LAKERS LAKERS Thread

Durant and LeBoner FTW??

I'm personally interested in seeing this year work out. Durant to school BI? Who knows what deals these guys make in the crib??

And all in Lakers uni's??

LOLZ :thumbsup:

 

Whatever gets LAL past the Celtics in titles and of course the Celtics are going to be title contenders for a long while. Even if they eventually lose Kyrie they'll still be in good shape.

 

yes Long term but today, to do so, we need to conquer the Warriors.

The LeBoner / Rondo / youngsters lineup combo is almost worth salivating over... but ask me 15 games in

 

Yeah, I don't agree with the " Zo's only chance to make it in the NBA " stuff or him needing to fill huge shoes to be competent. He's making it in the NBA. He's already competent. He, Magic, Ben Simmons, and Oscar Robertson are the only guys to come right in averaging 10-7-7 or better and Zo plays excellent defense as well and is switchable. Listen to how the vets talk about Zo. He's sharp for his age.

Now, I get that you're worried about his overall shooting..I'm worried about his FT shooting mostly, but I get it. But he was only 19 years old this past season. If a 19 year old flashes ability in a given area over a solid stretch, it's OK to project him getting better in that area big picture. I never once saw Zo look comfortable at the FT line this season, that's why the FT line is the focus for me. But don't let any of that distract you from the fact that there was a 15 game stretch in the middle of the season where Zo was arguably a Top 3 shooter in the entire NBA from the 3pt line. He was shooting like 45% from the 3pt line during that stretch, and only Steph and Klay had better %'s over that span. 19 year olds generally get stronger physically after their rookie season, as Zo has this offseason, so I would expect to see some improvement in terms of consistency from deep. And as Tafnac said, guys are going to get more open shots this year thanks to LeBron, so Zo's looks will be better.

The league doesn't just permit guys to be terrible FT shooters, but they have greased the issue to a degree given that hackashaq is now illegal in the final 2 minutes of all quarters. It now comes with a penalty in the final 2 minutes..the team shoots 1 free throw and retains possession. But yeah, there was a point in the Rockets/Warriors series where GSW pulled hackashaq out on Clint Capela, so it's always there and nobody is above using it. And if Zo doesn't improve at the FT line, he may not be an option in pivotal spots. Rondo at 60% for his career is just a better option..Hart and KCP as well. Ingram as well, since he also plays point guard.

 

Fall.....thank you. I was catching up reading this thread last night before I fell asleep and was just too lazy to reply. I agree 100%. Especially with the first paragraph, 10-7-7......AS A 19YR OLD!!! Lets give the KID some time to adjust and get better before we start calling him a bust.

 

Did I miss the part where someone called Lonzo a bust??

Where'd that come from?

 

I wouldn't call him a bust yet but I certainly hope his off season body building makes him more durable.

 

there are definitely people calling him that and saying he's worthless

 

Capela back to the Rockets, too bad Fall I know you were hoping for a team change.

 

Durant is obviously the better scorer, but Leonard is way better on defense, and it makes him a better overall player for us.

If Magic and Pelinka are building a team that can score but play especially good defense, Leonard is the pick for me.

 

" Zo's only chance to make it in the NBA " is like something Lavar Ball's alter ego would say

 

Leonard's age would be the biggest factor for me if I'm taking him over Durant. Defensively, Durant is wildly versatile with insane length and good rim protecting ability. He's become a big impact defender in the paint.

And in terms of actually fitting a lineup together, with Durant @ 7 feet, he could actually play a lot of center for LAL and allow Kuz, Ingram and LeBron to soak up much of the minutes at forward, allowing Hart more minutes a guard. A trickle down in term of slot minutes.

Also, Magic and Pelinka are building the team..with the help of LeBron James, who seems to be pretty close to Durant. Just saying. I'll be happy to have Kawhi as well, but I see the good in going for Durant too. There's a lot of it. Especially given that taking Durant away from GSW would be a big blow to them. It's not like Curry isn't battling knee stuff seemingly every post season. If Kawhi had to settle for playing for the Clips because Durant has landed with LAL, Jerry West would have our scraps I guess.

 

Capela, 5yrs/90M to stay in HOU

 

Really no use fretting about a restricted guy. HOU would've probably matched any contract offer for Capela after taking the big plunge for CP3 and losing Ariza/LMM. I was hoping HOU would have to overpay Capela, but it worked out for them I guess.

Seems like a lot of restricted guys were paid well. Of course, our restricted guy got renounced and didn't. Julius may as well have just signed his qualifying offer to stay one more year and ride with LeBron and company to the WCF. He could've been unrestricted a year from now, but with playoff chops on his resume.

Watching the often injured Jabari Parker get 40M over 2 years must have made Julius sick to his stomach..Parker has been beating Julius for years now. In high school, Julius was the #1 player and then he got hurt and lost #1 in the nation status toooooooo, you guessed it, Jabari Parker. Then Parker goes before him in the draft.

 

yeah life sucks that way...

so Julius needs to step up and DO something about it or fuck off and be a footnote to "guys who left teams that went on to great success"

 

He once again finds himself in a good spot next to Davis in the NO. We'll see if he takes advantage. They should be a tough duo

 

Funny enough, Michael Beasley could be a draw for Durant. Obviously, LeBron is why Beasley is around now, but Beasley and Durant are very close. Hadn't even thought of that until now