If You Ran the Lakers…

 First they gotta start off and re-sign Smush Parker and Kwame Brown then we’ll go from there

 First they gotta start off and re-sign Smush Parker and Kwame Brown then we’ll go from there

 Interesting thought especially if the consensus top picks (Wiggins, Embiid, Parker, Exum, Randle) are already drafted by then.  Might as well trade down since it’s considered a deep draft and get a couple solid players.  The picks in the teens might be just as good as the 6th pick in the long run.

 Interesting thought especially if the consensus top picks (Wiggins, Embiid, Parker, Exum, Randle) are already drafted by then.  Might as well trade down since it’s considered a deep draft and get a couple solid players.  The picks in the teens might be just as good as the 6th pick in the long run.

 If say for example, Wiggins, Parker, Embiid, Randle, Exum were off the table then I would consider it.  But if they stay at 6 and those 5 are off the board I want them to take Smart.  Since they only seem to want to please Kobe, I think he could get on board with someone like Smart.  Super tough competitor who will by all accounts be a solid defender from day one, and he will just get Kobe the ball which we know how important that is to him.

I think that someone is going to reach on Vonleh early so one of those guys could drop to the Lakers.  Vonleh will impress during workouts due to his physical gifts and someone will draft him too high, it happens every year.  

If their pick falls to 7 or lower then I wouldn’t be against a package like that of some sort.  If you look at what Jrue Holiday fetched last year, The 6th and the 10th I could see the 7th pick in this years draft being more valuable than that.

I like the idea of recouping the picks from the Suns because I don’t see how the Lakers improve enough over this off season to leap frog any of the top 8 teams in the west, they are only going to be better next year.  

What you have proposed would be quite a haul for the Lakers though, I don’t imagine the Suns willing to give up basically every pick they have in this years draft AND a potential lottery pick next year AND eating the last year of the Nash contract for the 7th pick though.  That just seems like it is way to much in all fairness.

Maybe 14 and our picks back. Or 14 and swallow Nash contract.  Or 14 and 16 and a early 2nd rounder.  But I can’t imagine them offering every asset they have .  

If they did offer your dream scenario I think management would be stupid not to do it.  That would be the quickest way to a respectable team but I still think patience is the route to take.

What I hope they don’t do is if for instance they land in the top 3, I hope they keep the pick, trust in their player development and groom a potential franchise player while waiting to make an offer for K Love.  I HOPE they don’t panic trade it in an attempt to please Kobe.

 If say for example, Wiggins, Parker, Embiid, Randle, Exum were off the table then I would consider it.  But if they stay at 6 and those 5 are off the board I want them to take Smart.  Since they only seem to want to please Kobe, I think he could get on board with someone like Smart.  Super tough competitor who will by all accounts be a solid defender from day one, and he will just get Kobe the ball which we know how important that is to him.

I think that someone is going to reach on Vonleh early so one of those guys could drop to the Lakers.  Vonleh will impress during workouts due to his physical gifts and someone will draft him too high, it happens every year.  

If their pick falls to 7 or lower then I wouldn’t be against a package like that of some sort.  If you look at what Jrue Holiday fetched last year, The 6th and the 10th I could see the 7th pick in this years draft being more valuable than that.

I like the idea of recouping the picks from the Suns because I don’t see how the Lakers improve enough over this off season to leap frog any of the top 8 teams in the west, they are only going to be better next year.  

What you have proposed would be quite a haul for the Lakers though, I don’t imagine the Suns willing to give up basically every pick they have in this years draft AND a potential lottery pick next year AND eating the last year of the Nash contract for the 7th pick though.  That just seems like it is way to much in all fairness.

Maybe 14 and our picks back. Or 14 and swallow Nash contract.  Or 14 and 16 and a early 2nd rounder.  But I can’t imagine them offering every asset they have .  

If they did offer your dream scenario I think management would be stupid not to do it.  That would be the quickest way to a respectable team but I still think patience is the route to take.

What I hope they don’t do is if for instance they land in the top 3, I hope they keep the pick, trust in their player development and groom a potential franchise player while waiting to make an offer for K Love.  I HOPE they don’t panic trade it in an attempt to please Kobe.

 IMO, i think if the lakers lose out on embiid/wiggins/parker/exum, then i think they should at least look into trading their pick. not really high on smart, i just think he’s gonna be an inefficient shooting guard that can’t get by on his strength in the pros. you think a package for multiple picks by the suns would be good? how bout rubio and the timberwolve’s pick plus a future pick? I think i’m in the minority that ricky rubio’s career can be revived. HAHA. what do you guys think?

