The way I see it, there is a high likelihood the champion will be an eastern conference team this year. This is the first time in a while where the west isn't a strong conference and teams are more evenly matched than ever before, which is primarily due to key injuries to KD, Zion, Luka, as well as Ja getting in legal trouble. The Bucks, Celtics and even the Sixers are better than any team in the West. To that end, Lakers may have a fighters chance to come out of the West if Lebron returns. There is no team they should be afraid of in a 7 game series.
FYI - Windhorst was on a podcast (believe it was Allen Sliwa) and he was saying Lebron is definitely coming back soon, but will be gimpy as it's a long term undisclosed injury he picked up
He used the 2021 analogy, when Lebron came back and looked good - turned his ankle again (I think it was against the Pelicans) and was a shadow of himself
If that is how it's gonna be, we might want to lower our expectations
Joined: 17 Nov 2007 Posts: 67708 Location: In a world where admitting to not knowing something is considered a great way to learn.
Posted: Wed Mar 22, 2023 1:54 pm Post subject:
hype wrote:
jodeke wrote:
The possibility of winning the Larry O'Brien is slim and none and slim got dead. If Bron comes back it won't make a difference. This is a great opportunity to test the waters. See if AD has what it takes to lead the team. Gage which of the young talent is good enough to keep. Find out if Ham is the coach of the future or is it time to look for a replacement. He's a rookie coach who was dealt a short hand. Give Darvin a shot at proving he's the one. Do some clandestine coach shopping. It's time to look into life after LeBron.
Not really.. The West is mediocre asf this Season and is as wide open as I ever remember it on top of pretty much every legitimate team dealing with injuries to top players.
If Bron comes back looking good to end the Season i'm not scared of anyone in the West at all tbh.. If we somehow made it all the way to the Finals we'd likely be gelling very well and hitting our stride so who knows what could happen in the Finals in that case? A lot has to happen obviously and it's far from a certainty but that's the case with everyone in the West. Denver is one of the few stable teams at the top but are beatable and they're also FAR from being some juggernaut which we've seen on and off in the West for Decades.
It's pretty clear at this point AD is absolutely not a clear cut number 1 option Franchise level guy so not sure what else you expect to find out after watching him for 10 years now? When healthy and rolling he's an absolute 2 way beast and can have stretches where he could be argued as the best player in the NBA but it never lasts whether it's because of injuries or himself just kind of disappearing into mediocrity for a stretch before re-emerging but he will always need another legitimate first option if the goal is to win an actual Championship imo.
All the rest of the stuff can still be "gauged" even with a healthy Bron as we'd be an actual scary team for a lower seed especially.
We may be scary but that's not the point I'm trying to make. No way in hell we're gonna win the Larry O'Brien this season, Bron or no Bron. I'm all for going down swinging but I really think all it would do is give a young squad confidence.
There are really no losses to cut so let's see what we have and start a rebuild. I hate to bring up a hated rival but Danny Ainge gave us the blueprint. _________________ Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.
America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.
Pat Bev says his time with Lakers was frustrating.
“Yeah we should do this on defense… ‘nah we cool, we cool… nah we gotta rotate’… Bron what you mean we gotta rotate, you ain’t even playing… They don’t listen to me…. You gotta go through the first year coach, the LeBron, the AD, the Russ, then it get to me. You don’t hear my s— the way you should hear my s—.”
(via @PatBevPod)
LeFirstYearHam followed by LeDefense
Beverly needs to stfu just found it funny.
Last edited by LakerSD on Wed Mar 22, 2023 2:56 pm; edited 1 time in total
FYI - Windhorst was on a podcast (believe it was Allen Sliwa) and he was saying Lebron is definitely coming back soon, but will be gimpy as it's a long term undisclosed injury he picked up
He used the 2021 analogy, when Lebron came back and looked good - turned his ankle again (I think it was against the Pelicans) and was a shadow of himself
If that is how it's gonna be, we might want to lower our expectations
I'm not a big Windhorst fan, but it makes sense to be skeptical of a player who has been out a month with an ankle injury and comes back right before the playoffs. It's likely that he is only coming back because of the playoffs and in reality could probably use more time to heal.
Joined: 24 Dec 2007 Posts: 35854 Location: Santa Clarita, CA (Hell) ->>>>>Ithaca, NY -≥≥≥≥≥Berkeley, CA
Posted: Wed Mar 22, 2023 3:23 pm Post subject:
LakerSD wrote:
Quote:
Pat Bev says his time with Lakers was frustrating.
“Yeah we should do this on defense… ‘nah we cool, we cool… nah we gotta rotate’… Bron what you mean we gotta rotate, you ain’t even playing… They don’t listen to me…. You gotta go through the first year coach, the LeBron, the AD, the Russ, then it get to me. You don’t hear my s— the way you should hear my s—.”
(via @PatBevPod)
LeFirstYearHam followed by LeDefense
Beverly needs to stfu just found it funny.
