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

[BIG LEEMELONE]

Bruh I can't sit thru another season like that . Let's get this thing going, a top 5 pick would be a luxury not a necessity

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.

 

[senorroboto2k5]

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.

Yeah, Mitch and his scouts are no Chris Grant or recent Geoff Petrie, as far as they've proven. Just because other teams have swung and miss more often than not in the lottery doesn't prove the Lakers will... if they do end up back there.

 

[pmatic]

D'Antoni, the system and luck probably helped win like 8-9 games.

 

[bravelude]

LA will work hard on those superstars. They dont rebuild in LA.

And in.terms of a coach? Someone who can tame egos, especially super stars and Kobe. PJ may not be the best coach, but he sure tamed MJ, Kobe, Shaq.

 

[mjsaver]

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.....

Hell no a healthy Kobe and fifth worse team will never be in the same sentence.

I think it's just the fact we aren't contenders anymore makes people wanna give up altogether instead of being disappointed with an avg playoff exit, they'd rather hope we draft the next big thing which ain't easy.

If possible I'd rather get into the playoffs and roll the dice, hey ya never know

 

[junglejim]

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.

I don't see the Magic being that much better next year.  They draft an unpolished defensive player then traded away a semi-polished defensive player.  They are still a couple of players away from being good.  I know this isn't 2006 but Kobe took a team of Smush Parker, Chris Mihm, lamar Odom, and Kwame Brown to the playoffs.  I doubt we will be worse than those teams listed above.

The 76ers basically are adding Noel for next season.  The Knicks starting lineup could potentially be amare, dalembert, Smith, Hardaway, and Calderon

, Celtics added Smart but will probably get rid of Rondo,Twolves are stupid.  If we tank next year we are basically hoping for the lottery balls to fall our way.

 

[essential1]

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..

If you're going by blind assumption, sure. But you would then have to say that about everyone taken last night.

On the other hand, Randle is probably the most ready to play in the NBA right now. Nothing really that says, he will bust, except for a blind blanket statement that all draft picks can bust

 

[CP1708]

I don't see the Magic being that much better next year.

Nikola Vucevic 23 C
Andrew Nicholson 24 PF
Tobias Harris 21 SF
Victor Oladipo 22 SG
Maurice Harkless 21 SF
Evan Fournier 21 SG
Aaron Gordon 19 PF
Elfrid Payton 20 PG


This is quite a crop of talent they are building. Not one of them has hit their ceiling yet. They are young, and certainly inexperienced, but they also figure to be healthy, and fast as hell with all that youth and energy. The Suns made a big come up this year with their youth, and Orlando's talent pool is even more talented.

Payton will be a big key. If he can play PG right away, they could be real nice.

 

[junglejim]

Nikola Vucevic 23 C
Andrew Nicholson 24 PF
Tobias Harris 21 SF
Victor Oladipo 22 SG
Maurice Harkless 21 SF
Evan Fournier 21 SG
Aaron Gordon 19 PF
Elfrid Payton 20 PG


This is quite a crop of talent they are building. Not one of them has hit their ceiling yet. They are young, and certainly inexperienced, but they also figure to be healthy, and fast as hell with all that youth and energy. The Suns made a big come up this year with their youth, and Orlando's talent pool is even more talented.

Payton will be a big key. If he can play PG right away, they could be real nice.

I absolutely agree.  They have tons of young talent that could end up meshing together and putting together a decent season.  I personally don't see it, but I wouldn't be surprised if it happens.  Regardless, the Lakers wont be worse than the Knicks, Celtics, and 76ers next year.  If Lowry leaves I think the Raptors will be bad as well.  The Pistons are going to suck, the Kings have a team full of headcases and chuckers, and the Twolves look like the are going to be really bad as well (especially if they holding onto a disgruntled K-Love half the season, wait until the trade deadline, and trade him away for a bag of peanuts ala Dwight Howard and the Magic).  Milwaukee is going to be better, but I think it was take some time to adjust.  I bet they win 15-20 game more than they did last season.

All im saying is even if we do tank, I still don't think we will be one of the top 5 worst teams in the league. Even if we are, we still aren't guaranteed a top 5 pick unless we are the worst or second worst team in the NBA, which sure as hell wont happen with Kobe on our team.

 

[had pants]

 

[mjsaver]

The 40 million dollar man

 

[junglejim]

on a side note we signed DeAndre Kane and LaQuinton Ross to our D League team.  As an Iowa State grad, the Kane signing makes me happy,

 

[laker4lifeman]

First time we have to actually watch summer league games I'm going to assume Madsen or Rambis will coach them I'm also available Mitch

 

[kookcle]

Vanessa

 

[dhard17]

If possible I'd rather get into the playoffs and roll the dice, hey ya never know

this ain't the NFL or horse racing dog. The NBA is like the most predictable sport of all time. Garbage teams never come close to winning chips.

 

[junglejim]

First time we have to actually watch summer league games

I'm going to assume Madsen or Rambis will coach them I'm also available Mitch

I hope we take a flyer on McAdoo or Patric Young as well. Those guys looks like they could at the very least be a decent role players.  Have no idea how they didn't get drafted.

 

[BIG LEEMELONE]

I've been on the amir johnson bus for a minute now and I really hope the lakers make him a priority in free agency next summer. I always liked his game and I just read an article outlining him as the best defensive role playing big in the league. Gasol, asik, and Jordan would also be available but amir has always been under the radar and might be the most affordable

 

[goldmember]

Man, Cavs did such a good job tanking last season. Everybody knew they would get #1 pick

 

[thatboydrew]

 
I hope we take a flyer on McAdoo or Patric Young as well. Those guys looks like they could at the very least be a decent role players.  Have no idea how they didn't get drafted.

Young is on the NO summer squad

 

[junglejim]

 
Young is on the NO summer squad

And apparently McAdoo is playing on the Warriors summer league.  At least we got DeAndre Kane

 

[noblekane]

i have a question.

say we land in the 7-10th worst record but win the lottery.

does the suns still get the pick based on the record or no?

i really think the league rigs the draft for the lakers if we get no stars this summer or just plain suck

 

[pmatic]

Lakers would keep it.

 

[delete1234]

I wish we could get Kevin love man

 

[daddyrabbit251]

Kobe coolin a vacation... This break is good for him man. Dude has basically been all about basketball since 17. Crazy

 

[had pants]