 IMO, i think if the lakers lose out on embiid/wiggins/parker/exum, then i think they should at least look into trading their pick. not really high on smart, i just think he’s gonna be an inefficient shooting guard that can’t get by on his strength in the pros. you think a package for multiple picks by the suns would be good? how bout rubio and the timberwolve’s pick plus a future pick? I think i’m in the minority that ricky rubio’s career can be revived. HAHA. what do you guys think?

 So basically you are a Laker fan that wants a do-over on a trade gone horribly wrong. As a Suns fan I would love to have Nash back to end his career on a high note after you guys realized no other training staff can manage a 40 year old point guard with a bad back. But realistically, I don’t see the need for the Suns to trade up to 6… maybe 5 or 8-9 if they really like a player not in elite 7. 

 So basically you are a Laker fan that wants a do-over on a trade gone horribly wrong. As a Suns fan I would love to have Nash back to end his career on a high note after you guys realized no other training staff can manage a 40 year old point guard with a bad back. But realistically, I don’t see the need for the Suns to trade up to 6… maybe 5 or 8-9 if they really like a player not in elite 7. 

The Lakers are not a rebuilding type of franchise; they reload. They should strongly consider trading their first round pick for a depth. Also, I’m sure Kevin Love and Carmelo Anthony will be listening to their pitch this summer. So it’s not like there is a scarce amount of firepower out there. As for the future of Steve Nash, out of respect, the Lakers should just let him finish his career the way he wants to in LA. Steve Nash, when on the floor, is still a very productive player; when was the last time you saw a 40 year old post a double double in limited minutes? He just needs to be stay on the floor and get his timing right. As for Kobe, he will what type of player he will be based on his athletic ability. Right now, I’m fairly certain that whatever is left on his athletic ability, his game will be able to adopt. The man turned his game from a highlight waiting to happen to a highly skilled scorer and now, into a mid range assassin and post up threat (the best post up player IMO). One thing’s for sure, he will still be a highly productive player. He won’t have it any other way. I want Jordan Hill and even Gasol back if he takes less money. They also need a more athletic defensive oriented center to help their front court as well as fresh legs in the perimeter. I like Wes Johnson, Nick Young and even Xavier Henry. It was a shame that they traded Blake but Bazemore is a dynamic young man, he will help them with his youth as well as scoring ability. Their coaching situation is a mess. I like Mike D’Antoni, unlike many Laker fan out there I think he is a good coach. He is an offensive genius. But to be a great one, one must be able to adapt to his personnel instead of having his roster having to adapt to his style. He has an all star big man in Pau and he wants to play run and gun? No, thanks. The way I see it, they need to space the floor seeing that they gave Pau and Kobe as legit post up threats and they also need to lock down their opponents. Gasol looks lackadaisical at times when defending the rim. And Kobe, while he can still play good to great on ball defense, he needs to pay attention off the ball. 

The Lakers are not a rebuilding type of franchise; they reload. They should strongly consider trading their first round pick for a depth. Also, I’m sure Kevin Love and Carmelo Anthony will be listening to their pitch this summer. So it’s not like there is a scarce amount of firepower out there. As for the future of Steve Nash, out of respect, the Lakers should just let him finish his career the way he wants to in LA. Steve Nash, when on the floor, is still a very productive player; when was the last time you saw a 40 year old post a double double in limited minutes? He just needs to be stay on the floor and get his timing right. As for Kobe, he will what type of player he will be based on his athletic ability. Right now, I’m fairly certain that whatever is left on his athletic ability, his game will be able to adopt. The man turned his game from a highlight waiting to happen to a highly skilled scorer and now, into a mid range assassin and post up threat (the best post up player IMO). One thing’s for sure, he will still be a highly productive player. He won’t have it any other way. I want Jordan Hill and even Gasol back if he takes less money. They also need a more athletic defensive oriented center to help their front court as well as fresh legs in the perimeter. I like Wes Johnson, Nick Young and even Xavier Henry. It was a shame that they traded Blake but Bazemore is a dynamic young man, he will help them with his youth as well as scoring ability. Their coaching situation is a mess. I like Mike D’Antoni, unlike many Laker fan out there I think he is a good coach. He is an offensive genius. But to be a great one, one must be able to adapt to his personnel instead of having his roster having to adapt to his style. He has an all star big man in Pau and he wants to play run and gun? No, thanks. The way I see it, they need to space the floor seeing that they gave Pau and Kobe as legit post up threats and they also need to lock down their opponents. Gasol looks lackadaisical at times when defending the rim. And Kobe, while he can still play good to great on ball defense, he needs to pay attention off the ball. 

