We're being prepped for another season of Westbrook

[sonnyhill]

It’s not happening.

Jeanie cares too much about the fans. She knows fans absolutely despise him. There’s a reason (beyond COVID) why this team had a lot of games this season that weren’t sold out. Westbrook was Reason 1.

We’ll send him home for the year before he plays another minute on this team.

OK.

I get it.

Pile on Westbrook and absolve everyone else (ownership, front office, coaching staff, LeBron and AD) for this past season's failures.

Phil, perhaps the greatest coach in NBA history, sees value in Westbrook and Laker fans, instead, are allowing for the national media to negatively influence the narrative around Westbrook's value to the team.

Potential head coaching candidates are being asked in the interview process how to maximize Westbrook.

So, sitting Westbrook (a future Hall of Famer and a triple-double guy), not having him on the roster, or trading him AND a future 1st round draft pick for a John Wall, along with an aging LeBron James and a brittle, lacking-leadership skills AD, and complimentary players will bring the Lakers back to its glory years?

Instead, why not roll with Westbrook, trade away both LeBron (for a haul of draft picks and younger talent) and AD (for a similar haul of draft picks and younger talent) AND not trade away a future 1st round draft pick?

In a way, Phil with his advocation for building next season's Laker team around Westbrook, is taking a page out of former President Donald Trump's playbook; and similar to former President Trump when he was soliciting Black voters with the rhetorical question, "what have you got to lose," Phil may be asking Laker management a similar question about building a Westbrook-centric Laker roster and coaching staff.

[danfantastk32]

OK. I get it.

Well no.....you clearly don't get it. Firstly, you think Ballz is the future of LA. So boo-boo #1

Secondly....nobody is absolving the rest of the franchise for what happened last year. Nice 3rd grade psychology there. But no matter who I blame most, or last....it doesn't change the fact that Westbrook sucks. Thirdly......if you know anything about Phil, you can bet your ass that what your hearing is not what he wants. Phil's no moron....and only a moron thinks you should build your team around Westbrook. Why don't the Clippers build around Westbrook? Ballz seems kinda dumb to me. You seem to think he's worth building around. It's a match made in heaven, no?

[sonnyhill]

OK. I get it.

Well no.....you clearly don't get it. Firstly, you think Ballz is the future of LA. So boo-boo #1

Secondly....nobody is absolving the rest of the franchise for what happened last year. Nice 3rd grade psychology there. But no matter who I blame most, or last....it doesn't change the fact that Westbrook sucks. Thirdly......if you know anything about Phil, you can bet your ass that what your hearing is not what he wants. Phil's no moron....and only a moron thinks you should build your team around Westbrook. Why don't the Clippers build around Westbrook? Ballz seems kinda dumb to me. You seem to think he's worth building around. It's a match made in heaven, no?

Balmer is making the necessary investments, perhaps even more importantly, Balmer has the capital to make the necessary investments to have the Clippers poised to become the relevant NBA brand in Southern California. Jeanie does not have access to the necessary capital, nor seems remotely aware of what is required to compete in the 21st Century NBA. And, while it would have been great for the Lakers if Balmer had moved the Clippers to Seattle, Balmer does not run away from competition; Balmer crushes, destroys, and then picks at the bones of his fallen competition. Jeanie and the Lakers are in Balmer's crosshairs and based on his past record of knocking off multi-billion dollar enterprises, Jeanie and the Lakers are soon to become Balmer roadkill.

No, building around Westbrook probably is not "a match made in heaven;" yet, similar to what former former President Trump had asked Black America when he was soliciting the Black vote during the 2016 US Presidential election ("what have you got to lose?"), the Lakers are now asking themselves about the possibility and potential of building the team around Westbrook the question "what have we got to lose?" Phil's "out-of-the-box" thinking may fail miserably; it may also be the only "shot-in-the-arm" which is available for the Lakers to use moving forward into this upcoming season.

[danfantastk32]

OK. I get it.

Well no.....you clearly don't get it. Firstly, you think Ballz is the future of LA. So boo-boo #1

Secondly....nobody is absolving the rest of the franchise for what happened last year. Nice 3rd grade psychology there. But no matter who I blame most, or last....it doesn't change the fact that Westbrook sucks. Thirdly......if you know anything about Phil, you can bet your ass that what your hearing is not what he wants. Phil's no moron....and only a moron thinks you should build your team around Westbrook. Why don't the Clippers build around Westbrook? Ballz seems kinda dumb to me. You seem to think he's worth building around. It's a match made in heaven, no?

