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2021 NBA Offseason Thread

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Yeah, looks like he is really hurting. Might be out the rest of the season. :chuckle: Love these dumb load management games. I just wonder if the NBA will fine the Lakers like they did with the Timberwolves. The only difference is that the Lakers are better at hiding it. It's the same thing though.

http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=28798126

Considering the Lakers could go 5-20 for the rest of the season and still win 50 games and have a solid playoff slot, they probably should sit him and AD out for a lot of the next six weeks so they can be fully charged for a playoff run. NBA regular season is so dumb, especially toward the end.
 
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Porzingis starting to really get it going here late.

I think both Dallas and OKC can win their 1st round series against whateveer team they get. Dallas in particular is a dangerous team with a good Porzingis.
 
If the Pelicans make the playoffs then I have to imagine LeBron, AD, or Dwight will be guarding Zion at all times. Zion is destroying Kuzma and it actually hurts to watch.
 
lakers need to root for memphis. new orleans will be an issue.

Zion is a great but the Lakers have enough big bodies to throw at him that they don't have to double.
Plus they got no big wing defenders to throw at Lebron. It's hush hush but Ingram despite his offensive game is a turnstile on defense (unlike Tatum who is definitely a two way player). It going to be a problem for them if they end up paying big money for him and then still have no solid defenders with size to put around Zion

It's only the Clippers and oddly enough a lot of the East teams which will cause the Lakers problems (big wings with length ala Kawhii, PG, Giannis, Tatum/Brown, Simmons/Harris, etc.).
 
Zion is a great but the Lakers have enough big bodies to throw at him that they don't have to double.
Plus they got no big wing defenders to throw at Lebron. It's hush hush but Ingram despite his offensive game is a turnstile on defense (unlike Tatum who is definitely a two way player). It going to be a problem for them if they end up paying big money for him and then still have no solid defenders with size to put around Zion

It's only the Clippers and oddly enough a lot of the East teams which will cause the Lakers problems (big wings with length ala Kawhii, PG, Giannis, Tatum/Brown, Simmons/Harris, etc.).

Thats not true. Ingram isn't a turn style defender. His issue is that he is light in the ass and physical players and strong players (such as lebron) give him issue on the offensive and defensive end. If they are not physical he can actually give them that work. He is one of the few young players that gives donic fits on the defensive end because of his length and lateral quickness. Look no further than than their match up the last two years. (He also eats donic up offensively but that ain't saying much since Donic is hidden on Defense like Dallas did with dirk for 20 years).
 
Zion is a great but the Lakers have enough big bodies to throw at him that they don't have to double.
Plus they got no big wing defenders to throw at Lebron. It's hush hush but Ingram despite his offensive game is a turnstile on defense (unlike Tatum who is definitely a two way player). It going to be a problem for them if they end up paying big money for him and then still have no solid defenders with size to put around Zion

It's only the Clippers and oddly enough a lot of the East teams which will cause the Lakers problems (big wings with length ala Kawhii, PG, Giannis, Tatum/Brown, Simmons/Harris, etc.).

This is spot on. Teams like the Mavs, Thunder, Pelicans, and Nuggets have no shot against the Lakers because they have nobody who can even remotely bother LeBron. The Clippers are the only Western team that an argument can be made should be favored over the Lakers. They have an army of elite defenders to throw at LeBron and on the other end the Lakers have nobody except maybe AD to guard Kawhi. Aside from the Clippers, the only other Western Conference team that has a chance against the Lakers in a series is the Rockets simply because they are going to take and make a lot more threes than the Lakers. Though I'm still skeptical that the Rockets approach is going to work over a seven game series when the Lakers are going to pound them on the glass. As things look to be shaping up now though, the Nuggets seem likely to fall to the four seed meaning the Lakers would only have to face one of the Clippers and Rockets.
 
This is spot on. Teams like the Mavs, Thunder, Pelicans, and Nuggets have no shot against the Lakers because they have nobody who can even remotely bother LeBron. The Clippers are the only Western team that an argument can be made should be favored over the Lakers. They have an army of elite defenders to throw at LeBron and on the other end the Lakers have nobody except maybe AD to guard Kawhi. Aside from the Clippers, the only other Western Conference team that has a chance against the Lakers in a series is the Rockets simply because they are going to take and make a lot more threes than the Lakers. Though I'm still skeptical that the Rockets approach is going to work over a seven game series when the Lakers are going to pound them on the glass. As things look to be shaping up now though, the Nuggets seem likely to fall to the four seed meaning the Lakers would only have to face one of the Clippers and Rockets.

Yeah I suspect Lebron is going to be "neutralized" i.e not that he's not going to be great but in the ECF and FInals he won't have this big chasm between him and the other wings.

It's really going to fall on AD: he's the one guy who should have a physical advantage against basically everybody but Giannis
 
Yeah I suspect Lebron is going to be "neutralized" i.e not that he's not going to be great but in the ECF and FInals he won't have this big chasm between him and the other wings.

