LeBron James 2021-22 Regular Season Thread - Part ?

[Heej]

man, lakers fans are spoiled lol

Read on Twitter

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That washed up franchise is gonna fade into mediocrity and be cursed every year in the playoffs just like the Cowboys are now. Players can build a brand for themselves anywhere now, LA as a city hardly means anything anymore. The quality of life in California is dirt anyway, especially the commutes to Staples center and whatnot. Those morons are gonna be begging for a bubble type championship once LeBron leaves.

[zimpy27]

I like the Westbrook/ Monk backcourt, but I only think it works in a big lineup. A lineup that steers offensive players into the shot blockers.

The problem with that (Westbrook/Monk) alignment is you are going to have two subpar defenders in your backcourt. That works if the plan is to have them push up on their man, then protect them with back line shot blocking. It does not work if the plan is to play small and switch assignments.

The reason Bradley is in the lineup is because the coaching staff does not trust Westbrook with defending opposing PG’s consistently. They would rather stash him on a wing player and have a more reliable point of attack defender take that assignment.

Monk is not that guy. As much as I believe he deserves that starting spot, Westbrook is the problem.

Westbrook, Monk, LeBron, Covington, Davis
I find this to be ideal since the 3 bigs can all get up and block shots and move on to the perimeter. There are 4 players that can get their own shot and 3 of the players are decent 3 shooters.

Nunn, Reaves, Ariza, Johnson, Melo
This bench is nice too, some decent size on the wings.

Bradley, Howard
These are the add in players for matchups where you have an elite PG or big C.


They are right about Westbrook and opponent PGs.. Westbrook should be defending SG/SF really. Maybe Bradley should swap with Monk when they go against elite PGs?

RoCo works here because he does have shot blocking ability, he is an avg ish 1 on 1 defender though, not going to be a wing stopper

RoCo may be able to be had since his value has dropped and Portland is falling apart

But would they trade with us?

And for what? THT and some 2nds? Def not doing THT and our 2027 1st for RoCo

He's a great team defender and his impact metrics are still very high. Even though his offense numbers are down.

Yeah THT and SRPs should do it

[Greyhound]

A large majority of “Lakers fans” never experienced the lottery down years.

They were Lakers/ Kobe fans back in the Kobe/ Gasol era. Then once the team got bad 60% converted to Golden State Warriors fans in secret.

50% of those secret Golden State Warriors jerseys are being sent to the dry cleaners as we speak.

———-

It’s the best of both worlds for many of them. They can watch Warriors playoff runs in secret while dreaming over draft picks, and crafting goofy trades for the Lakers (with zero pressure placed on winning).

This is the tale of one of the most spoiled fan bases in modern sports.

[Slava]

A large majority of “Lakers fans” never experienced the lottery down years.

They were Lakers/ Kobe fans back in the Kobe/ Gasol era. Then once the team got bad 60% converted to Golden State Warriors fans in secret.

50% of those secret Golden State Warriors jerseys are being sent to the dry cleaners as we speak.

———-

It’s the best of both worlds for many of them. They can watch Warriors playoff runs in secret while dreaming over draft picks, and crafting goofy trades for the Lakers (with zero pressure placed on winning).

This is the tale of one of the most spoiled fan bases in modern sports.

There is a big difference between how Lakers fans judge teams when they know and expect them to be bad and when they expect the team to be good. Lakers fans carried the torch to suck and win lottery balls while purring over the likes of D'Angelo, Randle and Ingram during the down years. Hell, we even had a season when our lottery pick, Randle broke his foot in the first game of the season and had nothing to root for except Jordan Clarkson and Jodie Meeks. This is a fan base for which basketball is the #1 sport and they are a lot more knowledgeable than most give them credit. What rankles fans is when the GM and owner do a substandard job of putting pieces around a superstar player. This happened during the post-Shaq years as well, when Kobe had to drag dire supporting casts while Jerry Buss was trying to get under the tax. This is only the 2nd season that it is happening under LeBron.

