It hasn't been easy. After meditating it a lot I've chosen to play with the Chicago Bulls. Looking forward to this new chapter of my career
— Pau Gasol (@paugasol) July 12, 2014
And with that simple announcement, Pau Gasol is a Laker no more. It is fitting that the man from Spain, where this happens yearly, has decided to join the Bulls.
In reality, we have known for some time that this day was coming. On his own website, after the season, Pau said that money would not matter as much as the chance to compete for and win championships. While the Lakers could offer the cash they cannot offer the high level team needed to advance deep into the playoffs. Gasol knows this just as well as we do and while his decision was surely difficult, you have to imagine this fact proved to be the tipping point.
As for whether or not the Lakers will get one last parting gift from Pau via trading him to Chicago, that seems unlikely.
Bulls in the process of finalizing a free agent deal with Pau Gasol. Will not be a sign-and-trade with Lakers, sources told ESPN.
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) July 12, 2014
Once acquired for expiring contracts, unproven talent, and draft picks while also being the key player who was to net the Lakers Chris Paul, Gasol now parts the team on his own terms and leaves them empty handed. The circle of NBA life is funny that way.
While the latter stages of Gasol’s time with the Lakers was somewhat tarnished by trade rumors and having his role jerked around, he will forever be remembered by me as a true warrior who gave his all to the organization to help it reach the top of the mountain. The Lakers don’t win their 2009 and 2010 championships without the Spaniard’s overall brilliance, without him being the inside foundation to complement Kobe’s wizardry from the wing. That duo formed one of the league’s best tandems, torturing opponents with diverse and immense skill and iron willed determination that spearheaded three straight trips to the finals and back to back championships.
Just as Kobe and Pau’s skills meshed masterfully, so did their personalities. Pau, by default is an introspective, and even polite, person. His more calm and patient demeanor played off Kobe’s more outwardly fiery personality perfectly and allowed them (along with Derek Fisher and Lamar Odom) to provide a full scope of leadership that those teams needed. They also, of course, found a perfect partnership in the most simple thing of all: a shared love of the game. During time on the bench or at glimpses behind the scenes, you would often see those two going over strategy and planning how to dissect a defense in order to get a key basket. And while there were times that Kobe could be hard on Pau publicly (his “big boy pants” comment comes to mind) these two were mostly on the same page, speaking the same language of winning basketball players.
Those days are over now, though. Fisher and Phil have long been gone. Odom too. Role players like Ariza and Ron, Farmar and the Machine came and went. But there was always Pau. But now he is a Bull.
And while Kobe will have new teammates, in a way he is now alone.
I, for one, will still root for Gasol and wish him nothing but success. The memories he brought me are simply too good for me to ever think of him negatively. I will always remember his chemistry with Kobe, how he instantly connected with Odom, how he took to the Triangle like a fish to water, and how he always seemed to take everything in stride like a true professional. Yes, he spoke his mind and could needle people in the press with the best of them, but even in these times he spoke with an elegance and grace and calm knowing that was respectful and measured.
I am sure he will do the same in Chicago. And will be watching from afar hoping he brings their fans some of the same joy he brought me.
My Info says
Agree with you 100%. Will miss Pau.
JD says
An absolutely terrible play in terms of handling an asset. Much like many Lakers fans have, said a Pau trade should have been explored the last 2 years and now we let him walk for nothing. I for one am absolutely flabbergasted by the way in which this has played out. Our big free agency addition is Jeremy Lin, a far cry from the illusions of grandeur of Carmelo and LeBron. I have given this front office the benefit of the doubt, but will now take everything that is said as remnants of Tommy Boyish incompetency. The saddest part about this whole equation is that a truly good executive in Mitch Kupchak has been rendered useless by a now big talk, no Correct action ownership group. I appreciate the fact that we got to see Pau Gasol as a player, but I for one am in no mood for nostalgia. Every player is an asset and should be treated accordingly for the future betterment of the organization. What this organization is suffering from is a lack of a vision, or at least a cohesive one. It is simply no longer there. With the new landscape of the NBA nobody is coming to your team because you have Lakers written on your chest. You must put together an intriguing product and Jeremy Lin-Kobe Bryant-Nick Young led team is not it. Nor will a draft pick in the 20’s make it anymore attractive next summer when we again are preached the benefits of the oodles of cap space upon which we will once again sit.
Radius says
here here. He was masterful in the low post. it is a shame that his talent on the perimeter made coaches try and use him as a stretch 4. I wish him luck on his journey, but confused on his choice. Surprised he did not go to OKC, Cle, or NYK.
Bulls upgraded nicely as I would take a Pau over Boozer any day of the week and twice on… every day of the week. Defensive minded Joakim behind him will help keep Pau of the bruisers.
Good luck Pau!
Anonymous says
Gasol walks away and we get nothing in return… I’m noticing a trend here.
harold says
At least I am heartened by the offers made by the FO that Pau turned down. I think they gave him a reasonable offer and did not disrespect him. Too bad that there could not be a sign and trade or some other way that would have benefitted us, but it’s also good enough that we did not take back any contracts that the Bulls were willing to unload.
The Bulls will be interesting with Gasol, and if they can limit his minutes (and Wade’s if Wade signs with them) it will be very intriguing indeed. At least there’s a chance that Gasol will meet LeBron in the playoffs, something Kobe has never been able to do, and while my ‘hatred’ of LeBron dropped a lot since his move to Cleveland (not because he went ‘home’ but because he played his power cards right and is pressuring the owners: look at the 2 year contract, even), I will enjoy rooting against him if he meets the Bulls.
KO says
Seems like another slip up by FO. List is getting bigger and bigger.
Sure hope we don’t lose Sacre this way.
Shaun says
I say we 1. Make an amnesty claim if boozer is actually amnestied 2. Make george karl our coach
Bryonn scott needs kidd/cp3 level guards to run his offense while our team will essentially be meant to run and have fun penetrating the paint which lin, kobe amd clarkson can do and karl did well in denver with so so talent and runs a run n gun system that we can enjoy without the boneheaded dantoni substitions and playingtime swings
J C says
I’m gonna bleed forum blue and gold no matter what, but…
Saving Cap space for next year is weird. What’s gonna change?
Should have gone after Stephenson.
They’re worried cuz he blew in Lebron’s ear? He’s a talent.
Starting to think the Lakers will only improve once of of two things happen:
1. Kobe finishes a great career and his contract comes off the books, or
2. The Lakers sell the team and allow new ownership and a fresh vision take hold.
Lakers17 says
Like Pau as a person and player. Sad to see someone of such quality leave our organization, but I know it’s nothing personal, and he deserves another chance at a ring. Who knows. He may end up with more than Kobe.
I hope he comes back to the Lakers organization in some capacity in the future.
My wife once tweeted a picture of my daughter wearing his jersey. He saw that, and retweeted it! I thought that was pretty sweet! Been my favorite player since.
Good luck Pau!
harold says
Also, here’s to hoping that he pulls a Shaq and wins one with his new team. It would be pretty darn ironic if Wade joins Chicago and wins one there again.
Justin says
Kobe is no longer the face of the franchise, Julius Randle is, likes need him to be a star, free agents won’t sign if we have another 50 loss season
rr says
Pau rocks. Always liked him, and the 2009 and 2010 banners would not be up there without him. Chicago is now my favorite Eastern Conference team.
—
Chicago has until Wednesday to amnesty Boozer, and they need to afford both Pau and Mirotic.
Lakers17 says
The toughest thing to do in life is to sell high, and any team that’s tried to go one more year, has often had long term negative consequences.
As I’m sure it’s hard for Mark Cuban to take the criticism for dismantling a championship team, he knew his only chance was to go that route. They’re not championship contenders, but not a lottery team either. But he has the luxury of not having the type of expectations that Lakers fans have.
Chearn says
Pau, thank you for your IQ, willingness to be Robin, championships, and professionalism I will miss you. Conversely, Pau’s career has just been extended for at least five years by playing alongside the defensive minded Noah. If Rose can return to the court a facsimile of himself that team will prevent Lebron from winning a championship in Cleveland, NY, and Indiana.
Too bad the Lakers couldn’t get Tony Snell in a sign and trade with Chicago a perfect 3 and D guy to develop during the ensuing years.
azzemoto says
I don’t tweet Pau but I wish I could tell you how much I appreciate you. Thanks for all the good years and sorry for how you were misused. Consummate pro!
T. Rogers says
Losing both Howard and Gasol for nothing in back to back years will hurt for a good while. No team can afford to lose assets like that.
I’ll still be rooting for Pau. He’s one of the easiest pro athletes to cheer for.
rubenowski says
Maybe we should sign the Pau Gasol impersonator to a 2 year deal.
rr says
Pau’s statement at his website (translated, so the diction is awkward):
Although I see a promising future for me in Chicago, decided to leave Los Angeles has been one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make. In my seven seasons with the Lakers, three times we have reached the NBA Finals, having managed to become champions twice. I am very grateful to have coincided with one of the great players in the history of the NBA, Kobe Bryant, and other great companions; and to have had the opportunity to be under the command of one of the best coaching, Phil Jackson, and his technical team. I am also happy to have played in a franchise with one of the best owners in all of sports, the Buss family. Still, I realize that the Lakers are under reconstruction. No doubt that in the future again be contenders ring. Unfortunately, the immediate needs of the Lakers do not match mine. All the best to the team and its fans.
Leaving Los Angeles, a city I love and a place where I have established many friendships and relationships, it has been a very difficult decision for me. My intention, despite my farewell is to stay connected to the community of Los Angeles, you always feel like home.
smokedaddy says
I’m with Darius and y’all on all the great memories that Pau has brought us. And no doubt he’s still a skilled passer and scorer in the low post. But let’s not whitewash Pau’s value right now.
How old is Pau now ? north of 30 anyhow
He was in and out of the lineup last year with sinus troubles, vertigo and god knows what else.
