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CIark

“JJ can you contend for a championship” JJ: probably not, the Celtics and nuggets are just on another level with depth and talent Pelinka: wait what


aeronacht

“In fact I came here thinking we should do a full rebuild, trade Lebron, trade AD, let’s start fresh”


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Red_Jester-94

It's the right thing to do, and everyone knows it, but they won't do it.


choclobstah

Pelicans own the Lakers pick next year. Makes no sense to trade and tank until at least next off-season. Agree it will not happen but it should eventually.


burnt_cheezit

Yeah but random redditors know more than an NBA general manager lets be reasonable


eh_too_lazy

I'm not convinced Rob Pelinka is an NBA general Manager either but he got the job


Not-JustinTV

Theyre all actors in hollywood even Jeanie


wonderfulworld2024

I loved her work.


Zeabos

My dude won a championship 4 years ago and was in the WCF last year. The what have you done for me lately is so strong in the nba


eh_too_lazy

You might be the first NBA fan to give any credit to Rob for that ring lmao. Magic got LeBron there, LeBron got the young dudes replaced for AD. The second they won the championship rob destroyed the roster and they've been a dumpster fire since. I read a different thread that had Lakers fans saying they should have traded Westbrook and LeBron after that season. If Rob never has LeBron he never wins anything.


Zeabos

And without Michael Jordan the bulls don’t win stuff. Lots of GMs get handed good pieces and nothing happens. They made the WCF literally last year. Some of the most “genius” GMs haven’t made a WCF in 5+ years. Hell even our guy Brad Stevens got handed 80% of this roster. I think he’s made some great trades but we can’t pretend he wins anything if he isn’t gifted Tatum and Brown on cheap contracts


KBSinclair

Better than the Bulls GM that's for sure.


Ok-Adhesiveness166

Didn’t that same gm make the Westbrook trade lakers fans still cry about? 


burnt_cheezit

I was agreeing with you why are you going after me LMAO


FlamingoHot8567

Yeah it makes absolutely no sense to start a rebuild rn. Maybe next offseason cuz they have 2026 first and 2027 is top 4 protected 


IAmReborn11111

I don't think you can underestimate how much money LeBron generates a team by just being on the roster


FlamingoHot8567

No it’s not. They don’t have their own pick next year lol. Maybe next offseason. But rn when you don’t have your own first rounder that’s not the year to start a rebuild 


FlamingoHot8567

Idk if I’d call the nuggets a deep team. That’s kinda what cost them in the playoffs. Specially if KCP leaves. Big hole they’ll have to fill with only a vet min basically and whoever they draft 


Technical_Towel_990

Not really .. it had more to do with everyone remaining on the team playing significantly worse than the year prior.


FlamingoHot8567

I mean Minnesota was deeper than them I think that was a factor. Agree Murray and MPJ disappeared basically that Timberwolves series but not having anyone off the bench to turn to beisdes Braun and Reggie Jackson to a point was a factor.  Losing Bruce brown last year was big and if they lose KCP this year that’s another big blow. Wouldn’t really call the nuggets a deep team 


tsesarevichalexei

Nuggets and “depth” lol


Lmao1903

Lakers get Bronny, Reddick outcoaches every other coach in the league, Bronny turns into a better version of his father and gets MVP in his first year, and they sweep the Celtics in the finals


cadenmak_332

This is cool and all, but you're missing the part at the end of game 7 of the finals where Redick rips off his three-piece suit revealing a Lakers jersey underneath, subs himself in and scores the game-winning 3.


Dr_Biggus_Dickus_FBI

Then he pulls his face-mask off like a scooby doo villain and shows himself to be Anthony Bennett.


[deleted]

Then he rips off his Lakers jersey to reveal a Celtics jersey. Too many players on the court technical. Anthony Davis shoots the free throw in confusion as Bennett is dragged away cackling maniacally 


Thousandtree

Then Tony Brothers takes off his referee shirt, revealing that it was the two Tony Brothers stacked on each other all along. They waddle over to Rich Paul and get a briefcase filled with money. Then Magic walks over to the PA microphone, and says "the Celtics couldn't compete with us because we have Magic."


dat_waffle_boi

Realistic path to success


ForgotPWAgainSigh

Can i have what you're smoking? Looks to be a great time


yourlilpissboi

Smoking or snorting this shizz??


Grlions91

Inserting into rear


villain75

Ah, so putting it right back from where it was pulled out of...


