Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2014 6:48 am Post subject: More Painful Season: This or the Previous Season?
As this disastrous season wraps up, a simple question. Comparing this season with the last, which one was worse?
For me, it was last season. Kobe getting injured really sank my heart when I realized how serious it was. Then Dr. Buss passed away as well. I knew there were going to be long-term implications for that. But last season was also a nightmare because we had such a great team on paper: Kobe, Dwight, Pau, Nash, Jamison (and Meeks, Hill, Blake) but couldn’t mesh whatsoever. Last season was Star Wars V (Empire Strikes Back, the bad guys kicked the crap out the good guys).
Coming into this season, I knew we were in trouble (didn’t know it was going to be THIS bad, but I had a strong feeling we were not playoff contenders). I was excited to see Farmar back, intrigued with Young coming home. I saw Meeks blossom before my eyes and saw the development of young players like Kelly, Bazemore, Marshall, and X. Yes, it’s been unbelievably rough to watch this team, but my eyes were wide open. Plus, we have a top 10 pick for our troubles. Simply put, this season gives me a little hope going forward since we hit rock bottom.
So, which season was more painful for you? This or the last? _________________ From 2-10 to the Western Conference Finals
This season.
Last season had wins, and the playoffs. Which even if the Lakers were eliminated in 4 games, is always a good thing.
This year is just nothing. I wanted to watch all games, but I just couldn't. I just can't deal with the fact that in NBA, if you can't win, you have to root for losing. I can't do that so I was awfully torn for months. Now I just casually look at the results.
I can't wait for this season to be over. Too awful.
This season.
Last season had wins, and the playoffs. Which even if the Lakers were eliminated in 4 games, is always a good thing.
This year is just nothing. I wanted to watch all games, but I just couldn't. I just can't deal with the fact that in NBA, if you can't win, you have to root for losing. I can't do that so I was awfully torn for months. Now I just casually look at the results.
I can't wait for this season to be over. Too awful.
Good points. I purchased League Pass (and was a must have last year as we scraped towards getting a playoff berth) this year and I have to admit, haven't stayed up to watch the Lakers play for about 2 months now. I'll watch the 10 minute LP summary, and read DB's post-mortems, but this is the first season in my nearly 25+ years of Lakers fandom that I haven't gotten excited to watch a Lakers game.
But last season was just so painful after Kobe went down. Watching him post-game I knew it was serious and he knew it was serious too. _________________ From 2-10 to the Western Conference Finals
Last season, I was in shock: "This CANNOT be happening!!" This season, it was more of a sad, slow-acceptance that we stink, play zero defense, are setting franchise lows every week and are looking at a long, painful rebuild. Kobe getting injured again (on a freak play) just encapsulated all that.
The way the regular seasons ended also plays a part: last year, we had the fun/excitement of racing towards a playoff berth (comeback win against NO, road win against the Blazers etc.). This year is just a slow, painful death.
Last Season, because Laker fans already knew by now that Howard was unlikely to come back (really the writing was on the wall at the All Star game).
You knew the Lakers wasted two 1sts on Nash.
You knew the team didn't have a window.
This season actually has been a relief, because they are bad enough to get a high pick. Unfortunately they really needed to be one pick worse.... The top 5 picks have a lot more value... and we are just outside that... But #6 isn't bad. I can be happy with that at the end of the day. Quite an incredible feat for a team that was basically .500 after it's first 20 games. _________________ How can I get a copy of a Laker game played on Sunday, March 11, 2001 Sonics/Lakers? If you know PM me please
My most painful Laker moments were about losing in the finals: Magic and Byron both pulling hammies; the almost 4-peat collapse against Detroit; the wimp out against the KG Celtics; and for the oldtimers -- the Don Nelson shot bouncing whacky off the rim at the buzzer. The Sampson buzzer beater in the playoffs was pretty bad too, especially in person.
When you have this many injuries for 2 consecutive years, I think you just have to shake your head and chalk it up to basketball karma. We've been so good and lucky and blessed for so many decades. You you just have to accept a little bit of down time and believe that we'll make our way back to the top, just like we've always done.
