LA Lakers 2019-2020 Outlook

[Kaboom 3,209]

4 hours ago, Gile Pile said:

With Cousins out possibly for a season, are expectations changed?  I think that even if Boogie comes back at some point, he will be at  max 75%.   Lakers ceiling is now, in my opinion,  WCF.

Should Lakers bring Melo in?

 

 

Raptors need to sign Melo to convince themselves they'll make the playoffs. 

[Gile Pile 831]

17 minutes ago, Kaboom said:

Raptors need to sign Melo to convince themselves they'll make the playoffs. 

playoffs or not, it does not change the fact that McGee is your starting center at the moment

#wethechamps 

[RedDogNamedClippers 1,699]

If I’m the Lakers and bring in either Carmelo or Faried. With Cousins you was hoping to have a C who can shoot 3’s. Now that opportunity is lost so you need to refill that 15+ points you just lost from the C position. Faried can score in bunches but can’t shoot to save his life, maybe put Melo to have a scoring option if the goal is to put LeBron or AD at the 5.

[Pirate 734]

 

[Jake the snake 1,744]

8 hours ago, Kaboom said:

Raptors need to sign Melo to convince themselves they'll make the playoffs. 

 

So, how much you want to wager on the Raptors not making the playoffs? I'm all-in on that bet!

I reckon there is a very good chance they have a better record than the Lakers too by seasons end. Lakers are now a Davis or LBJ injury away from a total disaster.

[RedRaider27 422]

5 hours ago, Jake the snake said:

 

So, how much you want to wager on the Raptors not making the playoffs? I'm all-in on that bet!

I reckon there is a very good chance they have a better record than the Lakers too by seasons end. Lakers are now a Davis or LBJ injury away from a total disaster.

That's fair, but honestly, aren't most teams one major injury away from total disaster? Except for maybe two or three teams, if one of their big 2 stars go down, they are toast. The Lakers are no exception to that rule, I agree, but most of the league with them are no exception as well.

[Jake the snake 1,744]

44 minutes ago, RedRaider27 said:

That's fair, but honestly, aren't most teams one major injury away from total disaster? Except for maybe two or three teams, if one of their big 2 stars go down, they are toast. The Lakers are no exception to that rule, I agree, but most of the league with them are no exception as well.

Not so much, the Celtic$ were better with injuries, they would be strong again this year I'd say even if they lost Kemba. Raptors are well equipped to deal with injuries and even losing Siakam or Lowry they'd still probably make the playoffs (They played a lot last year without Lowry, Leonard, and JV at the same time and were still good). If the Nuggets lost Jokic for a good chunk of the year I think they'd probably still make the playoffs even in the West - Plumlee would come in and he's basically Jokic-lite without a Jumper and not quite the passer, although he is a decent passer and they have guys to step up. Even the Clippers if they lost Kawhi or George I think they might still have enough to scrape in (might, though it would be tough). Spurs are always good and would probably make it to the playoffs if their starting 5 all went out...🤣. 76ers would survive one injury to one of their top heavy talent.

If the Lakers lost LBJ or Davis, they're fuked (I mean Davis couldn't with a far better supporting cast with the Pels in the last two years than he would with the Lakers sans LBJ) - they don't have enough behind those two to get into the playoffs, and moreso because it could end in Davis walking away to a better situation too if it falls apart, which is why many had concerns about the MASSIVE MASSIVE pay-out it took to get Davis and their over-commitment to the Kawhi stakes.

Edited August 16 by Jake the snake

[RedRaider27 422]

2 minutes ago, Jake the snake said:

Not so much, the Celtic$ were better with injuries, they would be strong again this year I'd say even if they lost Kemba. Raptors are well equipped to deal with injuries and even losing Siakam or Lowry they'd still probably make the playoffs (They played a lot last year without Lowry, Leonard, and JV at the same time and were still good). If the Nuggets lost for a good chunk of the year I think they'd probably still make the playoffs even in the West - Plumlee would come in and he's basically Jokic-lite without a Jumper and they have guys to step up. Even the Clippers if they lost Kawhi or George I think they might still have enough to scrape in (might, though it would be tough). Spurs are always good and would probably make it to the playoffs if their starting 5 all went out...🤣. 76ers would survive one injury to one of their top heavy talent.

