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

[Regular_P]

Not everyone is in love with the Lebron everything narrative. Lebron gets the props while the role players get little credit if they succeed.

Other guys saw Kyrie average 27-29 in the Finals but the media act like LeBron did it all alone. It isn't like LeBron shied away from that narrative either.

 

[Sinnerman]

If the rumors about Kawhi not wanting to play with Bron are true, then we need to be prepared for the possibility of a FA strikeout next year(On Kawhi,Klay, KD etc.)

 

[2Quik4UHoes]

[Woj] “Butler had once imagined playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, but LeBron James' arrival as the franchise's cornerstone made it less appealing for Butler in the prime of his career, league sources said.”

Source: Sources: Butler most interested in Clippers


This is the 3rd all-star player reportedly not wanting to play with LeBron.

Wouldn’t be a good fit anyway. I’m not on the Butler bandwagon. As for Kawhi, I learned that this Maglinka regime plays shyt close to the vest so the rumors could just as much be fake stories as they could be true. I think if Kawhi goes to the Clippers it’s cuz they were aggressive and had the better pitch plus by then maybe they got Butler on the squad.

Butler should go to the Knicks tho. I think that fan base would appreciate his gritty style.

 

[G-Zeus]

If the rumors about Kawhi not wanting to play with Bron are true, then we need to be prepared for the possibility of a FA strikeout next year(On Kawhi,Klay, KD etc.)

dont really need a superstar... stretch 5 at most.

and by that i mean.. they dont need a MEGA name on the squad.. but someone who gets the job done with the star threatment...

 

[DonkeyPuncher718]

Wouldn’t be a good fit anyway. I’m not on the Butler bandwagon. As for Kawhi, I learned that this Maglinka regime plays shyt close to the vest so the rumors could just as much be fake stories as they could be true. I think if Kawhi goes to the Clippers it’s cuz they were aggressive and had the better pitch plus by then maybe they got Butler on the squad.

Butler should go to the Knicks tho. I think that fan base would appreciate his gritty style.

Knicks fans loved John Starks for his tough play and hard work. They will worship the ground Butler walks on if he comes to NY and makes the team tough and play defense god forbid he takes them to the playoffs then forget about it

 

[2Quik4UHoes]

Knicks fans loved John Starks for his tough play and hard work. They will worship the ground Butler walks on if he comes to NY and makes the team tough and play defense god forbid he takes them to the playoffs then forget about it

Yeah I definitely see that happening. That self made underdog story, chip on his shoulder type shyt. Chicago was also a nice fit for that but the Knicks just make so much sense in this scenario.

 

[Flex Luger]

