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24 Feb 2017 17:11:01
TWO YEAR PLAN TO GET A RESPECTABLE TEAM.
This allows us to gain all star players but not trade away the whole core incase the plan doesn't work out.
2017 OFFSEASON
Assuming we keep the top 3 protected DP.
DRAFT
Top 3- Josh Jackson
Late 1st- Terrance Ferguson
TRADE
Randle + Clarkson + 2018 2nd Rnd pick for Andre Drummond
- This is under the assumption that reports are true that the Pistons are looking to cut salary (currently 2nd highest behind warriors) especially with KCP becoming a FA and them being a disappointment this year. Trade will give pistons young, cheap talent and give lakers an All-Star centre.
Mozgov for ANYTHING
- He's just trash.
FREE AGENCY
- Sign a backup SG (or resign Swaggy P for a reasonable deal) .
- Sign a PF, or wait it out and play Deng at PF where he played well for the Heat.
PG- Russell/ Ennis
SG- Jackson/ Young/ Ferguson
SF- Ingram/ Brewer
PF- Deng/ Nance
C- Drummond/ Zubac/ Black
2018
FREE AGENCY
Paul George
- Play him at PF and run a 4out-1in set up with Drummond in the paint.
Langston Galloway (or another backup PG if Ennis doesn't work out) .
PG- Russell/ Galloway
SG- Jackson/ Young/ Ferguson
SF- Ingram/ Deng
PF- George/ Nance
C- Drummond/ Zubac
Team is long and athletic, filled with offensive weapons, and has great defensive potential. Has a good mixture of youth and veterans as well. This does bank on at least one of the kids becoming a star player, but pressure to perform will be slightly eased with George and Drummond being all star capable players. Ferguson does have the offensive potential to take over that back up SG role from Young.
1.) 24 Feb 2017 17:31:08
Agreed just one change. If the Pistons want Randle and the Lakers feel they can't come up with a good contract extension for him then instead of Clarkson they must take Mozgov along with Randle for Drummond.
03 Jul 2016 14:48:59
Sign Harkless
Been in the league 3 years or so but still only 23, is a great defender, can stretch the floor well enough and is extremely versatile.
Russell/ Clarkson/ Huertas
Ingram/ Williams
Deng/ Harkless/ Brown
Randle/ Nance
Mozgov/ Zubac/ Black
Moving Ingram to the 2 to start his career means he won't get dominated by bigger Small Forwards while he looks to get bigger and stronger, whilst having Deng in the Stsrting 5 adds a veteran presence to the starting lineup that will mean that we are about to start off games well as he will be a calming presence to the younger guys on the court.
Moving Clarkson to the bench might be tough, but he will still be able to get his 30 or so minutes a game, whilst also means that we won't start tolose games when we start going into our 2nd unit as him and Williams can score well, whilst Harkless and Nance do the dirty work. Also if there is an injury to Russell, Ingram or Deng, he can easily replace one of them.
Would probably leave us with about 20 mil next offseason, however this team could be a playoff team if the younger players have improved from last season. Solid mixture of Veterans and Youth, whilst not impeding on Clarkson, Russell, Ingram, Randle or Nances development.
1.) 03 Jul 2016 15:53:14
I agree with Ingram at 2, KD and PG started their careers at 2 because their body types were not yet ready for the 3 position. Plus, Clarkson as a 6th man would still get quality minutes because of the proposed small ball lineup of russ, jc, ingram,deng and randle when Mozgov isn't on the floor and I believe mozgov will be playing just a few more minutes than bogut(20.7mpg) so putting jc as 6th won't harm his development as well.
02 Jun 2016 06:32:17
Draft Ingram
Reason: Obvious reasons. Simmons likely to be gone and Ingram is not only the best player available, but is also an amazing fit.
Trade Young and 32nd pick for KJ McDaniels.
Reason: Young is a clown, 30+ years old and probably needs a move away to rejuvenate his game. Lakers take McDaniels who wasn't used much by the rockets last season, however holds a lot of potential, already a great defender and athletic, although his shot is still a bit off, and would be better than anyone we would get with the 32nd pick anyways.
