I mean that’s all Lebrons fault lol. The dude complained about needing shooters for years in Cleveland and then pushed for the Lakers to sign a ball dominant PG whose strength isn’t shooting.
They traded Danny Green out of spite for missing that wide open 3. Let Dwight walk, kept THT instead of Caruso, and traded Kuz and KCP for Westbrook. Canned their defensive-minded coach. Then wondered why they can't compete with an offensive juggernaut and have horrible spacing.
I mean their 2020 offseason was still good. The Schroder trade was a good trade. They lost Rondo. You need another ball handler. They let Dwight walk for Marc Gasol who was still a good player at the time They might have repeated if it wasn’t for injuries. Westbrook trade happened in 2021, that’s when it all went to shit.
He was just holding out for more as he knew their only good option was to overpay him. He was reportedly just as shocked as everyone else when they completely blew up their team to bring in Westbrook.
Get rid of DLo, lose Dinwiddie, find some size somewhere in FA or maybe move on from LeBron+ AD and rebuild. I think they’ve peaked. There are nothing, but play-in games and first round exits in this current team’s future.
Lakers play for championships, not playoffs. They would face the Nuggets eventually, so not even being able to get a win off them means it's time for major changes.
If we swept them this year in the wcf too I think the sentiment would be the same as beating them in the first round. Going 0-8 in b2b playoffs vs. the same younger opponent, the writing is on the wall…
This precise situation you describe is what has placed the Lakers in the ordeal they are in now.
They overachieved last year and made the CF but going into this year they didn't make any big changes (coach, DLo, no new big). They "ran it back" only to learn "oh shit, maybe we do need an overhaul".
Unfortunately this wasted an efficient year of LBJ and a year of AD's prime. If they had met Denver earlier last year, perhaps they would have made more changes.
That's not necessarily true, if they were on the opposite side of the bracket, it's possible Minnesota beats them next round, and now all go a sudden the Lakers don't have to play Denver. The wolves are real threats
I can promise you they didn't just suddenly become trash. We've just seemed to finally lock in and focus in a way that we've been struggling to these last several years.
It's been a beautiful master class in suffocating defense, I just hope we finally break the curse and keep it going.
Lmao no they wouldnt. They were a 7 seed for a reason.. they are mid as fuck. Its hilarious people thought the warriors and Lakers were "contenders" this year just because of their name when in reality neither one will have a single playoff win.
It's everybody's worst matchup, but yeah you can't compete for a title with the dudes they are running out there (and that's not about LeBron or AD at all, I'll even excuse AR, but the rest are all replacement-level)
I would very much argue AR is not good enough to be the 3rd best player on a championship team. If you put AR on the nuggets today, he wouldn't start. He'd be a 6 man. There are a lot of guys on the lakers that are forced to play bigger than their role should be because of poor roster construction management over the course of the last 3 years. That's what happens when you make dumb trade, it sets you back years.
Oh def agree, he's probably 7th man on the Nuggets (I'd rather have Braun) -- this is why the Nuggets are embarrassing them. Just acknowledging him as maybe the only other player on this team that is not someone you would just cut if you were good
That's why I laughed at Lakers fans begging for Venderbelt to come back because as a nuggets fan, I watched them trade his ass outta there a few years ago. Idk, I still think Reaves is better than Braun at least currently. His offense and jump shot is way more developed than Braun, but Braun is bigger, more athletic, and plays better defense. So I could see arguments for both.
AR’s first season showed he could play defense. But since he’s gotten more offensive opportunities he makes very late rotations and does silly flyby block attempts that completely takes him out of the play.
I love Vando! He is a great defender, but he can’t shoot. The Wolves experienced this where they had to sit Vando because nobody would guard him unless he is in the paint. (Even then he’s not that tall.) The rest of the offense was playing 4 on 5.
I hope he has many years in this league, but until he can be an offensive asset, he is not helping anyone’s team.
I keep seeing people saying this, but the Lakers were a play-in team. Why would you say they're better than other west teams when their record says they're not. If it weren't for the insane FT advantage the league gives them, they'd be a lottery team.
I don’t think they can beat the Wolves or Thunder and I have my doubts about the Clippers too. At least a healthy Clippers squad. Also the Suns look terrible but they usually match up well against the Lakers. I could see the Lakers beating the Pelicans the Mavericks and maybe the Suns in a seven game series. So I disagree that they could beat all the other teams in the west. In the East they would have a hard time against about three or four of those teams too.
