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

[grittyman]

 

[Brosizzlew30.23]

Jokic been playing center all his life and outweighs AD by at least 30 lbs

And Jokic has a championship playing CENTER 100% of the time to boot. While AD doesn’t

#commonsense

 

[Brosizzlew30.23]

^^
BIG LEEMELONE

 

[tupac003]

Wrong thread.

 

[pmatic]

Lindsey Harding, 40, Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach
It’s been a busy spring and summer for Harding. She won the NBA G League Coach of the Year Award in April after leading the Stockton Kings to a league-best 24-10 record; she is the first woman to win that award. Harding interviewed for the Hornets head coaching job this spring. In July, left the Kings to take a job on the Lakers staff. It is just the latest sign of success for Harding after a sterling playing career, where she was the Naismith National Player of the Year at Duke, the No. 1 pick in the 2007 WNBA Draft and a solid player during her professional career.

JJ Redick, 40, Los Angeles Lakers head coach
Redick was a well-known entity in the NBA before he landed on the sidelines in L.A. but he’ll be in the spotlight next season as he takes control of one of the league’s premier franchises. Redick got the Lakers job without any experience as a coach, which speaks to his basketball IQ and the respect he has earned across the sport, not only after 15 years in the NBA but with his smart media appearances and basketball podcast. He interviewed for the Raptors opening last offseason as well.

“It was just really important to us as we made this hire to find a head coach that could sit across the table from some of the smartest and best players in the world,” Lakers team president Rob Pelinka said in June. “This is the stage for those players to be able to relate to, coach, hold them accountable, lead them, inspire them. And we felt like JJ was very unique in holding all those qualities to do that.”

 

[pmatic]

 

[tupac003]

So can 2 to 3 day injuries not last for months now?

 

[darthska]

So can 2 to 3 day injuries not last for months now?

We were spoiled by Vitti.

 

[essential1]

He sneeze too hard. Out until All Star Break.

 

[pmatic]

 

[darthska]

Most underrated: Elgin!!! Or Pau.
Most overrated: Nah. I can't. Love 'em all. No, Swaggy P!!!
Best: Magic or Kobe.
Worst starter: Smush.

Funniest: Swaggy P!
Most annoying: Kwame.
Most potential: VladRad.
Most wasted potential: Isaiah Rider.

Best passer: Magic! Tf?!
Best perimeter def: Kobe, Gary.
Best rim def: Bynum.
Most athletic: Kobe.

Best handles: Magic or Nick.
Best shooter: Sasha!!!
Best in post: Shaq, duh.
Best role player: Horry or Coop.

Didn't put much thought in at all.

 

[CP1708]

Underrated: Lamar Odom
Overrated: Karl Malone
Best: Kobe
Worst Starter: Smush

Funniest: Shaq
Most Annoying: Rodman
Most Potential: LeBron
Most Wasted Potential: Bynum

Best Passer: Magic
Best Perimeter Defender: Cooper
Best Rim Defender: AD
Most Athletic: Ariza

Best Handles: Nick
Best Shooter: Glen Rice
Best in Post: Pau
Best Role Player: Horry

 

[Brosizzlew30.23]

All-Time Lakers 12-man squad

Magic / Coop
Kobe / West
LeBron / Worthy / Elgin
Pau / AD
Kareem / Shaq / Wilt

Head Coach: Riley
Assistants: Jackson, Sharman, Westhead, Vogel
Trainer: Vitti
Ballboys: DHam, DHarris

 

[pmatic]

Spoiler

Lakers’ Max Christie contract
Max Christie was a bit of a cause célèbre for Lakers fans last season in a backup-quarterback kind of way. He was always the guy fans wanted to play instead of whatever mediocre veteran happened to be sabotaging L.A.’s second unit that night.

The problem was that A) they actually tried him quite a bit (944 minutes across 67 games), and B) he wasn’t any good (8.4 PER, minus-3.6 BPM), such that C) he couldn’t crack the full-strength rotation of what was arguably the worst bench in the league. Thus, it was a bit shocking to see the Lakers commit to a four-year, $32 million free-agent deal to bring him back, one that included a fourth-year player option. Talking to some other people around the league, I don’t think I’m alone in this opinion.

Christie is only 21, had an excellent 2023 summer league and is a good athlete. He has the basic, hazy outlines of a 3-and-D guy. Paying him room-exception type money still feels like a reach when actual 3-and-D guys struggled to get any more than that this summer, with the player option as an exclamation point. Nonetheless, in a Washington Wizards-type rebuilding situation, you might be more inclined to look the other way and try to take the long view.

That is … not the Lakers’ situation. What made this move particularly notable was that it took the Lakers out of other scenarios in free agency. Any team with LeBron James and Anthony Davis needs to be all-in on right now, and the Lakers seemingly passed up a few other opportunities to go in that direction. (We aren’t tapping their phones, so we don’t know exactly what they could have done, but they had three first-round picks and matching salary lying around this June. Who knows, maybe they still do something minutes after this article publishes.)