 Zero chance Phoenix would give up that much for pick 6. Three firsts and a second this year plus future pick(s) plus Nash’s contract ? Silly

 Zero chance Phoenix would give up that much for pick 6. Three firsts and a second this year plus future pick(s) plus Nash’s contract ? Silly

 I don’t see the Lakers trading down, I would see them looking more to use the pick with Nash’s partly guaranteed contract to try and get someone at or near all star status in. 

Can someone confirm what the scenario would be if the Lakers draft at 6 and lets say they pick Smart. Then FA opens and they sign a top FA, could they then still package Smart and Nash to get another established guy in who they would have chosen to fill their biggest need whatever that was.

In effect they wait for FA to give them the best options and most cap space rather than making a pre FA move. Is this allowed or does it depend if Smart or whoever they drafted has actually signed with the team. If he hasn’t signed they effectively trade his draft rights.

With the Lakers in the draft mix, if they happened to move up into the lottery or even remain where they are, does anyone see the chance where a prospect might be drawn to them and start saying I only want to play in LA. We had the issue with Steve Francis in the late 90’s and in 2007 Yi Jianlian wasn’t keen on going to the Bucks before he finally relented. 

Lets say the player in question was Dante Exum and he got drafted a spot ahead of where the Lakers picked but refused to sign for that team and played abroad for 2014/15. I recall you could almost have the situation where he could in theory re-enter the 2015 draft.

 I don’t see the Lakers trading down, I would see them looking more to use the pick with Nash’s partly guaranteed contract to try and get someone at or near all star status in. 

Can someone confirm what the scenario would be if the Lakers draft at 6 and lets say they pick Smart. Then FA opens and they sign a top FA, could they then still package Smart and Nash to get another established guy in who they would have chosen to fill their biggest need whatever that was.

In effect they wait for FA to give them the best options and most cap space rather than making a pre FA move. Is this allowed or does it depend if Smart or whoever they drafted has actually signed with the team. If he hasn’t signed they effectively trade his draft rights.

With the Lakers in the draft mix, if they happened to move up into the lottery or even remain where they are, does anyone see the chance where a prospect might be drawn to them and start saying I only want to play in LA. We had the issue with Steve Francis in the late 90’s and in 2007 Yi Jianlian wasn’t keen on going to the Bucks before he finally relented. 

Lets say the player in question was Dante Exum and he got drafted a spot ahead of where the Lakers picked but refused to sign for that team and played abroad for 2014/15. I recall you could almost have the situation where he could in theory re-enter the 2015 draft.

 Once they make the pick they can trade it. I was under the impression that was at least partially why the draft night trades involving players picked during the draft are announced after the picks are made. I don’t think a player can go back into the draft the year after they were picked even if they didn’t sign.

 Once they make the pick they can trade it. I was under the impression that was at least partially why the draft night trades involving players picked during the draft are announced after the picks are made. I don’t think a player can go back into the draft the year after they were picked even if they didn’t sign.

 If they can draft Exum or any of the guys who could start right away., they should keep them. Free agency this year won’t change the world unless the big guys come out (not likely). They can only trade  in sign and trades . Gasol has value). Since Nash’s contract is expiring, he can be traded for a big, bad contract… Like Josh Smith or Eric Girdon…. But I’m not sure they’d do that. 

Really, they should take a year or three to develop, but they’ll lose next year’s draft pick (unless they get a top 5 pick).

 If they can draft Exum or any of the guys who could start right away., they should keep them. Free agency this year won’t change the world unless the big guys come out (not likely). They can only trade  in sign and trades . Gasol has value). Since Nash’s contract is expiring, he can be traded for a big, bad contract… Like Josh Smith or Eric Girdon…. But I’m not sure they’d do that. 

Really, they should take a year or three to develop, but they’ll lose next year’s draft pick (unless they get a top 5 pick).

Something tells me that the Lakers are going to win the lottery and draft Joel Embiid.  

Something tells me that the Lakers are going to win the lottery and draft Joel Embiid.