72 Suburbs in Search of a City: Anthony Davis to Los Angeles Lakers

Sam Ray Not

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Like most of you, I'm a Laker Hater from way back... BUT It's mildly entertaining watching those Silicon Nerds go silent in their shiny new building as AD slams alley-oops at will.
Against the Warriors' killer center tandem of tubby, 6'-9" 21 y.o. Omari Spellman and 6'-9" scrap-heap pickup Marquese Chriss (with #1 and 2 centers Willie Cauley-Stein and Kevon Looney both ailing).

Warriors are coming back to reality for sure, but I kinda doubt those nerds (to the extent they cared) were expecting anything tonight other than AD and JaVale dunking freely. And I'm pretty sure an exhibit game coming off of one week's worth of practice in which Steph played 18 minutes and threw up a 40-foot airball on the opening possession doesn't tell us much one way or the other. Not that that prevented noted LeBron bootlicker Dave McMenamin from creaming in his jeans.

But yeah, I'll go along with "mildly entertaining." AD's a beast, JaVale's underrated, and LeBron's still great, if visibly slower. On the Warriors' end, it's kinda fun (or at least novel) to be stripped of our superpowers and watch guys like Jordan Poole, Omari Spellman, Jacob Evans, and Eric Paschall taking their lumps while figuring stuff out. DLo looked tentative and off in his first outing, but I think he and Steph will be super-fun to watch together when they develop some chemistry. Get WCS and Loon back and try to tread water till Klay gets back in March-April.
 

benhogan

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Against the Warriors' killer center tandem of tubby, 6'-9" 21 y.o. Omari Spellman and 6'-9" scrap-heap pickup Marquese Chriss (with #1 and 2 centers Willie Cauley-Stein and Kevon Looney both ailing).

Warriors are coming back to reality for sure, but I kinda doubt those nerds (to the extent they cared) were expecting anything tonight other than AD and JaVale dunking freely. And I'm pretty sure an exhibit game coming off of one week's worth of practice in which Steph played 18 minutes and threw up a 40-foot airball on the opening possession doesn't tell us much one way or the other. Not that that prevented noted LeBron bootlicker Dave McMenamin from creaming in his jeans.

But yeah, I'll go along with "mildly entertaining." AD's a beast, JaVale's underrated, and LeBron's still great, if visibly slower. On the Warriors' end, it's kinda fun (or at least novel) to be stripped of our superpowers and watch guys like Jordan Poole, Omari Spellman, Jacob Evans, and Eric Paschall taking their lumps while figuring stuff out. DLo looked tentative and off in his first outing, but I think he and Steph will be super-fun to watch together when they develop some chemistry. Get WCS and Loon back and try to tread water till Klay gets back in March-April.
You're correct it's preseason not much there, the 2nd half felt like Vegas Summer league. Poole and Paschall showed you something, but Steph has a Herculean task with this group. I imagine some of those teams out West are looking to exact a bit of revenge on the Warriors after their last half dozen seasons of dominance.

I'm hoping that AD/Bron get comfortable firing 20ft turnaround fadeaways in the halfcourt. Trust me, Celtic fans don't want to see Rondo tossing lobs to Bron/AD/McGee/Kuzma all season long.

PLUS someone still needs to pull Alex Caruso aside and have him shave that lid. I swear the camera focuses on that guy's skull only so we can get drilled with 'HIMS and ROMAN' commercials at the break.
 
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Time to Mo Vaughn

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I haven't watched a minute of Lakers basketball this season, so can anyone tell me how they're undefeated since opening night? Seems like they're shooting like crazy.
 

DJnVa

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I haven't watched a minute of Lakers basketball this season, so can anyone tell me how they're undefeated since opening night? Seems like they're shooting like crazy.
They have 2 other-worldly players? And 3 of the wins are against Hornets, Grizzlies, and Bulls.
 
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benhogan

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I haven't watched a minute of Lakers basketball this season, so can anyone tell me how they're undefeated since opening night? Seems like they're shooting like crazy.
Bron and AD are awesome, motivated and rested from last season (both missed significant regulars season time and the playoffs)

Dwight Howard is on a mission.
They have some nice 3pt snipers in Green/Cook.
They wisely spread out the talent and now have Kuzma coming off the bench.
Even Caruso is adding value.
 

Sam Ray Not

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Bron and AD are awesome, motivated and rested from last season (both missed significant regulars season time and the playoffs)

Dwight Howard is on a mission.
They have some nice 3pt snipers in Green/Cook.
They wisely spread out the talent and now have Kuzma coming off the bench.
Even Caruso is adding value.
I'd add that old friend Avery Bradley (their #3 guy in minutes to date) has been great for them so far. They really have done an annoyingly good job filling out their bench this season — with the caveat that it's never that hard to get NBA vets to want to play in LA, given the choice of an equal or even slightly better contract anywhere else.