Resign Huertas, Black
Reason: Depth
Sign Bazemore, Ezeli, Biyombo
All contracts around 9-15 mil a year; approx 3-4 years.
Reason: Let's be realistic. As much as we like to say we are LA and we get the best players. We won't. Unless we give up 75% of our young players and remaining assets to make a trade. But where does that get us? Also Batum, KD, Whiteside, Horford and Derozan aren't coming. Batum and Horford have both come out an said they want to stay, and KD, Derozan and Whiteside aren't going to leave close to, or bonafide contenders for a team that is 2 year away from making the playoffs.
We need to be patient and watch the youth grow whilst adding peices around them at reasonable prices (even if the new market is inflatable), peices that are realistic and compliment the skills that our young players already have, in order to atleast be competitive on a nightly basis. No star is going to leave their playoff team for our lakers who couldn't even win 20 games. I know it's not what most laker fans want, and I'll probably get hate for this, but we have to set realistic expectations, especially after the last 3 seasons.
*rant over*
Final team
Russell/ Clarkson/ Huertas
Bazemore/ Williams
Ingram/ McDaniels/ Brown
Randle/ Nance
Ezeli/ Biyombo/ Black
Team is young, athletic and balanced. Clarkson has come out and stated he wouldn't mind coming off the bench as long as his minutes were still high (approx 30) which is easily attainable considering he can play either gaurd position. All young players would get game time, both the starters and the bench have a lineup that consists of both good defenders and scorers, and therefore should make us somewhat competitive most nights. Would make Williams expendable.
Projection: 30-35 wins, with an opportunity for more, assuming everyone is healthy, buys into Luke's system, young players improve.
1.) 02 Jun 2016 13:16:14
Throw in Williams in that trade and get a draft pick with McDaniels. Draft Maker no need to resign Black, continue to build with upside and potential.
2.) 03 Jun 2016 05:22:19
myLAL- that could work
19 May 2016 23:55:20
Draft:
2nd: Ingram
I'm under the assumption that 76ers will pick Simmons for 2 reasons. Brett Brown, their coach, was the Australian coach and has known him for years, recently said he had hints of Lebron and the 76ers have usually pick the best available. Saying that, Ingram would be an excellent 2nd place prize. He can score in multiple ways, started to show a passing game later on in the college season and with his length, could be an excellent defender as well.
32nd: Payton II
Whilst his age is a downfall (23), he had an excellent season in college. Whilst his shot is still a bit off, he was one of the best defenders in college and showed the ability to both drive to the rim and also showed the ability to run an offense. Elite athlete, imo can contribute from day 1.
Sign:
Bazemore- 4/ 48mil
Still relatively young, he is a 3/D player who showed strides in his scoring in this last season, showing his ability to drive to the rim, but also hit the 3 at a relatively high rate. Won't cost an arm and a leg, especially with the cap going up yearly, 12 mil isn't that bad.
Ezeli- 2+1 (TO)/ 39mil
Injuries have held him back throughout his career, but when given a chance, he usually shines. One of the best shot blockers in the game, this will help Randle as well. His defensive positioning and athleticism will also help us. Could be overpaying him, but he is a risk worth taking imo, a team option would help as well. Could be a MIP contender if he stays healthy.
Biyombo- 3/ 30mil
At 6'9" he is relatively short for a centre, but his long arms and athleticism still allow him to block shots and grab down boards. Can be an excellent back up for Ezeli, and they could both share the minutes (20-25 each), to keep Ezeli healthy and to compensate for biyombo's lack of height. Still only 23 or so, and I think that 10 mil a year isn't too bad with the cap going up.
Rush- 2/ 8mil
Injuries have affected his last few seasons, but is an absolute sniper, shooting 45% from 3. An alright defender and will know Walton's play style.
Other options:
Courtney Lee instead of Rush
Dewayne Dedmon instead of Biyombo.