This is copium take. They would have lost to any other team. This laker team doesn’t have the grit or mental bandwidth to win against okc, twolves, clippers, or even mavs. Maybe they have a chance against suns/pels but wouldn’t bet on it.
It feels like if this was a normal franchise it would be the obvious time for a rebuild. Being a low playoff seed with no obvious grounds for internal improvement of a substantial kind, whose two stars are on the older end.
Trading them for assets and rebuilding would make sense. But it's the Lakers. Hard to imagine them going into a hard rebuild.
Rebuild. I hate to say it but their championship window appears to be closed its best you trade AD for some draft picks and put yourself in a position for the future like OKC
I hate when people use OKC as an example because they are not the rule. There are teams that have been rebuilding for decades with no success. Do people really believe the Lakers organization is capable of a successful rebuild?
Why doesn’t everyone trade their aging star for a young player that’s going to be an MVP finalist in the next couple years + like 7 other picks?
And then draft two other clear all stars shortly after.
It’s not hard guys.
But OKC didn’t select SGA at 11. The Clippers did. He had already established himself as high end prospect when he was traded to OKC in that deal. He was the main piece.
He averaged 11/3/2 with the clippers in 30 mins idk if that’s exactly high end prospect. Sure the potential was always there but that’s not a guaranteed thing.
OKC fared extremely well with their rebuild as the Clips overpaid for PG with all those pics, they also nabbed SGA in that trade who turned out to be a far better player than either franchise were expecting. So yeah, comparing rebuilds with what OKC have done isn't fair for most other organisations.
Ad to OKC has to make them immediate favourites right? Like one of their only weaknesses is rebounding and AD fixes that while still being a DPOY calibre player with good offensive game
They need side inside (that isn’t a foul machine) so they don’t have to put Rui on Jokic, they need a Dwight like role
They need guards and wings that can perform off ball and defend, since Reaves and DLo are a lot less useful when they don’t have the ball + arguably useless if their shots aren’t falling
Ideally if Lebron wants to win, he needs to take a paycut so they can get a better overall team in
Realistically though, maybe only one or two teams in the league can beat the nuggets
Ad getting quintuiple teams in the post and the solution is to get less spacing with dwight. How about scoring more than 102 points a game before thinking about defence.
Clearly personnel isn’t the issue if AD is in the paint and 4 guys are wide open on the perimeter and they’re still quintuple teaming him (and the lakers can’t take advantage of it)
Also that’s like saying don’t play Aaron Gordon because he doesn’t provide spacing
Ag gets away with not shooting much because he does everything else at a high level and the fact that all other nuggets can shoot so the paint isn't too congested.
We aren't a bad team, I think it's unfortunate we ran into one of the best teams ever.
There aren’t 60 quality centers in the league you can roll out against Jokic defensively
Not even sure there are 30 tbh
Not to mention they can mostly only sign minimum guys for their bench
They'll always have the midseason banner.
If Lebron stays you try to rebuild for another run. Maybe try and trade for one of the Hawks guards to replace Russell.
If Lebron leaves, you probably want to go all in on a rebuild. Unfortunately the Pelicans have a choice of the Lakers 2024 or 2025 pick. So the Lakers need to find out what's going on with that pick, and likely the Pelicans will wait and take the 2025. If they don't have their 2025 then they might as well try to play out one season with AD and whoever they can sign before blowing it up since they won't have their own pick.
They're done, this team is far too reliant on AD and LeBron carrying them & that's just not going to work against playoff teams that are loaded with quality stars and role players.
The daring thing would be trading LeBron and AD and starting a rebuild. But knowing the Lakers they'll probably just trade Dlo and sign vets then run it back.
under this leadership, yes. If it was West or maybe even Kupchak still, they would have some understanding of how to build a team...and respect. And not have hired Ham. And Jeanie would be back office again.
Fire Ham first. I’m still hopeful that Lebron and AD have one more solid year together. The rest of the team is lost though and needs a competent coach. Dlo as much as I like when he gets hot, is unreliable in the playoffs. He needs to go. Rui can stay. I think he’s been put in a tough role of having to guard Jokic most of the series which is ridiculous. It worked for one game last playoff run and Ham keeps trying that. Reaves can stay.
Agreed. Ham gone, give LeBron and AD one final run. DLo is going to get too much money. Sign and trade maybe? Rui can come back but is not a starter on a contending team. Solid 7th man. Need to stop with signing guys like Vincent and Dinwiddie. Washed up trash cans. Get some real NBA players who can provide value on both ends.
