Lakers offseason 2023

[heezyo2o]

Bigs that played no defense recently with the Lakers, but could score. Harrell, T bryant...not sure who else. Even if they rebounded well, just really frustrating at times. Bamba didn't get much play because of his defense. So if Ham didn't play Bamba, I don't see him playing Bol Bol much either.

T bryant only got time with injuries. If the same thing happens with Woods, Woods would just be a distraction. You can find posts and videos of Woods just giving up on the Mavs later in the season due to lack of play.

[heezyo2o]

https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2023/3/2/23621252/the-christian-wood-situation-keeps-getting-messier

[zuju]

Max Christie vs Loonie Walker (Better defensively but no competition to Loonie in terms of scoring)
Anthony Davis vs Anthony Davis (Same barring injuries)
Rui Hachimura vs Rui Hachimura (Same or a little improvement ?)
Jaxson Hayes vs Mo Bamba (A least Hayes is healthy to play and provide 10-15 quality minutes?)
Jalen Hood-Schifino vs Shaquille Harrison (3rd string pg, wouldn't see much minutes anyway unless JHS shows promise from the get go)
LeBron James vs LeBron James (Declined further but healthier)
Maxwell Lewis vs Max Christie (Non factor at the bench)
Taurean Prince vs Wenyen Gabriel (Less toughness/ rebound/ protection in the paint, much better 3 point shooting)
Austin Reaves vs Austin Reaves (Same or a little improvement ?)
Cam Reddish vs Troy Brown Jr. (Don't know what to expect from Cam , less of a 3 point shooter than Brown )
D'Angelo Russell vs D'Angelo Russell (Expect the same Dlo)
Jarred Vanderbilt vs Jarred Vanderbilt (Same or a little improvement ?)
Gabe Vincent vs Dennis Schröder (Very Debatable)


Who vs Tristan Thompson
Who vs Malik Beasley


Do you think the lakers is better on paper this season or worse ?

Not enthused about the offseason.
Pros:
I'm happy with D'lo and Reaves' contracts.

Mid:
Taurean Prince had almost identical numbers to TBJ, so that's wash.
Bamba Vs Hayes is also a wash. I liked the potential of Bamba's 3 + rim protector, but it didn't materialize here.

Cons:
When you look up "Vet Minimum" in the dictionary, Vincent's picture is there. Why give him so much money? Negative asset from day 1.
On the court, he'll make Westbrick look like a reliable shooter off Lebron's passes. Decent defender, but (aside from the magical postseason run he just had), a net negative on the floor. Downgrade from Schroder, who could actually play point and get to the line.

Rui - Also got much more money than he's worth (again, disregarding the magical postseason run he just had). Career 7-8 man.

Lost Walker and Beasley, who were streaky, but could give you exceptional games.
Replaced with Cam Reddish (a 23 year old wing on his 4th team, shooting .322 from 3).

We're left with 3 rotation players who can reliably hit the three (D'lo, Reaves, Prince).

Good post! It’s rare to find a post in which I agree with every word of it. We’re in the minority by a substantial margin.

Pretty much agree with you here. Vincent was not consistently good throughout the season. He sucked for a stretch of games and came up with a good one. Then he exploded during the playoff run. We may complain more on him than praising him.Another concern would be if he is a product of the Miami system like Nunn. After all, his contract is very tradable if he really under perform.

Rui's contract is reasonable or a bit overpaid I think. He showed up after he was put in the fridge late in the season. Think we have found a way to utilize him. Hope he can keep it up rather than only a playoff magic run. Reaves's unexpected low cost contract compensate for this if you think its an overpaid one.

Wanted Loonie back for his microwave scoring ability and Bamba for his 3&D potential too. Bamba + Hayes would be a nice pair for AD.

