(Lock Thread)The LeBron James- 23-24 NBA Playoffs & Off-Season Thread -(NO PERSONAL ATTACKS & BAITING)

[zimpy27]

I just can't believe he resigned with this team when he had a chance to go to a more competent organization and win a title in year 22 as the best player....

Honestly, based on player comments it is possible that Ham to JJ is enough to make this a contender.

[mademan]

I just can't believe he resigned with this team when he had a chance to go to a more competent organization and win a title in year 22 as the best player....

Honestly, based on player comments it is possible that Ham to JJ is enough to make this a contender.

No disrespect to Lebron, but the Lakers dont have enough offense to be a contender when healthy in such a competitive west.Not the best top 2 (Luka, Jokic, Shai with their secondary stars are better) and they dont have a depth or total roster advantage to make up for it. Their 3-8 is better than the nuggets, but Denver just has their number.

And thats only the top 3 contenders in the West. There's another 6-8 teams who all can make arguments that theyre better than the Lakers. This isnt a contending team

[nzahir]

I just can't believe he resigned with this team when he had a chance to go to a more competent organization and win a title in year 22 as the best player....

Honestly, based on player comments it is possible that Ham to JJ is enough to make this a contender.

No disrespect to Lebron, but the Lakers dont have enough offense to be a contender when healthy in such a competitive west.Not the best top 2 (Luka, Jokic, Shai with their secondary stars are better) and they dont have a depth or total roster advantage to make up for it. Their 3-8 is better than the nuggets, but Denver just has their number.

And thats only the top 3 contenders in the West. There's another 6-8 teams who all can make arguments that theyre better than the Lakers. This isnt a contending team

Weren't we like a top 5 offense last year for the last few months once Rui was in the starting lineup?

And that was with the 4th quarters being disorganized

We did lose a solid shooter in Prince, but I think Knecht and Christie will replace him (and Reddish) more than fine, probably better overall

I dont expect Rui to shoot as well as last year though, but I think maybe Reaves can improve a bit

As currently constructed, we are not good enough to really win it all

But neither was Dallas last year, they got a couple pieces with PJ and Gafford that helped out

And they had a rookie in Lively give them something

Can we do the same? I think so

Getting a backup C/a C playable next to AD is 1 guy

Then I think getting a physical guard if Vincent isn't that guy

Unsure if we will need a Rui upgrade or not, but willing to give it 20-30 games with JJ. I dont trust Rui's perimter defense next to Lebron, but lets see. If it isn't working overall, then you look towards a guy like CamJ or see if a star route is still available with BI or Butler

Also wondering if we can get in on this NY/Min deal at all for a guy like Nickeil Alexander-Walker. May have less playing time with DDV taking that role and them getting Rob Dillingham from SAS

[mademan]

Honestly, based on player comments it is possible that Ham to JJ is enough to make this a contender.

No disrespect to Lebron, but the Lakers dont have enough offense to be a contender when healthy in such a competitive west.Not the best top 2 (Luka, Jokic, Shai with their secondary stars are better) and they dont have a depth or total roster advantage to make up for it. Their 3-8 is better than the nuggets, but Denver just has their number.

And thats only the top 3 contenders in the West. There's another 6-8 teams who all can make arguments that theyre better than the Lakers. This isnt a contending team

Weren't we like a top 5 offense last year for the last few months once Rui was in the starting lineup?

And that was with the 4th quarters being disorganized

We did lose a solid shooter in Prince, but I think Knecht and Christie will replace him (and Reddish) more than fine, probably better overall

I dont expect Rui to shoot as well as last year though, but I think maybe Reaves can improve a bit

As currently constructed, we are not good enough to really win it all

But neither was Dallas last year, they got a couple pieces with PJ and Gafford that helped out

And they had a rookie in Lively give them something

Can we do the same? I think so

Getting a backup C/a C playable next to AD is 1 guy

Then I think getting a physical guard if Vincent isn't that guy

Unsure if we will need a Rui upgrade or not, but willing to give it 20-30 games with JJ. I dont trust Rui's perimter defense next to Lebron, but lets see. If it isn't working overall, then you look towards a guy like CamJ or see if a star route is still available with BI or Butler

Also wondering if we can get in on this NY/Min deal at all for a guy like Nickeil Alexander-Walker. May have less playing time with DDV taking that role and them getting Rob Dillingham from SAS

When you have a top 3 player like Luka and a top secondary star, a couple competent role players is all you really need to become a contender.