Team:
Russell/ Clarkson/ Payton II
Bazemore/ Williams
Ingram/ Rush/ Brown
Randle/ Nance
Ezeli/ Biyombo/ Black
This team would be very balanced, with Russell also have a great defender next to him, and Randle having a rim protector next to him. Clarkson moves to the bench, but would still be able to see 30 odd minutes, whilst also being able to run the offense and having an almost free rein off the bench. Bench would also be extremely energetic, especially the bigs and Clarkson, allowing them to make a huge impact as long as everyone plays for eachother. Could be a bit of a surprise team like the Blazers this year, although maybe not the same extent. Everyone would fit into Waltons system and we wouldn't be overpaying for star players who either don't fit the system, have attitude issues or are ball chuckers (although I would take any of them lol)
1.) 20 May 2016 02:49:11
Realistic!
03 May 2016 10:10:13
Lakers team if things don't go to plan.
This could be pretty long so bare with me. I am also prepared for dislikes as I feel a lot of people think we can do better, but I'm just trying to think of all scenarios.
Draft Ingram and Payton II, Trade Young/ Williams for picks, don't resign Kelly/ Sacre.
This is a team I would put together if the lakers are unable to attract 2 big FA's. I can see KD, Derozan and Barnes staying with their respected teams for a variety of reasons. However I do feel like Whiteside (Heat not offering Max) or Ezeli (wanting a bigger role) may be leaving their teams, these are two players that could help the team out big time, even if they aren't on a 'superstar' level.
Next thing, with the Lakers hiring Luke as their coach, it is important that the teams looks to bring in players that fit the system that he is looking to use, which from what I have heard is similar to what the warriors have used (I'm sure people know what that involves on OFF &DEF. Saying that, here are the free agents I would aim for.
Whiteside/ Ezeli- either of these players are great fits next to Randle, due to his inability to defend the rim, where as offensively, Randle (with a hopefully improved jumpshot) can make up for the 2 named FA's shortcomings on offense.
Lee/ Bazemore- both these players are athletic and able to defend well, being able to pick up the oppositions best offensive player. Both have shown that they are also capable of stretching the floor.
Jennings- an LA guy, great offensive player who can get hot quickly, could be a nice 6th man. Could use a 1 or 2 year deal to show the league what he is made of after a injury hit/ disappointing 1 and a 1/2 seasons.
Rush- having come off of a few injury struck seasons, Rush played well when called upon by Kerr this season. Shooting approximately 47% from 3 point range, he is an absolute sniper and would be a nice bench boost.
Mozgov- having lost his starting spot to Thompson, he has found playing time tough to find. At 7ft tall, he can help the bench rim protection, something we missed when Hibbert wasn't on the floor this past season.
Yes, this team probably won't win a championship next year, but it is, in my opinion, pretty realistic. Only Whiteside/ Bazemore would cost the franchise a considerable amount of money, the rest of the players are veterans who can come in a steady the team on relatively cheap and short contracts, whilst also fitting the system I believe Luke will put in place.
Final team.
Russell/ Jennings/ Payton II
Clarkson/ Rush
Ingram/ Bazemore or Lee/ Brown
Randle/ Nance
Whiteside or Ezeli/ Mozgov/ Black
1.) 04 May 2016 12:20:08
Why would Whiteside come to a rebuilding team?
2.) 04 May 2016 17:24:01
thesaintme - He will come for the money.
Lakerwaker's banter posts with other poster's replies to Lakerwaker's banter posts
02 Jul 2016 14:35:32
I'm fine with Deng and Mozgov and the amount they are getting paid in an offseason where Conley becomes the highest paid player in the history of the league, but it's the length of the deals that baffle me. If they don't have TO, then it seems a bit silly.
1.) 02 Jul 2016 16:04:15
Got to remember that the cap is going to go up from $94M to $110M next off season so the Lakers will have enough to bring in a max player. Now with the history these last 2 off seasons I am doubting that will happen. So adding pieces to spend money right now for next season is a must.
2.) 02 Jul 2016 19:02:10
Deng is fine and we will probably have a team option later on but Mozgov was big mistake honestly. He is mediocre and we paid him 16m for 4 freaking years. Who the hell is
Coming next year to play with Mozgov? Look the Knicks at least they are trying something different. Why we don't try D Wade? P Gasol?
