Why does Luke punish Russell?

[Kupchak9]

He seems scared to be outspoken. Maybe it's the age and he doesn't want to upset his teammates. It would be cool if he got with Chris Paul during the summer.

Its incredibly ironic that someone who is apparently so full of himself is too timid to be outspoken. Sounds like a case of the Derrick Roses. "You played bad, I cant tell you what went wrong, but you just didnt do well."

You can be full of yourself and over confident while not trashing your own teammates.

If you place yourself in such high regard than you should be able to effectively measure what is good and bad around you. An unwillingness to critique others and help them improve show's your own insecurities, that you dont want to be called out on your faults. The inability to effectively communicate your knowledge shows that you're really not that intelligent of said subject, you dont want to impose because there's still a lot that you don't know even though you're in a position where you should. All of which are Russell's issues.

[Slava]

So now that Russell is playing well we're back to arm chair psychology to crap on him again. Weak.

[Kupchak9]

So now that Russell is playing well we're back to arm chair psychology to crap on him again. Weak.

That's always been the narrative against him, regardless of whether he's playing well or not. Frankly, its alot more believable than these long-winded statements that he's a mix of Curry/Harden/CP3 that I'm seeing.

[Pythagoras]

So now that Russell is playing well we're back to arm chair psychology to crap on him again. Weak.

That's always been the narrative against him, regardless of whether he's playing well or not. Frankly, its alot more believable than these long-winded statements that he's a mix of Curry/Harden/CP3 that I'm seeing.

Whose narrative would that be? I'm seeing a lot of people who just don't like the guy for whatever reason, so when it comes to narratives, not all sources have credibility with me when it comes to Russ.

[Dr Aki]

maybe luke is the one true tank commander

[SashaTheMachine]

cause he's been a bad, bad boy.

[LAKESHOW]

Why didn't we draft porzingis...oops wrong thread...my bad.

[Slava]

Why didn't we draft porzingis...oops wrong thread...my bad.

Well atleast it took you two years to figure out Okafor is **** before you decided to drop that crusade.

[chefy]

my second theory is maybe were showcasing Russell?

[Landsberger]

my second theory is maybe were showcasing Russell?

I think it's more of audition. My bet is that Magic is looking to get better (in his mind) in large leaps rather than organically so my thought is that they are going to figure out who they want to stay and who they might shop at the draft. It's not just Russell that's being given a hard look, it's all of them.

I'm not seeing this team with the addition of a couple draft picks and maybe a mid level FA being our team next year. Magic is here to change it up IMHO.

[iamworthy]

my second theory is maybe were showcasing Russell?

I think it's more of audition. My bet is that Magic is looking to get better (in his mind) in large leaps rather than organically so my thought is that they are going to figure out who they want to stay and who they might shop at the draft. It's not just Russell that's being given a hard look, it's all of them.

I'm not seeing this team with the addition of a couple draft picks and maybe a mid level FA being our team next year. Magic is here to change it up IMHO.

I agree, but whoever plays the best will end up being traded. The Team you're trading with doesnt want the guys(s) who are not playing well. I think Russell being traded this summer is a real possibility.

[Landsberger]

my second theory is maybe were showcasing Russell?

I think it's more of audition. My bet is that Magic is looking to get better (in his mind) in large leaps rather than organically so my thought is that they are going to figure out who they want to stay and who they might shop at the draft. It's not just Russell that's being given a hard look, it's all of them.

I'm not seeing this team with the addition of a couple draft picks and maybe a mid level FA being our team next year. Magic is here to change it up IMHO.

I agree, but whoever plays the best will end up being traded. The Team you're trading with doesnt want the guys(s) who are not playing well. I think Russell being traded this summer is a real possibility.

Could be. There are a lot of balls in the air. The pick we get could determine it too. If we like the player at our slot then who ever is playing that position might be on the block. If we don't get it then it becomes a little less likely until we see about the FA period. We do have some developing overlap in the front court with Randle and Ingram as well.

My hope is that it's not moving someone just for the sake of making a change and putting a "stamp" on the organization for media buzz. If we trade our best youngster then we better be getting back a good package or Magic will find himself in the crosshairs... Laker great or not.

[LAKESHOW]

Why didn't we draft porzingis...oops wrong thread...my bad.

Well atleast it took you two years to figure out Okafor is **** before you decided to drop that crusade.

Whoa, take it easy Slava. I said my wrong my bad. Sheesh...some people.

[LakersSoul]

my second theory is maybe were showcasing Russell?

No.

Unless we want to throw everyone one out and start brand new, there is no way Magic trades away Dlo. Dlo is at times lazy especially the back door plays against Cs were a killer but he has the most talent in the team. He and BI are the future core of the Lakers, make no mistakes about it. If they get balling then watch out.

We also need the secondary players to step up. That includes Randle, Nance, Clarkson and Zubac. Randle especially needs to stay focused and become a double double beast on a nightly basis. Then add Nwaba, TRob, Ennis, Brewer and Black. That is a sound foundation.

A top 3 draft pick this year would be fantastic and possibly 2 more role playing vets. I thought Ennis could be that PG we need with pass first mentality but the jury is still out on him and we might need to add a real veteran PG. We might need another forward too if Brewer isnt the answer.

One more point regarding Dlo, the staff came out and said they were extra picky with Dlo as they see him with so much potential and they want to turn him into a leader. Even Magic has said, Dlo needs to learn to be a leader to elevate the team.

[stan francisco]

Get us a defensive minded pass first point guard. Put Russell at the two.

He's a future star SG.

[dontforget]

This is my wild speculation, but I have a feeling Russell conditioning isn't up to par. For the past month or so, I see Russell start game strong, but as the game goes on, his production tails off. Perhaps he's not playing the 4th quarter because he isn't fit enough to maintain his strong production early in games into and through the 4th quarter.

Let's also remember, Russell had problems cracking the 4th quarter with Byron Scott. And Luke's supposed to be a player's coach. To me, this is on Russell not being good enough.

[Danny Darko]

I would buy that he's not in great cardio shape, part of that is not getting big minutes, so maybe that changes.

He's starting to put more effort on D, and that is probably also something he needs to build endurance for.

[stan francisco]

He needs to up his intensity level regardless of position. I think he can be a top 7-15 PG at his peak, but I think his SG ceiling is higher, maybe top 3-5 in the league.