Predict the 2015-16 Roster

[TyCobb]

2015-2016 Los Angeles Lakers

SG Kobe Bryant $25,000,000
SG Nick Young $5,219,169
PF Julius Randle $3,132,240
PF Ryan Kelly $1,724,250
C Robert Sacre $981,258
PG Jordan Clarkson $845,059


Total Salary
$36,902,076

Projected 2015-2016 Salary Cap
$66,300,000

Lakers draft Karl-Anthony Towns with the 4th overall pick. $3,440,000
Lakers draft Amida Brimah with the 26th overall pick. $990,000
Lakers draft Vince Hunter with the 34th overall pick.
Lakers draft Norman Powell with the 54th overall pick.

Money for Free Agents
$25,957,924

Lakers sign PG Goran Dragic to 4 year, $80 Million deal.
Lakers re-sign Wesley Johnson 2 years, $4 Million with Team Option on Year 2.
Lakers sign Al-Farooq Aminu 1 year, $2 Million

PG Goran Dragic/Jordan Clarkson/Norman Powell
SG Kobe Bryant/Nick Young/Jordan Clarkson
SF Wesley Johnson/Al-Farouq Aminu/Vince Hunter
PF Julius Randle/Ryan Kelly/Al-Farouq Aminu
C Karl-Anthony Towns/Robert Sacre/Amida Brimah

[ALL HAIL]

2015-2016 Los Angeles Lakers

SG Kobe Bryant $25,000,000
SG Nick Young $5,219,169
PF Julius Randle $3,132,240
PF Ryan Kelly $1,724,250
C Robert Sacre $981,258
PG Jordan Clarkson $845,059


Total Salary
$36,902,076

Projected 2015-2016 Salary Cap
$66,300,000

Lakers draft Karl-Anthony Towns with the 4th overall pick. $3,440,000
Lakers draft Amida Brimah with the 26th overall pick. $990,000
Lakers draft Vince Hunter with the 34th overall pick.
Lakers draft Norman Powell with the 54th overall pick.

Money for Free Agents
$25,957,924

Lakers sign PG Goran Dragic to 4 year, $80 Million deal.
Lakers re-sign Wesley Johnson 2 years, $4 Million with Team Option on Year 2.
Lakers sign Al-Farooq Aminu 1 year, $2 Million

PG Goran Dragic/Jordan Clarkson/Norman Powell
SG Kobe Bryant/Nick Young/Jordan Clarkson
SF Wesley Johnson/Al-Farouq Aminu/Vince Hunter
PF Julius Randle/Ryan Kelly/Al-Farouq Aminu
C Karl-Anthony Towns/Robert Sacre/Amida Brimah

That frontline is sooooo thin Ty.

I don't think Towns will be ready to start on an NBA team either. He definitely needs to be groomed behind a more experienced big man.

I also think Randle needs a veteran defensive foil to either back him up or start in front him. I just don't believe in teenagers dude.

[TyCobb]

That frontline is sooooo thin Ty.

I don't think Towns will be ready to start on an NBA team either. He definitely needs to be groomed behind a more experienced big man.

I also think Randle needs a veteran defensive foil to either back him up or start in front him. I just don't believe in teenagers dude.

Thin experience-wise?

Brimah and Towns are both big boys. 7'0, 250+lbs.
Sacre can always start until 20 or some games into the season, kinda like Clarkson, till Towns gets caught up with travel + practice, etc..

Aminu is the defensive hybrid PF/SF backup for Randle.

[ALL HAIL]

That frontline is sooooo thin Ty.

I don't think Towns will be ready to start on an NBA team either. He definitely needs to be groomed behind a more experienced big man.

I also think Randle needs a veteran defensive foil to either back him up or start in front him. I just don't believe in teenagers dude.

Thin experience-wise?

Brimah and Towns are both big boys. 7'0, 250+lbs.
Sacre can always start until 20 or some games into the season, kinda like Clarkson, till Towns gets caught up with travel + practice, etc..

Aminu is the defensive hybrid PF/SF backup for Randle.

Yes, experience wise, and yes, talent wise.

Sacre should only be in an NBA rotation if you have an injury, and Kelly rebounds at the same clip as Little Nate Robinson.

