NBA 2K13: Why did the Lakers disappoint?

[Eaglerock562]

They are going to be restricted very heavily due to their cap situation, but they aren't the only team in that situation. Miami is in the same boat and as you can see they can only offer minimum contracts at best, so free agents wanting to win a ring will be choosing between one of them. The Lakers and correct me if I'm wrong when they traded for Howard they did obtain his bird rights correct?


I'm sure that Jarrett Jack, Redick, Korver can get a bigger contract from a number of teams, but the question is what those teams look like in terms of competing for a championship. The Lakers for the most part aren't an old team as everyone tries to make them out to be. Other then Nash and Kobe no other Laker is over 35 and I'm not including Jamison since his contract is up July 1st.

[Melbournelad]

Quote: Originally Posted by Eaglerock562

They are going to be restricted very heavily due to their cap situation, but they aren't the only team in that situation. Miami is in the same boat and as you can see they can only offer minimum contracts at best, so free agents wanting to win a ring will be choosing between one of them. The Lakers and correct me if I'm wrong when they traded for Howard they did obtain his bird rights correct? I'm sure that Jarrett Jack, Redick, Korver can get a bigger contract from a number of teams, but the question is what those teams look like in terms of competing for a championship. The Lakers for the most part aren't an old team as everyone tries to make them out to be. Other then Nash and Kobe no other Laker is over 35 and I'm not including Jamison since his contract is up July 1st.

I agree jack and reddick would likely take a paycut to play for a contender, but not to the point where they are only making 1-2 million. Put yourself in their shoes, would you take 1 mil or even the vets min on a contender, or receive 6-7 million on a team with room? Keep in mind this will likely be these two players last major contract.

[Eaglerock562]

Oh I agree with you, they would obviously be sacrificing a ton of money especially when playing for a contender isn't a guarantee that you are getting a ring, rather it's just a better chance to, but I agree with you, Redick made $6.6 million this year I believe, for him to play for the Lakers would mean a huge sacrifice on his part, but I would think if a player is relatively young enough still in his career that he might take less money and sign for a year with a chance to win a ring and then the next season take the bigger and longer contract offers, but the pattern usually goes, you go after the money first and then after your big contract on the back end of your career you sign where the chance to win a ring is the greatest.


It's a tough spot for the Lakers to be in as a franchise because I have no doubt that a Redick, Jack, or Korver on this team, coming off the bench and the bench being used with D'Antoni's system would be the right fit. As in regards to the starting five, D'Antoni needs to not bother them at all and not try to mold them into his philosophy, let those five, who are veterans and understand and know the game and what they can do, let Nash be the coach of that starting unit and D'Antoni take the bench players and mold them with is offensive philosophy.


It would benefit the Lakers to sign a few players that are combo players that can play the 2 or 3 spot and are athletic, they can defend, and they can shoot, because having two of those types on your bench would allow Kobe to not have to shoulder so many roles and responsibilities game to game.


Having a few of those players coming off your bench would mean you don't have to resort to Kobe guarding the other teams best guard or best player, it would more then likely relieve Kobe of playing the number of minutes that he has been logging the past 2 years and D'Antoni has to grow some balls and tell Kobe that he isn't going to be playing 38-48 minutes a game. And Kobe has to understand that it's not trying to control him, but it's a way to extend him health wise over the course of a season and quite possibly by telling him he's gonna be playing 30-32 minutes a game, you might prolong his career by another year or so.


I have no doubt in my mind that Kobe has strong minded as he is, he's going to return from his achilles injury and he's not going to look any different. If anything, he might be better because the one thing I know that Kobe will focus on is to adjust his game due to this injury. That's what guys like Jordan and Kobe do at the latter part of their careers. They know they aren't going to be flying out of the gym, they know that they aren't going to be as quick, but mentally they grow stronger, and Kobe I am positive from a mental standpoint is going to decimate the opponent just by being smarter because the other teams in the league, the one thing they can't predict or game plan against is how to defend and how to play Kobe when he comes back from the injury, it's going to take them at least a game or two playing the Lakers to make adjustments, but then that could very well be Kobe's mental advantage.


We all know though that everything is either going to fall in place or fall apart with Dwight's decision. Speaking of that, would anyone have an issue with Howard demanding that ESPN hold an hour long show titled "The Bigger Decision" in July? If LeB*tch could do it, why not Howard.

[Taer]

Quote: Originally Posted by Melbournelad

I agree jack and reddick would likely take a paycut to play for a contender, but not to the point where they are only making 1-2 million. Put yourself in their shoes, would you take 1 mil or even the vets min on a contender, or receive 6-7 million on a team with room? Keep in mind this will likely be these two players last major contract.

I have a strong belief that if the Lakers offer Redick a 3 million one year contract, he'd take it. I also think the Lakers would be wise to do so.

The reason I think Redick would go for this is because of how his break-out season with the Magic was somewhat stunted by the trade to Milwaukee. If Redick can have another season like he showed in Orlando, I think it would really help him land a much bigger deal the year after and I think that with the strong free agent class of that year (Melo, LBJ, etc) he would be able to land a big contract as a "second" option if he so desired to take this course of action.

Perhaps this is just wistful thinking on my part, but I do see it as a possibility.

[tommsalmond]

I dont think that Reddick, Korver, Jack etc will take the money that the Lakers will offer. They're are too many other teams looking for shooting (Denver, Indiana, Houston, Memphis, Chicago) that can offer a safer title challenge (Kobe injured, Dwight fiasco, Gasol being dangled, Nash underpeforming) but pay better. Lakers probabally just need to regroup and try again with the same cast.

[kmiree16]

Injuries were the biggest problem for them. What everyone was expecting to be the starting lineup at the beginning of the season didn't get to play much together at all. Add that in with an abrupt coaching change (to a coach that didn't fit them well at all) and things took a turn for the worse. Honestly, next to the Timberwolves, they were the most injury riddled team heading into the postseason. It took a momumental effort from Kobe, a late season resurgence of Pau Gasol and Steve Blake playing totally out of character for the Lakers to even make the playoffs.

[Eaglerock562]

To me this is the most amazing stat this season. The all-star studded starting five over the course of the 82 game season started a grand total of just....7 games together. In those 7 games the Lakers were (0-7). They were 17-10 with the starting lineup of (Bryant, Nash, Clark, World Peace and Howard).


That statistic of the starting five all-stars record is astonishing. I don't think anyone would believe that if they go and look at the Lakers record by starting lineup for the season, but 0-7, and count that with the pre-season in which I think they played 3 games together, they were 0-10. How do you not win at least one game with that starting lineup? That is a statistic that Lakers management might need to look at.

[Melbournelad]

Quote: Originally Posted by Taer

I have a strong belief that if the Lakers offer Redick a 3 million one year contract, he'd take it. I also think the Lakers would be wise to do so. The reason I think Redick would go for this is because of how his break-out season with the Magic was somewhat stunted by the trade to Milwaukee. If Redick can have another season like he showed in Orlando, I think it would really help him land a much bigger deal the year after and I think that with the strong free agent class of that year (Melo, LBJ, etc) he would be able to land a big contract as a "second" option if he so desired to take this course of action. Perhaps this is just wistful thinking on my part, but I do see it as a possibility.

But do we have 3 million? I have a feeling we are really close to the hard cap limit. Unless we amnestied someone like Metta.