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So, there is no doubt in my mind and in everyone else’s
mind including magic and rob, that they’re pursuing Lebron James as Plan A

But in all Honesty, I doubt very much that Lebron will come to LA
“not unless there is already another Star player here” - He won’t come alone and waiting for the last minute in the hope he signs would be dumb asf IMO

Plan B is more then, likely Paul George and Westbrook, BUT with the 5-year signing of Westbrook Is staying in OKC

If OKC have a strong finish I can also see PG staying with OKC – they’ll some how make it work with Melo if it happens

Q) So, the biggest question on the table if all of the above fails then what’s next?

I really don't want any 30 + year old stars on this team who may or may not only a have a couple years left, I want someone still in their 20's and has a good 5 years or more left to grow and play together with this young run n gun team

Edit: so if PG doesn't come then what?

EZ GG LOSER wrote:
If OKC have a strong finish

Therein lies the problem. OKC will not have a strong finish. They will not win the championship.

To me....

Ingram is on 2nd year. Randle will make it or he wont. This is his season.
Zubac shows potential, but he's got less than 1/2 a season under his belt. Kuzma is this years darling....could we see a real NBA game first? Same for Ball....our savior. Lopez is a solid center, and prob the best stretch-5 out there, and he's on our team....and would LOVE to stay here. You have Nance, KCP, and several others who have something to give as well.

We aren't winning a title next year....and frankly I'm luke-warm on PG. Yes it would be GREAT to get get some legit veteran talent (and PG is legit talent) but he's ball dominant, which is not what we're going for.

The one thing I wish management wouldn't do is constantly talk about FA's next year, as if this team has already had the book written. I hope this team totally exceeds expectations....and starts having peeps wonder how many tweaks we actually need.

This team would do well not to just sit around and wait for a star to save them. I think we have alot of great pieces in our lap as we speak. Plan A should be to develop what we have. Take it from there. If Lebron or PG want to come next season, then great. We'll see if there's a void they can fill. If not....save the massive $$$$$ for someone who fills a spot we actually need filled.

C- Warriors win back2back. Durant gets shut down by lebron in the Finals, steph, klay, dray go off. Durant is tired of the criticism about joining an already stacked warriors team, and now that he has two rings, wants to prove that he can "do it on his own." Joining our young guys +ringless george will allow him to do just that. PG gets turned off by Westbrooks demeanor and ball hoggyness. If not george some MLE SG. Lopez takes an injury discount. Trade Clarkson Randle Deng.

Ball (32) Vet Min (16) Ennis
George (30) Hart (18)
Durant (16) Ingram (32)
Kuzma (24) Durant (14) Nance (10)
Lopez (24) ZuBryant (14) Nance (10)

D- Hire Ron and Odom to the coaching staff in order to counsel Boogie. Resign Randle.

Ball (32) Ennis (16)
Clarkson (32) Hart (16)
Kuzma (18) Ingram (30)
Nance (18) Randle (30)
Boogie (32) ZuBryant (16)

Plan A:

Trade by deadline for Anthony Davis.

Why on earth would they trade him? Because by February he'll hate Boogie's influence on the locker room so much that he'll demand a trade.

A package around Lopez, Randle, Clarkson, Deng, picks should be competitive.

Then sign LBJ next offseason.


Plan B:

Trade by deadline for Anthony Davis.

Why on earth would they trade him? Because by February he'll hate Boogie's influence on the locker room so much that he'll demand a trade.

A package around Lopez, Randle, Clarkson, Deng, picks should be competitive.

Then sign LBJ next offseason.


Plan C:

Trade by deadline for Anthony Davis.

Why on earth would they trade him? Because by February he'll hate Boogie's influence on the locker room so much that he'll demand a trade.

A package around Lopez, Randle, Clarkson, Deng, picks should be competitive.

Then sign LBJ next offseason.


Plan D: See plan A-C

I'd also try to sign Klay Thompson ASAP unless KCP steps it up a notch into the top 3 SG rank. I think he feels he could get more looks with another team. Dad was a Laker, would announce every game...

Other than that, we have some development to do with the pieces we have. Unless Ball and Ingram shine, LBJ isn't coming here next year.

If plan A and B fail don't sign Deng and Mozgav. Do 1 year deals and let's hit a home run next offseason.

Eventually the Lakers and cap space
Will prevail. Have patience.

I think our FA plans are this:

A. Sign Lebron and PG13, and whoever else you can to fill out the roster on discounts either from ring chasers, Lebron's buddies, or by resigning some of our own players who are willing to take less
Now there are two situations where plan A doesn't work. either PG13 doesn't want to come here, or Lebron doesn't.

Plan B if Lebron wants to come but PG13 is staying: Build the Banana boat team. Wade, Melo and Cp3 are all free agents next year, and may be willing to take discounts in some capacity. To me, without PG13 OR the banana boat team, we have no chance at Lebron.

Plan B if PG wants to come and Lebron doesn't: Go after another star to the best of your ability (Cousins i guess).

Plan c if PG wants to come and Lebron doesn't: Convince PG that he's the man for this team, and resign some combo of KCP, Lopez, and Randle.