If the Lakers lost LBJ or Davis, they're fuked (I mean Davis couldn't with a far better supporting cast with the Pels in the last two years than he would with the Lakers sans LBJ) - they don't have enough behind those two to get into the playoffs, and moreso because it could end in Davis walking away to a better situation too if it falls apart, which is why many had concerns about the MASSIVE MASSIVE pay-out it took to get Davis and their over-commitment to the Kawhi stakes.

Celtics were better with an injury to Kyrie, who clearly didn't fit in with that group. Losing Kemba would be a different situation to me. Fair point for sure on the Raps, can't argue there. Spurs are a borderline playoff team to me right now, so with an injury to DeMar or LMA that probably screws them. Denver, Clippers, Philly, if they lose one of their main guys I just see them really struggling, especially Denver/Clippers in the West. You just can't really lose your main star and keep your head above water as most teams sacrifice depth for top end talent. The Lakers losing AD or Bron would obviously screw them over totally, but DMC going down doesn't change that. They would've been screwed wether they had him or not and Bron/AD went down. Just my opinion, but I feel like only a couple West teams could survive that kind of injury. And by survive, I mean just make the playoffs, not still be a contender.

[Jake the snake 1,744]

5 minutes ago, RedRaider27 said:

Celtics were better with an injury to Kyrie, who clearly didn't fit in with that group. Losing Kemba would be a different situation to me. Fair point for sure on the Raps, can't argue there. Spurs are a borderline playoff team to me right now, so with an injury to DeMar or LMA that probably screws them. Denver, Clippers, Philly, if they lose one of their main guys I just see them really struggling, especially Denver/Clippers in the West. You just can't really lose your main star and keep your head above water as most teams sacrifice depth for top end talent. The Lakers losing AD or Bron would obviously screw them over totally, but DMC going down doesn't change that. They would've been screwed wether they had him or not and Bron/AD went down. Just my opinion, but I feel like only a couple West teams could survive that kind of injury. And by survive, I mean just make the playoffs, not still be a contender.

Denver are so deep. They'd still be really good without Jokic, not top of the standings good like they are, but Plumlee is a better defender than Jokic also. Celtics are also deep with loads of young guys Hoarder Dan has been stockpiling eager to get a run out. They'd both stay afloat and the Celtics are in the east, which is weaker, for sure they'd make the playoffs. 76ers definitely would still be good without Embiid. They wouldn't be a contender, but they'd still be a good team - I mean they still have Harris, Simmons, Richardson, Horford and a few scrubs. Bucks wouldn't be very good without Giannis that is for sure, no doubt about that. Clippers, I think might hang tough esp. if the Injury was to George and not Kawhi. If they still had Kawhi fit without George I think they might scrape in. They have some talent around (don't sleep on Shamet) their two stars, I mean they stayed strong with Gallo as their leader and Kawhi>>>>>Gallo. Spurs was mainly just a joke, although I thought they'd miss out last year and got shown up by Pop once again, fool me once...

[StifleTower2 2,523]

Not to mention if the Jazz lost Conley or Mitchell for a brief period of time then they would cover for the other, plus Ingles can cover ball handling.  I don’t think they can win a playoff series if one of them goes down but they could be above .500.  Lots of teams can absorb the loss of one player for a stretch of games.