[zimpy27]

A large majority of “Lakers fans” never experienced the lottery down years.

They were Lakers/ Kobe fans back in the Kobe/ Gasol era. Then once the team got bad 60% converted to Golden State Warriors fans in secret.

50% of those secret Golden State Warriors jerseys are being sent to the dry cleaners as we speak.

———-

It’s the best of both worlds for many of them. They can watch Warriors playoff runs in secret while dreaming over draft picks, and crafting goofy trades for the Lakers (with zero pressure placed on winning).

This is the tale of one of the most spoiled fan bases in modern sports.

There is a big difference between how Lakers fans judge teams when they know and expect them to be bad and when they expect the team to be good. Lakers fans carried the torch to suck and win lottery balls while purring over the likes of D'Angelo, Randle and Ingram during the down years. Hell, we even had a season when our lottery pick, Randle broke his foot in the first game of the season and had nothing to root for except Jordan Clarkson and Jodie Meeks. This is a fan base for which basketball is the #1 sport and they are a lot more knowledgeable than most give them credit. What rankles fans is when the GM and owner do a substandard job of putting pieces around a superstar player. This happened during the post-Shaq years as well, when Kobe had to drag dire supporting casts while Jerry Buss was trying to get under the tax. This is only the 2nd season that it is happening under LeBron.

Interesting, did they think up plans on how to trade Kobe?

I do note that it seems like the fans get upset by expectations not being met.

[Slava]

A large majority of “Lakers fans” never experienced the lottery down years.

They were Lakers/ Kobe fans back in the Kobe/ Gasol era. Then once the team got bad 60% converted to Golden State Warriors fans in secret.

50% of those secret Golden State Warriors jerseys are being sent to the dry cleaners as we speak.

———-

It’s the best of both worlds for many of them. They can watch Warriors playoff runs in secret while dreaming over draft picks, and crafting goofy trades for the Lakers (with zero pressure placed on winning).

This is the tale of one of the most spoiled fan bases in modern sports.

There is a big difference between how Lakers fans judge teams when they know and expect them to be bad and when they expect the team to be good. Lakers fans carried the torch to suck and win lottery balls while purring over the likes of D'Angelo, Randle and Ingram during the down years. Hell, we even had a season when our lottery pick, Randle broke his foot in the first game of the season and had nothing to root for except Jordan Clarkson and Jodie Meeks. This is a fan base for which basketball is the #1 sport and they are a lot more knowledgeable than most give them credit. What rankles fans is when the GM and owner do a substandard job of putting pieces around a superstar player. This happened during the post-Shaq years as well, when Kobe had to drag dire supporting casts while Jerry Buss was trying to get under the tax. This is only the 2nd season that it is happening under LeBron.

Interesting, did they think up plans on how to trade Kobe?

I do note that it seems like the fans get upset by expectations not being met.

Kobe was a demi-God for Lakers fans even before his 4th & 5th championships, they'd riot before they suggest trading him. Ironically, the situation was quite similar to what it is now with a less than reliable second option (Odom => AD), a sub-par PG (Smush Parker => Westbrook) and lamenting about the lack of trade worthy pieces to bring in a better supporting cast. They lucked into Pau Gasol for trash then, which seemed like a herculean task but it is much easier now as they only need to not shoot themselves in the foot when adding role players.

[Mos_Heat]

I mean, they got 1.5 good seasons out of Lebron experience. Lebron may never win a playoff series as a Laker in front of the fans. So it's fair to say that this run hasn't been exciting

[Freighttrain]

Looking at these numbers. Which player is better? Is there a clear better player? (obviously, this is just offense, but still)

Player X
29.3pts 52.0fg% 37.23pt% 89.4ft% 7.4reb 5.8ast 0.8stl 0.9blk. 3.0 tov 30.7eff
2
Player Y
28.9pts 51.9fg% 36.2 3pt% 76.7ft% 7.5reb 6.5ast 1.6stl 1.2blk 3.2tov 31.1eff
3
Player Z
28.5pts 53.9fg% 28.1 3pt% 71.2ft% 11.3reb 6.1ast 1.0stl 1.5blk 3.4tov 33.4eff


I think most can guess who is who, but it's crazy how close those numbers are.