[LAKESHOW]

Vincent vs Schroeder is going to be interesting. Personally I would side with length and defense. But I'm gonna side and give leeway to the front office, Vincent could pay off during the playoffs if he clutches up

[DanishLakerFan]

Max Christie vs Loonie Walker (Better defensively but no competition to Loonie in terms of scoring)
Anthony Davis vs Anthony Davis (Same barring injuries)
Rui Hachimura vs Rui Hachimura (Same or a little improvement ?)
Jaxson Hayes vs Mo Bamba (A least Hayes is healthy to play and provide 10-15 quality minutes?)
Jalen Hood-Schifino vs Shaquille Harrison (3rd string pg, wouldn't see much minutes anyway unless JHS shows promise from the get go)
LeBron James vs LeBron James (Declined further but healthier)
Maxwell Lewis vs Max Christie (Non factor at the bench)
Taurean Prince vs Wenyen Gabriel (Less toughness/ rebound/ protection in the paint, much better 3 point shooting)
Austin Reaves vs Austin Reaves (Same or a little improvement ?)
Cam Reddish vs Troy Brown Jr. (Don't know what to expect from Cam , less of a 3 point shooter than Brown )
D'Angelo Russell vs D'Angelo Russell (Expect the same Dlo)
Jarred Vanderbilt vs Jarred Vanderbilt (Same or a little improvement ?)
Gabe Vincent vs Dennis Schröder (Very Debatable)


Who vs Tristan Thompson
Who vs Malik Beasley

Max Christie vs Loonie Walker. Better defense+shooting+upside. Winner: 2023-24
Anthony Davis vs Anthony Davis. Team better equipped to handle injuries. Winner: 2023-24
LeBron James vs LeBron James. Slight decline, but team better equipped to handle injuries. Tie.
Rui Hachimura vs Rui Hachimura. Should improve based on age. Winner: 2023-24
Austin Reaves vs Austin Reaves. Should improve based on age. Winner: 2023-24
Jaxson Hayes vs Mo Bamba Bamba only played 10 mpg in 10 games. Winner: 2023-24.
Jalen Hood-Schifino vs Shaquille Harrison. JHS will play and have a role. Winner: 2023-24.
Maxwell Lewis vs Max Christie (Non factor at the bench). Tie.
Taurean Prince vs Wenyen Gabriel. Prince will shoot 3s. Winner: 2023-24.
Cam Reddish vs Troy Brown Jr. Tie.
D'Angelo Russell vs D'Angelo Russell. A full season w same team. More shooters. Winner: 2023-24.
Jarred Vanderbilt vs Jarred Vanderbilt. Tie.
Gabe Vincent vs Dennis Schröder. Maybe Gabe is better fit. Winner: 2023-24.

Across the board i’d say the 2023-24 Lakers are better than last year’s team.

[DanishLakerFan]

https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2023/3/2/23621252/the-christian-wood-situation-keeps-getting-messier

Heard a proposed deal with Vando to Dallas for sign-and-trade Wood on a lakers pod.

On the pod they said the Lakers wouldn’t consider it. I think they should. Wood has his flaws, but we have quite a bit of depth at the 3 and Wood would be able to slide in both at the 4 and the 5 as well as play alongside AD in certain lineups with his ability to stretch the floor a bit.

Make that move, then lock in Castleton as well to round out the roster.

[Doug_12]

Max Christie vs Loonie Walker (Better defensively but no competition to Loonie in terms of scoring)
Anthony Davis vs Anthony Davis (Same barring injuries)
Rui Hachimura vs Rui Hachimura (Same or a little improvement ?)
Jaxson Hayes vs Mo Bamba (A least Hayes is healthy to play and provide 10-15 quality minutes?)
Jalen Hood-Schifino vs Shaquille Harrison (3rd string pg, wouldn't see much minutes anyway unless JHS shows promise from the get go)
LeBron James vs LeBron James (Declined further but healthier)
Maxwell Lewis vs Max Christie (Non factor at the bench)
Taurean Prince vs Wenyen Gabriel (Less toughness/ rebound/ protection in the paint, much better 3 point shooting)
Austin Reaves vs Austin Reaves (Same or a little improvement ?)
Cam Reddish vs Troy Brown Jr. (Don't know what to expect from Cam , less of a 3 point shooter than Brown )
D'Angelo Russell vs D'Angelo Russell (Expect the same Dlo)
Jarred Vanderbilt vs Jarred Vanderbilt (Same or a little improvement ?)
Gabe Vincent vs Dennis Schröder (Very Debatable)


