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LeBron James reportedly didn't apply pressure to the Lakers' front office to make the Pacers trade.https://t.co/41KxF4kON0 pic.twitter.com/N7H3BU7LdB
— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) October 5, 2022
In addition, James has shown support publicly and privately to integrating Westbrook and playing with the former league MVP again this season, and multiple sources said he applied no pressure to the Lakers front office to do the Pacers’ deal. Seven months have passed since James’ tweet supporting the “f— them picks” approach of Rams GM Les Snead led some to wonder how he saw the Lakers’ strategy, and sources say he remains supportive of the current regime. And while Pelinka made it clear on media day that he’s willing to trade precious picks in the right deal, that time has yet to arrive.
As was noted, LeBron made his feelings clear months ago with that Les Snead tweet, but it seems as if he understands the Lakers’ approach this offseason and is embracing it. As Pelinka noted during Media Day, the Lakers have one chance to make a huge deal with these two valuable picks and a massive expiring in Westbrook and they have to get it right.
As good as Turner and Hield are, they simply are not gamechangers, which is what Pelinka is likely targeting in such a deal. In signing that contract extension, James made it clear that he believes the Lakers is the best place for him to win another championship and now he is, smartly, giving them time to make the right move to hopefully make that happen.
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The thing about this report that cracks me up was all the people all summer long on their websites or podcasts or TV shows saying how LeBron would NEVER do this or that with Russ on the team and that Russ was gone for 235 different reasons. They were all flat wrong and I like that Pelinka isn’t bidding against himself just to make a trade. High time he learned that lesson.
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After a preseason last year in which the vibes were awful, the Lakers head into this preseason in need of much improvement. @LakersSBN https://t.co/nrwOqLvQMG
— SB Nation NBA (Click the pic to read 🔽) (@SBNationNBA) October 3, 2022
Last season, the Lakers navigated through the preseason by losing every game and having rather bad vibes throughout the way. In hindsight, it was an ominous start to a doomed season, one that foreshadowed the struggles with injuries and inability to get wins.
On this week’s episode of “Can U Dig It,” a podcast by the Silver Screen & Roll network, Honi Ahmadian and I preview the start of the preseason schedule with Monday’s game against the Sacramento Kings. Before we talk any of that, though, I welcome Honi as the new co-host of the podcast ahead of what will certainly be another interesting season for the Lakers.
That intrigue comes as a result of the Lakers feeling like an incomplete team with a Russell Westbrook trade still not having been made. The Lakers have put talks on hold for a deal despite the possibility of a trade with the Indiana Pacers still seemingly being an option.
Perhaps because of that and perhaps because of how things played out last year, it’s been hard to get excited about the Lakers so far during training camp. Even with a new-look lineup and practice footage from the weekend, the excitement and anticipation feels muted.
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We were already stinking up the joint this time last year and the stankiness permeated the entire season. Gotta take it seriously and develop good habits from the outset. Watching this PHX game right now and their starters played deep into the 3rd quarter. Looking at some box scores and quite a few teams are playing their stars 20+ minutes. I’d like to see us hit the ground running…
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I remember we’ll all the many, many “it’s only preseason!” And “it’s just one game!” Articles and posts we got. Hope we all take preseason a lot more seriously this time around.
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Not that I disagree just that I don’t see it happening. Maybe if we have another garbage season but I think even in the event we suck they’ll place all hope in winning free agency next summer.
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I just can’t with this dude anymore.
Despite lower back tightness, Anthony Davis is listed as probable by the Lakers for their exhibition opener Monday against Sacramento. https://t.co/W91pa8AqKH
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) October 3, 2022
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If they didn’t at least entertain the idea of trading AD this summer they should all be fired. Honestly it’s an idea that should have more public traction than it does. Some guys get hungrier after winning their first chip. Some guys talk a lot and collect paychecks. This season will basically tell us which one of those AD is. Not talking about his skillset or ability but his internal fire which has never been a strength.
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Can guarantee that one was never entertained lol. Too important for “the brand”.
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That’s an interesting notion. Will LBJ be 1st, 2nd or 3rd team All NBA?
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Can anybody explain to me what Rob is doing? This can’t possibly be the roster we’re going into training camp with…can it? 1st preseason game is 2 weeks away. Really don’t understand bringing in PatBev & Dennis if Russ is still gonna be on the team. Now we’re pushing Reaves to small forward? You gotta move Russ for any of this to make sense…don’t you?
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I have a long history of not understanding the moved we make in the summer since we won it all. The only thing I can thinkn of in terms of signing DS is concerns about Nunn and PatBev and their health.
