THUNDER -at- LAKERS – 2-8-18 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 08, 2018 10:39 pm    Post subject: THUNDER -at- LAKERS – 2-8-18 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

Trade Day… The Lakers have made serious moves twice now to open up cap space. They’ve sent out young talent, big contracts and received picks and talent on ending contracts in return. The hope, of course, is to snag big names in free agency. We’re looking right at you in that Thunder jersey, Paul George (…flash to Magic making a couple winks about PG13).

Rob Pelinka said they have a black book with “about 872 different scenarios” that the Lakers were considering. The timing of the trade deadline with our final meeting with the Thunder and Paul George certainly painted a picture of one of those ideal scenarios.

For the game tonight, the Lakers removed JC and Nance from the mix (Lonzo was still unavailable). For the Thunder, both Westbrook and Melo were sidelined with the ankle tweaks. PG13 came out strong, making his first 5 attempts. The Lakers tightened up the D on him and with no one else to help him out there, they began to pull away.

They held the Thunder to just 54 points after the first quarter and took their biggest margin of victory with the 106-81 win. In the process, they took their eighth straight home game.

Reinforcements coming soon…


Randle -- -- So glad he survived the trade deadline. I’ve said very early on this season that he should be part of the young core. He’s becoming a strong two-way player and is elite on defending switches. I value that a ton as the game often comes down to the pick and roll. He was a steadying force for the team early on tonight with some scores around the rim. He led the team with 13 points in the first half. In the second half, he went into beast mode in the paint for a couple more scores. Just too strong for defenders. More and more, he’s drawing a crowd and learning how to overpower in those situations. The more he’s killing it in the paint, overwhelming defenders, the more his gravity grows and that opens the floor for others. Young player, forcing double teams and help defenders? This team needs that. Hope they can find a way to make it happen this offseason and keep him. Today was big in that regard with them letting Nance go. The Stats: He scored 17 points on 8-16 shooting (0-1 from three, 1-1 from the line) to go with 6 boards (3 offensive), 2 assists, 1 block, 2 turnovers and 1 foul in 28 minutes. He was +10. The Action: He missed a three on a busted play to start the game. He attacked middle, drop stepped and scored off the glass with the strong hand. He dunked off the dish from Ingram. He missed a jumphook in the middle of the paint. He cleaned up a missed layup on the break. He bullied his way to the rim, missed but tipped it back in. He was blocked in the post. Great recovery to reject George from behind. Kuzma spotted him under the hoop for an And-1 layup, he made the FT. He sealed his man, took the post entry from Ingram and scored the layup. He couldn’t finish a dunk trying to avoid a charge. He missed a jumphook against the shotclock. Second Half: He was called for a charge down the lane, seemed like the defender was late. His bounce pass was picked off in the paint. He muscled his way in the post, missed, pulled down the board between two defenders and powered up for the layup, damn. Next time down, he quickly spun off the catch, rocked the defender back and threw down with both hands, dayummm. He missed a drive, got it back, was stripped and went to the floor for the tie-up (didn’t win the jump).

Ingram -- -- Did he look like a vet tonight? It just seemed like such a steady, all-around game from start to finish. Good job from the start moving the ball. He had 9 points and 4 assists in the first half. He’d tally a couple more assists in the second half to lead the team with 6 as our PG. He knocked down 3-4 from behind the arc. He wasn’t hesitating on those kickouts, which is great to see. Mix those in with some attacks and making all your FTs. Couldn’t ask for more. Excellent, all-around game by BI. Kid is killing it right now. The Stats: He scored 19 points on 7-11 shooting (3-4 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 6 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 33 minutes. He was a +19. The Action: He attacked behind Adams trying to recover on his man and he scored a layup at the rim for the Lakers first score. He missed a long sideline pull-up jumper. He fired a pass of the dribble to Randle for a dunk. He scored a layup in transition off a nice feed from Brewer. He attacked Adams on the switch for FTs, he made both. He hit Randle sealing his man in the paint for the score. He sank a corner three on a kickout from Hart. He attacked and kicked to Hart for three to return the favor. Second Half: He attacked an open lane and scored a layup. He sank a wing three in transition. Weak pass trying to get it over a fronting defender, turnover. He sank another wing three next time down. He crossed over and missed a floater. He missed a wing three on a kickout. He airballed a baseline jumper on the subsequent inbounds. He scored a layup getting out on the break for Brewer to find him.

