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

JCizzle

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The big thing is LBJ and AD won’t be able to take nights off with the skeleton crew behind them. Seeding will be paramount in a crazy rugged conference. Although the 2 seed to them behind a Clips team wouldn’t matter for them being they share an arena. Small consolation for them.
I don't see how they're even going to sniff a two seed with the likes of Utah, Denver, Portland, and even Houston in the conference. LeBron and AD are supremely talented, but they'll both need to play 75+ games to get there I think. The other teams out west have too much depth. They'll be fine in the playoffs because that's when superstars matter most IMO.
 

Marceline

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I don't see LeBron putting in the level of effort needed to get a 2 seed. Not that it would be likely even if he were playing 40+ a night.

He's going to conserve his energy for the payoffs as he has done for almost every other season in recent memory.

I agree with the previous poster. From a regular season perspective the Lakers will be behind the Clippers, Rockets, Nuggets, Jazz, and Portland so probably a 6 seed at best.
 

lovegtm

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I don't see how they're even going to sniff a two seed with the likes of Utah, Denver, Portland, and even Houston in the conference. LeBron and AD are supremely talented, but they'll both need to play 75+ games to get there I think. The other teams out west have too much depth. They'll be fine in the playoffs because that's when superstars matter most IMO.
They’ll be fine as in competitive, not fine as in dominant. All these other West teams match up decently with them now that they don’t have the versatile world-wrecker in Kawhi.
 

lovegtm

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....

I agree with the previous poster. From a regular season perspective the Lakers will be behind the Clippers, Rockets, Nuggets, Jazz, and Portland so probably a 6 seed at best.
Which means that if either AD or LeBron misses extended time, there’s a decent chance they miss the playoffs.
 

bosockboy

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Key figure in Western Conference...Michael Porter Jr.

Massive if but if healthy is like adding a #1 overall talent into Denver’s mix.
 

ifmanis5

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Lakers do get Boogie, per Woj:
Free agent center DeMarcus Cousins has agreed to a one-year deal with the Lakers, agent Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports tells ESPN.
 

ifmanis5

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Here's your team for greed:
PG: Rajon Rondo, Quinn Cook
SG: Danny Green, Troy Daniels
SF: LeBron James, KCP
PF: Anthony Davis, Kyle Kuzma
C: DeMarcus Cousins, JaVale McGee
 

lovegtm

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Rondo is a terrible fit there, IMO. Guy is not a good defender anymore and needs the ball in his hands.
Yeah, the talent around AD and LeBron overall here is quite meh. If LeBron shows more age decline (not saying he will), this will get ugly fast.
 

PedroKsBambino

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Cousins makes a lot of sense there, in both directions: he needs a high-profile platform where he might get some run and the ball, and the Lakers need a guy who can be a signifiicant shot-creator (on second unit, and when one of Lebron/Davis isn't in the lineup). While I think Kuzma is a good role player, I don't think he's best suited for those roles.

Now, the problems with Cousins are also pretty clear....
 

TripleOT

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I hope Cousins can get back to full health. He was having a monster season in New Orleans in 2018 playing next to AD with Rondo orchestrating. Rondo and Cousins both benefited by playing with Davis.

This is a hodge podge roster, but could become a really tough out in the playoffs. After whiffing on a third star, Danny Green, Cousins, Rondo, and Quinn Cook on short deals is about as best as they could have done. Not a KCP fan at all, but he's Klutch.

It's good for the NBA that the Lakers didn't get Kawhi, and that they're going to be challenged for top billing in the league, conference, division, city, and building by the Clippers.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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I hope Cousins can get back to full health. He was having a monster season in New Orleans in 2018 playing next to AD with Rondo orchestrating. Rondo and Cousins both benefited by playing with Davis.

This is a hodge podge roster, but could become a really tough out in the playoffs. After whiffing on a third star, Danny Green, Cousins, Rondo, and Quinn Cook on short deals is about as best as they could have done. Not a KCP fan at all, but he's Klutch.

