This and that

tjmakz wrote:

gyso wrote:I thought that LeBron went into this season KNOWING that it was a lost cause.  For him to suggest that now he cares about making the playoffs (or anything else) is just confusing to me.

Lebron expected the Lakers to compete this season and to be a playoff team.
He said it might take a while to play well as a team but Lebron and the Lakers had plans of challenging for a top spot in the West.
Obviously they have underperformed their season goals.

Hi TJ,

Nice to see you, but aren't you supposed to be on your honeymoon right now with your stunningly beautiful wife?

Talk about messed up priorities...


bob


.

bobheckler wrote:

tjmakz wrote:

gyso wrote:I thought that LeBron went into this season KNOWING that it was a lost cause.  For him to suggest that now he cares about making the playoffs (or anything else) is just confusing to me.

Lebron expected the Lakers to compete this season and to be a playoff team.
He said it might take a while to play well as a team but Lebron and the Lakers had plans of challenging for a top spot in the West.
Obviously they have underperformed their season goals.

Hi TJ,

Nice to see you, but aren't you supposed to be on your honeymoon right now with your stunningly beautiful wife?

Talk about messed up priorities...


bob


.

Bob,

Thanks for the compliment about my wife.
We were married 8 weeks ago.
Our honeymoon will be delayed until this summer when we will go to Europe for a couple of weeks.
It's a bit of a long story, but my daughter was supposed to move to South Africa in January for 27 months as a volunteer with Peace Corps.
Since there was no guarantee she could come back for a wedding, we decided to get married 3 weeks before she was supposed to leave.
So, we only had a 3 month engagement and no time for a honeymoon after the wedding.
My daughter was in a car accident in October which changed her plans for South Africa as she was and has not been medically cleared by doctors.
She should be fine long term.

tjmakz wrote:

bobheckler wrote:

tjmakz wrote:

gyso wrote:I thought that LeBron went into this season KNOWING that it was a lost cause.  For him to suggest that now he cares about making the playoffs (or anything else) is just confusing to me.

Lebron expected the Lakers to compete this season and to be a playoff team.
He said it might take a while to play well as a team but Lebron and the Lakers had plans of challenging for a top spot in the West.
Obviously they have underperformed their season goals.

Hi TJ,

Nice to see you, but aren't you supposed to be on your honeymoon right now with your stunningly beautiful wife?

Talk about messed up priorities...


bob


.

Bob,

Thanks for the compliment about my wife.
We were married 8 weeks ago.
Our honeymoon will be delayed until this summer when we will go to Europe for a couple of weeks.
It's a bit of a long story, but my daughter was supposed to move to South Africa in January for 27 months as a volunteer with Peace Corps.
Since there was no guarantee she could come back for a wedding, we decided to get married 3 weeks before she was supposed to leave.
So, we only had a 3 month engagement and no time for a honeymoon after the wedding.
My daughter was in a car accident in October which changed her plans for South Africa as she was and has not been medically cleared by doctors.
She should be fine long term.

TJ,

Ok, so, to sum up: good, bad, good, bad, good. LOL.

Where in South Africa is she going? As you may know I just came back from there in November.


bob


.

bobheckler wrote:

tjmakz wrote:

bobheckler wrote:

tjmakz wrote:

gyso wrote:I thought that LeBron went into this season KNOWING that it was a lost cause.  For him to suggest that now he cares about making the playoffs (or anything else) is just confusing to me.

Lebron expected the Lakers to compete this season and to be a playoff team.
He said it might take a while to play well as a team but Lebron and the Lakers had plans of challenging for a top spot in the West.
Obviously they have underperformed their season goals.

Hi TJ,

Nice to see you, but aren't you supposed to be on your honeymoon right now with your stunningly beautiful wife?

Talk about messed up priorities...


bob


.

Bob,

Thanks for the compliment about my wife.
We were married 8 weeks ago.
Our honeymoon will be delayed until this summer when we will go to Europe for a couple of weeks.
It's a bit of a long story, but my daughter was supposed to move to South Africa in January for 27 months as a volunteer with Peace Corps.
Since there was no guarantee she could come back for a wedding, we decided to get married 3 weeks before she was supposed to leave.
So, we only had a 3 month engagement and no time for a honeymoon after the wedding.
My daughter was in a car accident in October which changed her plans for South Africa as she was and has not been medically cleared by doctors.
She should be fine long term.