Dont get me wrong, i think the Lakers are a solid team, but the West is competitive and we have enough data at this point to show that theyre not separate from the middle 8 teams or so after the top few. Its been mentioned a couple times...they were a play in team getting as much health as you could possibly expect out of AD/Lebron, and they still havent gotten a quality NBA back up C.

I think theyre clearly worse than OKC, Dallas, Nuggets who all have a top 3 player in the league and i cant see them being better than Minny over 82 games. Their ceiling is not having HCA and having to beat teams with a better top player all the way to the finals. When has that ever happened?

[zimpy27]

No disrespect to Lebron, but the Lakers dont have enough offense to be a contender when healthy in such a competitive west.Not the best top 2 (Luka, Jokic, Shai with their secondary stars are better) and they dont have a depth or total roster advantage to make up for it. Their 3-8 is better than the nuggets, but Denver just has their number.

And thats only the top 3 contenders in the West. There's another 6-8 teams who all can make arguments that theyre better than the Lakers. This isnt a contending team

Weren't we like a top 5 offense last year for the last few months once Rui was in the starting lineup?

And that was with the 4th quarters being disorganized

We did lose a solid shooter in Prince, but I think Knecht and Christie will replace him (and Reddish) more than fine, probably better overall

I dont expect Rui to shoot as well as last year though, but I think maybe Reaves can improve a bit

As currently constructed, we are not good enough to really win it all

But neither was Dallas last year, they got a couple pieces with PJ and Gafford that helped out

And they had a rookie in Lively give them something

Can we do the same? I think so

Getting a backup C/a C playable next to AD is 1 guy

Then I think getting a physical guard if Vincent isn't that guy

Unsure if we will need a Rui upgrade or not, but willing to give it 20-30 games with JJ. I dont trust Rui's perimter defense next to Lebron, but lets see. If it isn't working overall, then you look towards a guy like CamJ or see if a star route is still available with BI or Butler

Also wondering if we can get in on this NY/Min deal at all for a guy like Nickeil Alexander-Walker. May have less playing time with DDV taking that role and them getting Rob Dillingham from SAS

When you have a top 3 player like Luka and a top secondary star, a couple competent role players is all you really need to become a contender.

Dont get me wrong, i think the Lakers are a solid team, but the West is competitive and we have enough data at this point to show that theyre not separate from the middle 8 teams or so after the top few. Its been mentioned a couple times...they were a play in team getting as much health as you could possibly expect out of AD/Lebron, and they still havent gotten a quality NBA back up C.

I think theyre clearly worse than OKC, Dallas, Nuggets who all have a top 3 player in the league and i cant see them being better than Minny over 82 games. Their ceiling is not having HCA and having to beat teams with a better top player all the way to the finals. When has that ever happened?

- LeBron and Davis were 2 of the best players on Team USA.
- Reaves, Rui and Christie have likely improved as you expect them to have done with experience.
- Vincent is healthy again, last time was in the Miami playoff run to the finals with him as starting PG.
- Vando should play more this year than last year.
- JJ seems to be more interested in providing a stronger offensive strategy.

Lakers got slightly better, Nuggets arguably got worse. I do think they have a chance this year and they will make a deadline move this season at the latest.

[mademan]

Weren't we like a top 5 offense last year for the last few months once Rui was in the starting lineup?

