RealGM

I'll dig up last years predictions when I'm not at work.. Friday slacking at it's finest.

Western Conference Standings:

1- Golden State Warriors: 62-20
2- Houston Rockets: 60-22
3- Oklahoma City Thunder: 57-25
4- Minnesota Timberwolves: 52-30
5- San Antonio Spurs: 50-32
6- Denver Nuggets: 48-34
7- Utah Jazz: 43-39
8- New Orleans Pelicans: 42-40

9- LA Clippers: 40-42
10- Portland Trailblazers: 37-45
11- Memphis Grizzlies: 37-45
12- Los Angeles Lakers: 35-47
13- Dallas Mavericks: 35-47
14- Phoenix Suns: 29-53
15- Sacramento Kings: 28-54


Eastern Conference Standings:

1- Boston Celtics: 58-24
2- Washington Wizards: 50-32
3- Cleveland Cavaliers: 48-34
4- Toronto Raptors: 48-34
5- Milwaukee Bucks: 45-37
6- Miami Heat: 44-38
7- Detroit Pistons: 40-42
8- Philadelphia 76ers: 37-45

9- Atlanta Hawks: 36-46
10- Charlotte Hornets: 35-47
11- Brooklyn Nets: 28-54
12- New York Knicks: 26-56
13- Orlando Magic: 22-60
14- Indiana Pacers: 15-67
15- Chicago Bulls: 12-70


Lakers Statistics & Predictions:

Brook Lopez: 26.5 MPG, 18.2 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.7 BPG, 46% FG, 35% 3PT, 80% FT
Brandon Ingram: 34.5 MPG, 16.2 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.7 BPG, 44% FG, 32% 3PT, 76% FT
KCP: 32 MPG, 15.8 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.3 SPG, 43% FG, 37% 3PT, 82% FT
Julius Randle: 31 MPG, 15.2 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 3.8 APG, 48% FG, 31% 3PT, 73% FT
Jordan Clarkson: 28 MPG, 15.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 3.8 APG, 44% FG, 35% 3PT, 80% FT
Lonzo Ball: 34 MPG, 11.6 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 8.4 APG, 2.1 SPG, 0.8 BPG, 42% FG, 34% 3PT, 72% FT
Larry Nance: 25 MPG, 8.8 PPG. 7.5 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.5 SPG, 54% FG, 32% 3PT, 73% FT

Other predictions:

Ivica Zubac: 10 MPG (Lots of DNP's), 5.2 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 0.9 BPG, 52% FG, 74% FT
Kyle Kuzma: 13.5 MPG (Plays in every game he's healthy), 7.0 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 45% FG, 30% 3PT
Luol Deng: 18.5 MPG, 7.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 43% FG, 34% 3PT --

Nightly rotation:

PG: Lonzo Ball/ Jordan Clarkson/
SG: KCP/
SF: Brandon Ingram/ Kyle Kuzma/
PF: Julius Randle/ Nance/ Deng
C: Brook Lopez

That's our 9 man nightly rotation with spot minutes going to Josh Hart, Zubac (once in a while), and Brewer.

I'm not the one to project statistics... but I do think about how teams improved in the off season. I'm not sure Paul and Harden work and if they do it won't be for a while. I could actually see that working out like Cousins in NO. They both get their stats but the team doesn't really improve.

I think George joining Westbrook will help them a lot. Never count out SA. I don't know if we can get 35... my guess is the bottom 4 in the West could all interchange with an injury or trades at the deadline. I don't see NO being that good either. Cousins has a way of looking good while making his teams not.

Landsberger wrote:I'm not the one to project statistics... but I do think about how teams improved in the off season. I'm not sure Paul and Harden work and if they do it won't be for a while. I could actually see that working out like Cousins in NO. They both get their stats but the team doesn't really improve.

I think George joining Westbrook will help them a lot. Never count out SA. I don't know if we can get 35... my guess is the bottom 4 in the West could all interchange with an injury or trades at the deadline. I don't see NO being that good either. Cousins has a way of looking good while making his teams not.