Balmer is making the necessary investments, perhaps even more importantly, Balmer has the capital to make the necessary investments to have the Clippers poised to become the relevant NBA brand in Southern California. Jeanie does not have access to the necessary capital, nor seems remotely aware of what is required to compete in the 21st Century NBA. And, while it would have been great for the Lakers if Balmer had moved the Clippers to Seattle, Balmer does not run away from competition; Balmer crushes, destroys, and then picks at the bones of his fallen competition. Jeanie and the Lakers are in Balmer's crosshairs and based on his past record of knocking off multi-billion dollar enterprises, Jeanie and the Lakers are soon to become Balmer roadkill.

No, building around Westbrook probably is not "a match made in heaven;" yet, similar to what former former President Trump had asked Black America when he was soliciting the Black vote during the 2016 US Presidential election ("what have you got to lose?"), the Lakers are now asking themselves about the possibility and potential of building the team around Westbrook the question "what have we got to lose?" Phil's "out-of-the-box" thinking may fail miserably; it may also be the only "shot-in-the-arm" which is available for the Lakers to use moving forward into this upcoming season.

So if your car falls apart, you don't go get a new one? You grab your Son's skateboard and head off to work. It's the only mode of transport hanging around, after all.

[LAL1947]

Instead, why not roll with Westbrook, trade away both LeBron (for a haul of draft picks and younger talent) and AD (for a similar haul of draft picks and younger talent) AND not trade away a future 1st round draft pick.

Unless the team can pull off some magic and get Lavine in a S&T for Westbrook... I think your suggestion would be fantastic! We will not have any more opportunities to trade Lebron and get something back of value because of his age. Trying to add pieces to this team in the hope of winning a title seems to me like trying to put earrings on a pig... I'd much rather get the best return for the upcoming rebuild/reload.

We won't have to "roll with Westbrook" long-term either. He'll be traded as an expiring contract before the season is done, or come off the books completely at the end of this 1 season. I can live with that if we're getting good assets back from trading Lebron and/or AD.

[sonnyhill]

Instead, why not roll with Westbrook, trade away both LeBron (for a haul of draft picks and younger talent) and AD (for a similar haul of draft picks and younger talent) AND not trade away a future 1st round draft pick.

Unless the team can pull off some magic and get Lavine in a S&T for Westbrook... I think your suggestion would be fantastic! We will not have any more opportunities to trade Lebron and get something back of value because of his age. Trying to add pieces to this team in the hope of winning a title seems to me like trying to put earrings on a pig... I'd much rather get the best return for the upcoming rebuild/reload.

We won't have to "roll with Westbrook" long-term either. He'll be traded as an expiring contract before the season is done, or come off the books completely at the end of this 1 season. I can live with that if we're getting good assets back from trading Lebron and/or AD.

Your rational and non-emotional approach towards roster-building is quite refreshing and makes lots of sense.

The "fly-in-the-ointment" is Jeanie's desire to see LeBron break the NBA scoring record while wearing a Laker uniform. How many more insults does Laker nation have to endure from Jeanie and her sewing group?

[Kilroy]

I'm now on the 'sell the lakers to the Dodgers group, wipe the slate clean of all these legacies, and start clean' bandwagon, with Slava and I think Dock?

I love what the Buss family has done for the Lakers and LA, but what's going on right now is just a bit nauseating...

I'm basically at the point where I don't really have much interest in watching a team with LeBron on it... Westbrook sucks, but if I had to choose between the 2, I'd take him over LeBron... Just because with Westbrook, you just get a flawed player, not a flawed player who still demands monumental control of the franchise... Until he passes Kareem, he's going to be all about his legacy and not much else...

I still am OK with AD, because if he could get his head and body right, I think he's still a top player in this NBA... But I think he needs to get out of LeBrons sphere of influence to get there...

I don't think the Coach matters at all at this point... All of those players are what they are, and what they are doesn't mix well... Like shrimp fried rice, Mac and Cheese, and Spaghetti... they may be great on their own, but there's no way to mix them that doesn't make them worse...

