Laker Rebuild: Everything Broke Wrong; Everything Broke Right
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 5:47 pm    Post subject: Laker Rebuild: Everything Broke Wrong; Everything Broke Right

The Lakers have been an enigma over the last several years. For most, it certainly has felt foreign watching a team so accustomed to excellence seem so directionless. At first it was as though they couldn't win, even with the likes of four future hall of fame players, and then it felt like they shouldn't even be trying, given the way the draft funnels talent into the league. The veto of a trade to acquire Chris Paul, the unceremonious and unexpeditious departure of Phil Jackson, the passing of longtime owner Dr. Jerry Buss, the unsuccessful hiring of both Mike Brown and Mike D’Antoni, the fractured public image of the surviving Buss Children who manage the franchise, Steve Nash suffering a broken leg in his second game of a three year contract, the loss of Bryant to a torn Achilles, losing prized rookie Julius Randle to a broken leg in the first game of his rookie season, the sight of several high profile players passing on the opportunity to join the Lakers in free agency and the election of both Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol to sign elsewhere for less money, all contributed to what has been a very tumultuous four-plus years in Lakerland. It’s as though everything that could break against the Lakers has broken fantastically against them. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Save the passing of Dr. Buss, everything mentioned above has less to do with the current state of the Lakers than you think and in many ways those labors, along with some patient, strategic management, have helped fast track the revival of the once proud franchise. In 2011 a new NBA paradigm was forged largely by a contingent of NBA owners who were committed to rebalancing the competitive landscape. While protecting small market teams from the advantages held by large market teams was the common refrain, the shift in the system may have been more about some particular teams emerging from the role of the “Washington Generals” to the Lakers’ “Globetrotters”. The owners revised and renegotiated both the Collective Bargaining Agreement with the players union and the Joint Venture agreement amongst themselves to diminish or eliminate what they saw as unfair competitive advantages for some teams. At best, the poster child for those advantaged teams was the Lakers. At worst, it was the Lakers themselves the owners were looking to diminish.

The timing was precarious for the Lakers, who were due the championship hangover of an aging roster and bloated payroll that comes with a multi-year title run. Add to that the health complications suffered by Dr. Buss and resulting change in management, decreed by Dr. Buss to remain a family affair, and the transactional details become less and less the true narrative. It’s the big picture you see.

Lost in that made-for-TV shuffle is that Laker management has navigated the new rules and prevailing circumstances to a relative advantage. They appear to be nearing the addition of a second foundational piece through the draft to join some other quality young talent creatively collected by GM Mitch Kupchak. You could make a case that became available to them because Bryant once again has missed most of the season and that even Randle’s injury helped point to further building through the draft. I suppose at the very least, LA retains plausible deniability that they don’t embrace tanking as a strategy given those injuries were out of their control. None the less having high impact players on rookie deals helps to manage payroll and opens opportunity to further improve in free agency. In other words, they may have caught a break. They negotiated an excellent regional TV deal with Time Warner sure to keep the coffers open for high cost player acquisitions leading up to a time when the National TV deal is going to loosen, and in practice almost eliminate, the constraints of the Salary Cap. In the last several years there were any number of prominent players who passed on the opportunity to get market or near-market rate with the Lakers. It’s a lazy conclusion drawn all too often by talking heads and frustrated fans to assume that free agent disinterest was a vote of no confidence in management as it was far more about where in the rebuild process LA was at the time. There may be no better place to win, but there’s also no harder place to lose.

The public discord and power struggle amongst the Buss kids who themselves were unaccustomed to this kind of losing helped feed the persona that the Lakers were dying from within. But the truth is management has made some very shrewd long term decisions while remaining opportunistic in the short run, while also maintaining their integrity in how they've dealt with their players including Nash, Bryant and Pau. That last point cannot be overstated as it gets easy to rationalize taking the easy way out when under the type of pressure Laker management has faced during the first half of this decade. Players and their agents are well aware of how LA made Bryant the highest paid player in the league sight unseen after the first major injury of his career, and how they stood by Nash even when the outcome of his acquisition has added to their challenges, and even Pau, who despite often finding himself on the trade block was offered a significant contract in free agency that he decided to forgo.