It's good for the NBA that the Lakers didn't get Kawhi, and that they're going to be challenged for top billing in the league, conference, division, city, and building by the Clippers.
Agreed on all fronts. The roster the Lakers managed to assemble without getting Kawhi is decent and those claiming otherwise have their green (or other team fandom color) tinted glasses on. The Clippers are better but this Lakers team can still make the finals assuming a few things break right for them. That is more than the vast majority of NBA franchises can hope for at this point.
 

lovegtm

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Agreed on all fronts. The roster the Lakers managed to assemble without getting Kawhi is decent and those claiming otherwise have their green (or other team fandom color) tinted glasses on. The Clippers are better but this Lakers team can still make the finals assuming a few things break right for them. That is more than the vast majority of NBA franchises can hope for at this point.
(Note: for every Lakers post I write from here on out, just assume that I know that the Lakers can make the Finals, and AD and LeBron are superstars: LCMTFaADLBASS--it's catchy!)

I think a lot of the Lakers reaction from Celtics fans is relief: when AD first went there, it looked like they were going to have a superteam, and as the details came out and other pieces fell into place, it turns out they just have a normal good team. That team can definitely make and win the Finals, but they're riding the knife's edge wrt depth, and if they do accomplish that, it will be close and exciting.

From where we were sitting earlier, when it looked like Klutch was about to run the league, and they might pair Kawhi and AD with LeBron, this is a pretty positive development for Lakers haters. They get their shot, and they're pretty fucked if a lot of things don't break right, which feels fine to me.
 

Jimbodandy

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Agreed on all fronts. The roster the Lakers managed to assemble without getting Kawhi is decent and those claiming otherwise have their green (or other team fandom color) tinted glasses on. The Clippers are better but this Lakers team can still make the finals assuming a few things break right for them. That is more than the vast majority of NBA franchises can hope for at this point.
Your graciousness notwithstanding, there's a lot of deep rotation on that team. I agree that nobody should be quick to count out a team with Lebron and AD, but it's kind of understandable why people are bearish on performances outside of the top four guys or so.
 

BigSoxFan

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Next season will tell if this is true. As with Hayward, drawing conclusions based on the first few months back from a 12-month injury is premature.
I’m comfortable drawing the conclusion given his age and size. Achilles injuries are just so devastating and even moreso for big guys. Doesn’t mean he can’t contribute in a more minor role though.

Despite being a Laker, I’m rooting for him. The timing of that injury couldn’t have been worse for him.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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Your graciousness notwithstanding, there's a lot of deep rotation on that team. I agree that nobody should be quick to count out a team with Lebron and AD, but it's kind of understandable why people are bearish on performances outside of the top four guys or so.
Fair enough though I think Green and Cook give the Lakers the sort of outside shooting they lacked last year with the former giving them a crafty three and D wing defender. I also think they will see some improvement from Kuzma as he enters his third season as well as from playing with superior distributors.

People are right to say that an injury to one of their top players will hurt them but that can be said of virtually any contender including the Clippers.
 

lovegtm

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People are right to say that an injury to one of their top players will hurt them but that can be said of virtually any contender including the Clippers.
The real difference is that most of the other contenders could still make the playoffs if they lost one of their top guys for 30-40 games. The Lakers would be on the edge if that happened.
 

DannyDarwinism

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The real difference is that most of the other contenders could still make the playoffs if they lost one of their top guys for 30-40 games. The Lakers would be on the edge if that happened.
Yeah, they’re margins are razor thin. I’m sure the Orlando Magic have something to say about this, but 33 year old Rondo and Quinn Cook has got to be one of the worst backcourts in the past couple of year. Cook can shoot, but he really can’t do anything else.
 

bosockboy

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If you need some entertainment this evening, spend some time in Magic’s twitter comments. He is getting an epic beating from LAL fans. Savage.
 

