**LA LAKERS THREAD** Sitting on 17! 2023-2024 offseason begins

[therealest1]

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at Dodger Stadium on 4th of July 2018.

I was able to move down to a 5th row seat in my favorite section, and he was there that day in the section to my left!

I took this picture when the stadium cameraman came down to put him on the stadium video board.

 

[Lizakers]

The Achilles season

 

[thasoleful1]

And just like that our title defense starts Dec 22. Let’s get it!

 

[ZKO_24_7]

November a big month for Pelinka

 

[sb]

not a fan of a december start. it is what it is though.

 

[therealest1]

not a fan of a december start. it is what it is though.

This upcoming 2020-21 season is reminiscent of the 2011-12 season with the December start with less than 82 games.

The 2011-12 season began late because that a%$ David Stern couldn't resolve another lockout in a timely manner. It's also the same offseason when that piece of commissioner vetoed the trade of Chris Paul to the Lakers effectively ruining his Hall Of Fame career by sending him to the biggest piece of owner ever, Donald Sterling, who constantly ran the piece of Clippers into the ground under his rule.

Stern is the worst commissioner in the history of sports because he had 2 lockouts 11 years apart on his watch, too many damn teams with unnecessary expansion, rigged NBA Draft lotteries, and lots of team relocations in addition to that vetoed trade.

I can understand the 2020-21 December start although I don't like it either because last season got stretched the F out due to a pandemic. They're trying to get back on regular track with 72 games and also have a preferred finish before next summer's postponed Olympics. And NBA players need time to prepare for Tokyo if they're going to hoop out there.

 

[pmatic]

I could see Pelinka leaning on the young guys [Caruso, Kuzma, THT, #28], but I could also see Pelinka aggregating some of the young guys for a veteran piece.

 

[pmatic]

Hollinger's estimated salary on our free agents:

Anthony Davis:

Spoiler

Anthony Davis (PO), Lakers — $43,428,784

Geez, is he worth the max, guys? I dunno.

Obviously, Davis’s only decision is whether to sign for one year or for several. Even on a max deal for $32.7 million this coming season, the Lakers project to have nearly $10 million in surplus value, and that number likely goes up as the cap increases in future seasons.

KCP:

Spoiler

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (PO), Lakers — $4,756,190

He’s likely to opt-out of his $8.5 million, and that is almost certainly the right decision, despite the number above. I think it’s fair to say Caldwell-Pope will get (over)paid after his playoff run for the Lakers. My formula earmarks his value a bit lower due to a lack of shot creation, and a bit of suspicion that he can maintain last season’s shooting numbers. (Caldwell-Pope shot 38.5 percent from 3 in 2019-20 but is just 34.4 percent for his career). Also, KCP’s playoff run wasn’t exactly as dominant as you might remember — a 10.5 PER and 41.8 percent shooting.

Subjectively, however, I’ve long been a KCP Stan and think he’s worth more than the number above. He competes defensively and I’ve never understood why his shooting form hadn’t translated into better results. He also shot 55 percent inside the arc, partly because he’s quit smashing poster dunk attempts off the back rim. At 27, he still should have a few years of solid production in front of him.

Caldwell-Pope’s most likely end game is a return to the Lakers, but one other option to think about is Atlanta. The Hawks have oodles of cap room and need 3-and-D wings desperately, and Caldwell-Pope is a Georgia native.

Rondo:

Spoiler

Rajon Rondo (PO), Lakers , — Minimum

Subjectively, I would pay Rondo more than this. Objectively, the numbers aren’t totally sure what to make of Rondo. While these ratings include the playoffs, Rondo’s much larger regular-season sample was bad enough that the playoffs only increased his rating from “way below replacement” to “barely above replacement.”

He’s 35 and the regular-season version of him isn’t very good, all of which indicates that he might have a lot more value to the Lakers than he would to, say, a mid-tier team looking to max out regular-season wins. I think it’s fair to expect him to return to L.A., but perhaps at a raise from last season’s minimum salary.

Dwight:

Spoiler

Dwight Howard, Lakers — $3,137,516

Howard played his part to a tee for the champs last season, providing an energy defender, occasional roller, and frequent troller. With limited minutes Howard made sure he got his licks in, committing an eye-popping 8.1 fouls per 100 possessions. He’s 35 and his offensive game is now extremely limited because he’s lost so much leaping ability, but he still moves well laterally and books up and down the court in short-minute bursts.