TJ,

Ok, so, to sum up:  good, bad, good, bad, good.  LOL.

Where in South Africa is she going?  As you may know I just came back from there in November.


bob


.

She now is not going to go to South Africa.
She was going to train in Johannesburg for 3 months, then be at her assignment for 24 months.
I do not know where that would have been.
She is changing plans and will be going to grad school instead of the Peace Corps.
Yes, I followed your long Africa journey on Facebook.
What an experience you must have had!

You think we have problems? Lakers lost 2nd in a row to inferior team, losing to Grizzlies in a game Lebron went 8-24, 0-4 from 3 and Rondo went 1-6 with 0 assists.

This helps out both our Mermphis and Clips drafts pick, no?

https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-executive-le-bron-james-killed-the-lakers-chemistry-during-anthony-davis-trade-talks-024947694.html



NBA executive: LeBron James 'killed' the Lakers' chemistry during Anthony Davis trade talks



Ryan YoungYahoo Sports
Feb 25, 2019, 6:49 PM



When looking at the Los Angeles Lakers’ recent struggles, many aren’t quick to blame LeBron James.

It’s hard to blame the 15-time All-Star, who is one of the best to ever play the game, when he’s averaged nearly 29 points, 8.7 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game, after all.

According to one NBA executive, however, James is absolutely at fault for ruining the chemistry among the team — specifically with how he handled himself while the Lakers were attempting to land Anthony Davis before the trade deadline earlier this month.

“He killed the (Lakers’) chemistry,” an NBA executive told Bleacher Report. “He shouldn’t have been so public about it. Even during the All-Star draft, he laughed about (wanting Davis to be his teammate).”

James and the Lakers were extremely public throughout the attempt to land the Pelicans superstar — something not generally seen in the NBA. It appeared to negatively impact the locker room on multiple occasions, too, something that cumulated with an “emotional exchange” between multiple veterans on the team and coach Luke Walton.

It’s easy to see how, with James and the front office being so open about wanting Davis, that others on the team could get frustrated and think that James doesn’t want to play with them.

The Lakers now hold a 29-30 record, marking the first time since a James-led team has fallen below .500 at this point in the year since the 2004-05 season — which was also the last time he failed to make the postseason. The Lakers are on the verge of missing out on the playoffs this year, as they sit in 10th in the Western Conference standings

He was brutally honest after the Lakers’ most-recent loss, too — a 128-115 loss to the Pelicans, who were playing without Davis. James implied that many on his team were accustomed to losing, and that they didn’t always arrive with the right mental and physical preparation needed.

“It’s how you approach the game every day,” James said on Saturday. “It’s how you think the game every day, it’s how you play the game, it’s how you prepare for the game, and that’s not even like, when you get to the arena. That’s like way before that.

“Basketball: If that’s not the most important thing, then why we doing this?”

Now, there are a lot of factors as to why the Lakers have struggled. They’ve had to deal with a multitude of injuries all year long, too — including James’ groin injury, which sidelined him for five weeks. Rajon Rondo missed a significant amount of time, and the team is currently without Lonzo Ball, who is recovering from an ankle sprain.

If the team is going to turn it around in its final 22 games and climb back into the Western Conference playoff race, having solid chemistry will be one of the most important factors.

Whether he likes it or not, that undoubtedly starts with James.

“It sucks that my injury happened and (Ball’s) injury happened and so many of our injuries happened,” James said, via Bleacher Report. “I’m so huge on, like, chemistry and camaraderie throughout the course of the season. ... The injuries have taken a toll on our team.”


bob
MY NOTE:  We shouldn't be talking about anybody else's chemistry, ours sucks pretty bad right now too, but LeBron is yearning for another Big 3 like he had in Cleveland and like he sees GSW having.  His problem is you have to play with who you've got, not with who you want.  He blew up the Cavaliers following the Irving trade, and then left them.  I don't care that much about the Lakers, we only play them 2X/year and I care when we meet in the Finals but otherwise they're just another team, not even a conference rival, but there is something very satisfying about LeBron going to the Finals for so many years straight and now he might not even make the playoffs.  The Lakers are 3 games behind the Spurs for the 8th and final playoff spot.  They are 2 games behind Sacramento (9th) and are tied with Minny (10th). If the Spurs just keep playing .532 ball the rest of the way they will end up with 44-45 wins. To tie them (I don't know who would win the tiebreaker) LeBron needs to go .681, 15-7, the rest of the way to get to 44 wins.



