Patience as Lakers fans

[B-Scott]

I think some NOT ALL fsns are impatient and a little spoiled as fans. Matter fact we all are spoiled as Lakers fans. We're used
to hitting the "jackpot" and getting a little lucky throught the years

1979: How on earth did we get Magic with No. 1 Pick when the 1978 Lakers were already a 50 win team with Norm Nixon, Kareem and Jamaal Wilkes?. To be honest owners back then were alcoholics and made bad trades. They just gave us a No.1 pick. Owners of today would not give the top pick to a 50 win team

1982: How did we get James Worthy when we had already won titles in 1980 and 1982?. In this era, there is no way the Cavaliers would get the No.1 pick in the draft because owners are smarter than that in this era.

1996: Orlando, Penny/Shaq had potential to go 8 more years together and rebound from their loss to Chicago in 1996, but Shaq chose to come to LA, We were coming off 50 wins and than acquire Shaq. Mainly because you could outbid teams back then. If we faced similair situation with prime Shaq in 2017, Orlando could offer 200 million

1996: Who knew Kobe would be this great? I remember attending the 1996 summer league and he looked no better than Jerry Stackhouse. Just another 6'7 wing player that shoots a lot. Kobe put up scoring numbers, but he took a lot of shots in summer league. He turned out to be top 5 player of all time

In 2017, teams are tired of Lakers winning, the salary cap favors players on their own team. We can no longer offer a Shaq type deal in which we outbidded Orlando in 1996. Teams can now pay their own players much more money and what player leaves 60 to 70 million on the table? I sure wouldn't because i would have worked my entire life to secure a contract like that

Lakers have to build through the draft and acquire plan B free agents. Patience is the key

[snaquille oatmeal]

how the hell did the Cavs get 3 number 1 picks in a row in this modern NBA? just saying

[B-Scott]

Wasn't that after bad seasons?

[TyCobb]

Thanks for keeping my head on straight B-Scott.

[DEEP3CL]

Let me answer some of these B-Scott...

Lets start with 1979, you ask how ? And it starts actually in 1976 , if the New Orleans Jazz wasn't so hungry for a star almost past his prime they wouldn't have had to surrender compensation for signing Gail Goodrich in free agency. Back then if you signed a teams free agent you then had to compensate that team for loss of it's own veteran player.

The Jazz by signing Goodrich traded 3 future 1st rounders (1977,78,79) and a 1980 2nd and the Lakers gave back to the Jazz a 1977 2nd and a 1978 1st. That following season (78-79) the Jazz finished 26-56 and for good measure was coached by former Laker Elgin Baylor. Now for the twist, the Bulls had the worst record in the east 31-51. Back then it was simple, teams that finished last flipped for draft position. The Lakers still had to flip with the Bulls due to the fact they owned the Jazz pick...Lakers won the coin flip.

That 78-79 season was the last for the Jazz in New Orleans....they move to Salt Lake City, Utah that summer.

As for the Shaq acquisition well some of what you state is true but also the main reason aside from out bidding the Magic, was that it was no restricted free agency. Prior to 1995, two completed contracts and a minimum of four years of service were required for a free agent to be deemed unrestricted, and thus be able to sign with any team he wanted without the incumbent team having the ability to match any offer. The CBA that resulted from the 1995 lockout, however, eliminated restricted free agency for the first and only time in the salary cap era.

When the next lock out rolled around in 1998, they went back to the old free agency rules and reinserted restricted free agency...Lakers got lucky.

It took 3 CBA's but the league finally got what it wanted or should I say the petty owners who wanted a level playing field and that was to stop the Lakers. In the end this last CBA finally caught up to Mitch and Jim. They weren't savvy enough to work with it, now with Rob and Magic in the fold maybe we can catch up.

[dAdo dA dEvil]

We are just lucky. Those picks that we got from trades just turned out to be Magic and Worthy. And Kobe. Remember, not all number 1 draft picks turns out to be a superstar or franchise player. We're just lucky that these two weren't a bust. For Kobe, that '96 draft pool was really loaded with very good players. He was picked as number 13 but back then no one thought he would turn out to be one of the best players all time.

