The Lebron '20 Thread (Pt. 5)

[dreamshake]

I understand the team shooting was terrible

He looked like he only wanted to score the ball if it was the absolute last resort. If that’s the case against Portland how he is going to score against LAC, Toronto, or Milwaukee?

I think you answered your own question. If the team shooting is terrible they won't win against those teams. The times he did drive he got swatted by Whiteside repeatedly, which is likely why he wasn't looking to score. The shooters just have to do a better job knocking down the open looks that are given up by packing the paint. And they have to be more willing to go small to punish Portland for playing Whiteside.

Spacing wasn’t the reason LeBron missed 2 free throws late in the game, launched a near half court shot on a night when he can’t buy anything from outside, missed a good look from three around a minute left, blew a gimme reverse layup, turned it over trying to dump it off to Kuz on that fast break with Whiteside contesting, and actually got pinned by Whiteside a couple more times.

LeBron needs to get used to being a more below the rim finisher. I’d like to see him try to replicate what Doncic and Harden do by using his body and footwork more on these drives.

Yeah, I agree the free throw shooting and jumper are a problem, but it's not like that's an age/athleticism issue - he just needs to shoot better. I'll live with his turnovers with a 16 ast/4 TO ratio - that's elite. You're talking about his scoring not being up to his standard without acknowledging a career-high in assists. It's related. He was taking what the defense was giving him - shooters just gotta shoot better or they'll keep losing.

[Greyhound]

Lebron will figure the shooting issues out. But seriously who put this roster of no shooter around two paint players together? Insert any random 4th best shooter on any team on the Lakers and they would be their best. This was such a poor job at constructing a roster for 2020.

They need to remove McGee from the rotation entirely and demote Green to the bench.

If you are going to play a non shooter, let it be Caruso.

Caruso/ Rondo
KCP/ Waiters
James/ Green
Kuzma/ Morris
Davis/ Howard

[G35]

I know this saying is new for a lot of the younger fans but here it is:

"This is a make or miss league"

You can apply this to every team in the league, not just the Lakers......

[dreamshake]

They need to remove McGee from the rotation entirely and demote Green to the bench.

If you are going to play a non shooter, let it be Caruso.

Caruso/ Rondo
KCP/ Waiters
James/ Green
Kuzma/ Morris
Davis/ Howard

Disagree completely about Green. If he continues to shoot this poorly, you lose - period. On a team with limited perimeter shooting ability, you can't just give up on your 1 elite shooter who can also defend. He's had cold stretches before and snapped out of them with flaming hot stretches. That's historically why his % is as high as it is. They have the talent edge to get by Portland even with Danny in a funk but without him they have no chance against the better teams. You gotta tell him to keep letting it fly.

[nzahir]

People acting as if they got outplayed and didnt just have a bad shooting night lol

Bron looked fine, ahoulda had like 22 assists, if they arent making threes and you have whiteside allowed to camp in the paint hes notngonna shoot 90% lol

Davis didnt look good

Are we going to act like the shooting on this team hasn't been its achilles heel the entire LeBron Laker era? This was always the fear with the way this roster was constructed, it didn't come out of nowhere.

Basically this

Why does Lebron have to have stupid GM's for a good portion of his career

This summer it is time to make multiple moves:
Everyone should be on the shopping block this summer besides Lebron and AD ofc

I think Kuzma is showing life this bubble, but I would still move him if the right piece was there. But I wouldn't just get rid of him for something small just to make a move

DG, KCP, AC, Mcgee, Avery, Rondo, Cook, 1st

Over 40m in salary to trade

[Basileus777]

You can't demote Green. There is no one on this roster who can replace him, LA will have to live and die with his shooting.

[homecourtloss]

Lebron will figure the shooting issues out. But seriously who put this roster of no shooter around two paint players together? Insert any random 4th best shooter on any team on the Lakers and they would be their best. This was such a poor job at constructing a roster for 2020.

They need to remove McGee from the rotation entirely and demote Green to the bench.

If you are going to play a non shooter, let it be Caruso.