.

What good does it do us if Sacto finishes 9th? What spots do we want the Grizz and Clips to fall in?

worcester wrote:This helps out both our Mermphis and Clips drafts pick, no?

Yes

Hey bob I’m still gonna root for Lakers to lose, you gotta problem with that?

cowens/oldschool wrote:Hey bob I’m still gonna root for Lakers to lose, you gotta problem with that?

Knock yourself out, big guy, knock yourself out.  Me, I'm keeping my eyes on the prize.  If it turns out we have to go through LA, either team, to get it then so be it, they're roadkill.  Otherwise they're just another opportunity for us to prove we deserve it.  I am rooting for Milwaukee, Toronto, Indiana and Philly to lose FAR more right now than I care about the Lakers.  In fact, I'd like them to win a few.  I'd also like Minny to win a few and I'd like both of them to do this winning at the same time Sacramento loses a few.  And if Sacramento goes on an epic tank while New Orleans finishes strong enough to catch them I'd be ecstatic because then Sacramento could give us the 11th pick instead of the 14th.





bob


.

worcester wrote:What good does it do us if Sacto finishes 9th? What spots do we want the Grizz and Clips to fall in?

If Sacramento finishes 9th, Boston will have the 14th pick instead of the 18th or 19th.
AND, Boston could get lucky with ping pong balls if Sacramento is in the lottery.
Boston could get pick 2, 3, or 4 with considerable luck.

Memphis currently has the 6th worst record.
The odds that 3 teams will jump them in the lottery and push Memphis to the #9 pick are very slim.
Memphis keeps their pick this year if it is 1-8.

Thanks TJ. We should have a reunion some day when Dboss visits. I'm in Sarasota as is Pete.

worcester wrote:Thanks TJ. We should have a reunion some day when Dboss visits. I'm in Sarasota as is Pete.

worcester,

That sounds great.
I would enjoy meeting up sometime.
That is, IF I make it through this season with the Lakers...
I thought there was a lot of drama with Dwight Howard, World Peace, the coaching carousel, Kobe always calling out Pau and the Nash debacle.
This year takes the prize for drama.
Very disappointing year.
It has been almost all downhill since the Christmas Day win at GS and the Lebron injury,
There's no excuse for the Lakers to be under performing like they are.

tjmakz wrote:

worcester wrote:Thanks TJ. We should have a reunion some day when Dboss visits. I'm in Sarasota as is Pete.

worcester,

That sounds great.
I would enjoy meeting up sometime.
That is, IF I make it through this season with the Lakers...
I thought there was a lot of drama with Dwight Howard, World Peace, the coaching carousel, Kobe always calling out Pau and the Nash debacle.
This year takes the prize for drama.
Very disappointing year.
It has been almost all downhill since the Christmas Day win at GS and the Lebron injury,
There's no excuse for the Lakers to be under performing like they are.

TJ - would you rather see the Lakers squeeze into the last playoff spot in the West, or be part of the lottery?

Shamrock1000 wrote:

tjmakz wrote:

worcester wrote:Thanks TJ. We should have a reunion some day when Dboss visits. I'm in Sarasota as is Pete.

worcester,

That sounds great.
I would enjoy meeting up sometime.
That is, IF I make it through this season with the Lakers...
I thought there was a lot of drama with Dwight Howard, World Peace, the coaching carousel, Kobe always calling out Pau and the Nash debacle.
This year takes the prize for drama.
Very disappointing year.
It has been almost all downhill since the Christmas Day win at GS and the Lebron injury,
There's no excuse for the Lakers to be under performing like they are.

TJ - would you rather see the Lakers squeeze into the last playoff spot in the West, or be part of the lottery?

Definitely squeeze into the playoffs.
That will lessen the embarrassment level this season has been.
Ideally, I have been hoping that LA could finish 7th to avoid GS and OKC.
If they are in the lottery, so be it.
At least now the ping pong balls determine the top 4 picks, compared to 3 in previous years.
Having a .5% or 1% chance at Zion is better than 0%.

Let's hope Zion changes his shoes.

tjmakz wrote:

Shamrock1000 wrote:

tjmakz wrote:

worcester wrote:Thanks TJ. We should have a reunion some day when Dboss visits. I'm in Sarasota as is Pete.

worcester,

That sounds great.
I would enjoy meeting up sometime.
That is, IF I make it through this season with the Lakers...
I thought there was a lot of drama with Dwight Howard, World Peace, the coaching carousel, Kobe always calling out Pau and the Nash debacle.
This year takes the prize for drama.
Very disappointing year.
It has been almost all downhill since the Christmas Day win at GS and the Lebron injury,
There's no excuse for the Lakers to be under performing like they are.

