Rebooting the Lakers' Dynasty: ONE YEAR PLAN

[Dr Aki]

i still dont like it.

one thing about the lakers are that they will always compete, and tanking just isnt in our DNA.

at the moment, we still have the core and the trade pieces to complete this team. if you have that chance, you dont gamble against it in the hope the future will be brighter

you gamble now until kobe's contract is up for renewal. every championship is worth gambling for

[yows]

I saw tank highlighted in bold and stopped taking the post all too seriously
while strategically for a franchise who have little to no resources, ala hornets/lolcakes tanking is a valid plan, the lakers are not in this position.

while it may, as the op suggests, be used as retaliation to small market owners, its also a big FU to fans who expect this prestigious organisation to find a way to be a competitive team on the floor regardless of the difficult environment.

whilst i can also see some similarities between this group and post championship heat, the distinct and material difference is we are asset rich by way of gasol and bynum as opposed to a washed up shaq.

tanking is not our one year plan to rebooting this dynasty, the trading of gasol/bynum, the reduction of salary to operate in the new cba and to procurement of more suitable role players can be addressed via trade and this likely our most efficient and effective way to regroup.

[milesfides]

We already tanked! For Bynum! And we have more reasons to do it this next season - to avoid the luxury tax, clear salary, and bottom line, get better.

We really don't have the core or trade pieces. First of all, Pau is very likely going to be traded. There goes the core. No more core. Second, Pau isn't going to be traded for a great player. Unlikely for a great established player, because the Lakers don't want to take back a lot of salary (see: luxury tax in 2014), and nobody is going to give up a great player on a rookie contract for Pau. So the best the Lakers are going to get is probably Lowry + first round pick. Does that make us a better team? A decent upgrade from Sessions, but no Pau? Heck no, that doesn't make us a better team, that makes us a worse team. Almost any trade scenario with Pau Gasol makes us a worse team next season. We have to embrace that fact. And plan accordingly.

You're right, the Lakers must gamble right now - but not by trying to keep this failing team together. Moving Pau won't make the Lakers better. Even moving Bynum or Kobe won't make the Lakers better. The Lakers have to make major changes, because they have too many holes, too thin, too old, and they're handcuffed by the new CBA.

The need for MAJOR change on the Lakers is obvious to most people. Magic said it. Even Mitch said it. But one unsaid fact is this: the Lakers cannot get better and cheaper unless they make some major changes to get some talented rookies on rookie contracts on their team. How else are the Lakers going to shave 15-20m off their salary...and get much better?

No other answer.

[Jajwanda]

Would Washington deal the 3 with Lewis for Gasol? L.A. avoids that major payment in a year. (Close to 50m in savings including luxury tax).

[yows]

it appears you are adamant in your position miles.

its great to see you have enthusiasm but there are a lot of closed end statements being made here.
theres mention of not being able to obtain a great player if a gasol trade scenario, ignoring the events that occured in last offseason.

the funny thing about these suggestions is all honestly, fans are making estimates with limited information. in essence, from what i could extract from your post miles, the objectives from your plan is to essentially 'double dip' by way of sacrificing one year in order to obtain a young draft pick and maintain the current core.

from what i have understood from the new cba, there is no possible way for the lakers to retain their current core without incurring significant taxes and sacrificing the ability to obtain good quality role players. neither outcomes are what management is looking to achieve.

there are other factors to consider as well, i honestly do not think any of the players would buy into a tank, especially considering the amount of losses that are involved to yield a high draft pick that can make an immediate impact on the team.

[milesfides]

Would Washington deal the 3 with Lewis for Gasol? L.A. avoids that major payment in a year. (Close to 50m in savings including luxury tax).

Maybe. Don't you think the Lakers could do better (e.g., perhaps Lowry +14th pick). But if the Lakers could dump either Artest or Blake, and maybe get Seraphin? Why not? The Wizards make the Eastern playoffs with Wall, Nene and Gasol... Seriously.

it appears you are adamant in your position miles.

its great to see you have enthusiasm but there are a lot of closed end statements being made here.
theres mention of not being able to obtain a great player if a gasol trade scenario, ignoring the events that occured in last offseason.

What happened last offseason? Losing Odom? What great player did we get? I'm confused.

from what i have understood from the new cba, there is no possible way for the lakers to retain their current core without incurring significant taxes and sacrificing the ability to obtain good quality role players. neither outcomes are what management is looking to achieve.

