[:: LAKERS 2014 THREAD | POLL: Who Should Coach Next Year? ::]

[had pants]

Lamar is a cool guy in my books but nah, we're good.

 

[CHAOSE57]

Lamar is a cool guy in my books but nah, we're good.

:x at that gif

 

[essential1]

CP 2014 is Toronto's top-10 protected.

And Nash isn't an expiring. He's same exact years left as Rondo.

And tell me when Gasol fetches you a lot. Then we can talk.

What that deal does is de-purgatories teams whether now for 1 team, next year for another and 2 years for the team trading their star who will face a half decade purgatory when he walks

 

[osh kosh bosh]

The Raptors aren't trading for Steve Nash under any circumstances, get that out of you heads right now.

 

[sea manup]

The Raptors aren't trading for Steve Nash under any circumstances, get that out of you heads right now.

would you say that we have a higher chance of landing the #1 pick than trading steve nash to the raptors?

 

[CP1708]

We def have higher chance of getting #1 than Nash to Toronto.

So........the tanking Raptors would "trade" a protected pick to Boston, that Boston would never get? That's their plan? I mean, at least you didn't try to slide that one by.....

Raptors want Nash to tank, your words, yet trade a top 10 protected pick, which assuredly would be within 10, so Celtics get nothing when they've CLEARLY been stackin picks the last few months.


Osh, none of us think Nash is goin to Toronto. Only one dude does. Rest of us are innocent.

 

[mrdieselfuel09]

There's no point of canning D'Antoni this season, if anything we should be thankful Mike is our coach this season. With this type of offense, you can see which player can blossom with thi franchise.

The fact that he's starting Hill is amazing enough for me

 

[had pants]

In other news, our sell-out streak came to an end on Tuesday.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/baske...rs-fyi-20131114,0,5030261.story#axzz2kdv32tgN

 

[senorroboto2k5]

How exactly did the Heat re-sign Dwyane Wade in 2011? Did they have his Bird Rights?

 

[licensed to ball]

You know the Lakers ain't "The Lakers" anymore when you can actually find reasonably priced nosebleed tickets online to home games that don't cost you an arm and a leg.

 

[darthska]

I get both sides.

The sides that are anti-tank because the draft is NOOOOTTTT a guarantee at ALL, I get that. We could get Michael Jordan... or Sam Bowie. To use another sport: Ryan Leaf... or Peyton Manning. I definitely get the hesitancy to go all in on an uncertainty.

[SAS] HOWEVA... [/SAS]

I also get the pro-tanking side, because the middle ground really is the worst place to be in the NBA. In MLB, you can be middle of the pack and do work (see: 2002 

). NFL, the current Giants are great at nothing, and have 2 recent SB rings. NHL definitely has the most hope for middle of the pack teams. But the NBA? Nah. You're not lame enough to get a quality draft position, and you damn sure aren't pulling FOUR series upsets out of your hat to win a championship. So you tank, to improve your position in the draft...

... uncertain of where you'll end up, and uncertain of who will be available (unless you're fortunate enough to get #1).

Like, the Cavs getting four of the top ten picks that year. I mean, good for them, but that was bogus for other teams. We could be that team that gets shafted. No one wants to shoot for that, and it's absolutely a possibility.

 

[darthska]

You know the Lakers ain't "The Lakers" anymore when you can actually find reasonably priced nosebleed tickets online to home games that don't cost you an arm and a leg.

Man, when we were at GWF, I used to get nosebleed tickets and end up like a dozen rows back, ALLL THE TIIIME. 

 

 

[lacrimestopper]

were gona be so good when kobe comes back

 

[licensed to ball]

You know the Lakers ain't "The Lakers" anymore when you can actually find reasonably priced nosebleed tickets online to home games that don't cost you an arm and a leg.

Man, when we were at GWF, I used to get nosebleed tickets and end up like a dozen rows back, ALLL THE TIIIME.   

I wish I could of gotten a chance to experience the forum. I was too young plus I was raised in the bay. But man so much Laker history took place there.

Did you attend any memorable Laker games at the Forum Ska?

 

[mrdieselfuel09]

Ska was there when the Forum first opened.

 

[grandtheftbike]

skas ssn only has two digits
george mikan was in skas hs yearbook

 

[darthska]

Most memorable game I was at was one of the Finals games against the Bulls. Don't remember which one, and honestly, I wasn't really into basketball back then like I am now, not even. Went with a group home I was in, and I wasn't really into the game that much. Didn't really understand sports that much then; was really just a field trip. I mean, I still have the memories of the game, but nowhere near the same kind of excitement my son would have if he were at a Finals game... because no one raised me on the Lakers like I'm raising him. I was just a fan because they were always on and I loved watching Magic and Byron. More of a passing interest, you know? Like that was my squad, but not like hardcore. BUT ANYWAYS... I just remember that we lost, and after we left, I remember feeling "Ummmm, that wasn't Magic. I am disappoint."