Javale:

Spoiler

JaVale McGee (PO), Lakers — $5,753,491

McGee vanished from the Lakers’ rotation as the playoffs wore on after starting 68 games for them in the regular season. He played well enough to earn a bigger deal than the $4.2 million player option he has for next season, but the lack of minutes in the postseason may hurt his market. At 32, it’s also hard to envision him scoring a multi-year deal.

As with several of the other bigs in this tier, McGee is accomplished as a lob threat and shot-blocker but less so in terms of spacing the floor and defending above the 3-point line. He’s likely looking at a 20-minute role in some team’s center rotation, whether it’s back in L.A. or in a new uniform. His opt-out decision will be a tough one in terms of money, but he’d be hard-pressed to find a better basketball situation than his current one.

Bradley:

Spoiler

Avery Bradley (PO), Lakers , — Minimum

It’s surprising to see him land this far down the list, but Bradley’s analytics have never supported his biggest fans’ feelings about him. His ball pressure on defense earns him a lot of fans, but years of data suggest his overall defensive impact is pretty average.

Meanwhile, offensively he’s really struggled the last three seasons … with the ironic exception being the 14 games we had him in Memphis in 2019. Bradley’s 3-point shooting is solid enough (36.4 percent), but he’s not a high-volume launcher. He’s a good enough midrange shooter that it’s actually a pretty acceptable shot, but he rarely gets to the rim and virtually never draws fouls, and doesn’t create anything for others.

With Bradley holding a $5.0 million player option for next season, it’s a fair bet he picks it up and returns to the Lakers.

Kieff:

Spoiler

Markieff Morris, Lakers — Minimum

This seems low, so I’ll disagree with myself again. After a solid playoff series with the Lakers, I think Morris has at least played himself into biannual exception money. No, he’s not a great player at this point, but he can make an open 3 (34.5 percent career) and his defensive performance in the playoffs was a major upgrade on what he’d done previously in Detroit and Oklahoma City.

The case against is that Morris is a not-great shooter who doesn’t really give you anything else offensively, so if he isn’t playing with LeBron James and Anthony Davis he can disappear pretty quickly. Morris played some chunks as a stretch 5 in the postseason, but in large doses gets exposed there for a lack of rebounding and rim protection.

Dudz:

Spoiler

Jared Dudley, Lakers — Minimum

A world champion now, Dudley is 35 and physical problems have drained his already limited supply of athleticism. While his IQ, shooting ability, and locker room popularity could easily see him latch on to a roster spot with a contender again, it’s hard to imagine a prominent role at this point.

 

[Lizakers]

is Buddy Hield a good catch-and-shoot three point shooter or his he better shooting off the dribble with the ball in his hands?

just wondering if he'd be a good fit as a spot up shooter for Lebron

 

[ronaldo nazario]

is Buddy Hield a good catch-and-shoot three point shooter or his he better shooting off the dribble with the ball in his hands?

just wondering if he'd be a good fit as a spot up shooter for Lebron

I'm not sure, I know he is a good 3 pt shooter but not sure about catch and shoot. Luke used him pretty badly this year, mostly off the bench. I think his contract is pretty ridiculous though. Not sure LA would want to take that on.

 

[pmatic]

He's elite off C&S and dribble.

 

[lovehateself]

he won the 3pt shooting contest, pretty sure hes good at spot up shooting

 

[had pants]

 

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[tonelow]

I could see Pelinka leaning on the young guys [Caruso, Kuzma, THT, #28], but I could also see Pelinka aggregating some of the young guys for a veteran piece.

Would love to see the young guys get extended run if they're still here. A lot of upperclassmen in our range that could soak up minutes right away.

Hopefully we can buy a 2nd rounder too. I'm starting to really like this draft.

 

[pmatic]

RIP.

 

[cruzair13]

RIP.

Damn and he even got the CAVS in 2016.

RIP to another one in 2020. My grandma from Philippines would watch Trebek every day at 7PM.

 

[had pants]

 

[brucefan74]

Got my Lakers champ hoodie the other day. Damn fanatics be using these thin *** cheap swap meet hoodies. I'm about to send mine back for a refund these are so cheaply made.

 

[had pants]