From that perspective, Christie was another opportunity cost, because the $7.1 million cap number for Christie essentially took the Lakers out of using their taxpayer midlevel exception while still staying below the second apron. (That latter consideration was necessary to keep any realistic in-season trade flexibility alive, which is why James took a slight haircut off the max on his new deal.)

The $5.2 million taxpayer MLE could have been used to target badly needed bench upgrades instead of running it back with almost entirely the same group. Lakers exceptionalism has its limits, but a small-ish exception like this, historically, has been a much more valuable chip in L.A. than in other places, because A) it’s the Lakers, and B) the role is to play next to James and hit fungoes. Even at the risk of Christie walking, that seemed like the better gamble at this point in the roster’s life cycle.

I’ll back off on this somewhat if L.A. ends up finding another way to a significant roster upgrade, especially if it doesn’t take the Lakers until February to find it. But right now, it’s the fifth and final member of my “all-under-scrutinized” summer transactions.

I think Pelinka could've waited until free agency and the money would've dried up. Could've squeezed Christie a bit. $7-8M is kinda steep, but Christie can make that a value contract.

 

[grittyman]

I think if he would’ve done that people would be complaining about how cheap Jeanie is bc $7/8 mil in today’s cap is basically nothing.

It’s time for Max show that’s he’s a full time regular rotation NBA player

 

[essential1]

I mean I think it’s decently fair value. And makes it easier to stack him on another salary.

Lakers are missing a salary that they absolutely could afford to lose. (see Mavs and THJR). Gabe might be the closest. Max second closest just where he’s at in the pecking order.

DLo you need to directly replace all production. Same with AR. Rui and Vando too if you were to move them. Any of those guys would 100% need to have a replacement in a move.
AD and Bron being irreplaceable

 

[lovehateself]

when does the season start?

 

[BIG LEEMELONE]

I think if he would’ve done that people would be complaining about how cheap Jeanie is bc $7/8 mil in today’s cap is basically nothing.

It’s time for Max show that’s he’s a full time regular rotation NBA player

Exactly. Same way people complained about Austin getting a 2 year deal as a rookie but it led to the cheap contract he's on now

 

[pmatic]

Trying to keep it to guys I watched:

Underrated: Andrew Bynum or Lou Williams
Overrated: Lonzo?
Best: Kobe
Worst Starter: Smush

Funniest: Shaq
Most Annoying: Westbrook
Most Potential: Ingram?
Most Wasted Potential: Bynum

Best Passer: Magic
Best Perimeter Defender: Caruso
Best Rim Defender: AD
Most Athletic: LeBron

Best Handles: NVE
Best Shooter: D'Lo?
Best in Post: Shaq
Best Role Player: Odom

 

[pdino]

DLo - 18.6 mil
Rui-17 mil
Gabe- 11mil
Vando-10.7mil
Christie- 7.1mil

All mid guys got paid, need a couple to keep improving or some of these contracts going to handcuff Lakers for years to come

 

[essential1]

DLo - 18.6 mil
Rui-17 mil
Gabe- 11mil
Vando-10.7mil
Christie- 7.1mil

All mid guys got paid, need a couple to keep improving or some of these contracts going to handcuff Lakers for years to come

You forgot a name……..

 

[pdino]

You forgot a name……..

AR playing up to his 13mil contract imo. Not that he doesn't need improvement, but AR for 13 mil is fair.

Some guys (not on rookie contracts) for comparison:
Grant Williams-13mil
Luke Kennard-14 mil
Deni Avdija-15mil
Tim Hardaway JR.-16mil

 

[essential1]

AR playing up to his 13mil contract imo. Not that he doesn't need improvement, but AR for 13 mil is fair.

Some guys (not on rookie contracts) for comparison:
Grant Williams-13mil
Luke Kennard-14 mil
Deni Avdija-15mil
Tim Hardaway JR.-16mil

Same can be said about Rui and DLo.


What they actually need is a contract like THJR.
There’s a reason deals have been a chore to find. They can’t find a guy who is 1. available and 2. Provides the production they get from contracts.

 

[pdino]

Same can be said about Rui and DLo.


What they actually need is a contract like THJR.
There’s a reason deals have been a chore to find. They can’t find a guy who is 1. available and 2. Provides the production they get from contracts.

Nah, I need more from them. Rui at nearly 18 mil might be a bad contract if he doesn't improve this year, currently very one-dimensional. DLo shooting 30% in the playoffs again doesn't reach value for me. Other guys at same range as these two:
Monk-17.4mil
Josh Hart-18.1mil
Myles Turner 19.9mil
Derrick White-20mil

 

[SORIANOTRON]

Time to let max off the chain