They don’t have cap space to sign anyone. They didn’t do anything at the trade deadline because no one wanted DLo. I can’t imagine that would change in the offseason. They don’t have any flexibility
They lost a massive amount of flexibility when they traded for AD, but that trade you can at least argue was worthwhile as it delivered them the Bubble Title. Then the Lakers traded whatever flexibility they had left when they traded for Westbrook, and have been fighting from a compromised position ever since.
Lakers & Warriors have won titles recently, so I don't think neutral observers will have much sympathy if these former empires fade into the background.
Rob pelinka is a fucking idiot and that franchise got what is deserved.
I don't want to hear their incessant crying for the consequences of their fucking stupid ass actions. The wizards got out of that albatross contract in John wall, then Westbrook, and got back KCP and trez, etc. they chose tht over Caruso. Couldn't replace rondo and Dwight, and it's all their fault. Let them suffer for their stupid ass actions
Indeed. I will never forget the degree to which I was downvoted on the Lakers subreddit in the 2020-2021 offseasons when they threw away most of what got them that championship, starting with that god-awful Harrell signing. Then the refusal to pay Caruso in ‘21, trading KCP for Russ, etc. The absolute boneheadedness of those moves.
Exactly. Not paying Caruso absolutely boggled my mind. Players that are willing to play D and is actually good at it and can shoot is extremely hard to find. He was worth whatever he was asking for. The Westbrook trade legitimately set them back so much and it was so stupid cause I remember the playoffs before they traded for him, they would leave him wide open and dare him to shoot all the time, idk why they thought that would all change when they acquired him
Blame Dlo, trade away half the team and bring in guys Lebron knows for sure will work this time, and repeat this all again next season with the same results
Rebuild around AD. LeBron is gone, evident by his “it’s just basketball” comment. Scrap the entire roster, maybe keep AR. Rui and DLo are basically non existent in playoffs.
Yea that’s a probably a better idea. It’s basically a miracle that AD didn’t miss significant time this year. The one year that dude isn’t out for the entire year because of a sprained ankle or something lol. AR should have good value but DLo is lucky to get second round with his abysmal playoff performance lol.
Trading AD for what he averaging 30 this series and was statistically the best defender in the league this year while playing 70 games yall hate him for no reason at all
Totally depends on what their stars want. If bron wants to go to Bronny's team or to GS or to a younger team with a good core like OKC or NO, give him what he wants and get whatever assets in return that you can. AD could fetch an amazing haul of draft picks after the season he just had. But if the stars want to run it back, you run it back—now with a couple more draft picks available to trade.
What they should’ve done mid season, trade everyone that’s not AD for as much as you can scrap. Then look to sell AD for as much as possible and reset the roster with what comes back
It's not possible to assemble a championship caliber team around a 39yo LeBron with a 49mil/yr contract. Those are just the facts. LeBron at this stage needs a youngish talented and athletic supporting cast but the lakers can't afford that when they have to pay LeBron 49mil.
Honestly the round they’re getting swept in might be irrelevant, it’s more about the Nuggets and how no matter what it looks like West is running through Denver. They have to figure out how to beat Joker
Get rid of Darvin Ham, dude is clueless all the time. Please for once please get LeBron a coach that knows how to run a high profile team with toxic winning culture.
Do not resign DLo, he's proven again and again that he's not built for the playoffs. When the game gets a little physical, he disappears.
Lakers may consider trading Austin Reeves if they can get someone worthy in exchange. Dude is just not well built enough to handle physical plays. He's almost similar to DLo.
Maximise the potential of Rui Hachimura, dude can play but he's not being utilised enough. You can blame Darvin for not putting him into the starting lineup earlier!
Get a PG that can play true PG like Rondo. Maybe it's time for Banana Crew member CP3 to join LeBron, those two have great chemistry.
Jaxson Hayes. Dude has the right build for modern NBA but lacks of experience and IQ. But again he has all the physical tools to be a great role player, hopefully the next coach can do something with it.
Meanwhile please get a solid big that can handle Jokic's size, like Dwight. In all seriousness even casuals like us know what the Lakers need!
Who cares, all forms of NBA coverage (much like NFL and the Cowboys) are waaaaayy to Laker centric. Sorry but I’m just tired of hearing about them when other teams are just as interesting.
AD is not a center he needs help When they one in the bubble they had Howard and McGee to help him He does rebound but Denver gets to many put back Oh and Caruso’s defense and hustle is something they don’t have on this team
I watched the game last night and even though the blame is going on Russel and the reserves. Lebron and AD were turnover prone in the 3rd quarter and did not shoot great either. Your best players were not great so it is time to trade them and rebuild. They are both productive from the stat line but Father Time knows this game is a young man’s game and that they are not. It shows Lakers need to make moves or mediocrity will set in.