Spoiler:

Player X KD
Player Y LeBron
Player Z Giannis

[zimpy27]

Looking at these numbers. Which player is better? Is there a clear better player? (obviously, this is just offense, but still)

Player X
29.3pts 52.0fg% 37.23pt% 89.4ft% 7.4reb 5.8ast 0.8stl 0.9blk. 3.0 tov 30.7eff
2
Player Y
28.9pts 51.9fg% 36.2 3pt% 76.7ft% 7.5reb 6.5ast 1.6stl 1.2blk 3.2tov 31.1eff
3
Player Z
28.5pts 53.9fg% 28.1 3pt% 71.2ft% 11.3reb 6.1ast 1.0stl 1.5blk 3.4tov 33.4eff


I think most can guess who is who, but it's crazy how close those numbers are.

Spoiler:

Player X KD
Player Y LeBron
Player Z Giannis

All pretty similar. Top 5 including Embiid and Jokic are all having big seasons

[trickshot]

man, lakers fans are spoiled lol

Read on Twitter

?t=Cz6YUFySZ1Bsix6eVzZ_7g&s=19

That washed up franchise is gonna fade into mediocrity and be cursed every year in the playoffs just like the Cowboys are now. Players can build a brand for themselves anywhere now, LA as a city hardly means anything anymore. The quality of life in California is dirt anyway, especially the commutes to Staples center and whatnot. Those morons are gonna be begging for a bubble type championship once LeBron leaves.

bit unfair don't you think. It's one tweet that wasn't heavily liked or retweeted. Might even be another genius from our dear Realgm GB. Also the Westbrook trade makes everyone involved with the organization unpopular with the fans right now. Even Lebron fans are exasperated and disgusted that he okayed that trade.

It also cost all the blue collar players that made the grit and grind identity some fans related to. For example there's zero reason Caruso shouldn't be on the team right now. The AD trade was a slam dunk though, should have quit while ahead. I always thought Lebron/pelinka/whoever made the choice unduly lost patience with everyone what didn't show up against Phoenix to opt for shotmakers.

[trickshot]

I like the Westbrook/ Monk backcourt, but I only think it works in a big lineup. A lineup that steers offensive players into the shot blockers.

The problem with that (Westbrook/Monk) alignment is you are going to have two subpar defenders in your backcourt. That works if the plan is to have them push up on their man, then protect them with back line shot blocking. It does not work if the plan is to play small and switch assignments.

The reason Bradley is in the lineup is because the coaching staff does not trust Westbrook with defending opposing PG’s consistently. They would rather stash him on a wing player and have a more reliable point of attack defender take that assignment.

Monk is not that guy. As much as I believe he deserves that starting spot, Westbrook is the problem.

Monk is good but the way he gets attacked by good teams is just wow. The number of times someone has to leave their man in the corner wide open to send help every time Monk switched on Gordon. Can he guard anyone in single coverage? Looks like a logistic nightmare in the playoffs on a team that already has a dozen logistic nightmares. On offense he moves well off the ball and never gets spooked by the moment. On defense is bad at POA , reactive away from the ball (although not as reactive as Westbrook), rarely boxes out or helps with team rebounding and is a switch risk because of being lightweight and weak.

Very talented cast on offense but terrible balance. Lakers also ran into a problem where Stanley Johnson becomes unplayable if Westbrook isn't shooting well. Just think about that for a second. Overall it's a very talented team on offense but it was built like fantasy basketball with little attention to the weaknesses of the individual pieces. So many of these guys can't be on the floor together unless you want to become Portland 2.0.

[MisterHibachi]

KD might miss enough games to disqualify for the stats leadership boards. Increases LeBron's chances of winning the scoring title

Also likely secures LeBron a First Team spot. The forward position was a bit crowded with KD, LeBron, and Giannis all competing for it.

