The Sam Hinkie Way to Finish the Season

bfc1125roy · Starting Rotation Joined: 10 Dec 2011 Posts: 682

Just a fun idea I was thinking about. Honestly, what's the point of making the playoffs at this point? I see 2 reasons.

1) Get the young kids playoff experience.

2) Protect the team's and LeBron's reputation and signal to other teams we're serious about winning.

The first is complicated by the fact that the kids have checked out thanks to the trade rumors. Furthermore, I would argue developing the kids talent is more important than artificial playoff experience. But it's clear we cannot be *WIN NOW* with LeBron on the team and at the same time be in player development mode for Brandon Ingram and co. We have to pick one, and by signing LeBron that choice has already been made.

The team and LeBron's reputation isn't that great at this point. Most teams know we're serious about winning thanks to how public the latest FA and trade rumors have been, so this point isn't a concern.

So now that we've agreed we're in *WIN NOW* mode while LeBron is on the team, what's the best way to do that. 2/3 of Ingram, Ball, and Kuzma are not going to be all-stars in the next 2 years, and at that point LeBron has a player option which he will likely decline to become an FA at age 37. So in order to win now, we need to maximize the talent we can acquire with our current assets, and make good use of our cap space. In order words, trade for a star/good player, and sign a star in FA this summer.

I won't go into signing a star since there's not much we can do. We know Magic will tamper to the extent we can, and whether KD, Leonard, Irving, or Klay is interested in coming here has more to do with themselves and their current situations on their teams rather than LA. Since we are not going to be knocking out the Warriors, Raptors, or Celtics in the playoffs, this is out of our control.

To maximize our ability to trade for a star/good player, we need MORE assets. Now the only major variable in our asset pool right now is our first round pick, which we own this year. I am aware we cannot trade it, but we can agree to a trade in principle and pick the player the other team wants ahead of time, a la Hornets and Kobe in '96. Thus, our ability to *WIN NOW* is solely based on the value of our draft pick this summer, so we should maximize this.

Therefore, with all the Sam Hinkie I can muster, I propose the following plan:

1. Sign 'Melo

2. Fire Walton (optional)

3. Rest LeBron for the rest of the season, and let him recover from the current injury (he's clearly not 100%).

4. Let Melo chuck away to sell tickets and let kids shoot as much as they want to display their current talent level.

5. Go 0-25 to finish the season.

6. Get a high draft pick.

7. Trade draft pick plus kids for AD in the summer. If the pick is good we may even be able to keep one of Ingram/Ball/Kuzma.

8. Sign good FA

9. Profit $$$

Even if the plan fails, getting a good pick allows us to one more potential all star player we can put on this team as we develop our young talent for the long term.

Again, this is just for fun. It's more me trying to think about the best way to maximize our ability to win championships while LeBron is here.
_________________
(bleep) David Stern.

VicXLakers · Franchise Player Joined: 08 Feb 2006 Posts: 11823

too many people thinking this is all a video game...

LakesGnrLake · Star Player Joined: 07 Apr 2011 Posts: 1293

Absolutely not. Getting to the playoffs, even a first round exit is beneficial to the development of our young guys. This is the mindset of a losing franchise who tank at the first sight of things going wrong. Lakers can't afford to keep this losing mentality going or they are no better than the Clippers at this point.

lakerlynx · Starting Rotation Joined: 16 Apr 2011 Posts: 310

Vince Lombardi's quote is appropriate here:

Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all time thing. You don't win once in a while, you don't do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.
_________________
Chick Hearn and Vin Scully. How lucky are we?

Theseus · Franchise Player Joined: 15 Dec 2007 Posts: 14111

We are tanking to give NO even more than we already offered? Lame. Moveon.org

FreakofNature · Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2019 3:54 pm Post subject:

Rather be the 8th seed (plus show what we really are by finishing 17-8) and get that 16/17th pick than miss out on the playoffs to get the 11th/12th pick...

audioaxes · Franchise Player Joined: 26 Apr 2004 Posts: 12573

this would be what any smart team would do (Spurs-Duncan). And playoff experience for the youth doesnt mean anything if we are trying to angle for an AD trade anyway.
_________________
(bleep) Kawhi

tony · Star Player Joined: 08 May 2010 Posts: 1274

Our win now ability is based on the value of our draft pick

If there's anything the past 5 years have taught me is we can't develop talent for (bleep) so I'm definitely not going to rely on our draft pick to save us

I'll take making the playoffs and LBJ putting everyone on his back than missing the playoffs

Big Game James · Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2019 4:25 pm Post subject:

bfc1125roy · Starting Rotation Joined: 10 Dec 2011 Posts: 682

danzag · Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2019 5:06 pm Post subject:

(bleep) tanking

activeverb · Retired Number Joined: 17 Jun 2006 Posts: 37470

The Juggernaut · Star Player Joined: 24 Aug 2017 Posts: 4572

kikanga · Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2019 5:29 pm Post subject:

Tanking the rest of the season hurts the value of our current assets more than it helps our draft position.
_________________
"Every hurt is a lesson, and every lesson makes you better”

defense · Retired Number Joined: 12 Jan 2010 Posts: 39410

I like winning
I want playoffs
Everything else is a fail

LakerLanny · Retired Number Joined: 24 Oct 2001 Posts: 47578

Go 100% all out for the playoffs and let the chips fall where they may.
_________________
Love, Laker Lanny

LKA · Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2019 6:21 pm Post subject:

bfc1125roy · Starting Rotation Joined: 10 Dec 2011 Posts: 682

kikanga · Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2019 7:08 pm Post subject:

bfc1125roy · Starting Rotation Joined: 10 Dec 2011 Posts: 682

ringfinger · Retired Number Joined: 08 Oct 2013 Posts: 29418

They were right. Losing does breed more losing.

chrisca91 · Star Player Joined: 06 Jan 2013 Posts: 3444

We've been trash for the past 6 seasons, how can some of you guys want more of the same?

No thanks. Make the playoffs, get swept by the warriors. I'm fine with that.

Baron Von Humongous · Retired Number Joined: 02 Jul 2015 Posts: 32979

I have no problem with this way of thinking in a vacuum, but there's no way they go 0-25. The Lakers need to hit the 8th worst record where a likely tanking NOP resides with four more losses than LAL. I just think it's much more likely the Lakers remain somewhere around 10-14 in the standings given their roster and the tanking incentives of the teams ahead of them that it's more worthwhile to chase the Clippers than the Suns this late in the season as a roughly .500 team.

tl;dr: the Lakers are more likely to catch the Clippers in the playoffs than the Pelicans in the tanking race, imo.
_________________
Under New Management

Aeneas Hunter · Retired Number Joined: 12 Jul 2005 Posts: 31763

Outspoken · Star Player Joined: 11 Feb 2015 Posts: 8450

We give away our young talent though.