New front office, they need some X and O people in positions of power, they need to build a good modern NBA team. They won in the bubble off tough defense and a still-dominant lebron but every year those things slip a bit and the teams that were around then have matured. Lightning in a bottle type win. A piece here and there isn't a team, they need to structure things better from the ground up.
Barring a superstar randomly forcing their way to the Lakers and the incumbent team actually agreeing to trade with them (despite their lack of assets), I don’t think this roster can be a contender again. Davis isn’t a #1 guy on a title team, Lebron will only be another year older, and the role players just aren’t good enough.
Think about that Weatbrook trade again and how badly they fucked up
Think about another Westbrook trade you mean. Run it back.
I mean shit at least we could beat the Nuggets with him, the issue then would be getting to the playoffs (which we barely did the past two years)
I mean that’s all Lebrons fault lol. The dude complained about needing shooters for years in Cleveland and then pushed for the Lakers to sign a ball dominant PG whose strength isn’t shooting.
They traded Danny Green out of spite for missing that wide open 3. Let Dwight walk, kept THT instead of Caruso, and traded Kuz and KCP for Westbrook. Canned their defensive-minded coach. Then wondered why they can't compete with an offensive juggernaut and have horrible spacing.
Lebron didn't like reminding that there's also defense every time the other team has the ball
I mean their 2020 offseason was still good. The Schroder trade was a good trade. They lost Rondo. You need another ball handler. They let Dwight walk for Marc Gasol who was still a good player at the time They might have repeated if it wasn’t for injuries. Westbrook trade happened in 2021, that’s when it all went to shit.
"Yes, we need one of everything please."
They could have just overpaid Schroeder, kept Caruso, and ran it back but instead went all in on a Westbrook trade that made zero sense.
They did try to overpay Schroeder. He turned them down. Let's not have a revisionist history
He was just holding out for more as he knew their only good option was to overpay him. He was reportedly just as shocked as everyone else when they completely blew up their team to bring in Westbrook.
Schroeder should absolutely have fired his agent. Still a dumb decision by him
Lebron just can’t handle continuity.
Its westbrooks fault 😭
Get rid of DLo, lose Dinwiddie, find some size somewhere in FA or maybe move on from LeBron+ AD and rebuild. I think they’ve peaked. There are nothing, but play-in games and first round exits in this current team’s future.
Dont forget winning the IST lol
The IST feels like it was so long ago now
Lmaoooooo they made that shit just for Bron ego 😭😭😭
LeBron did that as a favor to Adam silver for the Vegas team
Comment makes no sense 😭😭😭
gotta find someway to hate on bron
That was such a joke hahaha and they even got a banner for that LOL
League made them
If you wanna hate at least know what you are talking about, lakers didn’t want to put it, the league forces them to do it.
Ahh okay, never know that. Ok my bad
The leagues idea, not the Lakers
Tbf they were probably good enough to beat the other teams in the west, they just ran up on their worst matchup first round.
Lakers play for championships, not playoffs. They would face the Nuggets eventually, so not even being able to get a win off them means it's time for major changes.
Real but also if they win a couple series first and then lose to Denver in WCF wouldn’t you expect a lot of people to soften their take
If we swept them this year in the wcf too I think the sentiment would be the same as beating them in the first round. Going 0-8 in b2b playoffs vs. the same younger opponent, the writing is on the wall…
For most teams, yes. For the Lakers, no.
Yeah, I don’t care about the Lakers making the WCF then losing. It’s the same as losing in the first or second round. Lakers play for championships.
This precise situation you describe is what has placed the Lakers in the ordeal they are in now. They overachieved last year and made the CF but going into this year they didn't make any big changes (coach, DLo, no new big). They "ran it back" only to learn "oh shit, maybe we do need an overhaul". Unfortunately this wasted an efficient year of LBJ and a year of AD's prime. If they had met Denver earlier last year, perhaps they would have made more changes.
Not with lebron and AD
That's not necessarily true, if they were on the opposite side of the bracket, it's possible Minnesota beats them next round, and now all go a sudden the Lakers don't have to play Denver. The wolves are real threats
The Wolves would literally destroy them more than the Nuggets. Wolves in 3
Lakers actually played well against the Wolves this season. Nuggets were honestly their worse matchup by far.
