Bogut signs with Lakers

tjmakz wrote:

red16russ11 wrote:

tjmakz wrote:

red16russ11 wrote:Lopez is hurt, and will some of the preseason due to a back injury.  Bogut will make the team.  Shows how much they think of Zubac!

LOL!!!

The Lakers really like Zubac.
He will be their starting center if Lopez misses time.
Bogut will be his back up.

Who really cares - they are 2-3 years away from the playoffs anyway.....and weren't you just suggesting Zubac could get them a first round draft pick?
I hardly think so

I wish I had the crystal ball you have.
How do you know what the Lakers roster will look like a year from now?
Yes, the Lakers could get a first round pick for Zubac.
He is a young center who plays well on offense and defense.

You don't know, either. They can sign ONE max free agent. Vescey seems to guarantee it's LeBron. Will he move to the 4? Don't they "love" Ingram as well? What happens to him, the 2?
I don't think Zubac is worth much at this time........and I'm surprised you do. They got a first round pick for Lou Williams.....that was a great move..Zubac is not Lou Williams, and with so much small ball being played, I doubt they'd get a first round pick for him.

Talk about crystal ball - face it, Magic can say whatever he wants, but in the end, he's just like Kupchak and has no patience. He would trade every single player if he thought he'd get better faster. No development. My guess is Randle and Clarkson will be gone this year, since Magic didn't draft them.............

red16russ11 wrote:

tjmakz wrote:

red16russ11 wrote:

tjmakz wrote:

red16russ11 wrote:Lopez is hurt, and will some of the preseason due to a back injury.  Bogut will make the team.  Shows how much they think of Zubac!

LOL!!!

The Lakers really like Zubac.
He will be their starting center if Lopez misses time.
Bogut will be his back up.

Who really cares - they are 2-3 years away from the playoffs anyway.....and weren't you just suggesting Zubac could get them a first round draft pick?
I hardly think so

I wish I had the crystal ball you have.
How do you know what the Lakers roster will look like a year from now?
Yes, the Lakers could get a first round pick for Zubac.
He is a young center who plays well on offense and defense.

You don't know, either.  They can sign ONE max free agent.  Vescey seems to guarantee it's LeBron.  Will he move to the 4?  Don't they "love" Ingram as well?  What happens to him, the 2?
I don't think Zubac is worth much at this time........and I'm surprised you do.  They got a first round pick for Lou Williams.....that was a great move..Zubac is not Lou Williams, and with so much small ball being played, I doubt they'd get a first round pick for him.

Talk about crystal ball - face it, Magic can say whatever he wants, but in the end, he's just like Kupchak and has no patience.  He would trade every single player if he thought he'd get better faster.  No development.  My guess is Randle and Clarkson will be gone this year, since Magic didn't draft them.............

Of course I don't know either. But you are the one that said the Lakers are 2-3 years away from making the playoffs.
I don't make future statements like that about teams.

Lou Williams is an almost 31 year old 6th man.
The value for a 7'1" versatile 20 year old is higher than that of a player nearing the end of his career.

Magic has no development? That's crazy talk. He told everyone that Brandon Ingram is untouchable.
Magic purposely didn't have patience with D'Angelo Russell. He traded Russell because he was able to dump Mozgov's contract, he got a 1st round pick and because Russell is just not that good of a basketball player.
Russell's ESPN ranking dropped 21 spots from last year...
I think Kuzma will be just as good as Russell.
Everyone knows that LA can easily afford to sign two max free agents this summer with some maneuvering.
1) Waiving and stretching Deng.
2) Trading Clarkson
3) Not re-signing Randle.

If Randle and/or Clarkson are gone, it will have nothing to do with who drafted them.
It will be for cap space for Lebron, Westbrook, George, Cousins, etc.

If I was a Celtics fan, I would probably be happy if Lebron goes to the Lakers.
They can't get past him in the East.

tjmakz wrote:

red16russ11 wrote:

tjmakz wrote:

red16russ11 wrote:

tjmakz wrote:

red16russ11 wrote:Lopez is hurt, and will some of the preseason due to a back injury.  Bogut will make the team.  Shows how much they think of Zubac!

LOL!!!

The Lakers really like Zubac.
He will be their starting center if Lopez misses time.
Bogut will be his back up.