Plan D: Neither one of them are coming. That's the worst case scenario....I guess we try to sign KCP, Lopez , Randle, if they performed well. Can't really us signing another max guy in that situation.....so it's either keep our guys or preserve capspace for next year

LakersLegacy wrote:If plan A and B fail don't sign Deng and Mozgav. Do 1 year deals and let's hit a home run next offseason.

Eventually the Lakers and cap space
Will prevail. Have patience.

I actually agree. It's going to come down to how badly the pressure and backlash will affect the FO. Trading DLO at the time just to get rid of Moz was such a bold confident move.....the criticism will be heavy if we have another year of 1 year rentals. However, I think that's the best approach, just like it was the best approach for Mitch and Jim before they made that huge mistake.

In a year, Ingram and Lonzo will surely be improved, and our contract situation will be even better. I think the pressure from the fans will be crucial, but I hope they do remain patient if their plans fail. That being said, a lot of that criticism would be extremely deserved considering this hypothetical failure after such confidence, and of course, the Dlo trade.

wafer88 wrote:

LakersLegacy wrote:If plan A and B fail don't sign Deng and Mozgav. Do 1 year deals and let's hit a home run next offseason.

Eventually the Lakers and cap space
Will prevail. Have patience.

I actually agree. It's going to come down to how badly the pressure and backlash will affect the FO. Trading DLO at the time just to get rid of Moz was such a bold confident move.....the criticism will be heavy if we have another year of 1 year rentals. However, I think that's the best approach, just like it was the best approach for Mitch and Jim before they made that huge mistake.

In a year, Ingram and Lonzo will surely be improved, and our contract situation will be even better. I think the pressure from the fans will be crucial, but I hope they do remain patient if their plans fail. That being said, a lot of that criticism would be extremely deserved considering this hypothetical failure after such confidence, and of course, the Dlo trade.

Fans should come around to Lonzos fun style of play. The potential danger comes when Ingram and Ball can get big contracts in 2020 Ingram and 2021 Ball. But we a few offseasons to figure it out.

Wish we could have got butler for DLo plus assets. Dlo has similar trade value to Lavine.

But u can't think like that. What's crazy is the low trade value for Cousins, Butler, PG13, CP3.... not sure why other teams aren't all over the lakers assets. We have some good players on great contracts.

wafer88 wrote:I think our FA plans are this:

A. Sign Lebron and PG13, and whoever else you can to fill out the roster on discounts either from ring chasers, Lebron's buddies, or by resigning some of our own players who are willing to take less
Now there are two situations where plan A doesn't work. either PG13 doesn't want to come here, or Lebron doesn't.

Plan B if Lebron wants to come but PG13 is staying: Build the Banana boat team. Wade, Melo and Cp3 are all free agents next year, and may be willing to take discounts in some capacity. To me, without PG13 OR the banana boat team, we have no chance at Lebron.

Plan B if PG wants to come and Lebron doesn't: Go after another star to the best of your ability (Cousins i guess).

Plan c if PG wants to come and Lebron doesn't: Convince PG that he's the man for this team, and resign some combo of KCP, Lopez, and Randle.

Plan D: Neither one of them are coming. That's the worst case scenario....I guess we try to sign KCP, Lopez , Randle, if they performed well. Can't really us signing another max guy in that situation.....so it's either keep our guys or preserve capspace for next year

This is my thinking as well.

Lakers front office priorities will be:

1 - A) Paul George
1 - B) LeBron James

If neither of those two happen, I could see a DaMarcus Cousins signing combined with a Julius Randle extension for 12-15M a season. So much hinders on Paul George. So much.

youth movement ain't a bad plan C/D

kuzma got me thinking we made out of the mozgov dump smelling like roses

LAKESHOW wrote:

EZ GG LOSER wrote:
If OKC have a strong finish

Therein lies the problem. OKC will not have a strong finish. They will not win the championship.

Worst case scenario they make WCF and PG has to think about it. best case scenario they match up with Houston or San Antonio in the first round due to the competitive west and get a first round exit.

Not a good scenario. Melo needs right now. Today. This moment. Melo will not last. He's old and washed up, and maybe. Maybe a little left in the tank for now. Beyond that and especially 2018? He ain't makin it. PG will bolt when he sees that.

plan DMC?

He's a FA next season I believe.

Edrees wrote:

LAKESHOW wrote:

EZ GG LOSER wrote:
If OKC have a strong finish

Therein lies the problem. OKC will not have a strong finish. They will not win the championship.

Worst case scenario they make WCF and PG has to think about it. best case scenario they match up with Houston or San Antonio in the first round due to the competitive west and get a first round exit.

We are just guessing and even George himself might not know himself 100% until the time comes. But I dont think for him much beats being the hero in his own hometown of LA. People (players) have their own motivations. And it seems George's are being the face and the love of the Lakers. And he definitely will be that if he so chooses.