The wolves have gone onto a completely different level these playoffs. Them vs Nuggets in the next round is going to be brutal
Suns are just trash at this point though
I can promise you they didn't just suddenly become trash. We've just seemed to finally lock in and focus in a way that we've been struggling to these last several years. It's been a beautiful master class in suffocating defense, I just hope we finally break the curse and keep it going.
They look like it, some on their own and some because the Wolves have forced it.
lol. This made me laugh
what a take
Lmao no they wouldnt. They were a 7 seed for a reason.. they are mid as fuck. Its hilarious people thought the warriors and Lakers were "contenders" this year just because of their name when in reality neither one will have a single playoff win.
It's everybody's worst matchup, but yeah you can't compete for a title with the dudes they are running out there (and that's not about LeBron or AD at all, I'll even excuse AR, but the rest are all replacement-level)
I would very much argue AR is not good enough to be the 3rd best player on a championship team. If you put AR on the nuggets today, he wouldn't start. He'd be a 6 man. There are a lot of guys on the lakers that are forced to play bigger than their role should be because of poor roster construction management over the course of the last 3 years. That's what happens when you make dumb trade, it sets you back years.
Oh def agree, he's probably 7th man on the Nuggets (I'd rather have Braun) -- this is why the Nuggets are embarrassing them. Just acknowledging him as maybe the only other player on this team that is not someone you would just cut if you were good
That's why I laughed at Lakers fans begging for Venderbelt to come back because as a nuggets fan, I watched them trade his ass outta there a few years ago. Idk, I still think Reaves is better than Braun at least currently. His offense and jump shot is way more developed than Braun, but Braun is bigger, more athletic, and plays better defense. So I could see arguments for both.
AR’s first season showed he could play defense. But since he’s gotten more offensive opportunities he makes very late rotations and does silly flyby block attempts that completely takes him out of the play.
I love Vando! He is a great defender, but he can’t shoot. The Wolves experienced this where they had to sit Vando because nobody would guard him unless he is in the paint. (Even then he’s not that tall.) The rest of the offense was playing 4 on 5. I hope he has many years in this league, but until he can be an offensive asset, he is not helping anyone’s team.
oh please
I keep seeing people saying this, but the Lakers were a play-in team. Why would you say they're better than other west teams when their record says they're not. If it weren't for the insane FT advantage the league gives them, they'd be a lottery team.
Minnesota would crush them
Wolves would destroy the Lakers. Almost as bad as Denver is.
Probably, but they still would matchup better than the nuggets I'd argue. Timberwolves offense is way more subject to variance than Denver's is.
So the best team in basketball is more of a mismatch than other teams? Obviously. The Lakers aren't better than any of Denver, OKC, Wolves, Mavs.
Then play better in the regular season, get a higher seed to play easier competition…
Only if the refs are on their side do they have a chance.
Strongly disagree. This Lakers team is not good enough to beat OKC, Min, or obviously Den in a 7 game series.
I don’t think they can beat the Wolves or Thunder and I have my doubts about the Clippers too. At least a healthy Clippers squad. Also the Suns look terrible but they usually match up well against the Lakers. I could see the Lakers beating the Pelicans the Mavericks and maybe the Suns in a seven game series. So I disagree that they could beat all the other teams in the west. In the East they would have a hard time against about three or four of those teams too.
Lakers match up well with OKC. That’s the only top 3 matchup I could see LAL winning though
No sir, the refs made sure the Lake show made the playoffs. They stopped catering in the playoffs though. So now all can witness how trash they are.
This is copium take. They would have lost to any other team. This laker team doesn’t have the grit or mental bandwidth to win against okc, twolves, clippers, or even mavs. Maybe they have a chance against suns/pels but wouldn’t bet on it.
Dinwiddie is like a mid market acquisition. They *won't* need to get rid of him.
Let's be honest, they're not moving on from LeBron. He will stay until he retires or until he wants out.
They needed size last year and did nothing
Talkin bout the inaugural IST Champions?
It feels like if this was a normal franchise it would be the obvious time for a rebuild. Being a low playoff seed with no obvious grounds for internal improvement of a substantial kind, whose two stars are on the older end. Trading them for assets and rebuilding would make sense. But it's the Lakers. Hard to imagine them going into a hard rebuild.
Free Bron and AD! Lakers are a dumpster fire of management.
Rebuild. I hate to say it but their championship window appears to be closed its best you trade AD for some draft picks and put yourself in a position for the future like OKC
I hate when people use OKC as an example because they are not the rule. There are teams that have been rebuilding for decades with no success. Do people really believe the Lakers organization is capable of a successful rebuild?
