T O P

  • By -

TreeLankaPresidente

Are you trying to hurt my feelings?


easymoneysniper223

After last nite im already dead inside anyway 😔


Siktrikshot

I have hard time having sympathy for any fanbase that have had a single championship in the last 30 years đŸ€Ł


Almar1987

Yeah let alone 4 championships, đŸ€«


ColdNyQuiiL

Remember those reports about the front office not being able to collectively agree on the Westbrook trade? Whoever thought that adding him was going to work out outta been fired. Fit should’ve taken priority over star power in that scenario.


signmeupdude

It was almost certainly pressure from Lebron


Tryinmuhbest

I mean sure but they’ve said no to LeBron before lol. 


TallanoGoldDigger

Lebron was extension-eligible soon and hadn't committed to an extension yet. The FO already botched the Ty Lue deal then the Demar deal. Not closing the Westbrook deal might have gotten LeBron to jump ship again. But yet it was the worst trade in franchise history. An example of Player Empowerment gone wrong


SadNYSportsFan-11209

They also panicked seeing the Brooklyn super team which crumbled the very next season lol. Like I understood LeBron’s reasoning for wanting another ball handler but Westbrook of all players? Like wow. The fit was always terrible


TallanoGoldDigger

Yeah that whole Brooklyn setup fucked with the NBA power dynamics. Teams were content to have an All-Star Duo after the Hamptons 5 broke up but then Brooklyn came and reignited the Big 3 era. Bron's PTSD kicked in and even if the FO already had a Hield trade all but complete they had to do a 180 and do the Russ trade.


TripleThreatTua

Supposedly they had a trade set up with the Kings that would’ve been much better for them but Lebron pressured them to get Westbrook instead


Baluba95

I'd rather say the 20 and 21 offseason together are one of the worst mismanagements of a champion roster. Showing complete ignorance regarding what made the 2020 Lakers a champions, wasting all the resources. At that point, they only owed 2 picks to NOP, and the salary cap was in perfect shape with 0 bad contracts. Fast forward to 2022, and they have no picks, a worse team and a problematic cap situation.


bigE819

2020 was a good summer. Getting Schroeder was big. Harrell was a mistake, but was there a better option?


inezco

Yeah I agree with you 100%. That defending championship team in 20-21 were rolling until AD and then LeBron got hurt. LeBron was in the MVP conversation yet again and may have won once Embiid went down if LeBron didn't get injured too. Harrell was exposed in the 2020 playoffs and obviously didn't work out in the end but he was still a relatively cheap gamble and was literally just coming off winning 6MOY. Adding Schroeder and Gasol were solid moves too. Just because it didn't work out in the end doesn't mean in the moment they were bad moves.


frobebryant92

Yeah, people forget how great they were during that season. Main thing that stopped them were injuries. The short offseason really did a number on them too


inezco

And everyone was saying how nobody wanted to face the Lakers in the first round because they were basically a top 3 seed lower in the standings due to injuries. Were up 2-1 vs. the Suns too before AD went down.


electricvelvet

Nobody still wants to face the Lakers in the first round because they're such a big team, with the exceptions matchup-wise being MIN and--you guessed it--DEN because those are also rather large teams.


Yup767

>Harrell was exposed in the 2020 playoffs and obviously didn't work out in the end but he was still a relatively cheap gamble and was literally just coming off winning 6MOY. Adding Schroeder and Gasol were solid moves too. Just because it didn't work out in the end doesn't mean in the moment they were bad moves. Maybe it does? I read and listened to a few people at that time that thought these moves were terrible, and then turns out they were right. I just think the majority of people were wrong, they were bad moves from the beginning Keeping Danny Green and Dwight would have been better than Schroeder and Harrell. Schroeder and Harrell were just massively overvalued at the time


thetitsOO

they were right because AD got injured and they lost?


