The old king can’t let go, the bird queen is a bimbo, Imperial limbo ain’t so simple: Your GOAT franchise Boss Angeles Lakers 2024 Offseason Thread
- Thread starter 2Quik4UHoes
- Start date
Fixed that for you.
Lakers been rebuilding since the Spurs series in 2013, please stop the bullshyt. We missed the playoffs every single year from 2013 until AD got here and we immediately won a championship. Nobody was coming to Los Angeles, with free agents preferring the Clippers over us.
We would STILL be a team missing the playoffs without LeBron.
LeBron been here for 6 years
2019 Bron Got Hurt
2020 Won Title
2021 AD got hurt in playoffs, Bron hurt during the season
2022 Westbrook Fiasco, AD hurt, Bron hurt
2023 WCF Bid
2024 Now (season isn't over)
These LeBron years have been marred by injuries and mismanagement of personnel. Even then, they delivered a title and made the playoffs 2 times.
GreatestLaker posted an image earlier that was relevant, here it is again:
Pay attention to the Laker years, vs the 2nd Cavs stint and the Miami stint.
What stands out is the Cavs and Miami surrounded LeBron with SHOOTERS, something LA has failed to do every single year he's been here outside of the Bubble year.
Miami gave him Ray Allen (40%), Mario Chalmers (37%), Shane Battier (38%), James Jones (42%) and Mike Miller (41%)
Cleveland gave him James Jones again (41%), Kyle Korver (44%), Kyrie Irving (39%) J.R. Smith (38%) and Kevin Love (38%)
LeBron with SHOOTERS is a proven system. It works, period. In the Bubble, the Lakers had Danny Green (37%), Markeif Morris (36%) and KCP (39%)
So, if we want to salvage this season, Los Angeles needs to make moves for guys that can shoot.
Buddy Hield is being made available, and we know Lavine is on the trade block. They are both shooters (Lavine and Hield shoot 38%)
The Lakers are losing games for two main reasons:
1. They leave teams wide open for three
2. They can't fight back with threes of their own
The first issue can be fixed with a better defensive scheme and effort, which ultimately comes down to coaching. This is why the vast majority of people that watch these games (not just Kobe stans that are upset LeBron is on the team) have been complaining about Ham.
The second issue is one that can be fixed with trades. The Lakers have two guys that can shoot at a decent clip (other than LeBron): Prince and Reaves. The problem is that with the rotations the Lakers have, it's somewhat rare to have both those guys on the floor, and then in the lineups they're not both on the floor, the Lakers can't fire back.
LeBron's game has been well known since he first came into the league: DRIVE AND/OR KICK.
So then why has the Lakers organization put guys around Bron that get in the way of/don't fit the drive and kick? Westbrook, Vando, Reddish, Hayes, Beverly, Gabriel, Juan Toscano-Anderson, THT????
This is why the Lakers have struggled with LeBron. LeBron thrives with guys that cut and are active in the half court. If they're running around screens to get open on the perimeter, LEBRON WILL FIND THEM.
When you put guys on the floor that cannot shoot, they can cheat off their man, killing LeBron's drive to the basket. This is why LeBron has started firing more threes-- he can't get to the bucket easily anymore because the paint is crowded AND AD is there.
The solution is simple-- if a guy is shooting 36% or better, seriously look at acquiring him by the trade deadline. You don't even have to make huge trades (like Lavine would be); two guys that can stretch the floor and open up the lane will be all it takes. Once teams have to start respecting our wing shooting, the lane opens up and LeBron gets to operate like the CLE/MIA days.
Trade-eligible players the Lakers should be looking at:
1. Cameron Johnson (41% from 3, 15 PPG) Salary $25m
2. Herbert Jones (36%, 11 PPG) Salary $12m
3. Matisse Thybulle (38%, 6 PPG) Salary $11m
4. Buddy Hield (38%, 13 PPG) Salary $21m
5. Zach Lavine (33% currently, but he's sandbagging to get traded; he normally shoots 38%) Salary $40m
6. Dejounte Murray (39%, 21 PPG) Salary $18m
Two of these guys potentially turns the season around. Buddy and Lavine combination would be lethal with LeBron and AD, but it might cost Reaves getting one or both those guys, and that salary hit would be BRUTAL.
Murray is the most interesting one. He's a pure scorer, has a relatively decent salary for the Lakers and shoots 39% from three.
Edit: couple mistakes corrected regarding salaries. My information was outdated.
1. They leave teams wide open for three
2. They can't fight back with threes of their own
The first issue can be fixed with a better defensive scheme and effort, which ultimately comes down to coaching. This is why the vast majority of people that watch these games (not just Kobe stans that are upset LeBron is on the team) have been complaining about Ham.
The second issue is one that can be fixed with trades. The Lakers have two guys that can shoot at a decent clip (other than LeBron): Prince and Reaves. The problem is that with the rotations the Lakers have, it's somewhat rare to have both those guys on the floor, and then in the lineups they're not both on the floor, the Lakers can't fire back.
LeBron's game has been well known since he first came into the league: DRIVE AND/OR KICK.
So then why has the Lakers organization put guys around Bron that get in the way of/don't fit the drive and kick? Westbrook, Vando, Reddish, Hayes, Beverly, Gabriel, Juan Toscano-Anderson, THT????
This is why the Lakers have struggled with LeBron. LeBron thrives with guys that cut and are active in the half court. If they're running around screens to get open on the perimeter, LEBRON WILL FIND THEM.