[falcolombardi]

reading your comments guys i think i may have been too hard on lakers fans, they probably dont have more entitled fans than your average winning franchise

still think that they should realize how hard championships are and appreciate them even if they dont come in dinasty form

this is a league where boston won 16 of 30 rings, then barely won 1 out of 35, nobody is guaranteed/entitled to remain relevant

savor the succes while is still there, you dont know when is coming back

[thebigbird]

man, lakers fans are spoiled lol

Read on Twitter

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By far the worst fanbase in the NBA. They’re why I never wanted LeBron on the Lakers. Those clowns don’t deserve him. They deserve decades of mediocrity.

[Heej]

A large majority of “Lakers fans” never experienced the lottery down years.

They were Lakers/ Kobe fans back in the Kobe/ Gasol era. Then once the team got bad 60% converted to Golden State Warriors fans in secret.

50% of those secret Golden State Warriors jerseys are being sent to the dry cleaners as we speak.

———-

It’s the best of both worlds for many of them. They can watch Warriors playoff runs in secret while dreaming over draft picks, and crafting goofy trades for the Lakers (with zero pressure placed on winning).

This is the tale of one of the most spoiled fan bases in modern sports.

Lol LA also rooted for Lob City too when the Lakers were in the dumps

[wutevahung]

A large majority of “Lakers fans” never experienced the lottery down years.

They were Lakers/ Kobe fans back in the Kobe/ Gasol era. Then once the team got bad 60% converted to Golden State Warriors fans in secret.

50% of those secret Golden State Warriors jerseys are being sent to the dry cleaners as we speak.

———-

It’s the best of both worlds for many of them. They can watch Warriors playoff runs in secret while dreaming over draft picks, and crafting goofy trades for the Lakers (with zero pressure placed on winning).

This is the tale of one of the most spoiled fan bases in modern sports.

what's the point of this post besides attacking fans of the other teams?

[Greyhound]

A large majority of “Lakers fans” never experienced the lottery down years.

They were Lakers/ Kobe fans back in the Kobe/ Gasol era. Then once the team got bad 60% converted to Golden State Warriors fans in secret.

50% of those secret Golden State Warriors jerseys are being sent to the dry cleaners as we speak.

———-

It’s the best of both worlds for many of them. They can watch Warriors playoff runs in secret while dreaming over draft picks, and crafting goofy trades for the Lakers (with zero pressure placed on winning).

This is the tale of one of the most spoiled fan bases in modern sports.

what's the point of this post besides attacking fans of the other teams?

I guess I have now been designated Me Three patsy of the week.

“Say goodnight to the bad guy!”

[dcstanley]

Read on Twitter

What a season.

[Greyhound]

Read on Twitter

What a season.

That guy is damaged goods.

The Lakers need to get him declared as such, shut him down and seek an injured player exception.

I don’t know if that is possible, but if it is…
I think they need to give it a shot.

…

Simply put, Nunn was the worst signing of the off-season.

For a team dealing with three max contracts and a roster full of league minimums, they could not afford to brick this hard on their tax payers MLE.

When you factor in that Caruso could be occupying that roster spot right now (freeing up the mini MLE for a much needed wing with size), that guy is an even bigger brick then Westbrook himself.

[zimpy27]

Read on Twitter

What a season.

That guy is damaged goods.

The Lakers need to get him declared as such, shut him down and seek an injured player exception.

I don’t know if that is possible, but if it is…
I think they need to give it a shot.

…

He was the worst signing of the off-season in my opinion.

For a team dealing with three max contracts and a roster full of league minimums, they could not afford to brick this hard on their tax payers MLE.

This guy is an even bigger brick then Westbrick himself.

GSW grabbed Avery Bradley, Otto Porter, Iggy, Bjelica all on minimums. Luckily they waived Bradley but Rob really should have been gunning for one of Iggy or Otto.