OFFICIAL 2013-2014 LOS ANGELES LAKERS THREAD
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Checkin in on the check in.. trade Pau.. get youth/vigor.. seems not matter what shooter we get.. they cant hit ? with us...
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why trade Pau when he only has 1 year left on his deal??? thats free money for 2014 to scoop up a real heavy hitter
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why trade Pau when he only has 1 year left on his deal??? thats free money for 2014 to scoop up a real heavy hitter
we have needs.. and hes the only tradeable asset... unless you think artest is tradeable.... it just comes down to improving the team.... IF HOWARD stays. I want Devin Harris in our stable.. aside from any potential improvements..
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we need to get more athletic but look at the final 4 this year.....the big frontcourt is still successful
Memphis - zbo and gasol
SAS - splitter and duncan
Indiana - David West and Roy Hibbert
you can sign a athletic small forward for cheap and a backup PG as well. .......2014 is going to be a gold mine and trading pau will screw up our cap space for season after next.
you got Paul george, Melo, John Wall, chris Bosh, ..........and plenty others that can be scooped up -
However, a couple of wrong moves can snowball, and instead of having that perennial success that once seemed preordained, you’re suddenly like the Bluth family on “Arrested Development.”
Here’s a look at the 10 major decisions the Lakers have made in the past two years that got them to where they are today.
1. Hiring Mike Brown
Following Phil Jackson’s retirement, the Lakers had a short list of candidates to replace him as head coach: Brown, Rick Adelman, Mike Dunleavy and Brian Shaw. The Lakers were blown away by Brown’s interview because of his preparedness and attention to detail, and chose the defense-minded coach who was almost the polar opposite of Jackson in terms of age and coaching style. Brown’s hasty dismissal the following season, just five games into the second year of a four-year contract, is grounds to play the “What if?” game.
What if Shaw had been handed the reins, continued to run the triangle offense and maintained strong relationships with Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol? Maybe Bynum doesn’t have the breakout season he had under Brown’s post-up oriented system, but maybe Gasol’s career doesn’t sputter either. What if Adelman had come in with all that playoff experience from Portland and Sacramento under his belt and kept the group from skipping a beat?
2. Letting go of longtime support staff in conjunction with the lockout
Again, the lockout might have been out of the Lakers’ control, but how they responded to it wasn’t. The team parted with nearly 20 longtime employees in summer 2011 -- assistant general manager Ronnie Lester as well as a collection of experienced scouts among them -- and it was a very public glimpse for the outside world into the inner workings of the Lakers.
“You think of the Lakers and you think they are a great organization,” Lester told the L.A. Times. “But if you work inside the organization, it’s only a perception of being a great organization. It’s probably not a great organization, because great organizations don’t treat their personnel like they’ve done.”
The Lakers have since promoted Glenn Carraro to assistant GM and have hired new scouts, but the layoffs certainly took some of the Lakers’ luster -- and they could have angered the basketball gods, if you believe in that sort of thing.
3. Trading Derek Fisher
In the 43 games Fisher played in his final season in L.A., the veteran guard averaged 5.9 points and 3.3 assists while shooting 38.3 percent from the floor and 32.4 percent from 3-point territory. In the 53 regular-season games he has played with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks since then, Fisher has averaged 5.2 points and 1.4 assists on 34.2 percent shooting overall and 35.7 percent from deep, so it’s not like the Lakers missed out on the final glory days of Fisher’s career. They even got Jordan Hill out of the deal with the Houston Rockets, but moves aren’t always about what’s on paper.
By parting with Fisher, the Lakers got rid of a strong leadership presence in the locker room and also one of the few people on Earth with the power to sway Bryant. Teams across all sports have to cut ties with aging players on a regular basis, so the Fisher move wasn't unprecedented, but it was still jarring to say goodbye to a captain who was an integral part of five championships. In conjunction with losing Fisher, the Lakers acquired Ramon Sessions from Cleveland in a separate trade, thinking the 26-year-old could be their point guard of the future to contend with the NBA’s new wave of talent at that position.