Who really cares - they are 2-3 years away from the playoffs anyway.....and weren't you just suggesting Zubac could get them a first round draft pick?
I hardly think so

I wish I had the crystal ball you have.
How do you know what the Lakers roster will look like a year from now?
Yes, the Lakers could get a first round pick for Zubac.
He is a young center who plays well on offense and defense.

You don't know, either.  They can sign ONE max free agent.  Vescey seems to guarantee it's LeBron.  Will he move to the 4?  Don't they "love" Ingram as well?  What happens to him, the 2?
I don't think Zubac is worth much at this time........and I'm surprised you do.  They got a first round pick for Lou Williams.....that was a great move..Zubac is not Lou Williams, and with so much small ball being played, I doubt they'd get a first round pick for him.

Talk about crystal ball - face it, Magic can say whatever he wants, but in the end, he's just like Kupchak and has no patience.  He would trade every single player if he thought he'd get better faster.  No development.  My guess is Randle and Clarkson will be gone this year, since Magic didn't draft them.............

Of course I don't know either. But you are the one that said the Lakers are 2-3 years away from making the playoffs.
I don't make future statements like that about teams.

Lou Williams is an almost 31 year old 6th man.
The value for a 7'1" versatile 20 year old is higher than that of a player nearing the end of his career.

Magic has no development? That's crazy talk. He told everyone that Brandon Ingram is untouchable.
Magic purposely didn't have patience with D'Angelo Russell. He traded Russell because he was able to dump Mozgov's contract, he got a 1st round pick and because Russell is just not that good of a basketball player.
Russell's ESPN ranking dropped 21 spots from last year...
I think Kuzma will be just as good as Russell.
Everyone knows that LA can easily afford to sign two max free agents this summer with some maneuvering.
1) Waiving and stretching Deng.
2) Trading Clarkson
3) Not re-signing Randle.

If Randle and/or Clarkson are gone, it will have nothing to do with who drafted them.
It will be for cap space for Lebron, Westbrook, George, Cousins, etc.

If I was a Celtics fan, I would probably be happy if Lebron goes to the Lakers.
They can't get past him in the East.

Everyone knows if the lakers:
1. trade Clarkson for nothing - expiring deal and/or pick
2. Let Caldwell -Pope and Lopez walk for nothing
3. Stretch Deng
4. Don't offer Randle a QO, THEN they have room for 2 max free agents.
Based on their track record the past 4 years, I'd say odds are fat and slim they get the two they want.
So, LeBron OR George will come to play with Ball, Kuzma, Ingram, Nance and Zubac???
Right!!

Kuzma and Russell don't play the same position..........and I want to see him play first before announcing him as better than anyone. Didn't you say Russell would average 15-20 on the Nets? Will Kuzma do that?


Suppose, just for arguments sake, that LeBron opts IN, like Chris Paul. But he still wants to be traded to the lakers.....not too far fetched, considering it just happened, and Paul maximized his money.........if the Cavs said they wanted Ingram, are you saying Magic wouldn't trade him?

Also, George, Ingram and LeBron all play the same position...................food for thought

red16russ11 wrote:

tjmakz wrote:

red16russ11 wrote:

tjmakz wrote:

red16russ11 wrote:

tjmakz wrote:

red16russ11 wrote:Lopez is hurt, and will some of the preseason due to a back injury.  Bogut will make the team.  Shows how much they think of Zubac!

LOL!!!

The Lakers really like Zubac.
He will be their starting center if Lopez misses time.
Bogut will be his back up.

Who really cares - they are 2-3 years away from the playoffs anyway.....and weren't you just suggesting Zubac could get them a first round draft pick?
I hardly think so

I wish I had the crystal ball you have.
How do you know what the Lakers roster will look like a year from now?
Yes, the Lakers could get a first round pick for Zubac.
He is a young center who plays well on offense and defense.

You don't know, either.  They can sign ONE max free agent.  Vescey seems to guarantee it's LeBron.  Will he move to the 4?  Don't they "love" Ingram as well?  What happens to him, the 2?
I don't think Zubac is worth much at this time........and I'm surprised you do.  They got a first round pick for Lou Williams.....that was a great move..Zubac is not Lou Williams, and with so much small ball being played, I doubt they'd get a first round pick for him.

Talk about crystal ball - face it, Magic can say whatever he wants, but in the end, he's just like Kupchak and has no patience.  He would trade every single player if he thought he'd get better faster.  No development.  My guess is Randle and Clarkson will be gone this year, since Magic didn't draft them.............