Unlike Jordan Hill, Pau is just inconsistent with his effort and energy. There were games when he looked like he gave it his all, but these were outnumbered by games when he clearly wasn’t. Granted, he had a coach who refused to change his game plan to match the skills of his players. Frankly, I don’t know who to blame more for this, D’Antoni or Laker Management. Still, D’Antoni had a point when he pointed out the need for Pau to start playing harder. So, yes, I’ll miss Pau. But truthfully this will give Jordan Hill and Julius Randle to inject some life into the low post, albeit lacking in Pau’s skills. As for the other signings, I like the Jeremy Lin deal, or at least that #1 pick next year. Swaggy P is back, good. The players I wish we kept, given what they signed for, are Farmar and Bazemore.
Anonymous says
Gasol walks away and we got 2 championships, thanks for everything maximus.
Michael Chen says
Thank you, Pau, for all the good memories! You are a class act!! Hope that you get another ring before you sail over the sunset!
Teamn says
Lakers17 — exactly. 2010-2011 season was that stretch for glory, when in fact the corner had already been turned. Again, I believe the ownership saw that and tried to avoid the total slide in 2011-2012, but we all know what happened with the veto.
In some parallel universe, CP3 and Dwight made it to the Lakers and won at least one ring with Kobe. Unfortunately for us, we’re stuck in this one.
the other Stephen says
Pau was my spirit animal.
Joe Casanova says
Pau never won a playoff game in his career without Kobe on the floor with him.
Darius Soriano says
Jose,
And Kobe never won a playoff series without Shaq or Pau on his team. See how that works?
DJ says
If Lakers FO did the right thing, they should trade Gasol to Houston 2 years ago, at that time Houston dying for Gasol, but why the Lakers FO could not do that ? because they were scared, why ? because they don’t have a vision, they can’t evaluate young players of other teams. We lost Bynum, Howard, Gasol for nothing, it is not a mistake, it is BIG mistake, that’s why it will take longer for Laker to recover. For years Lakers fan crying for PG, finally they gave us a 38 years old PG with back problem . Can Gasol play defense under Thibodeau’s team defense scheme ? we’ll see.
rr says
Brian Kamenetzky says adios to Pau Gasol:
http://landolakers.com/2014/07/12/why-well-miss-pau-gasol-now-that-hes-in-chicago/
KO says
What status of Henry and Kelly? Have not heard a word anywhere.
rr says
I think it is worth noting that the Lakers got nothing for either Kaman or Pau. This was a topic last spring at the deadline, and I still wonder why the Lakers didn’t simply buy out Kaman if they couldn’t get a second-rounder for him. All it has lead to so far is fewer ping-pong balls–and Dante Exum went at 5, to Utah.
Randle may be the guy of course; we will see, and I may be missing something. But at this moment, it doesn’t make sense to me. Also, since Bazemore is headed to Atlanta, and Marshon Brooks is off the radar, they are not going to get anything for Steve Blake, either.
Blake and Kaman will be teammates again this year, in Portland.
Manchee says
Creating a trade exception large enough to absorb Lin is essential at this time. More essential than getting an asset in return for Pau. The trade exception will allow Lakers to stay above the cap and use the available rights and exceptions to officially sign Hill and Young, while also retaining Henry, Kelly, and Johnson. Very unfortunate that Bazemore couldn’t wait a bit longer for this to unfold.
rr says
More essential than getting an asset in return for Pau.
—
Wasn’t necessarily talking about now; that is why I said “last spring.” Also, I am not sure that your post is accurate, although it may be.
melcountscounts says
I agree, will perhaps not cheer for Pau, but wish him no ill will.
Should have moved him at the deadline last season, how can you get nothing for him? Not the brightest plan-again.
KO says
rr
The new poster on side of Staples Center should be.
“It doesn’t make sense to me”
Tom Daniels says
Pau. So great. So often under appreciated. He will be missed. Rebuilding is an ugly process.
Joe Casanova says
Darius, Pau never won a game. Not a series, a simple game. How can you compare series and game?
Joe Casanova says
Kobe carried Pau too many times. In 2008 Pau failed the Lakers against Boston. In 2011 with Kobe on one leg, Pau pulled a disappearing act in the playoffs that only Roy Hibbert can rival. Pau was a great addition but let’s be real, he was disappointing at many times and simply didn’t play up to his full potential. Jim and Mitch traded him away at the very right time but unfortunately David Stern killed the trade. He is a very good Laker but in my humble opinion he doesn’t deserve a Jersey Retirement. Derek Fisher is more deserving and greater Laker than Pau.
Warren Wee Lim says
My love for Pau has been no secret. But its time to move on and I will be happy for him wherever he went, now most-especially to Chicago.
I’m with Manchee, priority right now is to secure that TPE to “stay above the cap” …
Joe Casanova says
People saying we lost Pau for nothing need to chill. Teams were offering the Lakers expensive carcasses for Pau; what should they have done accepted bad trades? Chicago was offering Carlos Boozer for Pau; who in their right mind accepts such a senseless trade? On one had you guys say the Front Office are clueless on the other hand you are mad that they didn’t accept bad offers for Pau. Look, I am glad the front office didn’t trade Pau, Dwight or Kaman for anything considering what was offered.
Aaron says
Classic example of over valuing your own talent. The league realized Pau was no longer a star player before the Lakers did. They actually traded him right before his first year of serious decline but Stern sterned us over. We went from getting a star PG to absolutely nothing for him. Very sad.
Lakers17 says
I’m not too upset about losing Pau for nothing. I guess the plan was always to try to sign LBJ or Melo, re-sign Pau.
And I’m not going to beat a dead horse about Kobe’s contract.
However…
Hearing that Paul Pierce signed for the MLE with the Wizards is frustrating. The Lakers need a small forward. I know Swaggy can play SF, but for about the same price and for less years, they could get PP. It may not make them a championship team, but he can still play. And it would have given him a chance to retire with the team he grew up idolizing.
Lil pau says
Heartbroken. Who is the next laker I might run into at the opera? I remember when pau was signed Phil making a joke about discussing the literary representation of the Spanish civil war and how this wasn’t normal postgame flight home conversation.
Be well, pau. I admire you as a player and a man.
Ko was right– I need a new name.
I’m actually going to be in Barcelona in 10 days. May leave my jersey on the beach or at the best tapas place I can find…
You were better than Garnett in game 7, I’ll never forget that…
Lakers17 says
Too soon for Lil Randle?
KO says
No go with Lil’Sac
rr says
I always have an Eastern team I sort of root for, usually due to a Lakers connection. The last few years, it has been Washington, since I always really liked Ariza.
Pierce ends that in a big way, so I will adopt the Bulls as my EC team.
Lakers17 says
Now that we’re > 24 hrs removed from the shock of being left at the altar by 2 potential franchise saviors(I know LBJ was just a dream), I’m looking forward to seeing what the Lakers can put together. Still sad, but it is what it is.
If Nash and Kobe can stay healthy, can we get 8th seed?
Nash may be a good mentor to Lin, revive his career.
Nash, Lin, Clarkson, Marshall
Kobe,
Swaggy
Randle
Hill, Sacre
Funny how we went from having no PG(Fisher was never really a true PG), to having 4.
sT says
I am thankful for all of the good memories Pau brought to Los Angeles, and wish him good luck.
Fern says
Thanks for everything Pau, your # will be on the rafters someday. Btw in not surprised bc if he came back he would be subjected to the same trade bs he had to endure. He was traded at the perfect time and the VETO happened, what happened afterward was unfair to him. He is part of Lakers lore now.
rr says
He is a very good Laker but in my humble opinion he doesn’t deserve a Jersey Retirement.
—
You are going to be disappointed then, since Pau will almost certainly be a HOFer and will get on the wall, whereas Fisher probably will not.
Also, your narrative leaves out Pau’s outplaying Howard in the 2009 Finals and coming up big against Garnett in Game 7 in the 2010 Finals.
bluehill says
thanks, Pau. Much respect to you for not throwing a Lamar despite repeated attempts to trade you. You went out on your on terms. Good luck!
Fern says
@rr for once i agree with you lol, Bruce freaking Bowen got the rafter treatment in SA and he was a role player. Pau deserves,it 3 Finals and 2 championships. He is going to be there. Have to admit that Pau going to the Bulls made me emotional and sad. I still remember when Mitch pulled that ninja and it felt so right, like it was meant to be.That 38 point and 18 rebounds he got on his 1st playoff game as a Laker Still stunned on that move and the realization that that team was the real deal. Took some seasons to get the team rigth roster wise to be able to made that move. we need to be patient.
mud says
Pau really wanted to go.
goodbye.
i’ll miss him, but i’m almost over it already.
X says
Chick is rolling over in his grave.
Fern says
Like Chick didnt saw the Lakers stunk on his lifetime, get a grip
X says
Laker will sell tickets because of Kobe, but will never contend again. So the plan is to wait for KD in two years? Why would he choose the Lakers? Then when he doesn’t sign with us, then what?
X says
There is no plan. Management f’d everything up by not bringing back Phil. We couldn’t suck enough to get Wiggins or Parker, Next year we will be just good enough to lose our draft pick instead of making sure we get in the top four. Durant is not going to leave Oklahoma City. Kobe will never play in the playoffs again. No plan the makes any sense?
X says
How happy is KOBE now?
Fern says
@Ko, i think somebody is challenging your title lol ^, let me correct that, he took the baton lol.
Chris J says
From Marc Stein: “Pierce, an unrestricted free agent, also drew interest from the Dallas Mavericks, the Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers — among other teams — before deciding to join the up-and-coming Wizards.”
——–
Had the front office signed that guy, I never would have had a good thing to say about them again, unless their interest was for some twisted plot to tie Pierce into a wheelchair and roll him down the 110 during rush hour.
The very thought of that crybaby, phony, Celtic clown taking the floor in purple and gold is just disgusting. Thank God he’s off to D.C. and not L.A.
Fern says
Chris J AMEN!! That would had killed the entire season for me and i bet Kobe would not be cool about that garbage, dont like Pierce and i would not want him wearing the purple & gold, that would be insulting, not bc he was a Celtic but bc of the reasons you said and when he said in 2010 ” we aint coming back to LA after they tied the series” good thing Metta’s defense made him eat his words.
KO says
Geez X
And you all thought I was bad.
You mad because you lack a longer name or your X was a Laker fan.
