Lakers have also beaten the Warriors, Celtics, Rockets, Nuggets, Trail Blazers, and Thunder this season. They’ve just been amazingly adept at playing down to the level of their opponent (and also have a flawed roster).
3DS: 2981-5304-3227
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Raijin QuickfootI'm your Huckleberry YOU'RE NO DAISYRegistered User, ClubPAregular
You also figure if Lebron had been healthy all season they probably would have won enough to get in.
Pity the Kings are likely out too, especially after losing to the Clippers. They've had a hell of a season after being projected to be bottom of the west.
So many heartbreakers this season. Hell, they lost all four games to GSW by a combined 12 points.
It's not particularly great that we're saying shit like "well, if Lebron didn't get hurt, they'd probably have at least the eighth best record in the league." Can't imagine anyone there is pleased with how this season has gone. What's the best case scenario, here, that they miss the playoffs, win the draft lottery and draft Zion? Because scraping their way into the eighth seed and getting swept out of the first round by Golden State probably isn't what they want.
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Raijin QuickfootI'm your Huckleberry YOU'RE NO DAISYRegistered User, ClubPAregular
No way. Lebron felt like he could win with any roster.
It's not particularly great that we're saying shit like "well, if Lebron didn't get hurt, they'd probably have at least the eighth best record in the league." Can't imagine anyone there is pleased with how this season has gone. What's the best case scenario, here, that they miss the playoffs, win the draft lottery and draft Zion? Because scraping their way into the eighth seed and getting swept out of the first round by Golden State probably isn't what they want.
They were in 5th prior to LeBron’s injury and had just beat the Warriors badly on the road. Had he not gotten injured (and also Lonzo’s injury which has been just as bad especially from a defensive standpoint), they are probably comfortably in the playoffs right now and not fighting for the last slot.
No way. Lebron felt like he could win with any roster.
He was very wrong.
That has never been how LeBron operates. If it were he would have never left Cleveland the first time or Miami in 2014. LeBron knows he needs help and that's why his agent tried to force the Davis trade.
What LeBron was wrong about was the Lakers ability to build a roster that works well with him. He needs interior defense and shooting but every free agent acquisition from last summer gave them neither.
Inquisitor772 x Penny Arcade Fight Club ChampionA fixed point in space and timeRegistered Userregular
He also overestimated how good the Lakers' young core would end up. So instead of just having to add a few complimentary pieces and another superstar they need to overhaul nearly the entire roster.
The problem was people thinking the “young core” included Lonzo being competent on offense and Ingram being competent at anything but defending inbounds passes. They can’t even trade these guys for anything now.
Also fucking Rondo, Lance and Beasley (JaVale is much better than his reputation). Veterans to guide the young guys by saying “don’t be crazy asshole drunks like us”??
And a young coach from the same draft class as Lebron was going to be run over regardless of how good he was (and he’s probably not that good- the 26 win streak really only happened cause the dubs played like it meant something to them).
I think they expected to get George or a trade for Kawhi, and then really expected to get AD. This roster and situation was obviously dogshit without any of those things happening.
Honestly them being even this close is kind of remarkable.
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Inquisitor772 x Penny Arcade Fight Club ChampionA fixed point in space and timeRegistered Userregular
Yeah but the Pels are "idiots" for not taking the trade! Who cares if they aren't any good, you get a whole trash bag's worth of them! Incredible value!
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IlpalaJust this guy, y'knowTexasRegistered Userregular
The Lakers have also dealt with a lot of injuries this year.
They aren't a good team regardless but I think they sneak into the 8th seed if they stayed healthy
If Lebron hadn’t gone out with that groin injury they would have probably been fine.
I don’t really agree with the hot takes going around about how failing to reach the playoffs this year is somehow diminishing LeBron and his legacy.
This Lakers team was LeBron, a bunch of young questionable talent, and some veteran misfits. All in the much more difficult western division. They shouldn’t probably make the playoffs with this roster.
The Lakers have also dealt with a lot of injuries this year.
They aren't a good team regardless but I think they sneak into the 8th seed if they stayed healthy
Be that as it may this season is still a tremendous failure. They didn't make a run at a trade for George because they thought they were getting him in free agency but didn't, they shipped out Brook Lopez to make room for Michael fucking Beasely, they rushed to sign guys like McGee that weren't going anywhere but napped on Boogie who signed for nothing.
The injuries have been numerous but among them include Tyson Chandler and Rajon Rondo who are old farts to begin with. I don't know how much blame LeBron gets for Magic's personal decisions (probably a lot) but there is no escaping that even when healthy this roster was lacking in production and couldn't defend anyone.