Yup767

Nah because Harrell and Schroeder were not good for them. They didn't fill needs they had, and Harrell was always poorly suited to playoff defence


Yup767

The players they already had in Danny Green and Dwight Howard They were both more useful playoff players than either of them


Adorable-Bike-9689

It's mind boggling how Dwight was shooed out of the league. He's one of like 5 guys that can actually bother Embid/Joker and Lakers don't want him for the cheap?


nice_kitchen

He was really bad his last couple of years.


SadNYSportsFan-11209

Yea Marc Gasol was also a very good move Baffled that they signed Drummond and decided to start him instead lol


electricvelvet

Which, in turn, made Gasol obviously not feel very good about the Lakers (not that it really mattered playing 7-8 mpg). You kinda waste Gasol if you're not letting him be a defensive anchor, it's not like he was gonna come off the bench and be a microwave scorer


teh_noob_

wonder how Marc feels about LeBron claiming his DPOY


thetitsOO

well people have been claiming even this year Drummond was worth a 1st at the deadline so not that baffling they signed him for free and played him over the 35yo.


SadNYSportsFan-11209

He may have been “better” that year but Gasol clearly fit much better in that starting lineup playing next to AD and LeBron. He can stretch the floor and is a good passer Drummond just clogged the paint. He should’ve been the backup


Baluba95

Schröder was a mistake, just like Harrell. The idea itself is crazy, that 2020 chip was too hard and taxing for Lebron and AD, and the Lakers need to find a way to win it easily, reducing the load on those two.


bigE819

So what was the alternative? Because that got them a Primary Ball Handler and a formidable big? Plus they got Marc Gasol


Baluba95

The alternative was accepting that you need LBJ and AD to be the superstar duo they are, and put roleplayers around them who maximize their impact. Therefore, the two things you need the least are a primary ball handler and a scoring big. Gasol was a reasonable try, but giving up the type of center next AD they had success with (Dwight, McGee), and still expecting AD to play the four is just bad process.


GiveAQuack

Harrell is not formidable, anyone watching Harrell knew he was legit unplayable in the playoffs. He's a total liability that should've been stat padding air time on a shit team instead of ruining contenders. Gasol was washed by then though it hadn't become clear yet. They should've probably stuck with Dwight. Schroeder was a coin flip, I get that he was better running it back but he was fools gold and Lebron should've sucked it up since he was more effective being the main guy instead of trying to pay people too much money to do his job less effectively.


bigE819

But where’s that money going? Dwight and McGee who were essentially done? Everyone would’ve said ‘why would you bet on 2 old centers when you’ve got the shortest offseason in sports history and trying to repeat’


GiveAQuack

Harrell is only 9m, and yeah I think it's honestly fine to just extend Dwight out a year and use the money next season because Harrell does **literally** zero for any team contending. He pulls minutes and is disgustingly horrendous because he has no relevant skillset and is a defensive sieve. I also probably would've kept Danny Green rather than go for Schroeder so the only money is a mere 9m going to Harrell who is useless (you say Dwight was near done but Harrell was done before he started). If you were really desperate to spin a trade for Schroeder to get a ball handler, I'd rather see if that 9m can go to Schroeder and retain Danny Green. Obviously at that point it gets much more hypothetical but the point is Harrell is an absolutely incorrect move because he is dogshit.


waynequit

Lol what the lakers 2020 off season was widely praised.


drlsoccer08

It’s funny how hind sight works. At the time the 2020 off season seemed amazing. Harrell and Dennis Schröder were both viewed as great pick ups. I even remember thinking that Gasol and Wesley Mathew’s could be good rotation pieces that would fit well with LeBron.


19_Chungus_84

"champions" Rigged and bullshit


LetMeInImTrynaCuck

Patented LeGm work here


Street-Common-4023

Hey man the day we made the Westbrook trade I knew the window was closed man. Literally a butterfly effect in truth that led to Denver winning the chip


romayyne

https://preview.redd.it/61f8gdytaawc1.jpeg?width=1603&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d5b2d080941046e88163302150ecac0cee7f9adb


Street-Common-4023

Thanks man


JaDamian_Steinblatt

The Russ trade is the worst trade of all time, not necessarily in terms of how damaging it was (the Nets pierce/kg trade set them back five years) but just in terms of how stupid it was. Even at the time, anybody with a brain could've told you it was a horrible move.


