Our Lakers Pick Lookin' Good

Lakers lost to the Nuggets tonight.
They're now 8-14.

After tonight, the Lakers' next 8 games are against Hou twice, GSW twice, and Cle once.
Out of the 8 games, 6 are on the road.

I won't be surprised if the Lakers are in the top 5 of the lottery by Christmas.

And those not following college games, Marvin Bagley III and DeAndre Ayton are both worthy of the #1 pick.

I have been following LAL results all year.

Still hoping for #5.

Dboss

Long season, but keep hope alive I say!

Last season the notion that Boston would get the #1 pick seemed like a long shot.

I try to focus on best case scenarios.  The Lakers are following a path that is not surprising.  They were 5-5 and loss 3 out of 4 on the road.  They have a lot of road games coming up and will lose most of them.

Celtics need a few team below LAL to play better.

Dboss

This is good news. It looked like the pick was definitely rolling over to Sacramento. Now there's maybe still a chance with the Lakers. I also follow Brooklyn rooting them on just in case LeBron stays in Cleveland. Thanks for the update.

Lakers loss to Houston at home last night. They are now tied for 6th worst record with 15 losses.  They are now below .500 at home and start a real tough stretch of games with 6 of 7 on the road.  They are @Philly, @Charlotte, @NY and @Cleveland, home with GS,  @Houston and @ Golden State

The 5th pick is certainly in play here.

Keeping hope alive!

Go Celtics!

dboss

dboss wrote:Lakers loss to Houston at home last night. They are now tied for 6th worst record with 15 losses.  They are now below .500 at home and start a real tough stretch of games with 6 of 7 on the road.  They are @Philly, @Charlotte, @NY and @Cleveland, home with GS,  @Houston and @ Golden State

The 5th pick is certainly in play here.

Keeping hope alive!

Go Celtics!

dboss

dboss,

The story line from last night, in my opinion, is that Ball only played 22 minutes because he was 2 points on 0-4, 3 asts and 3 TO and 1 rebs.  He got benched.

Take Ball out and you've got some talented one-on-one players (Ingram, Clarkson, Randle, Kuzma) but no floor general.  That's not a team, that's a schoolyard pickup game.  Luke Walton's substitutions are perplexing.  He exiles Luol Deng because he wanted to play and now wants to be traded or bought out (ok, not a good locker room presence) and is playing the kids instead, but is playing Bogut instead of Zubac.  So, he'll throw Ingram and Kuzma to the wolves in the name of "player development" (I'm not a fan of the philosophy "it's better to play the kid 30mpg and get his brains beat in every night vs bringing them along slowly but making him earn his minutes and showing him how to win) but he won't do that for Zubac, a 20 year old who has a career in front of him whereas Bogut does not?

I wrote on the This and That thread about how I felt about Ball's uncaring attitude after Jamal Murray clowned him.  I think he's mentally and emotionally immature.  Can/will that change?  Yeah, presumably he'll grow up eventually, but this year?

Our problem is that we need teams below them to start winning.  When you're at the top of the league, like we are, you look at your closest competition by comparing the difference in the loss column.  That's because winning is more likely and trying to make up a deficit in losses not so much.  When you are near the bottom of the league the opposite is true, hoping a worse team starts winning isn't easy.


bob


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bobheckler wrote:

dboss wrote:Lakers loss to Houston at home last night. They are now tied for 6th worst record with 15 losses.  They are now below .500 at home and start a real tough stretch of games with 6 of 7 on the road.  They are @Philly, @Charlotte, @NY and @Cleveland, home with GS,  @Houston and @ Golden State

The 5th pick is certainly in play here.

Keeping hope alive!

Go Celtics!

dboss

dboss,

The story line from last night, in my opinion, is that Ball only played 22 minutes because he was 2 points on 0-4, 3 asts and 3 TO and 1 rebs.  He got benched.

Take Ball out and you've got some talented one-on-one players (Ingram, Clarkson, Randle, Kuzma) but no floor general.  That's not a team, that's a schoolyard pickup game.  Luke Walton's substitutions are perplexing.  He exiles Luol Deng because he wanted to play and now wants to be traded or bought out (ok, not a good locker room presence) and is playing the kids instead, but is playing Bogut instead of Zubac.  So, he'll throw Ingram and Kuzma to the wolves in the name of "player development" (I'm not a fan of the philosophy "it's better to play the kid 30mpg and get his brains beat in every night vs bringing them along slowly but making him earn his minutes and showing him how to win) but he won't do that for Zubac, a 20 year old who has a career in front of him whereas Bogut does not?

I wrote on the This and That thread about how I felt about Ball's uncaring attitude after Jamal Murray clowned him.  I think he's mentally and emotionally immature.  Can/will that change?  Yeah, presumably he'll grow up eventually, but this year?