4. Not retaining Ettore Messina and Quin Snyder
The Lakers’ five-game flameout in the second round of the 2012 playoffs against the Thunder was hard enough to swallow, but not long after the team learned it was also losing two of Brown’s top assistants in Messina and Snyder, who were going overseas to coach Messina’s former team, CSKA Moscow. The lucrative salary Messina was commanding to be a head coach once again in Europe made it more his decision than the Lakers’ to part ways. However, the departures of Messina and Snyder -- along with the reclassification of John Kuester to East Coast scout -- pretty much erased any rapport that Brown’s staff had developed with the team and ensured another season of new faces and ideologies for 2012-13. -
5. Hiring Eddie Jordan to coach the Princeton offense
With Brown’s original staff gutted, he chose to go in a different direction by bringing in Jordan to run the Princeton offense. Brown was smart enough to get Bryant’s blessing on the move in Las Vegas during USA Basketball camp, before the Olympics and before Jordan officially came to the Lakers, but ultimately the offense proved to be too complicated for the team to run and too much of an ill fit for the pieces the Lakers would eventually acquire.
6. Not re-signing Ramon Sessions
After struggling in the playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder (averaging 6.8 points and 3.0 assists while shooting 35.3 percent, down from 12.7 and 6.2, respectively, on 47.9 percent shooting from the field in the regular season with L.A.), Sessions opted out of the final year of his contract in search of a multiyear commitment. The Lakers would have been amenable to bringing Sessions back had he opted in, but didn’t feel the young point guard had showed them enough to commit for the long term. Sessions received a two-year, $10 million deal from the Charlotte Bobcats and went on to average 14.4 points and 3.8 assists per game as an effective substitute off their bench.
7. Trading for Steve Nash
With Fisher gone and Sessions making it clear he was seeking a commitment the Lakers weren’t willing to give, the story goes that Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak called up agent Bill Duffy at the start of the official free-agency period and Duffy happened to be sitting next to Nash at the time. Kupchak was surprised to hear about Nash’s interest in becoming a Laker and so began the negotiation process, which ended with a three-year deal worth about $27 million for Nash and four draft picks -- two in the first round, two in the second -- going Phoenix’s way. The Lakers addressed two major needs -- experienced point guard play (especially after Sessions wilted in the postseason) and shooting -- but also went from a 37-year-old guard in Fisher to a 26-year-old in Sessions back to a 38-year-old in Nash (now 39). Nash went on to average 12.7 points and 6.7 assists while missing 32 games because of injuries in his first season in L.A. and was paid $8.9 million, nearly double what Sessions made (although Nash shot 49.7 percent for the Lakers compared to Sessions’ 40.8 percent for the Cats).
It was a swing-for-the-fences move by the Lakers, who ended up acquiring a Hall of Fame-bound point guard just seven months after being thwarted in their attempt to get Chris Paul. Kupchak and Lakers vice president of player personnel Jim Buss had no way of knowing that Nash would miss so many games because of a fracture in his left leg and nerve damage in his right hip and hamstring, but they knew quite clearly the risk involved in pursuing a guard who was approaching 40 years old.
8. Trading for Dwight Howard
No matter what Howard decides to do this offseason, L.A.’s management deserves credit for bringing him in for Andrew Bynum, who didn’t play a single game in 2012-13 because of his knees, rather than extending a long-term offer to Bynum after he was an All-Star for the first time in 2011-12. When healthy, Howard is right there with LeBron James as the most impactful two-way player in the game. Despite everything that went down in L.A. this season, he was the linchpin in helping the Lakers finish the season 28-12 over the final 40 games of the regular season.
The Lakers traded for Howard not knowing if he planned on signing a max extension to stay with them and figured a season wearing the purple and gold would persuade him to want to put down roots.
