Lifestyle > Sports & Entertainment
My comment on the status of the Lakers
M Dogg™:
I just got back from California for the last 2 and a half weeks. And man it felt good to be home. I miss my family, I miss the weather, and I miss my teams being the only thing other fans talk about. One thing I will say though, Sccit's version of the Lakers is very different than mine, and it must be an I.E. thing but most Laker fans I know tend to agree with me when it comes to the Lakers that I ran into.
One more thing before I move on, I still haven't met a Clippers fan. Like many said, they might have watched the Clippers in the playoffs, but no one was becoming a Clippers fan. And in the I.E., they weren't going to buy no Clippers jersey, I know in L.A. a few people switched over. Not in the I.E.
One thing that people wanted was for Kobe to retire. I was actually surprised, because to me, I want Kobe to have that one last send off year. But everyone else doesn't want to see Kobe always injured anymore. I know fans in actual L.A. are very much behind Kobe, but I.E. fans seem like they want to move on. We all agree that management has to change. Being there made me realize that the game might be passing Mitch by. A lot can be said about the Lakers lack of analytic, which I was shocked to hear so many fans talk about, but I think that Mitch might be a bit outdated in his thinking. I was very concern with rumors the Lakers wanted to trade from Cousins. I like Cousins, and if we can get Cousins then we should, but not in a trade and not for Randell and Russell and future draft picks. Mitch seems to trade off the future in order to compete in the present. And that works when you add a Pau Gasol to a Kobe in his prime. But when you can't get free agents to stay, then you need the picks. The Lakers need the picks. We are almost but guaranteed to lose our first round pick this up coming year, as it's only top 5 protected. It seems that people are starting to question Mitch more. Usually the blame was always of Jim Buss and Mitch was granted an excuse. But when you look at Mitch's record, it is a bit spotty. He really only built the late-2000's team, and that's through the Gasol trade. He inhered the Shaq/Kobe team, and tweaked that every year. He has never signed that big free agent the way West got Shaq. He's strength was building super-teams that always under achieved. Like the 2003-2004 Lakers or the 2011-2012 Lakers. So I'm starting to think that it's time for a change in upper management.
I still think the Lakers need to keep Kobe. I don't care if you give him another 2 year, $40 million. Kobe sells tickets and is the face of the franchise.
Some are thinking this will be the start of the 90's version of the Lakers, which you have Nick Van Exel and Eddie Jones, that's how they see Jordan Clarkson and D'Angelo Russell. I wasn't surprised by this. I think next year (2016-2017) the Lakers will be competing with this back court.
With that said, in order for the Lakers to compete, and this pains me so much to say, they need to move on from Byron Scott. I've spent the last 14 years praying the Lakers hire Scott to coach this team. And I think 14, 10, hell 6 years ago he'd have done a great job with this team. But like Mitch, the game has passed him by. I think he will still develop the guards and after he's done I'm sure the Lakers will give him a nice job at Time Warner or in their front office. He's a loyal Laker through and through. But it really just seems like he was hired to see Kobe off. As long as Kobe in playing, Scott will be coaching. And For this up coming year, I have no problems with that. But once they want to focus on the Clarkson/Russell era, then it's key that they move on from Russell and hire a younger coach.
My own thoughts...
The Lakers are 2-3 years from competing. That really sucks, the last time they missed the playoffs two years in a row was was 1974-1976. In 1974-1975, aside from an aging Gail Goodrich they had no one, and the next year they added Kareem who got them to almost .500. But in Kareem's second year, the Lakers were back in the playoffs. The Lakers did not get saved by a blockbuster signing, or blockbuster trade. Instead, they got shafted three years in a row. This is not what happens in L.A., and not what happens to the Lakers. I foresee 4 straight years of no playoffs. Even with Kobe retiring, this does NOTHING to help the Lakers, but instead hurts them. One thing about Kobe, the kids coming in really want to play with him. They looked up to him and to them, that late-2000's run showed them why he was better than LeBron. The Lakers can really use that to get some draft picks to want to be in L.A.
At the end of the day, I think Mitch and Jim need to give it up. Either they commit to rebuilding or they give it up. You can't trade away the future. You must either rebuild all the way, or go full in this year, which you don't have the talent or trade pieces to do. So now it's a matter of just rebuillding. And right now the Lakers are in a great spot. But they need to think differently to get to that next level. They need a big man, and someone to get that big man.
Sccit:
1.Mitch did fine this offseason....Stole Hibbert, signed reigning 6th man of the year, stigned a lottery talent in Robert Upshaw to a 2 year deal, signed a starting quality big in Brandon Bass (whos in his prime).