Our problem is that we need teams below them to start winning.  When you're at the top of the league, like we are, you look at your closest competition by comparing the difference in the loss column.  That's because winning is more likely and trying to make up a deficit in losses not so much.  When you are near the bottom of the league the opposite is true, hoping a worse team starts winning isn't easy.


bob


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Bob

Correct, ball logged only 22 minutes. Consider this. Every team watches film and given all the flaws in his game his effectiveness is bound to decrease

They do not have anyone to run the offense when he is not playing. They are a team that competes athletically but overall they are very immature. Last year through 23 games they were 10-13. What appeared to be an improved team looks more like a lotto team with no lotto pick. We will need 2 out of the 7 bad teams to play better.

They looked mentally beat down at home last night. They look like a team that is heading for an extended losing streak. Young guys playing for stats to prove they can play. Not impressed with Walton either.

dboss

Here's the upcoming schedule, for through Saturday 12/16, of the teams around the 8-15 Lakers:

Charlotte Hornets (8-13)
GSW
Chicago (3-18)
Lakers
@OKC
@Houston
Miami
Portland



Brooklyn Nets (8-14)
@Atlanta (5-17)
OKC (10-12)
Miami (11-12)
Washington
NYK
@Toronto



Phoenix Suns (8-16)
@Philly
@Toronto
Washington
San Antonio
@Sacramento
Toronto
@Minny


Memphis Grizzlies (7-15)
Minny
@NYK (11-11)
Toronto
OKC
Miami
@Washington
Atlanta
Boston


Sacramento Kings (7-16)
@Cleveland
@ New Orleans (12-11, but Davis is out with a groin)
Toronto
Phoenix
@Minny


Dallas Mavericks (6-17)
Denver
@ Boston
@ Milwaukee
@Minny
San Antonio
@San Antonio



bob


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It's fun to crow about the relative difference in the talent level between the Lakers and the Celtics - but beware - It will soon be the Lakers turn to venture into the free agency market -
and we all know how quickly the addition of a couple of elite players can turn things around.

swish

swish wrote: It's fun to crow about the relative difference in the talent level between the Lakers and the Celtics - but beware - It will soon be the Lakers turn to venture into the free agency market -
and we all know how quickly the addition of a couple of elite players can turn things around.

swish

Very true 

But if that FA is one named Bron..... the miles on him will be showing real soon. It will all depend on who decides to go there and how well they mesh.   Seem little Luke is having a bit of difficulty finding balance.

Give him an All-Star or 2 and things could turn just have to wait and see

beat

The Lakers will have tons of money but I can't see Lebron joining that team as constructed.

He'll sign another 2-year deal with Cleveland before that happens.


KJ

Tonight, here's what happened:  the Lakers are 8-15

Brooklyn beat Atlanta - good either way.  Brooklyn now has a better record than LA with 9 wins.  If Atlanta had won they would have drawn closer.

Phoenix beat Philly (in Philly) - Phoenix now draws ahead of LA with 9 wins.

Charlotte beat Orlando - Charlotte now has 9 wins too.

Memphis beat Minny - Memphis now has 7 wins and is on LA's tail.

Dallas beat Denver - that gives Dallas 7 wins, just behind LA's 8. 


So:

There are 3 teams that have 1 more win than LA, 1 team with the same number of wins as LA (the Clippers, they are 8-14) and 3 teams that have one less win than LA.  LA is now in sole possession of the 6th worst record in the league with 3 teams nipping at their heels.



bob


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bobheckler wrote:Tonight, here's what happened:  the Lakers are 8-15

Brooklyn beat Atlanta - good either way.  Brooklyn now has a better record than LA with 9 wins.  If Atlanta had won they would have drawn closer.

Phoenix beat Philly (in Philly) - Phoenix now draws ahead of LA with 9 wins.

Charlotte beat Orlando - Charlotte now has 9 wins too.

Memphis beat Minny - Memphis now has 7 wins and is on LA's tail.

Dallas beat Denver - that gives Dallas 7 wins, just behind LA's 8. 


So:

There are 3 teams that have 1 more win than LA, 1 team with the same number of wins as LA (the Clippers, they are 8-14) and 3 teams that have one less win than LA.  LA is now in sole possession of the 6th worst record in the league with 3 teams nipping at their heels.



bob


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As of rignt now only four teams have a worse winning percentage than the Lakers.

Current Eastern Conference Standings:

Current Western Conference Standings:

steve3344 wrote:

bobheckler wrote:Tonight, here's what happened:  the Lakers are 8-15

Brooklyn beat Atlanta - good either way.  Brooklyn now has a better record than LA with 9 wins.  If Atlanta had won they would have drawn closer.

Phoenix beat Philly (in Philly) - Phoenix now draws ahead of LA with 9 wins.

Charlotte beat Orlando - Charlotte now has 9 wins too.

Memphis beat Minny - Memphis now has 7 wins and is on LA's tail.

Dallas beat Denver - that gives Dallas 7 wins, just behind LA's 8. 