As I said before, the frontline needs experience and defense for a guy like Towns to be "raised" up properly.

Also, Dragic is a huge reach at this point.

I appreciate the format and meticulousness with which you created your post though.

[TyCobb]

Yes, experience wise, and yes, talent wise.

Sacre should only be in an NBA rotation if you have an injury, and Kelly rebounds at the same clip as Little Nate Robinson.

As I said before, the frontline needs experience and defense for a guy like Towns to be "raised" up properly.

Also, Dragic is a huge reach at this point.

I appreciate the format and meticulousness with which you created your post though.

Disagree talent wise. Towns is a 2 way player who can knock down 15-footers. Brimah is a big body that excels as a rim-protector. With a playmaker like Dragic we won't need to lean on the centers year one for double-digit points.

[ALL HAIL]

Yes, experience wise, and yes, talent wise.

Sacre should only be in an NBA rotation if you have an injury, and Kelly rebounds at the same clip as Little Nate Robinson.

As I said before, the frontline needs experience and defense for a guy like Towns to be "raised" up properly.

Also, Dragic is a huge reach at this point.

I appreciate the format and meticulousness with which you created your post though.

Disagree talent wise. Towns is a 2 way player who can knock down 15-footers. Brimah is a big body that excels as a rim-protector. With a playmaker like Dragic we won't need to lean on the centers year one for double-digit points.

I don't know anything about Brimah, so you have to excuse me, but you need more experience on the frontline for balance dude.

You have two teenagers starting and their primary backups are Kelly and Sacre. Even if Aminu takes all the backup PF minutes, I think you still need more experience down there to win more games.

I'm all for young talent, but in order for that young talent to grow ripely IMO, they need role models at their position. Van Exel had Threatt. Kobe had Scott. Vlade had Mychal Thompson, and Bynum had Gasol.

When I think of oster construction, I always consider really young guys backing up grizzled vets. That's why I was so adamant and in favor of the Boozer signing this summer.

Towns would make a super backup center for a year or two, and likewise for Randle. The young guys need to beat out real NBA players.

Hell, James Worthy was a number one pick as a junior and sat for an entire year, backing up Wilkes. You don't think think that type of nurturing did wonders for Worthy's game?

[TyCobb]

Brimah - 7'0'', 7'6'' wingspan. 5th in the NCAA in BLK% at 13.47. 21-year-old SOPH out of Ghana.
Towns - 7'0'', 7'3'' wingspan. 12th in the NCAA in BLK% at 12.75. 19-year-old FR out of New Jersey.

Combine that with Randle's scoring ability, and lack of elite size and defense, and you have your entire front court rotation of the future. If you're expecting playoffs next season, then yeah, you won't find that group appealing. However, getting those guys minutes ASAP would be great for their development, especially if we can get a playmaker/scorer like Dragic at the point to get these guys easy looks in the beginning. A point guard like Dragic will be better for their development than any veteran mentor big would be.

[ALL HAIL]

Brimah - 7'0'', 7'6'' wingspan. 5th in the NCAA in BLK% at 13.47. 21-year-old SOPH out of Ghana.
Towns - 7'0'', 7'3'' wingspan. 12th in the NCAA in BLK% at 12.75. 19-year-old FR out of New Jersey.

Combine that with Randle's scoring ability, and lack of elite size and defense, and you have your entire front court rotation of the future. If you're expecting playoffs next season, then yeah, you won't find that group appealing. However, getting those guys minutes ASAP would be great for their development, especially if we can get a playmaker/scorer like Dragic at the point to get these guys easy looks in the beginning. A point guard like Dragic will be better for their development than any veteran mentor big would be.

I hear you. We have ideological difference then.

When I consider Randle, I think he needs Kevin Garnett.
When I consider Towns, I think he needs another talented big in front him like Brook Lopez.

Again, I don't know jack about Bridah, but you have him third string, so that's cool.

Lopez, Garnett, Towns, and Randle is infinitely better than Sacre, Randle, Towns, and Kelly.

And Dragic at 20 mill is not economical, especially when Sacre and Kelly are the primary backups to teenagers.