It takes patience especially in this era where we are basically drafting teens. It will generally take time before they reach their peak and be totally "NBA ready". We are lucky enough if DLo and Ingram becomes the players that they were projected in the years to come.

Speaking of luck, the Celtics finished with the best record in the East and could possibly land that number 1 pick. When the trade was made few years back that pick was just a pick but now if the Celtics are truly lucky enough that pick could be a number 1 pick while they enjoy being the number one team in the East.

As Lakers' fans we just got to be patient with the development of our young core and hope that we could be lucky enough to land this top 3 pick. We are still at the bottom 3 of the league right now, but if you look at the brighter side, we finished the season strong, we are +9 wins from last season and we could still possibly land that top 3 pick. We continue winning, we could start to attract free agents and young players continue to develop. Be patient and in a couple more years we are back in the playoffs.

[RingsDontLie]

I feel we hit the jackpot when we got Ingram. Fitting since he came right after the goat left.

[LakersSoul]

I feel we hit the jackpot when we got Ingram. Fitting since he came right after the goat left.

Potential SuperStar: Ingram
Potential All-Star: Dlo

You surround them with talented roll players like Zubac, Nance, Randle and future 6th man of the year Clarkson then you have a strong core for a championship run. Then if we can add another top 3 pick, that would be dantastic!! We also might work in a top FA by 2018 summer then we have a potential top 5 team in the making.

Back to the glory days!!

[danfantastk32]

I feel we hit the jackpot when we got Ingram. Fitting since he came right after the goat left.

Potential SuperStar: Ingram
Potential All-Star: Dlo

You surround them with talented roll players like Zubac, Nance, Randle and future 6th man of the year Clarkson then you have a strong core for a championship run. Then if we can add another top 3 pick, that would be dantastic!! We also might work in a top FA by 2018 summer then we have a potential top 5 team in the making.

Back to the glory days!!

If we land Fultz/Ball, and we slide Russell to SG....then we have a young core at all 5 positions: Fultz/Ball - Russell - Ingram - Randle - Zubac.

If that were to happen...then I would sit pat this offseason. Try and get a couple shooters, some role players, but don't shell out any appreciable $$. Somewhere around game-30, it will be apparent if Randle/Russell have grown. My concern mostly is Randle. If at some point, the growth is not really showing up....I'd try and offload Randle with Moz or Deng. Slide Nance to starter for the rest of the season. That following offseason, try for a PF in FA.

If Randle and Russell make good strides.....then we really gotta just chill and let this pot cook. It doesn't have to take a billion years. Look at Rondo....thrown in with some hard vets....he held is own, and won it all his rookie season. I see no reason why Ball/Fultz couldn't be perfectly comfortable their 2nd year (Now Ingram/Zubac's third, Randle/Russell/Nance's 4th). I'm not talking title here..but strong season....maybe make some first-round noise...take one of the big-boys 6 games.

If we don't get the pick....then I go all out to get a PG. It's gonna make $$ issues intense down the line. But maybe we look at stretching...maybe we end up HAVING to trade Randle along with Deng, or something. But get the PG, and do the rest of what I said. At least, thats what I'd do.

[danfantastk32]

And we may not even have to trade Randle at all. The guy hardly "sucks". If Randle is your worst starter.....your looking awfully good. He's just gotta accept his role. I think the biggest issue will be having Zubac and Randle. Hard to consider us a deep-threat team, unless one or both become better outside shooters.

Perhaps Randle has a good year next year, but we package him with Deng/Moz anyhow.....throw Nance on the floor....give the guy his legit chance. If it doesn't work.....start looking for a stretch-4 that really completes the whole package. May take a year or two, but oh well.

[Landsberger]

Having been through all of those eras and even the one earlier I'd say that this is not as different as those. The idea that you can just draft a cohesive and complementary team is not well grounded in my opinion either. The last 8 years in OKC are proof of that and they drafted as well as anyone.