djbayko

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If you need some entertainment this evening, spend some time in Magic’s twitter comments. He is getting an epic beating from LAL fans. Savage.
https://twitter.com/MagicJohnson/status/1147592680177897478
LA has just become the king of basketball with the Lakers adding AD, Cousins, Danny Green, JaVale McGee, and KCP and Kawhi Leonard and Paul George joining the Clippers. It’s going to be awesome to watch NBA basketball in LA this season!
That's an interesting angle. LOL
 

Devizier

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Next season will tell if this is true. As with Hayward, drawing conclusions based on the first few months back from a 12-month injury is premature.
Well, I’ve drawn my conclusion on Hayward. And it looks a lot like Grant Hill to me. I’m happy to be wrong.
 

bowiac

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Lakers have actually done an okay job here I think. They did about as good a job with limited resources as they could, and have displayed a better understanding of what their team needed than they did last year. Rondo is the one big misstep, which is pretty good.

Of course, many in this thread have promised that “ring chasing vets” would drop everything to go play for the Lakers for the min, so we’ll see how the rest shakes out of course.
 

Cellar-Door

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Lakers have actually done an okay job here I think. They did about as good a job with limited resources as they could, and have displayed a better understanding of what their team needed than they did last year. Rondo is the one big misstep, which is pretty good.

Of course, many in this thread have promised that “ring chasing vets” would drop everything to go play for the Lakers for the min, so we’ll see how the rest shakes out of course.
Yeah, they didn't do poorly. Rondo is likely just a matter of there being nothing on the PG market, the options were Rondo, Calderon, Lin and Felton. Rondo is the right pick there.
 

Tony C

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Someone took football spiking lessons from Gronk.

Having draft picks to deal, even if some of them might be in the 20s someday, actually does help. Trading all of them is never a good idea.
Which means that if either AD or LeBron misses extended time, there’s a decent chance they miss the playoffs.
For a long thread of wishcasting, these take the cake. I'm glad they didn't get Kawhi, also, which would have made for probably the greatest trio ever. But not sure what's to spike about when this offseason they went from out of the playoffs to championship contender (the idea they have a decent chance to miss the playoffs is sheer stupidity, no?). Some pretty good signings since Kawhi went to the Clippers, and some (not me) argued that getting complementary pieces would be better than Kawhi. I think that's wrong, but I am in on Cousins -- he looked so slow in the finals but that is coming off of 2 injuries. A healthy Boogie might really be a surprise. And, if so....along with Green et al, the Lakers did well.
 

luckiestman

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These assholes managed to put together a good team in spite of themselves. I don’t think they should worry about seeding. If this team is healthy in the playoffs they are a problem for anyone.
 

jon abbey

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(the idea they have a decent chance to miss the playoffs is sheer stupidity, no?).
I have rooted for both LeBron and Anthony Davis for most of their careers and I was rooting for Kawhi to pick the Lakers of the three choices, but no, I think the way that lovegtm phrased this ("Which means that if either AD or LeBron misses extended time, there’s a decent chance they miss the playoffs") is perfectly reasonable. We have seen NO with Davis miss the playoffs, we saw the Lakers flounder once LBJ got hurt last year and miss the playoffs, and it looks like there are more than 8 strong to very strong teams in the West, maybe 10 or 11.
 

Jimbodandy

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For a long thread of wishcasting, these take the cake. I'm glad they didn't get Kawhi, also, which would have made for probably the greatest trio ever. But not sure what's to spike about when this offseason they went from out of the playoffs to championship contender (the idea they have a decent chance to miss the playoffs is sheer stupidity, no?). Some pretty good signings since Kawhi went to the Clippers, and some (not me) argued that getting complementary pieces would be better than Kawhi. I think that's wrong, but I am in on Cousins -- he looked so slow in the finals but that is coming off of 2 injuries. A healthy Boogie might really be a surprise. And, if so....along with Green et al, the Lakers did well.
Green and Cook are nice pieces. But then there is a lot of junk.

Point I was making is that they might need an upgrade at a position or two over the next few years, and they have a sparse cupboard to use for such things. The Clippers at least have some depth on their roster, although I'd be a bit concerned if I were a fan of theirs as well. Not much. But a little.