• Magic on LeBron: “You forget, I watched LeBron from, of course, afar, but to watch him in the gym is a whole different thing. Oh my goodness, it's something to watch. To watch him in the gym is a whole different thing. How much he makes everybody better, but also how he raises everybody’s level of play. His basketball IQ and his leadership ability.
• Pelinka said that Jeanie Buss asked what the notable trait of this team is, and he said that it's their competitiveness, and that having a multitude of those guys has an exponentiation positive impact.
• Rob Pelinka on the Lakers they’ve been watching throughout the summer: “This group of guys is as competitive as you can imagine … and Luke as the leader and coach is an ultra-competitive guy. He’s a fiery competitor. The gene of being a competitive individual is something that gets multiplied almost like compound interest when you have competitive guys in the gym."
• Magic says that he hasn't been this excited in a long time. Says they brought in guys who have won championships in LeBron, Rondo, & McGee, which he says is what the young guys needed. Not just vets, but vets with that type of experience. Magic says LeBron is "already in midseason form. You're sitting there thinking, man, glad we signed him."
• Magic: “Rondo will help Lonzo go to another level...we got the right mentor.”
• Pelinka noted how Magic, Rondo and Lonzo sat down to watch a Lakers-Pelicans game from last season. Rondo took them through what he was seeing on the court, and then Lonzo weighed in. Magic , “the best PG to play the game” oversaw it.
• Magic says that whoever gets the rebound this year - they're gone. They want to run despite LeBron's history of playing on slower teams than how the Lakers played last year. But said it's ultimately up to Luke. "We don't want his usage to be high. We're gonna run. We're not looking for one player." - Magic on team's offensive identity with LeBron. Magic said that plenty of other players could initiate offense with the ball (mentions Rondo, Lonzo, Ingram). Magic is really empowering Luke in this press conference. Magic adds that Luke is already been scheming how to implement LeBron and the rest of the new guys.
• Rob Pelinka: "If you use a sports car analogy, we wanted this team to have a lot of engine thrust, and not just from one player. You can go down our list. We have playmakers and guys that can get it, and not just come at you, but come at you with force."
• Magic: "We built this team off what we saw in the playoffs."
• Magic says they're "very happy" with the center position, feels like they have 2 guys at every position. Singles out JaVale's ability to block shots, and how they haven't had a guy like that here for a while. Notes his lob ability on pick & rolls too. Pelinka notes that they don't even talk about "center" and "point guard" and positions like that anymore. They look at it through a positionless lens. Magic also named Beasley playing some five. Pelinka mentioned 7 or 8 guys are 6’8"-9” and above.
• Magic Johnson said Kyle Kuzma got mad he was left off a top-100 list: "I'm glad so he can keep working hard," Johnson said. Magic singles out KCP & Kuzma as looking like "totally different guys" from a physical standpoint.
• ROB IS TELLING A STORY: Rob Pelinka begins, "I don't know if it's an ancient tale of old..." and proceeds to compare Kuzma to a kitten running around the jungle, mimicking a lion, but not understanding what it means to be king of the jungle until seeing a real lion at work. LeBron is the lion. The point being that having champions around shows young guys how to be that for real, even if they thought that's what they were doing before.
• Magic says that Lonzo Ball is gonna be ready to have a breakout season. Magic emphasizes that it's Lonzo's balance - rather than his shooting stroke - that was the biggest issue as a shooter.
• Pelinka on Lonzo Ball (knee scope in July): "He’s been 100% cleared by our medical staff to return to full basketball activity. Because he hasn’t played NBA 5-on-5 for 4 or 5 months, there is a progression to come back." Pelinka added that Lonzo will be participating in most parts of practice from Day 1, but just won’t be in the full 5-on-5 scrimmages until he ramps things up.
• Magic says if Space Jam has the budget for it, he's open to being in it,
• Magic says that he expects them to struggle at first because of all of the new guys trying to play together. Told Luke not to worry about the possibility of a bad start.
• Magic: "I'm happy that LeBron is building his brand on and off the court. He will be the model for these young guys ... how to dominate on the court and be a champion but also dominate off the court."
• Asked Rob Pelinka if there's any concern Lonzo will miss regular season games. "It’s impossible to predict the future when you’re coming back from injuries." Adds they feel great about where his recovery is.
• When asked about the interesting characters that the Lakers signed this summer, and Magic says that he views them as champions who bring toughness and what this roster needs. Says he doesn't care about what's happened with those guys in the past. Wants them to be themselves. Pelinka says not only are they not concerned with the personalities that they signed...it was intentional. Says that if you go back and look at the championship teams, they have guys like that. Each guy they signed was brought in with the "teams ahead of them" in mind.
• Magic said LeBron called his shot to end a pick up game today by saying he was going to get to his spot and hit a 3 over Kuz, and of course, he did so. It was a game winner. Magic asked Kuz why he went for the up fake, and Kuz just shrugged. Magic is using it as an example of how Kuzma and others will continue to get better.
• One major theme of this presser has been how much learning has been taking place during pickup games they’ve played thus far.
• Magic on Luke Walton: “We’re excited for Luke and his coaching staff. Luke has been working very hard to figure out how to utilize all the pieces. Luke’s a winner. As a player, up at Golden State, and he’ll be a winner here too. He'll know how to put them in a winning position." Pelinka says that they view their roster as one of the deepest in the NBA and they want to take advantage of that by coming at teams in waves.
• Pelinka talked about the LAL roster depth as “an extreme strength.” He thinks Luke Walton will manage it well. “Our roster and its strength actually lines up perfectly with our coach and his strength."
• Magic said there’s been a major shift in energy from last year at this time to the present due to the incoming vets (LeBron, Rondo, Lance, JaVale, Beasley). Much more talking. More competitive. Running plays. Just completely different in a good way. Young guys are rising up w/it.
• Magic said Kuzma has been terrific, and was dominating certain 5-on-5’s runs, feeling like he was LeBron … at least up until LeBron got back. Then, you know, LeBron was LeBron.
• Magic Johnson says Lonzo Ball will “hopefully be back sometime in the exhibition season.” He calls Lonzo’s tweaked jumper “beautiful.”
• Magic said Rondo has been terrific in 5-on-5’s. Didn’t want to play on LeBron’s team, but wanted to run the other team. Within one of the scrimmages, Magic added that Svi barely missed a shot. Thinks he hit 6 straight 3’s.