Realistically we are a long way from truly contending again. This is a deeper hole than the 92-2000 era in terms of talent and assets.

One thing fans of this and every other team do is overvalue their players. I don't think the front offices do however. With this new group in place, I'm not sure their thinking is to just continue drafting and adding 8M/year 30 something vets. The product is not supportive of the franchise's expectations and barring a 25 game jump in results won't be for a few more years. My guess is that we see more trades than we have been accustomed to in the Mitch era.

The realities of drafting like we've been doing is that we will be coming to decision points on these young guys over the next 3 years so we have to decide to either sign them long term or let them go in one way or another. Randle and Nance are the first ones up I believe next year. To re-sign them both won't be inexpensive in this environment and are they viewed as foundational pieces or "finishing" pieces by the FO. My guess is this will be at the center of their decision making this summer. Zubac, Russell are next up and so on. To draft a top 3 pick this year and just sit on the current squad for the next 4 we would be at or over the cap after re-signing all of them and that's without getting a FA of any significance.

To me this is a very interesting thing to watch. This team needs some significant re-shaping along with talent. Talent alone is not all of the problem. I hope the FO has an real plan as to how to do that while not gutting all of the youth that brings us a good mix of players who can enjoy some level of success. Another sub 30 win season and we've taught a young group nothing but how to endure losing.

I've always been a logo fan first and foremost and with this current group I'd trade anyone including the pick if it makes the team better. On the flip side I wouldn't trade anyone if it doesn't. This may sound simple but it's an opposition idea to the 98-2015 Knicks quest to keep a marketable product on the floor over truly building a contender.

[Pointgod]

The answer to get this team back to being successful isn't going to be from internal growth alone. Now that Magic and Pelinka are in charge we should see more action and less stay the course. All stars like Isiah Thomas, Kyle Lowry, James Harden, Marc Gasol, Paul Milsap were all traded to the teams they're currently on now. Golden State doesn't win the title without the trading Monta for Bogut. Does our current front office have the balls to make that bold move? Our previous front office didn't. Staying the course is how teams end up in 10 year playoff droughts.

[danfantastk32]

The answer to get this team back to being successful isn't going to be from internal growth alone. Now that Magic and Pelinka are in charge we should see more action and less stay the course. All stars like Isiah Thomas, Kyle Lowry, James Harden, Marc Gasol, Paul Milsap were all traded to the teams they're currently on now. Golden State doesn't win the title without the trading Monta for Bogut. Does our current front office have the balls to make that bold move? Our previous front office didn't. Staying the course is how teams end up in 10 year playoff droughts.

I was listening to the radio today, and it had 2 guys on talking Lakers (fill ins). It was very interesting. They feel very different than me. They think Randle is the "untouchable" player on this team. They think Russell has a very toxic label attached to him (this is from asking NBA's players / GM's by the way. Don't just roll your eyes cause you don't like what your hearing. This isn't what I think either, but sometimes if you listen, you might learn something). I found it kinda interesting how a million people see the same thing in a million different shades.

They talked about how Russell was unmovable last offseason because of the Young stuff. But now he's (sort of) rebuilt some standing in the NBA, and while there are some Laker staff who question the guy's attitude, and 'smugness' ....there are still some peeps in the NBA who see the potential. They feel like the Lakers should trade Russell while the value is still there. Like....not trade him for great things, but actually trade the guy to get rid of the 'cancer'.

They were very iffy on Ingram.

Anyhow.....point in all this, is that I really have no idea what Magic and Pelinka are thinking. You think you have the world figured out, and 2 guys come along with COMPLETELY different views, and it makes you wonder. Do Magic and Pelinka look at this roster and see Randle as our only "sure thing"?