And that was with the 4th quarters being disorganized

We did lose a solid shooter in Prince, but I think Knecht and Christie will replace him (and Reddish) more than fine, probably better overall

I dont expect Rui to shoot as well as last year though, but I think maybe Reaves can improve a bit

As currently constructed, we are not good enough to really win it all

But neither was Dallas last year, they got a couple pieces with PJ and Gafford that helped out

And they had a rookie in Lively give them something

Can we do the same? I think so

Getting a backup C/a C playable next to AD is 1 guy

Then I think getting a physical guard if Vincent isn't that guy

Unsure if we will need a Rui upgrade or not, but willing to give it 20-30 games with JJ. I dont trust Rui's perimter defense next to Lebron, but lets see. If it isn't working overall, then you look towards a guy like CamJ or see if a star route is still available with BI or Butler

Also wondering if we can get in on this NY/Min deal at all for a guy like Nickeil Alexander-Walker. May have less playing time with DDV taking that role and them getting Rob Dillingham from SAS

When you have a top 3 player like Luka and a top secondary star, a couple competent role players is all you really need to become a contender.

Dont get me wrong, i think the Lakers are a solid team, but the West is competitive and we have enough data at this point to show that theyre not separate from the middle 8 teams or so after the top few. Its been mentioned a couple times...they were a play in team getting as much health as you could possibly expect out of AD/Lebron, and they still havent gotten a quality NBA back up C.

I think theyre clearly worse than OKC, Dallas, Nuggets who all have a top 3 player in the league and i cant see them being better than Minny over 82 games. Their ceiling is not having HCA and having to beat teams with a better top player all the way to the finals. When has that ever happened?

- LeBron and Davis were 2 of the best players on Team USA.
- Reaves, Rui and Christie have likely improved as you expect them to have done with experience.
- Vincent is healthy again, last time was in the Miami playoff run to the finals with him as starting PG.
- Vando should play more this year than last year.
- JJ seems to be more interested in providing a stronger offensive strategy.

Lakers got slightly better, Nuggets arguably got worse. I do think they have a chance this year and they will make a deadline move this season at the latest.

I have no problem with the Lakers supporting cast. I genuinely think they get underrated...the problem i have is that their best players arent as good as their competition. I cant think of a time in the history of the league where a team got to the finals beating 2-3 teams with a better top option. Lebron/AD are not as good as Luka/Kyrie or Shai/(Chet or Jdub) or Jokic/Murray...thats tough to overcome

[zimpy27]

When you have a top 3 player like Luka and a top secondary star, a couple competent role players is all you really need to become a contender.

Dont get me wrong, i think the Lakers are a solid team, but the West is competitive and we have enough data at this point to show that theyre not separate from the middle 8 teams or so after the top few. Its been mentioned a couple times...they were a play in team getting as much health as you could possibly expect out of AD/Lebron, and they still havent gotten a quality NBA back up C.

I think theyre clearly worse than OKC, Dallas, Nuggets who all have a top 3 player in the league and i cant see them being better than Minny over 82 games. Their ceiling is not having HCA and having to beat teams with a better top player all the way to the finals. When has that ever happened?

- LeBron and Davis were 2 of the best players on Team USA.
- Reaves, Rui and Christie have likely improved as you expect them to have done with experience.
- Vincent is healthy again, last time was in the Miami playoff run to the finals with him as starting PG.
- Vando should play more this year than last year.
- JJ seems to be more interested in providing a stronger offensive strategy.

Lakers got slightly better, Nuggets arguably got worse. I do think they have a chance this year and they will make a deadline move this season at the latest.

I have no problem with the Lakers supporting cast. I genuinely think they get underrated...the problem i have is that their best players arent as good as their competition. I cant think of a time in the history of the league where a team got to the finals beating 2-3 teams with a better top option. Lebron/AD are not as good as Luka/Kyrie or Shai/(Chet or Jdub) or Jokic/Murray...thats tough to overcome

You don't think they are better than those duos. I think they are except for Jokic and playoff Murray.

[nzahir]

No disrespect to Lebron, but the Lakers dont have enough offense to be a contender when healthy in such a competitive west.Not the best top 2 (Luka, Jokic, Shai with their secondary stars are better) and they dont have a depth or total roster advantage to make up for it. Their 3-8 is better than the nuggets, but Denver just has their number.

