Why I'm sure/confident it's we did it just last year.
But it is a possibility that we lose the pick, in that event, there's likely to be an regime change in management (may end up happening even if we keep it) and we roll with this squad for next year hoping they improve. We won't need to tank cause we'll own our 2018 pick, and will likely still be bad enough to get another high one. As for the roster; losing the pick actually decreases the possibility for them moving D'Lo or Randle exponentially.
Tanking is beneficial for this year because technically we'd not be only saving our 2017 1st rd pick but our 2019 1st rd pick as well as it goes to 2 second rounders to Orlando should we keep this year's pick. That pick will also be valuable in any potential deal going forward should they decide to make one.
We have to build through the draft no shortcuts around it, just how the landscape of the league is. So either these guys will show up and out for us or they'll play well enough to possibly package for a star since free agency is very limited. The Laker brand doesn't mean anything anymore.
The problem with your response is that everything about it is centered on "HOPING."
Hoping we keep the pick. Hoping we draft Fultz if we get the pick. Hoping DLo and Randle play well enough so that we can package them for a star in the future.
Just because LAL tanked last year and got the #2 pick, doesn't mean they will get a top 3 pick again, let alone for the third straight year. Remember, we were lucky with the number 2 in 2015 as we basically switched spots with PHI. I believe either NY or PHI had better odds than the Lakers in getting the number 2 pick in 2015. We got LUCKY.
You think the Lakers gonna get lucky again for the second time in three years? Not sure about that one buddy. All I know is this: all of you team tank members can only HOPE we get lucky once again.
Face it, the odds are against the Lakers that they will hold on to the pick. The math says they have less than a 50% chance. Which means, it doesn't look good.
And there ain't no rulebook that says the Lakers "HAVE TO" build through the draft just because the Sixers and Wolves are doing it. Those teams got GEMS. The Lakers on the other hand didn't pick gems. And just because the Warriors "build through the draft" doesn't mean the Lakers will have similar success and that they must do the same. Curry is a once in a generation talent who wasn't even picked in the top 5!! So in other words, you can say the Warriors LUCKED OUT without even realizing it. Thompson wasn't a top 5 pick either. And neither was Draymond. My point: half the time, you're HOPING to get lucky in the draft and more often than not, it won't pan out for you.
Like I've been saying all along, the Lakers have to go with what's in front of them and ACT AGGRESSIVELY. They know that other teams still may believe DLo and Randle have an upside, or that they can potentially turn into something solid. That's their value at this point. I, on the other hand, don't believe this. But Mitch and Jim are being shortsighted if they actually believe these two players have all kinds of upside.
Maybe it's a ploy to further lead other GM's into believing that Randle and Russell can actually be great, hench building up their perceived value so they can get max value in return. Who knows? At the end of the day, the Lakers best chance is NOT to tank and instead be aggressive in the trade market and get as much for these two players as they can before more time goes by and Randle/Russell prove that they're not as good as advertised.
The Lakers have to conjure up the balls to take that risk.
Because if it turns out by 2018-2019 that Randle and DLo end up being scrubs, at that point the Lakers will get absolutely NOTHING in return. At least right now, they'd still be able to get a solid player if they package the perceived potential of Russell and Randle as the selling points in a deal.
