Pre-Season GM 3: Lakers vs Nets 4:30 AM

[dockingsched]

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The way defenses can play when Rondo is in the game is such a huge disadvantage for the Lakers.

[Dr Aki]

every time i watched caruso, green, bradley or KCP get a screen, get a wide open 3pt jumper and instead passed the ball to mcgee/dwight to "run the offense", a little bit of me died

just **** shoot the 3pt shot

[oldshoolballer]

Tin man Davis back at it

They say he has a sprain and can’t play this meaningless game. A thumb sprain will heal fast. Glad he’s not on the court risking injury.

That was one of the knocks on AD he gets injured a lot.Lakers look very slow to me,the perimeter defense looks horrible.They have a lot of old guys.Hate to say it this may another disappointing season.

[TwoStarz]

Is it too late to swap Kuzma for Lonzo so we can have a real PG again?

Seriously, Lonzo AD Lebron could have been so good and a perfect fit. Then we signed Rondo to top it off... I'm still so upset over the trade

[Landsberger]

A few preseason games and we're back to a "disappointing season" and we want to reverse the AD trade.... gonna be a great start to the season here I can see.

This team will take 20+ games to start figuring each other out so if you're not ready for that then start the "Trade Kuzma and LeBron" threads now and get a head start.

I wonder if Milesfides will start a trade AD thread because of his injury? I'm sure he'll be bumping the trade LeBron one if he gets a hangnail...

[Ball so hard]

A few preseason games and we're back to a "disappointing season" and we want to reverse the AD trade.... gonna be a great start to the season here I can see.

This team will take 20+ games to start figuring each other out so if you're not ready for that then start the "Trade Kuzma and LeBron" threads now and get a head start.

I wonder if Milesfides will start a trade AD thread because of his injury? I'm sure he'll be bumping the trade LeBron one if he gets a hangnail...

I was thinking the same thing. We essentially have a brand new team playing together for the first time. There will surely be some growing pain.

This game was a stinker for the entire team. I'm honestly getting tired of people complaining about Rondo and KCP... outside of Davis and Lebron, is there a single player on our roster that is having a good preseason thus far? Bradley and Green have been terrible. Caruso hasn't done jack squat to suggest he should take over the starting 1 spot. Our entire backcourt play I'd say have been terrible. It's still way to early to panic. However, if this continues we'll definitely need to explore a trade.

Rondo will be fine, just not as our starter.

[Landsberger]

A few preseason games and we're back to a "disappointing season" and we want to reverse the AD trade.... gonna be a great start to the season here I can see.

This team will take 20+ games to start figuring each other out so if you're not ready for that then start the "Trade Kuzma and LeBron" threads now and get a head start.

I wonder if Milesfides will start a trade AD thread because of his injury? I'm sure he'll be bumping the trade LeBron one if he gets a hangnail...

I was thinking the same thing. We essentially have a brand new team playing together for the first time. There will surely be some growing pain.

This game was a stinker for the entire team. I'm honestly getting tired of people complaining about Rondo and KCP... outside of Davis and Lebron, is there a single player on our roster that is having a good preseason thus far? Bradley and Green have been terrible. Caruso hasn't done jack squat to suggest he should take over the starting 1 spot. Our entire backcourt play I'd say have been terrible. It's still way to early to panic. However, if this continues we'll definitely need to explore a trade.

Rondo will be fine, just not as our starter.

Rondo will start IMHO... and close as well. He and Davis have shown some good chemistry. I think when we get to full strength and the staff adjusts we'll see some quick improvement. I do still think it will take 20 injury free games to see what we really have. That may be the hardest part of all however. Davis and Kuzma already dinged up. Kuz has been pretty durable in his first 2 seasons but Davis seems to always have some nagging stuff going on. We could survive a stretch with one of those guys on the sidelines but not 2 of them.

As for trades. KCP is not tradable and Kuzma's number is $1.9 and we'd be stupid to trade him at that number. I don't think we have a tradable 1st left do we? So if the rest of them are not playing well who would do a trade with us for a decent player? We shot our wad in July. Some minor tweaks maybe but not sure how we could trade anyone and get better.

[iamworthy]

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[Kilroy]

We lost a game where Avery Bradley was 0-4 from 3 and was our leading scorer? I r shock...

These guys must have really hated playing in China... Let's never do that again, NBA.

[GTR11]

A few preseason games and we're back to a "disappointing season" and we want to reverse the AD trade.... gonna be a great start to the season here I can see.

This team will take 20+ games to start figuring each other out so if you're not ready for that then start the "Trade Kuzma and LeBron" threads now and get a head start.

I wonder if Milesfides will start a trade AD thread because of his injury? I'm sure he'll be bumping the trade LeBron one if he gets a hangnail...

You guys have one of the most combustible FO/ Coaching combination I can remember. With all the attention Lakers generate BSPN, Fox and others will blow it without proportions if things will go south. There will be a lot of pressure on you guys now that LAC is a relevant team. Media will crucify J.Buss and compare her to Dolan ( for good reasons ) and dig for comparisons. Good luck next season.