2.We ain't gettin Cousins.
3.Our draft pick is only top 3 protected
4.Mitch has done AMAZING things in the past, which u have orverlooked (such as trading for CP3)
5.Lakers have an analytics department
6.Byron Scott has coached 50+ win teams and been to the Finals twice as a coach..Last year, his philosophy was to shoot a minimal amount of threes. this year, he has went on record to say he wants to put up more threes per game, citing the drafting of sharpshooter anthony brown as a direct result of that...to say he isn't progressing is laughable. you're judging him based on a season where he had a terrible roster to work with. no bueno.
OTHER THAN THAT, I THINK U REALIZE THAT WE HAVE ONE OF THE BEST YOUNG CORES IN THE LEAGUE AND OUR ARROW IS POINTIN WAY UP RIGHT NOW. LETS SEE HOW THIS SEASON PLAYS OUT AND THEN WE CAN RE-VISIT THIS THREAD...AS LONG AS I SEE DEVELOPMENT WITH THE YOUNG'NS, THEN WE GOOD TO GO.
Hack Wilson - real:
enjoy a 30 win season and a 10th or 11th seed in the west
no first round pick
no stars when Durant stays in OKC with Westbrook - maybe you can get Marshmelo Anthony from Philbert ;D
Sccit:
--- Quote from: Back 2 Hack on July 14, 2015, 03:04:48 PM ---enjoy a 30 win season and a 10th or 11th seed in the west
no first round pick
no stars when Durant stays in OKC with Westbrook - maybe you can get Marshmelo Anthony from Philbert ;D
--- End quote ---
Enjoy no young superstar prospects to watch this season, while the lakeshow got russell, clarkson, and randle
M Dogg™:
--- Quote from: Sccit on July 14, 2015, 02:46:43 PM ---1.Mitch did fine this offseason....Stole Hibbert, signed reigning 6th man of the year, stigned a lottery talent in Robert Upshaw to a 2 year deal, signed a starting quality big in Brandon Bass (whos in his prime).
2.We ain't gettin Cousins.
3.Our draft pick is only top 3 protected
4.Mitch has done AMAZING things in the past, which u have orverlooked (such as trading for CP3)
5.Lakers have an analytics department
6.Byron Scott has coached 50+ win teams and been to the Finals twice as a coach..Last year, his philosophy was to shoot a minimal amount of threes. this year, he has went on record to say he wants to put up more threes per game, citing the drafting of sharpshooter anthony brown as a direct result of that...to say he isn't progressing is laughable. you're judging him based on a season where he had a terrible roster to work with. no bueno.
OTHER THAN THAT, I THINK U REALIZE THAT WE HAVE ONE OF THE BEST YOUNG CORES IN THE LEAGUE AND OUR ARROW IS POINTIN WAY UP RIGHT NOW. LETS SEE HOW THIS SEASON PLAYS OUT AND THEN WE CAN RE-VISIT THIS THREAD...AS LONG AS I SEE DEVELOPMENT WITH THE YOUNG'NS, THEN WE GOOD TO GO.
--- End quote ---
1. I'd say he did okay. But I expected more. I really did. I was hoping for at least a B level big man... now we got Slow Roy. (As Steve Mason calls him) I think this off season was an upgrade, but overall I'm not impressed. Mitch has bought a lot of time with his past to make this right. But being the first GM in Lakers history to miss the playoffs 3 years in a row isn't a good thing. Hopefully they can do something.
2. That was all everyone was talking about until the Kings themselves said they ain't trading Cousins. Then the Roy trade happened, which killed any chance of it happening. But even entertaining that trade with the young pieces we have, that's what annoyed me the most.
3. Damn, that's right, this year it's only top 3 protected, and tanking can't guarantee that. That Steve Nash trade is like a bad horror movie, it keeps following you until it kills you. Damn you Mitch!
4. He's done more good that bad, but the 2003-2004 Lakers, and the Steve Nash trade both held down the Lakers for years after. He did do good in the Shaq trade, and had a great trade with Pau Gasol. But always trying to trade Pau led to Marc Gasol not wanting to comeback later. So yeah, you have to take the good with the bad. But right now, karma is catching up. Though he is a great talent evaluator.
5. Yep. Best interview I heard during my time in California, Mitch invited Steve Mason to join Mark Madsen and watch how they work. I was amused. It's up to Byron Scott to now use that information.
6. Awe, Byron. There is so much old school I love in him. I will give him one more year before final judgment. This was who I wanted as coach for the Lakers for a long time. I have to just give it one more year with better players.
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