Lopez -- -- Damn, Brook hitting the boards tonight with 9. Adams, of course, is always around the rim so we had some serious wrestling matches going on down there. He struggled from three line, missing all his attempts from there. Some nice drives for scores. He covers a lot of ground off those. Solid on D. I don’t know what the summer will be like. But if all goes as hoped, I wonder if he might sacrifice to stay on the team and allow us to retain Bird rights and make it up to him. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 4-14 shooting (0-4 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 9 boards (4 offensive), 2 assists, 1 block and 1 foul in 24 minutes. He was a +10. The Action: He attacked off the three line and hit a floater. He missed a wing three. He blew past Adams off the three line for a layup (got all the way to the rim). He missed a three straight away. A couple tips at the rim to get a Laker miss to drop, nice effort. He missed a tough floater, but tied up a man for a jumpball on the rebound. He missed a deep three in early offense, not a good choice. He missed a jumphook in the post. Not close on a wing three. Second Half: He was fouled twice on the pick and roll and drew FTs at the rim, he made one. He attacked and missed a layup. We got him the ball when he had a mismatch in the post and he scored the easy layup. Great bounce pass to Hart backdooring his man for the dunk.

Hart -- -- He had just 3 boards in the first half (ridiculous to even say that). But we were getting beat on the offensive glass in the first half. He picked up the help in the second half to finish with 8 on the night. He claims KCP stole a couple boards from him as he wanted to get the double-double again. He sank a couple of threes. One was a play set up for him out of the timeout, which is nice to see. He had a dunk on backdoor cut and a tip-in. Look at the numbers: 10 points, 8 boards, 5 assists. Excellent. Great job moving the ball tonight. Helps when guys like Ingram are knocking down threes for you. A couple nice sequences pushing the break. The Stats: He scored 10 points on 4-9 shooting (2-5 from three) to go with 8 boards, 5 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 3 turnovers and 2 fouls in 33 minutes. He was a +8. The Action: He missed a wing three on a kickout. His kickout was swiped for a layup the other way. He missed a layup on the break, but Randle cleaned it up. He swiped a kickout and ignited the break. He missed corner three. He attacked and kicked to Ingram for three. He missed a wing three. He sank a corner three on the kickout from Ingram. Second Half: Bad outlet after a board, forcing it. Rebound, pushout and he hit Ingram for a three. He splashed a corner three on a play set up out of a timeout. He backdoored George on the overplay, took the bounce pass from Lopez and dunked. He crashed the glass and tipped in a Kuzma miss at the end of the quarter. He missed a baseline fade up against the shotclock.

Caldwell-Pope -- -- He very quietly led the team in scoring. Just a super-efficient night from him. He sank some much-needed threes in the first half as we tried to figure out some of our new rotations. He hit a couple from the midrange later and scored at the rim a couple times, as well. Defensively, he hit the glass well. He was getting overpowered in the paint quite a bit tonight when we would switch. He was on the floor multiple times. The Stats: He scored 20 points on 7-10 shooting (3-5 from three, 3-3 from the line) to go with 7 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal and 2 fouls in 31 minutes. He was a +19. The Action: He missed a wing three out of a timeout. He made a tech FT. Backdoor cut to take a feed and he made the extra pass to Brewer for the layup. He drained an open three on a kickout. He sank a corner three on a kickout. He sank a three set up for him out of a timeout as he looped around Lopez to take the pass from Randle. Second Half: He swiped the ball in the backcourt, missed the 12-footer, got it back and was fouled, he made both FTs. He split a defenders at the wing and scored a layup. He bricked a pull-up three up against the clock. He swished a pull-up from the wing. He swished a floater at the FT line. He scored a layup when Caruso found him.