TJ - would you rather see the Lakers squeeze into the last playoff spot in the West, or be part of the lottery?

Definitely squeeze into the playoffs.
That will lessen the embarrassment level this season has been.
Ideally, I have been hoping that LA could finish 7th to avoid GS and OKC.
If they are in the lottery, so be it.
At least now the ping pong balls determine the top 4 picks, compared to 3 in previous years.
Having a .5% or 1% chance at Zion is better than 0%.

Makes sense - the 7 spot would actually be better than the 6 spot for this Lakers team. I sure as hell wouldn't want to play a team with Lebron and playoffs Rondo as a weakish 2 seed....

Playoffs Rondo and Lebron....even GSW may worry.

tjmakz wrote:

worcester wrote:Thanks TJ. We should have a reunion some day when Dboss visits. I'm in Sarasota as is Pete.

worcester,

That sounds great.
I would enjoy meeting up sometime.
That is, IF I make it through this season with the Lakers...
I thought there was a lot of drama with Dwight Howard, World Peace, the coaching carousel, Kobe always calling out Pau and the Nash debacle.
This year takes the prize for drama.
Very disappointing year.
It has been almost all downhill since the Christmas Day win at GS and the Lebron injury,
There's no excuse for the Lakers to be under performing like they are.

Worcester I have been looking at my calendar and I am definitely coming down to Florida and I will visit you.  I am looking at this summer.  I got a trip to Charleston, S.C.  planned for May and my annual pilgrimage to Boston is set for the middle of July.  I am leaning towards early August.

I will probably be here, sweltering out at sea, diving in 89 degree water. Maybe we can get Bob Heckler to revisit Sarasota Hell.

After last night's loss to the worst team in the league - Phoenix - it's now clear Lebron gets to watch the playoffs on TV like the rest of us. LA is now 4 1/2 games behind the Spurs with 19 games to go and San Antonio owns the tie-breaker. Plus the Lakers have the toughest schedule going forward for all playoff hopefuls. Game, set, match.

https://www.dailynews.com/2019/03/02/heisler-how-this-eagerly-awaited-lakers-season-turned-into-such-a-pileup/

worcester wrote:I will probably be here, sweltering out at sea, diving in 89 degree water. Maybe we can get Bob Heckler to revisit Sarasota Hell.

worcester,

Been there, done that, got close to a case of heat stroke to prove it. If you didn't roll me off the back platform into the Gulf I'd have been in seriously bad shape. Sarasota in July/August isn't Hell because Hell has the decency to at least be a dry heat.


bob


.

dboss wrote:

tjmakz wrote:

worcester wrote:Thanks TJ. We should have a reunion some day when Dboss visits. I'm in Sarasota as is Pete.

worcester,

That sounds great.
I would enjoy meeting up sometime.
That is, IF I make it through this season with the Lakers...
I thought there was a lot of drama with Dwight Howard, World Peace, the coaching carousel, Kobe always calling out Pau and the Nash debacle.
This year takes the prize for drama.
Very disappointing year.
It has been almost all downhill since the Christmas Day win at GS and the Lebron injury,
There's no excuse for the Lakers to be under performing like they are.

Worcester I have been looking at my calendar and I am definitely coming down to Florida and I will visit you.  I am looking at this summer.  I got a trip to Charleston, S.C.  planned for May and my annual pilgrimage to Boston is set for the middle of July.  I am leaning towards early August.

dboss,

I would definitely recommend meeting up with TJ, he's a good guy to kick back and have a beer with. We did that when he was out in San Francisco for a conference. I spaced out on hooking up with Pete when I was in Sarasota a few summers ago because I forgot he lives in the area and because I had no car for most of the time (Worcester lent me his car during the days so I could shop for food etc but not for drinking-and-driving in the evenings. Go figure). Next time I'll remember and plan accordingly.


bob


.

There was a really interesting play I saw last night in Lakers game.

Was a breakaway score, now cannot remember which player scored, but he wasn’t a blur like either 2 J. What was memorable was Lebron chugging for the usual chase down block, but he never got there, he ran, he leapt, but he never got there and looked very slow for his previous standards....