Caruso/ Rondo
KCP/ Waiters
James/ Green
Kuzma/ Morris
Davis/ Howard

They did well with him in there before the bubble (Lakers were a great first quarter team, their offense was great with McGee even in two big lineups), but he has been awful in the bubble and has not been a positive factor really in any game.

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[yoyoboy]

The league is transitioning to the point where you seem to need a couple guys who can just dribble around a screen 4-5 feet behind the top of the three point line and immediately pull up and shoot that shot with confidence as soon as they get daylight. It creates so much havoc for defenses. Golden State has Klay and Steph. Portland has Lillard and McCollum. Toronto has Lowry and VanVleet. Boston has Kemba and Tatum. LAC has Kawhi, George, and Lou Will. The list goes on.

Do the Lakers even have a single guy you would call “average” at creating and making an off the dribble/out of the PnR three? They’re bricking wide open corner threes right now but on the other end dealing with dudes who are threats to pull up as soon as they take 2 steps past half court.

[thebigbird]

If the Lakers lose this series the worst part will be the Laker trolls who have never liked lebron who will say “Kobe would’ve done X!” regardless of the evidence. It’s already starting.

[TheGOATRises007]

If the Lakers lose this series the worst part will be the Laker trolls who have never liked lebron who will say “Kobe would’ve done X!” regardless of the evidence. It’s already starting.

Don't see the need to slander Kobe tbh.

[thebigbird]

If the Lakers lose this series the worst part will be the Laker trolls who have never liked lebron who will say “Kobe would’ve done X!” regardless of the evidence. It’s already starting.

Don't see the need to slander Kobe tbh.

Because I don’t like Kobe and a lot of Laker fans refuse to accept lebron because they have a romanticized memory of Kobe.

[Greyhound]

They need to remove McGee from the rotation entirely and demote Green to the bench.

If you are going to play a non shooter, let it be Caruso.

Caruso/ Rondo
KCP/ Waiters
James/ Green
Kuzma/ Morris
Davis/ Howard

Disagree completely about Green. If he continues to shoot this poorly, you lose - period. On a team with limited perimeter shooting ability, you can't just give up on your 1 elite shooter who can also defend. He's had cold stretches before and snapped out of them with flaming hot stretches. That's historically why his % is as high as it is. They have the talent edge to get by Portland even with Danny in a funk but without him they have no chance against the better teams. You gotta tell him to keep letting it fly.

Bringing a guy off the bench is not giving up on him. He should be sent to the bench with the opportunity to play his way back into the starting lineup.

Something needs to be done because he has been garbage since day one in the bubble. Not hot and cold, just frozen.

[Jurassic_Park]

If the Lakers lose this series the worst part will be the Laker trolls who have never liked lebron who will say “Kobe would’ve done X!” regardless of the evidence. It’s already starting.

Don't see the need to slander Kobe tbh.

Because I don’t like Kobe and a lot of Laker fans refuse to accept lebron because they have a romanticized memory of Kobe.

well the reason they will do that is because lebron had 6'2 gary trent on him..and yet kept passing passing passing. Maybe if he practiced taking jump shots, he would be able to hit one over someone that small.....

and you wonder why people hate lebron fans...

[RCM88x]

Don't see the need to slander Kobe tbh.

Because I don’t like Kobe and a lot of Laker fans refuse to accept lebron because they have a romanticized memory of Kobe.

well the reason they will do that is because lebron had 6'2 gary trent on him..and yet kept passing passing passing. Maybe if he practiced taking jump shots, he would be able to hit one over someone that small.....

and you wonder why people hate lebron fans...

Gary Trent is 6'5

[TheGOATRises007]

The league is transitioning to the point where you seem to need a couple guys who can just dribble around a screen 4-5 feet behind the top of the three point line and immediately pull up and shoot that shot with confidence as soon as they get daylight. It creates so much havoc for defenses. Golden State has Klay and Steph. Portland has Lillard and McCollum. Toronto has Lowry and VanVleet. Boston has Kemba and Tatum. LAC has Kawhi, George, and Lou Will. The list goes on.

Do the Lakers even have a single guy you would call “average” at creating and making an off the dribble/out of the PnR three? They’re bricking wide open corner threes right now but on the other end dealing with dudes who are threats to pull up as soon as they take 2 steps past half court.