Kuzma -- -- Man. For today, at least, that bench looks pretty thin right now outside of Kuzma. Larry was our defensive captain and JC the reliable scoring punch. Both were fairly consistent. Kuzma is a rookie and will be searching for consistency probably for a couple of years. We need him to pick up the D and he did tonight. Some excellent help D sequences blocking shots or digging down to knock balls loose. Offensively, he showed the range of skills and then some. I’m not sure, but he might have pulled out a Shamgod on the dribble late in the fourth. Those handles and speed are tough to handle. The Stats: He scored 16 points on 6-15 shooting (2-8 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 9 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks and 3 fouls in 24 minutes. He was a +19. The Action: He airballed a tough corner jumper trying to beat the shotclock. He blocked George’s drive. He pushed out the break and hit the floater. He couldn’t finish a layup on the break at high speed. Great extra pass to Randle under the hoop for the And-1. He missed a baseline floater. He missed a jumper from the top of the key. He sank a corner three. He attacked down the paint and drew FTs, he made both. He missed a three trailing the break. He missed a half-court heave. Second Half: He sank a three on a pick and pop. He sank a jumper from the top of the key. He ran clock down, crossed over his man badly and was fouled (should have been FTs it seemed). He missed a long three on the subsequent inbounds. Great help D dig in the paint to knock a ball loose. He took a pass, attacked and quickly fed Zubac for the dunk. Nice help D to swat a man in the post after we had to switch. He missed a three straight away. Iso step-back jumper from the top of the key. He attacked to his left and hit the floater with his right. He missed a step-back three in transition.

Brewer -- -- He came in midway through the first quarter as Luke was changing up rotations. He was a +16 in his 9 minutes, scoring a couple of times at the rim in the first half. The bench pushed tempo and scratched out points where they could. Solid two-way effort from Brewer in the middle of all that. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 3-6 shooting to go with 2 offensive boards, 3 assists, 1 turnover and 3 fouls in 19 minutes. He was a +23. The Action: He leaked out and we hit him for a layup on the break. He hit Ingram on the break for the layup. Layup off the extra pass from KCP. He missed a reverse, got his own rebound and kicked out to KCP for three. Second Half: He attacked and airmailed a pass deep into the crowd. Quick pushout and he hit Ingram for the layup. He took a pass in the lane and sank the 9-footer. He was blocked on a layup in transition.

Caruso -- -- Well, he didn’t score, but he was pushing tempo and setting up teammates with quick decisions. Some nice passes, looking comfortable with the speed of the game. I suspect this may be the last game we see from him for a while with IT now in play. We’ll see, but certainly if IT comes off the bench. The Stats: He didn’t score on 0-4 shooting (0-2 from three) to go with 5 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover and 3 fouls in 18 minutes. He was a +7. The Action: He missed a pull-up at the FT line. Great read on help D to pounce on a pass to Adams in the middle of the paint and swipe it. He missed a dunk on a baseline drive (should have had that). Quick attack off a make, he spun in the lane and kicked out to KCP for the corner three. Second Half: He hit Kuzma for a three. I think he missed a three, but TNT was showing graphics. He tried to cross over at high speed (trying for a two-for-one I think) and was picked for a layup the other way. He missed a sideline three on a kickout. He hit KCP cutting for a layup. He cut, took the pass and hit Bryant for a layup. He rejected a big from behind.

Bryant -- -- He came in with 4 minutes to go up 26. Didn’t really get into much a flow in the game. His best play was a nice interior feed off the short roll to Zubac for a score. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-3 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 1 assist and no fouls in 4 minutes. He was a -1. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: He couldn’t hand an interior feed. He missed a jumphook in the post. He scored a layup off the feed from Caruso in the paint. He hit Zubac in the paint of the short-roll for the And-1. He missed a corner jumper.

Zubac -- -- He came in to match up with Adams to start the second quarter. So some quality minutes for him tonight. He was looking strong out there, not getting pushed around. He didn’t get any scores in the post when he tried to work from there, but scratched out a couple hoops off setups from others. Defensively, he was challenging well and strong on the glass. Good minutes from Zu. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 2-6 shooting (3-3 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 1 assist, 1 block and 3 fouls in 17 minutes. He was a +10. The Action: He missed a baseline turnaround. He was blocked from behind. Second Half: He missed a jumphook to start the fourth. Huge dunk off the drive and dish from Kuzma. He swatted a shot to ignite a break. He missed a floater on the screen-roll. He couldn’t finish the And-1 on the screen-roll, he made both FTs. He scored an And-1 off the interior feed from Bryant, he made the FT.

Ennis -- -- He came in with 3 minutes left for deep garbage time. He’s buried deep in the rotation. The Stats: He had 1 board in 4 minutes. He was a -1. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: Nothing to report.

Payton -- -- In for the garbage time. Not much to report. He was aggressive and got a couple shots up. We were fortunate that both Westbrook and Melo were out. Would have never predicted deep bench garbage time against the Thunder. The Stats: He didn’t score on 0-2 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 2 boards and no fouls in 3 minutes. He was a +2. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: He missed a jumphook off an offensive board. He missed a sideline three.

