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The Lakers WON'T make the playoffs (what's next?)!

3K views 74 replies 17 participants last post by  MojoPin 
#1 ·
There. I said it.

What do you guys think will happen next season?

I gather Kobe will be on board. But Howard? And Pau?
 
#4 ·
They got a chance to make it, but it boils down to the teams ahead of them coming back to them. They aren't good enough to make up the ground without those teams in front of them playing even worse than they have to this point. Portland seems to be running on fumes, but you still have to climb over a couple of teams to get to them.

Unless they want to take back bad deals or something really bad it's hard to see how they move Gasol at this point. His value isn't up to his contract right now. You can move Howard, but I can't see many GM's betting their jobs on him at this point.
 
#5 ·
sign and trade Howard for picks and youth

let it ride next year with Nash-Kobe-Pau as your core with youth and guys like Clark and Hill still on board, enjoy the last ride of the over the hill gang (bet they'd do better than this shit)

clear the decks the following summer when all come off the books, keep your young promising guys, sign a couple big names (and re-sign Kobe for pennies on the dollar?)
 
#15 ·
The Lakers are not going to take back the same salary that Gasol makes in all likelihood. If they don't they are not likely to get better in any substantial way. Just as likely they let him expire so that they get out from under the contract themselves.
 
#17 ·
dude, seriously, they cant be cheap because they are holding up the entire west coast with their twc deal - they must deliver the goods - they've never been cheap in the past and they especially cant be now with their new TV deal - of all the things to grouse about this one is the least necessary
 
#26 ·
And I hope to god that the Lakers don't sign Howard to a max contract. He hasn't shown that he is worth that type of money whatsoever. I'm tired of his act. Bynum at least walked the talk, even though he was hurt 60% of the time.
 
#27 ·
It's more like Jimbo doesn't want to lose control over the team I'd guess. He doesn't seem to get along with his sister either, I guess because they both want to wear the pants. At this point I would guess that Phil probably thinks he dodged a bullet. I don't think he could have fixed that team without selling his soul to the devil.
 
#31 ·
If they don't make a major deal by the deadline, I think we may be looking at a similar roster next season. I think they probably should trade Howard by the deadline though. If the team somehow gets to or above .500 by the deadline and Howard looks impressive in that run, then maybe hold off on that trade.

Last Summer some of the potential negatives to the deals they were making seemed too remote to be real. Some questions briefly went through my head like, 'What if they get hit by injuries this season, miss the playoffs, and that pick gets (un)lucky and goes number 1? Is Nash worth that pick, even in a weak draft?', or 'What if the team gets hit by injuries and Dwight seeks greener pastures as a FA?' Of course both before and after those thoughts, came the thought, 'This is their best chance to get another one with Kobe. They have to go for it.'

Now since things are clearly headed in the worst direction possible, another thought comes to mind, 'What if not only their pick ends up in the top 3, but Howard leaves for nothing or worse, he re-signs and continues to accumulate injuries, becoming a shell of his former self at max salary, while dooming the team to overpriced mediocrity for the length of his contract and repeated beatings by the Suns and their top 3 pick/future MVP. Aaaahhhh!' Unfortunately the draft pick is already gone, and there's no way to make sure it won't end up in the lottery. A Howard trade could actually increase the chance of missing the playoffs, but somehow I don't think so. If rebuilding mode is beginning, more assets will be needed, and a Howard trade appears to be the only way to get there. Unlike the Summer of 2012, in the Winter of '13 the positive Laker thoughts do not come even close to drowning out the negative ones. Maybe this team will return next year with a huge chip on its shoulder and win it all with Dwight carrying the load, but it seems as though he is both incapable of carrying a team and unwilling to let others do the carrying. If there is any possible way to pick up some decent up-n-coming team-oriented talent and possibly future 1st round picks for Howard, I think it should be done. And it's still a little hard to believe that it has gotten to this.
 
#32 ·
So Howard says this after yesterdays game.

"It felt real bad. I didn't want to try to play through it because I didn't want to hurt it any worse, so (the Lakers' training staff) asked me not to play. ... I'll see what he says and then go from there"


Sooooo..... he says he didn't want to play through it because hes a bitch, but then follows that up by saying the training staff wouldn't let him go back in? You asked not to go back in you ****ing idiot.


I hate this guy. You guys need to get rid of him. I've come to like the Lakers outside of this chump.
 
#34 ·
Hard to say how tough he is since the injury is a blatant fake to excuse him playing like shit.

I still haven't seen it, but supposedly it was from Rudy Gay? That's like if Lebron said he got hurt from fighting for a rebound with Darren Collison or something.

Dwight is a physical freak. He shouldn't be getting injured on regular plays with a small forward. Hes just a faker and a child is all.
 
#35 ·
Just watched it on YouTube. So there's no contact at all? He just lazily goes up to try to contend a Rudy Gay jumper, turns around and see's it goes in, and all the sudden starts patting his shoulder like "Take me out, take me out."

Wow. I just assumed it was fake since it was Dwight, but after seeing it, yea, that's obviously an extremely fake injury. Either that, or he isn't even able to do the most run of the mill, least intensive basketball plays required.

I think both answers are equally as bad.
 
#36 ·
Crazy thing is just a week ago I thought LA might have a legit shot to make the playoffs still, based on the way that Houston, Portland, and Minnesota were all losing games.

But since they aren't even beating teams like the Raptors, they're likely to miss the playoffs. Gotta trade Dwight in that scenario, b/c I don't trust that the banners hanging in the rafters are enough of an argument to keep him where he is.
 
#37 ·
And the thing is, the guy sulks when things don't go well. He's already bitchy that everything isn't about how awesome Dwight Howard the savior is, and the fact there's no way they win a title this year. He knows hes already seen as a huge failure this year, and with how mentally fragile he is that's probably destroying him.

I just can't see him staying at this point.


That's all personal opinion obviously, but the guy showed his true colors in Orlando last year, and its not like his recent antics have given anyone any faith that he's changed.
 
#39 ·
Makes sense.

You have to wonder if Lakers management is willing to admit this hasn't worked out though as well. They may be too stubborn to do it and wait until the offseason if they're going to trade him. Then they can do it under the pretext of "He was going to leave" instead of "We made a mistake"
 
#42 ·
I feel like the Wolves are going to go all-in on trying to keep Love, and even though Dwight's damaged goods at this point, getting him would be one of those moves that really impresses the players. I don't think they trade Love unless he refuses to sign an extension in a year or two.
 
#43 ·
I like the atlanta deal better just because I have a feeling that dwight would be ok with it (and wouldnt throw a monkey wrench into the process) and the hawks have smith and are obviously trying to set the table for this kind of deal - also horford's contract isnt terrible and the hawks are sitting on a few decent draft picks
 
#45 ·
I think you're giving too much credit to GM's. ATL would trade for him, if alone just to create buzz for the team. And I think most GM's realize his shoulder is fine, whether or not they see faking an injury is worse than actually having one probably differs on which GM you ask.
 
#47 ·
I'm actually a happy, well-adjusted person. Most of what I do here is for effect.

Think of it. From a sports standpoint, I am coming off a Stanley Cup Champion win with the Kings, a championship contender with the Clippers (I am an L.A. fan, not just a Lakers fan), and two world championships from 2009 and 2010.

But if that same team is 17-25, you think I will be bouncing around this forum :jump: like that? Come on, get real.
 
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