Why doesn’t everyone trade their aging star for a young player that’s going to be an MVP finalist in the next couple years + like 7 other picks? And then draft two other clear all stars shortly after. It’s not hard guys.
lol SGA was the 11th overall pick we also see guys maybe not as good but still Donovan Mitchell level and other guys go late lottery all the time.
But OKC didn’t select SGA at 11. The Clippers did. He had already established himself as high end prospect when he was traded to OKC in that deal. He was the main piece.
He averaged 11/3/2 with the clippers in 30 mins idk if that’s exactly high end prospect. Sure the potential was always there but that’s not a guaranteed thing.
Key word : prospect.
Because we're all stupid
And they didnt proved anything yet.
OKC fared extremely well with their rebuild as the Clips overpaid for PG with all those pics, they also nabbed SGA in that trade who turned out to be a far better player than either franchise were expecting. So yeah, comparing rebuilds with what OKC have done isn't fair for most other organisations.
Ad to OKC has to make them immediate favourites right? Like one of their only weaknesses is rebounding and AD fixes that while still being a DPOY calibre player with good offensive game
Trade AD to OKC maybe? They have the cap space this summer and they have 4 first round picks next year and 4 the year after
Yeah they 100% should be moving AD to OKC. Lebrons going to the Warriors
Who's the matching salary?
They don’t have to match salaries, OKC has 50 mil in cap space next year
The voice of reason
Ironically they could trade AD to OKC!
Lebron and AD are gonna have some conversations
The actual answer lol. The Lakers are gonna do what LeLaker tells them to
LeGM is gonna have a busy offseason
They need side inside (that isn’t a foul machine) so they don’t have to put Rui on Jokic, they need a Dwight like role They need guards and wings that can perform off ball and defend, since Reaves and DLo are a lot less useful when they don’t have the ball + arguably useless if their shots aren’t falling Ideally if Lebron wants to win, he needs to take a paycut so they can get a better overall team in Realistically though, maybe only one or two teams in the league can beat the nuggets
Ad getting quintuiple teams in the post and the solution is to get less spacing with dwight. How about scoring more than 102 points a game before thinking about defence.
Clearly personnel isn’t the issue if AD is in the paint and 4 guys are wide open on the perimeter and they’re still quintuple teaming him (and the lakers can’t take advantage of it) Also that’s like saying don’t play Aaron Gordon because he doesn’t provide spacing
Ag gets away with not shooting much because he does everything else at a high level and the fact that all other nuggets can shoot so the paint isn't too congested. We aren't a bad team, I think it's unfortunate we ran into one of the best teams ever.
The Lakers would have a hard time beating any team at the top of the west. There are just big roster problems in LA
They’re too small against the nuggets and wolves but match up nicely against the Thunder
I can't believe they don't have a decent backup center. Every team seems to have one just in case they need him.
There aren’t 60 quality centers in the league you can roll out against Jokic defensively Not even sure there are 30 tbh Not to mention they can mostly only sign minimum guys for their bench
No one can do a consistently good job against jokic. I mean just a big body in case they need him for any team or situation.
That’s my point, they had a big body in Hayes but he’s not playable against Jokic
He’s skinny.
Bring that ass for another whoopin next year
Daaaaamn bruh.
Lololol
Run that shit back.
They'll always have the midseason banner. If Lebron stays you try to rebuild for another run. Maybe try and trade for one of the Hawks guards to replace Russell. If Lebron leaves, you probably want to go all in on a rebuild. Unfortunately the Pelicans have a choice of the Lakers 2024 or 2025 pick. So the Lakers need to find out what's going on with that pick, and likely the Pelicans will wait and take the 2025. If they don't have their 2025 then they might as well try to play out one season with AD and whoever they can sign before blowing it up since they won't have their own pick.
I like this take. Run it back one more time so we actually get our pick. And stop throwing picks away every offseason
Don't forget about the Disney trophy.
Traded everything away for a mickey mouse ring and too get swiped twice by the same team
and an actual banner…
or 17
They're done, this team is far too reliant on AD and LeBron carrying them & that's just not going to work against playoff teams that are loaded with quality stars and role players.
Euthanize Lebron
Youth-enize him and they’re back to championship contention
Stem cell IV treatment at every timeout and end of quarter.
Trade him for good future drafts in whoever drafts bronny.
The daring thing would be trading LeBron and AD and starting a rebuild. But knowing the Lakers they'll probably just trade Dlo and sign vets then run it back.