And thats only the top 3 contenders in the West. There's another 6-8 teams who all can make arguments that theyre better than the Lakers. This isnt a contending team

Weren't we like a top 5 offense last year for the last few months once Rui was in the starting lineup?

And that was with the 4th quarters being disorganized

We did lose a solid shooter in Prince, but I think Knecht and Christie will replace him (and Reddish) more than fine, probably better overall

I dont expect Rui to shoot as well as last year though, but I think maybe Reaves can improve a bit

As currently constructed, we are not good enough to really win it all

But neither was Dallas last year, they got a couple pieces with PJ and Gafford that helped out

And they had a rookie in Lively give them something

Can we do the same? I think so

Getting a backup C/a C playable next to AD is 1 guy

Then I think getting a physical guard if Vincent isn't that guy

Unsure if we will need a Rui upgrade or not, but willing to give it 20-30 games with JJ. I dont trust Rui's perimter defense next to Lebron, but lets see. If it isn't working overall, then you look towards a guy like CamJ or see if a star route is still available with BI or Butler

Also wondering if we can get in on this NY/Min deal at all for a guy like Nickeil Alexander-Walker. May have less playing time with DDV taking that role and them getting Rob Dillingham from SAS

When you have a top 3 player like Luka and a top secondary star, a couple competent role players is all you really need to become a contender.

Dont get me wrong, i think the Lakers are a solid team, but the West is competitive and we have enough data at this point to show that theyre not separate from the middle 8 teams or so after the top few. Its been mentioned a couple times...they were a play in team getting as much health as you could possibly expect out of AD/Lebron, and they still havent gotten a quality NBA back up C.

I think theyre clearly worse than OKC, Dallas, Nuggets who all have a top 3 player in the league and i cant see them being better than Minny over 82 games. Their ceiling is not having HCA and having to beat teams with a better top player all the way to the finals. When has that ever happened?

We are worse than these teams due to our supporting cast

You seriously taking SGA and Jalen/Chet over Bron and AD? Definitelt not. OKC has a better overall team in the reg season (and as things stand now, likely the playoffs too, but if we add some pieces I would take us likely)

Kyrie and Luka are overall negative defenders. Luka was getting ATTACKED constantly in the finals. Other teams were too stupid to put him in open space or would let Dallas double

Jokic and Murray are probably better overall b/c I think Jokic is the best player in world, but even then, we were winning for 2/3 of the series. We had poor execution (coaching), injury to AD cost us game 5, no backup C (I assume this gets taken care of), and Murray hit 2 game winners. They also just swapped KCP with Russ.....

Our bench is the biggest question mark right now.

Who knows if Vincent will even be good this year post his injury. He was always overrated imo, but a decent POA defender who could shoot the 3 okay. But an inconsistent type of role guy.

Christie is a big question mark. Theres a chance hes a legit playoff calibar 8 man rotation guy this year if he continues to improves. A nice 3 and d guard with length

Knecht is another unknown. Will he be a solid 3 point shooting like Cam Johnson was for the Suns his rookie year? If so, that is a big add, could be better than Prince

We know what Vando brings if he is healthy on defense. The question is when will he be healthy and will he stay healthy. He will probably look even better under JJ in a movement offense

Backup C will be Koloko or Wood if healthy. Definitely need an improvement here. Koloko has potential, but lets see. I think Wood is fine next to AD or another C, but cant man a defense himself

[mademan]

Weren't we like a top 5 offense last year for the last few months once Rui was in the starting lineup?

And that was with the 4th quarters being disorganized

We did lose a solid shooter in Prince, but I think Knecht and Christie will replace him (and Reddish) more than fine, probably better overall

I dont expect Rui to shoot as well as last year though, but I think maybe Reaves can improve a bit

As currently constructed, we are not good enough to really win it all

But neither was Dallas last year, they got a couple pieces with PJ and Gafford that helped out

And they had a rookie in Lively give them something

Can we do the same? I think so

Getting a backup C/a C playable next to AD is 1 guy

Then I think getting a physical guard if Vincent isn't that guy

Unsure if we will need a Rui upgrade or not, but willing to give it 20-30 games with JJ. I dont trust Rui's perimter defense next to Lebron, but lets see. If it isn't working overall, then you look towards a guy like CamJ or see if a star route is still available with BI or Butler

Also wondering if we can get in on this NY/Min deal at all for a guy like Nickeil Alexander-Walker. May have less playing time with DDV taking that role and them getting Rob Dillingham from SAS

When you have a top 3 player like Luka and a top secondary star, a couple competent role players is all you really need to become a contender.