Nothing is certain in the NBA. There are 30 teams vying to be the last standing. There are less and less patsies out there with billionaires buying up teams, technologies being employed to secure any advantage, revenue sharing and a financial rising tide making it more feasible for every team to spend (in addition to the aforementioned system features). Kevin Durant can’t sign with everybody. But the Lakers have survived their crucible and for anyone plugged-in to what resides in the realm of possibilities sees they have positioned themselves expertly and with a little luck, will be atop the mountain sooner than you think.

Go Lakers!
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 5:50 pm    Post subject:

Yep, the future is brighter than the present. And we have the guy managing the rebuild that I trust more than any, Mr. Kupchak.
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 5:54 pm    Post subject:

Very true, bad breaks can sometimes open the perfect opportunity to strike and therefore rise very quickly out of what we thought was going to be a long arduous process.

I hope the Lakers make the right choice(s) not only in the upcoming draft but future player and coach decisions looming.
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 5:58 pm    Post subject:

The franchise should be ready to pivot from Kobe. I'm hoping he goes out next year on his own terms and we have a young core of guys sopping every last drop of Kobe.
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 6:24 pm    Post subject:

Lakers are going to need some luck. Let's hope first they snag a top 5 lottery pick on May 19th. This summer during free agency don't do anything stupid! Be patient and conservative even if it means possibly missing the playoffs one more season. Hopefully Kobe will retire at the end of next season. Then with the salary cap expected to explode and rise to approximately $90 Million for the 2016-17 season hope they can make a big splash in free agency or trades. They should have a ton of money to spend if they play their cards right. The problem I see on the horizon is an almost certain labor strike of the CBA for the 2017-18 season when both sides can opt out. Adam Silver has already gone on record saying he wants more of a hard salary cap to make the playing field even for small market teams. It could be a very ugly fight by both sides and when the dust settles it could affect the Lakers in negative ways. Hopefully the basketball Gods will be good to the Lakers. Let's hope for the best and hopefully the Lakers will climb that mountain top again real soon!
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Last edited by 32 on Sun Mar 22, 2015 7:27 am; edited 1 time in total
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 6:25 pm    Post subject:

venturalakersfan wrote:
Yep, the future is brighter than the present. And we have the guy managing the rebuild that I trust more than any, Mr. Kupchak.




I entirely trust Mitch Kupchak and Jim Buss. The Lakers are in good hands and it seems they'll turn the ship around.
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 6:45 pm    Post subject:

randle has potential.

Honestly, i think if we can get our hands on DA Russell, we have a VERY GOOD two young talents to build around... both have all start NBA potential.
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 4:20 am    Post subject:

In 2007-2008 the Miami Heat had a team of D Wade, Shaq and Zo, coached by Pat Riley, and proceeded to go 15-67 on the season (10-41 in games that Wade played).

Despite drafting a lottery bust immediately afterwards, they made the playoffs the next year and 2 years after that the Finals. And after another year, back to back titles.

I'm not going to draw any real parallels between their situation and this Lakers situation, other than that things can turn around in a hurry if you're lucky and you play most of your cards right.
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 9:05 am    Post subject: Re: Laker Rebuild: Everything Broke Wrong; Everything Broke Right