Of course I don't know either. But you are the one that said the Lakers are 2-3 years away from making the playoffs.
I don't make future statements like that about teams.

Lou Williams is an almost 31 year old 6th man.
The value for a 7'1" versatile 20 year old is higher than that of a player nearing the end of his career.

Magic has no development? That's crazy talk. He told everyone that Brandon Ingram is untouchable.
Magic purposely didn't have patience with D'Angelo Russell. He traded Russell because he was able to dump Mozgov's contract, he got a 1st round pick and because Russell is just not that good of a basketball player.
Russell's ESPN ranking dropped 21 spots from last year...
I think Kuzma will be just as good as Russell.
Everyone knows that LA can easily afford to sign two max free agents this summer with some maneuvering.
1) Waiving and stretching Deng.
2) Trading Clarkson
3) Not re-signing Randle.

If Randle and/or Clarkson are gone, it will have nothing to do with who drafted them.
It will be for cap space for Lebron, Westbrook, George, Cousins, etc.

If I was a Celtics fan, I would probably be happy if Lebron goes to the Lakers.
They can't get past him in the East.

Everyone knows if the lakers:
1.  trade Clarkson for nothing - expiring deal and/or pick
2.  Let Caldwell -Pope and Lopez walk for nothing
3.  Stretch Deng
4.  Don't offer Randle a QO, THEN they have room for 2 max free agents.
Based on their track record the past 4 years, I'd say odds are fat and slim they get the two they want.
So, LeBron OR George will come to play with Ball, Kuzma, Ingram, Nance and Zubac???
Right!!

Kuzma and Russell don't play the same position..........and I want to see him play first before announcing him as  better than anyone.  Didn't you say Russell would average 15-20 on the Nets?  Will Kuzma do that?


Suppose, just for arguments sake, that LeBron opts IN, like Chris Paul.  But he still wants to be traded to the lakers.....not too far fetched, considering it just happened, and Paul maximized his money.........if the Cavs said they wanted Ingram, are you saying Magic wouldn't trade him?

Also, George, Ingram and LeBron all play the same position...................food for thought

You try very hard to find and believe every possible pot hole for the Lakers...

Kuzma can still turn into a player just as good as even though they don't play the same position.
Kuzma of course will not get a ton of minutes from the start.
I'm not comparing their production for the 2017-18 season.
You don't have to be a great player to average 15-18 ppg.
Russell is a terrible defender, doesn't rebound well and is not a very good shooter for someone that's supposed to be a shooter.
Russell, Oladipo, Fournier, Rose, Batum, Redick, Gordon, Schroeder and others averaged between 15-18 ppg last season.
None of them get me excited. They are average players.

Lebron and Bosh went to play with Wade in Miami. There was nobody else on the Heat team besides Haslem and Wade.
Yes, I think Lebron and others could sign with the Lakers.
Will it happen? I have no idea.
I won't make statements about teams, their rosters and their success 2-3 years in advance.

This kind of seems like signing someone for the sake of signing them. In either case, it's good the Celtics didn't make a push for an injury prone center.

Let's put their cap situation into perspective, shall we? Lakers are paying out over $100M this season, but will drop into the $40M range next season. I'm expecting the Lakers to make a huge push for Westbrook and LeBron. Westbrook hasn't signed his extension, and LeBron is conspicuously quiet at the moment despite some earlier gripes about the Cav's management.

KJ

tj,

The guy who is signed 15th to complete a roster does not necessarily mean that he will be the 15th man on the playing totem pole.

wideclyde wrote:tj,

The guy who is signed 15th to complete a roster does not necessarily mean that he will be the 15th man on the playing totem pole.

True, but if Lopez and Zubac are healthy, LA doesn't really need Bogut.
This is not an important signing for LA.
He might get some playing time but he will probably have little effect in helping them win games.

tjmakz wrote:

fierce wrote:TJ is correct.
It doesn't make sense for the Lakers.

So those who think Magic Johnson will do what Ainge did and is doing for the Celts, think again!

It doesn't make sense to us right now.
It might make sense at some point this season.
Maybe you should give Magic a few years before you say he will or won't do things.

Maybe LA signed Bogut to be a mentor for Zubac.
Lopez is not that defensive/rebounding mentor that LA might want for Zubac.