Nance & Clarkson -- -- The Lakers saw something in both of these guys, and they both tremendously outperformed their draft positions. Nance really elevated his game this season. We saw more sustained ability to impose his athleticism on the game. Luke put him in a tough position, having to play the C spot, but he battled. That culture we’re trying to build here certainly took a little hit with him leaving. You probably can’t find a better teammate. He’s one of those guys you just don’t want to let go if you have him on your team, but the Lakers are very confident in their offseason plans. I’d said on the day we drafted him that Laker fans will love this guy as soon as he throws down a monster jam. He’s put plenty of guys on posters since. Going to miss that and all the hustle plays. For JC, again, we put him in tough situations as a PG at times this season and he tried his best. It was often hit and miss. But as a bench scorer, he’s filled that role and then some. He will be in this league for a long, long time as a bench scorer or even sometime starter. They will wear No. 8 and No. 24 in their new jerseys. Kobe numbers. They will no doubt play big roles for their new team and see key action in the playoffs for the first time. As far as the overall trade, it’s still TBD to me. Everything rides on free agency to see the full value. Until then, there are too many unknown variables. In the immediate, we got much more floor spacing with IT and Frye. Isaiah is still not back to form from last season, but let’s see what happens. We are in desperate need of a closer and he can certainly fill that role. We are going to put the ball in his hands much more than Cleveland. Should be entertaining, but not without its challenges on D.

Walton -- -- Shuffle the deck more for Luke tonight. With two of his key reserves out, the rotations changed… Lakers down 17-6 early as PG13 started off 5-5… Brewer in for KCP… They trimmed the lead back to 22-15, getting out in transition… Randle out for Kuzma with 4 minutes left, Lakers down 5… Down 2 when Randle returned for Lopez to run at C… Caruso in… The Lakers led 30-27 after the first despite George’s 16 points… He started a Zubac, Kuzma, Brewer, KCP, Caruso lineup. They are going to have to scratch out some points somehow… They held the Thunder scoreless the first 3 minutes, but only scored 3 themselves… Hart in for Brewer out of that… Lopez and Ingram back in for Caruso and Zubac… Randle in for Kuzma up 7… Timeout shortly later when the Lakers went up by 9… Kuzma in for KCP up 10. So Lopez, Randle, Kuzma, Hart, Ingram… Lakers giving up too many FTs during this stretch… The Lakers led 52-46 at the half. Lakers gave up 12 offensive boards… The Lakers led by 12 when the timeout came midway through the quarter (a couple threes by BI)… Lakers pulled out to a 17-point lead, Randle beasting and forcing a timeout with 3:43 left in the third. Strong work by the starters here… Out of that, he brought in Kuzma and Caruso for Randle and Ingram… Adams quickly sat and we sat Lopez for Randle… Brewer in for KCP with 3 to go… The Lakers led 83-66 heading into the fourth quarter… He started a Zubac, Kuzma, Ingram, Brewer, KCP lineup… They pushed the lead to 87-66 and forced an early timeout… KCP in for Caruso with 8:27 left up 18… Lakers extended it to 22 when the next timeout came with 7 minutes left… Brewer out for Hart with 5:34 left… Lakers up 26 when Bryant came in with 4 to go for Kuzma… Rest of deep bench in…


Last edited by DancingBarry on Thu Feb 08, 2018 10:41 pm; edited 1 time in total
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 08, 2018 10:39 pm    Post subject:

Thanks, DB!
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 08, 2018 10:46 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB

100% agree re Randle. Hoping he keeps that fire and if so we find a way to keep him.
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 08, 2018 10:55 pm    Post subject:

We have a few young players who have upped their levels to something new: Randle, BI, Hart. It's really great.
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 08, 2018 11:19 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB! It feels like every Laker picked up their game tonight! I feared seeing a shell shocked young team. But Randle has spent more years with Nance and JC than any other Laker, and seeing him come out, shut out the distractions, and play with intensity and focus really set the example for others to follow tonight. Great games from Randle, KCP, Ingram, Hart, Lopez, Kuzma, Caruso, I thought Brewer played well, and I was surprised that Zubac was holding his ground against Adams. Zu's a bit stronger than I remember him. Not a single Laker disappointed me tonight. Way to go Lakers.