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Also Rob LOVES to bring in ex-Lakers. Maybe so he doesn’t have to give the full facility tour?
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I would imagine to assure it wasnt a precursor to a bigger deal lol
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I wish I could believe this was a precursor to a trade…
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I started the summer with one thought. Punt. Just by looking at the rest of the West (no need to look East cuz we aint getting to the finals to see them), our salary situation, our trading assets, roster construction, rookie head coach, Rob’s ineptitude, Jeanie’s “thriftiness”, etc…I just couldn’t see us being in any kinda real contention. So why throw good money after bad? Take a redshirt year, keep the picks, grind our teeth thru Russ’ contract, and regroup for 2023/2024. It’s just my immature side coming out…if I can’t win I don’t wanna play. Probably why I only played 1 season of Little League baseball and gave up on the guitar after a handful of lessons. I’m flawed…what am I gonna do…lol.
But hold the phone! Kyrie is a possibility? Alright then, I can maybe get down with that. If we’re gonna lose at least lose spectacularly! It wouldn’t be boring, that’s for sure. And with Kyrie you never know..it could be a season where the planets are aligned and something happens in the space/time continuum where this dude decides to actually play basketball at the level he’s capable of and we make some noise. But alas…it was all just a mirage.
But wait! There’s more! You mean this long rumored deal with Indy for Turner & Hield might actually be a possibility? OK, I can roll with that. Two FRP’s down the road? Sure, why not? With a healthy LBJ & AD and now PatBev we could maybe do a little damage. Oh wait…I forgot about Rob’s ineptitude & Jeanie’s “thriftiness”. I also forgot about my own looking around at the rest of the Conference. Injuries aside, that roster probably is still a 6th seed and 2nd round exit. And it’s not as compelling or exciting as the Kyrie spectacle woulda been.
So now as we head into training camp, I’m back to where I started. Full on Punt mode. Don’t throw away assets just to field a mediocre team. We went through 5 years of futility to amass the capital that led directly to obtaining AD. Looks like maybe Rob has painted us into that corner again.
Oh well….at least the fishing was absolutely phenomenal this summer!!!
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![Profile picture of Jamie Sweet]()
I was gonna ask about the fishing on the Smokey comment. Glad the sea was kind.
I’m there, too, Mongo and have been for awhile. Keep the line open, see what’s available between 12/15 and the trading deadline, but the best option could very well be just to sit tight. None of the proposed trades I’ve seen move the needle a lot. Frankly, not much does if AD can’t be Bubble AD more often than not.
LeBron may have stepped into Kobe’s shoes more than intended. By that I mean the way Kobe’s career ended. Mediocre teams, guy with all world talent in an aging body that just isn’t quite up to the task the way it used to be.
The way teams are locking up superstars these days our best option might even be to draft the next great Laker…
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HaHa…probably the best local fishing I’ve ever seen in my lifetime. Started with huge White Sea Bass in the spring, then Blue Fin Tuna, and tons of Mahi Mahi (Dorado) the past few weeks. All within a day off our coast when usually we have to venture down to San Diego or even Mexican waters. Probably a bad sign for the planet tho because it means the water temperature has risen dramatically but again…what am I gonna do? Our generation haven’t been very good guardians of the planet but I’m hoping the young folks are able to cure our screw-ups.
The Lebron/Kobe thing is very accurate. The crazy part is that Rob witnessed the Kobe thing up close as his agent and is still making similar mistakes from the other side.
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Yeah, Rob hasn’t been all that awesome. Lucked into the Bubble title, not much to show for it.
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In terms of the planet. It’ll be fine, we’re the ones who will suffer lol. In all seriousness, it’s one of the things my wife and I seriously debated before having a kid. Do we really want to add to this/force someone to suffer through a world essentially burning us off of it’s surface? Where’s McLyne32 when you need an opposing conservative view point…
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Loved the post, Mongo. You have a unique and engaging voice. Thanks.
Great compilation of the rising and falling hopes and fears that come with almost every Lakers’ offseason. Man, no franchise loves drama more than the Lakers.
What do we know? Kyrie is out for now. Utah wants too much for too little.
What do we still hope? Turner and Hield seem like the last hope. Lakers talking about adding a pick swap. Ironically, the only pick swap the Lakers can offer due to the Septian rule is the 2029 pick. That’s probably our win-win trade, where we dump Russ and get back solid players like Turner or Bogdabovic.