This is a grown man's game Ty. I thought you knew.

[TyCobb]

Brimah - 7'0'', 7'6'' wingspan. 5th in the NCAA in BLK% at 13.47. 21-year-old SOPH out of Ghana.
Towns - 7'0'', 7'3'' wingspan. 12th in the NCAA in BLK% at 12.75. 19-year-old FR out of New Jersey.

Combine that with Randle's scoring ability, and lack of elite size and defense, and you have your entire front court rotation of the future. If you're expecting playoffs next season, then yeah, you won't find that group appealing. However, getting those guys minutes ASAP would be great for their development, especially if we can get a playmaker/scorer like Dragic at the point to get these guys easy looks in the beginning. A point guard like Dragic will be better for their development than any veteran mentor big would be.

I hear you. We have ideological difference then.

When I consider Randle, I think he needs Kevin Garnett.
When I consider Towns, I think he needs another talented big in front him like Brook Lopez.

Again, I don't know jack about Bridah, but you have him third string, so that's cool.

Lopez, Garnett, Towns, and Randle is infinitely better than Sacre, Randle, Towns, and Kelly.

And Dragic at 20 mill is not economical, especially when Sacre and Kelly are the primary backups to teenagers.
owner
This is a goon man's game Ty. I thought you knew.

Garnett is trying to become part owner of the Wolves, he's not going to come to LA to develop their rookies.

Yeah, first thing that comes to my mind when I hear goon is ex-Stanford Cardinal Brook Lopez.

Go watch some film on Bridah. He gets after it defensively like a real goon.

[TyCobb]

Okay, Brook Lopez a grown man... that he is.

[ALL HAIL]

I can't break the money down like you, but here's my "framework" for the froncourt:

You start with Brook Lopez as the first option in the half court. When he's healthy (he'll eventually get hurt), he becomes the offensive and rim protecting backbone of the team (even though he's "soft" and can't board properly).

Next, you bring in a defensive vet who can play PF and C (when Lopez eventually gets hurt). Kevin Garnett even in his old age is far and away the best candidate for this spot. I'd pay him whatever the hell he wanted because I feel like his intangible value with two rising teens on the squad is immeasurable.

Okay, now you've got to be creative. Because of Lopez's rebounding decencies, you need a SF who is an above average rebounder--a guy at SF who rebounds like a PF. it's tricky because not only does this guy have to rebound at a high rate, but he also needs to play elite defense and be able to shoot at least 37% from three. Kawhi Leonard, DeMarre Carroll, PJ Tucker, Thabo Sefolosha, and maybe even Dorrell Wright or Aminu all fit that bill. Tucker would be perfect for a financial standpoint.

The teenagers are my backups at PF and C, and Wesley Johnson, Aminu or Wright is my backup at SF. Also, if the Lakers could secure Justin Anderson, I'd strongly consider him as the starter at SF to sav a little dough.

[ALL HAIL]

Brimah - 7'0'', 7'6'' wingspan. 5th in the NCAA in BLK% at 13.47. 21-year-old SOPH out of Ghana.
Towns - 7'0'', 7'3'' wingspan. 12th in the NCAA in BLK% at 12.75. 19-year-old FR out of New Jersey.

Combine that with Randle's scoring ability, and lack of elite size and defense, and you have your entire front court rotation of the future. If you're expecting playoffs next season, then yeah, you won't find that group appealing. However, getting those guys minutes ASAP would be great for their development, especially if we can get a playmaker/scorer like Dragic at the point to get these guys easy looks in the beginning. A point guard like Dragic will be better for their development than any veteran mentor big would be.

I hear you. We have ideological difference then.

When I consider Randle, I think he needs Kevin Garnett.
When I consider Towns, I think he needs another talented big in front him like Brook Lopez.

Again, I don't know jack about Bridah, but you have him third string, so that's cool.

Lopez, Garnett, Towns, and Randle is infinitely better than Sacre, Randle, Towns, and Kelly.

And Dragic at 20 mill is not economical, especially when Sacre and Kelly are the primary backups to teenagers.
owner
This is a goon man's game Ty. I thought you knew.

