A King and an Empire: The Official GOAT franchise Boss Angeles Lakers 2018-19 season

[Kal El]

I SAID CEILING .. CUZ DUDE SAID HIS CEILING WAS MAYBE ALL-STAR, WHICH TELLS ME HE CLEARLY DOESNT UNDERSTAND THE DEFINITION OF CEILING


KUZ IS ACTUALLY THE WORST ASSET LOL .. U TRIPPIN BRUH.

26 IS NOT YOUNG IN THE NBA .. THAT USED TO BE WHEN U REACHIN UR PRIME, BUT NOWADAYS IT MEANS U HAVE A FEW GOOD YEARS LEFT IF U STAY HEALTHY (WHICH IS A BIG IF WITH AD)

IMAGINE AD AT 31 YEARS OLD .. ZO AND INGRAM GUNA BE IN THEIR PRIME WIT A DECADE LEFT OF BALL IN THEM AND IF EITHER OF THEM PAN OUT, ITS GUNA LOOK BAD. IF BOTH OF THEM PAN OUT, ITLL BE A CATASTROPHE.

Kuz is the first player NO will mention in any package for AD.

31 isn’t that old. This isn’t the NFL where 30 means you fall off a cliff. Dirk and KG both won their first rings at 32.

AD is a sure thing.

 

[bl2k8]

Kuz is the first player NO will mention in any package for AD.
.

 

[Kenny_Powers]

I spilled my drink reading that bullshyt. I’d trade 3 Kuzmas if it meant keeping Bi and Zo.

 

[Sccit]

Kuz is the first player NO will mention in any package for AD.

31 isn’t that old. This isn’t the NFL where 30 means you fall off a cliff. Dirk and KG both won their first rings at 32.

AD is a sure thing.

MORE INTERESTED IN KUZ? HUH?? WHAT A WEIRD THING TO SAY LOL..PELS ARE CLEARLY MOST INTERESTED IN ZO - KUZ IS AN AFTERTHOUGHT.

AD IS NOT A SURE THING .. HE’S ONE OF THE MOST INJURY PRONE PLAYERS IN THE LEAGUE. KG WASNT THE BEST PLAYER ON HIS TEAM WHEN HE WON, AND DIRK WAS AT THE TAIL END OF HIS PRIME, WHICH WAS PROLONGED DUE TO THE FACT THAT HE NEVER RELIED ON HIS ATHLETICISM... MEANING 31 FOR A GROUNDED PLAYER WHOS BEEN RELATIVELY HEALTHY IS NOT THE SAME AS 31 FOR AN INJURY PRONE PLAYER WHO RELIES ON HIS ATHLETICISM.

I ALSO DONT GET UR NFL-NBA COMPARISON .. LOOK AT WHAT TOM BRADY IS DOIN PUSHIN 42. THATS INCONCEIVABLE IN THE NBA. LOOK AT PLAYERS WITH HEALTH ISSUES LIKE BIRD OR WADE AT 31 .... THEY WERENT EVEN HALF AS GOOD AS THEY WERE IN THEIR PRIME. BYNUM WAS AN ALL-STAR AT 24 AND NEVER PLAYED AGAIN.....THE IFS GO BOTH WAYS

 

[ALonelyDad]

Lakers will only 25 mil if they trade for AD now, maybe kemba is a realistic target with that money. KD is not taking pay cut

 

[Kal El]

MORE INTERESTED IN KUZ? HUH?? WHAT A WEIRD THING TO SAY LOL..PELS ARE CLEARLY MOST INTERESTED IN ZO - KUZ IS AN AFTERTHOUGHT.

AD IS NOT A SURE THING .. HE’S ONE OF THE MOST INJURY PRONE PLAYERS IN THE LEAGUE. KG WASNT THE BEST PLAYER ON HIS TEAM WHEN HE WON, AND DIRK WAS AT THE TAIL END OF HIS PRIME, WHICH WAS PROLONGED DUE TO THE FACT THAT HE NEVER RELIED ON HIS ATHLETICISM... MEANING 31 FOR A GROUNDED PLAYER WHOS BEEN RELATIVELY HEALTHY IS NOT THE SAME AS 31 FOR AN INJURY PRONE PLAYER WHO RELIES ON HIS ATHLETICISM.

I ALSO DONT GET UR NFL-NBA COMPARISON .. LOOK AT WHAT TOM BRADY IS DOIN PUSHIN 42. THATS INCONCEIVABLE IN THE NBA. LOOK AT PLAYERS WITH HEALTH ISSUES LIKE BIRD OR WADE AT 31 .... THEY WERENT EVEN HALF AS GOOD AS THEY WERE IN THEIR PRIME. BYNUM WAS AN ALL-STAR AT 24 AND NEVER PLAYED AGAIN.....THE IFS GO BOTH WAYS

Source?

