucky's Trey Lyles -- are possible first-rounders.

2. A solid sophomore and junior class

A small number of talented players decided to skip the 2014 draft and return to college. Just about everyone with a shot at the first round threw their hat into the ring. Only one returning college player -- Willie Cauley-Stein -- ended up cracking our top 10.

However, there are a number of interesting returning players in this draft. We're projecting Louisville's Montrezl Harrell, Arizona's Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Florida's Chris Walker and Arkansas' Bobby Portis as potential lottery picks in 2014. Several other returning players including Kansas' Wayne Selden, Wisconsin's Sam Dekker, Wichita State's Ron Baker, LSU's Jordan Mickey and Jarell Martin, Cal's Jabari Bird, Michigan's Caris LeVert, Kentucky's Aaron Harrison and Andrew Harrison could all end up in the late lottery to mid-first round with excellent seasons.

3. A solid crop of international prospects

The 2014 international draft class was strong. However, just Australia's Dante Exum and Dario Saric heard their name called in the lottery. Another four international players -- Bosnia's Jusuf Nurkic, Brazil's Bruno Caboclo, Switzerland's Clint Capela and Serbia's Bogdan Bogdanovic -- cracked the first round.

In 2015, the class doesn't look quite as deep -- but it's still good. We have two international prospects -- Porzingis and Croatia's Mario Hezonja -- ranked in the top 10. In addition, Spain's Marc Garcia and Guillem Vives, Senegal's Ilimane Diop and Moussa Diagne, Serbia's Nikola Milutinov and Denmark's Rasmus Larsen are potential first rounders.

4. Go Big or Go Home ...

In 2015, a whopping four centers make our top 10. In 2014, there were just two centers taken in the entire first round. We have eight players standing 6-foot-11 or taller in our top 30 this year. Big men always come at a premium, and the strength of the draft is clearly in the paint. This is also a great draft for small forwards. We have 10 small forwards currently listed in our top 30 this year. While it's possibly the least sexy position in the NBA, it's also one of the league's greatest needs.

There will be a lot of teams on the hunt for a good wing. However, we have just five point guards and three shooting guards in the top 30. The point guard class in 2014 turned out to be pretty impressive. There were four point guards taken in the lottery (Exum, Marcus Smart, Elfrid Payton, Zach LaVine) and two others (Tyler Ennis and Shabazz Napier) who showed a ton of promise. This year, only one point guard, Mudiay, is ranked as a potential lottery pick.

Unfortunately, the shooting guard class is worse. Selden is ranked as the top shooting guard in this class, and he's ranked just 16th overall. The 2014 draft was loaded with dynamic shooters. 2015? Not so much.

Overall, the 2015 draft class is rounding out to be a pretty solid -- somewhere in the middle of 2014 and 2013. The bigs are the appeal, but there just isn't a lot of star power here outside of Mudiay. Luckily it can get better. You also have to factor in that some players that we're not talking about will rise -- they always do. Vonleh and Nik Stauskas weren't listed as lottery picks before 2013-14 season, for example. A few players always rise. As the camps and international tournaments get underway, look for further reports, including regular Big Boards, updates to the Top 100, Ford-Bilas and Ford-Pelton debates, mock drafts and more in our year-round draft coverage.

 

[sohi 23]

Randle might be out of the league in 3 years, we won't know how good he is for a while. What I'm trying to say is you are jumping the gun saying all we have to do is tank and bam, two superstars. Randle might not play for 6 months, totally unforseen, and you're already pegging the next great lotto pick. Of all the assets cleveland, Philly and orlando have piled up they still have not managed to build contenders. You have to build thru free agency sooner or later and the lakers are in position to build progressively thru free agency year after year starting now.

I'd bet my life on Randle not being out of the league in 3 years. And Cleveland, Philly, and Orlando are all further along the road to compete for a title than the Lakers currently are. If we had a top 5 pick next year, I don't think Mitch and the younger Buss would strike out, I think they'd draft another stud.

 

[junglejim]

Does anybody really think we will be one of the top 5 worst teams next year?  Seriously though,  we couldn't even get top 5 while signing D-leaguers to start at point and now we have Kobe back and Randle.  Philly will be terrible and is still tanking, I don't see the Magic being much better next year, if Melo leaves the Knicks will be atrocious, If lowry leaves the raptors will probably be crap again, the Celtics will tank next year too (im assuming they are trading Rondo since they drafted Smart) , when they Twolves trade K-Love for a bad of turds they will be terrible, Milwaukee will be better but will still be terrible, Detroit is going to be bad.  We have to be top 2 just to be guaranteed a top 5 pick.  I don't see us being top 5 bad, which leaves us with hoping for the lottery balls to fall our way.....

 

[KMante]

 

I got you. These folks had the word "bust" in their posts........

@freshKRN
 

 

 

 

@cruzair13
 

 

 

@tupac003
 

 



People who explicitly stated not to draft Randle......

@Teamlakers909
 

I guess you didn't see anything I posted after. So what you gonna laugh at me if he works out? Go ahead...I'll be at staples cheering him on.

@denni5themenace
 

@JoeCoolio66
 

@KingJaffeJo
 

I'm sure I'm missing some, but I got y'all on record.

 to any other Lakers fans doubting Randle!

Spoiler: Randle! Randle! Randle!

So I guess you didn't read any of my posts after the draft?

What you gonna do laugh at us if he works out? LOL End of the day we just want the lakers to get better. PERIOD I know I'll be at staples cheering for him and the squad.

Great! Me too (and I think all Laker fans agree), but the word bust is a very strong word my man. If you have even a bit of faith in him, that word shouldn't be uttered, ever.

I read your posts after, and I wouldn't really consider what you said a change of heart. It sounded more like a "I hope it works out" type comment, so you only got one stoneface.

 

 

[sohi 23]

Never underestimate how much a bad coach can do.

MDA wasn't a good coach, but he wasn't a terrible coach.
Get someone like Scott, Rambis, Mike Dunleavy, VDN and watch the Ls pile up.

But I do agree that the 76ers, Celtics & Knicks will suck next year. I think Milwaukee and Orlando will compete for playoff spots.
Toronto is hard to call until we see what happens with Lowry.