Who vs Tristan Thompson
Who vs Malik Beasley

Max Christie vs Loonie Walker. Better defense+shooting+upside. Winner: 2023-24
Anthony Davis vs Anthony Davis. Team better equipped to handle injuries. Winner: 2023-24
LeBron James vs LeBron James. Slight decline, but team better equipped to handle injuries. Tie.
Rui Hachimura vs Rui Hachimura. Should improve based on age. Winner: 2023-24
Austin Reaves vs Austin Reaves. Should improve based on age. Winner: 2023-24
Jaxson Hayes vs Mo Bamba Bamba only played 10 mpg in 10 games. Winner: 2023-24.
Jalen Hood-Schifino vs Shaquille Harrison. JHS will play and have a role. Winner: 2023-24.
Maxwell Lewis vs Max Christie (Non factor at the bench). Tie.
Taurean Prince vs Wenyen Gabriel. Prince will shoot 3s. Winner: 2023-24.
Cam Reddish vs Troy Brown Jr. Tie.
D'Angelo Russell vs D'Angelo Russell. A full season w same team. More shooters. Winner: 2023-24.
Jarred Vanderbilt vs Jarred Vanderbilt. Tie.
Gabe Vincent vs Dennis Schröder. Maybe Gabe is better fit. Winner: 2023-24.

Across the board i’d say the 2023-24 Lakers are better than last year’s team.

I'm not that optimistic. Impactwise:

Max Christie vs Lonnie Walker: Walker was a very good scorer for us last year - especially at the beginning of the year. Good scoring, shooting and somewhat decent D. Hard to beat by a 2nd rounder sophomore. Though Christie looked very promising both last year and in the SL, so it's not unreasonable to think he will have a similar or even better impact. Winner: unpredictable

Anthony Davis vs Anthony Davis. This roster seems to be a better fit for him, however he is one year older. Winner: Tie

LeBron James vs LeBron James. 1 year older at the sunset of his career. Winner: 22-23

Rui Hachimura vs Rui Hachimura. Established player. Hasn't shown anything that points us to expect a major development from him Winner: Tie

Austin Reaves vs Austin Reaves. Coming from a contract year after which usually a slight decline happens. He is still very young though w/ some untapped potential. Winner: Unpredictable

Jaxson Hayes vs Mo Bamba: Non-impact bigs. Bamba is a better 3pt shooter and a better rim protector however he lacks awareness whatsoever. I'm not sure how Hayes will perform in that regard, but I don't have very hogh expectations. Winner: Tie

Jalen Hood-Schifino vs Shaquille Harrison: Non-impact guards. Winner: Tie

Maxwell Lewis vs Max Christie: Non-impact guards. Winner: Tie.

Taurean Prince vs Troy Brown. Prince is a slightly better 3pt shooter, but defensively they are quite on the same level. Troy is younger and Prince will now enter the age where players usually start to decline a bit. Winner: Tie

Cam Reddish vs Wenyen Gabriel: Different type of players, Reddish being the better one. Though hopefully he will not be part of the regular rotation - unless he magically improves a lot. Winner: 23-24

D'Angelo Russell vs D'Angelo Russell. Contract year vs non-contract year. Winner: 22-23

Jarred Vanderbilt vs Jarred Vanderbilt: Vanderbilt is young and will now gave to show that he can be a significant role player of a playoff team. If he fails to show up he can easily find himself fighting for vet min contracts, so I expect some development from him. Winner: 23-24

Gabe Vincent vs Dennis Schröder. Abilitywise they are on the same level: Dennis is probably the better playmaker and Gabe is probably the better shooter. Defensively they are quite situational: For smaller guards Dennis is probably a slightly better defender, but Gabe's size allows him to guard bigger PG's more effectively. In the context of our roster: Winner: 23-24.

