Game 65 : Los Angeles Lakers (28-36) @ Houston Rockets (16-49) - 8:00 PM

[SlimShady83]

I'm so glad I stopped watching B-ball games after the allstar break

I can't wait until the new rebuild

[Kilroy]

LeBron looked pretty bad tonight... In fact, he's looked pretty bad all season, even when he was putting up numbers...

Maybe it's just me, but I feel like Kobe looked better, on a much worse team, in his final season, than LeBron does right now...

Westbrook at least still has some quickness and hops... LeBron is slow and looks like he's starting to have a hard time getting off the floor.

On a team with LeBron and AD, we're going to need to find an Alpha next season if we want to stay relevant in the Championship conversation... If not, we really need to think about gutting the team and starting over...

[LAKESHOW]

It looks like Jeanie picked up some shrewdness from her Pops. No one wins versus Father Time. Lebron is no exception. He deserves the accolades. The money we gave him. Everything. But his closing time is arriving soon. And just like Magic. Kareem. Shaq. Kobe. It will soon be time to move on and seek the next.

[Hans1984]

Every other coach would have been fired 10 times by now. Why exactly are we holding on to Vogel ?

[Kilroy]

Every other coach would have been fired 10 times by now. Why exactly are we holding on to Vogel ?

Because I think they know fundamentally FV's a good coach, but he's been given one near impossible task in coaching LeBron, and had that compounded by almost complete roster turnover in each year of his tenure here. He's had maybe less consistency than any other coach in the league, coupled with coaching James... Which is a terrible job.

And maybe LeBron knows it too and doesn't want Frank fired...

And also, what better options are out there right now? All the good coaches are locked up for the next few years...

So maybe it's a sign of health in our org that we didn't just rush to fire Vogel...

It looks like Jeanie picked up some shrewdness from her Pops. No one wins versus Father Time. Lebron is no exception. He deserves the accolades. The money we gave him. Everything. But his closing time is arriving soon. And just like Magic. Kareem. Shaq. Kobe. It will soon be time to move on and seek the next.

Speaking of coaches... And Jeannie being shrewd... Isn't the story that Phil has been advising her and Rambis, and attending games, interesting... It's a clear shot across LeBron and Klutch's bow...
But wouldn't it be hilarious if they just said **** it and went full triangle right now? It would probably be a disaster, but it might also be a real good way to clean house...
I think AD is about the perfect Triangle Big too, BTW... LeBron is about the perfect Triangle big guard too... For that matter Westbrook isn't bad either... The only problem is if they played for Phil, he'd demand they play defense for a full 36min per...

[stan francisco]

Every other coach would have been fired 10 times by now. Why exactly are we holding on to Vogel ?

Because I think they know fundamentally FV's a good coach, but he's been given one near impossible task in coaching LeBron, and had that compounded by almost complete roster turnover in each year of his tenure here. He's had maybe less consistency than any other coach in the league, coupled with coaching James... Which is a terrible job.

And maybe LeBron knows it too and doesn't want Frank fired...

And also, what better options are out there right now? All the good coaches are locked up for the next few years...

So maybe it's a sign of health in our org that we didn't just rush to fire Vogel...

It looks like Jeanie picked up some shrewdness from her Pops. No one wins versus Father Time. Lebron is no exception. He deserves the accolades. The money we gave him. Everything. But his closing time is arriving soon. And just like Magic. Kareem. Shaq. Kobe. It will soon be time to move on and seek the next.

Speaking of coaches... And Jeannie being shrewd... Isn't the story that Phil has been advising her and Rambis, and attending games, interesting... It's a clear shot across LeBron and Klutch's bow...
But wouldn't it be hilarious if they just said **** it and went full triangle right now? It would probably be a disaster, but it might also be a real good way to clean house...
I think AD is about the perfect Triangle Big too, BTW... LeBron is about the perfect Triangle big guard too... For that matter Westbrook isn't bad either... The only problem is if they played for Phil, he'd demand they play defense for a full 36min per...

Are you saying let’s bring the GOAT coach out of retirement to play zen mind games with LBJ, AD and RW???

Yes!

11 rings.

Edit: Just trade Russ first as he couldn’t handle Phil nor vice versa. In a triangle system with this roster, I’d use LBJ as the big guard, AD in the SF wing role, then complete the triangle with J Allen, R Williams, Vucevic, or Nurkic. The dream would be Jokic. All three would be interchangeable. Impossible to guard.

[Landsberger]

LeBron looked pretty bad tonight... In fact, he's looked pretty bad all season, even when he was putting up numbers...

Maybe it's just me, but I feel like Kobe looked better, on a much worse team, in his final season, than LeBron does right now...