Interesting observation.

Lakers don't have 1 of those guys, but I don't think it's necessarily a requirement to win.

We'll see how the Lakers rebound. Still think they will win this series.

[Greyhound]

LeBron needs to utilize a midrange game if the Blazers are going to defend him with Trent.

LeBron kept getting the ball at the free throw line extended against Trent. He forced passes and kept driving into the shot blockers. This LeBron is all pass, long ball or drive. You need a reliable mid range game in the playoffs, particularly when you are not surrounded with shooting.

Miami LeBron would have inside pivoted, jab stepped and shot right over Trent. He might need to rediscover that, along with his floater.

[Joey Wheeler]

So it's almost certainly Portland in round 1. Easy sweep and Lebron/AD putting up silly numbers. If Westbrook is indeed injured for the first round, I think the Lakers might be lucky and face OKC in round 2, another easy sweep.

Nice prediction.... any others you got for us???

So it'll be 5 games instead of 4, are you really that happy that I got my prediction wrong? It was a freak game where the Lakers shot 16% from 3 and both Lebron and AD had off nights, still could have won it.

So it's almost certainly Portland in round 1. Easy sweep and Lebron/AD putting up silly numbers. If Westbrook is indeed injured for the first round, I think the Lakers might be lucky and face OKC in round 2, another easy sweep.

Nice prediction.... any others you got for us???

He'll disappear for a couple of days. He was just crowing earlier how one game suggests that Giannis isn't a top 2 player.

Wrong on both counts. First one you had a relative chance of success, I'm not a very active poster, average 2 posts per day and go without posting or even checking the forums for several days/weeks at a time, so it was conceivable I'd indeed "disappear". Second one is just complete and dishonest nonsense, I've advocated that position on this forum a myriad of times for the past 2 years, it has nothing to do with one game.

[Basileus777]

So it's almost certainly Portland in round 1. Easy sweep and Lebron/AD putting up silly numbers. If Westbrook is indeed injured for the first round, I think the Lakers might be lucky and face OKC in round 2, another easy sweep.

Nice prediction.... any others you got for us???

So it'll be 5 games instead of 4, are you really that happy that I got my prediction wrong? It was a freak game where the Lakers shot 16% from 3 and both Lebron and AD had off nights, still could have won it.

Nice prediction.... any others you got for us???

He'll disappear for a couple of days. He was just crowing earlier how one game suggests that Giannis isn't a top 2 player.

Wrong on both counts. First one you had a relative chance of success, I'm not a very active poster, average 2 posts per day and go without posting or even checking the forums for several days/weeks at a time, so it was conceivable I'd indeed "disappear". Second one is just complete and dishonest nonsense, I've advocated that position on this forum a myriad of times for the past 2 years, it has nothing to do with one game.

Yet you used one game to post your hyper-reaction just like all the people on the internet with their own silly preconceptions saying LeBron is washed because he couldn't take Gary Trent off the dribble or such.

[dreamshake]

Because I don’t like Kobe and a lot of Laker fans refuse to accept lebron because they have a romanticized memory of Kobe.

well the reason they will do that is because lebron had 6'2 gary trent on him..and yet kept passing passing passing. Maybe if he practiced taking jump shots, he would be able to hit one over someone that small.....

and you wonder why people hate lebron fans...

Gary Trent is 6'5

So what, cut him some slack. He's off by 3 inches. 3 inches is a tiny amount. LeBron is still an entire (checks notes) 3 inches taller than Gary Trent!!

[RCM88x]

well the reason they will do that is because lebron had 6'2 gary trent on him..and yet kept passing passing passing. Maybe if he practiced taking jump shots, he would be able to hit one over someone that small.....

and you wonder why people hate lebron fans...

Gary Trent is 6'5

So what, cut him some slack. He's off by 3 inches. 3 inches is a tiny amount. LeBron is still an entire (checks notes) 3 inches taller than Gary Trent!!

I'm just pointing out that he was incorrect with regards to Gary Trent's height.

Considering that was the entire point of the post I don't think slack should be cut.