All of which is moot, because they're never going to trade LeBron, and if that doesn't happen, the rest isn't as impactful... Keeping LeBron, means keeping AD at least, and they haven't been that great together at all really, other than in some key games in the Bubble... It's never really been a seamless pairing... It's either LeBron or AD, and when AD really seems to start taking off, LeBron seems to sense it and start going for MVP again, which makes AD take his foot off the gas...

So what we do with Westbrook, maybe isn't as important as everyone thinks... We'll try to make it work until the deadline I guess, and then maybe we trade him... But no matter who we trade him for, it'll still be a LeBron/AD show, which really isn't a championship core anymore, if it ever really was...

[danfantastk32]

I'm now on the 'sell the lakers to the Dodgers group, wipe the slate clean of all these legacies, and start clean' bandwagon, with Slava and I think Dock?

I love what the Buss family has done for the Lakers and LA, but what's going on right now is just a bit nauseating...

I'm basically at the point where I don't really have much interest in watching a team with LeBron on it... Westbrook sucks, but if I had to choose between the 2, I'd take him over LeBron... Just because with Westbrook, you just get a flawed player, not a flawed player who still demands monumental control of the franchise... Until he passes Kareem, he's going to be all about his legacy and not much else...

I still am OK with AD, because if he could get his head and body right, I think he's still a top player in this NBA... But I think he needs to get out of LeBrons sphere of influence to get there...

I don't think the Coach matters at all at this point... All of those players are what they are, and what they are doesn't mix well... Like shrimp fried rice, Mac and Cheese, and Spaghetti... they may be great on their own, but there's no way to mix them that doesn't make them worse...

All of which is moot, because they're never going to trade LeBron, and if that doesn't happen, the rest isn't as impactful... Keeping LeBron, means keeping AD at least, and they haven't been that great together at all really, other than in some key games in the Bubble... It's never really been a seamless pairing... It's either LeBron or AD, and when AD really seems to start taking off, LeBron seems to sense it and start going for MVP again, which makes AD take his foot off the gas...

So what we do with Westbrook, maybe isn't as important as everyone thinks... We'll try to make it work until the deadline I guess, and then maybe we trade him... But no matter who we trade him for, it'll still be a LeBron/AD show, which really isn't a championship core anymore, if it ever really was...

I'm still good with the Buss family running the show. Would there be better options? Maybe, but I don't know how much it really matters in a salary-cap league. The Laker fan-base REALLY seemed to take the Caruso thing to heart....but otherwise, I think we're doing just fine in the spending dept.

I agree that trading Lebron is not gonna happen. Not unless he wants it, and I think he's pretty happy here. I'd question how much winning another title matters to him. I think he has other priorities. Prob not a good thing, although he still brings it.

Where I disagree though, is that I think that Lebron is still good enough to lead a team to a title. AD needs to play, and we need someone else besides Westbrook. Derosen is a guy we coulda got. If we had him....I think that we woulda had a much better shot. No guarantees, obviously.....but Lebron / AD (healthy and playing) and a 3rd guy who actually checks boxes we lack would totally be in contention, imo.

I don't think we're gonna get squat for Westbrook. So I think we're pretty stuck. So with that logic, yeah...im fine trading Lebron to start the rebuild....assuming it comes with picks, and assuming we drob Westbrook asap. But if we are somehow able to get something for Westbrook....I'd be down with trying to go for another title

[sonnyhill]

I'm now on the 'sell the lakers to the Dodgers group, wipe the slate clean of all these legacies, and start clean' bandwagon, with Slava and I think Dock?

I love what the Buss family has done for the Lakers and LA, but what's going on right now is just a bit nauseating...

I'm basically at the point where I don't really have much interest in watching a team with LeBron on it... Westbrook sucks, but if I had to choose between the 2, I'd take him over LeBron... Just because with Westbrook, you just get a flawed player, not a flawed player who still demands monumental control of the franchise... Until he passes Kareem, he's going to be all about his legacy and not much else...

I still am OK with AD, because if he could get his head and body right, I think he's still a top player in this NBA... But I think he needs to get out of LeBrons sphere of influence to get there...