Great write-up as always DB! Great to see the Lakers playing unbeaten ball at home lately while getting a winning percentage on the road. Perhaps a harbinger of things to come?
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 08, 2018 11:23 pm    Post subject:

DrDent wrote:
Thanks DB

100% agree re Randle. Hoping he keeps that fire and if so we find a way to keep him.
Agree

Hoping that Randle’s recent play is an example of his development and just a Contract Year performance

Wish the best to JC and Jr in The Land
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 08, 2018 11:23 pm    Post subject: Re: THUNDER -at- LAKERS – 2-8-18 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

DancingBarry wrote:
Nance & Clarkson -- -- The Lakers saw something in both of these guys, and they both tremendously outperformed their draft positions. Nance really elevated his game this season. We saw more sustained ability to impose his athleticism on the game. Luke put him in a tough position, having to play the C spot, but he battled. That culture we’re trying to build here certainly took a little hit with him leaving. You probably can’t find a better teammate. He’s one of those guys you just don’t want to let go if you have him on your team, but the Lakers are very confident in their offseason plans. I’d said on the day we drafted him that Laker fans will love this guy as soon as he throws down a monster jam. He’s put plenty of guys on posters since. Going to miss that and all the hustle plays. For JC, again, we put him in tough situations as a PG at times this season and he tried his best. It was often hit and miss. But as a bench scorer, he’s filled that role and then some. He will be in this league for a long, long time as a bench scorer or even sometime starter. They will wear No. 8 and No. 24 in their new jerseys. Kobe numbers. They will no doubt play big roles for their new team and see key action in the playoffs for the first time. As far as the overall trade, it’s still TBD to me. Everything rides on free agency to see the full value. Until then, there are too many unknown variables. In the immediate, we got much more floor spacing with IT and Frye. Isaiah is still not back to form from last season, but let’s see what happens. We are in desperate need of a closer and he can certainly fill that role. We are going to put the ball in his hands much more than Cleveland. Should be entertaining, but not without its challenges on D.



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PostPosted: Thu Feb 08, 2018 11:32 pm    Post subject:

As always, thanks DB!
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 09, 2018 12:12 am    Post subject:

Never saw this move coming. IT and Frye give the Lakers a lot of flexibility for next year. Money for FAs and the ability to resign IT and/or Frye if they are deemed to be a good fit to mesh with the rest of our young crew.
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 09, 2018 12:58 am    Post subject:

Looking at this OKC team without Westbrook, they suck. They are so far from being competitive, it's not funny. And they think they may want to go deep into tax payments to try to beat SF???? If I was PG, I would be looking at this team, knowing they want me and I would say, yeah man, see you all in LA next year. Sorry RW.

I look at our team and think of how good they would be with even one solid superstar.

Our problem is that our guys, at this point in their careers, are support role players. With a Kobe in his prime, this would be a pretty solid team now. Give us Lebron and/or PG and we are going to be better than either of the teams those guys are currently on, plus we will continue to get better. Those guys can come here knowing that, not ONLY will they win now, but they will have guys who they can ride into their sunset years with, who can carry them.
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 09, 2018 1:06 am    Post subject:

As far as the trades go, I think the FO has looked at Randle and realized how good he is. Can't say that is any different for anyone. That guy has been inconsistent in the past but the last few months, he has stepped up big time. The Lakers are reconsidering their options I believe.

As for Clarkson, I think Hart's play really helps us and while I was loving Clarkson in our rotation, I think Hart replaces him and will be an overall improvement, simply because he plays solid D.
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 09, 2018 1:58 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB

Nice to see the team respond after the trade.

Interested to see IT

Also finally Zubac got some minutes and looked good. Wrestled Adams to the ground at one point.


Last edited by oldlakerfan on Fri Feb 09, 2018 4:59 am; edited 1 time in total
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 09, 2018 2:53 am    Post subject:

Wino wrote:
As far as the trades go, I think the FO has looked at Randle and realized how good he is. Can't say that is any different for anyone. That guy has been inconsistent in the past but the last few months, he has stepped up big time. The Lakers are reconsidering their options I believe.

As for Clarkson, I think Hart's play really helps us and while I was loving Clarkson in our rotation, I think Hart replaces him and will be an overall improvement, simply because he plays solid D.

However I hope KCP goes to the bench with IT and start Hart permanently when Zo comes back.

Start:

Ball
Hart
Ingram
Randle
Lopez

Bench:

Thomas
Caruso
Caldwell-Pope
Kuzma
Frye/Bryant

However Luke would have to intelligently stagger Hart and Ingram's minutes because KCP offers 0 resistance anywhere close to the rim. We actually should get rid of Ennis now and pick up a wing from the G-league.
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 09, 2018 2:57 am    Post subject:

Thanks, DB!!!!