Laker's Fan wrote:
The Lakers have been an enigma over the last several years. For most, it certainly has felt foreign watching a team so accustomed to excellence seem so directionless. At first it was as though they couldn't win, even with the likes of four future hall of fame players, and then it felt like they shouldn't even be trying, given the way the draft funnels talent into the league. The veto of a trade to acquire Chris Paul, the unceremonious and unexpeditious departure of Phil Jackson, the passing of longtime owner Dr. Jerry Buss, the unsuccessful hiring of both Mike Brown and Mike D’Antoni, the fractured public image of the surviving Buss Children who manage the franchise, Steve Nash suffering a broken leg in his second game of a three year contract, the loss of Bryant to a torn Achilles, losing prized rookie Julius Randle to a broken leg in the first game of his rookie season, the sight of several high profile players passing on the opportunity to join the Lakers in free agency and the election of both Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol to sign elsewhere for less money, all contributed to what has been a very tumultuous four-plus years in Lakerland. It’s as though everything that could break against the Lakers has broken fantastically against them. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Save the passing of Dr. Buss, everything mentioned above has less to do with the current state of the Lakers than you think and in many ways those labors, along with some patient, strategic management, have helped fast track the revival of the once proud franchise. In 2011 a new NBA paradigm was forged largely by a contingent of NBA owners who were committed to rebalancing the competitive landscape. While protecting small market teams from the advantages held by large market teams was the common refrain, the shift in the system may have been more about some particular teams emerging from the role of the “Washington Generals” to the Lakers’ “Globetrotters”. The owners revised and renegotiated both the Collective Bargaining Agreement with the players union and the Joint Venture agreement amongst themselves to diminish or eliminate what they saw as unfair competitive advantages for some teams. At best, the poster child for those advantaged teams was the Lakers. At worst, it was the Lakers themselves the owners were looking to diminish.

The timing was precarious for the Lakers, who were due the championship hangover of an aging roster and bloated payroll that comes with a multi-year title run. Add to that the health complications suffered by Dr. Buss and resulting change in management, decreed by Dr. Buss to remain a family affair, and the transactional details become less and less the true narrative. It’s the big picture you see.

Lost in that made-for-TV shuffle is that Laker management has navigated the new rules and prevailing circumstances to a relative advantage. They appear to be nearing the addition of a second foundational piece through the draft to join some other quality young talent creatively collected by GM Mitch Kupchak. You could make a case that became available to them because Bryant once again has missed most of the season and that even Randle’s injury helped point to further building through the draft. I suppose at the very least, LA retains plausible deniability that they don’t embrace tanking as a strategy given those injuries were out of their control. None the less having high impact players on rookie deals helps to manage payroll and opens opportunity to further improve in free agency. In other words, they may have caught a break. They negotiated an excellent regional TV deal with Time Warner sure to keep the coffers open for high cost player acquisitions leading up to a time when the National TV deal is going to loosen, and in practice almost eliminate, the constraints of the Salary Cap. In the last several years there were any number of prominent players who passed on the opportunity to get market or near-market rate with the Lakers. It’s a lazy conclusion drawn all too often by talking heads and frustrated fans to assume that free agent disinterest was a vote of no confidence in management as it was far more about where in the rebuild process LA was at the time. There may be no better place to win, but there’s also no harder place to lose.

The public discord and power struggle amongst the Buss kids who themselves were unaccustomed to this kind of losing helped feed the persona that the Lakers were dying from within. But the truth is management has made some very shrewd long term decisions while remaining opportunistic in the short run, while also maintaining their integrity in how they've dealt with their players including Nash, Bryant and Pau. That last point cannot be overstated as it gets easy to rationalize taking the easy way out when under the type of pressure Laker management has faced during the first half of this decade. Players and their agents are well aware of how LA made Bryant the highest paid player in the league sight unseen after the first major injury of his career, and how they stood by Nash even when the outcome of his acquisition has added to their challenges, and even Pau, who despite often finding himself on the trade block was offered a significant contract in free agency that he decided to forgo.

Nothing is certain in the NBA. There are 30 teams vying to be the last standing. There are less and less patsies out there with billionaires buying up teams, technologies being employed to secure any advantage, revenue sharing and a financial rising tide making it more feasible for every team to spend (in addition to the aforementioned system features). Kevin Durant can’t sign with everybody. But the Lakers have survived their crucible and for anyone plugged-in to what resides in the realm of possibilities sees they have positioned themselves expertly and with a little luck, will be atop the mountain sooner than you think.