The Lakers have also dealt with a lot of injuries this year.
They aren't a good team regardless but I think they sneak into the 8th seed if they stayed healthy
If Lebron hadn’t gone out with that groin injury they would have probably been fine.
I don’t really agree with the hot takes going around about how failing to reach the playoffs this year is somehow diminishing LeBron and his legacy.
This Lakers team was LeBron, a bunch of young questionable talent, and some veteran misfits. All in the much more difficult western division. They shouldn’t probably make the playoffs with this roster.
LeBron missing the playoffs in the West isn't damaging to his legacy but I think some of this off the court stuff is. Rich Paul trying to force the AD trade has James' fingerprints all over it and if he is to blame (or at the very least signed off on the idea) then the fallout that's resulted rests on his shoulder too.
I think people overstate LeBron's input in personnel moves. Yeah he's probably involved, but not more than Kobe would have been during his time.
Kobe never signed one-year contracts to keep his foot on the throat of management like LeBron did in Cleveland and I don't think it's a coincidence that players represented by Rich Paul were given favor in Cleveland compared to players that weren't. I think LeBron has exceeded what most if not every superstar player has in the past when it comes to personnel decisions and I think that effects his overall legacy.
The Lakers have also dealt with a lot of injuries this year.
They aren't a good team regardless but I think they sneak into the 8th seed if they stayed healthy
Be that as it may this season is still a tremendous failure. They didn't make a run at a trade for George because they thought they were getting him in free agency but didn't, they shipped out Brook Lopez to make room for Michael fucking Beasely, they rushed to sign guys like McGee that weren't going anywhere but napped on Boogie who signed for nothing.
The injuries have been numerous but among them include Tyson Chandler and Rajon Rondo who are old farts to begin with. I don't know how much blame LeBron gets for Magic's personal decisions (probably a lot) but there is no escaping that even when healthy this roster was lacking in production and couldn't defend anyone.
The weird thing is, for Lakers fans like myself, we recognize that the injuries have been really damaging, but we have been calling out the roster construction since July. Magic and Pelinka tried to zag (get a bunch of on-ball creators who can’t shoot!) when they should have zigged, and the move for Bullock at the trade deadline was too little, too late of a course correction. Magic’s particular obsession with stars has also hurt the overall teambuilding, and as usual he should probably shut up and stop talking.
Which is not to discount the other injuries. Say what you will about Lonzo on offense, but losing him absolutely cratered the team defense, as he was the only reliably-good defender the team had on a nightly basis, while guys like Hart and Kuzma have missed stretches of the season. Oh yeah, and Lebron was hurt and the team took a huge amount of precautions with him.
And then you have smaller issues like Luke Walton really being in over his head and the public trade talks ruining any team chemistry, which all together leaves a situation where the front office has to take a hard look at how they’ve done things.
The Lakers have also dealt with a lot of injuries this year.
They aren't a good team regardless but I think they sneak into the 8th seed if they stayed healthy
Be that as it may this season is still a tremendous failure. They didn't make a run at a trade for George because they thought they were getting him in free agency but didn't, they shipped out Brook Lopez to make room for Michael fucking Beasely, they rushed to sign guys like McGee that weren't going anywhere but napped on Boogie who signed for nothing.
The injuries have been numerous but among them include Tyson Chandler and Rajon Rondo who are old farts to begin with. I don't know how much blame LeBron gets for Magic's personal decisions (probably a lot) but there is no escaping that even when healthy this roster was lacking in production and couldn't defend anyone.
The weird thing is, for Lakers fans like myself, we recognize that the injuries have been really damaging, but we have been calling out the roster construction since July. Magic and Pelinka tried to zag (get a bunch of on-ball creators who can’t shoot!) when they should have zigged, and the move for Bullock at the trade deadline was too little, too late of a course correction. Magic’s particular obsession with stars has also hurt the overall teambuilding, and as usual he should probably shut up and stop talking.
Which is not to discount the other injuries. Say what you will about Lonzo on offense, but losing him absolutely cratered the team defense, as he was the only reliably-good defender the team had on a nightly basis, while guys like Hart and Kuzma have missed stretches of the season. Oh yeah, and Lebron was hurt and the team took a huge amount of precautions with him.
And then you have smaller issues like Luke Walton really being in over his head and the public trade talks ruining any team chemistry, which all together leaves a situation where the front office has to take a hard look at how they’ve done things.