If anything, I think they may have a bit of a minutes crunch / ego / palace intrigue situation with Kuzma now back and old friend Rondo returning soon. Bradley, Cook, and even Caruso may be better fits on their roster than Rondo. It'll be interesting to see who ends up sitting when everyone's healthy.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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TripleOT

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If Perk is going to make any headway as a talking/tweeting head, his connections to former teammates like Durant and Bron will be big. Even though he didn't spend a lot of time with the Cavs, he's respected by James, his draft class mate.
 

Tony C

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I haven't watched a minute of Lakers basketball this season, so can anyone tell me how they're undefeated since opening night? Seems like they're shooting like crazy.
As others have said, hardly that shocking when you have two of the top players in the NBA. But this gives a good sense:

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/whos-up-and-whos-down-in-our-nba-player-ratings/?ex_cid=538twitter
LeBron either the best or 2nd best player in the NBA (that chart seems weird - tied for 1st with Lillard in WAR, and better in RAPTOR); AD one of the best defensive players; and Dwight Howard as the 2nd biggest surprise in the league.

Beyond them, Danny Green and Avery Bradley are decent supporting players. We'll see how Kuzma plays once back in basketball shape -- personally think he's a bit overrated, but in a supporting role he might help them.
 

Devizier

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Kings would probably have to add something else because the Lakers would have to package Bradley's carcass or something like it to get up to Bogdan's numbers.

Maybe Bogdan and Giles?
 

Sam Ray Not

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Ugh. I sincerely hope Divac has enough distance from his Lakers days to tell them to fvck right off. Kuzma's not bad or anything, but he doesn't get the Kings anywhere interesting; and he's an immature wannabe star who will bolt from Sactown at the earliest opportunity (after next season) and probably start demanding a trade long before then. And ... Bogdanovic is totally perfect for the Lakers. Just say no.
 

Big John

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I believe that the Lakers engaged Sacramento, not the other way around. The idea that the phones in LA are ringing off the hook because other teams crave Kuzma is totally implausible.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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You aren't kidding about Bogdanovic's fit with the Lakers. He is about the best they can do given the names out there. The Clippers will likely counter by taking The LA Collis -e-on.

The good news for fans of other teams is that it removes competition for other scorers from the trade market. For example, Philly has a better shot to add shooting if the Lakers are out of the market.
 

Kliq

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Can we slow down on the Bogdanovic hype? He has basically the same numbers as KCP did his last season in Detroit; Bogdanovic is a slightly better shooter and passer, but KCP is a better defender. He has never played for a good team before; I don't see much to indicate that he is a game changing asset. Are people sure they are thinking about the right Bogdanovic?
 

Jimbodandy

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Can we slow down on the Bogdanovic hype? He has basically the same numbers as KCP did his last season in Detroit; Bogdanovic is a slightly better shooter and passer, but KCP is a better defender. He has never played for a good team before; I don't see much to indicate that he is a game changing asset. Are people sure they are thinking about the right Bogdanovic?
I'm pretty sure that people have the right Bogdanovic.
 

Sam Ray Not

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Can we slow down on the Bogdanovic hype? He has basically the same numbers as KCP did his last season in Detroit; Bogdanovic is a slightly better shooter and passer, but KCP is a better defender. He has never played for a good team before; I don't see much to indicate that he is a game changing asset. Are people sure they are thinking about the right Bogdanovic?
Haha. I think we're talking about the one who looks like Gronk as opposed to the one who looks like Austin Croshere, but I'm never 100% sure, lol. They'd both be pretty great fits on the Lakers, tho. I agree that Bogdan's not a massive upgrade on KCP, but he's a much better creator off the bounce, which is I think is a mild need on the Lakers as constructed. I don't think they currently have a better initiator/creator for when LeBron sits than Bogdan.
 

PedroKsBambino

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I think Lakers can otherwise trade a 2023 second round pick. No firsts available, of course
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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Can we slow down on the Bogdanovic hype? He has basically the same numbers as KCP did his last season in Detroit; Bogdanovic is a slightly better shooter and passer, but KCP is a better defender. He has never played for a good team before; I don't see much to indicate that he is a game changing asset. Are people sure they are thinking about the right Bogdanovic?
Who is hyping him? Are you of the mind that he isn't a good fit with the Lakers?

Also, you do know that all Bogdanovics are fungible, right? The Sacramento Jazz can essentially deal either one.
 