I don't think the Coach matters at all at this point... All of those players are what they are, and what they are doesn't mix well... Like shrimp fried rice, Mac and Cheese, and Spaghetti... they may be great on their own, but there's no way to mix them that doesn't make them worse...

All of which is moot, because they're never going to trade LeBron, and if that doesn't happen, the rest isn't as impactful... Keeping LeBron, means keeping AD at least, and they haven't been that great together at all really, other than in some key games in the Bubble... It's never really been a seamless pairing... It's either LeBron or AD, and when AD really seems to start taking off, LeBron seems to sense it and start going for MVP again, which makes AD take his foot off the gas...

So what we do with Westbrook, maybe isn't as important as everyone thinks... We'll try to make it work until the deadline I guess, and then maybe we trade him... But no matter who we trade him for, it'll still be a LeBron/AD show, which really isn't a championship core anymore, if it ever really was...

I'm still good with the Buss family running the show. Would there be better options? Maybe, but I don't know how much it really matters in a salary-cap league. The Laker fan-base REALLY seemed to take the Caruso thing to heart....but otherwise, I think we're doing just fine in the spending dept.

I agree that trading Lebron is not gonna happen. Not unless he wants it, and I think he's pretty happy here. I'd question how much winning another title matters to him. I think he has other priorities. Prob not a good thing, although he still brings it.

Where I disagree though, is that I think that Lebron is still good enough to lead a team to a title. AD needs to play, and we need someone else besides Westbrook. Derosen is a guy we coulda got. If we had him....I think that we woulda had a much better shot. No guarantees, obviously.....but Lebron / AD (healthy and playing) and a 3rd guy who actually checks boxes we lack would totally be in contention, imo.

I don't think we're gonna get squat for Westbrook. So I think we're pretty stuck. So with that logic, yeah...im fine trading Lebron to start the rebuild....assuming it comes with picks, and assuming we drob Westbrook asap. But if we are somehow able to get something for Westbrook....I'd be down with trying to go for another title

Disagree on the Buss family running the show. For the wealthier franchises, going deeper into the luxury tax is viewed only as a cost of doing business. For Jeanie, she freaks out about having the fourth highest payroll in the league.

Let's assume that you are correct and that LeBron is not going to be traded. It would make sense to surround him with a complimentary supporting roster and a coach who could give him and the Lakers another shot at a title. If this is the plan, what could the team realistically get back in return for AD and would that be enough to get the team back into the hunt?

The simple plan (maybe simple is best) would be to surround LeBron with perimeter shooters who can play defense, name LeBron player-coach, and have Westbrook play a complimentary role as a no-defense-playing - slasher-on-offense-rebounder.

[LAL1947]

Disagree on the Buss family running the show. For the wealthier franchises, going deeper into the luxury tax is viewed only as a cost of doing business. For Jeanie, she freaks out about having the fourth highest payroll in the league.

Where has Jeanie "freaked out" about having the fourth highest payroll in the league? The only thing she has said is that it's disappointing to not go on a long playoff run when we have the 5th highest payroll in the league. All it means is she wants improvement in results, just like we do.

The simple plan (maybe simple is best) would be to surround LeBron with perimeter shooters who can play defense, and have Westbrook play a complimentary role as a no-defense-playing - slasher-on-offense-rebounder.

Agreed, that was the plan last season too... but then Lebron and AD decided to ship out our perimeter shooters who can play defense (KCP, Kuzma, Caruso) for Westbrook and to sign THT to his contract.

name LeBron player-coach

This has been explained before... it is illegal under the NBA's rules for a player to be a player-coach. For a very good reason too, teams could pay the person a minimal amount of salary for his role as player and a larger amount for his role as coach in order to circumvent the salary cap. So please stop bringing this up.

Lebron does have a lot of input into the offense since the ball is mostly in his hands... but an actual coach is necessary for many other reasons, a few being... to scheme out the offense and defense with others, to decide rotations, to make decisions in game, to help guild and develop those that need it, to know what is going on with all players at all times (availability, injuries, issues, etc), and to hold people accountable. Lebron can't be doing all of that.

[danfantastk32]

Where has Jeanie "freaked out" about having the fourth highest payroll in the league? The only thing she has said is that it's disappointing to not go on a long playoff run when we have the 5th highest payroll in the league. All it means is she wants improvement in results, just like we do.