[DanishLakerFan]

Max Christie vs Loonie Walker (Better defensively but no competition to Loonie in terms of scoring)
Anthony Davis vs Anthony Davis (Same barring injuries)
Rui Hachimura vs Rui Hachimura (Same or a little improvement ?)
Jaxson Hayes vs Mo Bamba (A least Hayes is healthy to play and provide 10-15 quality minutes?)
Jalen Hood-Schifino vs Shaquille Harrison (3rd string pg, wouldn't see much minutes anyway unless JHS shows promise from the get go)
LeBron James vs LeBron James (Declined further but healthier)
Maxwell Lewis vs Max Christie (Non factor at the bench)
Taurean Prince vs Wenyen Gabriel (Less toughness/ rebound/ protection in the paint, much better 3 point shooting)
Austin Reaves vs Austin Reaves (Same or a little improvement ?)
Cam Reddish vs Troy Brown Jr. (Don't know what to expect from Cam , less of a 3 point shooter than Brown )
D'Angelo Russell vs D'Angelo Russell (Expect the same Dlo)
Jarred Vanderbilt vs Jarred Vanderbilt (Same or a little improvement ?)
Gabe Vincent vs Dennis Schröder (Very Debatable)


Who vs Tristan Thompson
Who vs Malik Beasley

Max Christie vs Loonie Walker. Better defense+shooting+upside. Winner: 2023-24
Anthony Davis vs Anthony Davis. Team better equipped to handle injuries. Winner: 2023-24
LeBron James vs LeBron James. Slight decline, but team better equipped to handle injuries. Tie.
Rui Hachimura vs Rui Hachimura. Should improve based on age. Winner: 2023-24
Austin Reaves vs Austin Reaves. Should improve based on age. Winner: 2023-24
Jaxson Hayes vs Mo Bamba Bamba only played 10 mpg in 10 games. Winner: 2023-24.
Jalen Hood-Schifino vs Shaquille Harrison. JHS will play and have a role. Winner: 2023-24.
Maxwell Lewis vs Max Christie (Non factor at the bench). Tie.
Taurean Prince vs Wenyen Gabriel. Prince will shoot 3s. Winner: 2023-24.
Cam Reddish vs Troy Brown Jr. Tie.
D'Angelo Russell vs D'Angelo Russell. A full season w same team. More shooters. Winner: 2023-24.
Jarred Vanderbilt vs Jarred Vanderbilt. Tie.
Gabe Vincent vs Dennis Schröder. Maybe Gabe is better fit. Winner: 2023-24.

Across the board i’d say the 2023-24 Lakers are better than last year’s team.

I'm not that optimistic. Impactwise:

Max Christie vs Lonnie Walker: Walker was a very good scorer for us last year - especially at the beginning of the year. Good scoring, shooting and somewhat decent D. Hard to beat by a 2nd rounder sophomore. Though Christie looked very promising both last year and in the SL, so it's not unreasonable to think he will have a similar or even better impact. Winner: unpredictable

Anthony Davis vs Anthony Davis. This roster seems to be a better fit for him, however he is one year older. Winner: Tie

LeBron James vs LeBron James. 1 year older at the sunset of his career. Winner: 22-23

Rui Hachimura vs Rui Hachimura. Established player. Hasn't shown anything that points us to expect a major development from him Winner: Tie

Austin Reaves vs Austin Reaves. Coming from a contract year after which usually a slight decline happens. He is still very young though w/ some untapped potential. Winner: Unpredictable

Jaxson Hayes vs Mo Bamba: Non-impact bigs. Bamba is a better 3pt shooter and a better rim protector however he lacks awareness whatsoever. I'm not sure how Hayes will perform in that regard, but I don't have very hogh expectations. Winner: Tie

Jalen Hood-Schifino vs Shaquille Harrison: Non-impact guards. Winner: Tie

Maxwell Lewis vs Max Christie: Non-impact guards. Winner: Tie.

