LAKERS LAKERS Thread

DLo out and Randle going through some struggles on the bench, they should be able to put together a timely 15 game losing streak if they lose to the Pelicans tomorrow, and possibly put a little distance between themselves and Brooklyn for the 2nd worst record

 

I'm not opposed to Jaylen Brown @ #3 either.
But yeah, plain and simple, I want them to have a chance at Simmons or Ingram

 

And the Skal kid isn't having a great year, but be warned..big men usually take a back seat under Calipari.
Calipari held Randle, Anthony Davis, and Boogie back.
Can't really blame Cal too much tho because the college game is extremely guard oriented and he's trying to win too.

Skal's %s aren't off the charts, but they aren't bad either, 51%FG and 73% from the free throw line, he's gotta catch up defensively tho and stop fouling so much.
There's something to work with there as a project, really good athletically

 

42 on the Clips @ a more athletic 275lbs (2009)
37 on the Clips @ a heavier, more skilled 295lbs (2012)
Bynum was a beast
Deandre Jordan was served badly in '12, the 2nd vid

 

Yeah I'd give that to Derozan just to get the ball rolling on the free agent scene, all-star upside.
Even if they drafted Simmons I'd sign him.

 

25 M? Lol
Midas whale give that to Kobe again

 

The mega-max under the new CBA is gonna 30MM+
A lot of " entry level all-star guys " are about to be making 25MM+
Joe Johnsons all around.
Harrison Barnes should be in that Derozan mix

 

I meant Ferguson. They suck.

 

Obviously I'm a USC guy, so I like DeRozan, but I'm ok with him I guess. You guys gotta realize with the cap increase guys like DeRozan will be worth that max. However I don't again think he's a great fit, kinda similar player to Clarkson actually. Clarkson and DeRozan could play together but it wouldn't be ideal. And then the thought of drafting Simmons with those 2 is even more trash, no shooting at all would be fucked.

 

Need shooters at every position. Must have shooters not brick layers. Must.

Playmaker is a minimum requirement.

 

Really the only similarities between Derozan and Clarkson is that neither is an excellent 3pt shooter and both enjoy slashing, Clarkson's actually respectable from 3pt land now tho.
Derozan would bring more size/length and versatility than Clarkson does on the wing, can defend big/athletic wings and small guards as well, he's also all-star caliber which of course Clarkson is not.
Clarkson has very little post game, which Derozan does have and he's also a better passer/playmaker than Clarkson, has more experience.
Derozan's just a better player, so if they find that he and Clarkson can't fit together then Clarkson is probably the guy they should move, especially if they have designs on adding Westbrook at some point anyway.

As for Simmons, you're sort of assuming that Simmons can't or won't play some center in the league.
He wouldn't be the greatest fit at center from a defensive presence standpoint in terms of altering shots, but Draymond Green isn't altering any shots with GSW either and he's causing plenty of problems for opposing teams at a much smaller size than Simmons.
@ 6'10" and tough on the glass, mobile, Simmons should cause a lot of problems for teams at the center position if he buys into being a mobile/versatile defender in the mold of Green at that spot...he could be sort of be " Draymond Green on steroids " if his shooting comes around as well because we already know Simmons is a great passer/playmaker.

I can't imagine opposing centers in the league stopping Simmons when he's at his best, and eventually he should be able to defend centers better than they can defend him because of all his skills.
Any team that drafts Simmons is looking at the opportunity to play 5-out, the chance to have 5 guys on the floor that are capable of sizing defensive players up off the dribble from the outside which will of course open up lanes for passes/cuts/drives/etc.
May not want to play Simmons there exclusively, but he could have a major advantage there for a long time.

 

You're right... I don't envison Simmons at the 5 for any long stretches

And our shooting would still be shit

But the Lakers need talent right now and DeRozan is definitely a talent. Certainly better than Clarkson. I've been on record stating before that I'm ok with trading Clarkson in the right deal.

 

If I were Kupchak I'd like to see that unit together 1st
Simmons and Randle up front, both able to rebound and push the ball up the floor and pass the ball very well potentially makes for a damn good transition team when you have Clarkson and Derozan running the floor, filling lanes.
I'm basically just giving us Simmons already and shit with all this talk tho. Lol
We may not even get him, but hey I'll take Ingram...may not get him either, but you know what I mean.

 

I guess I forgot AD wasn't playing, but yeah they should be better than that even without AD.
The schedule looks like its about to hand out it's fair share of Ls tho

 

It's my duty to inform you that this thread is officially closed. In case no one noticed, it is now 2016.

Please cease and desist from any further posting in this thread.

Thank you.