Sonny's got himself a little bit of a soapbox. The Clippers are the REAL franchise in LA now, and the Lakers aughta pack their bags (tail between their legs) and head to Vegas. Oh....that's what Jerry Buss would do.

But nothing he thinks hold up in reality. The reality is the Clippers are just as hamstrung as the Lakers with future picks. They were one spot above us in spending (by like $4 million...wow....that's what those deep corporate pockets get ya, eh?) and their meager extra spending got them the same seat at home for the postseason that the Lakers got. So all of Ballzy's $$$ and expert planing / sophisticated analysis and groundwork to take over LA did squat.

And meanwhile it''s the Lakers who hoisted a trophy with their current round of stars, and there's an HBO series about the Lakers...because people find them interesting. I can picture the Clippers HBO special. "Western Semi's.....finally made it". It could showcase Benoit Bengamin, Olowokandi, Darius Miles, and Caman. It would be just fascinating.

Jeanie spends just fine. I guess there are only 3 super-rich owners in the NBA.....cause only 3 outspent us.

But to your point.....the #1 team was the Warriors, who outspent us by just under 10%. I think they got way more than 10% as far as product on the court.....and that's where Jeanie takes issue. Totally understandable.

[tamaraw08]

Where has Jeanie "freaked out" about having the fourth highest payroll in the league? The only thing she has said is that it's disappointing to not go on a long playoff run when we have the 5th highest payroll in the league. All it means is she wants improvement in results, just like we do.

Sonny's got himself a little bit of a soapbox. The Clippers are the REAL franchise in LA now, and the Lakers aughta pack their bags (tail between their legs) and head to Vegas. Oh....that's what Jerry Buss would do.

But nothing he thinks hold up in reality. The reality is the Clippers are just as hamstrung as the Lakers with future picks. They were one spot above us in spending (by like $4 million...wow....that's what those deep corporate pockets get ya, eh?) and their meager extra spending got them the same seat at home for the postseason that the Lakers got. So all of Ballzy's $$$ and expert planing / sophisticated analysis and groundwork to take over LA did squat.

And meanwhile it''s the Lakers who hoisted a trophy with their current round of stars, and there's an HBO series about the Lakers...because people find them interesting. I can picture the Clippers HBO special. "Western Semi's.....finally made it". It could showcase Benoit Bengamin, Olowokandi, Darius Miles, and Caman. It would be just fascinating.

Jeanie spends just fine. I guess there are only 3 super-rich owners in the NBA.....cause only 3 outspent us.

But to your point.....the #1 team was the Warriors, who outspent us by just under 10%. I think they got way more than 10% as far as product on the court.....and that's where Jeanie takes issue. Totally understandable.

Great points esp with the Clipper situation. Mega rich owners can hire the best available Executives, Staff to Navigate through the salary Cap. Right now I think they have a Very Good front office. Tyrone Lue who is turning out to be a very good coach landed on their lap when his negotiation with the Lakers broke down. Kawhi wanted to go home and stay close with Family but didn't want to play with Lebron, his solution? Pick the Clippers.And now the Clippers are stuck with the 30 year old Superstar who has missed 30 games before actually injuring his ACL. His first year there, they Managed his games and minutes like hell and STILL GOT ELIMINATed!
Having said all that, I am VERY disappointed at the way Jeannie has handled their spending. Per Spotrac. Lakers actually were 6th in top Payroll not 4th. https://www.spotrac.com/nba/cap/2021/
Forbes actually ranked the Lakers as 3rd in highest Value at 5.5 Billion and yet Jeannie set a very hard Budget forcing Rob not to retain Caruso, Save money in hiring assistant coaches and not taking in good players who could have helped the team last season.

[LAL1947]

Having said all that, I am VERY disappointed at the way Jeannie has handled their spending. Per Spotrac. Lakers actually were 6th in top Payroll not 4th. https://www.spotrac.com/nba/cap/2021/

Forbes actually ranked the Lakers as 3rd in highest Value at 5.5 Billion and yet Jeannie set a very hard Budget forcing Rob not to retain Caruso, Save money in hiring assistant coaches and not taking in good players who could have helped the team last season.

Some points to note here...

1) The Lakers had the 6th most in Team Salary and paid the 5th most in Luxury Tax... so the Lakers spent the 5th most in the league overall.