Taurean Prince vs Troy Brown. Prince is a slightly better 3pt shooter, but defensively they are quite on the same level. Troy is younger and Prince will now enter the age where players usually start to decline a bit. Winner: Tie

Cam Reddish vs Wenyen Gabriel: Different type of players, Reddish being the better one. Though hopefully he will not be part of the regular rotation - unless he magically improves a lot. Winner: 23-24

D'Angelo Russell vs D'Angelo Russell. Contract year vs non-contract year. Winner: 22-23

Jarred Vanderbilt vs Jarred Vanderbilt: Vanderbilt is young and will now gave to show that he can be a significant role player of a playoff team. If he fails to show up he can easily find himself fighting for vet min contracts, so I expect some development from him. Winner: 23-24

Gabe Vincent vs Dennis Schröder. Abilitywise they are on the same level: Dennis is probably the better playmaker and Gabe is probably the better shooter. Defensively they are quite situational: For smaller guards Dennis is probably a slightly better defender, but Gabe's size allows him to guard bigger PG's more effectively. In the context of our roster: Winner: 23-24.

I’m always an optimist.

First of all I think you underestimate how ill-equipped the team was in terms of handling injuries. When AD was down in in dec-jan it was Wenyon Gabrial and Thomas Bryant who had to hold the fort, while Lebron was playing close to 40mpg, which is the last thing you want Lebron doing in year 20. That went the other way as well when Lebron went down later in the season w regards to AD. I’m not saying these guys playing too much is the reason they went down. And i’m not saying the reason Kobe tore his achillies was because he was playing close to 40mpg trying to survive in the playoffs, but lack of depth, too many minutes and a team that doesn’t make sense on paper sure as hell isn’t ideal.

Also, i think you generally can expect players who are in their early to mid 20s to improve and generally you expect guys to imporve as a team when they get more time on the floor together. D’Lo, Reaves, Lebron and AD played together 7 games during reg season last year, which makes it even more impresseive that they made the western finals. It all turned when they made the trades. Then the team actually made sense on paper and they started playing well from that point on. Next season we’ll have more depth and a team that makes sense from day one.

[tamaraw08]

Not enthused about the offseason.


Mid:
Taurean Prince had almost identical numbers to TBJ, so that's wash.

Cons:
When you look up "Vet Minimum" in the dictionary, Vincent's picture is there. Why give him so much money? Negative asset from day 1.
On the court, he'll make Westbrick look like a reliable shooter off Lebron's passes. Decent defender, but (aside from the magical postseason run he just had), a net negative on the floor. Downgrade from Schroder, who could actually play point and get to the line.



We're left with 3 rotation players who can reliably hit the three (D'lo, Reaves, Prince).

Good post! It’s rare to find a post in which I agree with every word of it. We’re in the minority by a substantial margin.

Pretty much agree with you here. Vincent was not consistently good throughout the season. He sucked for a stretch of games and came up with a good one. Then he exploded during the playoff run. We may complain more on him than praising him. Another concern would be if he is a product of the Miami system like Nunn. After all, his contract is very tradable if he really under perform.

.

TBJ performed/shot beyond my expectation (career% from 3 was bad before) in the regular season but showed his real self in the playoffs. Prince based on career 3pt % seems like a better shooter but T'Wolves fans complained about his bad decision making.
About Vincent, I have the same concerns esp with what not just happened to Nunn but also ex Heat players like Whiteside, Waiters, Tyler Johnson, Josh Richardson etc etc etc.
Rob might have overvalued his 3pt accuracy specifically with how he shot vs Boston and Denver. Yes, he will play good defense but then again both Dennis and D'Lo wet the bed and failed to show up vs Denver unlike Gabe.
I don't expect Reaves to shoot that good same with Rui with what he did in the playoffs but getting more familiarized with Ham's system should help a ton.
I'm hoping and praying Max would be good enough, shoot those corner 3's, attack the basket and play decent defense.
Hayes has good potential of being the hustle and mobile big, providing solid screens and rolling effectively.
I cringe at the thought of Lebron and AD missing a ton of games..of James just jacking a ton of 3's to save his legs.