And AD is a very skilled player. He's not a guy who relies 100% on his athleticism, so even when that starts to fade he will still be a great player.

As far as the NFL/NBA debate on longevity, Tom Brady is an outlier, as are the NBA examples you gave. It's much easier to have a long lasting career in the NBA than it is in the NFL for obvious reasons.

I spilled my drink reading that bullshyt. I’d trade 3 Kuzmas if it meant keeping Bi and Zo.

Are ya'll rating Zo and BI higher than Kuzma based off their performance on the court, or because of their draft position? I can see an argument for Zo being the most valuable trade piece. But BI has been the worst out of the three.

Here's an article that shows scouts discussing all of our trade assets - out of the five scouts/front office people they spoke to, three had Kuzma as the #1 asset and two had him as the second best. So top 2 at worst.

Scouts debate trade value of Lakers’ young players as NBA deadline approaches

In an effort to try to gauge what talent evaluators around the NBA think of the Lakers’ young core, The Times spoke to five different scouts and front office people from the Eastern and Western Conferences, asking them to rank Ingram, Ball, Kuzma, Josh Hart and Ivica Zubac in terms of trade value.

“The aggregate value of their assets was much higher six months ago than it is today,” one Western Conference executive told the Los Angeles Times on the condition of anonymity. “And, for all of them, with the exception of Kyle Kuzma, that value is worse.”

Ingram, the Lakers’ No. 2 pick in 2016, would’ve been atop the rankings had these interviews been conducted before the season, but some uneven play in his third season, combined with Kuzma’s continued growth as a scorer has evaluators torn on the two.

“He has a higher ceiling,” one Eastern Conference scout said of the 6-foot-9 Ingram. “Kuzma might be a better player today, but if someone wants an asset, it’s Ingram.”

Another Ingram supporter from the Western Conference also pointed to his potential as the reason why he’d be the most coveted.

Ingram’s detractors, of which there are some, have him as far down the list as third because of a combination of poor shooting, passivity and physical concerns.

“Average motor,” said an Eastern Conference scout who ranked Ingram behind Kuzma and Ball. “His scores are too tough. It doesn’t look as easy as it should at his size. [He’s] not as tough as he needs to be, not a three-point shooter and an inefficient playmaker.”

Kuzma’s ability to score earns him points among scouts who think he’d fit in a wide array of situations.

“He’s been the most consistent from what I’ve seen,” said a longtime Western Conference scout who had the 6-10 Kuzma at the top of his list. “He’s a legitimate scorer, he’s shown the ability to defend, and I think his body will hold up better in the next few years.”

No scout had Kuzma ranked lower than No. 2 and three had him at No. 1.

“I personally think Kuzma gets the most return because he has shown the most consistency and he has the most versatility,” an Eastern Conference scout said. “He’s shown he can have big scoring games as well. He’s also on a great rookie contract.”

The one scout who had Ball ahead of Ingram believes the 6-6 guard “will figure out his shot. His style of play is appealing and contagious. A change of scenery will do him wonders, I think.”

The big knocks on Ball, predictably, are his inability to stay healthy and his offensive game outside of passing.

One executive said Ball didn’t have the necessary personality to “run a team,” and that his passing ability gets negated by the fact that opposing defenses don’t view him as a threat to score.

Another Eastern Conference scout said Ball has the potential to “be a great piece” but he’s been too passive. No one ranked Ball, the No. 2 pick in last year’s draft, ahead of Kuzma, who was selected by the Lakers 25 picks later.

Hart’s been a favorite of evaluators for his toughness and willingness to scrap and defend, but most view him well behind Kuzma, Ingram and Ball in terms of upside. Still, one Western Conference scout ranked Hart second among the Lakers’ young pieces.

“I’m going with Hart because of his versatility on both ends, toughness and IQ. I think he fits any system because he’s just a basketball player and can’t be pigeonholed into one specific position,” the scout said of Hart. “I don’t think he necessarily needs to score to be efficient. He can impact the game in a variety of ways.”

The 7-1 Zubac has intrigued scouts with his soft hands and effectiveness in pick-and-roll offense. The reviews go from “poor man’s Marc Gasol” on offense because of his great feel for the game to “plays like a center should” to “just a fringe guy.”

 

[Karume]

Believe me a part of me feels the same way as you. I really like this team despite the struggles and at 100% I think we can challenge any team even GSW. But this seems inevitable, sadly this is the price of Bron. We got attached to the tank dogs through the wars and we not gon be able to see em grow up with us.

Might as well embrace it breh.

I understand Laker fans feeling the way you do. However how many teams grown strictly via draft get to the finals let alone win?

 

[West Coast Avenger]

Source?

And AD is a very skilled player. He's not a guy who relies 100% on his athleticism, so even when that starts to fade he will still be a great player.