Things aren’t great but the use of. “Never” might be a bit extreme.
mud says
X, i think Kobe is happy enough.
that’s just my guess.
i’m sure that he gets unhappy sometimes, too. it’s hard to keep the same emotions going 24-7.
Braziman says
Signing Pierce would have been like when the Dodgers signed Juan Marichal — just inconceivable.
DonFord says
I join the Pau love.
So maybe he wasn’t a “beast” like a Shaq or whoever.
But he is an acutely skilled and talented basketball player, with great elegance in his style of play. He can pass, shoot -and do that hook- with either hand from either side, great teammate, great understanding of the fluidity and complexity of the game while it’s happening.
Plus a supercool, decent, intelligent and seemingly kind person.
What an unusual combination. How lucky the Lakers were to have a guy like this on our franchise for so long.
He aged like they all do, and it’s time for him to go, but he’s among the small handful of my fave Lakers ever.
X says
And don’t tell me Lakers don’t tank. The only thing that matters are competing for Championships and the next two years with Kobe we will not be a playoff team. Were competing not to get a good pick! wasted years!
5D2 says
goodbye Pau! He is one classy athlete, and a true professional. The Lakers have mistreated him, but he handled 2 years of being dangled around with dignity and respect. Quite simply, he deserves better. Best of luck for a good man.
For 2 years in a roll, Lakers lost significant big men without anything in return. For 2 years, they put over 2 million dollars on the table, but these star athletes chose to walk away. The mystique of the Lakers is gone. We are set to go into a long downward spiral.
I can’t imagine what will happen to Lakers once Kobe fades into the sunset. The fan base is shrinking fast….
chibi says
Who is this new guy X? Such expert.
AusPhil says
No Pierce in LA. Ever. Couldn’t be happier that he went to Washington.
Now let’s sign a C. Please.
BigCitySid says
I’m glad Gasol is moving on. Truly hate to see extraordinary talented players waste their careers in bad situations (unless they choose to simply be overpaid for their current talent level).
Appreciate your time here Pau. Your #16 will get placed in the rafters. As per him “owning” the Lakers a sign & trade…let’s not forget this is the same guy the Lakers dangle as trade bait for the last few years…the same guy the FO allowed D’Antonio to waste his talents the last two seasons.
Now as Laker fans we want Gasol to be above it all and help the Lakers on his way out the door. Business is business, if Gasol, the Lakers & Bulls can work something out, that’s more than I could expect. If they can’t, I have no problems with Pau decision.
Good luck Pau, a sure future HOF.
BigCitySid says
@ X, sorry to break it to you and every other “Kobe is still the best” guy on this site, not one other NBA team would be interested in taking on Kobe’s contract, none, zip, nada.
JH says
The comments section are getting unbearable. The front office is doing a decent job.
1. Drafted well
2. Signed Hill to a short contract
3. Swaggy P reasonable contract
4. Got Jeremy Lin for a year
5. Got a first round pick
Don’t forget Jeremy Lin is highly marketable to Asia market (China, Taiwan, Southeast Asia). For every detractor that said Gasol was given away for nothing, there is a counter argument that FO did well not to take on bad contracts as well. This is a rebuild that will take time and patience.
Lil pau says
My gosh things are cratering around here.
Pau S&T!? For who? At the cost of chasing all those big 2015 FAs? The cap space is worth 100x more than anyone they could get. The same people who suggest this foolishness would be here next summer complaining that the lakers can’t chase a star because they’re all capped out!
Won’t even deal with the Kobe trade nonsense. If anyone thinks: they gave him all that money just to trade him, you can trade a 20m contract straight up for a player on a rookie deal and doesn’t know Kobe has a no trade clause, they are unlikely to be great future contributors to this site. Can’t believe this nonsense has gone unmoderated.
Two team race in the east. Really hoping the elegant spaniard gives lebron something real to witness. How great it will be for him that when he plays high low, he might actually be the recipient for once instead of always the passer. Howard is a great player, but every one of his weaknesses, many of which are personality based, finds its antithesis in Noah. Buenas suerte, amigo!
Robert says
Bluehill: Nice response in the previous thread. We agree on much.
JH: Go back to the last thread and read my exchange with Bluehill and see if you think that is “bearable”. With regard to your list: I pretty much agree with all except #3. Also, with regard to Gasol, we should have gotten a pick or so along with a possible salary dump. And if the dump was for less than 2 years it would have been fine. You speak highly of Lin (and I somewhat like him too), but you realize he is a simple salary dump correct? Why is it OK to get Lin, but whoever we could have received for Pau would have been wrong? They are both the same. The pick(s) would be the key as long a the contract was 2 years or less (which Lin is). The FO did not get that done with Pau (or Kaman or DH for that matter – they all walked for nothing).The moves we just made are all minor. If the Lakers were in school, we would be flunking the course. Yes – to turn our bad grades into “A’s” will require patience and a one step at a time type approach. The draft pick, the Lin deal, the Hill contract are all fine, but it is like turning in a simple homework task. This does not change the fact that we flunked the final exam a few years running. I always speak of the largest 6 moves of the Jim Buss era. Until we start making moves 7, 8, and 9 and they turn out well, we are not going anywhere. And yes – if those moves are not available – perhaps we need to wait until they are. However we eventually need to do something. We have now effectively mortgaged another year. This does not cause many of us to jump for joy. We will however continue to support the team no matter what.
Craig W. says
Thanks Pau!
Karma can be a b****!
The Lakers tried to trade Pau twice. Not criticizing the trades, but now he could have held CHI up to sign-and-trade with the Lakers. However, when the Lakers didn’t like what CHI was offering, Pau agreed to sign without the sign-and-trade. This really wasn’t about the money. How do you like them apples peoples?
The Lakers are showing a player friendly face to the NBA, with the sole exception of Pau. When they worked over a player (thanks to the immortal David Stern), that player came back to ‘bite’ them.
I do wish we had Pau next year, but totally understand the situation. However, we do need some toughness down low, that Pau wouldn’t have been able to provide. This was the right time to part ways.
Lakafan says
With a sign & trade, gasol can get close to $10m vs $6m if he signed outright with Chicago. So both the Lakers and PAU would be benefitting from a s&t.
Tra says
Happy to see an individual such as Pau – who personifies class – land with my boy D. Rose (who, hopefully, can get and more importantly, remain healthy) and the Chicago Bulls. Wish him the best of luck in, more then likely, the final chapter of his career. Greatest PF in Lakers history, whose jersey will definitely end up hanging from the rafters of Staples Center.
In regards to our moves so far this summer, can’t say that there’s anything for me to get overly excited about. The Lin deal nets us a young, talented PG – on an expiring deal – who just so happens to be better than any PG that we have on our roster. The move also allowed us to secure a pick – wherever it may be – in next summers draft. Overpaid for Jordan Hill, but his deal is basically only for 1 year. As others have mentioned – and I agree with – the Nick Young deal is too long. Nick probably felt that if the organization wasn’t going to give him more money per (shorter term deal), he would stretch the years out in order to accumulate what he feels he’s actually worth.
I never even wasted my time commenting on the LeBron/Melo scenario because .. I realized that it would be just that – a waste of time. Not a big fan of Monroe, especially taking into account that we probably would’ve had to overpay in order to secure him. Isaiah Thomas is definitely an offensive talent, but with him being a PG, his talent doesn’t blend with Kobe’s in my opinion. Would have liked for them to at least make an attempt to snatch up Lance. If they did, I haven’t heard anything about it. Wonder what caused them not to?
Btw, Jim/Jeannie, if the 2 of you haven’t heard, LeBron has gone back to his home state of Ohio. It’s okay for you guys to hire Byron Scott now .. Unbelieveable!
***
Losing both Howard and Gasol for nothing in back to back years will hurt for a good while.
—
Couldn’t agree more T. Rogers. Couldn’t agree more.
Shaun says
George karl for coach 🙂 bryonn is not a fit for this team – if gasol stayed maybe we could play more half court style but now we need to move to our strengths which would be a more uptempo team
Nash should get stretched or possibly not play at all since we will be so bad on D or maybe keep him to make us worse of we will # kneelforjahill
Also, watched exums highlights from yesterday – box score lookedeh but when you watched him play he looks like a young kobe and the best player in the draft – wiggans to me is maybe the 4th -5th best prospect behind exum, parker, embid, amd maybe randle once we see him in action
Damn you nick young for that utah game
BigCitySid says
@ Lakafan, “With a sign & trade, gasol can get close to $10m vs $6m if he signed outright with Chicago. So both the Lakers and PAU would be benefitting from a s&t.”
Apparently Pau isn’t only thinking about what’s best for him…but also for his new team on the floor.
Let me know how a sign & trade would help the Bulls?
Patrick Lanigan says
The criticism of the front office may be overdone, but it seems to me that the mission the summer was never realistically about becoming a contender, but rather to start accumulating assets to build for the future. By my count, they added two potentially nice assets with Randle and the Houston pick. Clarkson may emerge as a third asset, although we’ve been down the path of “under the radar PG steal” before, so I’ll withhold judgment until we see a bit more of him.
Had they netted a pick in a s&t for Pau, I’d say the FO would have had an excellent summer considering that they struck out on free agents–but that strikeout (2 years in a row) should temper any illusions about adding Love or Durant through free agency. Those kinds of additions almost never happen, and the Lakers have now lost out on more free agent stars than they have signed.
KenOak says
I’m very happy that Pau has a chance to go out with a winner. I totally agree with Darius in that I’ll cheer for Pau’s success in the future…I’m also glad that he went to the Bulls instead of the Spurs, so that I can cheer for his team’s success as well.
Thanks for everything Pau! It was a great run!
Robert says
BigCity: A sign and trade would help another team as follows: They get Pau. They get to dump salary on us. We get a draft pick in exchange for allowing the salary dump. Same as the Lin deal to some extant. As long as the salary dump is for 2 years or less it would be fine. As it is Pau walks and we get nothing. Just like with Kaman and DH and Farmar.
X says
This is the plan?
Keep cap space to sign free agents in the future, 2 years?
Keep Kobe to sell tickets, dump Kobe in two years? He wont retire if he doesn’t get hurt again.