[Kilroy]

https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2023/3/2/23621252/the-christian-wood-situation-keeps-getting-messier

Heard a proposed deal with Vando to Dallas for sign-and-trade Wood on a lakers pod.

On the pod they said the Lakers wouldn’t consider it. I think they should. Wood has his flaws, but we have quite a bit of depth at the 3 and Wood would be able to slide in both at the 4 and the 5 as well as play alongside AD in certain lineups with his ability to stretch the floor a bit.

Make that move, then lock in Castleton as well to round out the roster.

I'm guessing you didn't watch much Vando on the Lakers last season... He was arguably our best man defender 1-5 most nights, other than the nights AD was super locked in... He's not just another 3 on this team he's our modern day 'enforcer'... Wood would be 3rd string big... He'd barely sniff the court. I don't think you trade your Key defender for a 3rd string 'mayplay' big...

[Doug_12]

https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2023/3/2/23621252/the-christian-wood-situation-keeps-getting-messier

Heard a proposed deal with Vando to Dallas for sign-and-trade Wood on a lakers pod.

On the pod they said the Lakers wouldn’t consider it. I think they should. Wood has his flaws, but we have quite a bit of depth at the 3 and Wood would be able to slide in both at the 4 and the 5 as well as play alongside AD in certain lineups with his ability to stretch the floor a bit.

Make that move, then lock in Castleton as well to round out the roster.

I'm guessing you didn't watch much Vando on the Lakers last season... He was arguably our best man defender 1-5 most nights, other than the nights AD was super locked in... He's not just another 3 on this team he's our modern day 'enforcer'... Wood would be 3rd string big... He'd barely sniff the court. I don't think you trade your Key defender for a 3rd string 'mayplay' big...

Though I also wouldn't trade Vando for Wood, I also don't think Wood would be 3rd string.

I think you overrate Vando a bit. Yes, he was sometimes our best defender, but he was super bad on offense. This was masked in the regular season (where sometimes we thought, we found a gem or something), but then his offensive liability got exposed in the PO making him essentially unplayable.

Wood would be in the same tier I think, but w/ being the complete opposite player: great offense with trash defense which is passable in the RS but will make him almost unplayable the playoffs.

[loveshaq786]

vando for Sam merril and emoni

[DanishLakerFan]

https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2023/3/2/23621252/the-christian-wood-situation-keeps-getting-messier

Heard a proposed deal with Vando to Dallas for sign-and-trade Wood on a lakers pod.

On the pod they said the Lakers wouldn’t consider it. I think they should. Wood has his flaws, but we have quite a bit of depth at the 3 and Wood would be able to slide in both at the 4 and the 5 as well as play alongside AD in certain lineups with his ability to stretch the floor a bit.

Make that move, then lock in Castleton as well to round out the roster.

I'm guessing you didn't watch much Vando on the Lakers last season... He was arguably our best man defender 1-5 most nights, other than the nights AD was super locked in... He's not just another 3 on this team he's our modern day 'enforcer'... Wood would be 3rd string big... He'd barely sniff the court. I don't think you trade your Key defender for a 3rd string 'mayplay' big...

I did watch him and he was awesome most of the time. I also saw the Lakers nearly run AD into the ground due to lack of depth and spacing at the 4/5 spot and i saw Vando being played off the court in the playoffs. As good as he is defensively he gives up just about as much on the other side of the court.

[zuju]

Ham and co put Vando at the wrong position during the playoff. Gary Payton II is not a good 3pt shooter. He could get some points and not being a liability on offense. You do not need to be a great 3 point shooter to be put on the court, including in playoffs

Let Vando set screens, make cuts, stretch a bit a the dunker spot instead of the corner. Ham should know his weakness in shooting. Why did he still put him at the corner?

Woods at the minimum? Good. Vando for Wood? NO NO NO!

[stan francisco]

Ham and co put Vando at the wrong position during the playoff. Gary Payton II is not a good 3pt shooter. He could get some points and not being a liability on offense. You do not need to be a great 3 point shooter to be put on the court, including in playoffs

Let Vando set screens, make cuts, stretch a bit a the dunker spot instead of the corner. Ham should know his weakness in shooting. Why did he still put him at the corner?