Go Lakers!


this is bs. the cba information is correct....the rest of this is bs. what shrewed moves were made? the cba is here....its not going away but we have front office living in the past. Get new blood in here that can work under the new cba... and stop ignoring it.
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 9:28 am    Post subject:

32 wrote:
Lakers are going to need some luck. Let's hope first they snag a top 5 lottery pick on May 19th. This summer during free agency don't do anything stupid! Be patient and conservative even if it means possibly missing the playoffs one more season. Hopefully Kobe will retire at the end of next season. Then with the salary cap expected to explode and rise to approximately $90 Million for the 2016-17 season hope they can make a big splash in free agency or trades. They should have a ton of money to spend if they play their cards right. The problem I see on the horizon is an almost certain labor strike of the CBA for the 2017-18 season when both sides can opt out. Adam Silver has already gone on record saying he wants more of a hard salary cap to make the playing field even for small market teams. It could be a very ugly fight by both sides and when the dust settles it could affect the Lakers in negative ways. Hopefully the basketball Gods will be good to the Lakers. Let's hope for the best and hopefully the Lakers will climb that mountain top again real soon!



Why do so many people hope that Kobe retires after next year? He's still easily a top 20 player, the only thing he was struggling with was his shot , hence his FG%, which could have had a lot to do with his shoulder, in any case he is still a star/all star level player and if he comes back at 10-15 mil a year and we have some good talent on this team i would LOVE to see him back for one more push at a title, since he is the player that could push us over the top to get us there. And since the salary cap is going up I don't see why so many are so eager to push him out the door
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 10:18 am    Post subject:

evetssteve10 wrote:
32 wrote:
Lakers are going to need some luck. Let's hope first they snag a top 5 lottery pick on May 19th. This summer during free agency don't do anything stupid! Be patient and conservative even if it means possibly missing the playoffs one more season. Hopefully Kobe will retire at the end of next season. Then with the salary cap expected to explode and rise to approximately $90 Million for the 2016-17 season hope they can make a big splash in free agency or trades. They should have a ton of money to spend if they play their cards right. The problem I see on the horizon is an almost certain labor strike of the CBA for the 2017-18 season when both sides can opt out. Adam Silver has already gone on record saying he wants more of a hard salary cap to make the playing field even for small market teams. It could be a very ugly fight by both sides and when the dust settles it could affect the Lakers in negative ways. Hopefully the basketball Gods will be good to the Lakers. Let's hope for the best and hopefully the Lakers will climb that mountain top again real soon!


Why do so many people hope that Kobe retires after next year? He's still easily a top 20 player, the only thing he was struggling with was his shot , hence his FG%, which could have had a lot to do with his shoulder, in any case he is still a star/all star level player and if he comes back at 10-15 mil a year and we have some good talent on this team i would LOVE to see him back for one more push at a title, since he is the player that could push us over the top to get us there. And since the salary cap is going up I don't see why so many are so eager to push him out the door

Sorry, but not even close. He is going to be 37 and his body is breaking down. He has had three major injuries in the last 3 seasons. He couldn't even make it to all star break the last two seasons. He is no longer an all star caliber player and he is nowhere near a max player anymore. Father time has got to him.
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 10:20 am    Post subject:

Kobe isn't close to a top 20 player anymore because he can't play 70-75 games. Can't continually depend on him at ages 37-38 to be the top primary scorer. Love what he's meant to the team but I do hope he retires after next season.
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 10:23 am    Post subject: Re: Laker Rebuild: Everything Broke Wrong; Everything Broke Right