Reason why I don't believe in Magic Johnson is when he tried to be a coach, back in 1994, he quit after he didn't do so well.
Magic has 5-11 record as coach of the Lakers.

No doubt Magic Johnson is a HOFer, as a player, but as a coach or executive, I don't think he will be as great.

fierce wrote:

tjmakz wrote:

fierce wrote:TJ is correct.
It doesn't make sense for the Lakers.

So those who think Magic Johnson will do what Ainge did and is doing for the Celts, think again!

It doesn't make sense to us right now.
It might make sense at some point this season.
Maybe you should give Magic a few years before you say he will or won't do things.

Maybe LA signed Bogut to be a mentor for Zubac.
Lopez is not that defensive/rebounding mentor that LA might want for Zubac.

Reason why I don't believe in Magic Johnson is when he tried to be a coach, back in 1994, he quit after he didn't do so well.
Magic has 5-11 record as coach of the Lakers.

No doubt Magic Johnson is a HOFer, as a player, but as a coach or executive, I don't think he will be as great.

What a weak attempt to tie Magic's coaching record to his success as an executive.

In 1994 Dr. Buss wanted Magic to coach the dismal 28-38 Lakers team.
The Lakers were a bad team with little talent.
After going 5-11 as a coach, the season ended and Magic told Dr. Buss that he no longer wanted to be a coach.
That was it for Magic's coaching career.

As an executive Magic has been incredibly successful.
He has ventured into many different business ventures and has brought many new jobs to low income areas.

Magic has the 2nd highest net worth (behind Michael Jordan) out of all of the former NBA players.
He has that net worth because of his incredible success as an executive.

well the only thing I can say is, it's always good to have hope.

we did it when Ainge tore it all down with the new coach and the IDEA that we had all these draft picks.

I see no reason why Laker fans cannot have hope, in Magic, the future of Ball and perhaps some big free agents wanting to come to town.

I am also glad they signed Bogut, but that;s because I think hes an injury riddled dinosaur in todays NBA.

tjmakz wrote:

fierce wrote:

tjmakz wrote:

fierce wrote:TJ is correct.
It doesn't make sense for the Lakers.

So those who think Magic Johnson will do what Ainge did and is doing for the Celts, think again!

It doesn't make sense to us right now.
It might make sense at some point this season.
Maybe you should give Magic a few years before you say he will or won't do things.

Maybe LA signed Bogut to be a mentor for Zubac.
Lopez is not that defensive/rebounding mentor that LA might want for Zubac.

Reason why I don't believe in Magic Johnson is when he tried to be a coach, back in 1994, he quit after he didn't do so well.
Magic has 5-11 record as coach of the Lakers.

No doubt Magic Johnson is a HOFer, as a player, but as a coach or executive, I don't think he will be as great.

What a weak attempt to tie Magic's coaching record to his success as an executive.

In 1994 Dr. Buss wanted Magic to coach the dismal 28-38 Lakers team.
The Lakers were a bad team with little talent.
After going 5-11 as a coach, the season ended and Magic told Dr. Buss that he no longer wanted to be a coach.
That was it for Magic's coaching career.

As an executive Magic has been incredibly successful.
He has ventured into many different business ventures and has brought many new jobs to low income areas.

Magic has the 2nd highest net worth (behind Michael Jordan) out of all of the former NBA players.
He has that net worth because of his incredible success as an executive.

I didn't mean business executive.
What I meant was NBA executive.

I don't believe Magic Johnson will succeed as an NBA executive.

Magic has a tendency to quit if things don't go his way.
Just like he quit coaching after 16 games and retiring again, for good, in 1996, after playing 32 games for the Lakers.
Reason why Magic ended his comeback in 1996 was because he was not the dominant player he was before retiring in 1991.

Right now it's still early to say Magic Johnson will fail as an NBA executive.
But I won't be surprised if he steps down after a few years and the Lakers are still irrelevant.

fierce wrote:

tjmakz wrote:

fierce wrote:

tjmakz wrote:

fierce wrote:TJ is correct.
It doesn't make sense for the Lakers.

So those who think Magic Johnson will do what Ainge did and is doing for the Celts, think again!

It doesn't make sense to us right now.
It might make sense at some point this season.
Maybe you should give Magic a few years before you say he will or won't do things.