Woods at the minimum? Good. Vando for Wood? NO NO NO!

After AD, Vando is our best defender. He goes nowhere in trade, imo.

He got injured (ankle?) and that’s why he was assigned to guard Payton. LBJ also had a tweaked ankle.

I like our chances next season. If healthy,

[tamaraw08]

Heard a proposed deal with Vando to Dallas for sign-and-trade Wood on a lakers pod.

On the pod they said the Lakers wouldn’t consider it. I think they should. Wood has his flaws, but we have quite a bit of depth at the 3 and Wood would be able to slide in both at the 4 and the 5 as well as play alongside AD in certain lineups with his ability to stretch the floor a bit.

Make that move, then lock in Castleton as well to round out the roster.

I'm guessing you didn't watch much Vando on the Lakers last season... He was arguably our best man defender 1-5 most nights, other than the nights AD was super locked in... He's not just another 3 on this team he's our modern day 'enforcer'... Wood would be 3rd string big... He'd barely sniff the court. I don't think you trade your Key defender for a 3rd string 'mayplay' big...

Though I also wouldn't trade Vando for Wood, I also don't think Wood would be 3rd string.

I think you overrate Vando a bit. Yes, he was sometimes our best defender, but he was super bad on offense. This was masked in the regular season (where sometimes we thought, we found a gem or something), but then his offensive liability got exposed in the PO making him essentially unplayable.

Wood would be in the same tier I think, but w/ being the complete opposite player: great offense with trash defense which is passable in the RS but will make him almost unplayable the playoffs.

All good points but my question is why do the Lakers have to give up any player when 29 other teams are not even trying to offer anything for Wood?

[Doug_12]

I'm guessing you didn't watch much Vando on the Lakers last season... He was arguably our best man defender 1-5 most nights, other than the nights AD was super locked in... He's not just another 3 on this team he's our modern day 'enforcer'... Wood would be 3rd string big... He'd barely sniff the court. I don't think you trade your Key defender for a 3rd string 'mayplay' big...

Though I also wouldn't trade Vando for Wood, I also don't think Wood would be 3rd string.

I think you overrate Vando a bit. Yes, he was sometimes our best defender, but he was super bad on offense. This was masked in the regular season (where sometimes we thought, we found a gem or something), but then his offensive liability got exposed in the PO making him essentially unplayable.

Wood would be in the same tier I think, but w/ being the complete opposite player: great offense with trash defense which is passable in the RS but will make him almost unplayable the playoffs.

All good points but my question is why do the Lakers have to give up any player when 29 other teams are not even trying to offer anything for Wood?

I also wouldn't trade anyone useful for him. We have a few TPEs (Beverley's 2.7 million is the biggest one) which I wouldn't mind using (though Wood's vet min itself is about the same amount), Maxwell Lewis' contract (though that is cheaper than Wood's vet min) and maybe one 2nd rounder. This is not much and they are also not combinable, so I don't think there is much room for a Wood s'n't for us. It's either vet min or nothing.

[DanishLakerFan]

I'm guessing you didn't watch much Vando on the Lakers last season... He was arguably our best man defender 1-5 most nights, other than the nights AD was super locked in... He's not just another 3 on this team he's our modern day 'enforcer'... Wood would be 3rd string big... He'd barely sniff the court. I don't think you trade your Key defender for a 3rd string 'mayplay' big...

Though I also wouldn't trade Vando for Wood, I also don't think Wood would be 3rd string.

I think you overrate Vando a bit. Yes, he was sometimes our best defender, but he was super bad on offense. This was masked in the regular season (where sometimes we thought, we found a gem or something), but then his offensive liability got exposed in the PO making him essentially unplayable.

Wood would be in the same tier I think, but w/ being the complete opposite player: great offense with trash defense which is passable in the RS but will make him almost unplayable the playoffs.