Laker's Fan wrote:
The Lakers have been an enigma over the last several years. For most, it certainly has felt foreign watching a team so accustomed to excellence seem so directionless. At first it was as though they couldn't win, even with the likes of four future hall of fame players, and then it felt like they shouldn't even be trying, given the way the draft funnels talent into the league. The veto of a trade to acquire Chris Paul, the unceremonious and unexpeditious departure of Phil Jackson, the passing of longtime owner Dr. Jerry Buss, the unsuccessful hiring of both Mike Brown and Mike D’Antoni, the fractured public image of the surviving Buss Children who manage the franchise, Steve Nash suffering a broken leg in his second game of a three year contract, the loss of Bryant to a torn Achilles, losing prized rookie Julius Randle to a broken leg in the first game of his rookie season, the sight of several high profile players passing on the opportunity to join the Lakers in free agency and the election of both Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol to sign elsewhere for less money, all contributed to what has been a very tumultuous four-plus years in Lakerland. It’s as though everything that could break against the Lakers has broken fantastically against them. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Save the passing of Dr. Buss, everything mentioned above has less to do with the current state of the Lakers than you think and in many ways those labors, along with some patient, strategic management, have helped fast track the revival of the once proud franchise. In 2011 a new NBA paradigm was forged largely by a contingent of NBA owners who were committed to rebalancing the competitive landscape. While protecting small market teams from the advantages held by large market teams was the common refrain, the shift in the system may have been more about some particular teams emerging from the role of the “Washington Generals” to the Lakers’ “Globetrotters”. The owners revised and renegotiated both the Collective Bargaining Agreement with the players union and the Joint Venture agreement amongst themselves to diminish or eliminate what they saw as unfair competitive advantages for some teams. At best, the poster child for those advantaged teams was the Lakers. At worst, it was the Lakers themselves the owners were looking to diminish.

The timing was precarious for the Lakers, who were due the championship hangover of an aging roster and bloated payroll that comes with a multi-year title run. Add to that the health complications suffered by Dr. Buss and resulting change in management, decreed by Dr. Buss to remain a family affair, and the transactional details become less and less the true narrative. It’s the big picture you see.

Lost in that made-for-TV shuffle is that Laker management has navigated the new rules and prevailing circumstances to a relative advantage. They appear to be nearing the addition of a second foundational piece through the draft to join some other quality young talent creatively collected by GM Mitch Kupchak. You could make a case that became available to them because Bryant once again has missed most of the season and that even Randle’s injury helped point to further building through the draft. I suppose at the very least, LA retains plausible deniability that they don’t embrace tanking as a strategy given those injuries were out of their control. None the less having high impact players on rookie deals helps to manage payroll and opens opportunity to further improve in free agency. In other words, they may have caught a break. They negotiated an excellent regional TV deal with Time Warner sure to keep the coffers open for high cost player acquisitions leading up to a time when the National TV deal is going to loosen, and in practice almost eliminate, the constraints of the Salary Cap. In the last several years there were any number of prominent players who passed on the opportunity to get market or near-market rate with the Lakers. It’s a lazy conclusion drawn all too often by talking heads and frustrated fans to assume that free agent disinterest was a vote of no confidence in management as it was far more about where in the rebuild process LA was at the time. There may be no better place to win, but there’s also no harder place to lose.

The public discord and power struggle amongst the Buss kids who themselves were unaccustomed to this kind of losing helped feed the persona that the Lakers were dying from within. But the truth is management has made some very shrewd long term decisions while remaining opportunistic in the short run, while also maintaining their integrity in how they've dealt with their players including Nash, Bryant and Pau. That last point cannot be overstated as it gets easy to rationalize taking the easy way out when under the type of pressure Laker management has faced during the first half of this decade. Players and their agents are well aware of how LA made Bryant the highest paid player in the league sight unseen after the first major injury of his career, and how they stood by Nash even when the outcome of his acquisition has added to their challenges, and even Pau, who despite often finding himself on the trade block was offered a significant contract in free agency that he decided to forgo.

