Luke I think is safe for this season, but whether he stays will depend on whether we make the playoffs....and whether we limp into it or actually go into it strong. I do not think Luke is a “great” coach, but without Lebron, Rondo, and now Zo....not sure what the expectation was. Also, Ingram’s unsteady season, Zo’s lack of a shot and inconsistency, it suggests that the young “core” may just not be that good other than for Kuzma. That is a longer term problem for the FO that they really need to address either by the deadline or in FA this coming season.
That they're losing is not Luke's problem. How they're losing and who they're losing to in these games where they come out lackluster and not ready to compete is his problem. You get your doors blown off in the 1st quarter against the Knicks, Cavs, Timberwolves, that's a problem.
That and they didn't hire him. Their 1st HC hire will probably be LeBron friendly because that's generally what you do when you have a superstar of this magnitude that's still in their prime
Also don't see how having a team of terrible 3 pt shooters and the worst FT shooting team in the league is his fault, either. That said, I'm not convinced he's the one to take this team to the promised land.
I probably wouldn't lump the Twolves next to the two others because they actually have talent, but I get it. Any in season change shouldn't happen and would be pointless.
They tried for JJ Redick and he said he gave them heavy consideration, but ultimately he felt he had unfinished business with Philly. 2 way street. Guys have to sign on the dotted line. Once that was done and shooting dried up, they decided to sacrifice shooting for pace, ball handling, defense and " dawg ". We always talk about adding more shooting, but many of the guys that shoot very well can't defend worth a damn. Redick is in his 14th or 15th year and is bad defensively. Philly had interest in KCP for much of the season because they had to at least try to offset Redick's bad D with a backup who can defend. Tomorrow's game VS PHX, also one they're expected to win..just like the games/losses against the Knicks, Cavs, Grizz, Nets, Wiz, etc. Suns are tanking and terrible. An in-season switch to Shaw would be pointless unless they felt like guys would play harder for him, then maybe. It'd also kill a lot of the tension because everybody has to know that Luke is a dead man walking. There's already a lot of pressure to win these games. You don't come out from the outset and stake claim..longer the game goes on, more you let a trash team hang around, more the tension builds. And a team that's incomprehensibly bad from the free throw line obviously doesn't handle pressure well
Had Pincus' report the other day and now this one.. According to the Los Angeles Times' Dan Woike on Saturday, one NBA executive doesn't believe Ball has the personality to "run a team," while an Eastern Conference scout said the former UCLA star has been too passive at the start of his professional career. Meanwhile, Woike reported another scout believes Ball "will figure out his shot. His style of play is appealing and contagious. A change of scenery will do him wonders, I think." While Ball has shown some promise, he recently suffered a Grade 3 ankle sprain that is expected to keep him sidelined for at least a month. This comes after he was limited to just 52 games as a rookie due to an MCL sprain, among other things. His inability to stay healthy to this point in his career is being viewed as a red flag by some around the Association. "His injuries have really hurt his value," a scout from a Western Conference team told Woike of Ball. One Eastern Conference scout believes Kyle Kuzma would fetch Los Angeles the biggest return of all of its potential trade chips, and another source also offered high praise of the second-year forward. "He's been the most consistent from what I've seen," a Western Conference scout told Woike. "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." Brandon Ingram—the second overall pick in the 2016 draft—may be the most polarizing piece of the Lakers' young core, though. One Eastern Conference scout believes Ingram is a better long-term asset than Kuzma, and a Western Conference source believes the 21-year-old forward still has major potential. However, Ingram's toughness, shooting and "average motor" were all questioned.
Among my Christmas presents were tickets to today's Lakers-Suns game. Of course when my wife purchased them a certain #23 was playing and the team was full of playoff promise. Now we're traveling three hrs today to watch basically the same old shit show as the previous two years. We'll have a good time regardless.
Los Angeles LakersVerified account@Lakers Today we remember the greatest owner in sports. Happy birthday, Dr. Buss! Maybe they'll win one for the gipper
Several well known scouts pegged Zu as the 3rd best player in the Simmons/Ingram '16 draft class at the time. Looking back, I can see an argument that he's Top 5 from that class. Marc Gasol was the comp then, still feels like the comp now. Will obviously need strides defensively, but he's still just 21. Marc Gasol was fat as hell @ 21 and out of sight and out of mind Anonymous scouts intrigued with Ivica Zubac, thinks he could have value for Lakers in trade talks 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.” One theory on Zubac: He’s precisely the kind of player a team could ask for late in trade talks — good enough and inexpensive enough for a team to acquire, yet not meaningful enough for the Lakers to kill a major trade.
These leaks feel like LAL and Pels execs going back and forth through the media Lol But I don't like this next report..warned of this a while back and how Demps may have to have some courage in this thing.... In the meantime, the Pelicans must first decide whether they should deal their best player, per Heisler: " Trading for Davis depends first on A.D. demanding such a deal. To date, he seems to be following James' lead, hiring LeBron's in-house agent, Rich Paul, going out with LeBron after the Pelicans' Dec. 21 game here. There's now talk of a backlash—teams 'pressuring' the Pelicans not to cave to the players, play ball with the Lakers and ruin the league." Just outright fuckery. Still. Even after they colluded to stop CP3 from joining Kobe, after molding an anti-Lakers CBA..after the Warriors and other teams like the Celtics and Sixers have stacked their rosters. Still.
The so called “small market” teams ganged up on the Lakers and killed the CP3 deal, and they got in return, a system that allows a super team in a big market (think about this, Klay, Steph, KD, Iggy, Dray, and DeMarcus on the same team in the Bay Area). And they are still afraid of the Lakers?
Pretty amazing. But I guess that's what happens when you kick ass as long as the Lakers have kicked ass
" Every night is Dr. Buss night. " Damn right. Sorry ass Dodgers' ownership group makes you appreciate the hell out of the good Doc Woooooaah Rajon Jordan on that play