Not compete for anything (While I will always support the team, we all know
Not get any high draft picks (Top 3)
So, how do they make the team more attractive to the big free agents, other than offering max contracts?
Apparently selling Hollywood doesn’t work! Developing Hill and Young are the answers?
Gordon says
Interesting thoughts
1. I rate the Laker FO as below average. The board has listed many examples. My biggest complaint in their inability to grasp the realities of the new CBA which prizes cap space, young cost controlled and draft picks.
2. The Laker FO has, for the recent past, operated as if their financial resources made the CBA moot.
3. The Lakers are in a bit of a mess because of this.
4. Good news: the current CBA will be renewed in two years and will likely be much more favorable to the players.
5. The Lakers can go back to using their financial resources as the primary way to build their team.
BigCitySid says
@ Robert, obviously if the Bulls wanted to “dump salary” on Lakers in a sign & trade, it would have happen. Apparently they have other ideas.
-Now that the Lakers are all out of excuses for not signing Randle, can they get that done so this kid can get some summer league run? Understand he’s in Vegas biting at the bit to play.
-Hopefully the Lakers don’t call in Jimmer Fredette for a look see.
rr says
Pau S&T!? For who? At the cost of chasing all those big 2015 FAs? The cap space is worth 100x more than anyone they could get. The same people who suggest this foolishness would be here next summer complaining that the lakers can’t chase a star because they’re all capped out!
—
Anyone on a short (one year) contract, as long as a draft pick/young guy was included, as with Lin, as Robert explained. There are reasons to do it another way, due to the arcane cap rules, as noted above (I am surmising that those posts are accurate).
But as I said, I was referring more to last year, when the Lakers kept Pau and Kaman down the stretch. People were justifying keeping Pau mostly by saying that the team could do a S/T in the off-season. We don’t know what was offered or what the FO tried, but having two centers with some value both of whom are well into their 30s around down the stretch on a 27-win team, with Kobe watching the games from his mansion, given the hype around this draft and how crucial maximizing the value of that pick was, didn’t–and doesn’t–make much sense. There may be an explanation, but I am not seeing it right now.
We will see how it plays out, but if Dante Exum becomes an All-Star and Randle doesn’t, those non-moves (Kaman, recall, put up a huge game in a meaningless late-season win over Phoenix), along with Nick Young’s big game in Utah (and as I said at the time, Young was just doing his job) will be things hard-core Lakers fans remember for awhile. Knicks’ fans have a couple of games like that from the Isiah Thomas years that they occasionally bring up.
Robert says
BigCity: The Bulls and Lakers were indeed trying to do just that. We did not get the deal done. I do not know exactly what was offered, but I know something was and we got nothing. Agreed on Randle and maybe a coach too : ) Also agreed with regard to the KB extension : )
X/Gordon: That about sums it up. 3 years ago- the argument was the same and it will be 3 years from now. We will be 8 years out of the finals and some will be criticizing the FO, and others will still be defending them and saying it was all bad luck. This could go for years.
rr says
Apparently they have other ideas.
—
Reinsdorf still wants to dump Boozer on someone, but if he can’t, he is probably going to have bite the bullet and use the Amnesty clause (they have until Wednesday) to afford Pau and Mirotic.
Also, you are kind of missing the point. It isn’t entirely about what ideas the Bulls may have. It was as much about what Pau wants to do and how much of a paycut he is willing to take. People get so caught up in leverage/scenarios/my team etc that they occasionally forget what unrestricted free agent means.
rr says
Let me know how a sign & trade would help the Bulls?
—
One reason is because otherwise, they are likely going to have to amnesty Boozer, and Reinsdorf loves that big profit margin and supposedly hates the idea of paying Boozer while he’s off the team.
rr says
This really wasn’t about the money. How do you like them apples peoples?
—
I said a long time ago that I thought there was a good chance that Pau would not prioritize money in choosing his new team, and it appears that may have been what happened. We will see what the final terms of the deal are.
bryan S. says
Hey Cry’in Foos! Go to lakers.com and watch the new Madsen on Jordan Clarkson video. NIce in depth breakdown by Mad Dog on what JC has shown, and what his expectations are for the kid for summer league. On point and delivered with the relentless optimism that Mad Dog brings . . . we need some of that here!
rr says
We will be 8 years out of the finals and some will be criticizing the FO, and others will still be defending them and saying it was all bad luck.
—
I don’t think the Finals Clock is a good way to make your points, many of which are legit.
Craig W. says
Nice isolation of a sentence to entirely change the meaning of what was said.
Craig W. says
I don’t get NBA TV. Is there any other way to watch the Laker Summer League games?
rr says
You are missing the point, Craig, probably because I generally call you out on your FO apologia and fan-bashing. My point was that Pau appears to have taken a deal for less money–as I said he very well might–not that you had said anything wrong in that post.
George Best says
the fo has done a good job in my opinion. The problem is we all think we can get more back for our players than the market will pay, other teams will trade their assets to us for nothing, and mid tier free agents can be signed for cheap. The reality isn’t th case.
Any GM who gets his trade nullified by the commissioner is damn good and should get a pass for a lot after what happened with cp3. As I stated after that move by Stern, the Lakers should have sued the league. we then pull another great trade getting Howard and you can’t blame the fo for him leaving. the only bad move was Nash but they were going for it so I understand.
Showing interest in Melo was just for show. He does not fit here but we needed to show we would bid. We also know we aren’t getting Lance for cheap and watch the deal he gets so the best possible moves were made. Lin will a huge player
for us and hopefully resign him.
The Lakers are going through transition and we have to build our own stars.
the team needs to pick the right coach and it isn’t Byron Scott. The coaching hires are why the fo should be criticized.
Craig W. says
My post was about the irony of Karma and how our repeatedly ‘pulling the string’ on Pau probably left him with a ‘less than perfect’ memory of his time here. Of course, the ‘pulling the string’ process began with a trade that should have been made, both from a talent standpoint and from a timing standpoint – Pau needed to be on another team these last two years.
KO says
It’s on TW at 1:30
pat oslon says
Thanks for the memories Pau.
That being said I hope the Bulls and every NBA team not named Lakers have a terrible season. LOL
Baylor Fan says
Pau will be missed for his complete all-around game. Fortunately, he is going to the conference that will allow him to dominate due to a lack of quality big men. Chicago was lucky to get him.
Shaun says
Randle signed will be on the floor today
Lakers17 says
One encouraging thing I’m seeing are a bunch of these two year contracts due to the likely increased revenue expected with the 2016 national TV contract. Kobe will be off the books. LBJ may not leave Cleveland, but I’m wondering if Melo is trying to also negotiate an opt out clause ofter year two. That may create some chances for the Lakers to build quickly.
Craig W. says
You can really overpay on only one good star and perhaps some on a single good rotation player. Exceed that and you are going to run into employing mostly minimum paid players. For that reason the front office has to be careful about who they overpay. I suspect that is why there is so much noise about Young’s contract.
The way I look at Young is as a player in his prime who would like to get better and can shoot the rock. If I am going to overpay, then that is the type of player I would overpay. Also, he will have Kobe next to him for a couple of years. For the final two years I suspect the cap will be noticeably increased, thus making his contract not overpaying at all in those years. In that climate you will easily be able to move him, if you choose to. Think two moves ahead, not just one. With Kobe near the end, you need a player like Nick on your team – now we have ours.
Robert says
rr: Of course you are correct There are 30 teams so the average is making the Finals once every 15 years and winning once every 30. So going 8 years without is no big deal. That is for 29 teams in the league. For the Lakers it is. Unless of course we are conceding that the Lakers are no longer the Lakers : ) I am not quite there yet, so I have hard time conceding 3-4 years at a time to slow re-builds (especially when the tear down took 4 years).
Lakers17: Indeed. We concede 2 years. I just wonder how Kobe and the FO are going to spin this.
KO says
Based on 1st half.
Nobody helping Laker D here.
Randle very underwhelming.
sT says
Randall is looking good in Summer League, especially in the paint. I will be watching him as much as Kobe in Laker games. It is his first pro game after all.
Lakers17 says
Randle won’t be a bust. But his upside isn’t as great as some if the other lottery picks.
Although you can’t really use summer league results to project how someone is going to do in the NBA (Caracter and Ebanks were ranked 1-2 after the first few games) but Wiggens and Parker looked scary good. It’s wasn’t really their stats as much as their presence on the floor. Maybe it’s just my imagination and hype but especially Parker, just looks so polished, and fluid.
Let's Be Frank says
The Lakers FO needs to look no further than Cleveland for their blueprint. Young talent, draft picks and then attract the best player in the league (which will be KD in 2016). Love Kobe, but no star players are coming here while he’s here. I think Jim and Co know this by now. Even CP3 would have preferred to sign with the Clippers as a free agent versus an aging and overly-dominant Kobe. Hate to admit it, but I’ hoping for worst record in the West this season and next. Come on everyone – it’s the medicine we need…
rr says
My post was about the irony of Karma and how our repeatedly ‘pulling the string’ on Pau probably left him with a ‘less than perfect’ memory of his time here
—
I understand that. But I think Pau went where he wanted to go, period.
KO says
Ha
The Dwight’s apparently are as bad as Lakers with Top FA.
Parsons to Dallas.
Eric says
Didn’t get to watch the game but Mike Trudell says Randle was held out of contact drills since he wasn’t signed. That’s his first competitive action since the NCAA title game.
Joe Casanova says
Somebody just mentioned Cleveland as the model to copy. Lawd!! Cleveland that drafted an overweight SF as #1 pick? If Lebron wasn’t from NorthEast Ohio would Cleveland be a team a sane person would mention? Let’s just put it this way…The Buss Family own the Lakers..If you don’t like the way the club is rub please by all means find another team to root for. Makes no sense to come on a Lakers forum and insult the family that owns the Lakers.
chibi says
randle was tugging on his shorts after the first possession.
rr says
I suspect that is why there is so much noise about Young’s contract.