Even with the disappointment of Howard’s first season in L.A., it is hard to second-guess the trade made by the Lakers to acquire him. When you can add the best defensive player in the game, you have to do it. However, in adding yet another major contract to the books (to accompany Bryant, Gasol, Nash and Metta World Peace), the Lakers were fully committing to the plan to be a top-heavy team that relies on rookie deals and veteran minimum contracts to fill out the bulk of the roster outside of the mini midlevel exception. This strategy has its upside, clearly, but if any of the talent at the top gets injured or underperforms (which happened across the board this season) it puts severe stress on the rest of the Lakers to play above their heads to reach expectations, which isn’t a reasonable scenario and is a testament to why depth is so important in the NBA.
9. Firing Mike Brown
Hiring Brown was the tipping point to get the Lakers to the state they are in and you could argue that they fired him without giving him a chance to implement what he promised to do. After an 0-8 preseason and 1-4 start to the regular season, Brown was relieved of his duties as head coach. If Brown had been given the time to have Howard get healthy and have Nash return from his leg injury, maybe he would have gotten through to the group and had the success the Lakers were banking on when they hired him. There’s no way of knowing for sure, but by firing Brown the Lakers' management was admitting it made a major mistake on one of those major decisions.
10. Hiring Mike D’Antoni
The same decision that started the cycle two years ago –- hiring a coach –- was the last major move made by Lakers management to date. The front office claimed Mike D’Antoni was a better fit for the current personnel than Phil Jackson was, and didn’t await an answer from the 11-time championship-winning coach before moving forward and offering the job to the former Suns and New York Knicks front man. The Lakers were a far cry from “Showtime II” this past season. D’Antoni even admitted to ESPNLosAngeles.com late in the season that, “We're not running anything that I would normally run.”
Kupchak took that as D’Antoni being adaptable and endorsed the coach as having earned the right to keep his job for next season. While D’Antoni was able to maneuver through injuries and personality conflicts to help guide the Lakers into the playoffs, their season came to a screeching halt with an embarrassing 4-0 sweep to the Spurs once there.
So, that’s how the Lakers got here. The next major decision won’t be the franchise’s, but rather Howard’s to figure out if he wants to remain a Laker. Following that, there will be more franchise-altering choices to make -- whom to trade, whom to amnesty, whom to draft -- that could be either the start of building something in the right direction or the continuation of this difficult period in the team’s history. -
Keep the group add and subtract a few role player pieces and give this group another shot...lakers were an Achilles tear away from being in the finals right now after all the injuries and upsets to other teams in playoffs...give this core group one last run and 2014 we only have 2 guys on the books...with a stacked free agent class.
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Honestly I keep hearing Dwight like Houston and for whatever reason it does not bother me one bit...I just do not see him as an answer to our long or short term problems especially if we are keeping Antoni
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Kobe aims to play in opener
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Stitches removed, out of a cast and with nearly six weeks of rehabilitation under his belt since surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon in his left leg, Kobe Bryant is still hoping for a return by the Los Angeles Lakers' 2013-14 season opener.
"I hope so," Bryant said in a sit-down interview with ESPNLosAngeles.com on Monday. "That's the challenge. With the tendon, there's really only but so much you can do. There's a certain amount of time that they deem necessary for the tendon to heal where you don't overstretch it and now you never get that spring back.
"So, you just have to be patient, let the tendon heal and then when that moment comes when they say, 'OK, we can take off the regulator so to speak and now it's on you to train as hard as you can to get back to where you want to be,' that's going to be a good day."
Before that day is likely to occur, there will be another date on the calendar that holds particular significance to how Bryant's Lakers will look next season: July 1, the day Dwight Howard can begin to hear competing offers as a free agent.
While Howard has reportedly strong interest in the Houston Rockets and could be courted by Dallas, Atlanta, Golden State and Cleveland, Bryant is in no rush to be the first to pitch the All-Star center to come back to L.A.
"For me, you kind of let him do his due diligence and then move in and talk to him and figure out if this is a place he wants to be," Bryant said. "We all want him here. But then that's when the selling begins [after Howard is courted by other teams]. You don't start the selling process right before he goes and does all this stuff. You want to get the last word. You want to have the final word and the closing argument.
