LeBron going full Wilt and I'm not impressed...

[Birdman]

PEDs will make u play stronger & faster

[Moranis]

That current roster (no AD) without LeBron is 10-12 win team over an 82 game season. It is dreadful. No wonder he is frustrated. I would be too if I were in his shoes.

LeBron is the only thing stopping them from being the worst team in basketball.

A team he pretty much built himself, so if he's frustrated, it is at himself.

except the front office ignored him.  He wanted DeRozan, they wouldn't give him a 3rd year.  He wanted Caruso, they wouldn't give more than 2 years.  He wanted trades at the deadline using the 27 1st, they ignored him. 

[Roy H.]

That current roster (no AD) without LeBron is 10-12 win team over an 82 game season. It is dreadful. No wonder he is frustrated. I would be too if I were in his shoes.

LeBron is the only thing stopping them from being the worst team in basketball.

A team he pretty much built himself, so if he's frustrated, it is at himself.

except the front office ignored him.  He wanted DeRozan, they wouldn't give him a 3rd year.  He wanted Caruso, they wouldn't give more than 2 years.  He wanted trades at the deadline using the 27 1st, they ignored him.

DeRozan would have helped.  But, I'm not as sure about Caruso.  I guess he couldn't have hurt.  Would Wall have added much over Westbrook at the deadline?  I guess it depends on if the reports regarding Christian Wood were accurate.

But ultimately, Lebron did indeed push for the trade that killed the team:  the Westbrook deal.  If the Lakers trade for Hield, they probably keep KCP and Caruso.

[JohnBoy65]

This is the same board that would eviscerate LeBron if he wasn't playing hard, or sat out the last several games. This really is nothing other than hate. You can't have it both ways.

[Moranis]

That current roster (no AD) without LeBron is 10-12 win team over an 82 game season. It is dreadful. No wonder he is frustrated. I would be too if I were in his shoes.

LeBron is the only thing stopping them from being the worst team in basketball.

A team he pretty much built himself, so if he's frustrated, it is at himself.

except the front office ignored him.  He wanted DeRozan, they wouldn't give him a 3rd year.  He wanted Caruso, they wouldn't give more than 2 years.  He wanted trades at the deadline using the 27 1st, they ignored him.

DeRozan would have helped.  But, I'm not as sure about Caruso.  I guess he couldn't have hurt.  Would Wall have added much over Westbrook at the deadline?  I guess it depends on if the reports regarding Christian Wood were accurate.

But ultimately, Lebron did indeed push for the trade that killed the team:  the Westbrook deal.  If the Lakers trade for Hield, they probably keep KCP and Caruso.

Westbrook came about after the front office refused to give DeRozan a 3rd year though.  DeRozan himself confirmed that so it isn't just shill coming out of L.A.  Had the Lakers just given DeRozan a 3rd year, they would have sent out Kuzma and Harrell/KCP in the trade, but kept the other one.  Westbrook was only possible because LA's ownership got cheap with DeRozan. Had they brought DeRozan in, they almost certainly would have kept Caruso and quite possibly Schroder (since they still would have needed a PG).

How much different do the Lakers look with a starting 5 of Schroder, KCP, DeRozan, James, Davis with guys like Caruso, Monk, Melo, Howard, etc. on their bench. 

The disaster that was the Lakers last off season was a direct result of ownership refusing to sign anyone longer than 2 years as they wanted max flexibility when Lebron's contract was up (Davis and a player option on THT are the only contracts they have for the 23-24 season) and they didn't want to have a massive tax bill this year either, which is why they didn't just bring Schroder back on a big 1 year deal (that and they had Westbrook).  The Lakers also could have brought back Matthews on a contract in the 5 million range, used the taxpayer MLE on someone other than Nunn (who hasn't played for them), seen if they could have enticed Drummond for more than a minimum, etc.  They just didn't want to pay as much in tax or sign anyone long term, so they ended up with a roster that has 5 players not on a minimum (LJ, AD, RW, THT, KN) which made trades virtually impossible especially with their lack of picks.  The Lakers ownership was just very shortsighted last summer and there is no way they should have been when you have James and Davis (old and/or frail players that are both arguably top 5 guys when healthy).  They punted the season because of their pocketbook.  Of all teams it is the Lakers that got cheap (even though they have a massive payroll).

[trickybilly]

This stat chasing narrative is stupid... if AD is there he plays different.

[Roy H.]

That current roster (no AD) without LeBron is 10-12 win team over an 82 game season. It is dreadful. No wonder he is frustrated. I would be too if I were in his shoes.

LeBron is the only thing stopping them from being the worst team in basketball.