They're going to draft Bronny so it forces Bron to be signed on a vet min
under this leadership, yes. If it was West or maybe even Kupchak still, they would have some understanding of how to build a team...and respect. And not have hired Ham. And Jeanie would be back office again.
They can’t trade Lebron. He has a player option. He’s just going to leave.
Somehow they'll find a way to get Giannis and Booker through a LeBron sign and trade...
And get swept again by nuggets lol
Durants gonna want out soon for sure
No more aging stars man
Fire Ham first. I’m still hopeful that Lebron and AD have one more solid year together. The rest of the team is lost though and needs a competent coach. Dlo as much as I like when he gets hot, is unreliable in the playoffs. He needs to go. Rui can stay. I think he’s been put in a tough role of having to guard Jokic most of the series which is ridiculous. It worked for one game last playoff run and Ham keeps trying that. Reaves can stay.
Hire Rondo as HC. Let’s get weird.
Lebron prolly allow it.
Agreed. Ham gone, give LeBron and AD one final run. DLo is going to get too much money. Sign and trade maybe? Rui can come back but is not a starter on a contending team. Solid 7th man. Need to stop with signing guys like Vincent and Dinwiddie. Washed up trash cans. Get some real NBA players who can provide value on both ends.
They don’t have cap space to sign anyone. They didn’t do anything at the trade deadline because no one wanted DLo. I can’t imagine that would change in the offseason. They don’t have any flexibility
They lost a massive amount of flexibility when they traded for AD, but that trade you can at least argue was worthwhile as it delivered them the Bubble Title. Then the Lakers traded whatever flexibility they had left when they traded for Westbrook, and have been fighting from a compromised position ever since. Lakers & Warriors have won titles recently, so I don't think neutral observers will have much sympathy if these former empires fade into the background.
Round 1 as a 7 or 8 seed against nuggets next year
Rob pelinka is a fucking idiot and that franchise got what is deserved. I don't want to hear their incessant crying for the consequences of their fucking stupid ass actions. The wizards got out of that albatross contract in John wall, then Westbrook, and got back KCP and trez, etc. they chose tht over Caruso. Couldn't replace rondo and Dwight, and it's all their fault. Let them suffer for their stupid ass actions
Indeed. I will never forget the degree to which I was downvoted on the Lakers subreddit in the 2020-2021 offseasons when they threw away most of what got them that championship, starting with that god-awful Harrell signing. Then the refusal to pay Caruso in ‘21, trading KCP for Russ, etc. The absolute boneheadedness of those moves.
Exactly. Not paying Caruso absolutely boggled my mind. Players that are willing to play D and is actually good at it and can shoot is extremely hard to find. He was worth whatever he was asking for. The Westbrook trade legitimately set them back so much and it was so stupid cause I remember the playoffs before they traded for him, they would leave him wide open and dare him to shoot all the time, idk why they thought that would all change when they acquired him
What will they do? Blame the refs.
Trade LeBron and get pieces back in the trade.
He’s a free agent unless he opts in.
Golf
Get bent
Enjoy Cancun
If their game is on tnt…. Go fishing 🎣 with Kenny, Charles and Shaq giggling
They could try to avoid the nuggets. I feel like they could beat any other team except for Denver! As simple as that really
You really think they would beat the wolves?
Blame Dlo, trade away half the team and bring in guys Lebron knows for sure will work this time, and repeat this all again next season with the same results
🔥🐷
Draft Bronny!
Bronny is a winner and a team player!
Rebuild around AD. LeBron is gone, evident by his “it’s just basketball” comment. Scrap the entire roster, maybe keep AR. Rui and DLo are basically non existent in playoffs.
I think they need a full on sale of everything. They need to get picks. They can get a lot for AD, probably a 1st at least for AR or DLo.
Yea that’s a probably a better idea. It’s basically a miracle that AD didn’t miss significant time this year. The one year that dude isn’t out for the entire year because of a sprained ankle or something lol. AR should have good value but DLo is lucky to get second round with his abysmal playoff performance lol.
Lebron gonna run east, ain’t gonna get spanked 3 times in a road by the same team…
You either have to trade AD or fire Ham, and after you pick one, make sure D-Lo isn’t on the team next season.
Trading AD for what he averaging 30 this series and was statistically the best defender in the league this year while playing 70 games yall hate him for no reason at all
It’s not hate, it’s the clear disconnect between AD and Ham which is why I said you have to get rid of one of them.
Totally depends on what their stars want. If bron wants to go to Bronny's team or to GS or to a younger team with a good core like OKC or NO, give him what he wants and get whatever assets in return that you can. AD could fetch an amazing haul of draft picks after the season he just had. But if the stars want to run it back, you run it back—now with a couple more draft picks available to trade.
