Let’s put to rest the Lakers are good narrative

GrandTheftRondo · Post #1 » by **GrandTheftRondo** » Fri Apr 26, 2024 4:47 am

They are not a legit NBA championship contender.

They haven’t been since 2020.

LeBron and AD seem like an elite duo but LeBron is old as and coasts more than ever on D. Maybe advanced stats etc say otherwise but a younger LeBron was far more capable of dragging mediocre rosters further.

It has zero to do with coaching.

Sure they could have a better supporting cast around their stars but that’s easier said than done.

Can we finally stop treating this team year after year like they are elite? It isn’t 2020 anymore.

rapstarter · Post #2 » by **rapstarter** » Fri Apr 26, 2024 4:49 am

No, they are great!

HanzGruber · Post #3 » by **HanzGruber** » Fri Apr 26, 2024 5:10 am

Well they were an 8th seed. Only people that think they’re good work for espn

jkvonny · Post #4 » by **jkvonny** » Fri Apr 26, 2024 5:10 am

rapstarter wrote:No, they are great!

Watch on YouTube

GrandTheftRondo · Post #5 » by **GrandTheftRondo** » Fri Apr 26, 2024 5:11 am

HanzGruber wrote:Well they were an 8th seed. Only people that think they’re good work for espn

Oh it’s definitely media driven but it absolutely has had an effect on how some fans view them too.

mg · Post #6 » by mg » Fri Apr 26, 2024 5:11 am

They have kept the games close but it's obvious they don't have enough talent after you get past Lebron and AD.

Bank Shot · Post #7 » by **Bank Shot** » Fri Apr 26, 2024 5:11 am

IST Champs so they must be good

Manimal · Post #8 » by **Manimal** » Fri Apr 26, 2024 5:13 am

I think there are a few teams in the west they could have beaten in a series. At least a half dozen playoff teams if you include the east. Tough draw playing the Nuggets again, but I respect them for not ducking the matchup.

chrismikayla · Post #9 » by **chrismikayla** » Fri Apr 26, 2024 5:14 am

This is how one would expect a series between a play in team and the defending champs to go.

SomeBunghole · Post #10 » by **SomeBunghole** » Fri Apr 26, 2024 5:15 am

One of things I was hoping the IST would do is give teams an early preview of very competitive games so they can figure out what they might need to tweak and improve.

It worked like a charm. The Lakers won it and figured they needed absolutely no changes as a result.

zero rings · Post #11 » by **zero rings** » Fri Apr 26, 2024 5:18 am

They were never going to win the championship with this group, but they're still a pretty good team. Denver is just in their heads at this point.

Lebron and AD would be good for 50 wins in the East. The West was brutal this year.

EmpireFalls · Post #12 » by **EmpireFalls** » Fri Apr 26, 2024 5:19 am

What’s funny is I actually think they could have beaten just about every other West team except Denver.

Dallas and Minnesota would likely win but it wouldn’t be this overwhelming thing like it is this series. Everyone else, the Lakers had a shot.

Denver is making them look worse than they are

lessthanjake · Post #13 » by **lessthanjake** » Fri Apr 26, 2024 5:31 am

GrandTheftRondo wrote:They are not a legit NBA championship contender.

They haven’t been since 2020.

LeBron and AD seem like an elite duo but LeBron is old as and coasts more than ever on D. Maybe advanced stats etc say otherwise but a younger LeBron was far more capable of dragging mediocre rosters further.

It has zero to do with coaching.

Sure they could have a better supporting cast around their stars but that’s easier said than done.

Can we finally stop treating this team year after year like they are elite? It isn’t 2020 anymore.

It is certainly true that “a younger LeBron was far more capable of dragging mediocre rosters further.” But LeBron is still a solidly all-NBA player. And AD is too. This is a team with two genuine all-NBA players. That’s not very common! And then they have some solid players outside of that—everyone in their playoff rotation is a solid player. It’s a really good team! In a sense it’s true that they’re not a legitimate title contender if they just can’t beat the Nuggets. But they are a really talented team. And they’d arguably be a title contender if the Nuggets lost to some other team or had injuries.

Potential · Post #14 » by **Potential** » Fri Apr 26, 2024 5:39 am

It's a great roster that can easily win a championship but they just can't beat their fathers. Letting go of Caruso and abandoning a real center and hiring a clueless coach wasn't smart ideas at all. Back to the 2011-2018 gutter for Hollywood

Tottery · Post #15 » by **Tottery** » Fri Apr 26, 2024 5:40 am

I don't believe they're terrible, just that Denver is that good. If this was any other team in the west, do you believe they would be down 3 games? I don't. Truth is, Denver is a great team and barring a serious injury will win another title this year imo.

That brings me to Ham. I don't believe he is a terrible coach, the only team he's lost to in the post season is Denver. Lakers need to build a team specifically for Denver, but I don't believe they can attain the pieces.

madskillz8 · Post #16 » by **madskillz8** » Fri Apr 26, 2024 5:40 am

Manimal wrote:I think there are a few teams in the west they could have beaten in a series. At least a half dozen playoff teams if you include the east. Tough draw playing the Nuggets again, but I respect them for not ducking the matchup.

Yes. Portland, San Antonio, and Utah.

ChipotleWest · Post #17 » by **ChipotleWest** » Fri Apr 26, 2024 5:42 am

I mean they won the in season tournament, they have a banner, a banner.

SomeBunghole · Post #18 » by **SomeBunghole** » Fri Apr 26, 2024 5:52 am

lessthanjake wrote:It is certainly true that “a younger LeBron was far more capable of dragging mediocre rosters further.” But LeBron is still a solidly all-NBA player. And AD is too. This is a team with two genuine all-NBA players.

This is patently false. Last time AD made an All-NBA team was 2019. LeBron has been All-NBA 3rd team last two years. Even that you could argue have been legacy selections.

What the Lakers have is two decent All-Stars, while the actual contenders have an MVP candidate, usually.

lessthanjake · Post #19 » by **lessthanjake** » Fri Apr 26, 2024 5:53 am

SomeBunghole wrote:
lessthanjake wrote:It is certainly true that “a younger LeBron was far more capable of dragging mediocre rosters further.” But LeBron is still a solidly all-NBA player. And AD is too. This is a team with two genuine all-NBA players.

This is patently false. Last time AD made an All-NBA team was 2019. LeBron has been All-NBA 3rd team last two years. Even that you could argue have been legacy selections.

What the Lakers have is two decent All-Stars, while the actual contenders have an MVP candidate, usually.

AD and LeBron are both going to be all-NBA this very season.

SomeBunghole · Post #20 » by **SomeBunghole** » Fri Apr 26, 2024 5:58 am

lessthanjake wrote:AD and LeBron are both going to be all-NBA this very season.

Let's assume this fantasy take is true. Domas and Fox were All-NBA 3rd team last year. That's about the level Lakers are and were this season, too. Sacramento. Not Denver, not Minnesota, not Boston. Sacramento. That's how many games they won in the RS, too. One more than Sacramento.