Yeah the roster is terrible, and when it was constructed we all laughed at how terrible it was. They expected their young players to get much better, and they didn't, so all the "veteran presence" pick-ups amounted to a bunch of nothing. Those acquisitions were never going to carry a team, and they are being asked to do so now with LeBron when half of them don't even mesh with his style of play. It's not like Rondo is suddenly going to morph into an off-the-ball sharpshooter.
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ButtersA glass of some milksRegistered Userregular
edited March 2019
There was only one Cleveland LeBrons team of the last era and that was this past season. The 2014-2015 team took the Warriors to 6 games in the Finals with two crucial injuries to all stars in the playoffs. The 2015-2016 team was fully healthy and beat the best regular season team in NBA history in the Finals. The 2016-2017 team was every bit as good as the previous team (maybe even better) but that best regular season team was fortunate enough to turn Andrew Bogut into Kevin fucking Durant.
The 2017-2018 Cavaliers were legitimately a mess but that was because Kyrie forced a trade over the summer and LeBron already decided he was going to LA the next year.
Raijin QuickfootI'm your Huckleberry YOU'RE NO DAISYRegistered User, ClubPAregular
I hate this shit going on with Russell Westbrook right now.
It's a difficult thing, on one hand, he needs to be more professional obviously. On the other hand, NBA fans have a history of being way too hands on with players and because they sit close enough to actually interact with them, I'm sure they yell some toxic shit at them.
Fans need to keep to themselves and players need to have thick skin in case they don't.
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Goose!That's me, honeyShow me the way home, honeyRegistered Userregular
Utah fans in particular have started to build a reputation for being extra shitty.
I hate this shit going on with Russell Westbrook right now.
It's a difficult thing, on one hand, he needs to be more professional obviously. On the other hand, NBA fans have a history of being way too hands on with players and because they sit close enough to actually interact with them, I'm sure they yell some toxic shit at them.
Fans need to keep to themselves and players need to have thick skin in case they don't.
I put the blame for this 100% on that guy and his wife. I don’t care if you’re sitting courtside, and I also don’t care how much you spent to sit there, fans have no particular right to talk with players during the game. You’re there to watch the game, sit there and cheer for your team and leave the players alone.
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ButtersA glass of some milksRegistered Userregular
Yeah my explanation for this is Westbrook regularly faces this shit from courtside patrons and has understandably resorted to saying insane shit to keep said patrons out of his face.
20 years ago Paul O'Neill beat the shit out of a fan that charged the field to attack a Redsox first base coach. No one really criticized him then but I don't look forward to the media response if Westbrook is forced to do something similar.
Raijin QuickfootI'm your Huckleberry YOU'RE NO DAISYRegistered User, ClubPAregular
Yeah, at this point he's a target because fans know he will react.
He just needs to be careful. You know there are people out there just wishing he would jump in the stands and take a swing at them so they can try for a nice fat settlement in court.
Posts
That sums it up pretty well I think
3DS: 2981-5304-3227
So many heartbreakers this season. Hell, they lost all four games to GSW by a combined 12 points.
Not done yet, but basically done.
it's not like it was some freak, unlikely occurrence that lebron would get injured though
He was very wrong.
They were in 5th prior to LeBron’s injury and had just beat the Warriors badly on the road. Had he not gotten injured (and also Lonzo’s injury which has been just as bad especially from a defensive standpoint), they are probably comfortably in the playoffs right now and not fighting for the last slot.
3DS: 2981-5304-3227
That has never been how LeBron operates. If it were he would have never left Cleveland the first time or Miami in 2014. LeBron knows he needs help and that's why his agent tried to force the Davis trade.
What LeBron was wrong about was the Lakers ability to build a roster that works well with him. He needs interior defense and shooting but every free agent acquisition from last summer gave them neither.
Also fucking Rondo, Lance and Beasley (JaVale is much better than his reputation). Veterans to guide the young guys by saying “don’t be crazy asshole drunks like us”??
And a young coach from the same draft class as Lebron was going to be run over regardless of how good he was (and he’s probably not that good- the 26 win streak really only happened cause the dubs played like it meant something to them).
I think they expected to get George or a trade for Kawhi, and then really expected to get AD. This roster and situation was obviously dogshit without any of those things happening.
Honestly them being even this close is kind of remarkable.
Yesss put it in my veins.
Switch - SW-7373-3669-3011
Fuck Joe Manchin
They aren't a good team regardless but I think they sneak into the 8th seed if they stayed healthy
If Lebron hadn’t gone out with that groin injury they would have probably been fine.
I don’t really agree with the hot takes going around about how failing to reach the playoffs this year is somehow diminishing LeBron and his legacy.