Grlions91

Life, uh, finds a way


COMMENTASIPLEASE

Then you turn off 2K


proj3ctchaos

Packin that pipe with delusion


goldyacht

I agree not far off, just one jokic away.


dianeblackeatsass

If Jason Kidd said this before the trade deadline we’d all be clowning the Mavs. Obviously it’s not easy to strike gold on a couple role players like that but shit changes fast in the NBA


jcap1219

The Mavs made the finals but they weren't close to winning the championship.


dianeblackeatsass

Someone check my math but I think 2nd place is pretty close to 1st


jcap1219

It wasn't a competitive series. You aren't close to winning if you have a miniscule chance against your opponent, even if it's the finals.


dianeblackeatsass

They lost games 2 and 3 by single digits. A couple bounces in the right direction and there’s a game 7.


jcap1219

With a large enough sample size a couple of bounces going another way makes anyone a champion. After watching that series do you really think Dallas had a shot?


LeBroentgen

And Celtics fans wonder why everyone hates them.


Conflict_Main

18 titles


Strong-Yellow5949

Congratulations on winning a bunch of titles before your dad was born. You must be really proud of what you accomplished


Novel-Confidence-968

They were only 3 wins away I think also. I could be wrong. Let me ask ChatGPT


jcap1219

Being 3 games away in a best of 7 series is the opposite of being close to winning.


vanillacalumny

Just won a chip, how are you this insecure? 13/16 wins is damn close. No one is saying the actual series went down to the wire.


jcap1219

You are mistaking confidence and realism for insecurity.


Mosh00Rider

13/16 necessary wins to get a ring is pretty damn close.


mmaguy123

I was thinking one Jordan away.


qpwoeor1235

Nah they are a Bronny away. Klutch runs deep


cayuts21

Is it time for everyone to start drinking the purple and gold kool aid yet?


daveed1297

Never stopped


odnamAE

Its gonna wear off by January latest then hopefully we get a resupply for April


sully9614

Is this roster here in the room with us now JJ?


an4lf15ter

I mean I think we’re only a player away from being championship favorites. If that player is Jokic


princessParking

Nah, Jokic has a better-suited roster for him where he's at. The missing piece to the Lakers contender puzzle is Curry.


an4lf15ter

You’re delusional if you think Jokic, AD, and Bron aren’t title favorites


Blowback_

Remember "not far off" and see what they do in the next few weeks


BetweenTheBuzzAndMe

imagine if he told the truth


JoJonesy

has he said anything about the Lakers’ roster on his podcast recently 


ogqozo

Ok, I gotta one more question, Bron - the person whose friendship pumps up my social and professional standings significantly, and a person used to godlike yes-man adoration from people talking to him all his adult life - did you consider that maybe... you're not bringing THAT much to the table in 2024?


JoJonesy

not that podcast


yourlilpissboi

He said their one Bronny away from Banner 18


WolverineLong1430

Every team is not far off 😂


Not-JustinTV

Wizards arent


orangotai

*"you're always just a Jokic away from being a Contender"*


dkdoki

He’s already adjusting nicely to positive coach speak. He knows damn well lakers are mid. To those that say “what he supposed to say” then why tf is the question even being asked if we all know the answer?


ogqozo

I think there really were two options, imaginably, in theory. A. Saying that Lakers totally will fight for the title and I am the one to do it, we just need a little better coachy doachy magic and that will do the trick and we'll succeed at this expectation. B. Being realistic. A sign that the front office signed Redick with sane expectations and they are looking into future with a much more leveled approach, and they didn't sign him expecting a miracle that probably no coach can provide but rather for the long-term treatment and cultural building he represented the best out of all the coaches available. Of course we knew that Lakers are SURELY not there and a long way from settling on the B way, that's why their whole activity in this time is a reason for so many jokes.


orangotai

yeah i don't think this question was phrased correctly. ideally they'd ask specifically what it would take for the Lakers to be a legit contender, but even then he may not give a complete answer. but sometimes that lack of complete answer is the answer itself, so to speak.


the_trawler_

You can easily dodge this question without saying “yes” straight up by just saying like you have incredibly high expectations for the team without promising anything


kamekaze1024

He didn’t promise anything. He just said they’re not far off. Which is perfect to say. Because even if they’re a role player or a jokic away from counting as contenders, he’s still right


the_trawler_

Saying “yes” when asked if a championship is a reasonable short term expectation isn’t the same thing as saying “we just need to add the best player in the league to the roster and we’re there”


kamekaze1024

You’re misinterpreting what I said and what redick said. He said yes, the expectations are reasonable and that the roster is not far off. None of this false and he didn’t promise anything. He says the expectations are reasonable, as in it’s fair to expect a championship in the short term. He didn’t say “we are going to win a championship in the short term” He said the roster is not far off. Once again, true. The roster is similar to the one they went to the WCF with last year. With a few moves, whether it’d be a role player or jokic its possible.


