The LeBron James - 21-22 Regular Season Thread - New Thread Soon Part 2

[Mos_Heat]

As of now, on defense they are 30pts/poss worse than the best team

[PistolPeteJR]

Watch on YouTube

[Greyhound]

LeBron carrying Westbrook to a ring would be the greatest carry job since Rick Barry lol. Gotta hope the 3 swingmen (THT, Nunn, Ariza) change the tenor of this team once they get back cuz otherwise I just don't know if I can see Bron winning a ring again.

Btw super random thought but anyone else feel like Bron basically abandoned his left hand finishes on the left side of the basket ever since THT came in and started wowing everyone with his jellys and scoops on the right side? His ambidextrous finishing used to be one of the best parts of Brons game and I feel like he randomly misses a shot every now and then tryna finish with his right when he could've went with his left and I blame THT for it LOL

Also Jesus Christ, I rarely say this about NBA players cuz I feel like I somewhat have a sense of how much on another plane of existence pros are compared to us average joes, but mannnn Kent Bazemore is a f***ing BUM. I have yet to feel confident even once when he's shot the ball or put the ball on the floor or tried to get a stop on someone.

Also why do Vogel and the FO acquiesce to these washed up big men like Javale McGee and Deandre Jordan. Thank God Dwight is like a sweet childish dude cuz there is no reason for a person of his pedigree to be coming off the bench for these clowns.

Dwight is completely defanged. Getting manhandled by AD of all people on a bench. Made me sad a little.

I agree. It made me sad as well.

Imagine being embarrassed in front of the world by a guy that’s about as soft/tough as a roll of 1-ply toilet tissue.

First he gets put on the 75th Anniversary team ahead of your resume, then that.

If I were in Dwight’s shoes, I would have given strong consideration to knocking him out (then and there). Even if it resulted in getting thrown out of the league.

My two cents.

[homecourtloss]

As of now, on defense they are 30pts/poss worse than the best team

Sad.

Only saving grace is that somehow, someway, they’re decent on offense DESPITE having a player who has a 30% usage and a -19 TS added in just 5 games.

Opponents are shooting 48%+ on threes contested by AD and Westbrook:
https://www.nba.com/stats/players/defense-dash-3pt/?sort=FG3_PCT&dir=1&CF=GP*GE*3:FG3A*GE*3&Season=2021-22&SeasonType=Regular%20Season

[Mazter]

I agree. It made me, sad as well.

Imagine being embarrassed in front of the world by a guy that’s about as soft/tough as a roll of 1-ply toilet tissue.

First he gets put on the 75th Anniversary team ahead of your resume, then that.

If I were in Dwight’s shoes, I would have given strong consideration to knocking him out (then and there). Even if it resulted in getting thrown out of the league.

My two cents.

I'm sorry, Dwight is the one who should know his role and be grateful he was even accepted back. After finally winning his ring he decided he wanted a better contract and more playing time. Only to get none of both with the Sixers. Besides that a second round exit did also not live up to the expectation. If he can't understand and assume his role in the 21/22 Lakers they should ship him off as soon as possible.

[Greyhound]

I agree. It made me, sad as well.

Imagine being embarrassed in front of the world by a guy that’s about as soft/tough as a roll of 1-ply toilet tissue.

First he gets put on the 75th Anniversary team ahead of your resume, then that.

If I were in Dwight’s shoes, I would have given strong consideration to knocking him out (then and there). Even if it resulted in getting thrown out of the league.

My two cents.

I'm sorry, Dwight is the one who should know his role and be grateful he was even accepted back. After finally winning his ring he decided he wanted a better contract and more playing time. Only to get none of both with the Sixers. Besides that a second round exit did also not live up to the expectation. If he can't understand and assume his role in the 21/22 Lakers they should ship him off as soon as possible.

It does not matter what Dwight’s role is, or how thoroughly he knows it. That does not give Davis license to stand directly over him (while seated) and berate him in front of everyone. Dwight was perfectly justified in taking offense at that moment.