Nothing is certain in the NBA. There are 30 teams vying to be the last standing. There are less and less patsies out there with billionaires buying up teams, technologies being employed to secure any advantage, revenue sharing and a financial rising tide making it more feasible for every team to spend (in addition to the aforementioned system features). Kevin Durant can’t sign with everybody. But the Lakers have survived their crucible and for anyone plugged-in to what resides in the realm of possibilities sees they have positioned themselves expertly and with a little luck, will be atop the mountain sooner than you think.

Go Lakers!
They treated Gasol like a piece of ****. No wonder he left. He was disrespected from 2011 onwards. The guy was a major part in why we won in 2010 and they left him go for nothing despite being offered Rondo and Josh Smith at the time. Both of whom would have upgraded the team at the time of course. They failed to keep Dwight and they couldnt get Melo last summer both of whom have turned out to be great moves by the way in hindsight but this summer is crucial. We cant strike out 3 times on Big time Free Agents no way man.Its a huge summer ahead
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 10:24 am    Post subject:

a lot of bad mistakes made in the last few years. Hopefully these are just the growing pains of the new FO. This offseason should tell a lot about the direction of the franchise.
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 10:35 am    Post subject:

Great post. I feel the same way. Most of the challenges for me the last two seasons have been ignoring the over-reactionary spoiled fans who don't understand EVERYONE has to rebuild eventually. I'm thankful for the 5 championships I've seen and have faith Kupchek can rebuild us again. Boston goes decades between championship. We've never gone more than 10 years I believe so instead of constantly being a downer and showing my butt I'm content to watch the process again. Makes it all the more satisfying. This 90mil cap year is going to be fantastic for us. Talk about superteam building. The small-market teams are never going to want to pay that much. Looking forward to seeing how Mitch plays it.
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 11:06 am    Post subject:

Instead of feeling bad about where we've been the last few years, I choose to focus on the fact that we won 5 titles since 2000. No other major pro sports team has done that. We were extremely lucky to have Kobe and Phil all through that dynasty. As long as the FO gets its act together, it will be refreshing to watch the rebuilding process once Kobe retires. Just reaching the first or second round of the playoffs will be a successful year for us at that point for a little while.
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 11:44 am    Post subject:

We got lucky we didn't get Howard or Carmelo. Two long huge contracts to two players who are physically not well. I was hoping for Durant in the future, but he seems to fragile now.
Have to hope for a young superstar in the draft.
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 12:00 pm    Post subject:

I think it's a great post as well. Lakers have been the victims of some incredibly bad luck. But we've also been the beneficiaries of some incredibly
good luck over the years too. So I guess we were due.

I hate that Jim Buss has become a scapegoat, and a power-hungry Magic Johnson is always ready to make Buss look bad, to increase his chance at the throne.

But the truth is that the Lakers made a shrewd move in moving Bynum for Howard: Bynum's no longer in the league. And they dodged a bullet in not re-signing Howard: it's clear that he has ZERO heart & his body is in decline.

They also dodged a bullet in not signing Carmelo. As of right now, Carmelo's at home watching basketball, just like you and me.

The lone mistake which the "new regime" made was the Nash trade: the reason why we're on pins & needles for another year or so. But even Jerry West traded Sam Perkins for Doug Christie. No one's perfect.

As for Gasol, it's simple: Gasol got a HUGE contract after we won the championship, then he didn't live up to the huge expectations that come with the money. In the salary-cap era, he became the logical odd man out, as his contract became an albatross. I'm grateful for what Gasol did for this team, but IMO, he wilted under the pressure of the contract. Didn't return the money, though, oddly enough.

I think the Lakers came up on Randle. He was clearly a top-3 talent, but sank in the draft for some silly reason. He's shown that he may have the heart, desire, and dedication to potentially be a special player.

