Nothing will be more depressing than last season. Even if they finish with the worst record at least it will have been done with a focus on getting better down the road and developing winning principles. That's not a waste.
lol.....They won 17 games last year and still only finished with the second worst record. To finish with the worst record would mean that they'll be just as bad, if not worse since Philly will be better with the addition of Simmons alone. This whole "well at least we have a competent coach, competent system, and the young guys are developing better than they were under Byron" thing sounds nice and comforting, and may even have a very small semblance of truth to it, but unless there's some devastating injuries, finishing with an identical record to last year's will be enormously frustrating and disappointing. I have a hard time imagining the Lakers being that bad again under Luke, let alone with the young guys getting more experience under their belts, and with these new additions.
In 2012-13 the worst team won 20 games, second worst won 21, third worst was at 24. It is possible they can suck, even suck the most, and still have made an improvement over last season. In 2006-2007 the Grizzles were at the bottom with 22 wins.
Sorry, but no lol. Just no. I wouldn't be satisfied with the team making some simple, minimal improvement over last year, just so we can all sit here and say 'Well, hey. At least they got a little bit better.' That's complete crap. It's not just about improving. That's setting the bar way too low imo if you consider how terrible they were last year under Byron. It should be significant improvement. I actually think this team is talented, far more talented than even most of the fan base thinks.
At the very least, I expect them to be better than advertised. I would be a little surprised if the win total isn't in the early 30's, honestly. I know that sounds banjo crazy to a lot of folks, but I believe in the young talent on this team, and it's not because of the typical fan bias. And yes, I know the old adage "young teams typically don't win a lot of games.' But there's always gonna be exceptions that come around every once in awhile that challenges conventional wisdom, and I see no clear reasons to think this team can't be one of them. No, I'm not making any predictions, but I'm high enough on the talent to not be surprised if they turn out to be far better than projected.
I also believe heavily in the free agent additions that have been made. Deng will be an enormous upgrade (on both ends) over the 20th year, banged up Kobe. And how much of an upgrade Mozgov (assuming he'll be in 2015 form) will be over Hibbert goes without saying.
I believe in Luke and his staff as well. Even for a rookie coach, I expect him to be unbelievable for the young guys and for the progression of the team overall. This team won't finish with the worst record unless they never get a realistic shot due to never-ending injuries. _________________ “Christ did not die to forgive sinners who go on treasuring anything above seeing and savoring God. And people who would be happy in heaven if Christ were not there, will not be there."
- John Piper
Not good because the team with the worst record typically loses less than 20 games. And while I'm not wrapped up in wins and losses for this season, it would be a troubling signal of a lack of progress.
yea we would definitely take a step back if we win 20 games. I think all our youngsters improved upon last season. I hope the veterans that we sign can contribute. It would be nice if Deng can give us 15 and 8 reb/game. And Mozgov can give us like 10 and 10 too atleast.
Mosgov has never come close to averaging 10 and 10.
He has only averaged more than 7 rebounds once in his career and that was when he averaged 7.8. His best year was 10.6 & 6.9 and that was a few years back.
If we finish with worst record in the league, it would confirm my suspicions that alot of people on this forum severely overrate the Lakers young players.
I am not looking at the record of the team this upcoming season. We are a team with a new coach, new system, a lot of youth, who just lost the face of the franchise. There is always a chance we finish with worst record.
What I am looking at is a change in the culture of the team, the transition to a new team leader and face. I am looking for the young players of last year to show growth and improvement.
I think they need a year or two to play together, to understand the culture that Luke will be installing. They need experience and time together. I would like to see the team improve through the year.
I am expecting a lot more in the 2nd season of the new Lakers.
It would suck not to see enough improvement to be more competitive but youth doesn't win in the NBA and we need to stockpile as many young assets as we can.
This rebuild was always going to require multiple stages, and each stage might take several years.
Stage 1: build through the draft, get a competent coach, and implement rational (and modern) offensive & defensive systems. We're in the first year of stage 1
Stage 2: Improve enough in Stage 1 so that we are attractive enough to get top-tier free agents. Not the LBJ's, Durant's, Westbrooke, etc super star level, but the top guys just below that.
Stage 3: Improve enough in Stage 2 that we can attract the superstar level free agents.
It was a given that Stage 1 was going to require a minimum of 2-3 years, and we're in year 1. We got rid of Scott, who had no rational offensive or defensive systems at all - and for all practical purposes, we're starting from scratch with a lot of the roster made up of rookies or rookie equivalents (Russell & Randle with 1 year under BS doesn't really count for beans). They're going to have to learn a new system, learn how to play organized ball in the NBA, learn how to play together in a motion offense, etc.
I always predicted they'd finish in the bottom 6 teams in the league. Having them finish as the worst team wouldn't be surprising at all. At the same time, if they finished as the 8th worst team, that wouldn't surprise me at all either.
What I expect is that they try every night (no quit, no full-game garbage time like under BS), that they learn a lot and make progress, that they improve a lot as the season goes on, and Walton proves he can be a head coach in the NBA.
If they do that, they're setting themselves up to be more effective in year 2.
They are effectively in year1 of a multi-year, multi-stage rebuild process. I'm prepared for lots of losses. _________________ LBJ + AD = More rings
Never argue with a fool - listeners can't tell you apart
Wilt's unstoppable fadeaway: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8O9MgNfcGJA
NPZ's Magic Johnson mix: www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8Qbo0WqvOI
I'd like to believe that this team's floor is 25-30 Ws. If that can get us the worst record so be it, it'd leave us with great odds to retain our pick. However anything less than those totals would be very disappointing to me.
The first month will be a real test. We should have a good idea where we stand come Dec 1st _________________ "He's a Zen master, so he can speak to you, and he doesn't need a microphone; you can hear him in your head, 'Ron, don't shoot, don't shoot.' Whatever, pow, three. I love the Zen, though."
The first month will be a real test. We should have a good idea where we stand come Dec 1st
Not necessarily. Even if we play badly in the first month, it could still be due to chemistry and unfamiliar with the new system. I would give them more time.
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