—
You are not reading the posts. People don’t like the fact that the FO gave Young four years, which will take him through his age-33 season. Young just isn’t all that good, turns 30 next year, has a lot of holes in his game, and will have more limited utility on a team with Kobe on it. Kobe only played six games last year, which opened up both minutes and shots for Young. The money probably would have been better spent on trying to get Lance Stephenson, who is 23 and can play defense, or getting a spot-up shooter like Anthony Morrow, who is 28, has hit 42% of his 3s in his career, and signed a deal with OKC for 3/10. Or they could have given a cheap two-year deal to Bazemore and tried to develop him into a rotation player, since he is 25. Justifying it by saying the cap will go up is silly, since 5M a year is not outlandish under this cap. Unless they trade him, the 5M Young will be making three years from now (assuming the deal is not frontloaded–and maybe it is, which would make it a little better) is 5M less that they will have to spend, no matter what the cap is, and the cap will go up for every team, not just the Lakers.
So, people would be more OK with the Young deal if it were shorter. As a few of us said yesterday, the Young and Hill signings were watchability/competitiveness signings. A lot of the fanbase likes Young’s local ties, his enthusiasm, and his scoring outbursts, and since the Lakers are not a contender and lack guys in their early 20s who are developing, people need other reasons to watch. Young’s agent said that Young had better/similar offers, but I frankly do not think that was true, given that he signed a one-year deal for the minimum last year. Since the FO wanted to keep Young, (I would not have, personally) I think the offer should have been 2/10 or so.
Shaun says
Anyone have randles final stats from today
Fern says
What blueprint? Being a perennial lottery team and being ” lucky” enough to get 4 first picks in 10 years? They drafted Irving, Lebron and Wiggins bc they were no brainers, other than that they cant draft their way out of a paperback Bennet and Tristan ring a bell?. They were lucky that Lebron is from Ohio, the less saud about that Dan Gulbert buffoon the better. Just because they are lucky that diean’t mean they are a good organization, tgey had all that young talent because they sucked year in year out. Only the Mark Price/ Brad Daugherty and Lebron’s era has bring some measure of sucess to that franchise, the rest of their history has been a model of mediocrity and now they are a midel to emulate? GIVE ME A BREAk
KO says
Just to correct you Joe, again.
The Buss family does not own the Lakers. They are part if a trust that owns 66% if the team with three others owning the remaining 33%.
This issue is having Jimmy try to handle two positions when his resume would not get him that position anywhere in the NBA.
In addition they made more money last year. $109 million, yet had the worst record in franchise history.
If that’s ok with you that is fine , but for me and others here. Not fine!
Lakers17 says
10 pts, 2 rebounds. You can get it on nba.com
I’m beginning to think Joe is really Jim Buss. Or Chaz.
R says
@Gordon July 13, 2014 at 10:46 am
Good news: the current CBA will be renewed in two years and will likely be much more favorable to the players.
——-
How do you figure? Considering who most – if not all – of the owners are, i.e. people who didn’t get where they are by showing any mercy whatsoever, I’m thinking they are going for a hard cap, in addition to whatever else they can cart off.
rr says
What blueprint? Being a perennial lottery team and being ” lucky” enough to get 4 first picks in 10 years?
—
Indeed. Here is one thing that Fern and I agree on.
KO says
No
Laker17
Joe spells well.
Joe Casanova says
I am neither Jimmy nor Chaz. I am just a rational Lakers fan.
Jay A says
Ko, Jim’s resume measures up with a lot of GM’s in the league? From drafting to trades he has done as well as any GM out there. Lakers had the worst record in years because of injuries. What GM can prevent injuries? Please guys lets be rational not emotional.
Fern says
On another topic im very pleased the Lakers squezed another pick from the Rockets, even if it is a second rounder and both picks will be late in their respective rounds. We basically recovered our 2015 picks. I think those are more important than Lin’s expiring contract. Not bad at all.
Robert says
Blueprint: I certainly would not want to follow the Cleveland blueprint either. That said, can anyone tell me what our blueprint is?
Tra: “It’s okay for you guys to hire Byron Scott now .. Unbelievable!” Indeed. What are they possibly thinking? They will hire Byron eventually but they really want to make sure everyone knows he was a standby choice. ” Losing both Howard and Gasol for nothing in back to back years will hurt for a good while.” Uh yes and let’s not forget Kaman, which while not as significant, was even more obvious.
Laker Fans: How could anyone be rational at this point?
rr says
Jim’s resume measures up with a lot of GM’s in the league?
—
No, it doesn’t. Jim Buss has never played or coached basketball at any level, nor has he ever been employed as a scout. He has no university degree of any kind, much less one related to his current job. Jim is also not a GM, although he is a decision-maker.
The other side of the argument is that he has been around the Lakers much of his adult life, and has learned from his dad, West, Kupchak, Bertka, and others. But people who defend Jim Buss generally seem to have a very hard time acknowledging how he got the job and what his quals actually are in comparison to his peers.
These facts do not mean that Jim Buss is incompetent. But they are are facts nonetheless.
KO says
Jay
Not sure. If my father was a surgeon, does that make me qualified to perform heart surgery?
And what trades are you talking sbout? I submit that the players that have left the team in the past 2 years would finish higher then the team that is left.
Him many games would they have won last years if Kobe and Nash were healthy? 35? 40? 45? Still out of playoffs and a 20Th pick?
Now put West in that same spot. Same results?
Casual Fan says
I’m confused about people’s excitement with Jeremy Lin. He’s a very solid player who needs the ball in his hands, which is why he didn’t work well with James Harden. What makes people think it’ll be any better with Kobe Bryant?
rr says
I’m confused about people’s excitement with Jeremy Lin
—
No one here is “excited” about Lin. He is simply better than what the Lakers had, has an expiring deal, came with a couple of draft picks, and is kind of a fun guy to watch and root for. People who are excited about Lin are mostly Lakers fans who root for him for identity reasons, a group which includes a couple of friends of mine.
And no, he is not a perfect match with KB, but given what the Lakers have at the 1, Lin is an upgrade.
Shaun says
Guys what about charlie vilaneuva as our center – 3pt shooting 5 could space the floor for cutters
Hes not the best but we are not trying to be the best
George karl for coach – respected up or down tempo guy … recently hes been 1 and done in playoffs but he did bring the bucks and sonics pretty far
J C says
Caught the game in Vegas today.
Randle is big-bodied but fast and moves surprisingly well for his size. A couple of nice finishes for dunks and a nifty spin move. Has a soft touch around the basket.
His outside shot was questionable as were his free throws. This may have been partially due his layoff as mentioned above but I’d say his shooting form is a bit suspect. He airballed one of his shots. I don’t think we have an outside shooter here. Also, Patrick Young blocked one of his shots.
Clarkson looked excellent.
Also caught Exum last night.
He’s young and still slender but looks like the real deal. He does show flashes of Kobe-esque fluidity on the floor. Played mostly the 2 with an impressive Trey Burke manning the 1… Exum sees the floor very well and eluded defenders with grace. He has a great future.
J C says
Losing Pau for nothing hurts but we didn’t dump him for a second-rounder last year out of respect for him and I liked that. And because we hoped he may re-sign with us, or garner us assets thru an S & T which also almost happened.
Also, the offers we made him, 2/23 and 3/29 were solid offers that showed him that despite dangling him as trade bait for the last few years that we still see his value. I like that too.
Unfortunately sometimes by the time you see someone’s value after disrespecting him for years it’s too late and that seems to be the case here with Pau.
Throwing money at someone at the last minute didn’t work and that seems to have been management’s approach. Not good.
If he had been respected as a centerpiece of two championships and as an important part of our future, he may have been willing to overlook the team’s weaknesses and stick around.
Re Jim Buss
Jerry Buss was brilliant and had multiple degrees. Jim doesn’t and probably isn’t.
But I don’t know if Dr. Buss ever played basketball nor coached it.
Jim has Kupchak, Jeannie and a lifetime of being around the game and the team. These things may be enough but unfortunately it feels like something’s amiss.
Paying Nick Young instead of pursuing Lance Stephenson is a mistake I don’t think Jerry Buss would have made. We missed the boat on this one, IMO.
Per Kevin Ding, Jordan Hill is our starting center next year, in case that wasn’t obvious already.
the other Stephen says
Shaun, I didn’t think there was someone I’d be less excited about having than Carlos Boozer, but somehow you found him. The Pistons signed Charlie Villanueva–another one-time amnesty candidate–for those exact reasons, but he has been a disappointment every single year.
Last year in particular, with a roster featuring Jennings, Smith, Drummond, and Monroe, against which teams were consistently able to pack the paint or play the pass, he still could not find increased playing time, and for good reason.
Only once in his career has he been an above-average three-point shooter (2010-11). His conditioning seems to be chronically substandard, and his body language and drive to find a way to contribute on the floor appear even worse.
Vasheed says
I don’t think the F.O. has been doing that well.
Randle not likely to be able to defend the PF position in the NBA. I’m hoping he possibly succeeds as a SF at some point.
Lin I think this has been the best move of the off season. Get the Lakers a future draft pick has some value as a PG if overpaid. His biggest problem is coughing up the ball if trapped.
Hill I thought he was a pretty good value last year. A border line starter. Great rebounder, but otherwise nothing exceptional. No one seems to realize he is a Center not a PF. I would have rather used that cap space to sign and trade Pau for Boozer and get more picks.
Young, he was fairly easy to see somehow being signed as his cap hold wasn’t high and they had his bird rights. His salary fits within a mid level exception so he is movable if needed and I really think he is getting a well deserved pay check. I’m not sure how it works out with Kobe but, I’m not too negative on this signing.
I think this is officially a rebuild, I think the F.O. could have down more to get assets that would come into play the following year. I just don’t think the Plan B was all well done.
Jerke says
Not sure if its been mentioned – but people questioning Lebrons committment to cavs w the optout/short contract w cavs – or seeing it as a chance to grab Lebron in a year or two – he merely did the short contract to coincide with the renegotiation of a new CBA – underwhich he can then negotiate a new max deal, strictly a business decision and he’ll remain a cav for life.
(Rumors talking of a possible salary cap around 80 million courtesy of the new tv deal and of the owners making huge profits on franchise sales etc…).
mud says
wow, people still thinking that Jim Buss is the GM and/or the head of the team….