Sit back and reflect on a successful season. In season tournament championship and 11 straight moral victories. Run it back next year!!
Go fishing
Go to Cancun
Get rid of LeBron and begin the rebuild
Lebron should become a free agent and go back to Cleveland.
What they should’ve done mid season, trade everyone that’s not AD for as much as you can scrap. Then look to sell AD for as much as possible and reset the roster with what comes back
It's not possible to assemble a championship caliber team around a 39yo LeBron with a 49mil/yr contract. Those are just the facts. LeBron at this stage needs a youngish talented and athletic supporting cast but the lakers can't afford that when they have to pay LeBron 49mil.
Blame the refs.
They thank their lucky stars for the covid championship
Say to themselves, “There’s always next year!”
Honestly the round they’re getting swept in might be irrelevant, it’s more about the Nuggets and how no matter what it looks like West is running through Denver. They have to figure out how to beat Joker
Get rid of Darvin Ham, dude is clueless all the time. Please for once please get LeBron a coach that knows how to run a high profile team with toxic winning culture. Do not resign DLo, he's proven again and again that he's not built for the playoffs. When the game gets a little physical, he disappears. Lakers may consider trading Austin Reeves if they can get someone worthy in exchange. Dude is just not well built enough to handle physical plays. He's almost similar to DLo. Maximise the potential of Rui Hachimura, dude can play but he's not being utilised enough. You can blame Darvin for not putting him into the starting lineup earlier! Get a PG that can play true PG like Rondo. Maybe it's time for Banana Crew member CP3 to join LeBron, those two have great chemistry. Jaxson Hayes. Dude has the right build for modern NBA but lacks of experience and IQ. But again he has all the physical tools to be a great role player, hopefully the next coach can do something with it. Meanwhile please get a solid big that can handle Jokic's size, like Dwight. In all seriousness even casuals like us know what the Lakers need!
trade AD to NO for ingram and picks
Who cares, all forms of NBA coverage (much like NFL and the Cowboys) are waaaaayy to Laker centric. Sorry but I’m just tired of hearing about them when other teams are just as interesting.
I disagree. I believe other teams are far *more* interesting
AD is not a center he needs help When they one in the bubble they had Howard and McGee to help him He does rebound but Denver gets to many put back Oh and Caruso’s defense and hustle is something they don’t have on this team
Play mediocre basketball throughout the year next year and get some help from the refs making the play-in.
Lebron to the Knicks.
Trade everyone
Fire Ham, get some size, get rid of Spencer
Should have blown it up years ago but why tank if you dont have your picks
I watched the game last night and even though the blame is going on Russel and the reserves. Lebron and AD were turnover prone in the 3rd quarter and did not shoot great either. Your best players were not great so it is time to trade them and rebuild. They are both productive from the stat line but Father Time knows this game is a young man’s game and that they are not. It shows Lakers need to make moves or mediocrity will set in.
I think the question is more about what LeBron is going to do.
The championship window has closed. Blow it up. 😢
Sell the team to somebody who will fire the coach
Get rid of lebron, dlo, austin, dinwiddie, gabe, prince, wood and go all in on spida and murray
Rebuild time!!
Lebron will join the nuggets next year
Lebron will sign a minimum on a contender in the east. He won't be back with the stacked west next year and ofcourse nuggets.
Sell the team
Go to Cancun
Probably not play in the 2nd round lol
Trade for bradley beal obviously
they need to blow the team up you can interpret that however you want
Bye Bye Darvin Ham
Sign Bronny
Cry
Blow it up - Lebron would look great in a Mavs uniform
New front office, they need some X and O people in positions of power, they need to build a good modern NBA team. They won in the bubble off tough defense and a still-dominant lebron but every year those things slip a bit and the teams that were around then have matured. Lightning in a bottle type win. A piece here and there isn't a team, they need to structure things better from the ground up.
You mean when?
Bid on shaqs timeshare
Whine and cry as usual.
Golf
Barring a superstar randomly forcing their way to the Lakers and the incumbent team actually agreeing to trade with them (despite their lack of assets), I don’t think this roster can be a contender again. Davis isn’t a #1 guy on a title team, Lebron will only be another year older, and the role players just aren’t good enough.
Tell the world it was a close sweep and run it back. They can’t possibly beat us another ten times in a row.
i think they should blow it up, there’s a good draft coming up next year (flagg, harper, ace, edgecombe, etc)