Separation - Lakers

[Moranis]

Losing Rondo's going to be HUGE for them, just watch.

Unfathomable that they didn't offer him some 2-year deal........

That NINETEEN POINTS he gave them in the closeout game against MIA....incredible but let's be real here THAT'S RONDO........

While they still have a formidable bunch I don't see anyone on that team with that kind of Big-Game Toughness that Rondo has, plain and simple.

and what about game 5 that the Lakers lost by 3 when Rondo was 1 of 7 and -13 in 18 minutes.

And?

I think THAT GAME was more remembered by most as the game where Danny Green missed that open 3, right? The one that got him death threats from the Laker faithful LOL?

Don't believe most LAL fans will blame THAT GAME on Rondo's stat line.

My point was "playoff Rondo" was terrible more often then he was great. 

I mean these were his 6 finals games
2 of 7
5 of 9
2 of 8
1 of 7
1 of 7
8 of 11

This is not a guy you can consistently rely for anything.  He is all over the map.  Some games he looks good, some games he is terrible.  The Lakers won't miss him at all.

[GreenFaith1819]

Losing Rondo's going to be HUGE for them, just watch.

Unfathomable that they didn't offer him some 2-year deal........

That NINETEEN POINTS he gave them in the closeout game against MIA....incredible but let's be real here THAT'S RONDO........

While they still have a formidable bunch I don't see anyone on that team with that kind of Big-Game Toughness that Rondo has, plain and simple.

and what about game 5 that the Lakers lost by 3 when Rondo was 1 of 7 and -13 in 18 minutes.

And?

I think THAT GAME was more remembered by most as the game where Danny Green missed that open 3, right? The one that got him death threats from the Laker faithful LOL?

Don't believe most LAL fans will blame THAT GAME on Rondo's stat line.

My point was "playoff Rondo" was terrible more often then he was great. 

I mean these were his 6 finals games
2 of 7
5 of 9
2 of 8
1 of 7
1 of 7
8 of 11

This is not a guy you can consistently rely for anything.  He is all over the map.  Some games he looks good, some games he is terrible.  The Lakers won't miss him at all.

Good points but I think they'll miss his leadership off that bench.

Leaders come through when needed - and his performance in Game 6 was huge.

[Moranis]

Losing Rondo's going to be HUGE for them, just watch.

Unfathomable that they didn't offer him some 2-year deal........

That NINETEEN POINTS he gave them in the closeout game against MIA....incredible but let's be real here THAT'S RONDO........

While they still have a formidable bunch I don't see anyone on that team with that kind of Big-Game Toughness that Rondo has, plain and simple.

and what about game 5 that the Lakers lost by 3 when Rondo was 1 of 7 and -13 in 18 minutes.

And?

I think THAT GAME was more remembered by most as the game where Danny Green missed that open 3, right? The one that got him death threats from the Laker faithful LOL?

Don't believe most LAL fans will blame THAT GAME on Rondo's stat line.

My point was "playoff Rondo" was terrible more often then he was great. 

I mean these were his 6 finals games
2 of 7
5 of 9
2 of 8
1 of 7
1 of 7
8 of 11

This is not a guy you can consistently rely for anything.  He is all over the map.  Some games he looks good, some games he is terrible.  The Lakers won't miss him at all.

Good points but I think they'll miss his leadership off that bench.

Leaders come through when needed - and his performance in Game 6 was huge.

The Lakers don't need leadership.  Sure Rondo might provide some of that to the Hawks, but the Lakers don't need an inconsistent guy who isn't even that good when he is good even when said guy has some leadership qualities. 

[GreenFaith1819]

Losing Rondo's going to be HUGE for them, just watch.

Unfathomable that they didn't offer him some 2-year deal........

That NINETEEN POINTS he gave them in the closeout game against MIA....incredible but let's be real here THAT'S RONDO........

While they still have a formidable bunch I don't see anyone on that team with that kind of Big-Game Toughness that Rondo has, plain and simple.

and what about game 5 that the Lakers lost by 3 when Rondo was 1 of 7 and -13 in 18 minutes.

And?

I think THAT GAME was more remembered by most as the game where Danny Green missed that open 3, right? The one that got him death threats from the Laker faithful LOL?

Don't believe most LAL fans will blame THAT GAME on Rondo's stat line.