I mean, he’s got a point. Veteran leadership being drowned out by incompetence and egos. _________________ Damian Lillard shatters Dwight Coward's championship dreams:
Joined: 19 Nov 2007 Posts: 4377 Location: Lake Nacimiento
Posted: Wed Mar 22, 2023 3:26 pm Post subject:
LakerSD wrote:
Quote:
Pat Bev says his time with Lakers was frustrating.
“Yeah we should do this on defense… ‘nah we cool, we cool… nah we gotta rotate’… Bron what you mean we gotta rotate, you ain’t even playing… They don’t listen to me…. You gotta go through the first year coach, the LeBron, the AD, the Russ, then it get to me. You don’t hear my s— the way you should hear my s—.”
(via @PatBevPod)
LeFirstYearHam followed by LeDefense
Beverly needs to stfu just found it funny.
That's wild asf guys wouldn't listen to an incredibly mediocre journeyman role player who loves to start drama any chance he gets.
Must have been a "no sex day" and he was just frustrated as he also just said he never has sex on game days because he wants to have "fresh legs"
Regardless of what happens this Season this is just another reminder that i'm glad I got to at least somewhat enjoy the second half without the clowns here.
To that end, Lakers may have a fighters chance to come out of the West if Lebron returns. There is no team they should be afraid of in a 7 game series.
That's a good way to put it. No way are we one of the favorites, but no reason to write off the team. As you note, it's going to depend heavily on when/if Lebron comes back and what level he's able to play at.
I see with the Bucks or Celtics coming out of the east. The west, who knows?
did anyone really think that after he got the record that he would care about anything else? Props to him though. 50m next year with zero expectations.
Sure, Lebron is going through three sessions a day to get back from his injury before the playoffs because he doesn't care about anything but the scoring record he broke last month. I am certain that makes perfect sense in the warped corridors of your brain.
Man I'm salivating at the thought of LeBron/AD/Reaves/DLO as a foursome. That's gotta be one of the best groupings of four when healthy, right? Slot in TBJ or Vando depending on matchups.
Cmon let's hear some good news on the re-evaluation lol
Pat Bev says his time with Lakers was frustrating.
“Yeah we should do this on defense… ‘nah we cool, we cool… nah we gotta rotate’… Bron what you mean we gotta rotate, you ain’t even playing… They don’t listen to me…. You gotta go through the first year coach, the LeBron, the AD, the Russ, then it get to me. You don’t hear my s— the way you should hear my s—.”
(via @PatBevPod)
LeFirstYearHam followed by LeDefense
Beverly needs to stfu just found it funny.
That's wild asf guys wouldn't listen to an incredibly mediocre journeyman role player who loves to start drama any chance he gets.
Must have been a "no sex day" and he was just frustrated as he also just said he never has sex on game days because he wants to have "fresh legs"
Regardless of what happens this Season this is just another reminder that i'm glad I got to at least somewhat enjoy the second half without the clowns here.
The fact that we can even get the 4th seed (highly unlikely, although the 6th seed is very possible) with so many injuries and the roster we had at the beggining of the seasons speaks well for next year. The Buss familly has to stop being cheap this overseason though, pay all the players, not just "stars" like they did in the infamous 2021 season with the Westbrook trade and being cheap with Caruso.
Man I'm salivating at the thought of LeBron/AD/Reaves/DLO as a foursome. That's gotta be one of the best groupings of four when healthy, right? Slot in TBJ or Vando depending on matchups.
Cmon let's hear some good news on the re-evaluation lol
Wish we had a center good enough to slot in there. Then you'd have a deep bench too both at wings and guards _________________ 48 49 50 52 53 54 72 80 82
85 87 88 00 01 02 09 10 20
Wassup with the indoor sunglasses at night the past few games Bron 😂
Is he high, Hollywood, sipping wine on the sidelines again? All of the above? I love it regardless. _________________ “You have to dance beautifully in the box that you are comfortable dancing in.” - Kobe Bryant
A league source familiar with LeBron James' thinking told me that he believes LeBron will push for sometime over the final three games the Lakers play in Los Angeles—April 5 against the Clippers, April 7 against the Suns, April 9 against the Jazz—to target that range so long as there's no setbacks in his rehab to make his comeback. Get back onto the court, get a little bit of a dress rehearsal before either the play-in tournament or a playoff berth for the Lakers."
A league source familiar with LeBron James' thinking told me that he believes LeBron will push for sometime over the final three games the Lakers play in Los Angeles—April 5 against the Clippers, April 7 against the Suns, April 9 against the Jazz—to target that range so long as there's no setbacks in his rehab to make his comeback. Get back onto the court, get a little bit of a dress rehearsal before either the play-in tournament or a playoff berth for the Lakers."
Alright Mr. Andrews. I was hoping for the last 5 games.
But last 3 games seems solid, assuming we already clinched a playoff birth by the next 6 games. (Hoping) _________________ 💜💛 🏆 👀 🍖 #18!!!
LeBronte has always been a front runner, so you know he wants in on the good times. What are we like 10-5 since getting these new guys?
9-5 as the GSW game was their first game.
Lebron is a great front runner. Once his teams are up it's rare they lose which I love. Get back healthy, Bron. We'll need you. _________________ 💜💛 🏆 👀 🍖 #18!!!
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