Maybe LA signed Bogut to be a mentor for Zubac.
Lopez is not that defensive/rebounding mentor that LA might want for Zubac.

Reason why I don't believe in Magic Johnson is when he tried to be a coach, back in 1994, he quit after he didn't do so well.
Magic has 5-11 record as coach of the Lakers.

No doubt Magic Johnson is a HOFer, as a player, but as a coach or executive, I don't think he will be as great.

What a weak attempt to tie Magic's coaching record to his success as an executive.

In 1994 Dr. Buss wanted Magic to coach the dismal 28-38 Lakers team.
The Lakers were a bad team with little talent.
After going 5-11 as a coach, the season ended and Magic told Dr. Buss that he no longer wanted to be a coach.
That was it for Magic's coaching career.

As an executive Magic has been incredibly successful.
He has ventured into many different business ventures and has brought many new jobs to low income areas.

Magic has the 2nd highest net worth (behind Michael Jordan) out of all of the former NBA players.
He has that net worth because of his incredible success as an executive.

I didn't mean business executive.
What I meant was NBA executive.

I don't believe Magic Johnson will succeed as an NBA executive.

Magic has a tendency to quit if things don't go his way.
Just like he quit coaching after 16 games and retired for a second and last time in 1996.

Right now it's still early to say Magic Johnson will fail as an NBA executive.
But I won't be surprised if he steps down after a few years and the Lakers are still irrelevant.

Huh????
Magic quits things????

He coached a terrible team for 16 games who were just playing out the remainder of the season.
He knew he didn't like coaching so he stopped.
Have you never changed jobs for one reason or another?
Are you a quitter?

As for quitting basketball a second time, he had/has HIV and needed to retire.
That's not being a quitter.

Of course it's too early to say Magic will fail as an executive of the Lakers.
If anything, his career track record shows he will probably be an excellent executive.

How do you know the Lakers will be irrelevant in a year?
Do you have the same crystal ball Hedley has?
Irrelevant in TV ratings, earnings, wins?

Oh oh.......someone went after Magic!!

TJ

I said after a few years, not in a year.

It remains to be seen whether Magic succeeds as an NBA executive or not.

But my money is on Magic Johnson stepping down after a few years and the Lakers are still irrelevant.

I just don't believe in Magic Johnson the NBA executive.

Just look at Michael Jordan.
Considered GOAT, but his Hornets is still irrelevant right now.

Just because you were a great player it doesn't mean you'll automatically become a great NBA executive.

It also doesn't help that the Lakers really don't have assets because of the incompetence of Jim Buss.

The current Laker roster is also inferior.

Julius Randle is just like Corliss Williamson.

Brandon Ingram is a bust.

Jordan Clarkson has not been able to take his game to the next level.

And Lonzo Ball has one of the highest chances of becoming a bust in this year's draft class.

Even when the Lakers were great with Kobe and Phil Jackson a few years ago, I predicted the Lakers will fall into the "dark ages" when Jim Buss takes over.

Right now it's hard to correct the mistakes of Jim Buss in a short period of time.
Trading all those picks for Steve Nash is similar to what the Nets did when they traded for Pierce and KG.

Every team in the NBA will undergo a period where they will be irrelevant.
The Lakers are not exempted.

The question is can Magic Johnson turn them into contenders in the next 2-3 years?

My answer is it's very unlikely, for a number of reasons.

fierce wrote:Just look at Michael Jordan.
Considered GOAT, but his Hornets is still irrelevant right now.

Just because you were a great player it doesn't mean you'll automatically become a great NBA executive.

It also doesn't help that the Lakers really don't have assets because of the incompetence of Jim Buss.

The current Laker roster is also inferior.

Julius Randle is just like Corliss Williamson.

Brandon Ingram is a bust.

Jordan Clarkson has not been able to take his game to the next level.

And Lonzo Ball has one of the highest chances of becoming a bust in this year's draft class.

Even when the Lakers were great with Kobe and Phil Jackson a few years ago, I predicted the Lakers will fall into the "dark ages" when Jim Buss takes over.

Right now it's hard to correct the mistakes of Jim Buss in a short period of time.
Trading all those picks for Steve Nash is similar to what the Nets did when they traded for Pierce and KG.

Every team in the NBA will undergo a period where they will be irrelevant.
The Lakers are not exempted.