It's really going to fall on AD: he's the one guy who should have a physical advantage against basically everybody but Giannis

I agree - AD is the guy that nobody in the West can match up with. LeBron will be LeBron but the Lakers will only win it all if AD is an offensive monster against the best teams. But I think his success will depend entirely on how many minutes he’s willing to play the five. Even though he can space the floor from the three point line and iso against fours when he is at the four with a traditional big, neither approach is playing to his strengths as a basketball player. He is one the greatest pick and roll finishers in NBA history. When he’s at the five with shooters around him, he becomes an absolute offensive weapon. With space around the rim he is an all world lob threat, he has great hands, he can hit floaters and pull ups, he can punish a small on a switch, he can pop out to give LeBron even more space, he can crash the glass, etc. And it’s not like the Lakers lose anything from a rim protection standpoint either. Recently the Lakers finally started using the LeBron-AD pick and rolls with AD at the five and predictably it has been unstoppable.

Aside from his unwillingness to play the five, the only real achilles heel in AD’s game is how he handles double teams. He makes absolutely terrible decisions and makes telegraphed passes. He also has ball security issues when a lot of long arms are surrounding him. I can totally see teams living with switching AD pick and rolls and just doubling him in the post, especially when he’s paired with another traditional big. He’s going to have to be better at handling those looks though I think more minutes at the five will help him with that too.
 
This is spot on. Teams like the Mavs, Thunder, Pelicans, and Nuggets have no shot against the Lakers because they have nobody who can even remotely bother LeBron. The Clippers are the only Western team that an argument can be made should be favored over the Lakers. They have an army of elite defenders to throw at LeBron and on the other end the Lakers have nobody except maybe AD to guard Kawhi. Aside from the Clippers, the only other Western Conference team that has a chance against the Lakers in a series is the Rockets simply because they are going to take and make a lot more threes than the Lakers. Though I'm still skeptical that the Rockets approach is going to work over a seven game series when the Lakers are going to pound them on the glass. As things look to be shaping up now though, the Nuggets seem likely to fall to the four seed meaning the Lakers would only have to face one of the Clippers and Rockets.
I really disagree with the Nuggets having no shot.

I think they match up really well with the Lakers.

It's unfortunate that one or both teams have been short-handed in all their matchups this season.
 
Honestly it is unclear to me whether AD will maximize his talent in the biggest moments. Unlike Lebron and Kawhi he is kind of untested at that level
 
I really disagree with the Nuggets having no shot.

I think they match up really well with the Lakers.

It's unfortunate that one or both teams have been short-handed in all their matchups this season.

I just don’t see it personally. They don’t have any wing with size to guard LeBron. I don’t think an inexperienced Michael Porter Jr. is going to be the answer either. LeBron can get wherever he wants on the court against them. On the other end, the Lakers have an army of defensive guards to throw at Murray in a playoff series. I know he went off on them in one of the games this year, but I think that he’s going to have really work against Bradley and Caruso on the ball, not to mention Green and KCP. The Lakers are also one of the only teams that can throw multiple capable defensive bigs against Jokic in AD and Dwight.

The way things are shaping up we will see this very series in early May. Barring injuries, I would predict Lakers in 5 or maximum 6 games.
 
Honestly it is unclear to me whether AD will maximize his talent in the biggest moments. Unlike Lebron and Kawhi he is kind of untested at that level

@ACisKING

AC basically wrote the book on him: he does not handle double teams in the post well or just double teams well. It's a problem he's going to have a mismatch and he doesn't always know how to handle it.

He often just go for the frankly soft maneuver of the fade away from the help defender when he almost certainly would get a chance for the foul call if he just powered thru into the space between the 2 defenders.
 
I just don’t see it personally. They don’t have any wing with size to guard LeBron. I don’t think an inexperienced Michael Porter Jr. is going to be the answer either. LeBron can get wherever he wants on the court against them. On the other end, the Lakers have an army of defensive guards to throw at Murray in a playoff series. I know he went off on them in one of the games this year, but I think that he’s going to have really work against Bradley and Caruso on the ball, not to mention Green and KCP. The Lakers are also one of the only teams that can throw multiple capable defensive bigs against Jokic in AD and Dwight.

The way things are shaping up we will see this very series in early May. Barring injuries, I would predict Lakers in 5 or maximum 6 games.
I honestly don't think the Lakers have any guards capable of checking Murray and I like the guys they can throw at LeBron whether it's Craig, Millsap, Harris, or Grant. There's not a team out there that is going to shut him down, but I see the Nuggets doing as well as anybody on that front.

On the other end, I don't see them stopping Jokic at all. AD would probably do fine, but the energy expended would limit his effectiveness offensively. And I just flat out don't believe Dwight Howard can stop Jokic to any extent.

Lakers should ultimately win having the best player on the floor, but it would be no cakewalk.
 
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