When I look back at all of the posturing released and leaked by the Lakers, I’m impressed. They really have done a great job of muddying the waters so that nobody really knows what they’re going to do. I’m still hoping Rob’s weird decisions and Jeanie’s budget brain have receded and the Lakers are just negotiating tough with the Pacers with a goal of getting the best possible deal for Turner and Hield.
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It kinda comes down to a few definitive questions of the FO for me.
Do you believe you can actually contend this season with Turner & Buddy?
If so, make the deal and give em the 2 picks. We’ll deal with 2029 somewhere down the road.Do you think you can land Kyrie next summer?
If so, then why send away picks for Turner/Buddy if you’re gonna have to let them go at the end of the season for cap space anyway? Keep both picks, punt the season, give D.Ham a redshirt season, and go for broke with Kyrie.I’m not really considering the flotsam & jetsam from the Jazz & Knicks…that mess doesn’t solve anything.
Also…none of these decicions are “fatal”. We were the worst team in the league for 5 years before we ended up with Lebron & AD and that bogus tournament win. Time marches on and The Lakers will still be here long after we’re all dead & buried. The franchise ain’t gonna disband if we have to suffer through a bad season with Russ. We’ve done it before (and worse). And don’t forget…these are the same people who wasted multiple years of Kobe in his prime and towards the end of his career as well. If they did it to Kobe, they’ll have no problem doing it to Lebron…nor should they.
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Reason and logic thats hard to argue with. Turner is an URFA next summer, why not just sign him w/cap space for what price the market bears? Or, if the numbers team and the coaching team and so on all agree, then yeah, get’er done. Otherwise, ride it out unless a no-brainer deal comes along at some point.
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Great take, Mongo. I still think the Lakers are going to make the Pacers trade. Just hope all the posturing has NOT been real takes rather than negotiating positions by Lakers. Frankly, I suspect the Lakers may prefer a Jazz trade that includes just one pick. Then the question is will the Pacers give up Turner for the Lakers pick. If they believe it has great value like Ainge, they might.
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My dilemma is this…if the picks are so great & valuable (which I don’t necessarily agree with) then why should we give them away to field a mediocre team this year? Especially if we turn around and let a buncha dudes walk in order to get Kyrie next summer…
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Here’s my take on the picks. First, the value of a post LeBron James unprotected first round pick could be at it’s peak and should be traded right now when the future of the Lakers looks the murkiest. Time to strike is now.
If the Lakers trade those picks right now and then have a great season and make it to the conference finals, the value of those picks may actually decrease significantly as they’re based on the Lakers falling into losing disarray.
The Lakers are not going to use those picks for players. The only reason to keep them is to have trading chips at the deadline and next summer. Frankly, that is a valid reason were it not for the fact that we only have two years guaranteed for LeBron and AD and that would waste one year. Don’t see that happening. Lakers will trade Russ and at least one pick.
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LMAO…the “chip” happened like 5 months after the season was over.
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Which year is the “banner” actually for? Cuz it happened closer to the 2021 season…lol
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If it was our only so-called title, it would still have an asterisk in my book.
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🗣️ GIVE ME A F*CKING COACH THAT COACHES@JenkinsAndJonez on Kevin Durant's "most reasonable ask" pic.twitter.com/nVn8s2joQi
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) August 10, 2022
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As I’ve said…I love chaos. I even loved K.A.O.S. when Siegfried was in charge (you’ve gotta be a certain age to get that one…lol). So how about this…let’s say Lebron decides to wait on signing that extension. If I’m an up & coming team (or maybe even an established contender), I start looking at how to make sure I have cap space next summer juuuuust in case. If things don’t pan out for the Lakers this season, could Lebron be looking to move on to…say…Memphis or New Orleans for his final year or two? Just something that popped into my head during the sports wasteland of August…
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Viable. One can almost see the sign and trade (James for KD) next summer now…
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But why even do a sign & trade if you’re Lebron and weaken the roster you’re about to join? Sign outright as a FA if possible. Just looking at the Grizz…they’ve got Adams & Green expiring this season and a probable bump in the cap once again. That’s around $35mill right there. Or would NO do a sign & trade involving Zion depending on how he bounces back this season?
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Lol.
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In a way, yes. Just need to get the most out of ‘em. That’s the raging debate du jour.
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What is so funny is that picks are still a major crapshoot. That is unless you’re OKC and have 38 of them including 19 first round picks. With the roster they already have, they can win almost any young star who goes on the trade market. Going to be something to watch Pressi starting next season when great young players become available.