Consider me skeptical about this Lebron to LA talk, I simply don't believe Lebron is coming through that door and making the Lakers an instant contender. Why? Because we're not close. Let's be real. However, it doesn't make the season any less fun for me watching us build through something organically while KD and Steph and crew pillage through the entire league for 2-3 more seasons.

Speaking of which, what should we do with cap space then?

The pursuit of 2 max free agents is actually real. The thing is, its just not PG and Lebron. For a star to change zip codes albeit being paid the same (or even more), the first requirement is satisfaction. Is the player happy where he is? Is he achieving maximizing his brand, achieving his goals and fulfilling his dreams? Is he THE MAN or is he part of something special that he can be proud of when he retires? As much as the money matters, these things matter to a player when you factor in his personality, his goals and his volatility.

In my own valuation, I never expected Paul George to be that guy to ask out and throw a fit. But he did ask out of Indiana, with a few categorical exceptions of course, and he got what he wanted. Now he has to figure out his time in OKC to see if he can be THE MAN on a championship caliber team or he simply is third banana to the RUSS and MELO show. Melo as 2nd option coz... its Melo.

Let us first evaluate talent that we have, before considering what we need and who it is we can realistically pry out of his old team.

Lonzo Ball at PG - with cost controlled contract and a true superstar ring on his game, its a no brainer we are not in the market for a PG. Unless his name was PG aka Paul George.

Bradon Ingram at SF - still feel he has a few years to go before he develops into a "leader" or a determined scorer. At this point I value him as a Tayshaun Prince type of player who should fill in the gaps and do anything and everything for the team as supposed to forcing him to be our top offensive option. He won't be our stretch-4 anytime soon either simply coz he's body isn't made for it. Not for another 2-3 years at the very least.

Kyle Kuzma at SF/PF/C - yeah, you can say that again. Stretch four or Stretch five. Not yet, but that's where he should be heading. Imagine if he added 15lbs of pure muscle and developed/polished everything else in his game? He's an ideal big man in the modern NBA and his quickness and timing are just impeccable. I like this kid over the next few names below.

Larry Nance, Jr at PF/C - Junior is a keeper. Not just for his entertaining dunks and highlight reels, but because of his hustle and overall feel for the game. He isn't going to be a superstar, but he is what every team needs. A junkyard dog if you will, all he needs to do is clean out on putbacks with his out-of-this-world athleticism. Oh and stay healthy.

Ivica Zubac at backup C. - with centers in the league being less and less important, having a traditional one doesn't actually hurt as long as he's paid this cheap and still developing. What he should do is develop his defensive mindset some more. We have time.

From here we have Brook Lopez, who I'm sure I'll fall in love more and more as the season progresses. Watching his highlights from last season already has me excited. But we're talking about 2 seasons from now, is he the right guy? We'll let the season roll out before we decide. At worst, we can fetch another 1st round pick for him on the deadline and perhaps more.

KCP is someone we could use if we simply are not star-hunting. He has elite defensive skills and for a team that will run, trap and press, his skillset is something we can build on.

There's the pair of Clarkson and Randle, who's skillsets gave us hope for a moment. But such hope will only become bleaker and bleaker as they reach maturity. I hope we can trade both of them, to give them better opportunities and to open up playing time for more my top 5.

Luol Deng will be stretch-waived.

Josh Hart and Thomas Bryant are but fillers at this point, on cheap contracts.

With that said, the real targets of 2018 cap space plan would be Demarcus Cousins who I deem will be unhappy with how things will pan out in New Orleans. The other guy is Avery Bradley. These 2 guys possess the necessary skills to make the team grow both offensively and defensively while allowing Ball, Ingram, Kuzma, Nance and Zubac to be themselves.

Let the Rockets, Spurs, Thunder and Warriors kill each other for the next 2-3 years. We'll be primed and ready by the time they slow down.

Is this post available in audio format? Too long to read for me

snaquille oatmeal wrote:Is this post available in audio format? Too long to read for me

Yeah, all my mind can process is the bolded parts frankly... And in that regard, Nance is clearly not a starting PF in the NBA... At least not on a winning team... He's a hustle guy... Madsen with hops basically... A less talented/more motivated Devean George.
Everyone likes a good dunk now and then, but let's stop turning him into something he's not... That's only going to create butthurt later...
We need guys like him... But they come off the bench.

Right now... And it's only 2 preseason games worth of relatively useless knowledge... Is Ingram a SF?
Based on what I'm seeing, it looks like a bad fit... He's showing PF skills in a SF body frankly... And who's the better PF right now, Randle or Ingram? I'd say logic would pick Randle... Although fans aren't really logical...

Kuzma looks real good... But Kuzma is a rookie and we've seen lots of rookies look like world beaters in rookie preseason that can't maintain that level throughout the season, and never achieve that level of play again... So, sure... You could project him to be a starting PF/SF if you want, but it takes a level of fan-boy faith that's probably unfair to him...

Enthusiasm and excitement is good... But repeated threads about what's going to happen if we don't get LeBron, is probably a little silly right now... Getting LeBron is still firmly in Pipe Dream land to begin with... And it's a long season ahead... Many great things and not so great things will happen...
We need that data.