So there's a good chance we could end up the worst team in the West. Landsberger the eternal optimist.

TheRealKaboom wrote:

Landsberger wrote:I'm not the one to project statistics... but I do think about how teams improved in the off season. I'm not sure Paul and Harden work and if they do it won't be for a while. I could actually see that working out like Cousins in NO. They both get their stats but the team doesn't really improve.

I think George joining Westbrook will help them a lot. Never count out SA. I don't know if we can get 35... my guess is the bottom 4 in the West could all interchange with an injury or trades at the deadline. I don't see NO being that good either. Cousins has a way of looking good while making his teams not.

So there's a good chance we could end up the worst team in the West. Landsberger the eternal optimist.

Not necessarily... What I said is that the bottom 4 teams all have issues that will play out during the season. If we have an injury or 2 then yeah.... we could be at the bottom. We could clear space at the deadline by trading off a player or two as well if the right deal materializes. If everything turns out as some think we could be at the top of that group or even higher.

I don't view anything positive or negative. I consider myself a pragmatist.

Last year, the 8 seed in the west had 41 wins, while the Lakers finished with 26 wins.

Best possible case scenario, but also not out of the realm of possibility, is the lakers improve by 15 wins, get to 41, and sneak in to the 8 spot.

I know its super unpopular and taboo around here for some reason to actually think the lakers will improve but here's what im thinking:

-It's quite possible the lakers were the worst team in the league at the center position last year. Going from that to Lopez -a top 5 offensive center, an underrated rim protector, and great box outer who helps team rebounding- along with the assumed improvement of Nance/Randle as the smallball C is good for +5 wins

-Lonzo's affect on ball movement, unselfishness, and effort will rub off on everyone, as was apparent during the SL. In addition to nearly doubling DAR's assist numbers, I actually think Ball will come very close to DARs 15ppg on 40% from the field and 35% from 3. again +5 wins

-Lou and Swaggy stuck out for their ability to take and make crazy 3's. But for every game they shot us into, they shot us out of just as many. Scoring is not going to be a problem for this team, everyone is going to have many more wide open looks and layups thanks to Ball. What we will need is defense, which is why the addition of KCP and even to a crazy, lesser, extent brewer, is a net gain over Lou and Swaggy. +2 wins

-The general year over year improvement of Clarkson, Nance, Randle, Zu = +3 wins

That's a total of 15 more wins.

I'm ready to be crucified.

Predictions:

WC 9th spot, 42-40 W-L

Rotation:
PG: Ball / Weber / Ennis / Caruso
SG: KCP / Clarkson / Hart / Blue
SF: Ingram / Kuzma / Brewer
PF: Randle/ Nance/ Deng
C: Lopez / Zubač / Bryant

ROY: Ball
MIP: Ingram
Six players will average between 15-22 PPG
101.0 Off rtg
100.6 Def rtg
Team USA invites: Ball, Ingram, Randle, Kuzma

Blue and JC are traded before deadline.

stan francisco wrote:Predictions:

WC 9th spot, 42-40 W-L

Rotation:
PG: Ball / Weber / Ennis / Caruso
SG: KCP / Clarkson / Hart / Blue
SF: Ingram / Kuzma / Brewer
PF: Randle/ Nance/ Deng
C: Lopez / Zubač / Bryant

ROY: Ball
MIP: Ingram
Six players will average between 15-22 PPG
101.0 Off rtg
100.6 Def rtg
Team USA invites: Ball, Ingram, Randle, Kuzma

Blue and JC are traded before deadline.

6 players?

That's Ballsy. I would assume you mean Lopez, Ingram, KCP, Randle, Ball and... Clarkson?

If all that happened though, that would be almost as joyful as a Championship season.