Garnett is trying to become part owner of the Wolves, he's not going to come to LA to develop their rookies.

Yeah, first thing that comes to my mind when I hear goon is ex-Stanford Cardinal Brook Lopez.

Go watch some film on Bridah. He gets after it defensively like a real goon.

That "goon" was a typo man.

With regard to Garnett, I've heard the same rumors dude, but if the Lakers paid him handsomely, he just may come. Garnett coming here for one year blank check is just as reasonable as Dragic coming hear after being traded to a team that he asked to be traded to.

I believe you about Bridah. I do. My team needs balance though. Young pups and grizzled vets, that's how you learn and grow in this league.

[ROballer]

Seeing Dragic 20 mil per year deals makes me cringe harder than the time I got circumcized


C'mon Ty,you know better than that

[kblo247]

What I want
Dragic
Kobe
Tobias
Randle
Kufos
Young
Green

What I expect
Rondo
Kobe
Matthews
Randle
Towns
Young
Ed

What I fear
Russell
Kobe
Wes (for more money)
Randle
Hill (at 12mil after we bring him back after not exercising the option
Ed
Nick

What I'd kill for is no first rounders, selling kelly away, and getting Aldridge and Marc to come with our cap space and trading randle

[TyCobb]

Seeing Dragic 20 mil per year deals makes me cringe harder than the time I got circumcized


C'mon Ty,you know better than that

Think how hard you'll cringe when we don't sign any FA and end up giving our 4th pick to the Sixers.

[ALL HAIL]

In the backcourt:

Kobe becomes my PG (averaging under thirty minutes a game). He'll get his points too, but I want him to eat, sleep, and sh-t passing and facilitating.

At SG, I need a defensive bulldog who can guard both backcourt spots to compensate for Kobe. This guy also needs to be a respectable and emerging shooter. My second round pick becomes the starter here. You know Senior Josh Richardson out of Tennessee is my chosen man here. He's baby Ron Harper (the triangle years).

Off the bench I need a veteran PG WHO CAN KEEP THE GOOD VIBES GOING while Kobe sits, preferably someone who is of the pass first ilk. My guy is Shaun Livingston for this role. He can, along with Kobe, build up the teenagers just as good if not better than an overpaid pie in the sky Dragic.

At backup SG, I go the specialist route. I draft Michael Frazier out of Florida as my designated shooter. He will guard PGs primarily as he plays alongside Kobe and Livingston. I also sign ... wait for it ... Jimmer Freddete to compete with Frazier for the same role.

[ROballer]

I'd rather do that than signing overrated players to close to the MAX deals ,and giving up the 10th pick instead of the 4th

[TyCobb]

I'd rather do that than signing overrated players to close to the MAX deals ,and giving up the 10th pick instead of the 4th

Well that's stupid.

It will likely not be our problem anyways as Miami will likely give him what he wants to stay in Miami, but Dragic put up 20 a game on 50% shooting while dishing out 6 assists a game. He's not overrated, he'd be overpaid, but no overrated. And he'd be overpaid because that's what the market will dictate.

[ROballer]

...and he bounced right back this year,is 29 and doesn't have one definite skill you can deem elite

He is overrated ,yeah ..... and at 20 mil per is just absurd,he ain't a difference maker who can drastically improve our record ,like I'd expect out of a 20 mil guy

Aaron Brooks scored 20 per game in a season as well ....plenty of guys were one and done's
If he was 23-25 ,the yeah,maybe you got a point......but he's 29 ,and had one great statistical season
If I'm paying someone that age close to the MAX money ,I'm paying for consistency ,not one good season


I'd rather have Reggie Jackson or Brandon Knight over Dragic any day ...with less money invested

[5ertwenty]

With the #2 pick we select Towns.

I don't see us making any huge free agent acquisitions. Baring a cataclysm, the guys who are worth the max (Aldridge, Love, Gasol) will all stay put.

We badly need point guard depth - Louis Williams.
We need to solidify the SF spot - DeMarre Carrol.

PG - Clarkson / Louis Williams
SG - Bryant
SF - Carroll
PF - Randle / Kelly
C - Hill / Towns

And if we re-sign Ed Davis we will have created a four headed rebounding monster.