8 straight at home
12-4 the last 16

LET'S GO!!!!
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 09, 2018 3:13 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB !
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 09, 2018 4:26 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 09, 2018 5:12 am    Post subject:

I always thought Frye would be a perfect fit in Luke's system. Hopefully he likes his time here and resigns on the cheap.
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 09, 2018 8:14 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB!
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 09, 2018 8:18 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB!
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 09, 2018 8:19 am    Post subject:

Wino wrote:
Looking at this OKC team without Westbrook, they suck. They are so far from being competitive, it's not funny. And they think they may want to go deep into tax payments to try to beat SF???? If I was PG, I would be looking at this team, knowing they want me and I would say, yeah man, see you all in LA next year. Sorry RW.

I look at our team and think of how good they would be with even one solid superstar.

Our problem is that our guys, at this point in their careers, are support role players. With a Kobe in his prime, this would be a pretty solid team now. Give us Lebron and/or PG and we are going to be better than either of the teams those guys are currently on, plus we will continue to get better. Those guys can come here knowing that, not ONLY will they win now, but they will have guys who they can ride into their sunset years with, who can carry them.


I can't believe Charles Barkley's comment when he said that, the Lakers would look the same with PG13 as their only star. It's not even close
the Lakers' rookies are head and shoulders over OKC's bench warmers.
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 09, 2018 8:23 am    Post subject: Re: THUNDER -at- LAKERS – 2-8-18 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

Chronicle wrote:
DancingBarry wrote:
Nance & Clarkson -- -- The Lakers saw something in both of these guys, and they both tremendously outperformed their draft positions. Nance really elevated his game this season. We saw more sustained ability to impose his athleticism on the game. Luke put him in a tough position, having to play the C spot, but he battled. That culture we’re trying to build here certainly took a little hit with him leaving. You probably can’t find a better teammate. He’s one of those guys you just don’t want to let go if you have him on your team, but the Lakers are very confident in their offseason plans. I’d said on the day we drafted him that Laker fans will love this guy as soon as he throws down a monster jam. He’s put plenty of guys on posters since. Going to miss that and all the hustle plays. For JC, again, we put him in tough situations as a PG at times this season and he tried his best. It was often hit and miss. But as a bench scorer, he’s filled that role and then some. He will be in this league for a long, long time as a bench scorer or even sometime starter. They will wear No. 8 and No. 24 in their new jerseys. Kobe numbers. They will no doubt play big roles for their new team and see key action in the playoffs for the first time. As far as the overall trade, it’s still TBD to me. Everything rides on free agency to see the full value. Until then, there are too many unknown variables. In the immediate, we got much more floor spacing with IT and Frye. Isaiah is still not back to form from last season, but let’s see what happens. We are in desperate need of a closer and he can certainly fill that role. We are going to put the ball in his hands much more than Cleveland. Should be entertaining, but not without its challenges on D.



Indeed! IMO, the trade benefited everyone involved. JC and Nance had altered or reduced roles here, like you say. They will benefit in their new situation. Hart, Kuz and JR will all benefit with increased roles to fill the gap. The Lakers benefit with added shooting short-term and much needed flexibility long-term. Win, win, win!
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 09, 2018 9:45 am    Post subject:

I will be very irritated if the lakers rid themselves of Randle in pursuit of stars. In the long run, Randle will be the type of player that teams like the Lakers would pursue...
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 09, 2018 10:18 am    Post subject:

This team alone once they grow into their bodies and games are going to be unreal! Seriously. I'm impressed with what Ingram is doing at PG and the fact that they are succeeding without Lonzo. This is crucial because you can see what OKC is without Westbrook and I don't want the Lakers to become that! Going to miss Nance and his toughness and tenacity. JC was dangerous offensively when he was on and will be missed. Ingram, Kuzma, Lonzo, Hart are going to be incredible together. What they are doing together in just their rookie years and Ingram's sophomore year is beyond phenomenal. You just don't see this type of production at this stage.
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 09, 2018 10:21 am    Post subject:

Randle can't be ignored! This guy has become a force! He has to be strongly considered to be part of this young core. I've been a detractor over the years because of his out of control nature but he has brought that down to circumstances but he's learning and showing immense growth!
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 09, 2018 10:57 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB. What a day culminated by a great win!
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