So:

There are 3 teams that have 1 more win than LA, 1 team with the same number of wins as LA (the Clippers, they are 8-14) and 3 teams that have one less win than LA.  LA is now in sole possession of the 6th worst record in the league with 3 teams nipping at their heels.



bob


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As of rignt now only four teams have a worse winning percentage than the Lakers.

Steve,

That might be because they haven't played an equal number of games.  In the end it will all be even and what will matter, at that end of the league, is the # of wins.  That's why I listed by wins and not %.  If every one of these teams played 1 more game and they all lost that game, as is likely, their position might change as their % changes.


bob


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The Lakers pick appears to be in play although the odds that it falls between 2-5 is still long.

There are some dreadful teams out there like Chicago, Atlanta and Sacramento.  I think that either Dallas or Memphis will end up with a better record than LAL

It will be fun to consider this as a side bar as we marvel at this years' edition of The Boston Celtics.

If things fall into place and the Celtics get the LA pick Danny Ainge will go down in history as one of the greatest GM's ever.  If not Danny Ainge will still go down in history as one of the greatest GM's ever.

How about GM of the year and coach of the year for Brad.

dboss wrote:The Lakers pick appears to be in play although the odds that it falls between 2-5 is still long.

There are some dreadful teams out there like Chicago, Atlanta and Sacramento.  I think that either Dallas or Memphis will end up with a better record than LAL

It will be fun to consider this as a side bar as we marvel at this years' edition of The Boston Celtics.

If things fall into place and the Celtics get the LA pick Danny Ainge will go down in history as one of the greatest GM's ever.  If not Danny Ainge will still go down in history as one of the greatest GM's ever.

How about GM of the year and coach of the year for Brad.

Look at the schedule of the Lakers until the end of December.

I think you'll change your mind once you see their schedule for December.

swish wrote: It's fun to crow about the relative difference in the talent level between the Lakers and the Celtics - but beware - It will soon be the Lakers turn to venture into the free agency market -
and we all know how quickly the addition of a couple of elite players can turn things around.

swish

Not so sure about that.

The OKC Thunder added a couple of elite players to go along with last season's league MVP and look at where the Thunder are right now.

Remove Brook Lopez and all the Laker starters are going to be bench players for other teams.

Lakers are 5 years away from being relevant again, regardless of who they add in free-agency in the summer.

fierce wrote:

swish wrote: It's fun to crow about the relative difference in the talent level between the Lakers and the Celtics - but beware - It will soon be the Lakers turn to venture into the free agency market -
and we all know how quickly the addition of a couple of elite players can turn things around.

swish

Not so sure about that.

The OKC Thunder added a couple of elite players to go along with last season's league MVP and look at where the Thunder are right now.

Remove Brook Lopez and all the Laker starters are going to be bench players for other teams.

Lakers are 5 years away from being relevant again, regardless of who they add in free-agency in the summer.

Fierce,

Suppose they add LeBron and Paul George?


bob

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Fierce

If LAL added two elite players they would be right in the mix.  One or two guys can make a huge difference.

My focus is not about how long they are away from being a contender.  

Lakers have a rough schedule as do other teams.  

Dboss

bobheckler wrote:

fierce wrote:

swish wrote: It's fun to crow about the relative difference in the talent level between the Lakers and the Celtics - but beware - It will soon be the Lakers turn to venture into the free agency market -
and we all know how quickly the addition of a couple of elite players can turn things around.

swish

Not so sure about that.

The OKC Thunder added a couple of elite players to go along with last season's league MVP and look at where the Thunder are right now.

Remove Brook Lopez and all the Laker starters are going to be bench players for other teams.

Lakers are 5 years away from being relevant again, regardless of who they add in free-agency in the summer.

Fierce,

Suppose they add LeBron and Paul George?


bob

.

If they add Lebron and Paul George then they will be a playoff team.
But they won't get past the Warriors.

fierce wrote:

bobheckler wrote:

fierce wrote:

swish wrote: It's fun to crow about the relative difference in the talent level between the Lakers and the Celtics - but beware - It will soon be the Lakers turn to venture into the free agency market -
and we all know how quickly the addition of a couple of elite players can turn things around.

swish

Not so sure about that.

The OKC Thunder added a couple of elite players to go along with last season's league MVP and look at where the Thunder are right now.

Remove Brook Lopez and all the Laker starters are going to be bench players for other teams.

Lakers are 5 years away from being relevant again, regardless of who they add in free-agency in the summer.

Fierce,

Suppose they add LeBron and Paul George?


bob

.

If they add Lebron and Paul George then they will be a playoff team.
But they won't get past the Warriors.

Nor will anybody if they stay healthy.

Looking at the standings...Indiana has to be the one surprise team in the east right now., for me anyway. In the end I think Miami should secure a playoff spot over the Pacers.

How about NY getting rid of Melo and competing?

out west, I think OKC ends up being in the playoffs, maybe NO or Portland end up watching.