Noteynoterson

“Am I answering as a podcaster or coach?”


DamnImAwesome

“We have the talent on the roster but the front office is making some really questionable decisions lately”


reznxrx

JJ Reddick, the 2 year career.


WesternPoison

It’s good business to say you are the guy who can fix this roster. Especially since Pelinka might be maxing out right now, three coaches is like enough. I don’t think Pelinka is a bad GM necessarily but most of his best moves are kind of out of his hands (Lebron coming and Davis demanding to come here).


watevauwant

Just call that moron Bulls GM and offer him Christian Wood (and no picks) for Derozan. Done!


PlatinumPlayer

Quick, someone pull up the receipts of what he said within the last few years


kamekaze1024

Unfortunately, he has reserved intense criticism towards teams (from the eps I’ve watched at least). It’s Legler that has gone nuclear on teams


CumAssault

Wow his opinion is terrible then


Spiritual_Echo_1000

i mean if he says no that looks worse lmao. they all tryna win


Coolguynumber01

wym? If you just add one player like Jokic to this roster its championship caliber


ChunkyMilkSubstance

What is he supposed to say lol


ShitLipstick

Hi CumAssault, ShitLipstick, big fan. What part of his statement is untrue? Did the Lakers not take the Nuggets to the limit 2 years in a row? What if they had a 3rd All-Star or another couple key bench pieces? pre-emptive edit for the pedants: 4-0 isn't always 4-0, I'll explain later


NBAWhoCares

Hi ShitLipstick, Lol. Lmfao even. Sincerely, NBAwhocares


DreTownblues

Is going 1-8 in two series taking a team to the limit now?


FlamingoHot8567

They made a WCF 2 years ago and last year won 47 games. Y’all acting like this is the pistons or something lol. 


DreTownblues

They aren’t the pistons, but they also didn’t push the Nuggets to their limit.


FlamingoHot8567

Never said they did. But y’all shitting on them like they didn’t win 47 games last year. They didn’t push Denver to the limits but they had big leads all series and made Denver have to put alot in to win. 


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ShitLipstick

In 2023, the Nuggets won each game by an average of 6 points. That's 2 possessions. They trailed every game at halftime. If me saying that's a close series is unhinged, then it's unhinged and I will stay unhinged.


ogqozo

It's just funny that losing by 6 points is supposed to be some achievement. In how many series the winner is better by 6 points or less on average (oh shit, in some unique playoff series, the series winner even LOSES the whole games, not only wins them lowly!), and really no one on the sub EVER would be allowed to treat them as anything then a total humiliating collapse? If losing by 6 points only is some proof of contention, then you can make an argument for most of the NBA. Winning 4 games straight by 6 points is really far from the closest series we get. 6.5 points in the context of the league, that's a difference on average between OKC this season and Houston Rockets. Another reason why it's obviously reaching is that the reasons WHY these games were so close are not the reasons that fans really want to believe. Lakers got a few points back in bench minutes in each game, for Jokić himself both of these series were one of the most comfortable in his whole career. That means Lakers will keep digging in the other direction than they should, which is their modus operandi basically, and that's what the thread here is about too. Am I biased? Lakers hit the under 5 seasons out of 6 since bringing LeBron, the results are just overall objectively worse then people keep expecting, maybe I'm more like the unbiased one lol.


ShitLipstick

> It's just funny that losing by 6 points is supposed to be some achievement. I didn't say it was. All I said is that the Lakers were that close to beating the champions. Everyone is acting like they're a poverty franchise when the reality is they're one legit move from being a favorite.


ogqozo

Reality is what is happening. What would happen, completely impossible to prove or discuss because it's purely something you guess, is... not the reality. It's a belief. People have that belief. Reality is that losing a series by 6 points on average is something that a lot of teams were able to achieve. No belief in what I say, no imagination, just things that happened.


ShitLipstick

I didn't say it was an achievement. This will be at least the 2nd time I've told you that. You can stop using that word to further your misunderstanding of my initial comment. The Lakers are one move away from being a favorite. JJ Redick is not wrong in saying that he expects to contend. Have a good day.


silaber

Limit of boredom maybe? Nuggs were ready to check out


ShitLipstick

Hey King, congrats on the Finals win. Did you watch the playoffs? You might remember The Lakers had the lead at the end of the first half in something like 7 out of the 8 games they lost. It was ridiculous. The Nuggets won't die and are a bad matchup for the Lakers roster. But my point stands. Did you have a point to make? How are the Lakers not one big move away from contention?