[Princeinrevolt]

The answer to get this team back to being successful isn't going to be from internal growth alone. Now that Magic and Pelinka are in charge we should see more action and less stay the course. All stars like Isiah Thomas, Kyle Lowry, James Harden, Marc Gasol, Paul Milsap were all traded to the teams they're currently on now. Golden State doesn't win the title without the trading Monta for Bogut. Does our current front office have the balls to make that bold move? Our previous front office didn't. Staying the course is how teams end up in 10 year playoff droughts.

I was listening to the radio today, and it had 2 guys on talking Lakers (fill ins). It was very interesting. They feel very different than me. They think Randle is the "untouchable" player on this team. They think Russell has a very toxic label attached to him (this is from asking NBA's players / GM's by the way. Don't just roll your eyes cause you don't like what your hearing. This isn't what I think either, but sometimes if you listen, you might learn something). I found it kinda interesting how a million people see the same thing in a million different shades.

They talked about how Russell was unmovable last offseason because of the Young stuff. But now he's (sort of) rebuilt some standing in the NBA, and while there are some Laker staff who question the guy's attitude, and 'smugness' ....there are still some peeps in the NBA who see the potential. They feel like the Lakers should trade Russell while the value is still there. Like....not trade him for great things, but actually trade the guy to get rid of the 'cancer'.

They were very iffy on Ingram.

Anyhow.....point in all this, is that I really have no idea what Magic and Pelinka are thinking. You think you have the world figured out, and 2 guys come along with COMPLETELY different views, and it makes you wonder. Do Magic and Pelinka look at this roster and see Randle as our only "sure thing"?

Don't believe everything you hear.

[RingsDontLie]

The answer to get this team back to being successful isn't going to be from internal growth alone. Now that Magic and Pelinka are in charge we should see more action and less stay the course. All stars like Isiah Thomas, Kyle Lowry, James Harden, Marc Gasol, Paul Milsap were all traded to the teams they're currently on now. Golden State doesn't win the title without the trading Monta for Bogut. Does our current front office have the balls to make that bold move? Our previous front office didn't. Staying the course is how teams end up in 10 year playoff droughts.

I was listening to the radio today, and it had 2 guys on talking Lakers (fill ins). It was very interesting. They feel very different than me. They think Randle is the "untouchable" player on this team. They think Russell has a very toxic label attached to him (this is from asking NBA's players / GM's by the way. Don't just roll your eyes cause you don't like what your hearing. This isn't what I think either, but sometimes if you listen, you might learn something). I found it kinda interesting how a million people see the same thing in a million different shades.

They talked about how Russell was unmovable last offseason because of the Young stuff. But now he's (sort of) rebuilt some standing in the NBA, and while there are some Laker staff who question the guy's attitude, and 'smugness' ....there are still some peeps in the NBA who see the potential. They feel like the Lakers should trade Russell while the value is still there. Like....not trade him for great things, but actually trade the guy to get rid of the 'cancer'.

They were very iffy on Ingram.

Anyhow.....point in all this, is that I really have no idea what Magic and Pelinka are thinking. You think you have the world figured out, and 2 guys come along with COMPLETELY different views, and it makes you wonder. Do Magic and Pelinka look at this roster and see Randle as our only "sure thing"?

Randle as a sure thing? It wouldn't be completely out of the realm of possibility. Randle works hard and has improved from last season. He's very mature and a great guy to have on the team. I just don't know if we can pay him what he eventually will deserve. It's like letting go of Ariza...knowing he's that solid player, but you just can't pay him what he deserves. I hated when we wouldn't pay Ariza. Like seriously we couldn't adjust or move pieces to retain the guy? Made no sense.

But ya, these guys are on a completely different page then what I see with Ingram/Russ.

[Landsberger]

I was listening to the radio today, and it had 2 guys on talking Lakers (fill ins). It was very interesting. They feel very different than me. They think Randle is the "untouchable" player on this team. They think Russell has a very toxic label attached to him (this is from asking NBA's players / GM's by the way. Don't just roll your eyes cause you don't like what your hearing. This isn't what I think either, but sometimes if you listen, you might learn something). I found it kinda interesting how a million people see the same thing in a million different shades.