Westbrook at least still has some quickness and hops... LeBron is slow and looks like he's starting to have a hard time getting off the floor.

On a team with LeBron and AD, we're going to need to find an Alpha next season if we want to stay relevant in the Championship conversation... If not, we really need to think about gutting the team and starting over...

You're starting to give in to it aren't you?

I don't see a path to being relevant in a title discussion in what's left of Bron's window. We need to blow it up. AD isn't a guy to build around either.

[Kilroy]

LeBron looked pretty bad tonight... In fact, he's looked pretty bad all season, even when he was putting up numbers...

Maybe it's just me, but I feel like Kobe looked better, on a much worse team, in his final season, than LeBron does right now...

Westbrook at least still has some quickness and hops... LeBron is slow and looks like he's starting to have a hard time getting off the floor.

On a team with LeBron and AD, we're going to need to find an Alpha next season if we want to stay relevant in the Championship conversation... If not, we really need to think about gutting the team and starting over...

You're starting to give in to it aren't you?

I don't see a path to being relevant in a title discussion in what's left of Bron's window. We need to blow it up. AD isn't a guy to build around either.

Actually, I've been saying it since last season... I've just been trying to keep the discussion based in the reality that the likelihood that the Lakers really do blow it up and trade LeBron, is probably pretty low. But I've been calling for LeBron (and Klutch's) exit for a while now... I've actually never really been that excited about the prospect of the Lakers becoming LeBron's personal sandbox... I was excited we got him because I could see that it meant we'd likely get at least AD too... And I thought that would translate into at least a legit shot at a 3-peat... But the prospect of the great Lakers org bowing to LeBron and Klutch, never really sat well...
As for AD... When he's healthy, he's still one of the better 2-way bigs in the league, and his contract kind of sucks as a trade chip...
So again, I suggested we trade him in the offseason for Ayton... But the reality is, it's unlikely we trade him... And also that if we were a team with a stud scoring guard or wing o Forward, and we needed a big, and AD was available, even in his current oft-injured state, I'm sure the Lakers would try to trade for him... Because AD is still pretty good when healthy...
He's just not good playing next to a starting lineup who plays broken controller D most nights.

[LAKESHOW]

We might have just gotten the best we are ever gonna get out of AD. It may be all downhill from here.
Hes from Chicago, I say we make him happy, and send us a large package in return.

[chefy]

LeBron looked pretty bad tonight... In fact, he's looked pretty bad all season, even when he was putting up numbers...

Maybe it's just me, but I feel like Kobe looked better, on a much worse team, in his final season, than LeBron does right now...

Westbrook at least still has some quickness and hops... LeBron is slow and looks like he's starting to have a hard time getting off the floor.

On a team with LeBron and AD, we're going to need to find an Alpha next season if we want to stay relevant in the Championship conversation... If not, we really need to think about gutting the team and starting over...

thought it was just me too. he puts up numbers sure but idk. he just doesnt seem to impact the game that much anymore.

[Kilroy]

LeBron looked pretty bad tonight... In fact, he's looked pretty bad all season, even when he was putting up numbers...

Maybe it's just me, but I feel like Kobe looked better, on a much worse team, in his final season, than LeBron does right now...

Westbrook at least still has some quickness and hops... LeBron is slow and looks like he's starting to have a hard time getting off the floor.

On a team with LeBron and AD, we're going to need to find an Alpha next season if we want to stay relevant in the Championship conversation... If not, we really need to think about gutting the team and starting over...

thought it was just me too. he puts up numbers sure but idk. he just doesnt seem to impact the game that much anymore.

Westbrook has been getting killed for playing no defense, but LeBron is just as bad and has been since the bubble... Hard to impact a game if you're not stopping anyone... And also LeBron is basically a single-cover now... Teams are doubling him and he routinely gets stripped or forced into a shot he can't make...
I watch him play and I have no idea how he's getting the numbers he is. Assists and rebounds maybe... He's still an excellent passer and finds guys in perfect spots... But he's a limited shooter and he's about a half step too slow to play his euro-step bully ball game to the rim... He's also about 4" closer to the ground when he jumps now it looks like, so he isn't powering over guys anymore...

He's not having the MJ/Kobe decline, where they're still effective to a certain degree... He's having the Shaq decline.

[Landsberger]

He's not having the MJ/Kobe decline, where they're still effective to a certain degree... He's having the Shaq decline.

LeBron is having a steep decline in just about everything but scoring and passing. He's obviously lost a step and is lateral movement is not good at all in comparison to just 3 years ago.

He's compensated scoring wise with the 3 and some mid-range game. He's not the kind of aging star who can contribute without dominating the ball.

I hope we blow it up... all the way this off season but I'm with you that there is a very low probability that happens.