To be fair the lakers have looked terrible the last 2.5 games now. I'll be the first to admit that. Getting creamed by cousins right now
You're no fun. I was going to wait for a few more games to call you on it. Hard to count on a team that is young and has streaky vets (Young and Williams). The only thing consistent about them is their lousy defense. Cousins ought to go for 50 on them. Of course its the Kings so they might figure out a way to lose.
The Lakers actually have a strong incentive to tank to bottom 3. Not only would they keep their pick this year but their 2019 1st owed to Orlando would convert to two seconds. If they're close to bottom 3 at the all-star break, it will be interesting to see what they do.
I just don't think there is any way that happens after hiring Walton and having randle in his 3rd year plus spending big money on vets like deng and mosgov
Walton already said wins don't matter as much as player development. I don't see them tanking outright. However if they have no playoff shot at the all star break and are within a few games of the 3rd worst record, I could see them choosing to give more time to their young players.
Look at the teams behind them though. Who will blow past them? Nuggets? Kings? Suns? Wolves? Mavericks? Pelicans? So many bad teams at the bottom
They have a shot at 8 seed. They have enough vets to get them there. Walton is a great coach he proved it last year. They have pieces to make a trade. Larry Nance is a great trade chip. Nick Young will have trade value too. Plus they really just need reps to get better as well. I hate it but they are on their way back.
That was my initial thinking. Then I backtracked after they looked awful in a few games. Then they looked great in the second half. They are a hard team to gauge because they have the inconsistency of talented youth coupled with 2 of their key bets (nick young and louis williams) being extremely streaky players. When Young and Williams are drilling shots and Russell and Randle are playing under control they look like a legit lower level playoff team. When Young and Williams are bricking and Russell is turning the ball over and Randle is playing out of control they look like a truly awful team. One thing going in their favor is that Walton really does seem like an awesome coach and he is really good at calming them down. There was a stretch in last nights game where they were just absolutely brutal, but he got them back under control when a lot of other young teams would have given up.
It's a young team. They are going to have ups and downs. Randle looks terrific. I think Russell is going to be much better than he's looked to start the season. That kid can be a superstar eventually. Ingram might pick up steam as the season progresses.
I wouldn't rule out 30+ wins for them. I still think a Clarkson for Noel trade would help both the Lakers and Philly. A Laker core of Russell, Ingram, Randle and Noel would be pretty interesting to watch. Lakers have drafted really well. I think them making the playoffs this year would be a major shock, though. Things should even out as the season progresses.
The premise of this thread is kinda flawed though. Like when the Pelicans moved Chris Paul and got back Eric Gordon and Austin Rivers. That return was less important than the fact it helped the team tank for Anthony Davis. Likewise, when Philly moved Jrue Holiday for Nerlens Noel and Dario Saric, it was less important than the fact it helped them tank for Joel Embiid. And similarly, when Philly moved MCW and got back that Laker pick, it was less important than the fact it helped them tank for Ben Simmons. They are still looking at a likely lottery pick out of this... which is solid return for MCW.
Topic: The most talked about inconsequential trade? (Read 22041 times)