Sorry, we will not see eye to eye on this.

Howard is not some young player hoping to stick in the league. He is a decorated veteran/ champion in the twilight of a hall of fame career.

Treat the man with the respect he has earned.

———-

Another thing to keep in mind is that Dwight resides rather high on the nothing to lose meter. He has already won, he has already locked in the hall of fame, he has already played a full length career and he is making league minimum currently.

I know he possesses a jolly/ dopey type personality. The type of personality that gives characters like Davis zero pause to approach him in such a disrespectful manner. However, Dwight is still a rather imposing individual underneath all of that.

All things considered, he just may not be the wisest bear to poke.

———-

For the record

I felt the exact same way when Rasheed Wallace threw a towel in the face of Arvydas Sabonis (on the Portland Trailblazers bench) years ago.

[McBubbles]

How the **** in 2022 can you be posting a True Shooting Percentage of 45%? That's a whole 10TS% below being slightly below average, as the average in 2021 was 57.1%. **** hell. If he wasn't Westbrook he'd be coming off the bench. 18 points on 45TS% with horrible defence whilst leading the league in turnovers? Nah.

[Baski]

Still half hoping we're all in a shared dream and the Lakers did not actually acquire Westbrook.

[GSP]

Kcp, Kuzma and Trez are dominating the Hawks on both ends

[trickshot]

I'd take KCP over Carmelo 7 days a week. I want to like his game but it's just so dumb. Carmelo is so bad with team concepts and defensive effort. He looks good when he plays with Lebron and AD and his shooting is even somewhat reliable but anyone that plays hard is a more serviceable net contributor. I'm in awe of how many breakdowns and open 3s one guy can give up. This is who the Lakers wanted in a playoff series against Phoenix? Cameron Payne will average 30 on switches alone.

Contrast with a player like Reaves who gets cooked a lot but his effort and willingness to play within the team will see him bag one of the higher impact metrics on the team. It's also much easier to provide help if the player stays in the picture instead of loafing like Melo.

Whichever of Lebron or Pelinka built the rest of the roster did so like a casual. Not being able to withstand a couple empty possessions without going -20, giving up 120 to teams that struggle on offense, can't even keep it together for a full game because all their new guys have very low concentration spans, even after starting decent they will take their foot off the gas and revert to leaving shooters wide open. There's no amount of chemistry that can rescue the bigger flaws.

[letskissbro]

3 former Lakers combine for an efficient 67 points in a Washington blowout win over the Hawks

Can't do much but laugh at this point. One of the worst offseasons by a (former) contender ever

[nzahir]

I'd take KCP over Carmelo 7 days a week. I want to like his game but it's just so dumb. Carmelo is so bad with team concepts and defensive effort. He looks good when he plays with Lebron and AD and his shooting is even somewhat reliable but anyone that plays hard is a more serviceable net contributor. I'm in awe of how many breakdowns and open 3s one guy can give up. This is who the Lakers wanted in a playoff series against Phoenix? Cameron Payne will average 30 on switches alone.

Contrast with a player like Reaves who gets cooked a lot but his effort and willingness to play within the team will see him bag one of the higher impact metrics on the team. It's also much easier to provide help if the player stays in the picture instead of loafing like Melo.

Whichever of Lebron or Pelinka built the rest of the roster did so like a casual. Not being able to withstand a couple empty possessions without going -20, giving up 120 to teams that struggle on offense, can't even keep it together for a full game because all their new guys have very low concentration spans, even after starting decent they will take their foot off the gas and revert to leaving shooters wide open. There's no amount of chemistry that can rescue the bigger flaws.