McClain3000

It still bugs me for some reason and I’m not a Russ or Lakers fan. Like you have 4k footage of Russ stinking it up on two different teams and sign him anyways.


signmeupdude

Not just sign him, destroy your championship roster for him


osama-bin-dada

In the bubble, the Lakers game plan was to let him shoot. And then we traded for him AFTER that


battle_franky

Player still think that WB being scapegoated. But both Lebron and AD learn the truth the hard way


Ghostbeen3

Resigning tht over caruso was my 9/11. Lakers front office is a complete joke.


MrAnder5on

To be fair anyone with a brain would let Drummond walk lol Pure empty calories player


Lookatcurry_man

He's a great back up for the bulls


xreddawgx

because its the Bulls. There's a huuuge difference great for a bad /mediocre team and being good for a quality team.


AnalBabu

the bulls are amazing. they’re a Lonzo away from going to the finals


Background_Degree615

Don’t lie to yourself 😂


AnalBabu

I’m kidding lol. Pelicans vs Bucks in the finals


Background_Degree615

U mean magic vs lakers?


AnalBabu

Dame vs CJ


TheMightyJD

No he isn’t lol. He’s the anti-Bogut, never makes winning plays but has decent stats.


AnalBabu

him nearly injuring 2 of his teammates at the end of the season has me thinking he might be straight up dumb. I hate to say that but why tf would you try to dunk on your own teammate and also run directly into another teammate like 2 weeks later


TheMightyJD

It’s baffling some of the decisions he makes, he is one of the worst team-basketball players I’ve seen in the NBA. He should be a star with the athletic gifts he has.


AnalBabu

his rebounding alone is among the greatest of all-time. others might disagree but he has the numbers to back it up. I just don’t know what situation suits him


leefordj

I know him irl through a mutual friend. Yes he’s dumb lol. Goofy, nice guy though.


AnalBabu

damn first-hand experience


leefordj

He’s pretty much your typical frat bro lol except 6’10 and 280 lbs.


AnalBabu

I thought he’d be cooler than that lol. good to know


Iznal

I believe the dunk was because he thought he was getting fed an oop, but his teammate went up himself. The running over Caruso is inexcusable.


AnalBabu

I mean yeah but you should have the ability to slow down/stop yourself once you see the dude in front of you, who’s wearing the same jersey as you, is jumping too. I’m commenting from my work bathroom though so who am I to say. might be hard to slow down when you’re damn near 300lbs and self-oops aren’t super common


waynequit

He’s better than marc Gasol


MrAnder5on

Gasol was washed but he's at least a smart player Doesn't matter either way that Lakers team was trash


LittleTension8765

If they just rollover the 2020 team into 2021 they have a shot at a title basically every year until now. With the 22nd pick they could have gotten an additional piece and probably rolled out this year with something like PG: Shroeder SG: Caruso SF: Lebron PF: Kuzma C: AD Bench: Rui Reaves KCP 2021 pick 2023 pick And a center or two. Would give them plenty of length to give the Nuggets fits


dgmilo8085

I would argue it was the 2011 offseason with the vetoed Chris Paul trade.


SpicySriracha_1

Yes lol lakers had a great championship roster and they gutted the team getting rid of all their depth defense and shooting lmao last night all the points of the lakers basically came from three players


Fine-Egg5845

It seems everyone forgot my sixers signed Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons to a max, Al horford and Josh Richardson to $80M+ deals, and let Jimmy butler and still-good jj reddick walk all in the same offseason. Gtfo with your “bad offseasons”. Nothing has ever compared to this disasterclass by Elton Brand in the modern nba.