Exactly...so you realize the problem.

there are other factors to consider as well, i honestly do not think any of the players would buy into a tank, especially considering the amount of losses that are involved to yield a high draft pick that can make an immediate impact on the team.

Nobody has to buy a tank. Kobe just needs to get surgery, and it's over. Actually, the Western Conference is so competitive, just losing Gasol could cause the Lakers to miss the playoffs anyways. How hilarious is that? Now, we can try to make our lateral moves and miss the playoffs, and get even worse the following year, or we can miss the playoffs and get MUCH better. The other Lakers won't have to try to tank, they'll play hard, they'll just suck because they won't have enough talent. Without Kobe and Gasol, the Lakers are going to lose a lot of games. A lot. Especially under Mike Brown.

[yows]

the success of your premise is based on the inability to acquire talent from trade, which would be of course the most timely and cost effective means of improving the roster. whilst cp3 was ultimately not acquired last year, it does highlight the capacity to obtain a high level player or at the minimum a mid-tier. Even if a gasol trade does not yield equal value returns (which trades ever do?) who is to say that the sum of parts is not greater than an individual peice. I do not think, that we as fans, unless privy to the information of every nba front office, can come to the conclusive assessment that a beneficial trade cannot be achieved, this is pure speculation.

if in the event that the lakers could exercise no other option, then of course i can see the appeal in your proposal.

[eckoner]

The reality is when Pau and or Bynum are traded this summer the FO will have 2 objectives to achieve in that trade.
1. Cut salary
2. Get a "Good" player back

Not great player, Not franchise player but a good player because we all know just like all of the other owners know the Lakers are in cost cutting mode.

Now we should be able to get a pretty good role player back for Pau and maybe a draft pick or two but it wont be a high pick best you believe it!

The problem is we are trying to cut cost.....so that means we are looking to trade with a team under the cap so we dont have to take back the same amount of salary we send out or we want a young "Prospect" coupled with an expiring contract and a pick to soften the blow.

We actually are pretty screwed and i feel bad for Kobe because i just dont see him getting that "6th"

Thanks STERN!!!!

[Asianiac_24]

I just can't see Kobe agreeing to just give up a year like this, he only has a few left. I truly believe if our FO is willing to trade Bynum, we'd have a legit chance of competing again. It doesn't have to be for Deron or Dwight, we could get a package that fills our needs nicely IMO. The way I see it, trading Bynum is basically trading away a few mediocre 30-40 win seasons for a chance to become a true championship contender NOW. Hopefully our FO realizes this so LA could have another parade soon.

[miggs]

I just can't see Kobe agreeing to just give up a year like this, he only has a few left. I truly believe if our FO is willing to trade Bynum, we'd have a legit chance of competing again. It doesn't have to be for Deron or Dwight, we could get a package that fills our needs nicely IMO. The way I see it, trading Bynum is basically trading away a few mediocre 30-40 win seasons for a chance to become a true championship contender NOW. Hopefully our FO realizes this so LA could have another parade soon.

What makes you think Kobe only has "a few left"? Kobe will be 34 in August and he's actually not playing that bad considering all his injuries, for better or worse I see Kobe playing until he's 40, if not more. He looks like one of those guys who's going to play until the wheels fall off, regardless of how we feel it "ruins his legacy". I don't even ever remember Jordan playing for the Wizards, in my mind he retired in 98


We tanked in 05 for Bynum, Kobe has said he has full faith in mgmt. I think the FO would tell Kobe we're going to tank and therefore making it easier for kobe to get that much needed wrist surgery done, meanwhile whatever roster we have is out there doing the best they can.


#tankswag

[milesfides]

Which Kobe would you guys rather have, this coming season when he has no rest from the Olympics and still battling his bad wrist, or the season after that, fully rested and body right?

Of course Kobe will want to compete. He plays through anything and everything. Critics were killing him for his turnovers and shooting, but the dude was getting injections in his wrist for pain and had to have a full time therapist Judy Seto working on him ON THE BENCH.

Tim Grover marveled, “I’ve never seen anyone do what Kobe’s doing right now.” That's the guy who was Jordan's personal trainer.

Kobe's a guy who takes left-handed shots if his right is broken. He's just a warrior. But the team needs to help him from himself, because he can't shut himself off. He's wired to be the Terminator. You just need to pull the plug on him.

It's super simple: the Lakers can force Kobe to get the surgery he needs, go to Germany to PRP his finger arthritic finger, and just get plain ol' rest. How?