When you put guys on the floor that cannot shoot, they can cheat off their man, killing LeBron's drive to the basket. This is why LeBron has started firing more threes-- he can't get to the bucket easily anymore because the paint is crowded AND AD is there.
The solution is simple-- if a guy is shooting 36% or better, seriously look at acquiring him by the trade deadline. You don't even have to make huge trades (like Lavine would be); two guys that can stretch the floor and open up the lane will be all it takes. Once teams have to start respecting our wing shooting, the lane opens up and LeBron gets to operate like the CLE/MIA days.
Trade-eligible players the Lakers should be looking at:
1. Cameron Johnson (41% from 3, 15 PPG) Salary $25m
2. Herbert Jones (36%, 11 PPG) Salary $12m
3. Matisse Thybulle (38%, 6 PPG) Salary $11m
4. Buddy Hield (38%, 13 PPG) Salary $21m
5. Zach Lavine (33% currently, but he's sandbagging to get traded; he normally shoots 38%) Salary $40m
6. Dejounte Murray (39%, 21 PPG) Salary $18m
Two of these guys potentially turns the season around. Buddy and Lavine combination would be lethal with LeBron and AD, but it might cost Reaves getting one or both those guys, and that salary hit would be BRUTAL.
Murray is the most interesting one. He's a pure scorer, has a relatively decent salary for the Lakers and shoots 39% from three.
Edit: couple mistakes corrected regarding salaries. My information was outdated.
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Herb Jones is a terrible shooter.
Thybulle has been a terrible shooter during his career but has ticked up with no pressure in Portland. That Lakers Tax will crush him.
Murray is a career 34% three point shooter. Again, Lakers Tax. He'll get to LA and look like Ramon Sessions.
Lakers don't have anything to offer Brooklyn for Cam Johnson.
Lavine and Hield are the best bets. Between the two, give me Lavine. Hield will probably look like Malik Beasley in LA.
He's shooting 36% this year from three playing the 3 and 4 for the Pelicans:
He's also a plus defender, something we need. This is a two-way player for not that much money.
This is definitely possible
This I disagree with.
I think Dejounte comes here and thrives. He's a scorer for way less money than Lavine-- he's literally currently averaging the same PPG as Zach, but for $22 million less, AND is a better defender based on advanced metrics (although he is inconsistent). He's also currently shooting 39%-- this cannot be overlooked. His career stats mean nothing for this year.
This depends on if the Nets blow it up. D'Lo/Rui and a second round pick might get that done.
Alternatively, the Lakers could look at Dorian. Less money, two way player, shooting 41% from three all on less than D'Lo's salary. D'Lo straight up for Dorian Finney Smith saves us money and gets a better player.
Contract-wise, Hield is the smarter move. He's only behind Steph Curry in threes made, which is a consistency we desperately need.
I like Lavine, and we could use a dynamic player like that, but the Bulls owe this nikka $180m breh
@ this thread. nikka posts a picture showing half of Bron's teams had lower tier offenses and blaming it lack of shooters. Yet Kobe was out here leading the Lakers to top 10 offenses even with Smush, Luke and Kwame in the starting line up. Whether we were a good team or bad team with Kobe we were damn near guarenteed to have a top 10 offense. But with Bron he gets the title of the guy who makes his teammates better and he manipulates the roster every season and still gets excuses when his team is 25th in offensive rating 
but oh let me guess, when The Birdman is waist deep in the hood in Inglewood, everyone there is a bron supporter who looks down on "Kobe fans" who apparently don't like the Lakers
but oh let me guess, when The Birdman is waist deep in the hood in Inglewood, everyone there is a bron supporter who looks down on "Kobe fans" who apparently don't like the Lakers
Torrential
LWO
imagine being the type of fan who hops from fanbase to fanbase trying to speak on loyal laker fans. You dudes have no right to speak on our affairs
you shouldn’t even be allowed to post in this thread unless Chucky Atkins was ever your starting point guard
you shouldn’t even be allowed to post in this thread unless Chucky Atkins was ever your starting point guard
Trojan 24
Veteran
Trojan 24
Veteran
but oh let me guess, when The Birdman is waist deep in the hood in Inglewood, everyone there is a bron supporter who looks down on "Kobe fans" who apparently don't like the Lakers
That efficiency graph lines up pretty well with Bron getting better then getting older, must be coincidence. Too bad we can't pair him with statistically one of the best players of all time
GreatestLaker
#FirePelinka
steph_harden
Superstar
Malik and Lonnie are defensible.
But letting Brook walk like that was rough.
And of course one of the worst decisions in any franchise's history in letting Caruso go. What makes it even worse is the pennies Caruso is making right now relative to his value. He offered to take even less than that just to stay with the Lakers....and they still turned it down
We might have to wait 50 years before we see generational incompetence like that again..
Lonnie wasn't defensible but I don't think he would have stayed because of Ham. Was in the doghouse last season for no reason. Him and Schroder were massive losses.Malik and Lonnie are defensible.
But letting Brook walk like that was rough.
And of course one of the worst decisions in any franchise's history in letting Caruso go. What makes it even worse is the pennies Caruso is making right now relative to his value. He offered to take even less than that just to stay with the Lakers....and they still turned it down
We might have to wait 50 years before we see generational incompetence like that again..
Malik, they couldn't bring back because they could only pay him like $2 million and Sacramento offered more.
Caruso was on the cheap ass ownership. That was fukking disgusting and McMenamin has no credibility the way he ran PR for them after that debacle.
Lopez was on Magic: Magic Johnson admits that the Lakers not re-signing Brook Lopez was his mistake, attempts to justify moving on from Julius Randle and Ivica Zubac