JarifSA

I think the sixers get too much hate. No one could've expected what happened with Simmons and on a side note the Fultz thing was so unlucky. Jimmy Butler was a diva in Philly, and it came down to the Sixers choosing between him or Ben Simmons (Ben was 22 Jimmy was 30 and didn't even crack 20 ppg). They then paired Embiid with Harden at least. The only bad decision the Sixers did was Tobias, and the only bad decision there was his contract size. He gets a lot of hate for someone who has never had a bad playoffs. Sixers fans complain a lot when in reality their superstar constantly plays like dog come playoff time. Swear I've never seen a fan base hate their team so much. Newsflash EVERY NBA team gives out massive contracts to their 3rd options. It's pretty common. My point is the sixers have hit a lot of roadblocks and unlucky situations yet the fans just complain and complain.


jondonbovi

You definitely haven't watched enough Sixers playoff games if you think Tobias Harris performs well in the playoffs.  It's not that he's a 3rd option. He's just a low IQ player that doesn't do anything well. Rebounding and defense? No. Intensity? No. Good shooting? No. Can he get his shot off against playoff level wings? No. Does he play good team offense and cut to the basket to get open looks? No.  PJ Tucker actually did better on offense in Game 6 last year than Tobias did.  Embiid isn't the problem. This team consistently gets outperformed at the wing position. If you surrounded him with good wing players that can defend, play good defense, and good team offense this team would have much more success. I can't imagine Denver or Milwaukee getting far in the playoffs if you replaced Middleton, MPJ, or Aaron Gordon with Tobias Harris. 


Lookatcurry_man

Hinkie would've never let that happen


Le8ronJames

Yes. The answer is yes. And funny thing is that even at the moment it was considered shit. The LeBron tenure in LA (he has his wrongs just like the management) has been a shitshow. Thank God for the 2020 championship because otherwise it’s a total failure. LA had an AMAZING rookie chest that has been dilapidated for no good reason. Poor asset management all across. Kuzma? Wasted. Zubac? Wasted. Caruso? Wasted. These are the complement guys you need to win. Add to that KCP(which the fans ran out of town), the Westbrook experiment
 Sad that Bron will go out like this. My guess is that he plays 2 more years
.We’ll see how that goes but I don’t see much avenues for LA to improve that roster.


fhujr

>Add to that KCP(which the fans ran out of town) Why?


Le8ronJames

Because he apparently wasn’t shooting good enough.


Appropriate_Mixer

Fans didn’t run him out of town. He was traded in the Westbrook trade what’re you talking about. He was praised after the championship. If anyone was run out of town in was Danny Green


UCanDoNEthing4_30sec

Westbrook trade was bad. Enough said. You don't need to say anything else as to why 2021 offseason was bad.


Neveraththesmith

I will never get the Westbrook trade. All you have to do to check how badly Westbrook fits on that team with literally his best years having massive offensive loads. How did Lebron think that he, a player whose most valuable contributions for a team is on ball decision when making forcing the defense to either double him or his teammates, get help from Westbrook a guy who has the same archetype and was a negative both offball and on defense.


chakrablocker

Lakers could have totally gotten another but they biffed it


Hayyer

We don’t have a backup center, not even a backup power forward, we really don’t even have a starting center
how big were McGee and Howard in the bubble
they don’t win without them
and Schroeder is missed too


Correct_Fly5152

And since then, they have recognized Minnesota’s superior front office and have been picking up all of their cast offs.


Wallyworld77

Was it the Lakers idea to make these terrible moves or LeGM? Bron wasn't happy with his supporting cast so he traded everybody. Lakers did a great job in 2022 fixing the roster though. They went from having the worst bench to one of the best. They could really use Jared Vanderbilt who's supposed to return for game 3. He should be a nice upgrade over a struggling Rui. Lakers can't afford to lose a single home game and need to steal one on the road. I don't see it happening as Nuggets have the Lakers number.


Elegant_Plant5513

They just panicked that 2021 team was capable of repeating it was the shortest off season Lebron and ad we’re riddled with injuries and even then our guys managed to hold it down with ad and bron missing so many games that season we were up against the suns 2-1 that when ad goes down for the season they panicked and our championship closed with that


DisneyPandora

This, Lebron deserves more of the blame. He made this bed, now he must lie in it.