 

[RedRaider27 422]

1 hour ago, Jake the snake said:

Denver are so deep. They'd still be really good without Jokic, not top of the standings good like they are, but Plumlee is a better defender than Jokic also. Celtics are also deep with loads of young guys Hoarder Dan has been stockpiling eager to get a run out. They'd both stay afloat and the Celtics are in the east, which is weaker, for sure they'd make the playoffs. 76ers definitely would still be good without Embiid. They wouldn't be a contender, but they'd still be a good team - I mean they still have Harris, Simmons, Richardson, Horford and a few scrubs. Bucks wouldn't be very good without Giannis that is for sure, no doubt about that. Clippers, I think might hang tough esp. if the Injury was to George and not Kawhi. If they still had Kawhi fit without George I think they might scrape in. They have some talent around (don't sleep on Shamet) their two stars, I mean they stayed strong with Gallo as their leader and Kawhi>>>>>Gallo. Spurs was mainly just a joke, although I thought they'd miss out last year and got shown up by Pop once again, fool me once...

 

1 hour ago, StifleTower2 said:

Not to mention if the Jazz lost Conley or Mitchell for a brief period of time then they would cover for the other, plus Ingles can cover ball handling.  I don’t think they can win a playoff series if one of them goes down but they could be above .500.  Lots of teams can absorb the loss of one player for a stretch of games.

 

Good discussion. You two are right. The Lakers definitely have less room for error than the other contenders out there. Again, I still feel like if most of these teams lost a star, they wouldn't be contenders anymore, similar to the Lakers, but the difference between them and the Lakers is that they could keep their head above water if someone went down, something the Lakers probably couldn't do.

[Gile Pile 831]

9 hours ago, Jake the snake said:

 

So, how much you want to wager on the Raptors not making the playoffs? I'm all-in on that bet!

I reckon there is a very good chance they have a better record than the Lakers too by seasons end. Lakers are now a Davis or LBJ injury away from a total disaster.

Changing user name for a year, same as Siakam's bet?

[Kaboom 3,209]

11 hours ago, Jake the snake said:

 

So, how much you want to wager on the Raptors not making the playoffs? I'm all-in on that bet!

I reckon there is a very good chance they have a better record than the Lakers too by seasons end. Lakers are now a Davis or LBJ injury away from a total disaster.

The Raptors were a game 7 bounce away from not having the only title they're ever going to have. 

 

And WC and EC regular season records are incomparable. It's JV vs. Varsity, apples and oranges. Think of something else for a bet.

[brockpapersizer 10,316]

16 minutes ago, Kaboom said:

 

And WC and EC regular season records are incomparable. It's JV vs. Varsity, 

 

Makes it great when the JV champs beat the Varsity champs like last year. 

[Pyschout 186]

On 8/16/2019 at 3:32 PM, Kaboom said:

The Raptors were a game 7 bounce away from not having the only title they're ever going to have.

This is very true, but in the last twenty years, the Lakers were a Vlade Divac tip to Horry and a Gasol offensive rebound away from having two less titles, so what really is the point?  Every championship team gets lucky at some point, even if it comes down to "LeBron was lucky he had an easy Eastern Conference" or "Kobe was lucky he had Shaq" or "Toronto was lucky Kawhi's shot went in".

What's unlucky is thinking being a fan of one team makes you better than being a fan of another, especially when we're talking fantasy.

[brockpapersizer 10,316]

9 hours ago, Pyschout said:

This is very true,

 

It's not even true a little bit. Kawhis shot was when the game was tied, they could have easily won in overtime, but I agree with your point, it's hardly the only moment you can point to in any championship.  It doesn't take away from the championship even a little bit. 

Edited August 18 by brockpapersizer

[v1n5anity 970]

On 8/16/2019 at 3:32 PM, Kaboom said:

The Raptors were a game 7 bounce away from not having the only title they're ever going to have. 

 

And WC and EC regular season records are incomparable. It's JV vs. Varsity, apples and oranges. Think of something else for a bet.

Isn't the bet regarding Raptors making the playoffs, which you said they wouldnt?