TylersLakers wrote:

stan francisco wrote:Predictions:

WC 9th spot, 42-40 W-L

Rotation:
PG: Ball / Weber / Ennis / Caruso
SG: KCP / Clarkson / Hart / Blue
SF: Ingram / Kuzma / Brewer
PF: Randle/ Nance/ Deng
C: Lopez / Zubač / Bryant

ROY: Ball
MIP: Ingram
Six players will average between 15-22 PPG
101.0 Off rtg
100.6 Def rtg
Team USA invites: Ball, Ingram, Randle, Kuzma

Blue and JC are traded before deadline.

6 players?

That's Ballsy. I would assume you mean Lopez, Ingram, KCP, Randle, Ball and... Clarkson?

If all that happened though, that would be almost as joyful as a Championship season.

Book it.

JC or Zubacca, depending on minutes. Even if not, I think and hope we'll see that type of ball. It's a prediction of tendecies, not exact number guesses. A style of play prediction of a game where not one guy gets 35 too often but where instead many players score quite a bit every game. Lonzo Ball ball, a culture of getting the most open guy the shot in a hurry, then rush back on defense.

Fast break basketball means more possessions. More possessions means higher scoring games, and so I do think it's possible. The defense will take some time to get sorted. When it does, we'll run some teams out of the building.

Which is why no one should be tripping about losing our two best chuckers from last year. Scoring is not going to be a problem. Defense is. KCP and even Brewer is an upgrade over Lou and Swaggy for this reason.

Penberthy wrote:Which is why no one should be tripping about losing our two best chuckers from last year. Scoring is not going to be a problem. Defense is. KCP and even Brewer is an upgrade over Lou and Swaggy for this reason.

I'm not upset about it, but I wouldn't have minded if we brought Nick back. Oh well.

I think the logic was that he'd have taken shots/points away from Clarkson and Randle, hurting their trade value.

I'm hoping Clarkson get up around 18 ppg and we can unload him for a 1st to someone like we did with Lou last year; and Randle gets around 18/11 and we can package him somewhere who wants to give him an extension, with deng, for an expiring.

I got us at 38 or 39 wins, hopefully we steal more than a few to look at 41-43 wins...that might sneak us into 8th spot. If not oh well, that amount of wins would still be a big turnaround and enough for a guy like LeBron or Paul to say "Ok I think I can work with that". Most superstars can be good for 20-25 wins by themselves.The year before LeBron when back to Cleveland, the Cavs went 33-49, James goes back and they won 20 more....

Landsberger wrote:

TheRealKaboom wrote:

Landsberger wrote:I'm not the one to project statistics... but I do think about how teams improved in the off season. I'm not sure Paul and Harden work and if they do it won't be for a while. I could actually see that working out like Cousins in NO. They both get their stats but the team doesn't really improve.

I think George joining Westbrook will help them a lot. Never count out SA. I don't know if we can get 35... my guess is the bottom 4 in the West could all interchange with an injury or trades at the deadline. I don't see NO being that good either. Cousins has a way of looking good while making his teams not.

So there's a good chance we could end up the worst team in the West. Landsberger the eternal optimist.

Not necessarily... What I said is that the bottom 4 teams all have issues that will play out during the season. If we have an injury or 2 then yeah.... we could be at the bottom. We could clear space at the deadline by trading off a player or two as well if the right deal materializes. If everything turns out as some think we could be at the top of that group or even higher.

I don't view anything positive or negative. I consider myself a pragmatist.

From reading your posts, i think many would view you as a cynic, that is, one who is prematurely disappointed about the future.

Ball so hard wrote:

Landsberger wrote:

TheRealKaboom wrote:So there's a good chance we could end up the worst team in the West. Landsberger the eternal optimist.

Not necessarily... What I said is that the bottom 4 teams all have issues that will play out during the season. If we have an injury or 2 then yeah.... we could be at the bottom. We could clear space at the deadline by trading off a player or two as well if the right deal materializes. If everything turns out as some think we could be at the top of that group or even higher.

I don't view anything positive or negative. I consider myself a pragmatist.

From reading your posts, i think many would view you as a cynic, that is, one who is prematurely disappointed about the future.

Cool.