You can say that every team is hosed if their stars go down, but the Celtics went deep into the playoffs without two of their top three players quite recently because of depth. Lakers have no depth and few chips with which to get depth. Sure, it's most likely an improvement on last year's embarrassing season. If that's the bar, they have cleared it.

It's a bit surprising that you're reading "wishcasting" into a legitimate difference of opinion on team building. I posted the night of the AD trade that I'd have been sick if Ainge had done that deal. That's the truth. It's not because "fuck the dumb Lakers". It's because I think that Herschel Walker trades are a bad way to build teams. It's ok that we disagree on that.
 

lovegtm

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For a long thread of wishcasting, these take the cake. I'm glad they didn't get Kawhi, also, which would have made for probably the greatest trio ever. But not sure what's to spike about when this offseason they went from out of the playoffs to championship contender (the idea they have a decent chance to miss the playoffs is sheer stupidity, no?). Some pretty good signings since Kawhi went to the Clippers, and some (not me) argued that getting complementary pieces would be better than Kawhi. I think that's wrong, but I am in on Cousins -- he looked so slow in the finals but that is coming off of 2 injuries. A healthy Boogie might really be a surprise. And, if so....along with Green et al, the Lakers did well.
As noted by others, I used “words” to “qualify” my meaning. It turns out you’re even allowed to read them! Fancy that!

I’m pretty dumb, but not dumb enough to think that a reasonably healthy AD/LeBron team is missing the playoffs. I do, however, think that we do a poor job of mapping out the full range of scenarios in our heads. Just last year, for example, it was complete heresy to suggest that a LeBron team could miss the playoffs. In fact he only had to miss 27 games for them to miss the playoffs by a ton.

To bring it back full circle, there’s a fundamental difference to me between the Clippers trade and the Lakers trade. If you’re going to do the Billy King YOLO, it’s best to do it when you have a lot of current players you like (LAC). In that case, you’re using the future picks as a way to avoid parting with present depth and good contracts. You also then have those same players and contracts to flip for different players if you need better fit.

If you do it the Lakers’ way, you’re sending out all your depth (or players who could be flipped for depth) AND your picks. At that point the cupboard is totally bare, and you’re on the knife’s edge forever. Even injuries to Danny Green start to matter in a way they don’t to the Clippers, because you have nothing you can attach to Green’s contract to flip his salary spot for a useful player.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Yeah, they’re margins are razor thin. I’m sure the Orlando Magic have something to say about this, but 33 year old Rondo and Quinn Cook has got to be one of the worst backcourts in the past couple of year. Cook can shoot, but he really can’t do anything else.
How much else do you need him to do when the offense is running through LeBron and AD? He’s shown no fear while stepping into the playoff spotlight. It isn’t like the Lakers are asking him to be their Kemba.....only their Steve Kerr.

I’ve been HUGE fan of Troy Daniels the past few years and waiting for him to find his “Eddie House-role”.......he will be a household name playing off The Big Two.
 

jmm57

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Cook has shot sub 28% from 3 in the playoffs with a pretty huge negative bpm. It’s a small sample for sure, but I don’t see how he could get credit for it.
 

lovegtm

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How much else do you need him to do when the offense is running through LeBron and AD? He’s shown no fear while stepping into the playoff spotlight. It isn’t like the Lakers are asking him to be their Kemba.....only their Steve Kerr.

I’ve been HUGE fan of Troy Daniels the past few years and waiting for him to find his “Eddie House-role”.......he will be a household name playing off The Big Two.
More than he was able to do when the offense was running through Steph, Klay, and Draymond? As jmm57 noted, he sucked pretty hard in the playoffs. It could be small sample size, but I always get wary when a guy starts shooting a lot worse in the playoffs, just because of the extra defensive intensity on closeouts etc.
 

JohnnyTheBone

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Guys, it's simple. If a player isn't on the Celtics, he's an under-the-radar gem that's about to blossom, perfectly complementing the other parts of his team. If he's on the Celtics, he's overrated, a bad fit, and soon to be exposed as a fraud. Try to keep up.