Highest NBA Team Salaries of 2021-22:
1) Golden State Warriors: Salary: $184,024,769... Estimated luxury tax bill: $170,331,206.
2) Brooklyn Nets: Salary: $172,836,362... Estimated luxury tax bill: $97,731,568.
3) Los Angeles Clippers: Salary - $166,162,398... Estimated luxury tax bill - $83,114,696.
4) Minnesota Timberwolves: $165,399,845 (Estimated luxury tax bill: $0)
5) Milwaukee Bucks: $161,923,369 (Estimated luxury tax bill: $58,647,698)
6) Los Angeles Lakers: $160,861,720 (Estimated luxury tax bill: $45,113,318)

Source

2) Yet 16 other teams made it to the playoffs and 4 other teams made it to the play-in... 20 in total. 3 of the 4 Conference finalists also spent considerably less than the Lakers.

3) Don't forget to add the Salary + Luxury Tax when figuring out how much team owners have spent in total. We have spent $205m, which is a lot. Yet GSW has spent $350m on their team this season... that's $150m dollars more than us, $238m more than the salary cap, and $214m more than the Luxury Tax threshold.

So I don't think the problem is our level spending... but the level of spending that the league allows some teams like GSW to do in order to win a title. Something needs to be done to curb that and level the playing field... but money is the root of all evil. Therefore GSW is the root of all evil in the current NBA, ahead of Brooklyn and the Clippers.

4) Forbes Valuations do not have much direct correlation on the ability to spend. A valuation is the estimated value that a buyer would have to pay in order to acquire the team.

[danfantastk32]

Hmmm....good posts both of you. I went to Hoopshype, and they had Lakers 4th. that's where I got my spending info.

And I agree that spending needs to be curtailed. There prob needs to be some sort of hard-hard cap there around $200-220 mil, including the taxes. A) if GS really is spending $350 mil, thats nuts. And B) half of that is just propping up teams who don't spend, but rake in cash.

Perhaps some of this "Luxury tax" could hit the salaries of these guys who wanna have super teams? Yikes! That'll spread the talent.

The cap should prob be a bit higher, and the luxury less (so your not just propping up other teams)....but then there is a ceiling not too far from that, which you can't go. Sorry, gonna have to make it work. And the bottom should be raised. Raise the bottom, and get less luxury tax to bail you out. Are you in it to win it??? If not, go find another sport. Let the league stay healthy, and competitive.

[tamaraw08]

Having said all that, I am VERY disappointed at the way Jeannie has handled their spending. Per Spotrac. Lakers actually were 6th in top Payroll not 4th. https://www.spotrac.com/nba/cap/2021/

Forbes actually ranked the Lakers as 3rd in highest Value at 5.5 Billion and yet Jeannie set a very hard Budget forcing Rob not to retain Caruso, Save money in hiring assistant coaches and not taking in good players who could have helped the team last season.

Some points to note here...

1) The Lakers had the 6th most in Team Salary and paid the 5th most in Luxury Tax... so the Lakers spent the 5th most in the league overall.

Highest NBA Team Salaries of 2021-22:
1) Golden State Warriors: Salary: $184,024,769... Estimated luxury tax bill: $170,331,206.
2) Brooklyn Nets: Salary: $172,836,362... Estimated luxury tax bill: $97,731,568.
3) Los Angeles Clippers: Salary - $166,162,398... Estimated luxury tax bill - $83,114,696.
4) Minnesota Timberwolves: $165,399,845 (Estimated luxury tax bill: $0)
5) Milwaukee Bucks: $161,923,369 (Estimated luxury tax bill: $58,647,698)
6) Los Angeles Lakers: $160,861,720 (Estimated luxury tax bill: $45,113,318)

Source

2) Yet 16 other teams made it to the playoffs and 4 other teams made it to the play-in... 20 in total. 3 of the 4 Conference finalists also spent considerably less than the Lakers.

3) Don't forget to add the Salary + Luxury Tax when figuring out how much team owners have spent in total. GSW has spent $350m on their team this season, while we have "only" spent $205m. That's a difference of $150m dollars more than us! $238m more than the salary cap, $214m more than the Luury Tax threshold.