As far as the NFL/NBA debate on longevity, Tom Brady is an outlier, as are the NBA examples you gave. It's much easier to have a long lasting career in the NBA than it is in the NFL for obvious reasons.




Are ya'll rating Zo and BI higher than Kuzma based off their performance on the court, or because of their draft position? I can see an argument for Zo being the most valuable trade piece. But BI has been the worst out of the three.

Here's an article that shows scouts discussing all of our trade assets - out of the five scouts/front office people they spoke to, three had Kuzma as the #1 asset and two had him as the second best. So top 2 at worst.

Scouts debate trade value of Lakers’ young players as NBA deadline approaches

Thank you for posting this story with the scouts...too many people think Zo is better than Kuzma when that isn't the case....the facts are all right here....

 

[O.T.I.S.]

Honestly, depending on how this goes i might check out the rest of the season.

If they give away everything, i think it will be a dumb move.

nikkas want AD just because he’s a big name and a big talent and because they want Lebron to be able to “challenge” GS. Thats not gonna happen with just AD.

If Kawhi comes thats a different story but aging Lebron + injury prone AD and thats all isn’t going to compete with shyt. Showtime ball is definitely out of the picture.

nikkas really trying to give up everything for one dude and still get bounced out the first round. Has anybody thought how these 2 dudes will even play together?

 

[Sinnerman]

 

[West Coast Avenger]

Honestly, depending on how this goes i might check out the rest of the season.

If they give away everything, i think it will be a dumb move.

nikkas want AD just because he’s a big name and a big talent and because they want Lebron to be able to “challenge” GS. Thats not gonna happen with just AD.

If Kawhi comes thats a different story but aging Lebron + injury prone AD and thats all isn’t going to compete with shyt. Showtime ball is definitely out of the picture.

nikkas really trying to give up everything for one dude and still get bounced out the first round. Has anybody thought how these 2 dudes will even play together?

.....

 

[G-Zeus]

MORE INTERESTED IN KUZ? HUH?? WHAT A WEIRD THING TO SAY LOL..PELS ARE CLEARLY MOST INTERESTED IN ZO - KUZ IS AN AFTERTHOUGHT.

AD IS NOT A SURE THING .. HE’S ONE OF THE MOST INJURY PRONE PLAYERS IN THE LEAGUE. KG WASNT THE BEST PLAYER ON HIS TEAM WHEN HE WON, AND DIRK WAS AT THE TAIL END OF HIS PRIME, WHICH WAS PROLONGED DUE TO THE FACT THAT HE NEVER RELIED ON HIS ATHLETICISM... MEANING 31 FOR A GROUNDED PLAYER WHOS BEEN RELATIVELY HEALTHY IS NOT THE SAME AS 31 FOR AN INJURY PRONE PLAYER WHO RELIES ON HIS ATHLETICISM.

I ALSO DONT GET UR NFL-NBA COMPARISON .. LOOK AT WHAT TOM BRADY IS DOIN PUSHIN 42. THATS INCONCEIVABLE IN THE NBA. LOOK AT PLAYERS WITH HEALTH ISSUES LIKE BIRD OR WADE AT 31 .... THEY WERENT EVEN HALF AS GOOD AS THEY WERE IN THEIR PRIME. BYNUM WAS AN ALL-STAR AT 24 AND NEVER PLAYED AGAIN.....THE IFS GO BOTH WAYS

Who u think getting traded?

 

[Darts]

It seems that some Lakers fans haven't learnt the lessons of 2012-2013, that "paper champions" and mashing all stars together doesn't guarantee shyt. The situation would have some eerie similarities:

- An aging legend at 34
- A big man with questionable health issues
- Aging PG with health issues
- Top heavy with not much depth and assets

In fact that 2012 team was much stronger on paper than Bron, AD and 13 question marks. I want AD but let's not act like it's a no brainer and there won't be some challenges ahead.

 

[The Connoisseurs]

Magic under pressure..

 

[Sccit]

Who u think getting traded?

MY GUESS IS THAT MAGIC IS CURRENTLY OFFERING

KUZMA + LONZO + KCP + DRAFT PICKS

I CAN SEE HIM SWAPPING OUT LONZO FOR INGRAM, BUT NOT TRADING BOTH .. I CAN ALSO SEE ZUBAC BEIN INCLUDED, AS HE’S SLOWLY BECOMING AN ASSET. THAT COULD BE A NEGOTIATING TOOL FOR MAGIC “ALRIGHT WE NOT GIVING BOTH ZO AND INGRAM, BUT WE’LL THROW IN ZU”

PELS COULD THEN END UP WIT A PACKAGE OF

KUZMA + LONZO + ZUBAC + KCP + DRAFT PICKS

ID SAY NEW ORLEANS MADE OUT WELL IF THEY GET ALL THAT FOR A PLAYER WHOS WALKING ANYWAYS