My point was "playoff Rondo" was terrible more often then he was great. 

I mean these were his 6 finals games
2 of 7
5 of 9
2 of 8
1 of 7
1 of 7
8 of 11

This is not a guy you can consistently rely for anything.  He is all over the map.  Some games he looks good, some games he is terrible.  The Lakers won't miss him at all.

Good points but I think they'll miss his leadership off that bench.

Leaders come through when needed - and his performance in Game 6 was huge.

The Lakers don't need leadership.  Sure Rondo might provide some of that to the Hawks, but the Lakers don't need an inconsistent guy who isn't even that good when he is good even when said guy has some leadership qualities.

LeBron disagrees.

https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-lebron-james-heartfelt-message-to-rajon-rondo-after-decision-to-join-hawks/

I think the part where LeBron says "We don't win this thing without YOU" speaks volumes as to how important Rajon Rondo was to LAL.

[Moranis]

Losing Rondo's going to be HUGE for them, just watch.

Unfathomable that they didn't offer him some 2-year deal........

That NINETEEN POINTS he gave them in the closeout game against MIA....incredible but let's be real here THAT'S RONDO........

While they still have a formidable bunch I don't see anyone on that team with that kind of Big-Game Toughness that Rondo has, plain and simple.

and what about game 5 that the Lakers lost by 3 when Rondo was 1 of 7 and -13 in 18 minutes.

And?

I think THAT GAME was more remembered by most as the game where Danny Green missed that open 3, right? The one that got him death threats from the Laker faithful LOL?

Don't believe most LAL fans will blame THAT GAME on Rondo's stat line.

My point was "playoff Rondo" was terrible more often then he was great. 

I mean these were his 6 finals games
2 of 7
5 of 9
2 of 8
1 of 7
1 of 7
8 of 11

This is not a guy you can consistently rely for anything.  He is all over the map.  Some games he looks good, some games he is terrible.  The Lakers won't miss him at all.

Good points but I think they'll miss his leadership off that bench.

Leaders come through when needed - and his performance in Game 6 was huge.

The Lakers don't need leadership.  Sure Rondo might provide some of that to the Hawks, but the Lakers don't need an inconsistent guy who isn't even that good when he is good even when said guy has some leadership qualities.

LeBron disagrees.

https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-lebron-james-heartfelt-message-to-rajon-rondo-after-decision-to-join-hawks/

I think the part where LeBron says "We don't win this thing without YOU" speaks volumes as to how important Rajon Rondo was to LAL.

You are reading way more into that then you should be.  He said basically the same thing for Quinn Cook and Danny Green. https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1329520665737584643?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1329520665737584643%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.spin.ph%2Fbasketball%2Fnba%2Fdanny-green-expresses-gratitude-as-lebron-sends-farewell-message-a1931-20201121

Lebron does that with his teammates.  It is what good leaders do.

[GreenFaith1819]

Losing Rondo's going to be HUGE for them, just watch.

Unfathomable that they didn't offer him some 2-year deal........

That NINETEEN POINTS he gave them in the closeout game against MIA....incredible but let's be real here THAT'S RONDO........

While they still have a formidable bunch I don't see anyone on that team with that kind of Big-Game Toughness that Rondo has, plain and simple.

and what about game 5 that the Lakers lost by 3 when Rondo was 1 of 7 and -13 in 18 minutes.

And?

I think THAT GAME was more remembered by most as the game where Danny Green missed that open 3, right? The one that got him death threats from the Laker faithful LOL?

Don't believe most LAL fans will blame THAT GAME on Rondo's stat line.

My point was "playoff Rondo" was terrible more often then he was great. 

I mean these were his 6 finals games
2 of 7
5 of 9
2 of 8
1 of 7
1 of 7
8 of 11

This is not a guy you can consistently rely for anything.  He is all over the map.  Some games he looks good, some games he is terrible.  The Lakers won't miss him at all.

Good points but I think they'll miss his leadership off that bench.

Leaders come through when needed - and his performance in Game 6 was huge.

The Lakers don't need leadership.  Sure Rondo might provide some of that to the Hawks, but the Lakers don't need an inconsistent guy who isn't even that good when he is good even when said guy has some leadership qualities.

LeBron disagrees.

https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-lebron-james-heartfelt-message-to-rajon-rondo-after-decision-to-join-hawks/

I think the part where LeBron says "We don't win this thing without YOU" speaks volumes as to how important Rajon Rondo was to LAL.