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MongoSlade wrote a new post
…nothing’s changed.
I’m going fishing.
Check back Monday night…![Profile Photo]()
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Or Sunday night.
Or August 4th.
Or Start of Training Camp.
Or Start of Season.
Or Trade Deadline. -
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Actually, what has changed is the Lakers have a viable Plan B in the Pacers and Buddy Hield and Myles Turner for Russ and two picks. That gives them some leverage to push the Nets to trade Kyrie, who’s obviously Plan A. Lakers won’t move on Plan B until they’re sure there’s no chance for Plan B, even if it means they end up getting stuck with Russ. At least that appears to be the plan right now. But that there is a way to trade Russ is big news. May not mean a championship but it’s a huge step in the right direction.
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Lol…these are the same trades we’ve already been talking about since the end of May. Nothing’s changed other more unconfirmed rumors from anonymous “sources”. So was the phone call between LBJ, AD, & RW even real? The Spurs absorbing Russ’ contract? OKC facilitating a deal? Eric Gordon? What happened to John Wall and the Klutch/Laker alliance? That’s the problem I have with so-called journalism in the social media age….no accountability.
So yea…no cell reception out on the ocean and I’ll thankfully be in the dark till Monday evening. Then headed down to Cedros Island the following week for 5 nights. Maybe something will get done by then…or not.
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LOL. You really are going fishing! Good luck.
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![Profile picture of Jamie Sweet]()
I’d bet on the not.
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Good luck
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MongoSlade wrote a new post
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MongoSlade wrote a new post
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Both sides just leaking information to support their latest positions. This is just the normal way these things go. We still have not heard what the Spurs want. The main points all seem reasonable. Spurs get a pick. Nets get a pick. Lakers get Kyrie, Harris or Richardson, and Curry. Just need to work out pick protections and maybe Nets eating McLemore’s 2-year deal. Still got time to close the trade before tomorrow night.
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It takes a lot to make it all the way to the NBA Finals with a squad who can barely dribble or pass the ball. I mean..dang..I’ve heard of shooting coaches but I’ve never seen a dribbling coach. These dudes need hepl!..lol
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Great defense by Warriors forcing Tatum and Brown to their weak hand in traffic to force turnovers. Unbelievable that the Dubs were able to win with Steph going 0-9 from deep.
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Rob Pelinka confirmed that the #Lakers are doing what they can to acquire a second-round pick in the upcoming draft. https://t.co/CqEq7W1b24 pic.twitter.com/Xt3aGjWuSR
— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) June 8, 2022
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“So yeah, one of the intentional sort of philosophical, architectural visions for us is to get younger and Coach Ham has a passion for developing players. So it would be a goal for us to try to somehow get into the second round to get a young player that we can develop. We’ve had great success if you look at our draft history and the guys we’ve drafted and developed. We think we can do it again in 2022 if we can pull off a trade to get a pick.”
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Watching young teams run us off the floor all season long should have been all the powers that be needed to see to know issue #2 (after health) would be the fact that we ran the AARP version of an NBA team. The thought that anyone with influence was counting on guys like Ariza and Bazemore to stop the young guns of today, especially in the grind that is the regular season, was cause for dismissal. Sounds like they learned something so that’s nice to hear. I can deal with fans and even some of the “never played but I talk good” media heads buying into that idea is one thing. When your job is building and fielding a competitive team you can’t just count on experience. Especially over the 82 game long haul.
Hell, even the earlier rounds of the playoffs come hot and heavy these days…
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While still early on in the process, initial signs are pointing in the direction of Terry Stotts and Darvin Ham as frontrunners in the Lakers search for a head coach. @LakersSBN https://t.co/YHbAvquvcs
— SB Nation NBA (Click the pic to read 🔽) (@SBNationNBA) May 13, 2022
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I’ll be fine as long as it’s not MDA or MJ. Just don’t think they’re a treat fit for the team or franchise.
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One FRP, I’d probably pull that trigger and I’d call it a fairish deal. 2, while it doesn’t seem like much more, is highway robbery. Frankly, it would be a fairer deal if it was for a pick swap. Buddy is a one-trick pony and Turner has issues staying on the floor. Indy gets to clear a massive amount of cap space which isn’t worth nothing. Plus we got ample guards and bigs.
The Gobert trade broke free agency this summer, maybe for a good long while. No need for the Lakers to succumb…in preseason…and over-correct now. Waited this long, Ham is into it, Russ seems like he’s ready to call it a fresh start and LeBron isn’t griping. Just no need to rush into an awful trade.