The question is can Magic Johnson turn them into contenders in the next 2-3 years?

My answer is it's very unlikely, for a number of reasons.

Keep trying fierce, keep trying...
FYI, the Hornets aren't the Lakers.
Let talk next summer about the Lakers roster and direction.

tjmakz wrote:

fierce wrote:Just look at Michael Jordan.
Considered GOAT, but his Hornets is still irrelevant right now.

Just because you were a great player it doesn't mean you'll automatically become a great NBA executive.

It also doesn't help that the Lakers really don't have assets because of the incompetence of Jim Buss.

The current Laker roster is also inferior.

Julius Randle is just like Corliss Williamson.

Brandon Ingram is a bust.

Jordan Clarkson has not been able to take his game to the next level.

And Lonzo Ball has one of the highest chances of becoming a bust in this year's draft class.

Even when the Lakers were great with Kobe and Phil Jackson a few years ago, I predicted the Lakers will fall into the "dark ages" when Jim Buss takes over.

Right now it's hard to correct the mistakes of Jim Buss in a short period of time.
Trading all those picks for Steve Nash is similar to what the Nets did when they traded for Pierce and KG.

Every team in the NBA will undergo a period where they will be irrelevant.
The Lakers are not exempted.

The question is can Magic Johnson turn them into contenders in the next 2-3 years?

My answer is it's very unlikely, for a number of reasons.

Keep trying fierce, keep trying...
FYI, the Hornets aren't the Lakers.
Let talk next summer about the Lakers roster and direction.

I don't think we'll have to wait for next summer.

We'll already know more or less where the Lakers are headed after 30 games played this season.

Serious trash talk for a team that has been irrelevant for four straight years, and has no first round pick next year..........

red16russ11 wrote:Serious trash talk for a team that has been irrelevant for four straight years, and has no first round pick next year..........

Trash talk? What trash talk are you referring to?
Wow, your bitterness toward the Lakers permeates all of your Lakers posts.

I have made no statements about the Lakers succeeding.
I don't make baseless predictions for years in advance like you and fierce do.
I do not know if the Lakers will sign any top free agents.
They are putting themselves in a position to make a huge improvement to the roster next summer.

Don't forget that Boston might have or probably would have lost in the first round if not for getting lucky with the injury to Rondo.
Boston is ahead of the Lakers but next year things can change.

The Lakers only have one place to go and that is up!

Hiring Magic Johnson was not a good move.  It was an excellent move.

He takes over the reins of this organization with full support from ownership the coaching staff, the fans and most importantly, the players who have the utmost respect for him.

He has a vision that he shared.

He wants to play fast.  He wants his team to defend a lot better.  He wants his team to become a playoff team and eventually a contender.  In Ainge like fashion,  he moved a key young asset in Russell as part of a plan to clear out cap space so that the Lakers could be a major playing in free agency.  He has continued the process by drafting Ball and getting a steal in Kuzman.  He has vets on the team that will help to establish a higher level of commitment. He has a brand that is certainly one of the best ever in the history of the NBA and he will use that brand to put LA back in the conversation.

Teams can go from bad to good overnight with the addition of one or two free agents.  He will have no problem attracting high end free agents.

None of this helps the Lakers at all this year.  So if anyone thinks I'm drooling over LA, let me set the record straight.

I think there will be minimal improvement if any this year.  The biggest difference will be the PG play of Ball who has the tools to run an offense.  They however will struggle to compete given the expected hideous 3 point shooting percentage.  Last year they shot .346% and 4 of their best three point shooters are gone (Lou Williams, Russell, Calderon and Young)

They simply have not added enough to offset the loss of 3 point shooting which was below average anyways.

Their front line of Randle, Ingram and Lopez have a combined hideous 31% shooting from deep and Lopez is the one that actually makes that percentage above 30.  They brought in Caldwell Pope (35%)  and you have the rookie Ball at ???%.  The Lakers will not be able to compete with the high powered offenses that they will face this year.

They also have not addressed their defensive weakness.  There are NO defensive stoppers on this team at any position. NONE!  Sometimes if you have one really good defender he can rub off on the other players.  They have no defensive leader.  Basically they will be a poor offensive and defensive team again and probably even worse on offense than they were last year (17th)

Magic has his work cut out for him but he cannot be blamed for this roster.  At least not yet.

dboss

tjmakz wrote:

red16russ11 wrote:Serious trash talk for a team that has been irrelevant for four straight years, and has no first round pick next year..........