Dont get me wrong, i think the Lakers are a solid team, but the West is competitive and we have enough data at this point to show that theyre not separate from the middle 8 teams or so after the top few. Its been mentioned a couple times...they were a play in team getting as much health as you could possibly expect out of AD/Lebron, and they still havent gotten a quality NBA back up C.

I think theyre clearly worse than OKC, Dallas, Nuggets who all have a top 3 player in the league and i cant see them being better than Minny over 82 games. Their ceiling is not having HCA and having to beat teams with a better top player all the way to the finals. When has that ever happened?

We are worse than these teams due to our supporting cast

You seriously taking SGA and Jalen/Chet over Bron and AD? Definitelt not. OKC has a better overall team in the reg season (and as things stand now, likely the playoffs too, but if we add some pieces I would take us likely)

Kyrie and Luka are overall negative defenders. Luka was getting ATTACKED constantly in the finals. Other teams were too stupid to put him in open space or would let Dallas double

Jokic and Murray are probably better overall b/c I think Jokic is the best player in world, but even then, we were winning for 2/3 of the series. We had poor execution (coaching), injury to AD cost us game 5, no backup C (I assume this gets taken care of), and Murray hit 2 game winners. They also just swapped KCP with Russ.....

Our bench is the biggest question mark right now.

Who knows if Vincent will even be good this year post his injury. He was always overrated imo, but a decent POA defender who could shoot the 3 okay. But an inconsistent type of role guy.

Christie is a big question mark. Theres a chance hes a legit playoff calibar 8 man rotation guy this year if he continues to improves. A nice 3 and d guard with length

Knecht is another unknown. Will he be a solid 3 point shooting like Cam Johnson was for the Suns his rookie year? If so, that is a big add, could be better than Prince

We know what Vando brings if he is healthy on defense. The question is when will he be healthy and will he stay healthy. He will probably look even better under JJ in a movement offense

Backup C will be Koloko or Wood if healthy. Definitely need an improvement here. Koloko has potential, but lets see. I think Wood is fine next to AD or another C, but cant man a defense himself

The Lakers top 2 guys dont include a top 5-10 half court offensive creator. You may be able to still win in the league despite this, but you need better secondary offense than Dlo/Reeves can provide and you need far better depth.

We'll agree to disagree on Dallas/OKC having better top pairs. You cant disagree that they have the best player on the court in a potential series, to which i ask again, when have we ever seen a team make the finals/win the championship, winning series after series not having the best player?

[dcstanley]

This team as currently constructed is not capable of winning four series in a row without extreme injury luck. On top of that, they'll be lucky to finish as a fifth or sixth seed.

They're in the same tier as the Pelicans, Grizzlies, Kings, and Warriors and honestly, besides the Warriors, I think those teams are better equipped to have stronger regular seasons.

[The Master]

This team as currently constructed is not capable of winning four series in a row without extreme injury luck. On top of that, they'll be lucky to finish as a fifth or sixth seed.

They're in the same tier as the Pelicans, Grizzlies, Kings, and Warriors and honestly, besides the Warriors, I think those teams are better equipped to have stronger regular seasons.

If Lakers are healthy, I believe they can improve their RS performance with a coach much better in setting the offense and rotation. Whether AD and LeBron stay healthy is another question, but Lakers underperformed last RS due to Ham's rotation and his panic mode during January's (?) slump.

I also believe that in the playoffs they can upset every team but healthy Nuggets, at least for now, maybe Thunder will make a leap forward this year. West is extremely deep, but not necessarily that deep in upside. After all, the biggest offseason by the Western team was ... OKC with Caruso and Hartenstein? Nice additions for them, but we'll see if that enables them to improve a tier as a team, and it shows that the East is more eager to actually compete: Bucks, Knicks, Celtics, Sixers, even Pacers - they all acquired significant names in the last season or two on the market.

