LAKERS (LAKERS) Thread

This clip epitomizes why I could NEVER consider James the greatest ever -- or even top 5. Yes he was talented, yes he had the physique, yes he had the stats, and yes his longevity was remarkable. But his flopping, whining, and taking plays off negates much of the positives in his game. The greatest players didn't need any of that to be great.

 

@HookaMVP
LeBron Makes Luka Worse.

The eye test says it, and the stats say it.

Luka would’ve had the easiest run to MVP and LeBron couldn’t stand it, he wants all the attention to himself even if it means icing out your star player and making your team worse.

FREE LUKA DONCIC

 

@ApexJones22
When you're such a profoundly underachieving loser that you had the gall to try and re-name WINNING "ring culture," any claim you make to greatness will never be taken seriously by those who respect true competitors and loathe quitters.

 

@BrickCenter_
LEBRON POSTER DUNK
Video: HERE

 

NBACentral@TheDunkCentral
Jeanie Buss was reportedly so frustrated with LeBron James that she privately considered not re-signing—or even trading—him in 2022, including floating a deal to the Clippers, per @Baxter.
She also had concerns about LeBron’s ego and Klutch Sports’ influence over the Lakers.

should have gone with your gut jeanie

 

Since the only point of this thread seems to bash the Lakers and LeBron im gonna chip in with a little bit of news.
The Lakers are actually now mostly owned by Abu Dhabi with the Tull/Walters group as the american minority owner middle men.

Then again most Dodgers fans dont know all the crazy shit Guggenheim has been up to with China, ICE, private prisons, ImmigrationOS, etc... money money money.

 

Why not bash the Lakers some more?

I was reviewing a list of Laker first round draftees since 2000 (see below), and that's odd since I have no current interest in the team but I'm a bit bored and happened upon it.

Now, the Lakers didn't have the best track record with their drafting. Part of that could be blamed on typically picking near the end of the first round. Part can be blamed that they often had traded away their pick. But part of it is probably that assessing amateur talent and discovering the diamond in the rough was never their strong point.

Nevertheless, as I went down the list, I saw a number of players that at the time they were selected, I had high hopes for them. A few stuck around and contributed to varying degrees, while some were duds right away. A particular dry spell started around 2014. After five years of no first round pick they went with Randle, who had a heart issue but eventually became a solid player, albeit not for the Lakers. Then there was Russell, Nance Jr, Ingram... I tried getting behind these guys (no homo). But in 2017 it was Lonzo Ball, and that whole side show with his dad was a hard no for me. That and James joining the team the next year and I was done. I know this because when I look at the first round picks from 2018 on, I don't recognize a single name.

Ball instead of Tatum would have never happened with Jerry Buss, West, Riley, or Jackson at the helm. Pelinka and Jeanie and sorry but Magic too were looking for the Hollywood story instead of sizing up the player to see who would make the biggest impact on the court. And the rest is history.




2000: 29, C/PF, Stanford
Mark Madsen

2002: 27, SF/SG, Fresno State*
Chris Jefferies

2003: 24, PF/C, Illinois
Brian Cook

2004: 27, SG/PG, Slovenia
Sasha Vujacic

2005: 10, C, St. Joseph (HS)
Andrew Bynum

2006: 26, PG, UCLA
Jordan Farmar

2007: 19, SG/PG, Georgia Tech
Javaris Crittenton

2009: 29, PG/SG, Florida State*
Toney Douglas

2014: 7, PF, Kentucky
Julius Randle

2015: 2, PG, Ohio State
D'Angelo Russell

2015: 27, PF, Wyoming
Larry Nance, Jr.

2016: 2, SF, Duke
Brandon Ingram

2017: 2, PG, UCLA
Lonzo Ball

2017: 28, C/F, North Carolina*
Tony Bradley

2018: 25, C, Michigan
Moritz Wagner

2019: 4, SF, Virginia*
De'Andre Hunter

2020: 28, SF, Washington*
Jaden McDaniels

2021: 22, C, Kentucky*
Isaiah Jackson

2023: 17, SG, Indiana
Jalen Hood-Schifino

 

@RealSkipBayless
I wasn't surprised about a single thing I read in the new ESPN story about Jeanie turning on LeBron. It just took Jeanie a while to see through the act that has fooled millions of Blind Witnesses.

i don’t often agree with skip bayless (who does?) but the broken clock saying occasionally applies

 

@Goatmanx23
The City of LA is celebrating tonight following the news that LeBron's days with the Lakers are numbered. The Lakers are finally going to go back to being great again.

 

jeanie is full of shit though
she knew what she was doing
lebron never fooled anyone
everyone knows what he is
they used each other for what they could offer
she complaining about lebron taking all the credit is lame
her complaining that he didnt appreciate that she drafted Bronny is super lame
she admitting what we all knew
that Bronny being drafted was a gift to LeBron
and LeBron did not kiss her ass enough for it
besides the Lakers culture has always been image worshipping trash
she could not let the temptation of bringing in a superstar pass her by
hence why she brought in Luka now to spite LeBron
Luka in his prime will never play as well defensively as a 41 year old LeBron
Luka in his prime will turn the ball over as much or more than a 41 year old LeBron.
The things we hate about LeBron are the weaknesses that Luka has.
He dominates the ball more than LeBron and takes every bad shot you can think of and then more.
But he is a superstar and guaranteed box office for the next 10 years.
He will attract the big ticket celebrity buyer that makes being courtside the place to be for elites.
The same way LeBron did before him.

I personally for basketball reasons would prefer to see Reeves leading the backcourt and the team built around him. But im a sucker for seeing home grown players become the star.

 

@ClutchPoints
"I want fans to understand that playing 82 games in the 80s & 90s is not the same as playing 82 games in the 2020s. ... The way we play, the level of pace, the speed that we're playing at, it's a different game now."
— LeBron James
__________________________​

uh, wrong again douchebag…

@notrllykira
@grok compare the pace of the NBA in the 1980s and 1990s to the 2020s, which era had the highest pace on average and most possessions per game…

@grok
Based on Basketball Reference data:
• 1980s (1980-81 to 1989-90):
Avg pace 101.3 possessions/48 min
• 1990s (1990-91 to 1999-00):
Avg 92.5
• 2020s (2019-20 to 2024-25):
Avg 99.0
The 1980s had the highest average pace and most possessions per game. Modern efficiency boosts scoring despite slightly lower pace.

 

He's such a tool.

 

@Goatmanx23
Everyone who knows basketball knows that LeBron has limited skills; his game consists of bulldozing to the paint, getting a layup or a foul, and flopping if nothing goes his way.