They talked about how Russell was unmovable last offseason because of the Young stuff. But now he's (sort of) rebuilt some standing in the NBA, and while there are some Laker staff who question the guy's attitude, and 'smugness' ....there are still some peeps in the NBA who see the potential. They feel like the Lakers should trade Russell while the value is still there. Like....not trade him for great things, but actually trade the guy to get rid of the 'cancer'.

They were very iffy on Ingram.

Anyhow.....point in all this, is that I really have no idea what Magic and Pelinka are thinking. You think you have the world figured out, and 2 guys come along with COMPLETELY different views, and it makes you wonder. Do Magic and Pelinka look at this roster and see Randle as our only "sure thing"?

This is a good point. The new guys didn't choose any of these guys and they have nothing invested. In fact they can move any of them and not have to face questions about why they moved them after drafting them. This includes Luke as well.

This is why I think they will put their stamp on this team sooner rather than later. They were not put in those positions to nurture Jim and Mitch's team IMHO. That wasn't working in Jeannie's estimation so she made a move. You don't do that to just keep the status quo.

As for Russell and Randle. I hope they aren't seeing Randle as the only keeper in this group. He's the one I'd move first actually. As for Russell, his attitude is not what it should be for a team leader and why when he was basically given the reigns of the preeminent franchise in the league he still has significant effort gaps is beyond me. This was his year, his coach, his system. I hope it isn't at "cancer" level and if that is truly what they think of him that we can still get equal return.

I think the new guys will sure try and make big moves. Whether they run into the same issues Mitch did will remain to be seen. The pick is pivotal and as soon as we know that I think we will start to hear more about what they truly think.

[Pointgod]

The answer to get this team back to being successful isn't going to be from internal growth alone. Now that Magic and Pelinka are in charge we should see more action and less stay the course. All stars like Isiah Thomas, Kyle Lowry, James Harden, Marc Gasol, Paul Milsap were all traded to the teams they're currently on now. Golden State doesn't win the title without the trading Monta for Bogut. Does our current front office have the balls to make that bold move? Our previous front office didn't. Staying the course is how teams end up in 10 year playoff droughts.

I was listening to the radio today, and it had 2 guys on talking Lakers (fill ins). It was very interesting. They feel very different than me. They think Randle is the "untouchable" player on this team. They think Russell has a very toxic label attached to him (this is from asking NBA's players / GM's by the way. Don't just roll your eyes cause you don't like what your hearing. This isn't what I think either, but sometimes if you listen, you might learn something). I found it kinda interesting how a million people see the same thing in a million different shades.

They talked about how Russell was unmovable last offseason because of the Young stuff. But now he's (sort of) rebuilt some standing in the NBA, and while there are some Laker staff who question the guy's attitude, and 'smugness' ....there are still some peeps in the NBA who see the potential. They feel like the Lakers should trade Russell while the value is still there. Like....not trade him for great things, but actually trade the guy to get rid of the 'cancer'.

They were very iffy on Ingram.

Anyhow.....point in all this, is that I really have no idea what Magic and Pelinka are thinking. You think you have the world figured out, and 2 guys come along with COMPLETELY different views, and it makes you wonder. Do Magic and Pelinka look at this roster and see Randle as our only "sure thing"?

I don't see Randle as a sure thing, in fact I see him as a potential cap crippler if we extend him and he doesn't make significant improvements. The good thing about Magic and Pelinka is that they aren't tied to any of these players. Fans tend to have an unrealistic view and overrate young players. I think the front off would have a more measured approach. I sincerely hope they beef up their analytics department. I'm fine with trading every single one of our young guys if it puts us in a better position longterm

[danfantastk32]

I don't see Randle as a sure thing, in fact I see him as a potential cap crippler if we extend him and he doesn't make significant improvements. The good thing about Magic and Pelinka is that they aren't tied to any of these players. Fans tend to have an unrealistic view and overrate young players. I think the front off would have a more measured approach. I sincerely hope they beef up their analytics department. I'm fine with trading every single one of our young guys if it puts us in a better position longterm

I agree...but I have a couple points: First....I don't think too many people think this is a team of super-stars. You tend to find guys really high on one or two players. And honestly, that's OK. I think GS has broken the mold this year having 4 'superstars'. It's tended to be 3....sometimes even 2, and solid players around them. Let's see how GS manages to keep this team over the next 2-3 years.