This are cliff notes from the press conference Magic and Rob had today. It was streamed on the team website.

 

[Flex Luger]

 

[Lakerman0834]

these cacs blocked cp3 and kobe which would have been 2+ more titles now maglinka bout to go nuclear and they shook

 

[Flex Luger]

Here's the press conference

 

[2Quik4UHoes]

• Magic on LeBron: “You forget, I watched LeBron from, of course, afar, but to watch him in the gym is a whole different thing. Oh my goodness, it's something to watch. To watch him in the gym is a whole different thing. How much he makes everybody better, but also how he raises everybody’s level of play. His basketball IQ and his leadership ability.
• Pelinka said that Jeanie Buss asked what the notable trait of this team is, and he said that it's their competitiveness, and that having a multitude of those guys has an exponentiation positive impact.
• Rob Pelinka on the Lakers they’ve been watching throughout the summer: “This group of guys is as competitive as you can imagine … and Luke as the leader and coach is an ultra-competitive guy. He’s a fiery competitor. The gene of being a competitive individual is something that gets multiplied almost like compound interest when you have competitive guys in the gym."
• Magic says that he hasn't been this excited in a long time. Says they brought in guys who have won championships in LeBron, Rondo, & McGee, which he says is what the young guys needed. Not just vets, but vets with that type of experience. Magic says LeBron is "already in midseason form. You're sitting there thinking, man, glad we signed him."
• Magic: “Rondo will help Lonzo go to another level...we got the right mentor.”
• Pelinka noted how Magic, Rondo and Lonzo sat down to watch a Lakers-Pelicans game from last season. Rondo took them through what he was seeing on the court, and then Lonzo weighed in. Magic , “the best PG to play the game” oversaw it.
• Magic says that whoever gets the rebound this year - they're gone. They want to run despite LeBron's history of playing on slower teams than how the Lakers played last year. But said it's ultimately up to Luke. "We don't want his usage to be high. We're gonna run. We're not looking for one player." - Magic on team's offensive identity with LeBron. Magic said that plenty of other players could initiate offense with the ball (mentions Rondo, Lonzo, Ingram). Magic is really empowering Luke in this press conference. Magic adds that Luke is already been scheming how to implement LeBron and the rest of the new guys.
• Rob Pelinka: "If you use a sports car analogy, we wanted this team to have a lot of engine thrust, and not just from one player. You can go down our list. We have playmakers and guys that can get it, and not just come at you, but come at you with force."
• Magic: "We built this team off what we saw in the playoffs."
• Magic says they're "very happy" with the center position, feels like they have 2 guys at every position. Singles out JaVale's ability to block shots, and how they haven't had a guy like that here for a while. Notes his lob ability on pick & rolls too. Pelinka notes that they don't even talk about "center" and "point guard" and positions like that anymore. They look at it through a positionless lens. Magic also named Beasley playing some five. Pelinka mentioned 7 or 8 guys are 6’8"-9” and above.
• Magic Johnson said Kyle Kuzma got mad he was left off a top-100 list: "I'm glad so he can keep working hard," Johnson said. Magic singles out KCP & Kuzma as looking like "totally different guys" from a physical standpoint.
• ROB IS TELLING A STORY: Rob Pelinka begins, "I don't know if it's an ancient tale of old..." and proceeds to compare Kuzma to a kitten running around the jungle, mimicking a lion, but not understanding what it means to be king of the jungle until seeing a real lion at work. LeBron is the lion. The point being that having champions around shows young guys how to be that for real, even if they thought that's what they were doing before.
• Magic says that Lonzo Ball is gonna be ready to have a breakout season. Magic emphasizes that it's Lonzo's balance - rather than his shooting stroke - that was the biggest issue as a shooter.