We get one more promising young player (God forbid we get lucky and keep next year's pick too), and we all of a sudden look a lot more attractive to the top-shelf free agents. So we're on the road back. Just have faith.
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 12:37 pm    Post subject:

iceberg01 wrote:
I think it's a great post as well. Lakers have been the victims of some incredibly bad luck. But we've also been the beneficiaries of some incredibly
good luck over the years too. So I guess we were due.

I hate that Jim Buss has become a scapegoat, and a power-hungry Magic Johnson is always ready to make Buss look bad, to increase his chance at the throne.

But the truth is that the Lakers made a shrewd move in moving Bynum for Howard: Bynum's no longer in the league. And they dodged a bullet in not re-signing Howard: it's clear that he has ZERO heart & his body is in decline.

They also dodged a bullet in not signing Carmelo. As of right now, Carmelo's at home watching basketball, just like you and me.

The lone mistake which the "new regime" made was the Nash trade: the reason why we're on pins & needles for another year or so. But even Jerry West traded Sam Perkins for Doug Christie. No one's perfect.

As for Gasol, it's simple: Gasol got a HUGE contract after we won the championship, then he didn't live up to the huge expectations that come with the money. In the salary-cap era, he became the logical odd man out, as his contract became an albatross. I'm grateful for what Gasol did for this team, but IMO, he wilted under the pressure of the contract. Didn't return the money, though, oddly enough.

I think the Lakers came up on Randle. He was clearly a top-3 talent, but sank in the draft for some silly reason. He's shown that he may have the heart, desire, and dedication to potentially be a special player.

We get one more promising young player (God forbid we get lucky and keep next year's pick too), and we all of a sudden look a lot more attractive to the top-shelf free agents. So we're on the road back. Just have faith.

The ownership needs to be patient. Don't sign anyone this summer just to say you signed somebody. They need to maintain cap room for quality free agents that they will get in the future once they collect the right talent. They arguably got three of the top twenty talents from the 2014 draft class: Randle, Clarkson and Black (who spent some weeks on the top ten of the NBA Rookie Ladder, made it as high as sixth in mid January and is listed--with Dante Exum--as fighting to get back on the list). If they can collect talent this year like they did last year, March 2016 should be an interesting time on Lakersground.
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Last edited by Annihilator on Sun Mar 22, 2015 1:09 pm; edited 3 times in total
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mhan00
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 12:54 pm    Post subject:

evetssteve10 wrote:
32 wrote:
Lakers are going to need some luck. Let's hope first they snag a top 5 lottery pick on May 19th. This summer during free agency don't do anything stupid! Be patient and conservative even if it means possibly missing the playoffs one more season. Hopefully Kobe will retire at the end of next season. Then with the salary cap expected to explode and rise to approximately $90 Million for the 2016-17 season hope they can make a big splash in free agency or trades. They should have a ton of money to spend if they play their cards right. The problem I see on the horizon is an almost certain labor strike of the CBA for the 2017-18 season when both sides can opt out. Adam Silver has already gone on record saying he wants more of a hard salary cap to make the playing field even for small market teams. It could be a very ugly fight by both sides and when the dust settles it could affect the Lakers in negative ways. Hopefully the basketball Gods will be good to the Lakers. Let's hope for the best and hopefully the Lakers will climb that mountain top again real soon!



Why do so many people hope that Kobe retires after next year? He's still easily a top 20 player, the only thing he was struggling with was his shot , hence his FG%, which could have had a lot to do with his shoulder, in any case he is still a star/all star level player and if he comes back at 10-15 mil a year and we have some good talent on this team i would LOVE to see him back for one more push at a title, since he is the player that could push us over the top to get us there. And since the salary cap is going up I don't see why so many are so eager to push him out the door