Last season easily. Barely finishing above .500, getting bounced in the 1st round, losing Kobe to a catastrophic injury, having Dwight walk away for nothing rather than trading him at the deadline. All of this coming on the heels of a season some were predicting would end with us winning the title.
I would say this season has been a BLESSING compared to last season (if we get a top 3 pick). We were not expected to be a championship contender, so the losses don't hurt me much at all. Last year was much more painful because I actually believed we would be playing in the finals. This year I knew was a stop-gap season till this summer when we would have cap space. If anything the fact this year has been so bad is actually GOOD because it gave us one more asset (a high 1st round pick). If this pick turns out to be top 3, then this season will be more than worth it and easily better than last.
The worst thing we could've done is have this year been just like last year. Be a middling team that limps into the 8th seed just to get swept by the Spurs. At least now we have some hope that the ping pong balls can land us a franchise changing player going foward.
Joined: 17 May 2013 Posts: 10949 Location: I wish I knew
Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2014 7:14 am Post subject:
This season for sure...
here's something people don't realize.... if we had kept D12 we could have built on our last season post- AG surge.... but since we basically overhauled our team with a bunch of 1-year deals.... it changed our approach.....
all you hope from this team is entertaining basketball..... but giving up 140+ points is not entertaining and not funny.
Joined: 14 Jul 2006 Posts: 46878 Location: Coming soon and striking at your borders.
Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2014 7:20 am Post subject:
This season, by far.
Wasted potential sucks, but at least the team was relevant last season. This season was over in December and we've been twiddling our thumbs waiting for the lottery ever since. I'd rather lose and go out with a whimper than be irrelevant.
Also, rooting for a higher pick is just wack and is a situation I hope doesn't happen again soon. (bleep) this piece of (bleep) season. _________________ *sighs*
Joined: 17 May 2013 Posts: 10949 Location: I wish I knew
Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2014 7:25 am Post subject:
City_Dawg wrote:
This season, by far.
Wasted potential sucks, but at least the team was relevant last season. This season was over in December and we've been twiddling our thumbs waiting for the lottery ever since. I'd rather lose and go out with a whimper than be irrelevant.
Also, rooting for a higher pick is just wack and is a situation I hope doesn't happen again soon. (bleep) this piece of (bleep) season.
This is true, rooting for loses is one of the worse things a sports fan can do..... I already know how Dr. Buss would have felt if he saw fans rooting for loses..... he would be upset.
I know the poll is asking which of your children you hate the most, but good points all throughout.
This season has just been a slow, inevitable dance in a burning ship. I was prepared somewhat for this. _________________ From 2-10 to the Western Conference Finals
This season hasn't been painful at all for me. I knew coming in that this roster wasn't a contender. The only thing that has been painful is realizing that we are so close to a top pick to help speed up a rebuild, but yet it seems like we may even screw that up and now leave it up to ping pong balls. With Kobe coming off of the achilles injury, Nash needing to retire, Pau being Pau, and a cast of journeymen, this team was never any better than a fringe playoff team if everything went perfectly. Without injuries I felt this team was a 35-40 win team. _________________ "It's just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up."-The Greatest
Last season had hope; this season has had none. Just the hope a high draft pick to be gained after months of depressing losses. _________________ Chick Hearn and Vin Scully. How lucky are we?
Last season since we were expected to be some juggernaut team but ended up being first round fodder for the Spurs.
I didn't expect much this season and plus i'm looking forward to having a top 5 draft pick and loads of capspace going into the future for the first time as a Laker fan (Was not alive yet for the drafting of Magic, Worthy, etc lol)
Last edited by rybee on Wed Apr 09, 2014 10:04 am; edited 1 time in total
Recency effect will cause most people to vote for this year over last.
But I can tell you that if I had the choice between acquiring a slew of help that SHOULD put us in contender status and instead the team barely makes the playoffs and gets swept in the first round...