T. Rogers says
“wow, people still thinking that Jim Buss is the GM and/or the head of the team….”
—
He is. Even if he is not “officially” the GM we all know he is. Most owners let their GM’s do the basketball work and get out of the way. Dr. Buss did that for years with Jerry West. But Jim has made it plain he is much more involved. When ESPN ranked the leagues GMs they had both Mitch and Jim listed for the Lakers as GM with Jim’s name first.
Plus, when the owner is making direct basketball decisions then he’s in charge. Is Mitch really going to defy Jim on a particular move? Is Mitch really going to say, “Thanks for your input Jim, but I’m going a different way.” Of course not.
Jim’s running the show.
Lakers17 says
“No Laker17 Joe spells well.” LOL, true.
As for Lin, he’s better than many in the league think, and he will sell a few more tickets and subscriptions, and as much I like the guy, it’s really nothing to get excited about. Hopefully he will continue to work on his game and improve playing behind Nash.
As for whether the Lakers had a choice to end up where they are now… Absolutely. Regardless of the luck of the lottery and injuries.
I’m not going to harp on Kobe’s contract, as it’s obvious to 90% of even non-Laker fans that it was idiotic.
But going back to whether we should have ‘tanked’ more, absolutely! It’s not against the rules.
Is it also wrong for teams to pull all sorts of maneuvers to get around the salary cap? Hack a Shaq? Resting players for the playoffs like San Antonio does? No, absolutely not. So why is it wrong to just sign rookies that may become valuable later even if it meant a 15 win season? If that’s what was required, I would have done it.
I’ll give you an analogy. At the start of the World Cup, Brazil was one of the favorites to win the Cup, as they often are. They also had home field advantage. But instead of focusing on doing whatever they could to win, their team was trying to decide whether they should win while playing beautiful soccer, or just play in a way that may be unappealing to fans, but increase their odds of winning. I don’t care enough to know what they did or how they played, but know enough that they lost. But the mentality that one would even discuss doing something that wouldn’t give them the best chance of succeeding no matter how ugly it looked, showed their mentality, and put them at a significant disadvantage against a team like Germany. I am not a fan of soccer, and know little about the German team, but have some insight into their team by seeing how Klinsmann felt about Kobe’s contract as well as his conservative approach when going up against superior opponents. His comment about Kobe reflected the fact that paying him that insane amount put the Lakers at a huge strategic disadvantage. When facing Netherlands, a much more superior opponent, he in effect shortened the match by playing conservatively, so that a few lucky bounces could have let the US win. He was severely criticized for this by US fans, but that was the only way the US could win. When faced with a superior opponent, shorten the match. That’s effectively how Villanova beat Georgetown. The best team usually wins in a 7 game series, but the inferior team may win the first game, like Iverson’s Sixers beating the Lakers in game one. So is Villanova’s win less great because they didn’t play the game as it was supposed to be played?
All the Lakers had to do was trade Gasol and Hill during the season, trade Kaman to a contender, and not sign Kobe. They would have ended up with 1-2 extra picks to build for the future. Maybe LBJ goes to Cleveland no matter what. But if Kobe bolted for another team, and the Lakers had a $50 million of cap space, they would have to been able to get at least 2 max players. If they don’t get anyone, at the very least, they could use their cap space to take salary dumps to get more draft picks to build through the draft AND have major cap space.
rr says
people still thinking that Jim Buss is the GM and/or the head of the team…
—
His title is Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations. His sister went on ESPN radio and said that “Mitch and Jimmy” are running basketball ops, and Jim himself told Mike Bresnahan that he is running basketball ops and will step down from doing so in 3-4 years if the team is not a contender.
This is Jim Buss’s team, and this is Jim Buss’s time.
rr says
But I don’t know if Dr. Buss ever played basketball nor coached it.
—
He didn’t. But his title was “Owner” not “Executive VP of Basketball Operations.”
Look, no offense, but as I said in the other post, Jeanie said it is Jim and Mitch’s show, and Jim said the same thing, and as T Rogers suggests, Jim is probably the final word on big stuff. There is no more debate about that part of the issue. Jim’s FO will either get the job done, or it won’t.
R says
rr July 13, 2014 at 9:41 pm
This is Jim Buss’s team, and this is Jim Buss’s time.
———————————————————————-
Be afraid; be very afraid.
KO says
Boy this thing keeps going.
Ask yourself this.
TW deal was put together when Jerry was running things and lLakers were still a winning franchise.
Does anyone think TW would have paid 3 billion if they knew Jimmy was running things and team would have worst season EVER?
Just a reminder: Rating down 40% last year.
End of debate!
rr says
Be afraid; be very afraid.
—
Heh. We will see. As things stand now, the Lakers will have a lot of cap space in both July 2015 and July 2016, and on some level, that is really all they can do: collect stray assets like the Houston picks, try to get decent players on short deals, and hope for a big score in FA.
But I think Love will either be in Cleveland or Golden State and will be locked in. Aldridge seems happy in Portland and has already said he plans to stay, and Paul Allen seems like a guy who will be willing to blow past the tax line to try to win.
People keep talking about Durant, but there will be 8-10 teams in play for him if he hits the market, including most likely the Knicks with Phil and Fish, the Mavericks, who are in the no-tax state where Durant played his one year of college ball; the Spurs, with their unique organizational gravitas and also with no state tax; and his hometown Wizards, who just let Trevor Ariza leave and signed Paul Pierce to a two-year deal instead so they could be in position to pitch Durant when the time comes. And if Love does not get traded to Cleveland, we might see LeBron James personally recruiting Durant in the Olympic summer of 2016, with a 75-80M cap, LeBron a FA again, and Andrew Wiggins still on his rookie deal.
Back in the real world, Lance Stephenson remains unsigned, and no one has made an offer to Greg Monroe.
But the Lin and Hill deals are OK, and I like both players, just subjectively, although they have real limitations. And maybe Randle will be good.
Go Lakers.
Shaun says
@the other stephan …. like everyone else im grasping for straws
Oden I think is actually the play but I wonder if he will stay in miami
If what his agent said is true and he is looking for playing time we are the best fit for oden since we really dont have a cemter center – hill is a small ball c
I posted a while ago that our best bet would be to go after reclamation projects to give us a shot of being competitive or by finding an under utilized talent that needs another shot like how lowry was used in toronto or even aaron brooks when lawson was Injured
Either way we need to fill out the roster and figure out a way to look attractive to big free agents since just having cap space as we saw this year doesnt mean anything anymore unless your competitive or overpaying
Not too many guys left that might be good and not really that much willing cap space left I wonder where guys like stucky will go … has talent but guys like caron butler are getting signed first
Other possible guys – aminu, henry, beasley, turner, blatche, davis, bayless, bynum, alan anderson, ayon, ivan johnson, vesly,udoh, earl clark, brandon rush…. then a bunch of randoms
So who do we want I figure this is how a team looks now
Pg – lin, nash, clarkson
Sg – kobe
Sf – young
Pf – randle
C – hill , sacre
We need at least another 5 guys on the team – 1 pf – boozer would be fine as a 3rd big since we could get him for 1-2 mil on a claim, hes worth it at that amount, davos probably signs for more elseware , 1 center – all gambles bynum, oden, vesley
1-2 sfs – beasley would be ideal but miami probably brings him back, turner will get more money elseware so aminu or clark is the best bet – id take clark since he can shoot 3s
1sg – henry would look like the play here or johnson whoever signs for the min
Kelly could also be a play at sf/pf … we really should have kept his option
So who does everyone else think we will sign?
Aaron says
Watching the game now on NBA TV. First time watching Randle on a TV. He is a lot quicker than I expected. Nice fast twitch muscle fibers. He also has good handles. If he develops his jumper like most young players do the Lakers might have gotten a steal. I wasn’t expecting him to be as athletic. But it all depends on him being able to stretch the floor. He needs to develope a three point shot because he isn’t tall enough to play in the paint. He will score in the paint off of drives not in the post.
Aaron says
Just because it’s hard to recruit he best players in the world doesn’t mean you don’t try to do it. You win championships by acquiring the best players. Bringing in average players like Lance Stephenson and Deng clogs up your cap and prevents you from bringing in real players. If the Lakers have young cost controlled good talent on rookie deals they will easily attract Durant and all the worlds best players. It’s Los Angeles. This isn’t rocket science. In two years the lakers could potentially have a star player in Randle and another young star player with whoever we draft a in the top five and three max slots available.
the other Stephen says
At this point, Shaun, I’m ready to sign a trio of Jackie Moon, Air Bud, and Tweety Bird. Jackie Moon would have to do quadruple duty as center, coach, manager, and owner.
J C says
rr,
not sure if your comment was directed to me.
Even though Dr. Buss had a different title than Jim does, Dr. B still had final say.
He and Jerry West worked together very well, most years, I’d say.
I didn’t mean to imply Jim isn’t running things now, along with Mitch.
I meant to explain that despite Jim’s lack of a formal education and of basketball playing experience, he kinda should qualify based on his upbringing, the help he has at his disposal, mitch, jeannie, etc.
i agree – this is his time.
laker 17, great post.
shaun, i like the Oden and Beasley ideas.
KL says
The question I want to ask is how much do we have right now? So we can’t sign Stephenson anymore?
rr says
Even though Dr. Buss had a different title than Jim does, Dr. B still had final say.
—
Like T Rogers said, Jim is by all accounts much more involved in daily basketball ops than his dad was. Some people seem to have a hard time grasping this. Owners of course generally sign off on big deals, etc. but Jim is seemingly the only owner who doubles as a de facto GM and has a title like he does. The closest parallel that I am aware of in the NBA is in Denver, and the closest parallel in American pro spots is the Dallas Cowboys:
Jerral Wayne “Jerry” Jones Sr. (born October 13, 1942) is an American businessman. He is the owner, president, and general manager of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.