Well, when the Lakers trade Gasol for lesser players, Kobe will not be happy. He's not an idiot, he knows what the Lakers' chances will be. But once management explains to him the plan, the logic of sitting out a year will be much more palatable, if knowing his teammates will be younger, more athletic, more energetic, more talented. It's one year to reload, both for himself and for the team.

And if Kobe still doesn't want to sit and wants to stubbornly battle a lost fight? Then the Lakers have to tell him that fine, they'll try to trade him. Of course, they won't be able to find a trading partner, so Kobe doesn't have a choice. What is he going to do, demand to...sit out? Lol, perfect.

But I'm fairly confident Kobe will understand and have the patience to wait just one year. Dude's bball IQ is very high. He knows the game, he follows the game. He knows the Lakers' situation. He's not playing with Kwame, Cook, Mihm, Luke, and Smush for years in a row.

He knows the Lakers have some pieces, but he also knows it's not enough.

[ALL HAIL]

You could tank now and trade players later assuming their value goes up ... or just trade Bynum now and compete for a ring next year.

We surely don't have to be that creative to rest the most popular player in the game for an entire season.

I'm sorry but that' s slap in fhe face to the ethics of the game.

I know Laker fans feel cheated being vetoed, having CBA rules constrict activity, and seeing New Orleans get Davis, but resting Kobe for the year while holding up your middle finger is classless.

The Lakers, I would hope, are above this type of shameless behavior.

This front office stuff is just like the real game ... you get some bad calls, you get some gifts.

The Lakers have had some bad calls this year (veto, new CBA), but we've surely had some gifts in the past and will continue to get more.

We just have to use all that creativity miles for good ... that isht your talking about is straight evil, the beginning of the end of the NBA.

[Wile E. Coyote]

No tank you.

[Draper]

What's the general thought on trying to swing two trades this offseason. The first being a Pau deal for Lowry and Scola. Then the tougher one... forming a package around Drew for Dwight. With the Nets not having a pick, Drew quickly becomes the most promising prospect for the Magic. Even if you can't pull off the Dwight trade, I don't think our lineup is too shabby.

Lowry
Kobe
MWP
Scola
Drew/Dwight?

[Jajwanda]

Well the point with Dwight is you have to watch Brooklyn and what they're doing. If they sign one FA or they make another move to keep Deron that means next year they lose leverage to sign Dwight at all. Once that is gone, I could see Dwight saying alright I want to be a Laker. That's an ideal team yes and I think Mitch will definitely go for it. Lowry is very good at getting through picks from what I remember.

[milesfides]

So the Lakers should pay $50m in luxury taxes to the league while being first round fodder? That should be their plan? That's their destiny? That's honor? That's the right thing to do?

Give me a break.

First, Bynum isn't likely getting traded for anybody except maybe D-Ho if he changes his mind about an extension with L.A. No other substantial indication that the Lakers are looking to trade him for anybody else.

And if D-Ho gets on the Lakers, that still doesn't give the Lakers the ring. Because Gasol is still getting traded for salary cap relief and the Lakers are still not going to have options to add significant talent. No proven power forward. No proven point guard. No third star. No reliable bench. That's just real talk.

And don't bring up the scruples of tanking. For the billionth time, the Lakers already did it with Bynum. Hell, even the exemplary Spurs tanked, when they had David Robinson, to get Tim Duncan. It's part of the game, every team does it. Teams have to. Every team has to take its turn if they're trying to rebuild, and the Lakers clearly have to rebuild- in fact, are already rebuilding.

And you want to talk about honor and doing the right thing?

Kobe has always competed, played his heart out. When he should have been sitting, he's played. You know in the movies, the old champion standing up getting the crap beaten out of him? That's going to be Kobe. He is going to be somebody's foil. He's going to be the old guy that's going to get pummeled, while the crowd cheers for the new champion.

You know why? Because he's not normal. He doesn't protect himself or his legacy. He doesn't live to fight another day. He doesn't roll out when he's strongest. He's going to show up, hell or high water, at high noon. He's going to play with bad teammates. Bad knees. Broken fingers. Torn ligaments. He's going to staple himself together and battle. He's going to give fans something to cheer for when he shoots one-legged, when he dances with his footwork, when he surprises us with the tomahawk. He's going to give haters something to bitch about when he loses the ball, when defenders' hands slap at his torn wrist and broken finger. When his shot goes awry late in the game because his legs buckle under the irresponsible number of minutes his coach has to play him.