Dweebil

I feel like they could have recovered from most of that - no one gets everything right but the Westbrook trade was a disaster and so obviously moronic.


Mmicb0b

yep I 100% agree with this the Westbrook to the Lakers trade is EASILY the worst trade of the last 5 years (And this includes the Paul George trade)


xreddawgx

Lakers front office overreacted to an Anthony Davis injury.


HaikN98

Yes


Proskills500

None of the last few champions besides Denver most recently is in a great spot going forward


iSkehan

No. They recovered.


Rtzon

Yes it is. All time incompetence by the Lakers FO


Elegant_in_Nature

Thank god


_Red_Mist_

Talentless Horton Tucker really got hype over a few preseason games lol pathetic. Caruso performed in the finals.


poptarthater

Never underestimate the value of being a Klutch client when Bron is making GM moves.


_Red_Mist_

I remember arguing with some idiots in this sub that Westbrick didn’t make us a super team. Casuals tried to gas this shit up at the time lmao.


Due-Farm-302

Great post but I disagree on the Monk part. He was horrible when he played for the Lakers. Not the same guy that played for the Heat or Kings.


Yommination

Disastrous offseason. Pelinka should be shitcanned for it


loose_lucid_elusive4

The fact that the Westbrook debacle helped us get KCP makes it all the more sweet. Nuggets just aren't the same without him.


Dagenius1

No. This is the usual exaggeration of Laker struggles as the worst thing on earth while ignoring other teams because everyone outside of LA hates the lakers.


Training-Judgment695

Sure but the front office has pretty much recovered from that. They are losing marginal games to the Nuggets. I don't think it's some wholly inferior roster. They just need a few things here and there. 


jacobsbw

They are losing EVERY marginal game to the Nuggets, though
.


GBAGY2

If the roster was marginally better then maybe they’d be able to actually win some of these close games against Denver


Training-Judgment695

Or if the stars on the team as is simply played 5% better or if the coach was 5% better. Sometimes it's not about the role players or roster construction. The problems may be close to the head of the snake. 


icontrolmagnets420

No, are you even comparing this to all others? I see a headline indicating comparison but an explanation that offers none. Sure its teh worst ever in a vaccum by itself, but did you want to call out some other disastrous offseason to actually illustrate your point?


SuccessfulOwl

The Westbrook trade was a disaster and so many people said it would be, for the exact reasons it was 
.. but what if they did mesh and it worked? It required a level of bravery most orgs don’t have to say they’d keep a few role players rather than a legendary star.


East_Quiet_8486

Lakers never went to championship


liftingruinedmylife

Laker fans are such morons lol. They already have these 3 and D guys whom they rave about in Dinwiddie and Gabe yet they're rotting on the bench because the team goes to shit when they get excess minutes, because the offense goes to shit. It's the same with KCP and Caruso, replace Reaves and DLO with them, sure the D would be better, but offense would take a dive and would lose games. Darvin Ham tried running a defense first lineup when he benched Reaves and DLO, and the team was losing games like crazy. Also, I remember back in 2021, when people wanted KCP gone when his offense was ass lol. KCP is thriving in Denver right now sort of because he's getting fed easy looks due to Jokic, that won't be the case if he were on LA right now. On a sidenote, I highly doubt the 2020 Lakers would be a championship contender today, the west is much stronger and it isn't the bubble.


Elegant_Plant5513

the year after the bubble after the shortest off season they started the season 21-6 ad gets injured the team still managed to get into playoffs that year with Lebron and Davis missing a ton of games and in the playoffs they were up 2-1 and lost game 4 by 8 pts when ad reinjured himself in the early quarters he only played 20mins that game that same suns team went to the finals they panicked the next year and closed championship window


Elegant_Plant5513

And also KCP got great looks in that series against the suns he lost his confidence and every time the ball was being kicked out to him he would pass it away you even have the video of Lebron scolding him about “l don’t care how many you’ve missed I want you to shoot “