Errntknght
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Spelling alert! That's spelled Damnasty!
Suns get lottery pick from Lakers if they miss playoffs
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CardsSunsDbacks
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With the way Kobe and the Lakers are playing lately I would fully expect they will make the playoffs at this point.
Errntknght
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Yeah and they'll probably breeze right in. Stinking Earl Clark has been a big part of it - I can't claim I predicted it, but after his first big game I said how ironic it would be if he did us out a good draft pick. Essentially, he allows Gasol to play most of his minutes when Howard is not on the floor without giving up much if anything. Of course, Gasol had to buy into his new role but he seems to have - and the second unit is no longer the disaster it was before.
If you look at the box score of the Hornets game, you'll see that it was the second unit that carried them to the win - the starters all had negative +/-. Of course, that was just one game but it was an important one - if the Hornets had won that would have erased the big win over the Thunder. They have Steve Blake back now, too, further bolstering the second unit. Less day-to-day stress on the starters.
If they don't falter on this seven game road trip, its all but over - well, except for the fact that they don't go long without some drama. Though I expect them to save the next chapter of that for the playoffs.
If you look at the box score of the Hornets game, you'll see that it was the second unit that carried them to the win - the starters all had negative +/-. Of course, that was just one game but it was an important one - if the Hornets had won that would have erased the big win over the Thunder. They have Steve Blake back now, too, further bolstering the second unit. Less day-to-day stress on the starters.
If they don't falter on this seven game road trip, its all but over - well, except for the fact that they don't go long without some drama. Though I expect them to save the next chapter of that for the playoffs.
slinslin
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They are still 5 games under .500 while Houston and Utah are 3 games over.
Errntknght
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Keep reminding us Slin!
I think their roadtrip will tell the story. Currently Dallas, Houston and Utah all have an advantage over LA in home vs road games remaining but after this roadtrip they'll be about even. So far the Lakers have been much, much worse on the road than at home and if they turn that around on this trip, I think that will give them another major boost.
Remember before we talked about how their bench was killing them and they had nothing left to trade to help with that. Hill went down making it look more hopeless, then they pull a rabbit out of hat in the form of Earl Clark, who looked like the Earl Clark we gave up on until then. I swear the basketball gods always have something up their sleeve to help the Lakers.
I think their roadtrip will tell the story. Currently Dallas, Houston and Utah all have an advantage over LA in home vs road games remaining but after this roadtrip they'll be about even. So far the Lakers have been much, much worse on the road than at home and if they turn that around on this trip, I think that will give them another major boost.
Remember before we talked about how their bench was killing them and they had nothing left to trade to help with that. Hill went down making it look more hopeless, then they pull a rabbit out of hat in the form of Earl Clark, who looked like the Earl Clark we gave up on until then. I swear the basketball gods always have something up their sleeve to help the Lakers.
JCSunsfan
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I keep saying this. Big men take longer to develop. One of the problems with one and done players is that they enter the league at 19. You are really not going to know what a big guy is like until he is 23 or older.
Teams that draft big players, play them a little, then let them sit on the end of the bench are short sighted. I wonder how Hakeem's career would have gone if he was drafted at 19 instead of 22. (not that I am comparing him to Earl Clark in any way).
Coaches want to win now. Players are coming out early. The players sit and are not developed like they would have been had they stayed in college. The whole league is worse off for it.
The NBA should expand the D-League and they should use it more like baseball does with the minors. There should be very few early entry players that go directly to the big league.
They are 3 games behind in the loss column for 8th and 4 games behind for 7th.
Loss column is what matters, not how much above/below .500 they are.
If they fail, what would people like to see? Would you prefer the Suns package both 1st rounders and move up or would you prefer they keep the picks and take their chances they can build up the roster? Keep in mind we don't have a future young start on the squad IMO.
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Errntknght
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For teams around the .500 mark losses and wins are about equal in value because they are equally common. Now when you're fighting for the top spots, losses being rarer are more important. Thats normally what we are focused on and that gave rise to the idea that only the loss column mattered. In this case the Lakers are so far behind that if wins and losses are about equal in number they are not going to make it, so one has to assume they are going to split their games 60-40 or so, again making the losses more important.
I never really thought about this until recently when I found myself focusing on the W column in our race for the top draft spot. If you're two games ahead in W's of a team that's winning 20% of their games, thats a lot to make up. Two behind in the L column is no big deal.
Black Jesus
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I would prefer that we package the picks and move up (assuming we dont land in the top 3 with the lottery pingpongs)
That is the expectation. They have to close the season at a 65%+ clip. My personal desire is they go 7-3 in each 10 game block remaining, closing at 28-9. So I'm looking at the loss column exclusively.
slinslin
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Too bad going 7-3 comes out at 28-12 not 28-9
JCSunsfan
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Yep. You can get more wins, you can't get less losses.
I think Utah is going to pull away down the stretch and lock up the 7th seed(or maybe even push Denver for 6th). They have a home heavy schedule and are a much better home team. Lakers on the other hand will have a road heavy schedule the remainder of the season and they've been really bad there thus far.
Yes, 28-12. Thanks.
There are also two extra games in there, math major. So anywhere between 28-14 to 30-12.
Regardless, you get my point. Well, maybe YOU don't, but that's not surprising.
That is where I am leaning as well.
SirStefan32
Krycek, Alex Krycek
Dwight needs to call it a season. This injury isn't going away, and he is only making it worse by trying to play through it. He will end up doing to his shoulders what Grant Hill did to his ankle, and Brandon Roy to his knees.
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let's hope so.
asudevil83
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Agreed. But it will be a PR nightmare for him, especially if the Lakers miss the playoffs. This season and next are "all or nothing" for the Lakers, and most every Laker fan will be fed the idea that Dwight bailed on the season, thinking it was a lost cause.
OP
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Uncalled for man. Come on, your better than that.
asudevil83
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reread what he said. i'm pretty sure he was saying "lets hope so" to dwight calling it a season, not hoping that he ends up just as injury plagued as Roy and Hill.
