Lakers a must win?

[Finito]

i know it's early, but 3 games in and we are 1-2 with both losses ugly 20+ blowouts.

I need them to show me something tonight. This laker team has Lebron and not much else this is a very winnable game. I honestly don't think they can afford another bad loss.

They have nobody to even try and stop Ayton I expect a big game

 

[taz02]

I'm not sure its a must win in but we certainly must see significant improvement.

I'd like to see some attitude from Ayton or maybe aggressiveness is a better word.

He appears to just coast through the games. If he was more aggressive he'd be averaging 30 and 15.

I'd also like to see TJ start over Anderson. IMO the suns are in no position to be concerned with their bench. The starters have been stomped in their last two outings.

 

[Krangodnzr]

Uh no.

 

[ArizonaSportsFan]

Must win? For this team at this time? No such games.
Winnable? Absolutely.
Does the team need to win to (continue to) build confidence? You bet.

The past two "ugly blowouts" were against the best and one of the the best teams in the league. On the road. It is not an excuse - it is a reason. No excuse for lack of effort, if there was, which may happen with loss of focus and falling behind.

I get it. I too don't like seeing mistakes. I like to see wins. I like to root for wins. I get frustrated at times when it is not entertaining.

soapbox/
I think back to staring my career out of college. Even though I was a good student and "knew what to do", it didn't prepare me exactly for what I was doing. Took a while to understand and see patterns of execution. Took a while to understand and accept coworkers' tendencies. Took a while to not feel lost and sometimes overwhelmed. It just takes a while, sometimes.
/soapbox

 

[95pro]

Must win? Yes, in order for me to collect on the over in Vegas.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Nah. We won't have a "must win" game this season. And we're fooling ourselves if we think the Lakers have only Lebron, even with the suspensions. They have some borderline crazies on that roster but, individually, most of them are still better at basketball than all but a few of our players.

 

[Suns_fan69]

I'm not sure its a must win in but we certainly must see significant improvement.

This. I don't need to see a win but I'd like to see something closer to the Dallas game in terms of ball movement on offense, as well as getting more comfortable with each other on defense. It's time to build an solidify good habits.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Not even close to a must win.

Should not get blown out maybe.

Want to see improvement.

 

[Cheesebeef]

only reason it's a must win is because I have been talking massive trash to all my Lakers friends about their start this year.

it will be disheartening to see them lose, especially if it's another blowout, but not a must win at this point.

 

[AzStevenCal]

only reason it's a must win is because I have been talking massive trash to all my Lakers friends about their start this year.

it will be disheartening to see them lose, especially if it's another blowout, but not a must win at this point.

Yeah, it's going to hurt if we get blown out but if it's a "must win", it's for the Lakers not us.

 

[Bert]

only reason it's a must win is because I have been talking massive trash to all my Lakers friends about their start this year.

it will be disheartening to see them lose, especially if it's another blowout, but not a must win at this point.

Yeah I'm not concerned with their record really. I mean I want to see them win but this season is about these guys developing and forming a team. You can see clear as day that Ayton is still figuring things out but where others see deficiencies I see raw talent waiting to be developed. That's what this year is about for me. The Nuggets game just got away from us, nobody could hit a shot, young guys got frustrated and started pressing. And the warriors game is a blessing, that's the best of the best right there and it's good for the young guys to see the size of the mountain they have to climb.


Side note cheese, all that aside, how great is it to be super pumped for Lakers Suns again? I missed this!

 

[taz02]

The suns must win more games than last year, it doesn't necessarily matter which ones

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

Being competitive in games should be the goal game to game right now. As long as we are doing that than the wins will come, but becoming more consistent from an effort standpoint is what we should be watching out for.

 

[CardsFan88]

More of a must win for the Lakers imo.

I honestly have thought since they assembled that roster that it's 5th-10th in the west caliber. Maybe I end up being wrong, but that roster looks like a mess.

I really want to see how LeBron handles trying to carry a team in the West with its far superior talent game after game.

 

[Raindog]

Definitely a must win.

If we lose, we need to put Booker on IR for remainder of the season, send Ayton and Bridges to the D-League, deal Ariza and Warren for whatever we can get, and play a lineup of Melton, Daniels, Bender, Chandler, and Holmes for the rest of the season. Tank for Zion!

 

[Carolinacacti]

Days of me getting really upset with a Lakers lost are probably long gone. But with Ayton here I'm getting that feeling of kill those Dam Lakers

 

[Suns_fan69]

Being competitive in games should be the goal game to game right now. As long as we are doing that than the wins will come, but becoming more consistent from an effort standpoint is what we should be watching out for.

Agreed. Winning habits, winning culture, that's what's most important to build right now. That means everyone being accountable.

 

[1tinsoldier]

no, Laker game is not must win, but Lonzo Ball must suck
it is one of my mini-goals for the season

 

[Chris_Sanders]

only reason it's a must win is because I have been talking massive trash to all my Lakers friends about their start this year.

it will be disheartening to see them lose, especially if it's another blowout, but not a must win at this point.

Along those lines, I would put it as a must win just for the psyche of Arizona sports fans. Been a rough month. Dropping the Lakers to 0-4 would be a nice way to wash that bad taste out.

 

[sunsfan88]

It’s not a must win but it’s a “must competitive game” though.

I think it’s gets messier if this is another blowout loss. And when I say messier, I think Sarver panics and makes a move.

 

[elindholm]

no, Laker game is not must win, but Lonzo Ball must suck
it is one of my mini-goals for the season

I think you're on safe ground there.

 

[95pro]

no, Laker game is not must win, but Lonzo Ball must suck
it is one of my mini-goals for the season

Accomplished already?

 

[BC867]

Being competitive in games should be the goal game to game right now. As long as we are doing that than the wins will come, but becoming more consistent from an effort standpoint is what we should be watching out for.

Absolutely! The goal of each player should be to play our best in our next game. Keep it simple. This is our opponent. This is what we have to do to be competitive. We have a chance to win this game if we put it all together.

On the other hand, it is up to the coaching staff to (a) define what it takes and (b) project ahead beyond the next game.

I can't hit 'Post Reply' until I add . . . and it is up to the General Manager to project way ahead and stock a balanced roster that can be complete and competitive over the season. Which, of course, determines how successful the coaching staff and the players can be.

The roster is the roster. The coaching staff is the coaching staff. The General Manager, whoever that will be, is the major problem right now.

Go, players. Go, coaching staff. Beat L.A.!

 

[Willie D]

They lost to GSW and Denver, what did you expect? It's not like they lost to MIA or SAC.

I think Booker will come around on his temp assignment as point guard, and not be the turnover machine he was last game. In the meantime, The Sarverfish has his GM du jour, start making some phone calls.

 

[JCSunsfan]

They lost to GSW and Denver, what did you expect? It's not like they lost to MIA or SAC.

I think Booker will come around on his temp assignment as point guard, and not be the turnover machine he was last game. In the meantime, The Sarverfish has his GM du jour, start making some phone calls.

I don't think wins were expected, just that the games would be a little more competitive.