Lakers already in mid-season form.

[AusPel]

It's only pre-season and we all know that means we can't just extrapolate things one to one into the regular season but based on what we've seen, Lakers fans cannot be too happy right now.

1-5 in preseason. Those 5 losses include a 47 point loss to the Kings, a 30 point loss to the Kings, and a 16 point loss to the Wolves.

Westbrook might be injured, and even if he's not, the atmosphere surrounding him - particularly him and Pat Bev - seems to be toxic.

AD spent the entire summer talking about being focused on playing all 82 games for the first time in his career and he sat out for about half the preseason games with various ailments.

Lebron, as great as he is, turns 38 in two months.

Their roster, while I don't think it's quite as bad as some people do, is hardly a picture of excellence.

If everything goes right for them - that is, if Westbrook's situation is sorted and they can either move him for something good (lol) or get him to play effective benchwarmer minutes, Lebron doesn't drop off the cliff, the depth on the roster all pans out, and AD can hold his limbs together for more than about 55 games - then yeah, it's a playoff team. I don't think it's a home court playoff team, but it's got 40-45 wins there.

If anything goes wrong, I could see them being a lottery team fairly easily. AD goes down and plays 25 games, lottery team. Lebron finally hits the wall, lottery team. Westbrook remains on the team toxifying the atmosphere until all-star break at least, lottery team.

Rough year.

Amen brother

Pun intended

[Pelicanidae]

Lakers say center Thomas Bryant underwent surgery on his left thumb and will be re-evaluated in three weeks.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 18, 2022

It continues

[Chris]

Westbrook still in rare form against the Warriors tonight.

[Pelicanidae]

You know your depth is tanked when you're legitimately relying on Wenyen Gabriel minutes.

I say this as a fan of a team that once played Wenyen Gabriel 12 minutes a game for a quarter of a seaon.

[Spec3333]

The Lakers bench is trash. Unless Lebron and AD both play over 70 games this year (I?d bet against it), we will be getting a lottery pick from the Lakers in 2023.

[Pelicanidae]

It is so funny watching Pat Bev. He just thinks he's so much more impactful than he is

[PleaseWinPels]

It is so funny watching Pat Bev. He just thinks he's so much more impactful than he is

Are we about to get another lottery pick from the Lakers?

[AusPel]

My prediction is Pelinka caves and trades 2 unprotected 1sts by the deadline

[RobertM320]

LeBron and AD combine for 58 points, and the Lakers lose by double digits. Gonna be a long year for them.

[PleaseWinPels]

My prediction is Pelinka caves and trades 2 unprotected 1sts by the deadline

Really, really hope that doesn't happen.

The Lakers ******** their own bed, please force them to lay in it.

[MichaelMcNamara]

The other keys are Portland and Sacto. Really want/need them to be good and just crush the Lakers dreams of even getting a play in. Utah winning with scrappy vets would be the dream scenario and maybe Houston is a year or two ahead of schedule. That’s best case scenario- Lakers finish 13th in West. I don’t see any world they are worse than SA or OKC

[Pelicanidae]

Are we about to get another lottery pick from the Lakers?

I think it's very possible.

[Eyquem]

Lakers 0-2, Lebron plays 37 minutes (most of any player on either team), & Westbrook's 0-11.

[AusPel]

The best schadenfreude ever

[MichaelMcNamara]

Westbrook gonna go down as one of the three most important players in Pelicans franchise history

[Sovereign]

Westbrook gonna go down as one of the three most important players in Pelicans franchise history

Westbrook gets his jersey retired in the Smoothie King Center in the unlikely scenario he secures us Wembanyama

[DroopyDawg]

My prediction is Pelinka caves and trades 2 unprotected 1sts by the deadline

The deadline? I give him 2 weeks!

[Conroy]

This Lakers pick is very enticing right now. Is there a vet out there you would trade it for and forgo the opportunity of it turning into Wemby or Scoot? It's been stated it would be very unlikely they'll be worse than SA, OKC, or likely Indiana and Utah. So let's just say they finish with 5th best odds that would be a 21% chance at a top 2 pick. I'm trying to take roster construction, morale etc...into consideration. Would we do it for SGA? That would almost guarantee OKC a top 2 pick.

edit: trade machine tells me SGA can't be traded until June 2023

[pelafanatic]

This Lakers pick is very enticing right now. Is there a vet out there you would trade it for and forgo the opportunity of it turning into Wemby or Scoot? It's been stated it would be very unlikely they'll be worse than SA, OKC, or likely Indiana and Utah. So let's just say they finish with 5th best odds that would be a 21% chance at a top 2 pick. I'm trying to take roster construction, morale etc...into consideration. Would we do it for SGA? That would almost guarantee OKC a top 2 pick.

edit: trade machine tells me SGA can't be traded until June 2023

A top 5 pick on a rookie deal is worth way more to this team than adding another player that needs touches and a starting spot imo. Pels really are set up for "sustainable success" if we continue to remain patient and draft well

[Upper Decker]

The best schadenfreude ever

Agreed.

We all joke about getting Wemby with the Lakers pick swap, but boy, if that were to actually happen.....my smile would be the size of California!

Bill Simmons' (yes, I know) theory is that LeBron is gonna realize that this team sucks and decide to just pat his scoring stats without care for wins or losses. That would be delicious.

QUESTION: Can a pick swap be traded?

[pelafanatic]

QUESTION: Can a pick swap be traded?

We can trade the pick, essentially trading the swap. Not sure if you can actually trade the right to swap or not

[Upper Decker]

We can trade the pick, essentially trading the swap. Not sure if you can actually trade the right to swap or not

Ah-ha. That makes sense. Thanks.

[Eyquem]

No other coach has been able to stop Westbrook from taking ill-advised threes in his career, so I wonder if Darvin Ham had a thought early on that he might somehow become the first. Ham's saying all the right things, but Westbrook is still Westbrook... for him to be launching 6 threes in this game is unfathomably bad decision making. Austin Reaves and Lonnie Walker are mediocre three pt shooters, but both still have better career percentages than Russ, as do Gabriel, Nunn, Toscano-Anderson, and Beverley. Him shooting a three is literally what the opposing team is hoping for every possession. Russ might as well be orchestrating pick and rolls on purpose to get the opposing teams' best defender on him, just to show that he isn't afraid of a challenge...

[Pelicanidae]

No other coach has been able to stop Westbrook from taking ill-advised threes in his career, so I wonder if Darvin Ham had a thought early on that he might somehow become the first. Ham's saying all the right things, but Westbrook is still Westbrook... for him to be launching 6 threes in this game is unfathomably bad decision making. Austin Reaves and Lonnie Walker are mediocre three pt shooters, but both still have better career percentages than Russ, as do Gabriel, Nunn, Toscano-Anderson, and Beverley. Him shooting a three is literally what the opposing team is hoping for every possession. Russ might as well be orchestrating pick and rolls on purpose to get the opposing teams' best defender on him, just to show that he isn't afraid of a challenge...

There was a play in the first LA game where Russ caught the ball with *both feet* in the paint and a tilted defender in front of him and he literally turned around and dribble out to shoot a corner 3 and it was some of the funniest and and stupidest basketball I've ever seen.

[luigi modelo]

Westbrook gonna go down as one of the three most important players in Pelicans franchise history

For real!