Would you rather have Harrell or Dwight Howard?

[CandyCanes]

I wish we could have had both. I’ll miss Dwight’s defense and toughness.
_________________
Damian Lillard shatters Dwight Coward's championship dreams:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZrbEjppnd4

[lakersken80]

I wanted him to stay but sometimes you gotta let them go if they aren't dead set to play for us. Not to mention we gotta refresh the roster with enough hungry guys who have never won a ring. Harrell is not a bad addition considering we made the Clippers weaker.

[BandwagonLBJhopper]

Both

[Halflife]

If season plays all 72 without stoppage I think a younger guy who can spell a couple positions is a better fit. Would love both

[Jordan-esque]

[a2j1m]

Harrell but Dwight for only 3m is a steal

[a2j1m]

Harrell but Dwight for only 3m is a steal

[Four Decade Bandwagon]

Harrell. Not even close.

Once the season gets going and fans see what Harrell adds every single instead of focusing on what he doesn’t he will become a fan favorite.

Lakers will miss Howard’s defense but this is going to be a different team. The parts will fit differently.

[LakerMindLA]

The question isn’t Dwight for Harrell the question is Harrell for potentially Dwight, Morris KCP and Bradley.

[LakerDYnasty72]

My growing awareness that the league will be so different this time around, which means sentimentalism cannot be the deciding factor. I think Pelinka is viewing the team through such a clear lens, and making decisions accordingly.

To acquire the sixth man of the year, and it's runner up, and both barely pass twenty five years of age, is probably just the infusion of talent and youth we're going to need.

[drae]

Harrell. If you watched the season Dwight started to fade mid way through after a strong start then came back strong after the playoffs. I'm not sure how he'd go in an uninterrupted season fatigue wise.

[rst08tierney]

The bubble helped Dwight. Need some youth .

[SGV-Laker fan]

Is this even a question? Of course Harrell. There’s a reason Dwight only got what he signed for, no team will overpay for him. He’s nearing retirement, and his game is good for 10-15 minutes a game at best. Harrell can start center as he dies have a good low post game. On defense they Dan definitely hide his size with AD sliding over as helper. It’s not like Dwight played good man on man D anyway. Dwight replacements are dime a dozen: WCS and Marc Gasol just to name a couple.

[Dr. Laker]

I always felt that Dwight was a time bomb and the layoff just reset the clock. He was very valuable, but he looked like he was missing being a focal point.
_________________
On Lakersground, a concern troll is someone who is a fan of another team, but pretends to be a Lakers fan with "concerns".

[CRoost]

Harrell need to learned how Rondo defended Jokic on switch. Stay strong on your base but put pressure off his dribble . You gotta have quick hands to avoid fouling. Little stuff like that and is where we gonna miss Rondo comes playoff

[la4win]

2009 Dwight or 2019 Dwight? If 2019, no answer needed

[a2j1m]

What about Whiteside? I’m surprised no one has picked him up. Him and AD downlow is elite defense but having McGee already I can’t see it. I’d love to see McGee and Kuzma for Rose and then sign Whiteside, Morris and a 3D guy like Bazemore or Craig

[governator]

Easy, Harrell, not only a better two way option for us, younger, can be long term plan if clicked with AD and it took away clips S&T option

[Megaton]

A 26 year old sixth man of the year or a 35 year old player who’s good against one or two teams?

Tough choice...
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Alex Caruso/Dennis Schroder
KCP/Talen Horton-Tucker/Wes Matthews
Lebron James/Kyle Kuzma/Alfonzo McKinnie
Anthony Davis/Markieff Morris
Marc Gasol/Montrez Harrell

Time to repeat!

[wolfpaclaker]

One would have cost MLE, the other a vet min with a 10% raise. Cap hit, even less, like 1.5M. The question should be whether Ibaka at the MLE is a better option than Trez?

Remember the team won a ring immediately, around guys that had vast experience winning already. Danny Green was signed with the biggest contract last summer. He had 2 rings already, just coming off a win. Rondo, had a ring. McGee had won 2 rings. You now have 3 guys you penciled in at the time as big minute players at your 5, 2 and 1 spots, and they all had rings. Dwight had vast experience, going to the NBA Finals. All of them kind of knew their role, from day 1.

Ibaka, was sort of like that. He has a ring with Toronto. There's no learning curve with Ibaka. If there is one, he would have gotten it real fast. What he does in Toronto, he does in LA for the Lakers. 3rd/4th option, open shots, defense and spacing the floor.

With Schroder, and Trez. They have little NBA Finals or deep playoffs experience. I believe they've been in the playoffs twice. Different cultures than championship teams. So we're going to have to find their niche roles on a championship level team. For sure, I am 100% sold that they are not 18 points per game guys on a ring team. They're closer to 12-14 points a night guys, probably, I would guess. How do they react to this? We will see. Do they play well as a distant 3rd option, as a distant 4th option? We will see. For sure when they first come in, they will get the 1st/2nd option role, as bench guys. When AD and Bron return into the game, then it gets a bit tricky.

We will need to rely on the championship experience now of the guys from last year's run, to be able to quickly find their niche roles and await as Trez and Schroder find their niche. I think Trez and Schro will be great when they have free reign on the bench, but when they have to play in a slower half court game with AD/Bron, it can get a bit tough for them. I think there will be a big learning curve and I hope they don't end up like Kuz. The bright side is that I think Schroder has the skills Kuz didn't, in that he can catch and shoot, and is a great passer. Trez, I think has a risk of being like Kuz. He is not a floor spacer, and he is best rolling to the rim, playing the 5. This is what we want AD to be doing when the game slows down, for AD to be our 5.

I'll give an example of Kuz. Kuz was a 18 ppg guy before we got AD. Kuz is likely an 18 ppg guy if no AD and he starts. But once he has to share the ball with AD/Bron, as the 3rd guy, his game went off and his impact became more 3nD restricted. Ibaka, he would have fit in around AD/Bron, as he can do the D and jumpshooting, and occasional shot creating. He has a niche that's been proven.

If I were GM, I would have made the Schroder move, but I likely would have played it safe and gone with Ibaka. I had no idea guys like Ibaka and Trez were available for MLEs. Crazy how Morris can get 60M and these dudes get 18M in guaranteed money. It was a steal in terms of what we used to get him, and in the RS it will help us a lot. But by playoffs, it would not shock me is Trez plays a lot more situationally and with less minutes than in the RS. Trez's game is not built to win playoff games at a championship level.

Schroder OTOH, I think can be a core player for the team. I can see his niche role once he gets it compliment AD/Bron beautifully.

[fubby1]

[LakerDYnasty72]

I don't know if the deciding factor for Ibaka was his ex teammate Leonard, but if we had a chance to get Ibaka vs. Trez, as opposed to Trez vs. Howard, I'm with wolfpacker in that I believe the real question would be Trez or Ibaka?

In that scenario I'm going with Ibaka. But for the sake of the poll, Trez.

[LakerLogic]

I don't think Dwight would give us the same production this year as last.

[AFireInside619]

[oaktown_dimond]

I think the potential difference between Trez and kuz is kuz needs the ball. Trez is the garbage man, right?