A team he pretty much built himself, so if he's frustrated, it is at himself.

except the front office ignored him.  He wanted DeRozan, they wouldn't give him a 3rd year.  He wanted Caruso, they wouldn't give more than 2 years.  He wanted trades at the deadline using the 27 1st, they ignored him.

DeRozan would have helped.  But, I'm not as sure about Caruso.  I guess he couldn't have hurt.  Would Wall have added much over Westbrook at the deadline?  I guess it depends on if the reports regarding Christian Wood were accurate.

But ultimately, Lebron did indeed push for the trade that killed the team:  the Westbrook deal.  If the Lakers trade for Hield, they probably keep KCP and Caruso.

Westbrook came about after the front office refused to give DeRozan a 3rd year though.  DeRozan himself confirmed that so it isn't just shill coming out of L.A.  Had the Lakers just given DeRozan a 3rd year, they would have sent out Kuzma and Harrell/KCP in the trade, but kept the other one.  Westbrook was only possible because LA's ownership got cheap with DeRozan. Had they brought DeRozan in, they almost certainly would have kept Caruso and quite possibly Schroder (since they still would have needed a PG).

How much different do the Lakers look with a starting 5 of Schroder, KCP, DeRozan, James, Davis with guys like Caruso, Monk, Melo, Howard, etc. on their bench. 

The disaster that was the Lakers last off season was a direct result of ownership refusing to sign anyone longer than 2 years as they wanted max flexibility when Lebron's contract was up (Davis and a player option on THT are the only contracts they have for the 23-24 season) and they didn't want to have a massive tax bill this year either, which is why they didn't just bring Schroder back on a big 1 year deal (that and they had Westbrook).  The Lakers also could have brought back Matthews on a contract in the 5 million range, used the taxpayer MLE on someone other than Nunn (who hasn't played for them), seen if they could have enticed Drummond for more than a minimum, etc.  They just didn't want to pay as much in tax or sign anyone long term, so they ended up with a roster that has 5 players not on a minimum (LJ, AD, RW, THT, KN) which made trades virtually impossible especially with their lack of picks.  The Lakers ownership was just very shortsighted last summer and there is no way they should have been when you have James and Davis (old and/or frail players that are both arguably top 5 guys when healthy).  They punted the season because of their pocketbook.  Of all teams it is the Lakers that got cheap (even though they have a massive payroll).

You can't pin an entire off-season on DeRozan, though.  The Lakers could have made follow up moves.  Hield was on the table.  You're ignoring Lebron's hard push for Westbrook.

And, the Westbrook deal was discussed pre-draft.  That's before the start of the draft, so they shouldn't have even been having discussions with DeRozan regarding a contract or a sign-and-trade.  Lol.

[celticsclay]

That current roster (no AD) without LeBron is 10-12 win team over an 82 game season. It is dreadful. No wonder he is frustrated. I would be too if I were in his shoes.

LeBron is the only thing stopping them from being the worst team in basketball.

A team he pretty much built himself, so if he's frustrated, it is at himself.

except the front office ignored him.  He wanted DeRozan, they wouldn't give him a 3rd year.  He wanted Caruso, they wouldn't give more than 2 years.  He wanted trades at the deadline using the 27 1st, they ignored him.

DeRozan would have helped.  But, I'm not as sure about Caruso.  I guess he couldn't have hurt.  Would Wall have added much over Westbrook at the deadline?  I guess it depends on if the reports regarding Christian Wood were accurate.

But ultimately, Lebron did indeed push for the trade that killed the team:  the Westbrook deal.  If the Lakers trade for Hield, they probably keep KCP and Caruso.

Westbrook came about after the front office refused to give DeRozan a 3rd year though.  DeRozan himself confirmed that so it isn't just shill coming out of L.A.  Had the Lakers just given DeRozan a 3rd year, they would have sent out Kuzma and Harrell/KCP in the trade, but kept the other one.  Westbrook was only possible because LA's ownership got cheap with DeRozan. Had they brought DeRozan in, they almost certainly would have kept Caruso and quite possibly Schroder (since they still would have needed a PG).

How much different do the Lakers look with a starting 5 of Schroder, KCP, DeRozan, James, Davis with guys like Caruso, Monk, Melo, Howard, etc. on their bench. 