This Lakers team was LeBron, a bunch of young questionable talent, and some veteran misfits. All in the much more difficult western division. They shouldn’t probably make the playoffs with this roster.
Be that as it may this season is still a tremendous failure. They didn't make a run at a trade for George because they thought they were getting him in free agency but didn't, they shipped out Brook Lopez to make room for Michael fucking Beasely, they rushed to sign guys like McGee that weren't going anywhere but napped on Boogie who signed for nothing.
The injuries have been numerous but among them include Tyson Chandler and Rajon Rondo who are old farts to begin with. I don't know how much blame LeBron gets for Magic's personal decisions (probably a lot) but there is no escaping that even when healthy this roster was lacking in production and couldn't defend anyone.
I feel like no one is saying the obvious.
Everyone is super SHOCKED that Lebron’s not making the Playoffs! When the answer is stupidly obvious as to why.
The Lakers ARE THE EIGHTH SEED IN THE EAST. With a realistic shot at the Sixth seed!
This team is exactly on par, maybe even BETTER than the bad Cleveland teams.
Lebron has put in the exact same effort as he did in the East, and has gotten nearly identical results.
The only difference is the conference.
LeBron missing the playoffs in the West isn't damaging to his legacy but I think some of this off the court stuff is. Rich Paul trying to force the AD trade has James' fingerprints all over it and if he is to blame (or at the very least signed off on the idea) then the fallout that's resulted rests on his shoulder too.
Kobe never signed one-year contracts to keep his foot on the throat of management like LeBron did in Cleveland and I don't think it's a coincidence that players represented by Rich Paul were given favor in Cleveland compared to players that weren't. I think LeBron has exceeded what most if not every superstar player has in the past when it comes to personnel decisions and I think that effects his overall legacy.
Like, what the fuck Phoenix?
Switch - SW-7373-3669-3011
Fuck Joe Manchin
The weird thing is, for Lakers fans like myself, we recognize that the injuries have been really damaging, but we have been calling out the roster construction since July. Magic and Pelinka tried to zag (get a bunch of on-ball creators who can’t shoot!) when they should have zigged, and the move for Bullock at the trade deadline was too little, too late of a course correction. Magic’s particular obsession with stars has also hurt the overall teambuilding, and as usual he should probably shut up and stop talking.
Which is not to discount the other injuries. Say what you will about Lonzo on offense, but losing him absolutely cratered the team defense, as he was the only reliably-good defender the team had on a nightly basis, while guys like Hart and Kuzma have missed stretches of the season. Oh yeah, and Lebron was hurt and the team took a huge amount of precautions with him.
And then you have smaller issues like Luke Walton really being in over his head and the public trade talks ruining any team chemistry, which all together leaves a situation where the front office has to take a hard look at how they’ve done things.
3DS: 2981-5304-3227
lebron + shooters is a finals team in the east every year. it's like, the easiest team construction there is.
somehow the lakers don't have any shooters around lebron at all and it's baffling.
the cavs with lebron were never worse than the 4th seed after lebron's second season, and only missed winning 50 once
Yeah the roster is terrible, and when it was constructed we all laughed at how terrible it was. They expected their young players to get much better, and they didn't, so all the "veteran presence" pick-ups amounted to a bunch of nothing. Those acquisitions were never going to carry a team, and they are being asked to do so now with LeBron when half of them don't even mesh with his style of play. It's not like Rondo is suddenly going to morph into an off-the-ball sharpshooter.
The 2017-2018 Cavaliers were legitimately a mess but that was because Kyrie forced a trade over the summer and LeBron already decided he was going to LA the next year.
the playoffs was the only goal this year
everyone is ready to bury the Suns when they are getting better as the season goes
Ayton, Booker, Oubre Jr, and Zion are gonna be a force
Entropy is a force, yes
It's a difficult thing, on one hand, he needs to be more professional obviously. On the other hand, NBA fans have a history of being way too hands on with players and because they sit close enough to actually interact with them, I'm sure they yell some toxic shit at them.
Fans need to keep to themselves and players need to have thick skin in case they don't.
I put the blame for this 100% on that guy and his wife. I don’t care if you’re sitting courtside, and I also don’t care how much you spent to sit there, fans have no particular right to talk with players during the game. You’re there to watch the game, sit there and cheer for your team and leave the players alone.
20 years ago Paul O'Neill beat the shit out of a fan that charged the field to attack a Redsox first base coach. No one really criticized him then but I don't look forward to the media response if Westbrook is forced to do something similar.
He just needs to be careful. You know there are people out there just wishing he would jump in the stands and take a swing at them so they can try for a nice fat settlement in court.