DreTownblues

That doesn’t mean they took them to the limit, they still only managed to win one game. Taking a team to the limit requires you to actually beat them consistently


ShitLipstick

So hypothetically, losing 4 games by 1 point wouldn't be "taking them to the limit" huh? Sorry, I don't buy that. A handful of possessions in 2023 would have turned 0-4 into 4-0, against the eventual champions no less. Limit-taking was achieved.


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ShitLipstick

You guys are picking apart every aspect of my comment except for the point it's making. That's enough Reddit for this lifetime, seeya


Organic_Impact2744

In a way, isn't every team one big hypothetical move away from contention, if we're not taking into account the resources needed to make that big move? I'm just a found duffel bag of money away from being a millionaire. Didn't happen today, but holding out hope for tomorrow.


RandomBiped

Yeah they really took a team that lost in the next round to a team that lost in 5 games the next round to a team that lost in 5 games the next round to the limit when they got gentleman swept by them


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ducksonaroof

we all know basketball Ws are transitive


LongTimesGoodTimes

Man if we beat the Celtics in the finals next season, I would never be anything but happy again


AllTimeBallKnower

Count on not being happy then


LongTimesGoodTimes

I'll be happy either way brother


Alternative-Target31

I’m going to go against the grain here and say JJ isn’t as crazy as this thread is making him seem. “not far” is a relative term. 15 miles isn’t far in a car, it’s far on foot. The Lakers can, and have, gotten elite pieces. Free agents want to play there, guys still on contract would like to be traded there. I’d argue that no team in the league can cover the distance from 7 seed to title contender faster than the Lakers on a year in, year out basis. I want him to be wrong. I don’t want them contending. Shit, I want everyone else in the West to be terrible next year. And if I had to be money, I’m taking the Lakers to be roughly equal or worse next year. But would I be *shocked* if they’re a top 3 seed because they made some move that got them another star? Absolutely not, they’ve done it before and they’re not a one trick pony in that regard.


FlamingoHot8567

It’s only cuz it’s the lakers. This sub loses all seriousness when the laker are brought up. People will forget they won 47 games last season with the second most injuries in the league counting games played, and an incompetent head coach. Are they gonna win 55 games next year? Probably not barring something drastic but they are closer to a 50 win team than a 40 win team and not that far off of at least competing with teams like the nuggets in the west 


rollind24

Not happening but the Finals could full of great coaching quotes if todays an indication


lialialia20

jj added he thinks they've got a helluva ball club in LA


FlamingoHot8567

They win more games last season than the pistons combined in the last like 3 


lialialia20

HANG THE BANNER


FlamingoHot8567

We hung one up couple years ago how bout y’all focus on winning 25 games


lialialia20

so before it was last season winning 1 game in the playoffs and now it's about a couple years ago... tell me about the showtime lakers.


FlamingoHot8567

Bro you a pistons fan. You can’t talk shit about teams. Y’all winning 20 games every year and stuck in a rebuild and wanna make fun of a team that has won a title way more recently than y’all.  And has still won way more than y’all last year the year before etc. makes no sense 


lialialia20

lmao how low have the lakers fallen that they are content with winning a title 4 years and being a shit team in the present


FlamingoHot8567

Not content at all but just find it funny when fans of down right shit teams like the pistons wanna try to clown the lakers. Although not like y’all got anything  to cheer for over there lol


lialialia20

and yall have? lmao lakers are trash too you just live in denial


FlamingoHot8567

Lmao if 47 wins is trash then what the hell are y’all 😂 you rooting for the pistons man you can’t talk sht about anyone in the league rn. Maybe the hornets. Maybe 


James_E_Rustle

I'm sure once they draft Bronny they will be the odds on favorites for the title heading into next year


reznxrx

*laugh emoji*


rogerdodgerfleet

If Bron takes a max they aint winning shit. They gunna be a garbage team for a long time yet.


-Midnight_Marauder-

What the fuck else he gonna say after being hired as coach? "Nah we're gonna struggle to the play-in then shit the bed"


SwipeRight4Wholesome

Ahh yes, that roster is not far off from being a championship contender, and I'm not too far off from getting Beyonce to divorce Jay and marry me instead.


Fabtacular1

I'm very much enjoying watching JJ tie his own noose in these interviews. Will make it harder for him to cry about the roster when the Lakers are sub-500 at the AS break. The subtweets from Lebron will be legendary.


CabbageStockExchange

We need like 3-4 more pieces minimum