But Lakers have injury-prone star duo, lack of PoA defender unless Vincent resurrects, questionable playoff performers and playoff matchups (Nuggets, Mavs).

First and foremost: it's pretty much clear that Lakers are 'satisfied' with current position - they still have the most marketable star in the league (LeBron) and are decent as a team, that's enough for them to be (I guess) very profitable team. It's also clear that Lakers won't make any major moves unless star is reachable (with Murray, they actually could've competed in the West last season), and even there's a star on trade block, there are several organizations in better position to fight for them. And - it's clear that Lakers will be fine with 'current' situation until 2026/2027 (when the last 1st round pick isn't controlled by them). With LeBron being nearly 40, trading away future first draft picks would be irrational, so I'm not even criticizing that.

So yeah, LeBron being healthy, decent RS, nice draw in the playoffs, maybe luck, potentially some upsets - that would be it. Westbrook trade, Westbrook trade, Westbrook trade, Caruso leaving, Caruso leaving, Caruso leaving. It's so infuriating that we're close from being in 2025, and still LeBron-AD-Caruso-KCP-Kuzma core would be a tier better than current roster, 4 seasons after a title. And yeah, nothing will change in this regard unless something unexpected happens.

[nzahir]

When you have a top 3 player like Luka and a top secondary star, a couple competent role players is all you really need to become a contender.

Dont get me wrong, i think the Lakers are a solid team, but the West is competitive and we have enough data at this point to show that theyre not separate from the middle 8 teams or so after the top few. Its been mentioned a couple times...they were a play in team getting as much health as you could possibly expect out of AD/Lebron, and they still havent gotten a quality NBA back up C.

I think theyre clearly worse than OKC, Dallas, Nuggets who all have a top 3 player in the league and i cant see them being better than Minny over 82 games. Their ceiling is not having HCA and having to beat teams with a better top player all the way to the finals. When has that ever happened?

We are worse than these teams due to our supporting cast

You seriously taking SGA and Jalen/Chet over Bron and AD? Definitelt not. OKC has a better overall team in the reg season (and as things stand now, likely the playoffs too, but if we add some pieces I would take us likely)

Kyrie and Luka are overall negative defenders. Luka was getting ATTACKED constantly in the finals. Other teams were too stupid to put him in open space or would let Dallas double

Jokic and Murray are probably better overall b/c I think Jokic is the best player in world, but even then, we were winning for 2/3 of the series. We had poor execution (coaching), injury to AD cost us game 5, no backup C (I assume this gets taken care of), and Murray hit 2 game winners. They also just swapped KCP with Russ.....

Our bench is the biggest question mark right now.

Who knows if Vincent will even be good this year post his injury. He was always overrated imo, but a decent POA defender who could shoot the 3 okay. But an inconsistent type of role guy.

Christie is a big question mark. Theres a chance hes a legit playoff calibar 8 man rotation guy this year if he continues to improves. A nice 3 and d guard with length

Knecht is another unknown. Will he be a solid 3 point shooting like Cam Johnson was for the Suns his rookie year? If so, that is a big add, could be better than Prince

We know what Vando brings if he is healthy on defense. The question is when will he be healthy and will he stay healthy. He will probably look even better under JJ in a movement offense

Backup C will be Koloko or Wood if healthy. Definitely need an improvement here. Koloko has potential, but lets see. I think Wood is fine next to AD or another C, but cant man a defense himself

The Lakers top 2 guys dont include a top 5-10 half court offensive creator. You may be able to still win in the league despite this, but you need better secondary offense than Dlo/Reeves can provide and you need far better depth.

We'll agree to disagree on Dallas/OKC having better top pairs. You cant disagree that they have the best player on the court in a potential series, to which i ask again, when have we ever seen a team make the finals/win the championship, winning series after series not having the best player?