Or a team that was supposed to win 38 games at best (in my mind) and will win around 30 instead ...
Lat year at least provided hope at times. This year, any hope that remained was destroyed by the sure bet injuries, the MDA vs (insert player), Nash decaying before our eyes, Kobe virtually missing the entire year, Phil drama, FO drama, the constant beat downs and the seldom chance to root.
Last year, even when Kobe went down, there was hope of a faster recovery...
this year, reality hit.
this year was the year I learned to stop believing in Santa Clause.
Last season. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong culminating in Kobe's Achilles injury. That set everything up for this season's disaster which I saw as a likely outcome entering this season.
Joined: 27 Jul 2004 Posts: 18190 Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2014 9:07 am Post subject:
Last season there was at least hope we could turn things around. This year hope left the building months ago. _________________ "Suck it up. Don't be a baby. Do your job." - Kobe Bryant
Last season was more disappointing and its not even close. We started with very real championship aspirations but one bad coaching hire stopped all the positive momentum we had built for the last few decades and put the franchise in a deep hole I wonder if we will ever get out of.
Last season was hard evidence of decisions being made out of fear and incompetence instead of choices being made ultimately guided by the best way to maintain a championship lineage. 2012 was brutal and I feel if we never see another championship before I die, I will remember that season as when everything fell apart. After that trainwreck, I did not expect much from the Lakers but it turned out to be much worse than I imagined. But by that time, my heart was already broken so it wasn't so bad. _________________ IM THE GREATEST HITTER IN THE WORLD!!!1!
Last season by a mile. First and foremost, we lost Dr Buss. Adding to that, we lost Nash in the 2nd game of the season, watched Dwight struggle to fit in and wasted a first team all-nba season by Bryant when we should have been killing teams. Having personnaly gone to gm 4 against SA watching Howard absolutely bail on his team with an early 2nd half get-me-outta-here 2nd tech, it will not only be the indellible image of who Howard is as a teammate, but the cherry on top of the most disappionting season in memory.
As for this year, everyone knew LA wasn't a contender and as tough as it's been watching loss after loss, landing a high lotto pick in a draft this good is progress. Some of the younger players got solid minutes which helps development. At least it's progress. _________________ Austin Reaves keeps his game tight, like Kobe Bryant on game night.
Last season easily. I don't see how anyone can pick this year. Last year the Lakers didn't meet expectations of what was supposed to be a least a WCF/Finals appearance.
This year the Lakers would have been lucky to make the playoffs, in which case, they should tank.
I'm actually having more enjoyment watching games this year because of lower expectations, instead of watching a team not meeting them.
With that said, i would still rather go through last season, with the exceptions of course, rather than this one if the out comes were unknown. Far more difficult to watch a team that falls well short of their capabilities. _________________ "Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships."
- Michael Jordan
Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2014 9:17 am Post subject: Re: More Painful Season: This or the Previous Season?
yinoma2001 wrote:
So, which season was more painful for you? This or the last?
Definitely last season.
I didn't pretend to know how Howard, Gasol, Nash, and Kobe would mesh together, but there was a genuine sense of excitement and hope. And that all crashed and burn.
This season, with Kobe starting on the injured list; Howard gone, and Nash and Gasol having injury issues, I expected this to be a terrible season that we would write off as we began the rebuilding process.
Without a doubt, this season has been a worse-case scenario of everything that could go wrong did go wrong (primarily injuries), but it was within the range of possibilities I expected. I didn't think we'd make the playoffs. And I thought we'd have a terrible defense.
Joined: 23 Jun 2005 Posts: 6054 Location: My own little piece of reality
Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2014 9:25 am Post subject:
I'd say last season because it was a shock how bad the team was, I expected more. And the shock of Kobe going down and Dr. Buss passing.
This season I didn't expect as much, it's been a long, slow painful march of bad games but kind of a dull ache rather than the sharp stabbing pains of last season. _________________ “There is always light if only we're brave enough to see it, if only we're brave enough to be it.” --Amanda Gorman
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