And he's going to strap it up again this summer, because his country needs him. Everybody has gotten their piece of Kobe. He's been the hero, he's been the goat, he's been the champion, he's been the loser, he's been the ageless, he's been too old, he's given them all their different story lines for a lifetime.

Now it's time for Kobe to create his own story. To choose his destiny. This is about giving Kobe what he deserves: a chance to get his body right. A chance to compete at full strength.

This is about Kobe going into battle with his guns loaded. This is about Ali, standing strong against the circling pack of Foremans.

This is about the Lakers choosing not to die the slow death the world expects. This is about the lakers choosing to step into the Jordan to be born again.

[Jajwanda]

So if L.A. pulls off an Iggy deal for Gasol, signs a spread PF, and gets Dwight you don't see them winning. They'd have three of the best perimeter defenders to lock down teams throughout the playoffs. With Igoudala, they could put Sessions on the bench and have a shooter play the 1.

PG- Goudelock (Fisher role), Sessions
SG- Bryant, MWP
SF- Igoudala
PF- Beasley, Hill
C- Howard, Vucevic

That's one possibility out of many and these aren't incredibly difficult deals to do. Gasol and Bynum have worth.

[milesfides]

Too.Much.Money. Dwight makes almost 20m next year year and is due for 105% max in 2014. Iggy makes 15, then 16 in 2014. And how much will Beasley be?

Punitive luxury/repeater tax says that's an unlikely roster.

Also, still can't compete with Spurs as far as 1-5 and bench depth. Also, still two huge questions at two positions, PF with Beasley who is border line starter and Goudelock and Sessions against Tony Parker? That would be murder.

Iguodala is a good player. But based on his salary, he's just not productive enough. He's needs to be able to score more, he needs to be able to attack defenses better. You can't give the max to a player who is essentially a role player, and he's a great one like Joe Johnson, but neither is a max player on a championship team trying to avoid the triple lux tax.

It's not by accident that the Spurs, Miami, and OKC are the three best teams, and all three have their 3-star core making less than a total $60m dollars. And each team's depth is directly related to how much money is left for the role players. Miami has the most tied up to their stars, so they have the weakest supporting cast.

The Spurs are set to win back to back championships because they have been able to sign Parker and Manu below market value. That freed up money to give them that ridiculous depth they have.

I'm sure Kobe is going to sign to a much lower contract in 2014. It's a reality of both his free agent market value and the reality of putting together a championship team.

But the Lakers have to be incredibly judicious about the rest of the contracts, especially the ones that carry past 2013.

That's the real danger of signing very established and older stars. They are going to be making above the maximum salaries, like closer to 20m. That's fine if you're absolutely the elite. But if you're not, then you can't overpay because it's going to directly hurt your depth.

The easy answer is to pay a younger players' first max salary. That's why I like Harden. If he signs for the max, that's $13m a year. That's why I really, really like Kyrie Irving. Because even if he's not a top 3 point guard like Deron Williams, he's incredibly affordable right now, and when he is due for a max contract, he starts at $13m.

It's all about timing in this league. And the Lakers have it stacked against them. They need to reset their roster because they are on the wrong side of time right now.

[Beethoven]

Just unload Bynum, bring in KG, sign Beasley, grab another decent PG, and get Phil to come back as head coach. That will definitely bring in the banner for 2013 and 14.

[ALL HAIL]

First, Bynum isn't likely getting traded for anybody except maybe D-Ho if he changes his mind about an extension with L.A. No other substantial indication that the Lakers are looking to trade him for anybody else.

But, theoritically, you can't dismiss trading Bynum because there is "no other substantial indication that the Lakers are looking to trade him for anybody else", when in fact there is absolutely no indication that the Lakers are looking to tank either.

You're better than that.

In trading Bynum, as opposed to your suggestion, the Lakers, at the very least, remain honorable and worthy of some type of respect as an organization.

Most reasonable sports people would agree that your idea, albeit logical, is unethical and crosses a line that could have long term ramifications.

What you're suggesting is the epitome of "flopping". It's fake. It's acting. It's lying. It's manipulation.

Except your idea is much worse.

There are other ways.

And I find it funny you can dismiss one idea (trading Bynum) that actually should have merit in favor of another idea (Kobe faking injury) that has absolutely no merit whatsoever.