"I'll give him a little opening statement, but then I have to make sure I have the final word."
If Howard ends up being a one-year rental rather than the face of the franchise moving forward, Bryant was confident the Lakers, with 16 championships to their credit, would still find a way to thrive.
"This franchise is a franchise that you really don't have to worry about too much, because no matter what happens, whether it's a year from now, two years from now, whatever the case may be, they're always going to find a way to have an impact on this league," Bryant said.
Should the Lakers resort to a Plan B if Howard walks, Bryant says he will make his voice part of the process.
"It's gotten to a point at this stage in my career where those lines of communication are more open and we talk more frequently both with [general manager] Mitch [Kupchak] and [vice president of player personnel] Jimmy [Buss] and [vice president of business operations] Jeanie [Buss] to a certain extent," Bryant said. "Those lines of communication are open."
Bryant has already communicated with Jeanie Buss' fiancee and his former coach, Phil Jackson, over what Jackson wrote about Bryant in his recent book, "Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success," in which Jackson gave the nod to Michael Jordan when comparing the two shooting guards.
"I talked to Phil about it," said Bryant, who added that he has not read the book. "I said, 'You know, you can't compare me at [age] 21-22-23 to Michael at 28-29-30. That's not a fair comparison. But, you know, I'm comfortable at resting on my five [championships] and what I had to do for this team to be successful.
"We both had different roles and [Jordan has] had his level of frustration coming up as a young player and challenges that he had to deal with and I had mine in playing a different role to what I thought naturally I could do. We had different career paths, man, so it's kind of tough to [compare]. At least for me it is, anyway."
While Jordan holds the edge in championships (six to Bryant's five) and career points (32,292 for third all time to Bryant's 31,617 for fourth all time), Bryant said he has already accomplished what he set out to achieve when he was drafted into the NBA as a 17-year-old out of high school in 1996.
"When I came into the league, I wanted to win multiple championships," Bryant said, appearing in good spirits and clean shaven after growing a beard for nearly a month following his Achilles surgery. "As a young kind, it was like, well, this is what you're supposed to do. You're supposed to win five, six, seven championships, because that's what Magic [Johnson] did. That's what [Bill] Russell did. That's what Jordan did. I feel very comfortable with my career and what I've been able to accomplish in that regard."
Plus, there is one area where Jackson ranked Bryant ahead of Jordan: in their player-coach relationship. Jackson recently told "Mike & Mike in the Morning" on ESPN Radio that he was closer to Bryant than another other player he coached in his 20 seasons manning the sidelines for the Lakers and Chicago Bulls.
"Go figure," Bryant shrugged. "It's just a great example of how relationships evolve, of how relationships can grow."
Bryant wants Jackson to continue to harbor more relationships by working in the NBA in some capacity.
"I think it would be a disservice to the game if he wasn't involved in the game at some level," Bryant said. "I think he still has a lot to offer the game and I think he wants to offer it. So, my guess is that he'll be involved at some level. At least, I hope so."
While it's unknown how long it will be until Jackson returns to the NBA, it's also unclear how much more time Bryant will stay in it. Bryant has one year remaining on his contract with the Lakers and has yet to commit to playing beyond what will be his 18th season in the league.
One thing that's certain is Bryant does not plan on announcing to the world when his final season is underway.
"I don't know if I want a farewell tour because I want that competition," said Bryant, who called himself a "dinosaur" following the recent retirements of Jason Kidd and Grant Hill. "I want the crowd being on top of you all the time. I wouldn't want a farewell tour. No. I wouldn't do that." -
Call me crazy but I'd rather a healthy Pau at the 5 over Dwight... Dwight is a ball stopper and has no offensive post moves, if we can implement a ? defensive strategy to help one another Pau could be our ideal Center esp if he comes back colse to 100% from the knees... Pau can pass, post, shoot, rebound decent enough but needs that space that Dwight sucks up (no ? , shouts to roy h.) Dwight also is a cancer, reminiscent of my fav player T.O. but in a worse fashion... Dwight curls up when the going gets tough, thats not laker DNA and thats not what we need after Kobe goes... Start Pau at 5 and find a way to get an Andre Iguodala or Danny Granger to go with Kobe, Nash. and Pau.... Let that buster Dwight walk I cant wait to kick his ass wherever he goes
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it's hilarious how many ppl truly don't care if Dwight stays.