Fact is....you really can't afford more than 3 legit stars, and even then your usually rotating elder ring-chasers with that. I think the Lakers would be well on their way to competing, if one or two of these young guys become 'super-stars' and the others at least turn into solid players.

2nd point: I'd really, really like to get this pick. I think 4-straight top picks (Randle was 7th, I think...but still pretty high) should turn into a decent collection of guys, wouldn't you say? 1 "super star" a 2nd 'all-star' ...and 2 guys maybe at Lamar-Odom's level. Take Clarkson, Zubac, and Nance....if even 1 of the 3 are able to contribute nicely....you have the core right there, and I don't think those expectations are unreasonable at all....considering the draft-#'s involved.

Getting this pick would (hopefully) mean we sit pat for the next season, and let things develop. This will be the last year for Randle's contract, and it will be 'swim or sink' for him. I think thats perfect. The guy can do alot of good things. But he's gotta take a big-boy step next year, or we move on.

We'll see what happens with this pick, and take it from there. I hope the front office doesn't do too much rash decision-making. The pick will alleviate the need to "Do Something!" this offseason. If something great falls in our lap, awesome. But if we get the pick, I'm actually hoping we don't do much of anything. Just slide Russell to the 2....and see what kinda 2nd-years we get from Ingram/Zubac....and what kinda 3rd year we get from Randle/Russell.

That following season, PG will come up. We can take stock of our team with much more information than this year, and go from there. That's how I'd play it

[Pointgod]

I don't see Randle as a sure thing, in fact I see him as a potential cap crippler if we extend him and he doesn't make significant improvements. The good thing about Magic and Pelinka is that they aren't tied to any of these players. Fans tend to have an unrealistic view and overrate young players. I think the front off would have a more measured approach. I sincerely hope they beef up their analytics department. I'm fine with trading every single one of our young guys if it puts us in a better position longterm

I agree...but I have a couple points: First....I don't think too many people think this is a team of super-stars. You tend to find guys really high on one or two players. And honestly, that's OK. I think GS has broken the mold this year having 4 'superstars'. It's tended to be 3....sometimes even 2, and solid players around them. Let's see how GS manages to keep this team over the next 2-3 years.

Fact is....you really can't afford more than 3 legit stars, and even then your usually rotating elder ring-chasers with that. I think the Lakers would be well on their way to competing, if one or two of these young guys become 'super-stars' and the others at least turn into solid players.

2nd point: I'd really, really like to get this pick. I think 4-straight top picks (Randle was 7th, I think...but still pretty high) should turn into a decent collection of guys, wouldn't you say? 1 "super star" a 2nd 'all-star' ...and 2 guys maybe at Lamar-Odom's level. Take Clarkson, Zubac, and Nance....if even 1 of the 3 are able to contribute nicely....you have the core right there, and I don't think those expectations are unreasonable at all....considering the draft-#'s involved.

Getting this pick would (hopefully) mean we sit pat for the next season, and let things develop. This will be the last year for Randle's contract, and it will be 'swim or sink' for him. I think thats perfect. The guy can do alot of good things. But he's gotta take a big-boy step next year, or we move on.

We'll see what happens with this pick, and take it from there. I hope the front office doesn't do too much rash decision-making. The pick will alleviate the need to "Do Something!" this offseason. If something great falls in our lap, awesome. But if we get the pick, I'm actually hoping we don't do much of anything. Just slide Russell to the 2....and see what kinda 2nd-years we get from Ingram/Zubac....and what kinda 3rd year we get from Randle/Russell.