He's nowhere close to a top 20 player since he can't stay on the floor right now. He's suffered major, season ending injuries each of the last three years. I would LOVE for Kobe to stay longer, but it would have to be at a reasonable contract and in a reasonable role. There is no way the Lakers can plan or pay for him to be a centerpiece of the team, not with his age and recent history. For the right price and role, he'd be invaluable and it would just be great to have a couple more years seeing him play. But I don't think Kobe accepts a small contract or a much, much reduced role, so he probably retires.
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venturalakersfan
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 3:18 pm    Post subject:

evetssteve10 wrote:
32 wrote:
Lakers are going to need some luck. Let's hope first they snag a top 5 lottery pick on May 19th. This summer during free agency don't do anything stupid! Be patient and conservative even if it means possibly missing the playoffs one more season. Hopefully Kobe will retire at the end of next season. Then with the salary cap expected to explode and rise to approximately $90 Million for the 2016-17 season hope they can make a big splash in free agency or trades. They should have a ton of money to spend if they play their cards right. The problem I see on the horizon is an almost certain labor strike of the CBA for the 2017-18 season when both sides can opt out. Adam Silver has already gone on record saying he wants more of a hard salary cap to make the playing field even for small market teams. It could be a very ugly fight by both sides and when the dust settles it could affect the Lakers in negative ways. Hopefully the basketball Gods will be good to the Lakers. Let's hope for the best and hopefully the Lakers will climb that mountain top again real soon!



Why do so many people hope that Kobe retires after next year? He's still easily a top 20 player, the only thing he was struggling with was his shot , hence his FG%, which could have had a lot to do with his shoulder, in any case he is still a star/all star level player and if he comes back at 10-15 mil a year and we have some good talent on this team i would LOVE to see him back for one more push at a title, since he is the player that could push us over the top to get us there. And since the salary cap is going up I don't see why so many are so eager to push him out the door


I don't hope for Kobe to retire, but I am pretty sure he will. He can't physically answer the bell.
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 24, 2015 11:05 am    Post subject:

I'd like Kobe to finish out this year, provide some mentorship to the young players... and then bow out.

As much as I love Kobe, his body's quitting on him. And nothing lasts forever: I think this younger chapter of NBA free agents looks at the Lakers as "Kobe's team", and won't really commit to the idea of going to "someone else's team", especially an icon like Kobe, until he's out of the way, unfortunately.
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 24, 2015 12:46 pm    Post subject:

yinoma2001 wrote:
Kobe isn't close to a top 20 player anymore because he can't play 70-75 games. Can't continually depend on him at ages 37-38 to be the top primary scorer. Love what he's meant to the team but I do hope he retires after next season.


Even if he could play 70-75 games, he wouldn't rank anywhere close to the top 20. A player known as a shooter with a .477 TS%. Please, it's time for Lakers fans to get realistic.
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 24, 2015 12:53 pm    Post subject:

iceberg01 wrote:
I'd like Kobe to finish out this year, provide some mentorship to the young players... and then bow out.

As much as I love Kobe, his body's quitting on him. And nothing lasts forever: I think this younger chapter of NBA free agents looks at the Lakers as "Kobe's team", and won't really commit to the idea of going to "someone else's team", especially an icon like Kobe, until he's out of the way, unfortunately.


Sad but mostly true. Its especially true for the 2003 draft class. But I dont think a Westbrook or Durant would mind. They are built differently. They'd see the challenge Kobe would throw down on them.

Kobe has earned the right to retire whenever the hell he wants. 20 years, 5 championships, and being the greatest player in franchise gives you that right. I know Lakers paid him a ton, but trust me from the business side he made the franchise tons more for every $1 they spent him. Amazing ROI.

I think if Randle, JC, and top-5 pick can show him mental toughness and that fire that he posses, Kobe will sign a 1yr contract to be a facilitator, something ppl said he'd never do. Just to prove ppl wrong. He wants #6 and if its close you bet he'll be back.
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 24, 2015 1:36 pm    Post subject:

I also think it depends on how the Lakers look at the end of next year. If Kobe sees a good possibility to compete as a team for the ship, he might want to sign on.....hopefully at a reduced rate to see if #6 is attainable. Otherwise, I think he rides of into the Hollywood sunset.
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