Ofc KCP>Melo

Melo is the Kieff replacement. Kieff the better defender, Melo the better offensive player. I would hope we could find a better 4/5 or bigger 3/4, but not sure we realistically do

Nunn, Bazemore and THT are supposed to replace KCP, AC, and Wes basically

Could be ok there but we are missing 2 of the guys

Ariza is replacing Kuzma, and I am fine with that, especially for the difference in their contracts

Russ vs Dennis and Trez: I still would take Russ here, but they all have their own issues

And I guess Monk or Ellington vs Mclemore

We need to get healthy to judge these guys

The core playoff rotation should be

Russ, Bazemore, Ariza, Bron, AD
Nunn, THT, Dwight

Maybe Reaves if he keeps improving

Mix in 1 of Monk, Melo, or Ellington is certain areas for extra shooting

I would try to get 1 more 3 and d guard or wing for depth or certain lineups

[trickshot]

I'd take KCP over Carmelo 7 days a week. I want to like his game but it's just so dumb. Carmelo is so bad with team concepts and defensive effort. He looks good when he plays with Lebron and AD and his shooting is even somewhat reliable but anyone that plays hard is a more serviceable net contributor. I'm in awe of how many breakdowns and open 3s one guy can give up. This is who the Lakers wanted in a playoff series against Phoenix? Cameron Payne will average 30 on switches alone.

Contrast with a player like Reaves who gets cooked a lot but his effort and willingness to play within the team will see him bag one of the higher impact metrics on the team. It's also much easier to provide help if the player stays in the picture instead of loafing like Melo.

Whichever of Lebron or Pelinka built the rest of the roster did so like a casual. Not being able to withstand a couple empty possessions without going -20, giving up 120 to teams that struggle on offense, can't even keep it together for a full game because all their new guys have very low concentration spans, even after starting decent they will take their foot off the gas and revert to leaving shooters wide open. There's no amount of chemistry that can rescue the bigger flaws.

Ofc KCP>Melo

Melo is the Kieff replacement. Kieff the better defender, Melo the better offensive player. I would hope we could find a better 4/5 or bigger 3/4, but not sure we realistically do

Nunn, Bazemore and THT are supposed to replace KCP, AC, and Wes basically

Could be ok there but we are missing 2 of the guys

Ariza is replacing Kuzma, and I am fine with that, especially for the difference in their contracts

Russ vs Dennis and Trez: I still would take Russ here, but they all have their own issues

And I guess Monk or Ellington vs Mclemore

We need to get healthy to judge these guys

The core playoff rotation should be

Russ, Bazemore, Ariza, Bron, AD
Nunn, THT, Dwight

Maybe Reaves if he keeps improving

Mix in 1 of Monk, Melo, or Ellington is certain areas for extra shooting

I would try to get 1 more 3 and d guard or wing for depth or certain lineups

Oh that's right he's replacing the Morris and the Wes's of the team. In that case might even take it one step further and say I'd consider taking those two before Carmelo if the goal is a title. Roleplayers are there for utility and Carmelo's is really really low. In fact it looks like he actively worsens your matchup ability. I'd get Ariza a backup.

Morris allowing the Lakers to downsize in that Rockets series in 2020 is something I can't imagine Melo allowing. Playing him at the 5 against a Westbrook and Harden team would be an instant playoff exit. He doesn't project to look good against the Suns. Warriors or any of the other playoff teams this year. Quite frankly any player who gives as many 3s as he does shouldn't still be active on a title contender in the pace and space era. Speaking of which, Westbrook needs to start closing shooters. He and Beal were a big part of why the Wizards perimeter D was so bad and is on pace to sink the Lakers D this year. Without bringing up the stats it's easy to guess this is the worst defense at limiting opponent's shooting efficiency. Lebron too has given some so-so effort from time to time but is probably still alright impact wise.

[thebigbird]

I'd take KCP over Carmelo 7 days a week. I want to like his game but it's just so dumb. Carmelo is so bad with team concepts and defensive effort. He looks good when he plays with Lebron and AD and his shooting is even somewhat reliable but anyone that plays hard is a more serviceable net contributor. I'm in awe of how many breakdowns and open 3s one guy can give up. This is who the Lakers wanted in a playoff series against Phoenix? Cameron Payne will average 30 on switches alone.

