Post-Mortem: 2021-22 Los Angeles Lakers

[Statlanta]

Remove Pelinka
Keep Vogel(they won't keep him but I digress)
Worse
Falling

Focus on getting young players that are teetering out of the league, like Stanley Johnson, no more vets.

[Ballerhogger]

Fire rob and Vogel hire Quinn Snyder since it’s rumored . Explore AD trades on the low , magically
Trade Westbrook, he’s willing part ways so see what kind buyout we could get ?

[John Murdoch]

Tough call ...i hate the current product but i also vividly remember the dark days of Devin Ebanks...Jodie Meeks...Boozer..Ryan Kelly...Antawn Jamison .


1) Priority one should be have a heart to heart with Lebron and see if hes commited or not...than every move will be based on his response.

2) AD should atleast be on the block...not saying actively go out and make offers but i think it would be malpractice not to at the very least listen to packages from teams .


3) Next is Russ...I really like the Indy trade idea for him . WB/THT/2 FRP for Brogdon and Hield, 2nd rp . Id offer this same package with picks unprotected for Lillard. If both fail id target Randle/Fournier for WB/FRP . If all that fails i rly do think waiving and stretching his deal is the best option. Allows us to not only retain our picks but it opens up the the full MLE and bi-annual exeption to offer a guy like Covington. Either way i dont want him anywhere near the new coach or training camp...just wipe the slate and Laker fans will start to feel better already.

4) Quinn Snyder or die tryin basically. I do think Spurs will have alot of sway pitching him on being Pops succesor tho . No ty to any of the retread coaches or cast offs like Mark Jackson/ Mike Brown .

5) I personally didnt mind Pelinka at 1st but now that he has over tinkered with a non broken roster two years in a row ..yeah i def would not mind of he was canned. Ik Suns fans dont talk highly of him but Mcdonoghue seems solid...drafted Book/Ayton..wouldnt mind the hire. Also there arre whispers other GM's hold resentment for Pelinka bcuz of hom being a dik during his agent days.

[DusterBuster]

Pelinka and Vogel need to be gone less than 24hrs after the season ends. As Murdoch said, there's plenty of tea leaves out there that other GM's don't care for Pelinka from his days as a a-hold agent and don't appreciate him thinking he can do their job better than they can. That situation is probably not sustainable anymore.

What to do after that - who knows. Trade Russ if you can't, waive if you can't. Shop AD and gauge LeBron's interest in staying or going.

[formula 400]

dump pelinker, keep vogel, off everyone for future picks. rebuild now maybe keep reaves, gabriel and stanley

[hoosierdaddy34]

Honestly if I was in charge of the Lakers…

Pelinka and the Rambi would be gone

Vogel would be gone

I’d trade LeBron and AD and replenish the war chest

I’d keep Westbrook and let his contract run out. Hit the reset for 2023 with lots of assets (from LeBron and AD trades) and a completely empty cap situation.

[BrianFitz]

Teehee hee hee tee hee hee.

[R-DAWG]

Bubble or no Bubble, Injuries or not..If ur team goes from Champion to 30 wins in Two seasons - It's not the Coach's fault. It's obviously the FO, owners, gm the lot of it.
Since they're stuck with the Busses..it doesn't matter even if some1 forces down ur throat something like the Westbrook trade - U resign..so to me- they're all to blame. Pelinka has made every possible mistake since he entered into office, just get some1 who actually understands a bit of baskbetball to do things and they'd be allright.

To be honest, we have seen a lot of teams go from Championship to no playoffs in 2 years over the last decade or so:
2013 Dallas Mavericks
2015 Miami Heat
2020 Golden State Warriors
2021 Toronto Raptors
2022 Los Angeles Lakers

So of the last 10 teams that are 2 years removed from a title, 5 have failed to make the playoffs.

Sure, there are outside circumstances in each. Dallas got old and let Tyson Chandler go to be players with cap space. Lebron left Miami. KD left Golden State and Steph was injured. Kwahi left Toronto and they had to play the COVID season in Tampa. Lebron and AD were not healthy this year. But the Lakers are not exactly an anomaly.

[R-DAWG]

1. Fire Vogel (will absolutely happen, no idea who replaces him. Snyder as rumored would be great, Doc would suck.)

2. Fire Pelinka (probably won't happen, I think the front office sees him as the last link to the Kobe era. Other GMs don't like/respect him and he's not very good at negotiating trades)

3. Trade Russ. There will be a Russ trade available in the offseason, whether its a Russ for Wall framework revisited or something slightly better since the 2029 FRP is now available to trade.