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joeyfkncrakk wrote: »Call me crazy but I'd rather a healthy Pau at the 5 over Dwight... Dwight is a ball stopper and has no offensive post moves, if we can implement a ? defensive strategy to help one another Pau could be our ideal Center esp if he comes back colse to 100% from the knees... Pau can pass, post, shoot, rebound decent enough but needs that space that Dwight sucks up (no ? , shouts to roy h.) Dwight also is a cancer, reminiscent of my fav player T.O. but in a worse fashion... Dwight curls up when the going gets tough, thats not laker DNA and thats not what we need after Kobe goes... Start Pau at 5 and find a way to get an Andre Iguodala or Danny Granger to go with Kobe, Nash. and Pau.... Let that buster Dwight walk I cant wait to kick his ass wherever he goes
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joeyfkncrakk wrote: »Call me crazy but I'd rather a healthy Pau at the 5 over Dwight... Dwight is a ball stopper and has no offensive post moves, if we can implement a ? defensive strategy to help one another Pau could be our ideal Center esp if he comes back colse to 100% from the knees... Pau can pass, post, shoot, rebound decent enough but needs that space that Dwight sucks up (no ? , shouts to roy h.) Dwight also is a cancer, reminiscent of my fav player T.O. but in a worse fashion... Dwight curls up when the going gets tough, thats not laker DNA and thats not what we need after Kobe goes... Start Pau at 5 and find a way to get an Andre Iguodala or Danny Granger to go with Kobe, Nash. and Pau.... Let that buster Dwight walk I cant wait to kick his ass wherever he goes
LMAO @ Pau starting at the 5. That ? will be a complete disaster. You must have forgot that Nash has absolutely no defense whatsoever, and that Kobe cheats a lot. Those 2 players alone are going to put a lot of pressure on the big man to help alter the shots of the opposing wing players (when Nash and Kobe get beat). Putting Gasol in that position is asking for a problem. No player in the league is scared to dunk on/over or go through Gasol. Basically, the Lakers will get eaten alive on defense by literally any team they play.
.... Also, Pau needs the ball to be effective, but so does Nash and Kobe (to an extent). Dwight doesn't need the ball to be effective because he can affect the game in other ways by way of altering shots and defensive rebounding. Basically, Dwight is a defensive guru, while Gasol is nonexistent on defense. When people see Gasol in the paint they smirk and go right at him. When they see Dwight, they try to drive and kick or end up taking a difficult shot. Then you throw in the fact that Dwight is multiple years younger than Gasol and it's not even close. Dwight is 100 times better for this team.
Not to mention, Gasol doesn't fit the offense. His shot isn't good enough for the pick and pop and he doesn't bang hard enough inside for the pick and roll situation. He's literally a cancer to the team with this current coach. -
Would like to see the roster give or take we have make a run healthy, one last one...they are all gone after this year anyway...I expect Nash with a year under his belt to ball, all we need is what Kobe said length and speed on the perimeter.
This team coulda easily been playing tmrw night if they didn't get the dismantling injuries. No doubt they would of beat the spurs with a healthy Kobe and Nash. Pau was dropping trip dubs nightly with nbdl players around him -
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Kupchak would have ice in his veins if he were to convince Dwight to stay in LA, then trade his ass in February.
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S/O to Brian Shaw for getting a head coaching job
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/9419087/denver-nuggets-agree-hire-brian-shaw-head-coach -
Young_Chitlin wrote: »S/O to Brian Shaw for getting a head coaching job
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/9419087/denver-nuggets-agree-hire-brian-shaw-head-coach
Congrats.
Still stuck with Pringles smh
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Shaw on nuggets doesn't fit but we'll see
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Dwight Howard to sign elsewhereThere is very little chance of Dwight Howard re-signing with the Los Angeles Lakers this summer, according to sources close to the situation.