Last 20 years:
2004 pistons
2014 spurs
2015 GS due to injuries
2024 Celtics

So its hard and certain circumstances are needed

04 pistons are an all time defense. So unless we are adding a guy like Draymond or even Butler, then I can't see this. Maybe can look to add a guy like NAW and a C like Mitch/Kessler and try to be in the top 5

2014 spurs: Great ball movement and shooting. We have a better duo for sure, but they were playing all time basketball. Can we mimic this? Maybe?

2024 celtics: Tatum isn't a top 5 guy to me, but the team is loaded

In the playoffs I rahter have Bron and AD vs many other teams duos

Luka is better than Bron or AD, but his defense can be targeted. You aren't targeting Bron or AD
SGA is likely better than Bron or AD, but did you see Jalen in the playoffs? Chet also a bit not ready

Theres a handful of duos I would take or can see the arguement for, but not many I am taking over ours. Also not like its a huge gap for me

I am very open to moving Dlo or even Reaves depending on the deal

How would you feel if we had Zach Lavine instead of Dlo (Vincent and Vando/Rui as well)?

Any trade direction you would go?

[Mos_Heat]

This team as currently constructed is not capable of winning four series in a row without extreme injury luck. On top of that, they'll be lucky to finish as a fifth or sixth seed.

They're in the same tier as the Pelicans, Grizzlies, Kings, and Warriors and honestly, besides the Warriors, I think those teams are better equipped to have stronger regular seasons.

There's no way they finish in top 6 with the current rotation. This is probably the first year when you can't even construct a scenario where Lebron team has a shot at the title

[zimpy27]

This team as currently constructed is not capable of winning four series in a row without extreme injury luck. On top of that, they'll be lucky to finish as a fifth or sixth seed.

They're in the same tier as the Pelicans, Grizzlies, Kings, and Warriors and honestly, besides the Warriors, I think those teams are better equipped to have stronger regular seasons.

There's no way they finish in top 6 with the current rotation. This is probably the first year when you can't even construct a scenario where Lebron team has a shot at the title

I disagree.

DLo, Reaves, LeBron give Lakers the basis of a great offense.

Davis is a good defensive base but Lakers need a great defensive SF. That's what Vando is but he's injured, a recovered and healthy Vando makes this a top 4 team in West IMO.

Vincent, Christie, Rui off the bench is decent. They just need to work out who the best backup C is going to be.

[PistolPeteJR]

The players make Darvin Ham sound so inept.

Like he was all about culture but provided very little structure or detail.

Sounds about right. He’s AC material.

[nzahir]

This team as currently constructed is not capable of winning four series in a row without extreme injury luck. On top of that, they'll be lucky to finish as a fifth or sixth seed.

They're in the same tier as the Pelicans, Grizzlies, Kings, and Warriors and honestly, besides the Warriors, I think those teams are better equipped to have stronger regular seasons.

There's no way they finish in top 6 with the current rotation. This is probably the first year when you can't even construct a scenario where Lebron team has a shot at the title

I disagree.

DLo, Reaves, LeBron give Lakers the basis of a great offense.

Davis is a good defensive base but Lakers need a great defensive SF. That's what Vando is but he's injured, a recovered and healthy Vando makes this a top 4 team in West IMO.

Vincent, Christie, Rui off the bench is decent. They just need to work out who the best backup C is going to be.

Heres some data and hopium...

Watch on YouTube

;ab_channel=LakersLegacyNow

Biggest questions from the starting 5 for me are mostly around Rui and Dlo:
Can Rui shoot well enough?
Will he defend wings better/whats the gameplan as a team?
Will he rebound better considering he has good size?

And can Dlo give enough effort on defense and rebounding?

Would love a guy like NAW or Smart instead of Vincent. Just dont think he has enough size

And a random side note:

Thoughts on Garland, CJ, or Harden as potential replacements for Dlo?

[zimpy27]

There's no way they finish in top 6 with the current rotation. This is probably the first year when you can't even construct a scenario where Lebron team has a shot at the title

I disagree.

DLo, Reaves, LeBron give Lakers the basis of a great offense.