Trash talk? What trash talk are you referring to?
Wow, your bitterness toward the Lakers permeates all of your Lakers posts.

I have made no statements about the Lakers succeeding.
I don't make baseless predictions for years in advance like you and fierce do.
I do not know if the Lakers will sign any top free agents.
They are putting themselves in a position to make a huge improvement to the roster next summer.

Don't forget that Boston might have or probably would have lost in the first round if not for getting lucky with the injury to Rondo.
Boston is ahead of the Lakers but next year things can change.

So, let's see what the roster looks like next year........
They can sign LeBron, Westbrook, George, Cousins.............
Those are what, exactly, statements to be ignored?

You have inferred that because the lakers have Magic, and a lot of cap space, that they will be much better NEXT year - that, sir, is a baseless prediction.......sorry.
They have been in a similar position for the past three years......Aldridge, Durant, Anthony................forget about them?
But, because they have Magic now, things will improve?
I'd hope a person of your intelligence would at least wait until ONE big FA signs before saying "Boston is ahead of the Lakers, but next year things can change."
Ah, no, not at the rate you're going..................

And, I don't believe in luck - I think we would still have beaten the Bulls, Rondo or no Rondo. Luck is for losers.

red16russ11 wrote:

tjmakz wrote:

red16russ11 wrote:Serious trash talk for a team that has been irrelevant for four straight years, and has no first round pick next year..........

Trash talk? What trash talk are you referring to?
Wow, your bitterness toward the Lakers permeates all of your Lakers posts.

I have made no statements about the Lakers succeeding.
I don't make baseless predictions for years in advance like you and fierce do.
I do not know if the Lakers will sign any top free agents.
They are putting themselves in a position to make a huge improvement to the roster next summer.

Don't forget that Boston might have or probably would have lost in the first round if not for getting lucky with the injury to Rondo.
Boston is ahead of the Lakers but next year things can change.

So, let's see what the roster looks like next year........
They can sign LeBron, Westbrook, George, Cousins.............
Those are what, exactly, statements to be ignored?

You have inferred that because the lakers have Magic, and a lot of cap space, that they will be much better NEXT year - that, sir, is a baseless prediction.......sorry.
They have been in a similar position for the past three years......Aldridge, Durant, Anthony................forget about them?
But, because they have Magic now, things will improve?
I'd hope a person of your intelligence would at least wait until ONE big FA signs before saying "Boston is ahead of the Lakers, but next year things can change."
Ah, no, not at the rate you're going..................

And, I don't believe in luck - I think we would still have beaten the Bulls, Rondo or no Rondo.  Luck is for losers.

Saying the Lakers could sign two of Westbrook, Lebron, George or Cousins is considered trash talk?

I have not said things will be a paradise because of Magic.
Will Magic and Pelinka probably do a better job of attracting free agents? In my opinion yes.
It's not just me saying this. There's lots of rumors out there about the Lakers next summer.
Yes, they are just rumors and speculation.
LA was not going to sign a top free agent when they were on the way down. Even Dwight didn't want to stick around for them to bottom out.
They are now on the rise after hitting rock bottom.
Past performance is not indicative of future results for signing free agents.
We saw that with Boston. Once they were on the rise, they were able to sign Horford and Hayward.
Are they great signings? Eh. Not All-NBA skilled players, but ones who will help you get regular season wins.

Chicago ran Boston off their own court for two games, then Rondo got hurt.
We don't know who would have won if Rondo was healthy.

dboss wrote:The Lakers only have one place to go and that is up!

Hiring Magic Johnson was not a good move.  It was an excellent move.

He takes over the reins of this organization with full support from ownership the coaching staff, the fans and most importantly, the players who have the utmost respect for him.

He has a vision that he shared.

He wants to play fast.  He wants his team to defend a lot better.  He wants his team to become a playoff team and eventually a contender.  In Ainge like fashion,  he moved a key young asset in Russell as part of a plan to clear out cap space so that the Lakers could be a major playing in free agency.  He has continued the process by drafting Ball and getting a steal in Kuzman.  He has vets on the team that will help to establish a higher level of commitment. He has a brand that is certainly one of the best ever in the history of the NBA and he will use that brand to put LA back in the conversation.