All good points but my question is why do the Lakers have to give up any player when 29 other teams are not even trying to offer anything for Wood?

If we can sign him for nothing that's great. But i would prefer to do a 2yr deal.

[Kilroy]

Heard a proposed deal with Vando to Dallas for sign-and-trade Wood on a lakers pod.

On the pod they said the Lakers wouldn’t consider it. I think they should. Wood has his flaws, but we have quite a bit of depth at the 3 and Wood would be able to slide in both at the 4 and the 5 as well as play alongside AD in certain lineups with his ability to stretch the floor a bit.

Make that move, then lock in Castleton as well to round out the roster.

I'm guessing you didn't watch much Vando on the Lakers last season... He was arguably our best man defender 1-5 most nights, other than the nights AD was super locked in... He's not just another 3 on this team he's our modern day 'enforcer'... Wood would be 3rd string big... He'd barely sniff the court. I don't think you trade your Key defender for a 3rd string 'mayplay' big...

I did watch him and he was awesome most of the time. I also saw the Lakers nearly run AD into the ground due to lack of depth and spacing at the 4/5 spot and i saw Vando being played off the court in the playoffs. As good as he is defensively he gives up just about as much on the other side of the court.

AD was run into the ground and Vando was off the court for the same reason... The coach is an idiot.

For some reason he fell in love with small ball lineups and Lonnie Walker...

The 'Vando's offense is bad' narrative is the excuse fans have come up with for the inexplicable decision not to play him. It only works if there was someone on the court whose offense is so good, it negates the lack of defense... There wasn't... We gave Vando's minutes to LW4 who's offense was even worse...

And we didn't lose to Denver from lack of offense, we lost because we forgot how to play the good defense that got us past GSW...

Which leads me to another comparison... Dray Green's offense is pretty terrible... But they wouldn't have won **** without him on the court.

Vanderbilt is not going to go out and sink 10 3pters on any given night... But he might prevent 10 of them on D... And that's more important in the playoffs in the west.

You don't trade that for a C who's never going to see the floor... Especially one you can sign outright...
A coach who regularly plays 3 guard lineups next to AD, is not going to be running many AD at the 4 lineups... And even if he did, Jaxson Hayes is a better player than Wood, even though he's got his off court issues...

[hoosierdaddy34]

I'm guessing you didn't watch much Vando on the Lakers last season... He was arguably our best man defender 1-5 most nights, other than the nights AD was super locked in... He's not just another 3 on this team he's our modern day 'enforcer'... Wood would be 3rd string big... He'd barely sniff the court. I don't think you trade your Key defender for a 3rd string 'mayplay' big...

I did watch him and he was awesome most of the time. I also saw the Lakers nearly run AD into the ground due to lack of depth and spacing at the 4/5 spot and i saw Vando being played off the court in the playoffs. As good as he is defensively he gives up just about as much on the other side of the court.

AD was run into the ground and Vando was off the court for the same reason... The coach is an idiot.

For some reason he fell in love with small ball lineups and Lonnie Walker...

The 'Vando's offense is bad' narrative is the excuse fans have come up with for the inexplicable decision not to play him. It only works if there was someone on the court whose offense is so good, it negates the lack of defense... There wasn't... We gave Vando's minutes to LW4 who's offense was even worse...

And we didn't lose to Denver from lack of offense, we lost because we forgot how to play the good defense that got us past GSW...

Which leads me to another comparison... Dray Green's offense is pretty terrible... But they wouldn't have won **** without him on the court.

Vanderbilt is not going to go out and sink 10 3pters on any given night... But he might prevent 10 of them on D... And that's more important in the playoffs in the west.

You don't trade that for a C who's never going to see the floor... Especially one you can sign outright...
A coach who regularly plays 3 guard lineups next to AD, is not going to be running many AD at the 4 lineups... And even if he did, Jaxson Hayes is a better player than Wood, even though he's got his off court issues...

Well if Handy is to be believed and Vando has grown “a couple of inches”? That puts him at about 6’9 and if that’s the case why isn’t he starting at center?