Davis is a good defensive base but Lakers need a great defensive SF. That's what Vando is but he's injured, a recovered and healthy Vando makes this a top 4 team in West IMO.

Vincent, Christie, Rui off the bench is decent. They just need to work out who the best backup C is going to be.

Heres some data and hopium...

Watch on YouTube

;ab_channel=LakersLegacyNow

Biggest questions from the starting 5 for me are mostly around Rui and Dlo:
Can Rui shoot well enough?
Will he defend wings better/whats the gameplan as a team?
Will he rebound better considering he has good size?

And can Dlo give enough effort on defense and rebounding?

Would love a guy like NAW or Smart instead of Vincent. Just dont think he has enough size

And a random side note:

Thoughts on Garland, CJ, or Harden as potential replacements for Dlo?

I'm in the camp that believe Rui is more of a problem defensively than DLo and DLo provides more on offense.
Rui's best attribute is his high-efficiency scoring, this is useful off the bench but I'm happy to move Rui on for a starting SF that is a strong defender and more reliable than Vando.

I think Rui could get more interest around the league than DLo.

Garland, CJ, Harden all have the issues on defense that DLo has but Harden probably present the best option. If you can get Harden from DLo then do it.

[nzahir]

I disagree.

DLo, Reaves, LeBron give Lakers the basis of a great offense.

Davis is a good defensive base but Lakers need a great defensive SF. That's what Vando is but he's injured, a recovered and healthy Vando makes this a top 4 team in West IMO.

Vincent, Christie, Rui off the bench is decent. They just need to work out who the best backup C is going to be.

Heres some data and hopium...

Watch on YouTube

;ab_channel=LakersLegacyNow

Biggest questions from the starting 5 for me are mostly around Rui and Dlo:
Can Rui shoot well enough?
Will he defend wings better/whats the gameplan as a team?
Will he rebound better considering he has good size?

And can Dlo give enough effort on defense and rebounding?

Would love a guy like NAW or Smart instead of Vincent. Just dont think he has enough size

And a random side note:

Thoughts on Garland, CJ, or Harden as potential replacements for Dlo?

I'm in the camp that believe Rui is more of a problem defensively than DLo and DLo provides more on offense.
Rui's best attribute is his high-efficiency scoring, this is useful off the bench but I'm happy to move Rui on for a starting SF that is a strong defender and more reliable than Vando.

I think Rui could get more interest around the league than DLo.

Garland, CJ, Harden all have the issues on defense that DLo has but Harden probably present the best option. If you can get Harden from DLo then do it.

We will have to see what JJ can do for Rui and his defense and rebounding

Rui has the tools at least

Not able to find many forwards that would be more reliable than Vando that are potential targets

Some wings I can think of are

Okoro: Unsure why Cavs would move him and what the deal is. Not giving up a 1st for Okoro. Do they prefer Vando?
DFS: Best shooter of the bench, but probably the worst defender at this stage
Haywood Highsmith: I dont see Miami moving him, also unsure if he is worth a 1st. But a very good defender
Tari Eason: Probably my favorite of the bunch. Would move a 1st for him. Disruptive on defense and the boards like Vando, but can shoot decently and better ball handling skills
Dillon Brooks: Meh, shoots too many bad shots and costs 22M. Would be Vando, Vincent, and Reddish/Hayes. Not giving up a 1st for him. Could be talked into a 2nd or maybe a swap, but much rather go other routes

NY allegedly going after Marcus Smart.....would give up a 1st in that deal

I see Garland grades out decently on defense btw. Looks like he is higher iq than Dlo and gives more effort at the POA. But I dont see CLE moving on from him for picks, would need to be another player that helps them win.

I feel like CJ is slighlty better than DLO overall, but unsure if its worth the extra cost of contracts

If its Dlo, Vincent, and a 1st/JHS and a 1st for Harden at the deadline that would be nice. Assuming LAC is playing poorly and out the real playoff picture in this scenario

[KembaWalker]

Bronny was better than advertised

[tsherkin]

Bronny was better than advertised

He has played 0 NBA games so far. We'll see what happens when the real season hits. *shrugs*