AD told us 3 weeks ago that seeding didn’t matter to them. Just play who’s on the court against you and let the chips fall where they may. Can’t control how many games these other teams win or lose in this final week. All this hand-wringing & conjecture…lol. If you’re going into the postseason worrying about ducking & dodging certain teams then you ain’t gonna get that ring anyway. Hell, we could get to #6 and end up with #3 Nuggets as the reward in the 1st round. I almost rather see us in the play-in without the week off to possibly disrupt the groove we’ve been in. LET’S ROLLLLL!!!!!!!

By the way….anybody still wish Doc Rivers was coaching us???

Another road game, another loss. 5-11 on the road (not counting the IST in Vegas) and the Lakers couldn’t look more different than the team we saw raise the inaugural cup in Vegas. Worse, the excuses, er, reasons are piling up now.

1) Excuse #1: Were not healthy. Oh, really? Welcome to pro sports. Perhaps this was maybe-kinda-sorta true when we were missing 1/3!of the team. Now? That excuse rings hollow. If someone who should be playing isn’t that’s on the coach.
2) Excuse #2: Were not familiar with one another. Outside of Vando everyone played in camp and preseason, they had a Vegas mini camp together, and have played over 1/3 of the season. If the issue is the rotations that excuse sounds like a very thinly veiled knock on the coach.
3) Excuse #3: The Coach is blowing it. Up until the trade, and now again this season, many fans wondered openly big Ham has the chops to coach bay this level. While I think he does, my issue is that he seems slow to adapt. One glaring example is the Taurean Prince minutes imbalance. I cannot figure out what has created this wealth of trust the staff has in TP that isn’t shared amongst proven playoff players Rui or Vando. I’m not saying any of these are all that much better than the other. But Vando and his defense were a huge component of us even making the playin last season. Rui showed he can rise to the moment. Prince has been fine. Streaky, as all shooters are, and generally not really up to the task on D. The other semi-concerning issue with Ham is that he’s parroting the “we need guys back” excuse. That dog will never hunt, your whole job is to figure out a way to win given the resources at hand. It is a shitty job but you took it. So get to it. Also ditch the 5 out sets unless you can talk shooters into either getting back in D, matching up in transition and crashing the glass when the shot goes up. We’re getting killed because mall our guys are standing at the three point line for some dumb reason.
4) AD is balking out. This is the best I’ve seen Davis play in years and since he took the second half off against Denver I think he’s been pretty consistently great. We’re seeing him pop for some jumpers and his three ball is coming around.
5) Feels like a trade is inevitable. I just don’t see the inherent inconsistencies that some guys bring going away. DLo is perfectly content to be an after thought on offense, Rui’s scoring vacillates wildly from game to game, and we’re not going to waste LeBron and AD’s best season since The Bubble Banner. So whether it happens sooner or later it feels almost certain something will change.

LA Lakers trade rumors: 5 players that could wear Purple & Gold before NBA trade deadline https://t.co/4mDyhkijGe

— LakerTom (@LakerTom) November 29, 2023

#5 Bojan Bogdanovic
#4 John Konchar
#3 Alex Caruso
#2 DeMar DeRozan
#1 Zach LaVine

3 potential Myles Turner to LA Lakers trade scenarios to get the Indiana Pacers' center, including a package with Buddy Hield https://t.co/AKHAoOn9eG

— LakerTom (@LakerTom) November 2, 2022

#1 – Lakers give up Russell Westbrook and 2027 and 2029 first-round picks.

#2 – Trade two picks only for Turner.

#3– Find a third team to add to the trade.

3 Trades For Lakers Using Both Future 1st Round Picks: https://t.co/Npnpjv1jdL

— LakerTom (@LakerTom) August 23, 2022

#1 Indiana Pacers Receive:
-G Russell Westbrook
-2027 First-Round Pick (LAL)
-2029 First-Round Pick (LAL)

Los Angeles Lakers Receive:
-C Myles Turner
-G/F Buddy Hield

…

#2 Washington Wizards Receive:
-G Russell Westbrook
-2027 First-Round Pick (LAL)
-2029 First-Round Pick (LAL)

Los Angeles Lakers Receive:
-F/C Kristaps Porzingis
-F Kyle Kuzma

…

#3 Utah Jazz Receive:
-G Russell Westbrook
-2023 First-Round Pick (NYK)
-2023 First-Round Pick (DAL via NYK)
-2025 First-Round Pick (NYK)
-2027 First-Round Pick (NYK)
-2027 First-Round Pick (LAL)
-2029 First-Round Pick (LAL)

New York Knicks Receive:
-G Donovan Mitchell

Los Angeles Lakers Receive:
-F/C Julius Randle
-G Mike Conley

Longest tenured HC in the NBA

1. Gregg Popovich (SAS)
2. Erik Spoelstra (MIA)
3. Steve Kerr (GSW)
4. Quin Snyder (UTH)
5. Michael Malone (DEN)

Rick Carlisle was #3

5 Positives which the LA Lakers can take from disappointing 2020-21 NBA campaign https://t.co/wKlkM2AxlB

— LakerTom (@LakerTom) June 17, 2021

#5 Dominance against the Phoeninx Suns before AD’s injury
#4 Winning culture
#3 Rest for the LA Lakers’ stars
#2 Frank Vogel’s defensive system
#1 LeBron James’ pre-injury form