You are reading way more into that then you should be.  He said basically the same thing for Quinn Cook and Danny Green. https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1329520665737584643?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1329520665737584643%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.spin.ph%2Fbasketball%2Fnba%2Fdanny-green-expresses-gratitude-as-lebron-sends-farewell-message-a1931-20201121

Lebron does that with his teammates.  It is what good leaders do.

The point is, is that you were rather dismissive of how important Rajon Rondo was to LAL during his time there.

It really doesn't matter what LeBron says to his other teammates. I'm sure they all contributed.

Bottom line is, though, is that LAL wasn't winning Game 6 without Rajon Rondo.

He stepped up exactly when the team needed him to - just like he did for BOS many times even with his flaws.

I wish him the best and am truly glad that BOSTON wasn't on the receiving end of his Playoff performances.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

I don't know if Gasol didn't adjust to the bubble well or if he is cooked.  His regular season wasn't that bad, so I think the verdict is out some on him till we see how he looks in say February. 

That said, the Lakers seems pretty clearly the best team in the West. 

Starters - Schroder, Matthews, James, Davis, Gasol
Regular Rotation - Harrell, Kuzma, Morris, KCP, Caruso

That is a pretty deep top 10.

I don't expect them to get the top seed again, but they are the most dangerous playoff team, sure.

They'll probably be a high 50-win team with the #1 seed. LeBron showing no signs of slowing down. Davis is healthy as ever. Davis only goes out with a season ending injury if he's not playing with the Lakers lol.

Figures, right? Dude's injured almost every season, then gets to the Lakers and is the picture of health. Not that I want guys to get hurt, I absolutely don't; but you just figure that certain things in life will happen, one of them being "Anthony Davis gets injured again." Must be taking whatever LeBron's taking.

Edit: And yeah, barring injury to LeBron and/or Davis, I expect the Lakers to again win the West—with relative ease, actually—and be the favorite to win the title.

[liam]

I hate to say it; but with recent trades/signings, I think the Lakers have created separation between them and the rest of the league.

I just can’t see anyone challenging the Lakers this coming season.

Realistically speaking, do you see anyone challenging?

The Celtics.

Chuck Norris approves.

Best sports movie, ever!

[Moranis]

I don't know if Gasol didn't adjust to the bubble well or if he is cooked.  His regular season wasn't that bad, so I think the verdict is out some on him till we see how he looks in say February. 

That said, the Lakers seems pretty clearly the best team in the West. 

Starters - Schroder, Matthews, James, Davis, Gasol
Regular Rotation - Harrell, Kuzma, Morris, KCP, Caruso

That is a pretty deep top 10.

I don't expect them to get the top seed again, but they are the most dangerous playoff team, sure.

They'll probably be a high 50-win team with the #1 seed. LeBron showing no signs of slowing down. Davis is healthy as ever. Davis only goes out with a season ending injury if he's not playing with the Lakers lol.

Figures, right? Dude's injured almost every season, then gets to the Lakers and is the picture of health. Not that I want guys to get hurt, I absolutely don't; but you just figure that certain things in life will happen, one of them being "Anthony Davis gets injured again." Must be taking whatever LeBron's taking.

Edit: And yeah, barring injury to LeBron and/or Davis, I expect the Lakers to again win the West—with relative ease, actually—and be the favorite to win the title.

Davis missed 9 of 71 games or 12.67%, which is in range for his prior seasons.

[jambr380]

The log-off/log-in thing is absolutely killing me lately. I can't tell you how many responses I've lost after submitting it, only to be brought to the log-in screen. I realize this is only a pc problem, but it's also a brand new problem that absolutely needs to be fixed. I guess here are the basics of my lengthy response:

- Bubble ideal for Lakers because of extended rest for playoffs
- No rest for playoffs (or regular season) this season
- Lebron is old/AD and Lebron need load management

[JohnBoy65]

I think they're the same team as last year. Harrell was a nightmare in the playoffs for the Clips, especially against the Nuggets. He'll be a great regular season player for them, but he can't defend Jokic. Schoreder was better last year, but does one good year cancel out some of his other disappearances?

With that said - The bench doesn't matter. If Bron and AD are the same players they will win the Championship.