The disaster that was the Lakers last off season was a direct result of ownership refusing to sign anyone longer than 2 years as they wanted max flexibility when Lebron's contract was up (Davis and a player option on THT are the only contracts they have for the 23-24 season) and they didn't want to have a massive tax bill this year either, which is why they didn't just bring Schroder back on a big 1 year deal (that and they had Westbrook).  The Lakers also could have brought back Matthews on a contract in the 5 million range, used the taxpayer MLE on someone other than Nunn (who hasn't played for them), seen if they could have enticed Drummond for more than a minimum, etc.  They just didn't want to pay as much in tax or sign anyone long term, so they ended up with a roster that has 5 players not on a minimum (LJ, AD, RW, THT, KN) which made trades virtually impossible especially with their lack of picks.  The Lakers ownership was just very shortsighted last summer and there is no way they should have been when you have James and Davis (old and/or frail players that are both arguably top 5 guys when healthy).  They punted the season because of their pocketbook.  Of all teams it is the Lakers that got cheap (even though they have a massive payroll).

You can't pin an entire off-season on DeRozan, though.  The Lakers could have made follow up moves.  Hield was on the table.  You're ignoring Lebron's hard push for Westbrook.

And, the Westbrook deal was discussed pre-draft.  That's before the start of the draft, so they shouldn't have even been having discussions with DeRozan regarding a contract or a sign-and-trade.  Lol.

Yeah the lakers were just more interested in Westbrook. Here is from Chris Haynes: DeRozan, 32, believed everyone was on the same page, but the Lakers silently began exploring another route once Russell Westbrook was made available in Washington.

The talks between the Lakers and Spurs tapered off. Reading the tea leaves, Goodwin pivoted his client in the direction of the Chicago Bulls.

I’m not sure why we are bending over backwards to think of a better hypothetical off-season for the lakers. I mean everyone is enjoying the lakers struggles right?

[liam]

That current roster (no AD) without LeBron is 10-12 win team over an 82 game season. It is dreadful. No wonder he is frustrated. I would be too if I were in his shoes.

LeBron is the only thing stopping them from being the worst team in basketball.

A team he pretty much built himself, so if he's frustrated, it is at himself.

except the front office ignored him.  He wanted DeRozan, they wouldn't give him a 3rd year.  He wanted Caruso, they wouldn't give more than 2 years.  He wanted trades at the deadline using the 27 1st, they ignored him.

DeRozan would have helped.  But, I'm not as sure about Caruso.  I guess he couldn't have hurt.  Would Wall have added much over Westbrook at the deadline?  I guess it depends on if the reports regarding Christian Wood were accurate.

But ultimately, Lebron did indeed push for the trade that killed the team:  the Westbrook deal.  If the Lakers trade for Hield, they probably keep KCP and Caruso.

Westbrook came about after the front office refused to give DeRozan a 3rd year though.  DeRozan himself confirmed that so it isn't just shill coming out of L.A.  Had the Lakers just given DeRozan a 3rd year, they would have sent out Kuzma and Harrell/KCP in the trade, but kept the other one.  Westbrook was only possible because LA's ownership got cheap with DeRozan. Had they brought DeRozan in, they almost certainly would have kept Caruso and quite possibly Schroder (since they still would have needed a PG).

How much different do the Lakers look with a starting 5 of Schroder, KCP, DeRozan, James, Davis with guys like Caruso, Monk, Melo, Howard, etc. on their bench. 

The disaster that was the Lakers last off season was a direct result of ownership refusing to sign anyone longer than 2 years as they wanted max flexibility when Lebron's contract was up (Davis and a player option on THT are the only contracts they have for the 23-24 season) and they didn't want to have a massive tax bill this year either, which is why they didn't just bring Schroder back on a big 1 year deal (that and they had Westbrook).  The Lakers also could have brought back Matthews on a contract in the 5 million range, used the taxpayer MLE on someone other than Nunn (who hasn't played for them), seen if they could have enticed Drummond for more than a minimum, etc.  They just didn't want to pay as much in tax or sign anyone long term, so they ended up with a roster that has 5 players not on a minimum (LJ, AD, RW, THT, KN) which made trades virtually impossible especially with their lack of picks.  The Lakers ownership was just very shortsighted last summer and there is no way they should have been when you have James and Davis (old and/or frail players that are both arguably top 5 guys when healthy).  They punted the season because of their pocketbook.  Of all teams it is the Lakers that got cheap (even though they have a massive payroll).

You can't pin an entire off-season on DeRozan, though.  The Lakers could have made follow up moves.  Hield was on the table.  You're ignoring Lebron's hard push for Westbrook.

And, the Westbrook deal was discussed pre-draft.  That's before the start of the draft, so they shouldn't have even been having discussions with DeRozan regarding a contract or a sign-and-trade.  Lol.

Yeah the lakers were just more interested in Westbrook. Here is from Chris Haynes: DeRozan, 32, believed everyone was on the same page, but the Lakers silently began exploring another route once Russell Westbrook was made available in Washington.

The talks between the Lakers and Spurs tapered off. Reading the tea leaves, Goodwin pivoted his client in the direction of the Chicago Bulls.

