This topic contains 6 replies, has 4 voices, and was last updated by 
Mopgrass 10 years ago.
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- Posted on: Wed, 06/15/2016 - 10:48am #64224
KingslayerParticipant2015/2016 record: 17-65 *Contract values courtesy of Spotrac.
Roster (16/17 salary): Wiliams ($7.0 mil), Young ($5.4 mil), Russell ($5.3 mil), Randle ($3.3 mil), Nance ($1.2 mil), Brown ($0.9 mil). TOTAL =~ $23.1 million
Notable FA’s & Contract options: Bass (PO, $3.1 mil), Clarkson (RFA), Black (RFA), Huertas (RFA), UFA’s – Hibbert, Kelly, Sacre, MWP
R1 Draft picks (16/17 salary): 2nd ($5.3 million)
Total Cap Commitment: = $23.1 + $5.3 = $28.4 million. $63.6 million in projected cap space
Backcourt: For better or worse, Russell is the Lakers PG of the present and future. As a rookie he was inconsistent on offense and terrible defensively, and he committed the ultimate locker room no-no with the Nick Young video. Beyond hoping for dramatic on-court development, LA now has to hope that building around him doesn’t affect the willingness of FA’s to sign with the team… LA will almost certainly bring back Clarkson as an RFA, as they have a ridiculous amount of cap space. With Lou and Swaggy P backing those 2 up at guard, the Lakers backcourt should be pretty awful on defense for the foreseeable future… They badly need some high IQ veterans to come in and provide leadership to the young players all over the roster, especially at guard. LA can afford to overpay a veteran PG on a short term deal to come in and provide that leadership & defense… It’s been heavily rumored that Derozan could sign with LA, however there’s been some reports that the Lakers just aren’t that interested. I think they’d prefer to re-sign Clarkson at SG and let him develop.
Frontcourt: Drafting Ingram will not stop LA from entering the Durant sweepstakes, though the odds of signing him are close to zero… Harrison Barnes is an FA they may offer a lot of money to, or they could take a shot at either Parsons or Batum. Any of those SF’s would add to the versatility that Ingram or Simmons provides, creating a nice 4 man forward rotation with Randle & Nance… Whiteside will likely be at the top of their list of free agent C’s. However, I think Horford would be a better fit next to Randle as a high IQ veteran that can space the floor. They are definitely more likely to pry Hassan away from Miami with a max contract though… Just like with the backcourt, this team needs to sign some veteran big men to provide leadership to the young group of players.
Outlook: Laker fans have reason to believe in the future. Armed with some talented young players, the #2 pick, huge cap space and Coach Walton, they should be able to take a big step forward next season. That said, this is a team that only won 17 games this year, and faces a long road back to building a contender. Unless they miraculously sign Durant, it should take at least 2 seasons before they can compete for a playoff spot in the West.
0 - Posted on: Wed, 06/15/2016 - 1:07pm #1073705
Ahkasi ClayParticipantIt is not like the Lakers can get any worse. Can they?
0 - Posted on: Wed, 06/15/2016 - 1:07pm #1073591
Ahkasi ClayParticipantIt is not like the Lakers can get any worse. Can they?
0 - Posted on: Wed, 06/15/2016 - 1:15pm #1073711
HitsterParticipantWe assume they take Ingram – add him to Randle, Clarkson and Russell and it gives you a decent young core. They have Louis Williams and Nick Young to give experience from the bench. I think if a contract can be agreed they maybe look to retain Roy Hibbert, he can still be a defensive anchor and we used for certain match ups. They have the cap flexability to give him a decent offer maybe front loaded in year 1 to give them max cap space next summer.
With their cap space and the qudos the team carries, I think the Lakers are sure to land one decent FA, I don’t see it being Durant but they could add a good potential running mate to help lure a top FA next summer when the young core being assembled looks more competitive.
Whiteside may well be targeted and Harrison Barnes given the Luke Walton link is likely to get a good offer his way too.
0 - Posted on: Wed, 06/15/2016 - 1:15pm #1073597
HitsterParticipantWe assume they take Ingram – add him to Randle, Clarkson and Russell and it gives you a decent young core. They have Louis Williams and Nick Young to give experience from the bench. I think if a contract can be agreed they maybe look to retain Roy Hibbert, he can still be a defensive anchor and we used for certain match ups. They have the cap flexability to give him a decent offer maybe front loaded in year 1 to give them max cap space next summer.
With their cap space and the qudos the team carries, I think the Lakers are sure to land one decent FA, I don’t see it being Durant but they could add a good potential running mate to help lure a top FA next summer when the young core being assembled looks more competitive.
Whiteside may well be targeted and Harrison Barnes given the Luke Walton link is likely to get a good offer his way too.
0 - Posted on: Wed, 06/15/2016 - 6:29pm #1073751
MopgrassParticipantLike everyone else, they’ll try for Durant, as they should… but fail. After that, they should only go for guys who are 24-25 years old or under. Harrison Barnes makes sense, though everyone wants him too. They need to cut Swaggy and trade Lou Williams (so Clarkson can be the 6th man). Swaggy and Williams need the ball way too much when Russell, Clarkson, and Randle need it. The only older vets they get are good-example, try-as-hard-as-they-can veterans.
As for Russell: he’s actually better than Clarkson, by a lot. Clarkson really just lets dudes run by. He said that’s what he’ll work on this summer. Russell showed that he could become an above average defender. Clarkson has all the tools to be a great defender and the fact he is so awful is baffling.
0 - Posted on: Wed, 06/15/2016 - 6:29pm #1073637
MopgrassParticipantLike everyone else, they’ll try for Durant, as they should… but fail. After that, they should only go for guys who are 24-25 years old or under. Harrison Barnes makes sense, though everyone wants him too. They need to cut Swaggy and trade Lou Williams (so Clarkson can be the 6th man). Swaggy and Williams need the ball way too much when Russell, Clarkson, and Randle need it. The only older vets they get are good-example, try-as-hard-as-they-can veterans.
As for Russell: he’s actually better than Clarkson, by a lot. Clarkson really just lets dudes run by. He said that’s what he’ll work on this summer. Russell showed that he could become an above average defender. Clarkson has all the tools to be a great defender and the fact he is so awful is baffling.
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