Joined: 24 Dec 2007 Posts: 35750 Location: Santa Clarita, CA (Hell) ->>>>>Ithaca, NY -≥≥≥≥≥Berkeley, CA
Posted: Sun Jun 06, 2021 1:44 pm Post subject:
Eindhoven wrote:
DaGreat81 wrote:
None of those moves would have mattered, the lakers weren’t healthy, this team can still run it back and can win the championship
Exactly. With no Davis, half LeBron and half KCP, there was nothing that could've been done. If healthy we had a great shot at repeating with this roster.
Would we have won this year with Kawhi or Jimmy Butler instead of Schroeder, Kuzma, KCP, and Harrell? (In other words, did Kawhi screw us out of a championship this season or would it have not mattered anyway?) _________________ Damian Lillard shatters Dwight Coward's championship dreams:
Just going off memory, I believe last year alot of us wanted a play-making PG (as in being able to get others involved), and another solid wing defender-type to guard some of SFs (while maintaining what we already had). That did not happen.
Looking back to last year, one thing I really liked about the team was defensive-minded guard depth. While that changed when Bradley sat out of the bubble, you were looking at KCP coming off the bench. Then in the playoffs with KCP/Green in the back court you had no one on the floor less than 6'5. That changed when Rondo came in, but he was playing so well during the playoffs on both ends, it didnt matter.
This year KCP went back to starting full time, which is fine, but when you are so deep at guard that he could come off the bench...now that's something. _________________ "One thing I admire about Kuzma is his unwavering confidence. He truly has no idea that he’s not as good as he thinks." - Killer_Z
Logic is my area of expertise - You don't fix what's not broken. Never should have broken championship bound team
Except AD/LBJ were broken. Doesn’t matter who the role players are otherwise if one or both are out. _________________ From 2-10 to the Western Conference Finals
I would've passed on Trez, and gone with Jamychal Green. Then bring in both Dwight and Marc.
This one is hindsight, cuz I liked the Schroder signing, but I think saving those assets and cap space for someone like Bogi would've made more sense (and we were apparently in the conversation for him). Maybe something like Green/Kuz/1st for Bogi in a S&T, if possible?
In this hypothetical, could we have resigned Rondo? I'll assume yes, lol...
Re-sign Dwight. Maybe target Blake instead of Drummond in the buyout market. I think the Lakers were caught looking forward to go against Jokic and Gobert.
I liked the Shroeder pickup at the time, but I don't think he's a $20m player. Trez is a great energy guy, but undersized and not a rim protector.
The use of the MLE on Montrezl was a waste, but that's about it. Who else was available for that price? Serge didn't have a great shooting season.
On paper, most of the moves should've worked out. Dennis, Wes, and Gasol should've really helped the team. Dennis and Wes were coming off good seasons and shot the ball very well. I'm sure the Lakers will get more guys who will help the team on paper. The Lakers just have to hope they play well. Coaching will help somewhat, but it's ultimately on the players.
In lieu of getting another star, the supporting cast needs to be at another level. They have to allow LeBron and AD to get rest, both lesser minutes per game and less games played(not counting injuries).
DS for DG should have been an upgrade to help the stars with scoring.
Wes was BAE salary-wise, seemed to be worth at least that at the time and should have filled the DG defensive loss.
Flipping JaVale for McKinnie/Bell to allow Gasol is a no brainer upgrade.
But Trez was risky on its face (a risk that was unnecessary) and ultimately blew up by unbalancing the roster as evidenced by the fact that Vogel couldn't figure out where he fit.
Alternatively, Rondo would have cost 7M (or maybe a bit less to not have to leave LA) of the 9.3 MLE. Could have used that extra 2.3 M on another guy and still given Dwight both the money and playing time he obviously was willing to take.
DS/Rondo/Caruso
KCP/Wes/THT
LBJ/Kuz/McKinnie
AD/Morris/safety net stretch 4 vet min
Gasol/Dwight
The above is basically running it back and a solid multifaceted roster to where the Lakers could play various "styles" as needed. BUT, a hurt AD and LBJ still means an early playoff exit even if everything was essentially same as last year.
I'm not sure how Rondo, Greenn and Dwight would have fared while playing heavy minutes with LeBron and AD out. This year also seemed to expose a lot of weaknesses with the coaching namely on offense, with your two star players out for prolonged stretches and the team necessitating a system in place for the role players to run. With that said, it always comes down to your top dogs. If one is hurt then your chances go down, if both are hurt then forget it.
Last edited by panamaniac on Mon Jun 07, 2021 3:52 pm; edited 1 time in total
The results would have still meant no championship as Lebron rolled his ankle on a freak foul play and then AD was injured all season with effects of that long previous ring season.
But better than 7th and 1st round exit (even with AD injured) would have been had we kept Dwight, and made sure Dennis was willing to come off the bench, OR been willing to let that deal go and pursue another bench leading guard to replace Rondo.
The identity of the team was shook with the moves. Instead of being a big team, we became a small offense isolation team with Trez. Trez looks to score for himself. Dennis likes to score for himself.
We need to get that identity back. Play big, but play with floor spacing around AD-Bron. Let Bron and AD be who they are, but give them the right spacing around them, so teams oay for running doubles or zones on us.
76ers: Simmons/Tobias/Embiid all playing, almost 3 max players still on the court.
Denver: MVP player, and MPJ and others stepping up.
Clips: healthy Kawhi/PG.
To attribute these teams reaching the 2nd round b/c of these supporting players is just disingenuous. Of the 3, I'd argue Rondo probably most impactful. But no question he's playing off of PG/Kawhi. _________________ From 2-10 to the Western Conference Finals
All times are GMT - 8 Hours Goto page Previous1, 2, 3
Page 3 of 3
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum