How Bill Simmons would fix the lakers.

[Dr Aki]

Can someone explain what the Lakers need to do to keep their 1st rounder next year?

not trade it on draft day. since we cant trade it earlier

[Kilroy]

Not reading something, which is possibly a good read, because you dislike the author is pretty dumb.

I can think of no better reason to not read something...

[crazyeights]

Can someone explain what the Lakers need to do to keep their 1st rounder next year?

not trade it on draft day. since we cant trade it earlier

Someone posted that it was top 20 protected though....

[Free Rider]

Eh, people overreact when it comes to Simmons. He can be annoyiing at times but overall he's pretty knowledgable about the game and he's a true basketball fan. I don't agree with everything he writes but I appreciate that he at least put his biases on the table.

As for the article itself, it's really no different from what a lot of Laker fans have been saying. I was initially hestitant about tanking but I'm slowly coming around to the idea. If we're not going to be competitive this year (and all signs point to that) then it probably makes sense to just tank for the season. There's no point being a treadmill team that's fighting it out for a 7th or 8th seed or just barely missing the playoffs. 2014 will be a deep draft and maybe we get lucky with the right player and we still maintain our cap space. You may not agree with the idea but it is a logical step.

[Danny Darko]

As a Celtics fan who used to be a Simmons fan, he's becoming increasingly hard to like. All the excitability of a drunken fanboy with a double dose of misplaced intellectual confidence.

Yeah the beef with Doc was a little overly WWE style immature.

Re the article: I don't like it for two reasons.

1- I think we are in the age of competitive tanking and other teams have an edge on us for the wiggins draft (including your celts) Kobe won't be amnestied and he won't tank so he alone can screw up the hope of a high lottery pick.

2- as a free agent destination of appeal and consider it's only 12 months from our open cap room I think you instead need to focus on a winning tradtion and putting the infrastructure behind those agents to convince them they can win now. (ie depth role players and side kicks of talent). I think Pau at center will immediately become an appealing side kick for instance.

[Bandwagon1]

How dare you post anything by Bill Simmons on the Laker board?

[Slartibartfast]

As a Celtics fan who used to be a Simmons fan, he's becoming increasingly hard to like. All the excitability of a drunken fanboy with a double dose of misplaced intellectual confidence.

Yeah the beef with Doc was a little overly WWE style immature.

Re the article: I don't like it for two reasons.

1- I think we are in the age of competitive tanking and other teams have an edge on us for the wiggins draft (including your celts) Kobe won't be amnestied and he won't tank so he alone can screw up the hope of a high lottery pick.

2- as a free agent destination of appeal and consider it's only 12 months from our open cap room I think you instead need to focus on a winning tradtion and putting the infrastructure behind those agents to convince them they can win now. (ie depth role players and side kicks of talent). I think Pau at center will immediately become an appealing side kick for instance.

I see the Lakers in a somewhat similar position to the Mavs last year. Injured superstar (Kobe vs. Dirk) to start the year, and a dependence on aging/wounded former all-stars to shoulder the burden in the interim (Nash/Pau/Kaman vs. Vince/Marion/Kaman/Brand). Both teams keeping the "powder dry" for coveted free agents in the upcoming season.

But I wonder if the disappointing results of the Mavs strategy (just missed the playoffs, missed out on their coveted free agents and settled for the likes of Calderon and Devin Harris) will give the Lakers' brass second thoughts.

I agree that Kobe's presence (and Pau's talent) will make it very difficult to tank. But I can also see why blowhards like Simmons see the tanking potential - with Kobe's injury (Billups only managed 22 games after his Achilles with a longer time to recover; I know Kobe's a freak, but a 40 game season isn't out of the question, no?), Nash's age/back and the quality (or lack thereof) in the supporting cast), the Lakers might be a lop-sided Pau trade away from pole position for a top 5 pick to start the season.

At that point I think the question becomes, which is more valuable to a free agency based plan - a winning tradition + Pau as sidekick, or a high lotto pick + assets from a Pau trade (or whatever player a pick + assets can pull via trade)? The recent free agency success stories (and cautionary tales) - Harden fetching Howard, Wade fetching Bron and Bosh, Amare kinda fetching Melo - suggest that the best free agency lure is a younger star talent.

[Slava]

I think if by December there is any doubt in Kobe/Pau/Nash's health and ability to make the playoffs, the tank would be in full effect by shutting down Kobe for the season.

[kobe808lak]

I think if by December there is any doubt in Kobe/Pau/Nash's health and ability to make the playoffs, the tank would be in full effect by shutting down Kobe for the season.

Ideally I would throw this entire season out but do you really think Kobe is going to sit if he has the ability to play??

[Slava]

He will sit if he thinks he cannot be his highly effective self.

[crazyeights]

They way Kobe's been talking about his recovery, he's going full-steam ahead.