• Pelinka on Lonzo Ball (knee scope in July): "He’s been 100% cleared by our medical staff to return to full basketball activity. Because he hasn’t played NBA 5-on-5 for 4 or 5 months, there is a progression to come back." Pelinka added that Lonzo will be participating in most parts of practice from Day 1, but just won’t be in the full 5-on-5 scrimmages until he ramps things up.
• Magic says if Space Jam has the budget for it, he's open to being in it,
• Magic says that he expects them to struggle at first because of all of the new guys trying to play together. Told Luke not to worry about the possibility of a bad start.
• Magic: "I'm happy that LeBron is building his brand on and off the court. He will be the model for these young guys ... how to dominate on the court and be a champion but also dominate off the court."
• Asked Rob Pelinka if there's any concern Lonzo will miss regular season games. "It’s impossible to predict the future when you’re coming back from injuries." Adds they feel great about where his recovery is.
• When asked about the interesting characters that the Lakers signed this summer, and Magic says that he views them as champions who bring toughness and what this roster needs. Says he doesn't care about what's happened with those guys in the past. Wants them to be themselves. Pelinka says not only are they not concerned with the personalities that they signed...it was intentional. Says that if you go back and look at the championship teams, they have guys like that. Each guy they signed was brought in with the "teams ahead of them" in mind.
• Magic said LeBron called his shot to end a pick up game today by saying he was going to get to his spot and hit a 3 over Kuz, and of course, he did so. It was a game winner. Magic asked Kuz why he went for the up fake, and Kuz just shrugged. Magic is using it as an example of how Kuzma and others will continue to get better.
• One major theme of this presser has been how much learning has been taking place during pickup games they’ve played thus far.
• Magic on Luke Walton: “We’re excited for Luke and his coaching staff. Luke has been working very hard to figure out how to utilize all the pieces. Luke’s a winner. As a player, up at Golden State, and he’ll be a winner here too. He'll know how to put them in a winning position." Pelinka says that they view their roster as one of the deepest in the NBA and they want to take advantage of that by coming at teams in waves.
• Pelinka talked about the LAL roster depth as “an extreme strength.” He thinks Luke Walton will manage it well. “Our roster and its strength actually lines up perfectly with our coach and his strength."
• Magic said there’s been a major shift in energy from last year at this time to the present due to the incoming vets (LeBron, Rondo, Lance, JaVale, Beasley). Much more talking. More competitive. Running plays. Just completely different in a good way. Young guys are rising up w/it.
• Magic said Kuzma has been terrific, and was dominating certain 5-on-5’s runs, feeling like he was LeBron … at least up until LeBron got back. Then, you know, LeBron was LeBron.
• Magic Johnson says Lonzo Ball will “hopefully be back sometime in the exhibition season.” He calls Lonzo’s tweaked jumper “beautiful.”
• Magic said Rondo has been terrific in 5-on-5’s. Didn’t want to play on LeBron’s team, but wanted to run the other team. Within one of the scrimmages, Magic added that Svi barely missed a shot. Thinks he hit 6 straight 3’s.

This are cliff notes from the press conference Magic and Rob had today. It was streamed on the team website.

Everything I wanted and expected to hear. This is gonna be a memorable season brehs.

 

[HoopLife]

I can't wait to see what improvements Ingram has made. I hope Luke/Bron prioritize Ingram as the second option instead of Kuz.

 

[Flex Luger]

 

[Regular_P]

I can't wait to see what improvements Ingram has made. I hope Luke/Bron prioritize Ingram as the second option instead of Kuz.

I think Kuz is gonna thrive this year but Ingram is the better player long term.

 

[Flex Luger]