So I don't think the problem is our level spending... but the level of spending that the league allows teams like GSW to do in order to win a title. Something needs to be done to curb that and level the playing field... but money is the root of all evil. Therefore GSW is the root of all evil in the current NBA, ahead of Brooklyn and the Clippers.

4) Forbes Valuations do not have much direct correlation on the ability to spend. A valuation is the estimated value that a buyer would have to pay in order to acquire the team.

I hated GSW esp after getting Durant but felt a little sorry for them for the past couple of years. They won 15 freaking games, then didn't even qualify for the Playoffs after losing 2 straight games last season. They spent so much and yet... But now of course, they are poised to win it all.... With some luck of health AND DETERMINATION to put the best product on the floor,doing everything possible to put their team in BEST situation to win it all. To A point yet, over spending should be more punitive, and who knows, their owners would be sweating bullets when they write that check to pay that extra 170 Million Tax Bill.
But I just hate to divert my attention to that because I strongly believe that the Lakers did NOT do everything they can to make this team as strong as possible. Of course it's not my money, easy for me to say to simply spend $50 million more. But I can't help to notice the disparity of the cost to watch their games, the TV revenue, the tickets prices, the the $15 beer etc. I watched the Orleans game there and I spent like $200 for the night. Those seats would be easily cost you $1000 here. Crypto too has 2 floors for luxury suites unlike most arenas.....

[sonnyhill]

Having said all that, I am VERY disappointed at the way Jeannie has handled their spending. Per Spotrac. Lakers actually were 6th in top Payroll not 4th. https://www.spotrac.com/nba/cap/2021/

Forbes actually ranked the Lakers as 3rd in highest Value at 5.5 Billion and yet Jeannie set a very hard Budget forcing Rob not to retain Caruso, Save money in hiring assistant coaches and not taking in good players who could have helped the team last season.

Some points to note here...

1) The Lakers had the 6th most in Team Salary and paid the 5th most in Luxury Tax... so the Lakers spent the 5th most in the league overall.

Highest NBA Team Salaries of 2021-22:
1) Golden State Warriors: Salary: $184,024,769... Estimated luxury tax bill: $170,331,206.
2) Brooklyn Nets: Salary: $172,836,362... Estimated luxury tax bill: $97,731,568.
3) Los Angeles Clippers: Salary - $166,162,398... Estimated luxury tax bill - $83,114,696.
4) Minnesota Timberwolves: $165,399,845 (Estimated luxury tax bill: $0)
5) Milwaukee Bucks: $161,923,369 (Estimated luxury tax bill: $58,647,698)
6) Los Angeles Lakers: $160,861,720 (Estimated luxury tax bill: $45,113,318)

Source

2) Yet 16 other teams made it to the playoffs and 4 other teams made it to the play-in... 20 in total. 3 of the 4 Conference finalists also spent considerably less than the Lakers.

3) Don't forget to add the Salary + Luxury Tax when figuring out how much team owners have spent in total. GSW has spent $350m on their team this season, while we have "only" spent $205m. That's a difference of $150m dollars more than us! $238m more than the salary cap, $214m more than the Luury Tax threshold.

So I don't think the problem is our level spending... but the level of spending that the league allows teams like GSW to do in order to win a title. Something needs to be done to curb that and level the playing field... but money is the root of all evil. Therefore GSW is the root of all evil in the current NBA, ahead of Brooklyn and the Clippers.

4) Forbes Valuations do not have much direct correlation on the ability to spend. A valuation is the estimated value that a buyer would have to pay in order to acquire the team.

I hated GSW esp after getting Durant but felt a little sorry for them for the past couple of years. They won 15 freaking games, then didn't even qualify for the Playoffs after losing 2 straight games last season. They spent so much and yet... But now of course, they are poised to win it all.... With some luck of health AND DETERMINATION to put the best product on the floor,doing everything possible to put their team in BEST situation to win it all. To A point yet, over spending should be more punitive, and who knows, their owners would be sweating bullets when they write that check to pay that extra 170 Million Tax Bill.
But I just hate to divert my attention to that because I strongly believe that the Lakers did NOT do everything they can to make this team as strong as possible. Of course it's not my money, easy for me to say to simply spend $50 million more. But I can't help to notice the disparity of the cost to watch their games, the TV revenue, the tickets prices, the the $15 beer etc. I watched the Orleans game there and I spent like $200 for the night. Those seats would be easily cost you $1000 here. Crypto too has 2 floors for luxury suites unlike most arenas.....