That's really all I can say at the moment, next year's roster needs to be crafted in a way that makes sense around LBJ/AD/the return you get for Russ. I personally think we should go back to starting AD at the 4 and playing big to start each half. Last offseason we tried to build a supporting cast around LeBron and AD that had a higher ceiling in case they missed time. We failed spectacularly and they missed a lot of games. This offseason, I think we need to focus on building a roster specifically tailored to playing around those two and accept that if they miss significant time again we're screwed anyway. Reaves will be back, he's a pretty solid rotation guard. Nunn will probably opt into next season and be back, hopefully he can play in a **** game next season.

If the Lakers are prepared to put more chips on the table to try to compete around Lebron/AD, I could see something with Russ's expiring and picks going to Houston with Christian Wood and Eric Gordon heading back to the Lakers. Houston wasn't able to get a first for Eric Gordon at the deadline, and it's unlikely they would get a first for Wood without taking back salary. So if the Lakers threw Houston an unprotected 2027 1st, swap rights between the Lakers and Bucks 2023 1st, and a swap in 24/25 (whichever does not convey to New Orleans) along with some 2nds, that's a nice chunk of draft capital. Houston could also throw in David Nwaba if they want to offset some of the Russ cost.

Houston would be taking on about $8MM in salary in this trade (Gordon, Wood and Nwaba combine to make $38.9MM next year compared to $47.04MM for Russ). LA can send $5MM in cash to close that gap as well.

Lakers should then look to flip Nwaba as part of this trade for a 3 and D guy making in the $15MM range.

[tamaraw08]

Wonder what a bron trade would look like. Maybe try to squeeze future unprotected 1sts from some team going all in?

Ja for Lebron

Memphis has a good defense anyway and they're better without Ja, amirite?

*runs*

OMG this is an outrageous take....or is it?
Memphis is 4.4 with him and a + 7.8 without him in ORTG.

[tamaraw08]

I'm predicting Lebron and AD would revisit and actively recruit Dame Lallard. If he say yes, Portland would be compelled to give in to the request of their superstar who gave his heart and soul for his team.
Lakers could have had Wall and Wood at the trade deadline, Lakers with Wood and Dame(trade Wall to Portland) would have made them decent for the next season.

[Exp0sed]

Bubble or no Bubble, Injuries or not..If ur team goes from Champion to 30 wins in Two seasons - It's not the Coach's fault. It's obviously the FO, owners, gm the lot of it.
Since they're stuck with the Busses..it doesn't matter even if some1 forces down ur throat something like the Westbrook trade - U resign..so to me- they're all to blame. Pelinka has made every possible mistake since he entered into office, just get some1 who actually understands a bit of baskbetball to do things and they'd be allright.

To be honest, we have seen a lot of teams go from Championship to no playoffs in 2 years over the last decade or so:
2013 Dallas Mavericks
2015 Miami Heat
2020 Golden State Warriors
2021 Toronto Raptors
2022 Los Angeles Lakers

So of the last 10 teams that are 2 years removed from a title, 5 have failed to make the playoffs.

Sure, there are outside circumstances in each. Dallas got old and let Tyson Chandler go to be players with cap space. Lebron left Miami. KD left Golden State and Steph was injured. Kwahi left Toronto and they had to play the COVID season in Tampa. Lebron and AD were not healthy this year. But the Lakers are not exactly an anomaly.

I wasn't saying it's an anomaly I was saying it wasn't the Coach's fault. If u sink from Champion to Joke in two years - there could be many reasons but Coach is usually the least of those.

Ofc there are other circumstances such as injuries, players getting old etc but the reason there is A realgm site, is because most ppl think they would do rly well in a GM's capacity, armchair GM and all that
In pelnika's case - that is absoultely true. 95% of RealGm posters knew that Trading for Westrbrook is borderline criminal. Not because he's a terrible player....just the The salary, the Poor fit and the "westrbrookness" of it all not to mention how F**ed u r if it doesn't pan out. That's just bad risk and asset managment, isn't that the Gm's Job?


95% of armchair GM's knew turning down concrete offers on the table...Clinging to THT like he was the second coming of...something. I mean, Lowry for real? (and other similar deals there were floating around).

Same for the summer b4 that..just awful inexcusable personel decisions. He's rly that bad, or he isn't calling the shots in which case he is just useless and needs to replaced either way.

and almost every single FA signing this season, Avery bradely? is this real life?
This isn't hindsight speaking it was all very obvious
every1 and his sister knew that these players don't have room on contending roster and probably no room in the league at all - Bazemore? Ariza? that's ludicrous and that's on the Fo.

