The LeBron James All-NBA (2nd) and Luka Doncic - 24-25 Thread

[nzahir]

Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good (in regards to Pelinka)

Ayton falls into his lap
Then Smart as well

Laravia signing was solid

You guys think we’re done for now or any next moves?

I’d say 2 last moves make sense, but feel like we hold off until Dec or deadline

1) Getting another POA/wing defender as backup insurance for Smart. Someone like Thybulle, Ayo, or Djj

2) Backup C better than Hayes. I say go get RW3 for Kleber and a 2nd plus cash/protected top lotto swap in 28

A stretch big also works. Any names there? Boucher and Horford left to sign, but any trade targets?

Lakers don't have room for more than 14 guys unless they make a trade.

PG: Smart | Gabe | Bronny
SG: Reaves | Knecht |
SF: Luka | LaRavia| Thiero
PF: LeBron | Vando | Kleber
C : Ayton | Rui | Hayes

Would love to trade Kleber and or Gabe + DK

Kelly Olynk would have been okay even, but hes gone

Come playoff time, I like our starting 5 a lot

Rui is a playoff guy thats 6

I have faith that Laravia can be 7, but gotta prove it

Vando is situational
Gabe was not very useful vs Minny, but has shown moments with Miami
Dont think I can trust Hayes
Knecht was too poor of a defender for his level of offense

So basically 6-7 guys

Need 1-2 more

Upgrading Hayes is probably a must do
Upgrading Gabe would be nice

Same names as usual and I think we end up with 1-2 new guys by the deadline

If Knecht+expirings can net 1-2 guys, I dont see how we dont do it

Even if its just 1 guy and say 1-2 2nds, gota do it

[zimpy27]

Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good (in regards to Pelinka)

Ayton falls into his lap
Then Smart as well

Laravia signing was solid

You guys think we’re done for now or any next moves?

I’d say 2 last moves make sense, but feel like we hold off until Dec or deadline

1) Getting another POA/wing defender as backup insurance for Smart. Someone like Thybulle, Ayo, or Djj

2) Backup C better than Hayes. I say go get RW3 for Kleber and a 2nd plus cash/protected top lotto swap in 28

A stretch big also works. Any names there? Boucher and Horford left to sign, but any trade targets?

Lakers don't have room for more than 14 guys unless they make a trade.

PG: Smart | Gabe | Bronny
SG: Reaves | Knecht |
SF: Luka | LaRavia| Thiero
PF: LeBron | Vando | Kleber
C : Ayton | Rui | Hayes

Would love to trade Kleber and or Gabe + DK

Kelly Olynk would have been okay even, but hes gone

Come playoff time, I like our starting 5 a lot

Rui is a playoff guy thats 6

I have faith that Laravia can be 7, but gotta prove it

Vando is situational
Gabe was not very useful vs Minny, but has shown moments with Miami
Dont think I can trust Hayes
Knecht was too poor of a defender for his level of offense

So basically 6-7 guys

Need 1-2 more

Upgrading Hayes is probably a must do
Upgrading Gabe would be nice

Same names as usual and I think we end up with 1-2 new guys by the deadline

If Knecht+expirings can net 1-2 guys, I dont see how we dont do it

Even if its just 1 guy and say 1-2 2nds, gota do it

PG: Smart (28) | Reaves (20)
SG: Reaves (18) | Luka (30)
SF: Luka (10) | LaRavia (24) | Vando (14)
PF: LeBron (38) | Rui (10)
C : Ayton (28) | Rui (20)

I think that is the playoff rotation. Lakers don't need anyone else other than a backup in case of injury at trade deadline.

The main weakness I see is a small wing defender.

If you can turn Kleber+Gabe+Knecht in to KCP+PippenJr, then you do it immediately.

[nzahir]

Lakers don't have room for more than 14 guys unless they make a trade.

