Our Lakers Pick Lookin' Good

Seems futile to evaluate until the final clock in April and the ping-pong balls stop bouncing.

It's another good draft, especially for bigs, with a few high profile wings in the mix. Still, it's going to come down to the top 5 being highly coveted.

If we don't land a top 5 pick, we may be in good position to go the trade route. Lots of ways to grow.

steve3344 wrote:Tanking, and they have no incentive to do it.

https://sports.yahoo.com/kyle-kuzma-suspects-lakers-quit-things-go-bad-worse-l-192100075.html

Wow.  This is ugly, and as the article points out this is being said 4 days after a "team grievance airing".  That meeting wasn't a high-flying success, apparently.



bob



.

The Lakers are icky and yucky and fading fast like the phlegm from my recent flu, fortunately.

This falls squarely at Walton's feet. Kuzma has been the best player on their team all year. And while it's not particularly good to express these things to the media, he's not mistaken.



KJ

Lakers are "a team imploding both on the court and behind the scenes."

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/lakers-free-agency-lebron-james-article-1.3742406

Let's all send them a get well card.

Boston beat Brooklyn, Indiana beat Chicago, Cleveland beat Orlando but the Kings won.

Today's relevant games:

Knicks @ Dallas
OKC @ Phoenix
Hawks @ Lakers


As of 1/7/18:  pre-games:


1.  Atlanta              10-28,     .263
2.  Lakers              11-27,    .289
3.  Orlando             12-28,     .300
4.  Memphis            12-27,    .308
5.  Dallas               13-27,     .325
6.  Sacramento       13-25,     .342
7.  Chicago             14-26,     .350   
8.  Phoenix             15-26      .366
9.  Brooklyn           15-24,     .385
10. Charlotte           15-23,     .395

Only 1 game between 1st and 4th, 2 games between 1st and 5th.  It's close, Ball is back and Orlando is in free fall...






bob






.

and we got a new Lavar Ball story

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/21991857/lavar-ball-says-los-angeles-lakers-coach-luke-walton-lost-team

The Lakers will lose a ton of games this year because they cannot play defense. Hard not to be a little scared when they appear to be in a state of free fall. Could they possibly end up with the worst record?

There is no incentive to tank but other teams do have an incentive.

This season is flying by.

dboss

dboss wrote:and we got a new Lavar Ball story

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/21991857/lavar-ball-says-los-angeles-lakers-coach-luke-walton-lost-team

dboss,

I think LaVar might be right, I think Luke may have lost the team.  Part of that is that they are losing and part of that is Luke not playing Deng.  I understand it's important for Kuzma to develop but getting your brains beat in every night makes for a long, slow and very painful learning curve and that's what Kuzma is expressing now.  A question, which may never be answered, is "is Magic on board with Luke not playing Deng and only playing the kids?".  If the answer is "yes" then Luke isn't going anywhere yet.  If the answer is "I make trades that help the team but Luke decides who plays" then maybe.

Part of it is that LaVar Ball can't accept the fact that his kid isn't playing up to his billing, that he isn't as good as he says he is.  He said "You can't give my son the best player in the league, and don't expect them not to win. Get rid of everybody. Give him LeBron and Gelo [19 year old LiAngelo Ball]. You got a 2 and a 3. And it's a win. It's a wrap. Then all you need are two rebounders -- [Julius] Randle and [Larry] Nance Jr."".  Clearly, this is a man with a very loose relationship with reality, a person who thinks saying something with surety and confidence will talk it into existence.

In the game LaVar is talking about he said "Lonzo looked good".  Lonzo was 11 points on 4-8 and 5 assists.  That's good but not great.  Furthermore, as Kyrie found out, when you are on LeBron's team you are relegated to the role of shooter since the ball is usually in LeBron's hands.  Lonzo is a poor shooter.

The person I feel sorry for is Luke.  Regardless of whether he's up for the task or not he deserves better than having this Mouth That Roared talking about him and not have Laker management standing up for him nor telling LaVar to STFU and stay away.

 

bob


.

That’s their problem, not ours, the more problems they have, no defense, no outside shooting, etc.....the better for us. Danny really killed it, getting the extra pick plus Tatum. Brilliant and looking better every day!!!

Mr. Ball is going to only make everything so much more difficult for his son(s). He is already shortening the career of the one with the Lakers.

dboss wrote:The Lakers will lose a ton of games this year because they cannot play defense.  Hard not to be a little scared when they appear to be in a state of free fall.  Could they possibly end up with the worst record?

There is no incentive to tank but other teams do have an incentive.

This season is flying by.

dboss

dboss,

The Lakers' defense sucks, #29 out of 30, but they have been without Kevtavious Caldwell-Pope in road games for 9 games due to his probation for DUI.  He has just been released and is now free to travel out of California with the team.  That should improve their defense a bit.  Ball is also back.  He's not a "defense first" type of player but I don't think he's that much of a liability.

Yes, the season is flying by.  I can't believe we're halfway already.  How time flies when you're having fun, and 33-10 is fun...


bob


.

