Lakers now have our starting backcourt from the big 3 era

[ImShakHeIsShaq]

Bad words.

[jambr380]

This Lakers team is going to be really good. We were all laughing when they didn't get Kawhi (and I understand he would have made them better), but pretty much every single player they keep adding is a great value and really adds to their depth.

We can hope they implode, but in terms of talent, I think they are the team to beat.

I don’t think they make the playoffs.  I do think they are a scary team should they make the playoffs, but I don’t see them getting there.

That is a bold statement, SL. Unless a serious injury happens to Lebron or AD (season-ending), I don't see how they don't make the playoffs. I mean, I am all for them having a disastrous season, but this is the most rest Lebron has ever had and AD should be rejuvenated.

[OldSchoolDude]

I'll take a bunch western conference backcourts over them:

Chris Paul / James Harden
Patrick Beverley / Lou Williams
Damian Lillard  / CJ McCollum
Mike Conley / Donovan Mitchell
Dejounte Murray / DeMar DeRozan
Jamal Murray / Gary Harris

Rondo / Bradley used to be good, but that ship ha sailed. 

[LatterDayCelticsfan]

The game of basketball has moved on from 2012. They may be good defending their own positions but in this era of switching everything, not so much

[Fafnir]

The game of basketball has moved on from 2012. They may be good defending their own positions but in this era of switching everything, not so much

Rondo isn't good at defending anymore. Even his off ball contributions have fallen off as he's aged.

[gpap]

This Lakers team is going to be really good. We were all laughing when they didn't get Kawhi (and I understand he would have made them better), but pretty much every single player they keep adding is a great value and really adds to their depth.

We can hope they implode, but in terms of talent, I think they are the team to beat.

I agree with you. I don't want to see them succeed (especially considering AD could've been a Celtic but wanted to be Lebron's b*** instead) but I think they'll be a very good team.

They have size and shooting.

I am pretty happy however that Kawhi snubbed them and decided to join the Clippers instead.

[Fafnir]

Darn!

Two of my favorite Cs, and now I’m hoping they fail...miserably.

That bothers me!

it is absolutely insane to me that Bradley is only 28.

And kind of insane that Bradley seemed to start deteriorating around age 26.  Maybe he'll have a bounceback season.

He was hurt last year at the very least, I wonder if nagging injuries account for much of it.

[No Nickname]

This Lakers team is going to be really good. We were all laughing when they didn't get Kawhi (and I understand he would have made them better), but pretty much every single player they keep adding is a great value and really adds to their depth.

We can hope they implode, but in terms of talent, I think they are the team to beat.

I don’t think they make the playoffs.  I do think they are a scary team should they make the playoffs, but I don’t see them getting there.

That is a bold statement, SL. Unless a serious injury happens to Lebron or AD (season-ending), I don't see how they don't make the playoffs. I mean, I am all for them having a disastrous season, but this is the most rest Lebron has ever had and AD should be rejuvenated.

I'm not as pessimistic as SL, but I agree that a lot of this fawning over the lakers is just based on name-recognition of their players.

None except AD are at their apex.  LeBron is going downhill.  As is Rondo, McGee, Cousins, Bradley, and Danny Green.

Kuzma still has a lot to learn.  As do their other young guns. 

Without AD everyone would be looking at this team as being WORSE than last year's team by a mile.  And just adding one superstar player doesn't take you from clearly out of the playoffs to a conference contender.  Not AD at least.

I predict them finishing somewhere between a 5-7 seed.

[Tr1boy]

Not worried one sec

We are not talking about this tandem of 5 years ago

Walker and Brown would do big damage

[Who]

C - Anthony Davis
F - Kyle Kuzma
F - LeBron James (PG on offense)
G - Danny Green
G - KCP

I think this is their best team.

That would be a difficult lineup to play against. 4 guys with size on the perimeter who can switch. The most difficult 5 in the league to matchup against due to his quickness, size and skill level. LeBron allowed to monopolize the ball and control proceedings - the most efficient playmaker in the league in such situations. Very difficult to guard and good defensive group.

C - JaVale McGee, DeMarcus Cousins
F - Jared Dudley
F -
G - Avery Bradley
G - Rajon Rondo, Quinn Cook, Alex Caruso

They need some more wings with size defensively who can shoot.

[W8ting2McHale]

I was hoping Avery would join the Clippers and team back up Doc.

They probably didn’t have the space and he knows Rondo. He’s also a West Coast guy. The NBA needs more players with East Coast connections like Kemba that would think of Boston as home, or close enough.

[fairweatherfan]

I don't want to think about this so I'm just gonna stick my fingers in my ears and watch this gif a few hundred times

[hwangjini_1]

Hate to admit it, but Lakers put together a pretty good team.

Not necessarily because of Bradley and Rondo, but they have some serious size with AD, Cousins, McGee, Kuzma, etc.

And they'll have shooting with Danny Green and Cauldwell-Pope.

cousins is not doing well since his injury. in the playoffs he was hardly playable due to his lack of ability to guard the perimeter.

mcgee...now i know you have a sense of humor. 

rondo has no defense anymore.

kuzma is a very good 6th player, but no defense.

honestly, after james and davis the drop off in talent is very sharp and does not match well as a team. the lakers will probably make the playoffs due to davis being added to the team. but james last year, even with ball, kuzma, and Ingram, could not pull that team into the post season.

in the playoffs, i dont see the lakers moving past the second round. the western conference is really, really tough.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

I think that AD misses at least 20 games, and that LeBron misses at least 20 games ... and I wonder if Kawhi was thinking the same thing as part of his reasoning for not going to the Lakers.

The Lakers have done a better job filling out their roster than I expected, but I also think their sudden "depth" could be an illusion, as guys like Rondo, Bradley, Green, Dudley, Daniels, McGee, and KCP are in the "kinda old and/or not that good anymore" category.

If LeBron goes down to a major injury, this team becomes the Pelicans West.

If AD goes down to a major injury, this becomes one of LeBron's lesser Cleveland teams with whom he couldn't win a title.

Either way, not that scary.

[Neurotic Guy]

I don’t like hating Avery Bradley. But I do.