IF Pelinka doesn't know enough not to sign these players - and doesn't know enough to pull the trigger on a Lowry (or other deals for actual good veteran players) with a short championship window, AD+LBJ on board..Picks already gone for Davis...and u don't do it because of THT, who doesn't even fit this roster (and who isn't a great prospect to begin with) - then u shouldn't have a Job.
he needs to be fired for just sheer incompetence
This isn't only said in hindsight, like i said it was clear to basically everyone (not named Pelinka) in real time as well.

is There any1 who thought that this geriatric Injury prone team needs more Geriatric washed former 'stars'?
I mean we've been joking about it in the offseason and ever since then.

That's not on Vogel...that's def on the Front office\Owners

[CoachD]

Thank God someone finally made a thread so we can discuss the Lakers and try to figure out what happened there.

[Marvin Martian]

Trade Lebron and AD. Why should a coach or a GM be fired for something that LeGM did?

[The High Cyde]

I’ve said this before, but there hasn’t been a team that has self-sabotaged themselves after a championship like this since the 2011 Mavs. Cuban lost his damn mind after that run and didn’t even try to run it back. Jeanie should’ve put her foot down and tried again. I mean, it was a proven winning formula, your players just weren’t healthy one year. Like, how have you been groomed to handle this business since childhood and still **** it up? They def panicked and sold the farm for nothing. You have to blame ownership for that.

[LAL1947]

1) Keep the GM.
2) Keep the coach.
3) Performed worse than expected.
4) Waning team... but...

5) Let's reload!

5A) Lebron to GSW for Wiggins, Kuminga, Moody, Wiseman, 1 FRP.
5B) AD and THT to Chicago for Lavine, PWill, 2 FRPs.
5C) Lavine, Wiggins and 4 FRPs (3 above + Lakers 2027) to Dallas for Luka.
5D) Nunn/Melo to NYK for Jericho Sims.

Lakers 2022-23:
1-5: Luka, Moody, PWill, Kuminga, Wiseman
6-10: Westbrick, Monk, Reaves, Stanley, Sims
11-15: Augustin, Bradley, Johnson, Gabriel, Dwight

[SkyBill40]

1) Keep the GM.
2) Keep the coach.
3) Performed worse than expected.
4) Waning team... but...

5) Let's reload!

5A) Lebron to GSW for Wiggins, Kuminga, Moody, Wiseman, 1 FRP.
5B) AD and THT to Chicago for Lavine, PWill, 2 FRPs.
5C) Lavine, Wiggins and 4 FRPs (3 above + Lakers 2027) to Dallas for Luka.
5D) Nunn/Melo to NYK for Jericho Sims.

Lakers 2022-23:
1-5: Luka, Moody, PWill, Kuminga, Wiseman
6-10: Westbrick, Monk, Reaves, Stanley, Sims
11-15: Augustin, Bradley, Johnson, Gabriel, Dwight

LMFAO.

You honestly expect GS to deplete their future by trading away their recent picks and then give up another first on top of it? Come on, man. Get real.

Same goes for that absolute laugher proposal for Doncic. That dude isn't going anywhere and especially not to the Lakers.

Sent from my VS996 using Tapatalk

[hoosierdaddy34]

Bubble or no Bubble, Injuries or not..If ur team goes from Champion to 30 wins in Two seasons - It's not the Coach's fault. It's obviously the FO, owners, gm the lot of it.
Since they're stuck with the Busses..it doesn't matter even if some1 forces down ur throat something like the Westbrook trade - U resign..so to me- they're all to blame. Pelinka has made every possible mistake since he entered into office, just get some1 who actually understands a bit of baskbetball to do things and they'd be allright.

To be honest, we have seen a lot of teams go from Championship to no playoffs in 2 years over the last decade or so:
2013 Dallas Mavericks
2015 Miami Heat
2020 Golden State Warriors
2021 Toronto Raptors
2022 Los Angeles Lakers

So of the last 10 teams that are 2 years removed from a title, 5 have failed to make the playoffs.

Sure, there are outside circumstances in each. Dallas got old and let Tyson Chandler go to be players with cap space. Lebron left Miami. KD left Golden State and Steph was injured. Kwahi left Toronto and they had to play the COVID season in Tampa. Lebron and AD were not healthy this year. But the Lakers are not exactly an anomaly.

This is actually a great stat…I didn’t know this. Good perspective

[seren]

Hypothetically speaking, if they waive and stretch Westbrook’s contract, will they have enough space under hard cap to use MLE plus biannual exception? Any cap gurus around here?

[Exp0sed]

Hypothetically speaking, if they waive and stretch Westbrook’s contract, will they have enough space under hard cap to use MLE plus biannual exception? Any cap gurus around here?

The lakers aren't stretching Westbrook, there is no chance of that happening imo (and no reason to, either)