Contrast with a player like Reaves who gets cooked a lot but his effort and willingness to play within the team will see him bag one of the higher impact metrics on the team. It's also much easier to provide help if the player stays in the picture instead of loafing like Melo.

Whichever of Lebron or Pelinka built the rest of the roster did so like a casual. Not being able to withstand a couple empty possessions without going -20, giving up 120 to teams that struggle on offense, can't even keep it together for a full game because all their new guys have very low concentration spans, even after starting decent they will take their foot off the gas and revert to leaving shooters wide open. There's no amount of chemistry that can rescue the bigger flaws.

Ofc KCP>Melo

Melo is the Kieff replacement. Kieff the better defender, Melo the better offensive player. I would hope we could find a better 4/5 or bigger 3/4, but not sure we realistically do

Nunn, Bazemore and THT are supposed to replace KCP, AC, and Wes basically

Could be ok there but we are missing 2 of the guys

Ariza is replacing Kuzma, and I am fine with that, especially for the difference in their contracts

Russ vs Dennis and Trez: I still would take Russ here, but they all have their own issues

And I guess Monk or Ellington vs Mclemore

We need to get healthy to judge these guys

The core playoff rotation should be

Russ, Bazemore, Ariza, Bron, AD
Nunn, THT, Dwight

Maybe Reaves if he keeps improving

Mix in 1 of Monk, Melo, or Ellington is certain areas for extra shooting

I would try to get 1 more 3 and d guard or wing for depth or certain lineups

Oh that's right he's replacing the Morris and the Wes's of the team. In that case might even take it one step further and say I'd consider taking those two before Carmelo if the goal is a title. Roleplayers are there for utility and Carmelo's is really really low. In fact it looks like he actively worsens your matchup ability. I'd get Ariza a backup.

Morris allowing the Lakers to downsize in that Rockets series in 2020 is something I can't imagine Melo allowing. Playing him at the 5 against a Westbrook and Harden team would be an instant playoff exit. He doesn't project to look good against the Suns. Warriors or any of the other playoff teams this year. Quite frankly any player who gives as many 3s as he does shouldn't still be active on a title contender in the pace and space era. Speaking of which, Westbrook needs to start closing shooters. He and Beal were a big part of why the Wizards perimeter D was so bad and is on pace to sink the Lakers D this year. Without bringing up the stats it's easy to guess this is the worst defense at limiting opponent's shooting efficiency. Lebron too has given some so-so effort from time to time but is probably still alright impact wise.

At the end of the day, the Melo acquisition doesn’t really matter much. He’s a minimum contract guy playing 15-20 minutes a game once everyone is healthy. Really this team’s contender status was shot the second they traded for Westbrook. We can fool ourselves into thinking “it’ll work out” and “it’ll take some time,” but we need to be realistic. Westbrook doesn’t play championship caliber basketball. He hasn’t had a playoff TS% above 50% since 2017. He hasn’t made it out of the first round since 2016. He’s an inefficient turnover machine who doesn’t play good defense. He’s been exactly what I thought he’d be when they acquired him, and there’s nothing in the recent past to show it’s going to change come playoff time. Well, change for the better, I mean. He’s an inefficient regular season player who gets even worse in the playoffs. This team isn’t winning anything with him on the roster.

[trickshot]

Ofc KCP>Melo

Melo is the Kieff replacement. Kieff the better defender, Melo the better offensive player. I would hope we could find a better 4/5 or bigger 3/4, but not sure we realistically do

Nunn, Bazemore and THT are supposed to replace KCP, AC, and Wes basically

Could be ok there but we are missing 2 of the guys

Ariza is replacing Kuzma, and I am fine with that, especially for the difference in their contracts

Russ vs Dennis and Trez: I still would take Russ here, but they all have their own issues

And I guess Monk or Ellington vs Mclemore

We need to get healthy to judge these guys

The core playoff rotation should be

Russ, Bazemore, Ariza, Bron, AD
Nunn, THT, Dwight

Maybe Reaves if he keeps improving

Mix in 1 of Monk, Melo, or Ellington is certain areas for extra shooting

I would try to get 1 more 3 and d guard or wing for depth or certain lineups

Oh that's right he's replacing the Morris and the Wes's of the team. In that case might even take it one step further and say I'd consider taking those two before Carmelo if the goal is a title. Roleplayers are there for utility and Carmelo's is really really low. In fact it looks like he actively worsens your matchup ability. I'd get Ariza a backup.

