**LA LAKERS THREAD** Sitting on 17! 2023-2024 offseason begins

[DLF]

The lakers are still the best team in the league by a wide margin,

All we need is AD to dominate inside and continue playing DPOY style defense, Lebron to stay healthy, Westbrook to continue attacking the basket, hit open 3s and not force them, avoid stupid turnovers while improving his defense, Melo hitting open 3s at his current rate, monk and Ellingtonhitting at least 40 percent from 3 while being neutral on defense, tht continue to take the leap and give us 20/5/5 nightly, ariza to come back healthy and give us a locked down defender, Vogel to make the right reads and adjustments while pelinka makes a perfect buyout move. If those things happen, nobody beating us.

 

[grittyman]

Just for the sake of conversation…

Saw this in an article about the Lakers + Staples lease renewal

So it basically sounds like this new sponsor is going to pay for renovations to Staples, which was a part of the negotiations in the Lakers agreement to renew the Staples lease. The Buss family won’t directly get any of that money but with the new renovations will also include increased revenue opportunities (more vendors, etc) and that’s how they’ll get their money.

None of us should care about the rich getting richer, but I think that connects the dots in this situation. Anyone have anything different?

 

[lovehateself]

Russ seems to have less lift this year. Missed dunks. Dunks that barely cleared the rim and rattled in. Is it just Father Time?

nah, he just stinks

 

[pmatic]

Westbrook's touch just sucks in general. Just watch his passing alone. They are off-target a lot.

 

[Brosizzlew30.23]

Got a feeling if Russ still struggling by January and Lakers are at .500, Rob will look to trade him at the deadline.

I do not see any scenario which will let Russ evolve and adapt his game soon enough and well enough so he can fit with AD and Bron out on the floor.

Right now he's more of a liability than an asset

 

[Lizakers]

Got a feeling if Russ still struggling by January and Lakers are at .500, Rob will look to trade him at the deadline.

I do not see any scenario which will let Russ evolve and adapt his game soon enough and well enough so he can fit with AD and Bron out on the floor.

Right now he's more of a liability than an asset

what team will want him and his struggling *** plus his contract?

 

[frink85]

Mitch Rob calling other GMs before the trade deadline trying to trade Russ:

we're stuck with him for better or worse. just gotta deal with both.

 

[TipsyMcStagga]

Got tickets for tonight's game in Milwaukee. Wearing my 81 point game Kobe jersey. Hope we don't get embarrassed lol

 

[sohi 23]

No team is trading for Russ.
The only realistic target I even see is the Rockets for Wall and I don’t think that helps anybody.

 

[MIKE LOWERY]

Yall might as well let all that trade Russ **** go now. Fun to think about the possibilities with adding depth, but it ain't happening.

Bron/AD/Pelinka wouldn't move him without giving him one full season. Unless something crazy happens like Dame randomly pulling a Ben Simmons. Might be the only trade they would ship him off for and it would take more than that.

As stated previously, healthy (BIG IF it seems nowadays) Bron/AD is enough to take care of 95% of the L in the playoffs. Rustle is the icing on the cake if he plays well in the slightest. Problem is now, the margin for error gets tighter and tighter with AD, Bron's age and Rustle's previous playoffs performances.


I still believe though. If AD don't go down in G4 Lakers back in the finals anyway.

 

[lovehateself]

Mitch calling other GMs before the trade deadline trying to trade Russ:

mitch ?



we gonna end up trading Rust for simmons

 

[pmatic]

Because of course.

 

[frink85]

mitch ?



we gonna end up trading Rust for simmons

lol im trippin

 

[DLF]

nah, he just stinks

This made me literally laugh out loud.

 

[Brosizzlew30.23]

what team will want him and his struggling *** plus his contract?

That would be the million dollar question

 

[DLF]

That would be the million dollar question

91 million dollar question

 

[MIKE LOWERY]

mitch ?



we gonna end up trading Rust for simmons

Next season maybe.

I may be alone, but, I'd love the move. I'd do it now. Or better yet, December 15th, 2021 at 12:01am if I could.

I'm sure people would laugh about it the same way they laugh about Rustle but I don't care. I've been thinking about it since the first game of the season. I'd do Rustle for Simmons/DG (you're not getting Seth or Kork or even Shake). Value is right for both teams, but not necessarily fit for PHI.

For all his faults, Ben Simmons is, at worst, an optimized 6'10" 2019-2020 Alex Caruso. Slide him into the middle of that defense and you're back to #1. You get damn near Miami Bron versatility. You also get that rim pressure, primary now secondary ball handler/playmaker and someone else who excels in transition ala Russ.

Maybe the Fresh Prince linking up with the Kang will actually give him the confidence to shoot. Or not. But I would be very interested to see what they could do with him playing off Bron/AD and having very little offensive responsibility and not forcing anything.

 

[grittyman]

Not sure if this has been posted yet.

 

[sohi 23]

Do we think Lebron replaces Carmelo or AB/THT?

 

[grittyman]

I would hope it’s Melo.

 

[noblekane]

Bucks might be the one team more hobbled than us (Lopez, Middleton, DiVincenzo, Hill). Must take advantage.

bruh its the lakers we losing the next 4

 

[noblekane]

The only team in the west that scares me is Golden State.

A healthy AD is going to give Ayton, Gobert and Jokic that work.

Am I crazy? Why is everyone so negative around here?
I’m rocking with a healthy Lebron and AD in the playoffs until proven otherwise.

If you don’t believe they will be healthy in the playoffs than that’s a legit concern and I would agree with you, but until it happens I’m rocking with the Lakers to win the ring.

the problem is we are never healthy.

think the 2020 season has been the only season no major injuries occured in the bron era

 

[DLF]

Next season maybe.

I may be alone, but, I'd love the move. I'd do it now. Or better yet, December 15th, 2021 at 12:01am if I could.

I'm sure people would laugh about it the same way they laugh about Rustle but I don't care. I've been thinking about it since the first game of the season. I'd do Rustle for Simmons/DG (you're not getting Seth or Kork or even Shake). Value is right for both teams, but not necessarily fit for PHI.

For all his faults, Ben Simmons is, at worst, an optimized 6'10" 2019-2020 Alex Caruso. Slide him into the middle of that defense and you're back to #1. You get damn near Miami Bron versatility. You also get that rim pressure, primary now secondary ball handler/playmaker and someone else who excels in transition ala Russ.

Maybe the Fresh Prince linking up with the Kang will actually give him the confidence to shoot. Or not. But I would be very interested to see what they could do with him playing off Bron/AD and having very little offensive responsibility and not forcing anything.

U would

but they won’t. Lol. Nobody is that dumb

 

[noblekane]

You aren't crazy.

People just see things differently.

If some of these loses weren't so embarrassing with AD and Russ playing, I would feel a little better.

But a guy in year 19 isn't solving all the problems the Lakers have.

I hope I'm wrong. I want nothing more than this team to win a chip. But I just don't see it.

thought bron would get us past the suns last year but father time is undefeated. he cant will a team to win all by himself anymore.

 

[noblekane]

Got a feeling if Russ still struggling by January and Lakers are at .500, Rob will look to trade him at the deadline.

I do not see any scenario which will let Russ evolve and adapt his game soon enough and well enough so he can fit with AD and Bron out on the floor.

Right now he's more of a liability than an asset

we are stuck with russ until mid next season. nobody wants him in a trade and we arent releasing him.