Howard is willing to forgo the extra $30 million the Lakers can pay him to play for a coach and in a system he feels will better use his skill set, one source said.
The Lakers can offer Howard a five-year, $118 million contract, while other teams can pay him only $88 million over four years.
Howard plans to meet with Dallas, Houston and Atlanta before meeting with the Lakers once teams are allowed to contact free agents beginning July 1, a source said. It appears that the teams will visit Howard in Los Angeles.
Howard is notoriously indecisive, so the Lakers, while apparently major underdogs, should not be completely eliminated from contention. Before the 2011-12 season, he repeatedly asked the Orlando Magic to trade him, and then at midseason he opted in to the final year of his contract to remain in Orlando.
Howard's major problem with the Lakers is the system that coach Mike D'Antoni employs. Beyond that, he did not enjoy playing with Kobe Bryant, though he could manage to do so in a different system, a source said. Howard also does not want to be second fiddle to Bryant for several more seasons.
While many believe Houston is the Lakers' stiffest competition, sources say Howard finds Dallas just as appealing, if not more. Assuming the Mavericks are able to clear enough cap space to offer him a maximum-salaried contract, Howard is strongly considering joining Dallas. The Mavericks are trying to shed Shawn Marion's $9 million expiring contract to create the room to sign Howard, according to sources.
Howard likes the idea of being the top superstar of a franchise and with Dirk Nowitzki aging, Dallas would be viewed as Howard's team. Howard also believes the Mavericks can build a championship roster around him with the ample cap space they will have in the summer of 2014.
Some close to Howard believe signing with Houston is his best option. Howard has been in contact with Rockets players James Harden and Chandler Parsons, both of whom are heavily recruiting him.
Howard, however, has concerns about the Rockets' style of play, sources say. While he likes the idea of playing for coach Kevin McHale, he sees that they play an up-tempo, perimeter-oriented style that does not feature post play.
To get Howard, the Rockets will have to convince him that they will play a style more conducive to his skills.
Atlanta, Howard's hometown, is a long shot. As ESPN.com reported two weeks ago, Howard was willing to go to Atlanta with Clippers free agent Chris Paul. But the recent signing of Doc Rivers as the Clippers' head coach has assured that Paul will remain in Los Angeles.
Howard would love to do a sign-and-trade deal that would allow him to play with Paul and the Clippers, but neither he nor the Clippers believe the Lakers will agree to such a move, sources said.
Source:The googly eye guy
If he doesn't return I wouldn't be upset.
Might burn me but it would be great if him, Nash, and Pringles didn't return for the 13/14 season. -
SMH @ the Lakers resigning Artest for $8 Million. This whole ? is a joke. If I'm Dwight, Lakers just went way the list, if I'm Kobe I'm opting out next year.
Management really has no idea what they're doing. -
NothingButTheTruth wrote: »SMH @ the Lakers resigning Artest for $8 Million. This whole ? is a joke. If I'm Dwight, Lakers just went way the list, if I'm Kobe I'm opting out next year.
Management really has no idea what they're doing.
Player option. Artest chose not to op-out of the contract.
I laughed when I read that yesterday. Not surprised either. -
Dwight is a clown. I really don't care. Wish we could do a sign-and-trade with Brooklyn or something.
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BUT WAIT.. GREAT NEWS LAKER FANS. Mike D'Antoni just hired on Mark Madsen as an assistant. He will be replacing Chuck Persons' role. This should put us over the top. Great summer.
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northside7 wrote: »NothingButTheTruth wrote: »SMH @ the Lakers resigning Artest for $8 Million. This whole ? is a joke. If I'm Dwight, Lakers just went way the list, if I'm Kobe I'm opting out next year.
Management really has no idea what they're doing.
Player option. Artest chose not to op-out of the contract.
I laughed when I read that yesterday. Not surprised either.
Yeah, but couldn't they just tell him they don't want him anymore and let him go?
This discussion has been closed.