Morris allowing the Lakers to downsize in that Rockets series in 2020 is something I can't imagine Melo allowing. Playing him at the 5 against a Westbrook and Harden team would be an instant playoff exit. He doesn't project to look good against the Suns. Warriors or any of the other playoff teams this year. Quite frankly any player who gives as many 3s as he does shouldn't still be active on a title contender in the pace and space era. Speaking of which, Westbrook needs to start closing shooters. He and Beal were a big part of why the Wizards perimeter D was so bad and is on pace to sink the Lakers D this year. Without bringing up the stats it's easy to guess this is the worst defense at limiting opponent's shooting efficiency. Lebron too has given some so-so effort from time to time but is probably still alright impact wise.

At the end of the day, the Melo acquisition doesn’t really matter much. He’s a minimum contract guy playing 15-20 minutes a game once everyone is healthy. Really this team’s contender status was shot the second they traded for Westbrook. We can fool ourselves into thinking “it’ll work out” and “it’ll take some time,” but we need to be realistic. Westbrook doesn’t play championship caliber basketball. He hasn’t had a playoff TS% above 50% since 2017. He hasn’t made it out of the first round since 2016. He’s an inefficient turnover machine who doesn’t play good defense. He’s been exactly what I thought he’d be when they acquired him, and there’s nothing in the recent past to show it’s going to change come playoff time. Well, change for the better, I mean. He’s an inefficient regular season player who gets even worse in the playoffs. This team isn’t winning anything with him on the roster.

Well yeah, didn't want to beat a dead horse. I think the most unfortunate part of westbrook is his presence makes a third of the roster obsolete. People say it's the Lebron fit but Lebron already meshed or coexisted with Rondo, AD, Carmelo, Schroder and every other higher usage player from the last 2 years. Westbrook is the one who can't mesh naturally with your 2 traditional bigs, Rondo, Lebron and even the likes of Caruso if he stayed. On defense Westbrook is also a disaster pairing with half the new guys. May be up there with the worst at defending perimeter shooting.

[homecourtloss]

At the end of the day, the Melo acquisition doesn’t really matter much. He’s a minimum contract guy playing 15-20 minutes a game once everyone is healthy. Really this team’s contender status was shot the second they traded for Westbrook. We can fool ourselves into thinking “it’ll work out” and “it’ll take some time,” but we need to be realistic. Westbrook doesn’t play championship caliber basketball. He hasn’t had a playoff TS% above 50% since 2017. He hasn’t made it out of the first round since 2016. He’s an inefficient turnover machine who doesn’t play good defense. He’s been exactly what I thought he’d be when they acquired him, and there’s nothing in the recent past to show it’s going to change come playoff time. Well, change for the better, I mean. He’s an inefficient regular season player who gets even worse in the playoffs. This team isn’t winning anything with him on the roster.

Sadly, he’s actually been worse.

-9.6% rTs, -18.8 TS added, on pace to have the worst TS added numbers ever

23% TOV rate

Opponents are shooting 48% on threes he contests

.41 points per possession in transition

Don’t care much about “win shares,” but he has negative win Shares DESPITE a 30% usage rate when he should at least be able to rack up some decent numbers on volume.

The only positive note is that somehow the Lakers have a top 10-11 offense despite have one of the worst 5 game stretches from a high usage player ever

[dcstanley]

Oh that's right he's replacing the Morris and the Wes's of the team. In that case might even take it one step further and say I'd consider taking those two before Carmelo if the goal is a title. Roleplayers are there for utility and Carmelo's is really really low. In fact it looks like he actively worsens your matchup ability. I'd get Ariza a backup.