Teams can go from bad to good overnight with the addition of one or two free agents.  He will have no problem attracting high end free agents.

None of this helps the Lakers at all this year.  So if anyone thinks I'm drooling over LA, let me set the record straight.

I think there will be minimal improvement if any this year.  The biggest difference will be the PG play of Ball who has the tools to run an offense.  They however will struggle to compete given the expected hideous 3 point shooting percentage.  Last year they shot .346% and 4 of their best three point shooters are gone (Lou Williams, Russell, Calderon and Young)

They simply have not added enough to offset the loss of 3 point shooting which was below average anyways.

Their front line of Randle, Ingram and Lopez have a combined hideous 31% shooting from deep and Lopez is the one that actually makes that percentage above 30.  They brought in Caldwell Pope (35%)  and you have the rookie Ball at ???%.  The Lakers will not be able to compete with the high powered offenses that they will face this year.

They also have not addressed their defensive weakness.  There are NO defensive stoppers on this team at any position. NONE!  Sometimes if you have one really good defender he can rub off on the other players.  They have no defensive leader.  Basically they will be a poor offensive and defensive team again and probably even worse on offense than they were last year (17th)

Magic has his work cut out for him but he cannot be blamed for this roster.  At least not yet.

dboss

I'd like to see Kuzma play before calling him a "steal." He is, however, the poster child for why kids should stay in school more than one year. He dominated summer league against kids 2 and 3 years younger than him. Let's just see how he does in some real games, against men first, shall we?
You have a pragmatic view of the lakers.....and I will give them all the kudos in the world........WHEN they sign someone big. Until then, at least out here on the Left Coast, it's the same story every year.............we'll get two next year. Been hearing it for four years now......which is why I'm such a skeptic.

tjmakz wrote:

red16russ11 wrote:

tjmakz wrote:

red16russ11 wrote:Serious trash talk for a team that has been irrelevant for four straight years, and has no first round pick next year..........

Trash talk? What trash talk are you referring to?
Wow, your bitterness toward the Lakers permeates all of your Lakers posts.

I have made no statements about the Lakers succeeding.
I don't make baseless predictions for years in advance like you and fierce do.
I do not know if the Lakers will sign any top free agents.
They are putting themselves in a position to make a huge improvement to the roster next summer.

Don't forget that Boston might have or probably would have lost in the first round if not for getting lucky with the injury to Rondo.
Boston is ahead of the Lakers but next year things can change.

So, let's see what the roster looks like next year........
They can sign LeBron, Westbrook, George, Cousins.............
Those are what, exactly, statements to be ignored?

You have inferred that because the lakers have Magic, and a lot of cap space, that they will be much better NEXT year - that, sir, is a baseless prediction.......sorry.
They have been in a similar position for the past three years......Aldridge, Durant, Anthony................forget about them?
But, because they have Magic now, things will improve?
I'd hope a person of your intelligence would at least wait until ONE big FA signs before saying "Boston is ahead of the Lakers, but next year things can change."
Ah, no, not at the rate you're going..................

And, I don't believe in luck - I think we would still have beaten the Bulls, Rondo or no Rondo.  Luck is for losers.

Saying the Lakers could sign two of Westbrook, Lebron, George or Cousins is considered trash talk?

I have not said things will be a paradise because of Magic.
Will Magic and Pelinka probably do a better job of attracting free agents? In my opinion yes.
It's not just me saying this. There's lots of rumors out there about the Lakers next summer.
Yes, they are just rumors and speculation.
LA was not going to sign a top free agent when they were on the way down. Even Dwight didn't want to stick around for them to bottom out.
They are now on the rise after hitting rock bottom.
Past performance is not indicative of future results for signing free agents.
We saw that with Boston. Once they were on the rise, they were able to sign Horford and Hayward.
Are they great signings? Eh. Not All-NBA skilled players, but ones who will help you get regular season wins.

Chicago ran Boston off their own court for two games, then Rondo got hurt.
We don't know who would have won if Rondo was healthy.

They are on the rise???? The season hasn't even started yet. I'm including past performances of the past 4 years.......pretty good indicator to me.

Glad you think Horford and Hayward are just okay players........says a lot.
No, we don't know, but you said we got lucky when Rondo got hurt...........another false premise

My how a discussion like this - so often depends on the color glasses that one is wearing.

swish