Kliq

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Haha. I think we're talking about the one who looks like Gronk as opposed to the one who looks like Austin Croshere, but I'm never 100% sure, lol. They'd both be pretty great fits on the Lakers, tho. I agree that Bogdan's not a massive upgrade on KCP, but he's a much better creator off the bounce, which is I think is a mild need on the Lakers as constructed. I don't think they currently have a better initiator/creator for when LeBron sits than Bogdan.
Who is hyping him? Are you of the mind that he isn't a good fit with the Lakers?

Also, you do know that all Bogdanovics are fungible, right? The Sacramento Jazz can essentially deal either one.
I think that Bogdanovic is a useful player who could help any team he gets traded to, but I would say that the Lakers getting him wouldn't be a disaster for all of us Laker haters. It wouldn't be turning them "into a monster" like a poster mentioned above.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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I think that Bogdanovic is a useful player who could help any team he gets traded to, but I would say that the Lakers getting him wouldn't be a disaster for all of us Laker haters. It wouldn't be turning them "into a monster" like a poster mentioned above.
I don't know what a monster is in this context but Bogdan would be an upgrade for the Lakers in terms of shooting and ball handling. And he is better than the alternatives being discussed including Collison or other trade candidates like Burks or Fournier. I would take him over Iguodala too at this point in their respective careers. Swapping Kuzma's minutes for him looks like a pretty clear upgrade to me at least.
 

Jimbodandy

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I don't know what a monster is in this context but Bogdan would be an upgrade for the Lakers in terms of shooting and ball handling. And he is better than the alternatives being discussed including Collison or other trade candidates like Burks or Fournier. I would take him over Iguodala too at this point in their respective careers. Swapping Kuzma's minutes for him looks like a pretty clear upgrade to me at least.
Little trades that fit a specific area of need are huge for a legit title contender, even if that guy isn't all that.
 

Big John

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Well sure, Bogdan is better than Kuzma. Short of bribing Vlade, I'm not sure what the Lakers have left to sweeten the deal.
 

TripleOT

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AD just crashed hard to the floor trying to block a Randle shot. Landed on his back. He walked extremely gingerly to the locker room.
 

InstaFace

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Headband Caruso is hilarious. That is all.
You know the movie Rookie of the Year? Caruso just looks and feels like what I imagine the basketball equivalent is like. You're some ordinary, balding schlub playing pickup at the gym, and through some tragicomic incident or Faustian bargain, you suddenly have the size and athleticism of an NBA forward. Go forth and slay, Bob from Finance!
 

reggiecleveland

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You know the movie Rookie of the Year? Caruso just looks and feels like what I imagine the basketball equivalent is like. You're some ordinary, balding schlub playing pickup at the gym, and through some tragicomic incident or Faustian bargain, you suddenly have the size and athleticism of an NBA forward. Go forth and slay, Bob from Finance!
Weird how little he scored in college, never a double digit scorer. Was conference all star, but how many guys make it to the league and were not scorers in college? Long journey to the pros. His stat profile is worse than the guys we were looking at to be imports in the CeBL.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Weird how little he scored in college, never a double digit scorer. Was conference all star, but how many guys make it to the league and were not scorers in college? Long journey to the pros. His stat profile is worse than the guys we were looking at to be imports in the CeBL.
Caruso was A&M's point guard in a slow paced offense. One the ball touched Danuel House or Jalen Jones hands Caruso was never seeing it again until he was bringing it upcourt the next possession.
 

reggiecleveland

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Caruso was A&M's point guard in a slow paced offense. One the ball touched Danuel House or Jalen Jones hands Caruso was never seeing it again until he was bringing it upcourt the next possession.
Obviously he's a good player, but other than being midfielder in the top soccer leagues, making to the NBA at guard (IMHO) is the maybe the most competitive job fight in sports. You don't need to be freakishly big, you have to be exceptionally skilled, very good decision maker, quickness and explosiveness are needed. The number of incredible athletes all over the world competing for those spots is staggering. Good for Alex in overcoming a college program that didn't highlight his skills and getting to the NBA.

I wish this was real.
View: https://twitter.com/ringer/status/1103518214661713921
 

HomeRunBaker

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Just in case the franchise hasn't been fully stripped bare of all its assets and left around like the NBA equivalent of The Lorax, they have essentially announced that everything but their 2 stars is up for trade discussion.
"According to a source familiar with his thinking."
Hmmmm. I wonder if that "source" is Dan Feldman, the author of this hit piece. I have my opinion.

Let's not even discuss that building a championship roster is ya know......actually Pelinka's job!