[StifleTower2 2,523]

The raptors will win like 50 games and be a 5th seed.  They still have Lowry, FVF, Pascal, Gasol, and Ibaka in the front court.  Lowry, Pascal, and Gasol will simply absorb the usage and they will be decent.  

[v1n5anity 970]

The Cousins injury hurts more than some realize IMO. Before, if you had LeBron, AD, Cousins on the floor together, you can get away with playing Rondo (who is likely their second best ball handler). Now with Cousins out and Dwight in (who can't shoot and often refuses to run P&R), spacing will become a major issue anytime Dwight and Rondo share the floor together. AD's reluctance to play the 5 doesn't help that. I think the Lakers biggest weakness is their lack of a reliable secondary ball handler and that issue got worse after Boogie's injury IMO. I don't trust guys like Caruso (unproven) and Cook/KCP/Bradley (not PGs) to be that player. That's going to put more pressure on LeBron to carry the load. For the regular season that should be ok. In the playoffs that will be an issue.

[Gile Pile 831]

1 hour ago, v1n5anity said:

The Cousins injury hurts more than some realize IMO. Before, if you had LeBron, AD, Cousins on the floor together, you can get away with playing Rondo (who is likely their second best ball handler). Now with Cousins out and Dwight in (who can't shoot and often refuses to run P&R), spacing will become a major issue anytime Dwight and Rondo share the floor together. AD's reluctance to play the 5 doesn't help that. I think the Lakers biggest weakness is their lack of a reliable secondary ball handler and that issue got worse after Boogie's injury IMO. I don't trust guys like Caruso (unproven) and Cook/KCP/Bradley (not PGs) to be that player. That's going to put more pressure on LeBron to carry the load. For the regular season that should be ok. In the playoffs that will be an issue.

I totally agree,  Howard and McGee are not giving me a confidence at all.       There is always option of going extra small with Kuzma at 5, which would translate to 2nd unit being Rondo, KCP, Dudley,  Caruso, Howard or  McGee.    

I am expecting Lakers will keep looking for another C and wait to see if Iguodala is available.    

 

[RedDogNamedClippers 1,699]

Oh now it’s about spacing. Maybe should of signed Melo instead of a non PNR and non shooting 5.

[v1n5anity 970]

4 minutes ago, RedDogNamedClippers said:

Oh now it’s about spacing. Maybe should of signed Melo instead of a non PNR and non shooting 5.

I'm no Dwight fan, but after the Boogie injury, it was clear they weren't going into the season again with McGee as their only center (since AD won't play significant minutes there it looks like). I don't get how Melo fits anyway (beyond the fact that he's completely washed), AD/Kuzma/LeBron are going to play most of the minutes at SF/PF. What they needed with their last roster spot was a center since AD won't do it. I'm not saying Dwight is the answer, but it surely wasn't Melo.

[RedDogNamedClippers 1,699]

58 minutes ago, v1n5anity said:

I'm no Dwight fan, but after the Boogie injury, it was clear they weren't going into the season again with McGee as their only center (since AD won't play significant minutes there it looks like). I don't get how Melo fits anyway (beyond the fact that he's completely washed), AD/Kuzma/LeBron are going to play most of the minutes at SF/PF. What they needed with their last roster spot was a center since AD won't do it. I'm not saying Dwight is the answer, but it surely wasn't Melo.

 

You put Lebron at the 5 like the Miami days. And I know somebody else said, if it doesn’t work out, you sign Iguodala, and how does that help. Iguodala can’t play the 5 either.

[Gile Pile 831]

Who else can Lakers reasonably sign other than Iguodala?   If player is not signed at this time, usually  there is a good reason (player is not good) for that.  Farried, Gortat?  No thanks.

Lakers also have very limited assets (most of the draft picks are gone)  to   make a trade for quality player.   M. Gasol or Ibaka  would be  a good fit, but Raptors are not giving them for free. 

 

[RedDogNamedClippers 1,699]

Ryan Anderson.