That following season, PG will come up. We can take stock of our team with much more information than this year, and go from there. That's how I'd play it

Actually I dont believe just because our players were drafted in the lottery that they will develop into anything more than starters. Superstars are rare and if you look at the history of the lottery you'll see that other than the number 1 pick there's a low probability of drafting an all star. In fact it seems that we're better off finding an all star outside of the top 5. Curry, Klay and Green were all drafted outside of the top 5. Kawaii Leonard and Giannis were mid first round picks, Damian's Lillard was a 6th pick and so on. In fact having a good scouting department seems to matter more than where you pick.

If we had drafted 4 number 1 picks then I would expect at least 2 all stars. And so far I haven't seen a spark from any of our young guys that makes them untouchable. I'll give Ingram's the benefit of the doubt but if we're expecting him to be on Durant level, he was a 20 point scorer his rookie year. I think if we got 3 above average starters and a bench player from our 4 picks that's really good. If we step outside of our Laker bubble every single lottery team is thinking theyre the next OKC or Golden State. What makes us special? The only recent draftee that's untouchable right now is Karl Anthony Towns. He's already proven he has that spark and the tools to be an elite player.

I don't think Magic and Pelinka should be afraid to move one of these players. If there's the chance to get a legit all star you do it. I'm talking Paul George or Cousins with an extension agreement. Jimmy Butler who's on a good contract. Its rare that young players that get traded for all stars turn into all stars themselves. I honestly can't think of a recent deal where this has happened. If we want to play in the free agency game we better already have an all star on the roster. The only way a player is going to sign here is to convince them that signing with us will make them better off in the present not possibly somewhere down the line in a distant future.

We can roll with Ball(assumed pick), D'Angelo, I gram, Randle and Zubac next year but we'll most likely end up in the lottery next year except that pick goes to Philly. Now we've boxed ourselves in with Randle where we either sign him to a deal around 18 million or let some other team do it and lose him for nothing. Staying pat will most likely get us the same results.

[danfantastk32]

Actually I dont believe just because our players were drafted in the lottery that they will develop into anything more than starters. Superstars are rare and if you look at the history of the lottery you'll see that other than the number 1 pick there's a low probability of drafting an all star. In fact it seems that we're better off finding an all star outside of the top 5. Curry, Klay and Green were all drafted outside of the top 5. Kawaii Leonard and Giannis were mid first round picks, Damian's Lillard was a 6th pick and so on. In fact having a good scouting department seems to matter more than where you pick.

If we had drafted 4 number 1 picks then I would expect at least 2 all stars. And so far I haven't seen a spark from any of our young guys that makes them untouchable. I'll give Ingram's the benefit of the doubt but if we're expecting him to be on Durant level, he was a 20 point scorer his rookie year. I think if we got 3 above average starters and a bench player from our 4 picks that's really good. If we step outside of our Laker bubble every single lottery team is thinking theyre the next OKC or Golden State. What makes us special? The only recent draftee that's untouchable right now is Karl Anthony Towns. He's already proven he has that spark and the tools to be an elite player.

I don't think Magic and Pelinka should be afraid to move one of these players. If there's the chance to get a legit all star you do it. I'm talking Paul George or Cousins with an extension agreement. Jimmy Butler who's on a good contract. Its rare that young players that get traded for all stars turn into all stars themselves. I honestly can't think of a recent deal where this has happened. If we want to play in the free agency game we better already have an all star on the roster. The only way a player is going to sign here is to convince them that signing with us will make them better off in the present not possibly somewhere down the line in a distant future.

We can roll with Ball(assumed pick), D'Angelo, I gram, Randle and Zubac next year but we'll most likely end up in the lottery next year except that pick goes to Philly. Now we've boxed ourselves in with Randle where we either sign him to a deal around 18 million or let some other team do it and lose him for nothing. Staying pat will most likely get us the same results.

I hear it. Fair enough. Let's see what happens in the Lotto.