3.) 02 Jul 2016 20:40:20
Martre- your missing the point. First Wade and Gasol would have to agree to come to the Lakers. Second they will want max money which is 4 years $95M to come to the Lakers. It would be nice to have Wade or Gasol but with Clarkson and Wade's age it tough to know how long Wade would last. Sure Wade would be good for say 2 seasons but what about the next 2. Now with Gasol I don't think paying him a 35 year old max money is a smart move. Like you said Deng is fine and also much young so it makes more sense to sign Deng below max than Gasol at max. Mozgov I agree was way more money than he's worth but there really wasn't many other options. Lakers need a rim protector. He wasn't getting his minutes in Cleveland. With the minutes in LA he could possibility become better than what you see. Not allstar quality but he fills a need.
4.) 02 Jul 2016 22:09:00
Let's say that they want to come here - Don't you think that it would be better to pay 95m or wherever to wade and Gasol for let's say 3 years - 2 plus 1 to instead of paying how much again 135m for Mozgov and Deng? Anyway I really hate Mozgov. He is awful. I don't know mate, all I am saying is try something different.
Don't overpay for mediocre players. Let the young guys develop and add players that can grow with them. Deng is a good player and versatile, though he is 31. Fine we need experience. If Mozgov is the only option sign him for 30m but 1 year and next year try again.
5.) 03 Jul 2016 00:52:00
Would I think 2 years plus 1 year option for Wade and Gasol is better yes. Absolutely. But they wouldn't do that. Deng and Mozgov signed because they are getting 4 years. If the Lakers offered 2 or 3 years to them then they would take a better offer from another team and the Lakers would be left with nothing on the free agent market. Yes development is important I 100% agree. In a way Wade and Gasol would hurt the develop not in the wins cause we would see a playoff team but Clarkson, Ingram and Randle wouldn't get the ball as much. Maybe not as much playing time either. Deng has an outside jump shot, leadership, and plays defense. All 3 are needs. Mozgov plays defense, defensive rebounding and block shots. All 3 needs. Lack of Mozgov shooting means more shots for Russell, Clarkson, Ingram and Randle. I think the team defense will benefit. It would be nice to slide Wade into the starting lineup but its a give and take.
6.) 03 Jul 2016 10:02:04
Well, we clearly disagree in relation to mozgov but we are in agreement regarding Deng. Let's see. I would be fine with a shorter deal with mozgov. 4 years is crazy. I don't think that Wade and Gasol would jeopardize the development of the Young players. Quite the opposite but as you mentioned we will never know if they would come to la. Anyway the best of luck to us but I bet we will win 35 games max this season and I am being optimistic. Perhaps Walton and you will prove me wrong. Cheers
7.) 05 Jul 2016 04:46:30
Look at the past few years. The top tier guys are not coming to the Lakers. Plus we keep signing short contract to guy and have no stability. Yes it hey paid more than I would like and for longer but we need to get some stability back. And in 2-3 years the contracts won't look that bad. And there is always the possibility of trading them down the line. Mozgov and Deng bring some defense to a team that was horrible last year. If you have your 2 vets out there playing defense they young core has no excuse not to play defense.
01 Jul 2016 07:40:38
Damn. 4/64mil for Mozgov. Equivalent of about a 4/44mil contract of the old cap, which isn't great, but isn't terrible. My worry is the years. Hoping that there are 2 team option years on that contract when it's all finalised.
Welcome to the new NBA.
19 Jun 2016 05:27:44
If the lakers choose Hield with the 2nd pick, that would be the dumbest thing the lakers could do in this draft. If they want another SG, they may as well trade the pick for Booker.
It's Simmons, Ingram or Bust in this draft.
1.) 19 Jun 2016 08:11:44
Yes it would be a dumb move cause of the need at SF and what Ingram can bring immediately defensively. I still think they are just looking but will pick Ingram. Hield will be a good player and I doubt he will be a bust if the Lakers picked him. However the Lakers already have Clarkson, Williams, and Young who all do the same thing.
2.) 19 Jun 2016 09:24:13
Citydude- what I don't understand is why people say we should get him for his shooting. Ingrams shot was perfectly fine in college, is 3-4 years younger, and fits a positional need in the team. Not only that but he has elite two way potential especially if he can put on some weight.