Smart NBA franchise ownership groups spend above the cap, pay the luxury tax, AND invest in talent evaluation, talent acquisition, and talent development.

You might be correct with your statement "that the Lakers did NOT do everything they can do to make the team as strong as possible." I believe that Jeanie and her sewing club actually did, indeed, do everything they could do with their limited capacity to think-and-act strategically; and that, even more than Jeanie's reluctance to spend, might be the biggest red flag about the ownership of this Laker franchise. Dr. Buss with Jerry West had vision, always thought two-three moves ahead of other franchises, and would not be debating what to do with Westbrook. They would have either hired a coach who could optimize Westbrook's talents or just cut bait, eat the cost, and move on. Jeanie and her sewing group are indecisive, and when compared to the more shrewd ownership groups in the NBA, Jeanie and her team look like they are bringing knives into a battle against enemies who armed with nuclear weapons.

[myersia]

Is this real?

Read on Twitter

?s=21&t=nQb08e6Jyon2wZL_GMdviA

[Landsberger]

I read the same articles and my take is we're killing whatever value Westbrook has and will eventually trade away all our future flexibility to move him, in a stupid trade...

Exactly this....

[Landsberger]

Having said all that, I am VERY disappointed at the way Jeannie has handled their spending. Per Spotrac. Lakers actually were 6th in top Payroll not 4th. https://www.spotrac.com/nba/cap/2021/

Forbes actually ranked the Lakers as 3rd in highest Value at 5.5 Billion and yet Jeannie set a very hard Budget forcing Rob not to retain Caruso, Save money in hiring assistant coaches and not taking in good players who could have helped the team last season.

Some points to note here...

1) The Lakers had the 6th most in Team Salary and paid the 5th most in Luxury Tax... so the Lakers spent the 5th most in the league overall.

Highest NBA Team Salaries of 2021-22:
1) Golden State Warriors: Salary: $184,024,769... Estimated luxury tax bill: $170,331,206.
2) Brooklyn Nets: Salary: $172,836,362... Estimated luxury tax bill: $97,731,568.
3) Los Angeles Clippers: Salary - $166,162,398... Estimated luxury tax bill - $83,114,696.
4) Minnesota Timberwolves: $165,399,845 (Estimated luxury tax bill: $0)
5) Milwaukee Bucks: $161,923,369 (Estimated luxury tax bill: $58,647,698)
6) Los Angeles Lakers: $160,861,720 (Estimated luxury tax bill: $45,113,318)

Source

2) Yet 16 other teams made it to the playoffs and 4 other teams made it to the play-in... 20 in total. 3 of the 4 Conference finalists also spent considerably less than the Lakers.

3) Don't forget to add the Salary + Luxury Tax when figuring out how much team owners have spent in total. GSW has spent $350m on their team this season, while we have "only" spent $205m. That's a difference of $150m dollars more than us! $238m more than the salary cap, $214m more than the Luury Tax threshold.

So I don't think the problem is our level spending... but the level of spending that the league allows teams like GSW to do in order to win a title. Something needs to be done to curb that and level the playing field... but money is the root of all evil. Therefore GSW is the root of all evil in the current NBA, ahead of Brooklyn and the Clippers.

4) Forbes Valuations do not have much direct correlation on the ability to spend. A valuation is the estimated value that a buyer would have to pay in order to acquire the team.

I would note on the total salary front that younger teams with players that haven't hit their peak earning potential vs teams with max cost veterans seem to correlate to the max salary numbers more than anything else. Signing your own players vs trying to build primarily through FA is also a difference. This is why strategy before tactics wins the day. FA is a tactic. San Antonio had a strategy for nearly 2 decades to stay relevant. The post Jerry Lakers have been in swing for the fences mode ever since he got sick. Strategy has been an afterthought.

[Kilroy]

Is this real?

Read on Twitter

?s=21&t=nQb08e6Jyon2wZL_GMdviA

Russel Westbrook is the GOAT... Can we retire his jersey now?

That said, it's probably not real... Still even fake, it's the greatest thing that's happened to the Lakers all summer...