16-2 to start.
17-8 since.
Winners of our last 6.
Not too shabby.

Wow!

Hawks vs. Lakers

What a game that should be!

These are the teams we have to root for:
4. Memphis 12-27, .308
5. Dallas 13-28, .317
6. Sacramento 13-25, .342
7. Chicago 14-26, .350
8. Phoenix 16-26 .381
9. Brooklyn 15-24, .385
10. Charlotte 15-23, .395

Shout out to my hometown Atlanta Hawks!

They stepped up with a screw you we own the bottom of the tank.

dboss

dboss wrote:Shout out to my hometown Atlanta Hawks!

They stepped up with a screw you we own the bottom of the tank.

dboss

Hawks not looking much like the 60 win team they had in 2015. Their 400 fans are not happy.

worcester wrote:These are the teams we have to root for:
4.  Memphis            12-27,    .308
5.  Dallas               13-28,     .317
6.  Sacramento       13-25,     .342
7.  Chicago             14-26,     .350  
8.  Phoenix             16-26      .381
9.  Brooklyn           15-24,     .385
10. Charlotte          15-23,     .395

Worcester,

I have hope for Memphis, Mike Conley is expected back and that will make a world of difference.  Dallas and Sacramento are question marks.  Dallas has no real upside.  Sacto is, well, Sacto, the most dysfunctional franchise since Donald Sterling was driven into exile.  Nature abhors a vacuum.


bob


.

If Memphis goes on a run, we're good. All we need is for LA to fall within the bottom 2-5.

steve3344 wrote:

dboss wrote:Shout out to my hometown Atlanta Hawks!

They stepped up with a screw you we own the bottom of the tank.

dboss

Hawks not looking much like the 60 win team they had in 2015. Their 400 fans are not happy.

The Hawks were on the verge of becoming a significant team. After their amazing 60 win season followed by a thrashing at the hands of the Cavaliers, they began a trip down the slippery slope of indifference. It started when they let Carroll walk for nothing followed the next year by ignoring the value of Al Horford in favor of hometown guy Dwight Howard and letting the assassin Korver hook up with the Cavs and trading Jeff Teague to indiana Then this summer they part ways with Milsap. And of course they trade Howard for a can of tuna fish.

There are different roads to take when you decide to jump in the tank. The Hawks have not even managed that process well. The fans in the ATL do not care one way or the other. Win or lose Hawks fans do not fill their Gym to support their team. If you want to catch a sellout, just wait for the Celtics to come to town.

dboss

Nets lost.  Bulls lost.  Kings lost.  Hawks lost.


Today's relevant games:

Orlando @ Dallas
Kings @ Lakers


As of 1/9/18:  pre-games:


1.  Atlanta              10-30,     .250
2.  Orlando             12-28,     .300
3.  Lakers              12-27,    .308
4.  Memphis            12-27,    .308
5.  Dallas                13-28,    .317
6.  Sacramento       13-26,     .333
7.  Chicago             14-27,     .341   
8.  Brooklyn            15-25,    .375
9.  Phoenix             16-26      .381
10. Charlotte          15-23,     .395

Check me on this, but it looks like 2 1/2 games between 1st and 5th and only 1/2 game between 2nd and 5th (which is where we want to be) and only 1 1/2 games between 2nd and 6th (which would knock us out, barring help from the ping pong gods).




bob




.

It's in Dr. Naismith's hands now.

bobheckler wrote:Nets lost.  Bulls lost.  Kings lost.  Hawks lost.


Today's relevant games:

Orlando @ Dallas
Kings @ Lakers


As of 1/9/18:  pre-games:


1.  Atlanta              10-30,     .250
2.  Orlando             12-28,     .300
3.  Lakers              12-27,    .308
4.  Memphis            12-27,    .308
5.  Dallas                13-28,    .317
6.  Sacramento       13-26,     .333
7.  Chicago             14-27,     .341   
8.  Brooklyn            15-25,    .375
9.  Phoenix             16-26      .381
10. Charlotte          15-23,     .395

Check me on this, but it looks like 2 1/2 games between 1st and 5th and only 1/2 game between 2nd and 5th (which is where we want to be) and only 1 1/2 games between 2nd and 6th (which would knock us out, barring help from the ping pong gods).




bob




.

Having the worst record is better for us than having the 4th or 5th worst, despite the increased chance of the pick being the number one pick. You needonly consider the overall odds of the pick landing between 2 and 5. With the worst record, there is a 75% chance we get pick 2,3, or 4 (5 not possible). For the 4th worst record, there is a 70% chance the pick is 2,3,4, or 5. For the 5th worst record there is only an ~46% chance the pick is 2,3, or 5 (no chance of being 4). So, 2nd or 3rd worst records give the best odds of the pick landing between 2 and 5 (both ~80%), the worst record would be next best (odds ~75% of us getting the pick), then 4th worst record.

The fourth and fifth slots still give good odds of conveying the pick. It could get volatile. Anyway, it's all gravy considering the C's got Tatum. I wouldn't sweat it too much.