3.) 19 Jun 2016 15:35:33
In some peoples mind they compare Hield to Steph Curry. They see the potential he has. Making 79 out of 100 3 pointers in a workout and averaging 25 points a game in his final collage season would do that. He is a good shooter however to me I don't see him averaging 30 points a game anytime soon like Curry. He would make an impact on scoring maybe average 17 a game in his rookie year but that's not going to win games without getting stops defensively.
05 May 2016 11:02:43
Jim Buss came out today in an interview with two things that makes me unsure about our plans this off season.
1st thing was that he believed that the Lakers have a core 5 players he believed that they would be building around. Those players being Russell/ Clarkson/ Randle/ Nance/ Williams. He also said he liked a few of the other players, saying they could be nice rotational players.
The 2nd thing he mentioned was that he thinks that the team has the perfect number of young players and thinks they will be adding good, vets around them.
This leads me to this question. If they are planning to trade the pick as they believe they have the right amount of younger players in the team, but the core 5 seems unmovable, who/what would they package with the top 3 pick in order to get that 'star' player that we are rumored to be going after, assuming that the team trading with us will want quite a bit for an all star quality player?
1.) 05 May 2016 15:06:18
I wouldn't take that interview too seriously as far as trading for a star player. We all know a young core player would have to be traded to get talent in. Jim Buss just can't say much cause he would then upset a core player saying we are going to trade a specific Laker player in order to get talent. If the offer is on the table he would take it. The young player that would most likely be traded in a package would be Jordan Clarkson if say Derozan signs.
04 May 2016 12:30:43
What's people's thoughts on Derozan? Imo I think we should go after him because we clearly lack talent, but I feel as though he might not fit in with the system that I believe Luke will want to play due to his poor 3p%.
Saying that tho, if we are able to grab Ingram in the draft tho, that changes everything as offensively Russell and Ingram could spread the floor. If we can leave FA with a lineup to what's similar below with JC, Nance and a couple more nice bench players, especially players who can defend and shoot the three ball, we could sneak into the playoffs. Maybe. MAYBE.
Russell
Derozan
Ingram
Randle
Whiteside
1.) 04 May 2016 12:57:08
Ye derozan is a very good player but I think were going to be a bit of a warriors 2.0 so he will probably go with clarkson
Russell=Curry
Clarkson=Thompson
Randle=Green
20 Jun 2017 17:41:53
Timberwolves fan by any chance?
18 May 2017 09:39:58
So kings trade a 5th and 10th for a 3rd pick and former 3rd pick. Sounds like a pretty good deal for them.
17 May 2017 15:05:09
wtf is tall ball? lmfao.
17 May 2017 15:04:19
76ers fan? So Philly drop down only 1 spot, pick up a former 2nd pick with a bright future and take on Deng (who they would probably need to reach the cap floor) . No thank you.
07 May 2017 19:28:41
If you are going to trade D'lo and Randle you need to get an established star player back, not another young player. Oh and would probably just rather Deng and the 2 young players from those picks than the average players we get from spurs.
08 Aug 2016 03:14:21
Lol Okafor would not help whatsoever, what would we need to give up for one year of Griffin? Too much I would assume and Cousins would be nice, but still wouldn't give up too many pieces for him because he would have a worse team around him than the Kings and they haven't made it far.
08 Jul 2016 05:29:06
Cousins is a free agent in 2018.
07 Jul 2016 07:36:33
We aren't going to get past the warriors whether we make a trade for an all star or keep our youth so we may as well ride the youth for the next few years, watch them develop and by the time we have to pay them their first/ next big contract they will be 24-27 and willing to make a push for the title once durant, curry etc are in their 30's. If we make a push for players like westbrook, love and cousins, and we can't get past the warriors, we are then left to build our team again because in 5 years they will be in their 30's.
07 Jul 2016 07:29:20
Taking D12 over Bynum wasn't a bad decision. if I remember correctly, Bynum didn't play another game till he was on the pacers and sucked real bad. at least we got a year out of the coward.
06 Jul 2016 01:31:20
Citydude- please no nick young. You can't fix stupidity. Nearly injured himself with a firework.