[RodyTur10]

The log-off/log-in thing is absolutely killing me lately. I can't tell you how many responses I've lost after submitting it, only to be brought to the log-in screen. I realize this is only a pc problem, but it's also a brand new problem that absolutely needs to be fixed. I guess here are the basics of my lengthy response:

- Bubble ideal for Lakers because of extended rest for playoffs
- No rest for playoffs (or regular season) this season
- Lebron is old/AD and Lebron need load management

Yeah I know. Now I always copy my post before sending it, in case I've been logged out and lose my post.

[RJ87]

I see plenty of teams having a shot this season.

GSW still has Curry/Dray + Wiggins/Oubre/Wiseman - If Wiseman shows out, that's a game changer.  Oubre is solid.

LAC still has Kawhi/George and just added a lethal shooter in Luke Kennard.

BKN has Kyrie/Durant + a lot of solid players who fit a role.

DAL could be a real threat if KP stays healthy.  Luka is that good.

MIL looks reloaded and is still a real threat.  Giannis is that good.

BOS/MIA/PHI all have major talent and are outside contenders.

I like what the Clippers did this offseason. I think Serge is a much better fit for them than Harrell in that he's not a huge liability on one end of the floor constantly. What hapens with the Clippers though depends so much on whether or not Paul George will take some accountability for his no-show in the playoffs last season. That's going to go a long way in settling down that locker room. Because as of right now, they have the talent to win it all but they don't seem to trust each other.

[Darth_Yoda]

I see plenty of teams having a shot this season.

GSW still has Curry/Dray + Wiggins/Oubre/Wiseman - If Wiseman shows out, that's a game changer.  Oubre is solid.

LAC still has Kawhi/George and just added a lethal shooter in Luke Kennard.

BKN has Kyrie/Durant + a lot of solid players who fit a role.

DAL could be a real threat if KP stays healthy.  Luka is that good.

MIL looks reloaded and is still a real threat.  Giannis is that good.

BOS/MIA/PHI all have major talent and are outside contenders.

I like what the Clippers did this offseason. I think Serge is a much better fit for them than Harrell in that he's not a huge liability on one end of the floor constantly. What hapens with the Clippers though depends so much on whether or not Paul George will take some accountability for his no-show in the playoffs last season. That's going to go a long way in settling down that locker room. Because as of right now, they have the talent to win it all but they don't seem to trust each other.

Clippers defensive potential is pretty filthy.

Beverly

Kawhi
George
Ibaka

Only weak link is Kennard

[Moranis]

I see plenty of teams having a shot this season.

GSW still has Curry/Dray + Wiggins/Oubre/Wiseman - If Wiseman shows out, that's a game changer.  Oubre is solid.

LAC still has Kawhi/George and just added a lethal shooter in Luke Kennard.

BKN has Kyrie/Durant + a lot of solid players who fit a role.

DAL could be a real threat if KP stays healthy.  Luka is that good.

MIL looks reloaded and is still a real threat.  Giannis is that good.

BOS/MIA/PHI all have major talent and are outside contenders.

I like what the Clippers did this offseason. I think Serge is a much better fit for them than Harrell in that he's not a huge liability on one end of the floor constantly. What hapens with the Clippers though depends so much on whether or not Paul George will take some accountability for his no-show in the playoffs last season. That's going to go a long way in settling down that locker room. Because as of right now, they have the talent to win it all but they don't seem to trust each other.

Clippers defensive potential is pretty filthy.

Beverly

Kawhi
George
Ibaka

Only weak link is Kennard

Ibaka is not the player he once was.  I have concerns he still has much left on that end especially when he will be playing center a lot. He is much better defensively than Harrell and has more size, but I'm not sure he will hold up playing center, which he is clearly going to have to do a lot.

I don't think the Clippers got any worse.  Kennard is a better overall player than Shamet, though they will probably miss Shamet's superior shooting at some point.  I think Ibaka and Harrell are fairly similar level of players, though Ibaka is a better fit and has a bit more size, which they need.  I just don't think the Clippers improved enough to really compete with the Lakers, who I think got better, and they have no one that can even pretend to guard Davis (Ibaka just can't do it).  I also think they are going to have issues when Kawhi misses all his normal games.  They need to push him more, he can't miss 20 games again or they might very well be the 4th or 5th seed out west and that is not the place they want to be.