PG: Smart | Gabe | Bronny
SG: Reaves | Knecht |
SF: Luka | LaRavia| Thiero
PF: LeBron | Vando | Kleber
C : Ayton | Rui | Hayes

Would love to trade Kleber and or Gabe + DK

Kelly Olynk would have been okay even, but hes gone

Come playoff time, I like our starting 5 a lot

Rui is a playoff guy thats 6

I have faith that Laravia can be 7, but gotta prove it

Vando is situational
Gabe was not very useful vs Minny, but has shown moments with Miami
Dont think I can trust Hayes
Knecht was too poor of a defender for his level of offense

So basically 6-7 guys

Need 1-2 more

Upgrading Hayes is probably a must do
Upgrading Gabe would be nice

Same names as usual and I think we end up with 1-2 new guys by the deadline

If Knecht+expirings can net 1-2 guys, I dont see how we dont do it

Even if its just 1 guy and say 1-2 2nds, gota do it

PG: Smart (28) | Reaves (20)
SG: Reaves (18) | Luka (30)
SF: Luka (10) | LaRavia (24) | Vando (14)
PF: LeBron (38) | Rui (10)
C : Ayton (28) | Rui (20)

I think that is the playoff rotation. Lakers don't need anyone else other than a backup in case of injury at trade deadline.

The main weakness I see is a small wing defender.

If you can turn Kleber+Gabe+Knecht in to KCP+PippenJr, then you do it immediately.

1) You need a 2nd big man in case we go against a big team or want versatility to go double bigs even.
2) Smart and Vando have actual injury concerns. So I think having another strong defender makes sense.
KCP doesnt fit the bill of small wing defender, Smart does a better job there. But KCP as a Gabe upgrade is good. More length and a better shooter

A knockdown shooter also would be a nice add, but not many guys who have 1-2 years and small contracts

Isaiah Joe? Team option in 27-28. I dont see why OKC does it though. Knecht+Kleber/Gabe for Joe and 1-2 2nds?

[TroubleS0me]

Read on Twitter

[LikeABosh]

Just wanted to pose a question to gauge just how crazy i am.

Who's the better TWO WAY player Horford or Jaxson Hayes?

Who has the more positive impact for their team? Who is just flat out the better defender?

Horford for every question you could possibly ask except for alley-oops

[Mos_Heat]

So why they prefered Smart over Melton? I guess Smart is a better wing defender and can switch 2-4, but he's not really POA defender at this stage IMO

[ShaqAttac]

Are Smart n Ayton still gud? We could chip with dominayton

[ShaqAttac]

also we gonna talk bout how bronny outplaying knecht?

[TroubleS0me]

Read on Twitter

[nzahir]

So why they prefered Smart over Melton? I guess Smart is a better wing defender and can switch 2-4, but he's not really POA defender at this stage IMO

Melton coming off a torn acl, we have already seen how long it took for Gabe to recover and that wasnt a torn knee

He wasn't very good to start last season

Smart is a more versatile defender

And I think that is huge in a lineup with Luka, Bron, and Reaves

Only other realistic option that would be better and versatile would be Wiggins

Would you guys move Gabe+Kleber+swap in 28+2nd (or Knecht instead of 2nd and swap and ask for 1-2 2nds back) for KCP or wait until the deadline?

I think I wait until Dec/deadline to see how we look and see what we need now

I like KCP, but I think we need a guy above 6'6 to play defense and not be a huge liability on offense, preferably 6'7-6'9

[LikeABosh]

Are Smart n Ayton still gud? We could chip with dominayton

Ayton is fantastic given the circumstances. He was taking up 27% of a team's cap and that hurt people's perception of him because he was clearly not a star. But he's still a quality center and I think he's worth probably what Myles Turner is making (15-16% of the cap). So getting him for only $8 million a year is a steal

[nzahir]

Are Smart n Ayton still gud? We could chip with dominayton

Ayton is fantastic given the circumstances. He was taking up 27% of a team's cap and that hurt people's perception of him because he was clearly not a star. But he's still a quality center and I think he's worth probably what Myles Turner is making (15-16% of the cap). So getting him for only $8 million a year is a steal