I’m not sure why we are bending over backwards to think of a better hypothetical off-season for the lakers. I mean everyone is enjoying the lakers struggles right?

I'm loving it!

[Moranis]

That current roster (no AD) without LeBron is 10-12 win team over an 82 game season. It is dreadful. No wonder he is frustrated. I would be too if I were in his shoes.

LeBron is the only thing stopping them from being the worst team in basketball.

A team he pretty much built himself, so if he's frustrated, it is at himself.

except the front office ignored him.  He wanted DeRozan, they wouldn't give him a 3rd year.  He wanted Caruso, they wouldn't give more than 2 years.  He wanted trades at the deadline using the 27 1st, they ignored him.

DeRozan would have helped.  But, I'm not as sure about Caruso.  I guess he couldn't have hurt.  Would Wall have added much over Westbrook at the deadline?  I guess it depends on if the reports regarding Christian Wood were accurate.

But ultimately, Lebron did indeed push for the trade that killed the team:  the Westbrook deal.  If the Lakers trade for Hield, they probably keep KCP and Caruso.

Westbrook came about after the front office refused to give DeRozan a 3rd year though.  DeRozan himself confirmed that so it isn't just shill coming out of L.A.  Had the Lakers just given DeRozan a 3rd year, they would have sent out Kuzma and Harrell/KCP in the trade, but kept the other one.  Westbrook was only possible because LA's ownership got cheap with DeRozan. Had they brought DeRozan in, they almost certainly would have kept Caruso and quite possibly Schroder (since they still would have needed a PG).

How much different do the Lakers look with a starting 5 of Schroder, KCP, DeRozan, James, Davis with guys like Caruso, Monk, Melo, Howard, etc. on their bench. 

The disaster that was the Lakers last off season was a direct result of ownership refusing to sign anyone longer than 2 years as they wanted max flexibility when Lebron's contract was up (Davis and a player option on THT are the only contracts they have for the 23-24 season) and they didn't want to have a massive tax bill this year either, which is why they didn't just bring Schroder back on a big 1 year deal (that and they had Westbrook).  The Lakers also could have brought back Matthews on a contract in the 5 million range, used the taxpayer MLE on someone other than Nunn (who hasn't played for them), seen if they could have enticed Drummond for more than a minimum, etc.  They just didn't want to pay as much in tax or sign anyone long term, so they ended up with a roster that has 5 players not on a minimum (LJ, AD, RW, THT, KN) which made trades virtually impossible especially with their lack of picks.  The Lakers ownership was just very shortsighted last summer and there is no way they should have been when you have James and Davis (old and/or frail players that are both arguably top 5 guys when healthy).  They punted the season because of their pocketbook.  Of all teams it is the Lakers that got cheap (even though they have a massive payroll).

You can't pin an entire off-season on DeRozan, though.  The Lakers could have made follow up moves.  Hield was on the table.  You're ignoring Lebron's hard push for Westbrook.

And, the Westbrook deal was discussed pre-draft.  That's before the start of the draft, so they shouldn't have even been having discussions with DeRozan regarding a contract or a sign-and-trade.  Lol.

Yeah the lakers were just more interested in Westbrook. Here is from Chris Haynes: DeRozan, 32, believed everyone was on the same page, but the Lakers silently began exploring another route once Russell Westbrook was made available in Washington.

The talks between the Lakers and Spurs tapered off. Reading the tea leaves, Goodwin pivoted his client in the direction of the Chicago Bulls.

I’m not sure why we are bending over backwards to think of a better hypothetical off-season for the lakers. I mean everyone is enjoying the lakers struggles right?

Or this also attributed to Chris Haynes on a Twitter Space (that wasn't recorded, but was seen by a lot of people and for which Haynes has not denied saying)

Chris Haynes just confirmed that LeBron and the FO wanted Demar first, but the FO not wanting to give Demar a 3 year deal (to open up space in 2023) made them pivot to Russ instead…

https://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/amp/lebron_james_reportedly_wanted_demar_derozan_first_but_lakers_front_office_didnt_want_to_offer_him_a_3_year_deal/s1_16751_37308753

Which was attributed to Haynes in response to Ramona Shelbourne's statement on NBA Today on ESPN around the All Star break

"There were choices they had in the offseason between Buddy Hield, Russell Westbrook and DeMar DeRozan,"

"The Lakers chose Westbrook and LeBron and AD were part of that choice. One of the other choices was DeMar DeRozan, and the Lakers were unwilling to go to 3 years for a contract."

So the Lakers ownership got cheap on that 3rd year and then looked elsewhere.  Obviously Hield would have been a much better choice and Lebron absolutely wanted Westbrook over Hield, but he wanted DeRozan 1st.