[kblo247]

Is it too late to swap Kuzma for Lonzo so we can have a real PG again?

What's your plan for the half of the eason Zo's soft ass missed? Plus his bad free throw shooting

[snaquille oatmeal]

Tin man Davis back at it

Dude smacked his thumb on the backboard hard, don’t matter how badass you are if you hit the backboard that hard with your thumb you are not playing for a while.

[stan francisco]

Based on game 3


the surprise:

Kostas. Good, scrappy energy. Quick hands. Good focus on both ends.


The battle of the guards


the good:

Caruso. Solid defense! Laid an egg but otherwise ran the team very well, earned his minutes. How many assists? Not his best game by any means. Still, our best guard.


the bad:

Bradley. Hustled up a play or two on D, but underwhelmed offensively compared to the hype, as expected. Dribbles head down until he stumbles, like Smush. Has no mid range game.

Jackson. See KCP for defense. Black hole on offense, and why he decides to do that beats me.


the ugly:

Rondo. Completely stunk it up on both ends. Looked totally disengaged.

Caldwell-Pope. Has anyone seen him switch, ever? Offense was equally erratic and blurry at best. Our worst rotation guard in this game.

[bb22]

2 preseason games in China + a team full of vets. The results mean absolutely nothing. The only thing that can limit this team (once again) is injuries.
Someone mentioned passing up on threes, and was spot on. You gotta take the 3 when you have AD + Dwight/Javale out there cleaning up the offensive boards.

[tamaraw08]

A few preseason games and we're back to a "disappointing season" and we want to reverse the AD trade.... gonna be a great start to the season here I can see.

This team will take 20+ games to start figuring each other out so if you're not ready for that then start the "Trade Kuzma and LeBron" threads now and get a head start.

I wonder if Milesfides will start a trade AD thread because of his injury? I'm sure he'll be bumping the trade LeBron one if he gets a hangnail...

I was thinking the same thing. We essentially have a brand new team playing together for the first time. There will surely be some growing pain.

This game was a stinker for the entire team. I'm honestly getting tired of people complaining about Rondo and KCP... outside of Davis and Lebron, is there a single player on our roster that is having a good preseason thus far? Bradley and Green have been terrible. Caruso hasn't done jack squat to suggest he should take over the starting 1 spot. Our entire backcourt play I'd say have been terrible. It's still way to early to panic. However, if this continues we'll definitely need to explore a trade.

Rondo will be fine, just not as our starter.

This board will not be free from posters rendering their reactions, some would be knee jerk and would make quick demeaning statements about certain players. We all have our own opinions like I believe Lansberger wasn't happy about KCP'S contract and quite frankly some here including me, agree with him. Having said that, I am changing my tune about his defense, that he is not the bad defender that 3 other sites have been suggesting him to be.
You also repeatedly said, just like others here that Rondo is not great playing next to Lebron and again not a few are agreeing with you here and in my view that is not "complaining". The main reason for me that most players have not exactly been good lately aside from the learning curve is the odd combinations that Vogel has been trying IMO. Green for me have played pretty good defense but game 2, he was paired with more non play makers from the bench. Caruso had 8 assists in game 2 playing mostly with bench role players, but most only remembered his 4 miscues forgetting that Rondo had 3 turnovers in 18 mins.
But I will not pretend that I am not whining about Vogel's combinations out there. One thing positive IMO about Rondo starting is that they will conserve Lebron's energy early by not forcing him to carry the ball but that's about it. Vogel has tried a lot of combinations except trying Caruso in the starting lineup with Lebron playing pt and him spotting up(shot 43% overall and 46% from 3pt % in catch and shoot). I would really love Rondo to run the show with the 2nd unit as he is the only real court general, spearheading the team when Lebron sits.Anyway, I like what Sabreena Merchant's article about her ideal starting rotation

1. The Starters

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Danny Green, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and JaVale McGee

The Lakers have experimented with their starting lineup, primarily in the backcourt, frequently to start the preseason. Within that construct, it has become fairly clear that there are three locks to start for the team: LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Danny Green. The positional synergy between the three of them is too good to not play them together; James provides the playmaking, Green the spot-up shooting, and Davis everything else. They’re also the best three defenders on the roster. Tweaking the starting lineup throughout the regular season will be fine so long as these three players remain unchanged.

At the center spot, McGee has looked fresh and full of bounce in the first three games. He deserves to start over Dwight Howard, and it certainly seems to mean a great deal to McGee to be valued as a starter. Nevertheless, if Howard earns the matchup on occasional nights, I don’t think anyone would be particularly offended.