Ayton is underrated

The question is if hes the right fit

I don't think hes good enough defensively to cover for guys like Luka (unless we see a change in his defensive effort and conditioning), Lebron in the reg season (but he turned it up last year, especially post Luka with less of an offensive load), and not having great athletes (such as Reaves)

But I would love to be proved wrong

He will be a great fit on offense I think and will get offensive boards

[Mos_Heat]

So why they prefered Smart over Melton? I guess Smart is a better wing defender and can switch 2-4, but he's not really POA defender at this stage IMO

Melton coming off a torn acl, we have already seen how long it took for Gabe to recover and that wasnt a torn knee

They played basically the same amount of games in the last 3 years. Versatility part I do get, but I still think Melton is a better player

[nzahir]

So why they prefered Smart over Melton? I guess Smart is a better wing defender and can switch 2-4, but he's not really POA defender at this stage IMO

Melton coming off a torn acl, we have already seen how long it took for Gabe to recover and that wasnt a torn knee

They played basically the same amount of games in the last 3 years. Versatility part I do get, but I still think Melton is a better player

Torn acl is different than those other injuries Smart has had

Smart has also had good playoff moments, while Melton hasnt

Also who knows if Melton wanted to come here or agreed to go back to GS

If we moved Gabe+Kleber and had space for another guy, sure bring in Melton too

[TroubleS0me]

Read on Twitter

[ShaqAttac]

Are Smart n Ayton still gud? We could chip with dominayton

Ayton is fantastic given the circumstances. He was taking up 27% of a team's cap and that hurt people's perception of him because he was clearly not a star. But he's still a quality center and I think he's worth probably what Myles Turner is making (15-16% of the cap). So getting him for only $8 million a year is a steal

Ayton is underrated

The question is if hes the right fit

I don't think hes good enough defensively to cover for guys like Luka (unless we see a change in his defensive effort and conditioning), Lebron in the reg season (but he turned it up last year, especially post Luka with less of an offensive load), and not having great athletes (such as Reaves)

But I would love to be proved wrong

He will be a great fit on offense I think and will get offensive boards

we def need d more than o

[tsherkin]

we def need d more than o

Technically, last year you were 12th on O and 15th on D. +1.4 on 0, +0.2 on D. But you were also only 18th on the defensive boards, and Ayton will at least help with that, for sure, while theoretically providing a more consequential boost on offense if used properly.

[zimpy27]

LeBron to Miami could be an interesting concept for 2026. Just needs an SnT with Wiggins

Davion, Herro, Powell, LeBron, Bam
Jakucionis, JJJ, Highsmith, Jovic, Ware
Bronny, Pelle, Simone, Keshad, MIA26FRP

[Mavrelous]

LeBron to Miami could be an interesting concept for 2026. Just needs an SnT with Wiggins

Davion, Herro, Powell, LeBron, Bam
Jakucionis, JJJ, Highsmith, Jovic, Ware
Bronny, Pelle, Simone, Keshad, MIA26FRP

If he was interested, the deal would happen today, Heat have Rozier to complete the salary.

[nzahir]

Ayton is fantastic given the circumstances. He was taking up 27% of a team's cap and that hurt people's perception of him because he was clearly not a star. But he's still a quality center and I think he's worth probably what Myles Turner is making (15-16% of the cap). So getting him for only $8 million a year is a steal

Ayton is underrated

The question is if hes the right fit

I don't think hes good enough defensively to cover for guys like Luka (unless we see a change in his defensive effort and conditioning), Lebron in the reg season (but he turned it up last year, especially post Luka with less of an offensive load), and not having great athletes (such as Reaves)

But I would love to be proved wrong

He will be a great fit on offense I think and will get offensive boards

we def need d more than o

Well what was our option?

Utah didnt want Knecht, 1st, and a swap for Kessler

Reaves wouldnt be worth moving for him

Got to hope Smart, motivated Ayton, healthy Vando, revenge Luka, and Lebron and Reaves with less offensive load is enough

A better defensive backup C and or another guard/wing defender likely needed