Stephen Jones (born July 21, 1964) is the current Executive Vice President/COO for the Dallas Cowboys. He is the son of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and the older brother of Cowboys executive Jerry Jones, Jr. and Charlotte Jones Anderson. [1]
Jerral Wayne Jones, Jr. (born September 27, 1969) is the Chief Sales and Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President of the Dallas Cowboys.[1]
—
And Jerry Jones Sr. actually played college football.
rr says
, he kinda should qualify based on his upbringing, the help he has at his disposal, mitch, jeannie, etc.
—
Well, that’s fine, and like I said, that is the argument made on his behalf.
Snoopy2006 says
Pau: one of the few NBA players I respect as both a basketball player and a person. Just a cultured, well-rounded human being. I don’t think we’ll ever again see a basketball player who dropped out of medical school, and I always felt some degree of connection to him because of that.
In stylistic ways (only), Pau resembled the Federer of basketball to me at his peak. He obviously never reached the same heights in his respective sport, but his offensive game was so picture perfect that he was nothing less than a basketball maestro. I’ve always pulled for Chicago out East and now have another big reason to do so.
So many thoughts on the offseason moves. In general, I agree with what most people have posted:
-Lin trade: a strong opportunistic trade. Draft picks, an upgrade at point (while I don’t love Lin’s game, he definitely is an upgrade) and minimal cap effects. People may be judging this through the prism of how they wanted the offseason to go (big name signings) and in that light it’s a disappointment, but it was a net positive move.
-Hill signing: my initial reaction was similar to most – $9 million? But with the option on the second, the team had to overpay that first year to bring him back. I was one of Hill’s biggest supporters last year and was pissed that MDA might have run him out of town. I’m glad to see him back. The only problem with his contract is that he may be making too much money for a team to trade for him (even if he does play well over extended playing time). His long-term value to the team would have been netting younger players or draft picks in return.
-Nick Young: if you value entertainment and players that appreciate the city, the value of this contract goes up. This was my least favorite move of the offseason – the length of the contract was just a little too much for my taste. I would have loved to see Young back, but on a two-year deal.
rr says
So who does everyone else think we will sign?
—
My problem with the Hill deal is that I wanted the Lakers to take a long look at Ed Davis, but with 9M going to Hill that is off the table, presumably. Hill’s deal is saved to a great extent by the team option.
I think Kelly will be on the team, and probably Henry. I expect Johnson will go elsewhere. The FO needs to pick up a 5 for the minimum with some rim protection skills if they are actually going to try to compete; a big rotation of Randle, Hill, Kelly, and Sacre would get torched even worse than last year’s group did. I suggested looking at Udoh, Okafor and Stiemsma.
Fern says
@Ko you keep harping about the TW deal and the 40% ratings drop while conveniently forgetting that there was no Kobe Bryant and that the injury catastrophe killed any chance of this team being competitive, the Lakers got bumped off national tv also, why? Because there was no Kobe Bryant only hardcore gluttons for punishment fans like you and me remained and even i could not take it anymore lol, despite all that,the Lakers were still the most profitable team in the NBA and it wasn’t even close. If this team and Bryant specially stay healthy and competitive (which they will if Kobe has anything to say about it) the ratings will be back to what they were or even better because people want to watch Kobe play, thats his value. The Lakers are a global brand and they are going to get a ton of money in any TV deal being good or bad. Its a 20-25 year deal so of course there are going to be some stinkers in it. If the Yankees have 10 losing seasons in a row and need to ink a TV deal they still going to get paid a boatload of money because it’s the Yankees. And yes i know they have their own network, just an example.
minorthreatt says
If we stretch Nash, I think we could go something like 2/10 for Ed Davis. Don’t know if that would get it done (especially after Hill’s deal), but it’d be worth trying.
Davis is the kind of guy who should be on our radar: a well-regarded player who has just never seemed to wind up in the right situation. Offering the promise of lots of P/T and a chance to establish himself might mean something. He’s kind of like a higher-level Henry or Bazemore (since he’s actually been a rotation guy before).
My guess is they go for the (allegedly) safer move — a minimum deal, or close to it, for Okafor. I say allegedly safer because this assumes the guy is still healthy enough to play. Less confidence than I used to have that the Lakers can make this determination. But as long as the primary backup at the 5 isn’t Sacre…that’s something.
Fern says
I be worried if the Lakers finished 55-27 and there was a 40% drop in ratings.
Craig W. says
Jerry West wasn’t really a part of Laker basketball decisions after Phil arrived and he left soon after. It is revisionist history to feel the Mitch hasn’t had plenty of time with Jerry Buss. Jim was also firmly in the picture before this time.
We get it that there are vocal members on this blog that don’t like Jim. The same comments over and over don’t change things – he is the decision maker and Mitch is a very experienced GM. No front office is perfect and all have made some mistakes adjusting to the current CBA – which was specifically aimed at the Laker situation, anyway.
We are gong to marginally get better until we gain a very big talent, whether that be by drafting, trading, or free-agent signing really doesn’t matter. Whether complaints are about past mistakes or David Stern – my particular Trojan Horse – there is nothing to be done about them and all have been dissected to death.
Let’s cover the path we have to cover now. There can be plenty of disagreement over what the next steps should be.
Thanks Darius – obviously fixed.
James says
For those calling Randle underwhelming compared to Wiggins and Parker after one game, please look at both guys stat lines yesterday. Parker 4-15 shooting with 6 TOs, Wiggins 3-11 shooting.
KO says
Yes you are right Fern but it’s just such a easy argument for me. Actual truth is that cable viewing is down as a whole as the cost has become an issue for many and many are just cutting the cord completely.
But that ‘s not as much fun to use. Ruined all my fun!
R says
@ Shaun July 13, 2014 at 10:29 pm
If what his agent said is true and he is looking for playing time we are the best fit for oden …
————————————
Sure he’s looking for playing time, but the only problem is, he can’t play.
What he can do is sit on the bench next to Nash .. do the Lakers really need to pay for that?
I get your caveat re: grasping for straws, but the real issue is, the Lakers have managed to chase three big men out of town in the past year. As an added bonus, without compensation for any of them! I’ve never managed even a little league team, and I could do that bad of a job.
rr says
It is revisionist history to feel the Mitch hasn’t had plenty of time with Jerry Buss.
—
No one has suggested this.
The same comments over and over don’t change things
___
True, but that is the nature of the internet beast, and you are prone to this as anyone.
Let’s cover the path we have to cover now.
—
You get to choose neither the topics nor how others should be fans.
Craig W. says
rr,
You are right, but you don’t get to choose either.
Chearn says
One rim protector cannot right the woes on this team as structured. The Lakers need players willing to take on the role of defensive sieves. Enough with the purely offensive teams, D’Antoni is no longer the coach. If Byron’s named the coach of the Lakers, he will require them to play defense. Maybe that’s why he isn’t being announced as the Lakers coach, just maybe Jim continues to cling to an ideology that he can build “Showtime Part II.”
Fern says
Jim Buss has been part of the decision process for more than a decade now, as much as people deride him for the last couple of years he deserve some of the credit for past sucesses too since he was also part of those. About Randle, i saw his hightlights and he did pretty good considering he haven’t play in 3 months, kid has some moves, i expect to see more of that once he get in basketball shape.funny that the top 2 on the Draft stank up the joint and Noah Vonleh who a lot of people here championed was completely atrocious,i mean i could go 0-13 in a summer league game haha. I know its his debut but that’s not an auspicious start, AT ALL.
Darius Soriano says
I understand that the internet isn’t a place where fine distinctions and gray areas thrive, but the Jim Buss stuff should be made clear:
*As RR notes, Jim Buss is the Executive VP of Basketball Operations. Mitch Kupchak, General Manager, reports to him.
*Jeannie Buss is the President/Governor of the Lakers. Jim Buss reports to her.
Dr. Buss owned the team and groomed/hired his children to serve in these specific roles within the organization. Since his passing, neither Jim nor Jeannie are the “owner” in any classic sense. The Buss ownership stake now lives in a trust that is in the name of all his children. Several of the other Buss children also have jobs within the organization — Joey, Jesse, etc are scouts, run the D-Fenders, etc.
All that said, what has been reported is pretty straight forward: Mitch and Jim work together on every major basketball decision — the draft, free agency, who the coach is, trades, etc. Jeannie has said she would not interfere with these actions but would sit in and provide perspective/action when she deemed it necessary or if she thought it would be helpful. Her participation in the Carmelo meetings is one recent example of this.
What has also been reported is that Jeannie could fire Jim from his job. Not from being part of the ownership group, but from his job as EVP of Basketball Ops. Because, as noted above, she is his boss within the hierarchy of the organization. As noted by others, Jim also gave himself a timeline for the team to contend again. I would think if the team is still bad in 3 years, Jim will no longer hold his title and Mitch might not either, for that matter.
Just thought I’d try to clear all this up. Jim is no more an owner of the Lakers than Jeannie, Jesse, Joey, or anyone else in the trust. But he does hold a high title within the organization — second highest, in fact, to Jeannie. The Lakers have a pretty clear reporting structure within the context of their roles/jobs they hold within the organization. If any of them mess up severely in those jobs, my guess is that they would be relieved of their duties while maintaining their participation in the trust that owns 2/3rds of the team.
Vasheed says
Randle could have an impressive stat sheet and still have a bad game if you looked at the tape. The odds are so far against a man with Randle’s body type ever becoming an elite player at the PF position.
The Lakers need a shot blocker at center but unlikely to find one they can afford who doesn’t have serious health question marks. Bynum? Oden?
Kenny T says
Am a bit ambivalent about Pau. Sure, the Spaniard had some great moments as a Laker; in truth some iconic performances in high pressure situations. And no one can deny that he’s a class act. But Pau just seemed to have been beaten down the last few years by constant criticism from many within the Lakers’ fanbase, constant trade speculation and last year’s debacle with MD’A. I think his departure is great for him. For the Lakers, who don’t have a quality replacement for the Big Spaniard, not so much.
KO says
Thanks Darius
Darius Soriano says
Vasheed,
Body type? What do you mean, exactly? His height/length dimensions are basically the same as Kevin Love and Blake Griffin. Based off their combine measurements, he also weighed 7 pounds less than Love and 2 pounds more than Griffin at that time in the draft process. Blake and Love, pretty much, are the consensus top 2 PF’s in the league.