Now, we get to the interesting part. Rajon Rondo and Avery Bradley have both started at point guard thus far this preseason, and neither was particularly impressive. As a result, there has been a great deal of hand-wringing over the Lakers’ point guard position (it’s the most frequent topic of discussion on our end as well), and the solution might be to simply eliminate the point guard altogether.

https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2019/10/13/20911830/lakers-analysis-best-five-lineups-lebron-james-anthony-davis-danny-green-dwight-howard-javale-mcgee

[Landsberger]

What does a PG do on a team with LeBron? Real question here. We compare assists and TO’s in garbage time in preseason now?! Really?

LeBron will initiate the offense more than not when he’s in the game. He’s pretty good at it too. I’d take him over most PG’s just as a facilitator. This “need” to point to a PG and compare some meaningless statistic that was created in completely different situations is fascinating. The oracles of “Advanced Stats” have spoken and Rondo sucks I guess.

Ever wonder how those Oracles make money?.... hint.... clicks.

We need an oracle to create an advanced stat to see if the advanced stats can predict anything beyond clicks and meaningless debates in on-line forums.

[Kilroy]

What does a PG do on a team with LeBron? Real question here. We compare assists and TO’s in garbage time in preseason now?! Really?

LeBron will initiate the offense more than not when he’s in the game. He’s pretty good at it too. I’d take him over most PG’s just as a facilitator. This “need” to point to a PG and compare some meaningless statistic that was created in completely different situations is fascinating. The oracles of “Advanced Stats” have spoken and Rondo sucks I guess.

Ever wonder how those Oracles make money?.... hint.... clicks.

We need an oracle to create an advanced stat to see if the advanced stats can predict anything beyond clicks and meaningless debates in on-line forums.

Yep, same as what Nixon, Scott, Cooper, Jordon, etc did with Magic... Defend, hit the open shot and occasionally trot the ball up the court when the defense was set.

Rondo and Bradly and KCP are going to be fine.

[thebigbird]

What does a PG do on a team with LeBron? Real question here. We compare assists and TO’s in garbage time in preseason now?! Really?

LeBron will initiate the offense more than not when he’s in the game. He’s pretty good at it too. I’d take him over most PG’s just as a facilitator. This “need” to point to a PG and compare some meaningless statistic that was created in completely different situations is fascinating. The oracles of “Advanced Stats” have spoken and Rondo sucks I guess.

Ever wonder how those Oracles make money?.... hint.... clicks.

We need an oracle to create an advanced stat to see if the advanced stats can predict anything beyond clicks and meaningless debates in on-line forums.

Yep, same as what Nixon, Scott, Cooper, Jordon, etc did with Magic... Defend, hit the open shot and occasionally trot the ball up the court when the defense was set.

Rondo and Bradly and KCP are going to be fine.

But Rondo doesn't defend at all, and any open shots he hits don't make up for the complete lack of spacing he causes.

[Kilroy]

What does a PG do on a team with LeBron? Real question here. We compare assists and TO’s in garbage time in preseason now?! Really?

LeBron will initiate the offense more than not when he’s in the game. He’s pretty good at it too. I’d take him over most PG’s just as a facilitator. This “need” to point to a PG and compare some meaningless statistic that was created in completely different situations is fascinating. The oracles of “Advanced Stats” have spoken and Rondo sucks I guess.

Ever wonder how those Oracles make money?.... hint.... clicks.

We need an oracle to create an advanced stat to see if the advanced stats can predict anything beyond clicks and meaningless debates in on-line forums.

Yep, same as what Nixon, Scott, Cooper, Jordon, etc did with Magic... Defend, hit the open shot and occasionally trot the ball up the court when the defense was set.

Rondo and Bradly and KCP are going to be fine.

But Rondo doesn't defend at all, and any open shots he hits don't make up for the complete lack of spacing he causes.

He does defend... This has been covered a lot already... His stats against PGs are actually quite respectable.

And again, if he's given wide open shots and makes them at a decent rate, he'll force them to play him closer and thus open up the floor...
But whatever... Fine, start Bradly then... Or KCP... Honestly, who the hell cares... Those guys are the least important players in the starting lineup...

[Kilroy]

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The way defenses can play when Rondo is in the game is such a huge disadvantage for the Lakers.

So he has to make his shots, or he sits? What's the mystery... That goes for every player in the NBA. But by the same token, if he's the best facilitator on the team, shouldn't he get a game or 2 to see if he can hit those shots?
As bad a shooter as he's been, I don't think he's ever been this open before. All he has to do is to make a slightly below average number of those shots to force Defenses to be a little honest on him.

Like others have pointed out, Rondo for his faults is no gunner... He's not prone to shooting low percentage shots.

We got basically 3 real choices... Roll with Rondo and hope he hits more open shots, Roll with Bradly and hope he can tone down the aggression on D and play more smart, or Roll with KCP and hope he doesn't take 3/4s of the season to be effective at anything.
Shut up Caruso fans... He's not that guy yet.
Cook is an unknown right now, so I can't throw him in the mix yet.
So lets give them a chance to figure it out... It's not really that big a deal anyway.