Morris allowing the Lakers to downsize in that Rockets series in 2020 is something I can't imagine Melo allowing. Playing him at the 5 against a Westbrook and Harden team would be an instant playoff exit. He doesn't project to look good against the Suns. Warriors or any of the other playoff teams this year. Quite frankly any player who gives as many 3s as he does shouldn't still be active on a title contender in the pace and space era. Speaking of which, Westbrook needs to start closing shooters. He and Beal were a big part of why the Wizards perimeter D was so bad and is on pace to sink the Lakers D this year. Without bringing up the stats it's easy to guess this is the worst defense at limiting opponent's shooting efficiency. Lebron too has given some so-so effort from time to time but is probably still alright impact wise.

At the end of the day, the Melo acquisition doesn’t really matter much. He’s a minimum contract guy playing 15-20 minutes a game once everyone is healthy. Really this team’s contender status was shot the second they traded for Westbrook. We can fool ourselves into thinking “it’ll work out” and “it’ll take some time,” but we need to be realistic. Westbrook doesn’t play championship caliber basketball. He hasn’t had a playoff TS% above 50% since 2017. He hasn’t made it out of the first round since 2016. He’s an inefficient turnover machine who doesn’t play good defense. He’s been exactly what I thought he’d be when they acquired him, and there’s nothing in the recent past to show it’s going to change come playoff time. Well, change for the better, I mean. He’s an inefficient regular season player who gets even worse in the playoffs. This team isn’t winning anything with him on the roster.

Well yeah, didn't want to beat a dead horse. I think the most unfortunate part of westbrook is his presence makes a third of the roster obsolete. People say it's the Lebron fit but Lebron already meshed or coexisted with Rondo, AD, Carmelo, Schroder and every other higher usage player from the last 2 years. Westbrook is the one who can't mesh naturally with your 2 traditional bigs, Rondo, Lebron and even the likes of Caruso if he stayed. On defense Westbrook is also a disaster pairing with half the new guys. May be up there with the worst at defending perimeter shooting.

Yup, late career Westbrook is probably the most high maintenance player in league history. I can't think of another player that requires as much as Westbrook does to provide value. You basically need a rotation full of players that cater to his strengths for him to be effective. I'm not even sure if there are any players on this roster that are adequate fits next to him besides AD and Ariza.

[Mos_Heat]

At the end of the day, the Melo acquisition doesn’t really matter much. He’s a minimum contract guy playing 15-20 minutes a game once everyone is healthy. Really this team’s contender status was shot the second they traded for Westbrook. We can fool ourselves into thinking “it’ll work out” and “it’ll take some time,” but we need to be realistic. Westbrook doesn’t play championship caliber basketball. He hasn’t had a playoff TS% above 50% since 2017. He hasn’t made it out of the first round since 2016. He’s an inefficient turnover machine who doesn’t play good defense. He’s been exactly what I thought he’d be when they acquired him, and there’s nothing in the recent past to show it’s going to change come playoff time. Well, change for the better, I mean. He’s an inefficient regular season player who gets even worse in the playoffs. This team isn’t winning anything with him on the roster.

I'm super low on this Westbrook experiment, but even I think it's not that bad. They just need to get healthy, optimize their lineups, and get another 3nD wing. They would've been better with Kuz, KCP and Caruso, but they still can be in the mix even with Westbrook

[The High Cyde]

We still need to see the team at full strength, easier said than done, but I’m not sure what exactly we can take away from injured teams in general. Their best player is now injured along with a litany of periphery players out as well. Not to say they should be losing or barely scraping by to the worst teams in the league though.

I expect AD and Westbrook to be better however. Bron and Davis have to talk to Russ to reign him in, only make passes he knows have a low chance of turning it over, close out on shooters, play some freaking defense, and move without the ball.

[AingesBurner]

Still half hoping we're all in a shared dream and the Lakers did not actually acquire Westbrook.

If you see Leo DiCaprio running around, it’s a dream, if not, real life bro.