 

[kal-el-8]

Ska was there when the Forum first opened.

skas ssn only has two digits
george mikan was in skas hs yearbook

 

[darthska]

skas ssn only has two digits

Back in my day, we used the alphabet. I used to be R.

Numbers came on CP's round. I think he was like F3.

 

 

[darthska]

Dear sweet baby Jesus make this a hoodie. 

 

[grandtheftbike]

Back in my day

View media item 654325



those christmas jerseys are :x

i think half of the reason is because they have sleeves with the other half being so plain vanilla

 

[had pants]

Back in my day, we used the alphabet. I used to be R.

Numbers came on CP's round. I think he was like F3.

 

Back in the day Lakers games were affordable and real fans could be present in all seats not limited to only nosebleeds unlike today.

 

[hybridsoldier23]

L.A. Lakers: Big Man Pau Gasol's Big Disappointment

By Jed Rigney 23 minutes ago

COMMENTARY | Here we are at 10 games into the season and the Los Angeles Lakers, without their best player, are right about where you would expect at 4-6.
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However, the way that the team has actually been playing, four wins is a blessing. And it's hard to imagine that the team would have done much better with a healthy Kobe Bryant out on the floor.

The Lakers started the season with a thin roster of questionable players that got even thinner when Steve Nash (spelled M*A*S*H) got injured. And the results could probably best be described as erratic.

They have the second-worst point-differential in the Western Conference -- behind only the Utah Jazz, who look like they're in full-blown tanking mode. When the Lakers win, they've been barely squeaking by and when they lose, it's been ugly.

But the real surprise is just how terrible Pau Gasol has played.

It's only been 10 games, but so far Pau has been playing the worst basketball of his career. This is clear to see whether you're using traditional statistics, advanced metrics or just your eyeballs.

He's shooting under 40% -- which is awful for a big man. These aren't outside jumpers he's missing. We're talking about little 5-footers in the key that just won't go in.

His assists and his blocks are also down. And he doesn't have a steal yet this year. His rebounding is actually up slightly, but one has to think that's more a result of Dwight Howard not being around to crash the boards.

I guess Pau's production really shouldn't be surprising. He did have procedures done on both knees in the offseason. Then he started the season with flu-like symptoms. And now he's nursing a sore foot.

All of that has resulted in Pau's PER (Player Efficiency Rating) being just below the league average. That's certainly not what you'd expect for $18 million.

But the Lakers are certainly not alone in setting giant piles of money on fire.

Never mind Gilbert Arenas and Brandon Roy who are no longer playing in the NBA but are earning $40 million combined. There's also Derrick Rose, Paul Pierce, Joe Johnson and Amar'e Stoudemire -- each making millions more than would be expected for their below-average levels of production.

And, of course, there's Kobe -- the $30 million man -- who hasn't yet taken the floor this season. All told, eight of the 20 highest-paid players in the league are performing at a below-average level or not performing at all.

Granted, most huge NBA contracts are more about rewarding past production and with Pau, he earned every penny of his $18 million this year with the two championship rings he helped win.

Most people agree that athletes in general are overpaid, but I have a bigger problem with the length of contracts than the actual amounts paid per year. This "last" and "awful" year scenario is one thing the new collective bargaining agreement was designed to prevent.

Players get older as the years progress. It's not really rocket science. And Pau is no exception to the basic biological phenomenon of aging. It's not just that one is more likely to get injured with age, but the recovery times increase as well.

And maybe Pau just needs some more recovery time. If they gave him a month off (and replaced him with anyone), they wouldn't be doing any worse and he would be given the time he needs to recover.

Pau still has plenty of decent basketball in him. But he needs time to heal his knees. And his flu. And his foot.

:x

 

[westcoastsfinest]

I've been done with Pau since 2011. I love him to death for helping us and becoming that second fiddle to Kobe but he is basically done. We were blessed to have him in our lap that 2008 year and he helped change us to a championship team, with that said it's a what have you done for me lately league and he hasn't done much. I could blame the coaching but it's also on the player to demand respect and the ball.

 

[essential1]

CP no one said he was going to Toronto. Unless you really think I have the ability to make the news. But if you give me that much credit I appreciate it.

And let's be honest about this whole thing... This was discussed IF Nash was healthy.

Alex Kennedy said (albeit before Nash's new injury) that if Lakers shop Nash.. Toronto is the most likely suitor.

For someone who likes to write a thesis about the history of the draft pick. A history that does not even apply to our current situation, you sure don't read good (and I use good in an incorrect grammatical manner for irony. Just in case you bring out your felt pen to correct me).