There are legitimate reasons to think Randle won’t turn out to be an elite PF. Maybe he never develops enough range on his jumper. Maybe he doesn’t have the uber-athleticism to play above the rim consistently. Maybe it’s something else. I am pretty sure, though, that it’s not his body type. He’s 6’9″ in shoes and has a wingspan of 7’0″. He’s just fine for size and build as a PF in today’s NBA.
Fern says
Vasheed, odds stacked about him? Ever heard of David Lee? Z-Bo?And let’s not even bring Love and Griffin There are a lot of undersized players on this league and they still helpful to their respective teams.
Shaun says
Guys I know bynum and oden are risks but who else will we get stiesma … please the guys terrible , id rather sign patric young and hope he develops Into a ben wallace type player … okafor is not gonna come here, hes in the compete for a championship phase of his career which is not here
If either bynum or oden works out we could be watchable and intruiging to fas in 2015+ since we might have 2-3 starters locked in
Im just interested in seeing where the rest lf the team will come from signing these guys at least makes us look like we are trying otherwise we will be going the philly route and just signing unguarenteed rookies
david h says
hey darius; here’s what we know:
lakers front office still in search of fulfilling this year’s roster.
lakers front office still withholding their choice for head coach to lead this year’s eventual roster.
lakers still reeling from recent turn of events.
here’s what we suspect:
poster X is Aaron in sheeps clothing.
Go lakers
Justin says
Hahaha I can’t believe people are making assumptions of Randle after one summer league game. People go back a look at summer league MVPs. Guys like Jeremy Lamb, Jared Blayless, Nate Robinson, Randy Foye, Josh Selby. To further give you an example: Tyshawn Taylor averaged 16 PPG and 3.5 APG and will be lucky to be in the league in 2 years. Daniel Orton averaged 14 PPG, and 4.6 RPG. Do any research and you will find out summer league is just a pick up game and nothing to do with NBA basketball. It is also guard oriented (like most pick up ball). We won’t know what Randle is in the NBA until training camp.
Nick Van Exile says
If Bynum had shown even a shred of professionalism or love of the game, he’d be worth taking on a low-risk deal, even with his injury history. But with his cancerous attitude, even on a minimum contract, I wouldn’t want that guy poisoning the locker room. Although, assuming Byron Scott is named the head coach (at some point before the All-Star game), it might be worth signing Bynum to a 10-day contract on the off-chance that Bynum starts shooting threes in practice so Byron can punch him in the face.
Anonymous says
oh man just saw the patches reference in Darius’ tweet feed. hahaha.
What moves do we still need to make:
stretch Nash, go hard after Stephenson, why the Lakers haven’t at least offered him what Indian did or 3yrs 30mil as I have been screaming for weeks is beyond me, we have upgraded the roster, but we play in the west.
re sign Henry, Kelly to 2 year 4$million each with a player option for 2nd because I feel like they deserve as much. Try to bring in one more big like Okafor, or Hollins just to give us a little size. …..ohya name the coach…..sign Clarkson….
Justin says
We should not stretch Nash at this point. Doing so would put 3 million on pay roll for 3 years. The goal is to get the most cap space for the next three years and target top players. Fans are too impatient. That’s the reason teams always end up so average. Forget Lance. He only makes you a little better and you probably have to over pay to get him from a good team like the Pacers. Lakers just need to endure the season or two. Trades and FA should be their future plans. And don’t rule out a good trade with a team that just overpaid for FAs.
rr says
rr,
You are right, but you don’t get to choose either.
—
I know that, which is why I don’t directly tell people to stop defending the Lakers FO and to move on to something else even though I have heard the same defenses many times; instead, I just tell them in what ways I think they are incorrect. That’s the difference. If I do tell people to stop talking about something in a direct way like that, feel free to call me out on it. Only Darius can force people to drop a subject–not me, not you.
Eric says
Vasheed, you sir are entering Skip Bayless territory with your unfounded and laughable hate campaign against Randle. Can’t even take you seriously anymore.
T. Rogers says
It’s pretty bad that we are even talking about Bynum. His ship has sailed. Let him stay where he’s at. I’m not worried about Randle. He’s young and ready to contribute. That is good enough for me. I personally believe the Lakers just may be bad enough next season to keep their Phoenix pick. If so, they can get another high quality young player to add with Randle. It’s a marathon not a sprint. In three years the Lakers will be a team on the rise providing they don’t blow their assets.
rr says
Good summary, Darius. I expect that Mitch may step down in 3-4 years no matter how things are going. If the team is good again, it will be “My work here is done.” If it is still bad or just meh, then I doubt that Jeanie will want him around, either.
rr says
Randle:
I see plusses (quickness, motor,conversion numbers at the rim) and minuses (arm length, shooting percentage, “Tweener” traits).
Darius’ point about Blake and Love are well-taken, but I would add two things:
1. As I detailed before, Randle’s college 2P% was far lower than all the guys he is being compared to:
Love- .611
Griffin-.571, .657
Millsap-.586, .577, .578
Randolph-.590
Randle-.517
People, lead by Eric, have made many detailed claims about why Randle’s stats don’t convey his talent and potential. That may be the case, but I want to see it happen. I am not going to sign on to it now.
2. Darius is probably right that Love and Griffin are the two best 4s in the game, depending on how we evaluate Bosh and Aldridge and a couple of other guys. But Love is not a very good defender, and Griffin is just OK. So, since it seems that Randle is not going to make his mark as a rangy team-defense kind of big, he will need to produce big-time on O–which is why I see the shooting percentage as a concern.
But I am open to the possibility that he will be a quality NBA starter, and I hope that he is.
Nick Van Exile says
If the Lakers can get Lance Stephenson for something starting at around $9 million/year (something like 4 years, $38.5 million), then they should definitely stretch-waive Nash. Lance may be a little crazy, but he’s young, talented, plays both ends of the floor, and competes. To put that $9 million/year in perspective, the corpses of Ben Gordon and Caron Butler were just signed for a combined $9 million/year!
Lance isn’t a superstar (1st or second option) but he can be a Lamar Odom-type 3rd or 4th option that can fill multiple roles offensively and defensively.
bryan S. says
Craig W.: We can’t decide what we talk about here–sadly–but there should be a moral clause against beating dead horses. The repeat offenders should be cited for animal abuse and making others bear witness to their depravity.
Darius: Humanitarian award for exercising patience with the animal abusers.
Aaron: Your take on Randle is exactly what mine became AFTER seeing him play. I’ve been describing him as a guy who could be a stretch four or a power three (trademark). I fully expect him develop range on his shot and to become a Blake Griffin like talent (less hops but physical and quick and able to get to the line with a great ability to see the floor and create for others).
On Clarkson: Steal. Straight steal with that pick. Much upside.
Marshall: I really can’t bear to watch this guy. There is *nothing* to see and he’s stealing minutes from guys that deserve floor time.
Worst Causality of the FA process: Losing Bazemore. Young guy with 2-way ability and positional versatility who is going to be a solid pro. 2 year deal for 4 mil. That hurts.
Overpay on a 2-year deal now: We need talent, more talent. Preferrably a big.
Beg Nash to retire: Offer him a position with the org as a carrot and have him work with Clarkson.
George Karl: We need this old dude. He can make the disparate pieces into an offensive whole. We’re not going to win with defense with this roster, so go all out on a versatile offensive attack.
rr: You are a master of equivocation (your Randle post)!
rr says
rr: You are a master of equivocation (your Randle post)!
—
As I have said many times, predictions are overrated. Seeing both sides of an issue is generally a better way to learn something than giving a strong, vocal opinion about something when your knowledge base is weak in that area. Whether Randle makes it will be something I can learn from.
—
The repeat offenders should be cited for animal abuse and making others bear witness to their depravity.
__
The above-it-all optimism and FO defending is equally repetitive, as well as generally being both fact and analysis-free.
Vasheed says
I’ve explained a lot about Randle already in detail. But a little food for thought. There are currently 3 NBA PF starters with less then a 7′-0″ wingspan for which stats are available. Griffin, Love and Thad Young. If Randle starts this season he would have the shortest Wingspan among all NBA PF starters at 6′-11″. He has had noted struggles in college facing larger opponents. Given the abundance of large long armed players in the NBA what could possibly happen? I would be surprised if he is a total bomb but, I would bet against him evolving into an elite level player.
bryan S. says
The above it all optimism and FO defending
I am a nearly five decade passionate Laker fan. I have lived and died with my team. Never above it all about the Lakers. But yes, I am definitely above pointless, after-the-fact negativity that brings nothing new to Laker discussion. I have spent very little time defending the FO; some terrible mistakes, some great, risk taking moves that didn’t pay off and good picks and FA signings in this down cycle. A mixed bag for sure. But the past is done. What’s next? That’s interesting.
as well as being both fact and analysis free
Yes, I prefer to write generally short, impressionistic posts that encourage other community members in their efforts and share my love for the team. I’m kinda busy man. I’ve spent too much of my life already in internet discussion. I’ll let you do the heavy lifting.
Dude, I live in a world of analysis. What passes for analysis here is mostly a rehashing and repackaging of ideas and information that everyone is already reading–and you do a fine job of that. But I don’t look for insight or originality in your posts.
rr says
But the past is done.
—
Not so much–the past affects the present, in sports as in life. Time and action are not that neatly divided. The decisions the FO has made and other factors affect the team that will be on the floor when the season starts, and of course, we should always try to learn from the past.
—
Dude, I live in a world of analysis. What passes for analysis here is mostly a rehashing and repackaging of ideas and information that everyone is already reading–and you do a fine job of that. But I don’t look for insight or originality in your posts.
___
I am sure that in your field, whatever it may be, that you have a strong knowledge base, as I do in mine, and knowledge base is a foundational aspect of analytical skill. Here, though, you are, like me, just another guy, your knowledge base is pretty thin, and your posts reflect that.
As for my posts, like I have said a few times, I am just a guy who is trying to keep it simple and deal with facts that we have in front of us, instead of trying to push narratives, the stuff about the
potential awesomeness of Julius Randle, and now, Jordan Clarkson, being the latest examples.