Game Thread: Lakers vs Timberwolves Mar 25, 2015

[trojanfan12]

They were talking about this during the game. The Lakers play the most teams with losing records out of the bottom 5. Meaning they have the most winnable games and all it takes is winning a few of those and winning a few against teams they should win against and they are minus a draft pick. This pick is key to the rebuilding phase for them.

In the top 5 they will either get a Center or Point Guard that will be with the team for a long time. If it is a Center then with Randle they are very good at starting bigs and with Hill and Black they have some nice depth. Then with Clarkson at SG and Kobe at SF they are just short a good PG (Rando or Westbrook) to have a very solid starting crew.

If they get a PG then they will have a solid backcourt of the future with Clarkson and Russell or Mudiay. Then with Kobe and drafting a Center later on and using Black and Hill they again have a solid starting team + who they can grab from free agency.

If all else fails and they get Porzingis who is basically a young Pau Gasol with more defense then they might have to move Randle to the 3 and play Kobe at SG and Clarkson/Rondo at PG. Again a good team.

I like pretty much any of the above scenarios. Your post points out what I've been saying for awhile. The Lakers will likely have several different ways to re-build the team, depending on where they end up in the draft.

I want to see them get a top 5 pick, but it's not essential to the re-build. They will have about $30 million+ to go after FA's this off-season and even more after next season when Kobe retires and the cap increases.

 

[Win TWINS!!!]

Neither did we. Dammit!!

 

[Win TWINS!!!]

I believe that we still have one more game each vs. the Sixers and T-Wolves, so there's a chance to correct this. However, the Lakers have to stop beating these crappy teams.

 

[Retroram52]

And then there is that nagging rumor that Love is headed to LA. Oops, did I mention that?

 

[lakersrule]

The Lakers are still 3 games behind Orlando in the win column. They split the season series. Not sure what the next tiebreaker would be. Orlando has better division and conference records.

Orlando has some winnable games against Detroit, Minny, and NY. I see the Lakers with 4 more wins max. I thought they'd lose last night which gives them one more win than I thought a few weeks ago. So it could get tight here with Orlando. I think ultimately they end up 4th with something like a 88% of keeping that top-5 pick.

I thought Pressey did a good job trying to lose last night under the guise of developing the youth. He didn't want to put Lin and Davis back in who were having good games.

 

[Black Adam]

And then there is that nagging rumor that Love is headed to LA. Oops, did I mention that?

after the way he's played this season do we really want him...?

 

[lakersrule]

And then there is that nagging rumor that Love is headed to LA. Oops, did I mention that?

What do you do with Randle if you sign Love? I don't see Randle working at the 3. He's not gonna want to be a backup. Last summer I was down for some Love. I'm not so sure now.

 

[lakersrule]

after the way he's played this season do we really want him...?

Could be a better fit though. He's kind of marginalized in Cleveland. Last night he showed what he can do when working consistently in the post.

 

[DJ]

We'll be fine.

 

[Black Adam]

What do you do with Randle if you sign Love? I don't see Randle working at the 3. He's not gonna want to be a backup. Last summer I was down for some Love. I'm not so sure now.

this is the question i have in my mind. man, i'm hoping we didn't waste a draft pick here...

 

[DJ]

What do you do with Randle if you sign Love? I don't see Randle working at the 3. He's not gonna want to be a backup. Last summer I was down for some Love. I'm not so sure now.

IF Love signs with LA? Boozer and Davis are both gone in the offseason. Bring him back slowly from his injury off the bench as the 6th (or 7th) man (I'm hoping we trade Young in the offseason for a mid to late 1st rounder) and then trade him around the deadline in 2016.

Love is a better player than Randle right now and in Kobe's last season they are going to want to try and compete. Plus, Love is a proven player and still just 26 (27 when next season starts).

 

[Retroram52]

Perplexing conundrum to say the least guys if, and that is a big if, Love arrives here in the summer.

 

[Retroram52]

As I have stated several times in discussions with TJF12, I would rather the Lakers abandon the thought of signing Love and just continue down the youth rebuild mode they are presently on. We can utilize the Logo model to a greater effectiveness if we stay the course than go fishing again with Love, no pun intended.

 

[trojanfan12]

after the way he's played this season do we really want him...?

Yes. The problem in Cleveland is that he a square peg trying to fit in a round hole. They are literally using about 1/3 of his overall skillset. The guy can play in the post, get 10+ rebounds per game AND shoot the 3. In Cleveland, he shoots the 3 and that's about it.

 

[trojanfan12]

As I have stated several times in discussions with TJF12, I would rather the Lakers abandon the thought of signing Love and just continue down the youth rebuild mode they are presently on. We can utilize the Logo model to a greater effectiveness if we stay the course than go fishing again with Love, no pun intended.

You're not looking at the entire Logo model. The Logo model is a combination of draft picks, trades and free agency. Remember, Love was a one and done in college. So, even though he's been in the league awhile, he's still only 26 years old. So, if the Lakers do sign him, it doesn't effect their youth movement.

It's unfortunate that Randle got hurt because it deprived the Lakers of the chance to see what they've got in him. If they sign Love, they can try Randle at the 3 and have him backup Love at the 4. If him playing the 3 doesn't work out, as DJ said, he can be traded for other assets. Love is a proven commodity, Randle isn't.

 

[Retroram52]

I was including the entire model but just ignoring Love there TJF12. Since we have the lack of the prosody of speech and voice intonation with computer use, you could surmise your conclusion just from reading what I wrote. I suspect that Jeannie might step in here and make Love a priority but that's a guess here. If they sign Love, they should keep Randle and I am fairly certain Kobe would lobby for that.

 

[Win TWINS!!!]

You're not looking at the entire Logo model. The Logo model is a combination of draft picks, trades and free agency. Remember, Love was a one and done in college. So, even though he's been in the league awhile, he's still only 26 years old. So, if the Lakers do sign him, it doesn't effect their youth movement.

It's unfortunate that Randle got hurt because it deprived the Lakers of the chance to see what they've got in him. If they sign Love, they can try Randle at the 3 and have him backup Love at the 4. If him playing the 3 doesn't work out, as DJ said, he can be traded for other assets. Love is a proven commodity, Randle isn't.

If I may weigh in, I would abandon the desire to sign Love. He's a cancer, and ineffective leader. He's not a #1 option. How much longer is Kobe going to be around?

 

[Retroram52]

He has one more year on his present contract Win Twins.

 

[LALakersboy24.7]

THESE FUCKS IN THE FRONT OFFICE BETTER HAVE A MASTER PLAN IF WE DON'T GET A 1ST ROUND PICK.

 

[trojanfan12]

I was including the entire model but just ignoring Love there TJF12. Since we have the lack of the prosody of speech and voice intonation with computer use, you could surmise your conclusion just from reading what I wrote. I suspect that Jeannie might step in here and make Love a priority but that's a guess here. If they sign Love, they should keep Randle and I am fairly certain Kobe would lobby for that.

My bad and I agree.