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Archive for the 'Challenges' Category

September GM Challenge Final Result

On behalf of TheLakersNation.com, I would like to thank all members participating in our September and final GM challenge for this summer. These challenges were designed to encourage the users to lookup and research references and educate themselves about individual players.

We invited several judges and four of them accepted our invitations but unfortunately two of the judges, D-Briks and Rpoc, were not able to fulfill their mission due to other personal engagements. Cancellation came to late to appoint replacements. Outcome may have been different if we had grades form all four judges. However the remaining two judges worked really hard to comb through all trade proposals and scrutinized each and every suggestion to achieve a fair assessment.

Some members made several proposals but we evaluated only the final offer. We based our evaluation on four criteria:

  1. Securing the future of the team: 3 Points
  2. Having a contender team on the floor now: 3 Points
  3. Suitability to other teams: 2 Points
  4. Simplicity, number of teams and players involved: 2 Points
  5. Total points available for each offer by each judge: 10 Points

Taking the above four criteria in consideration and points allowed for each criterion, we are announcing the following…

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Build a Future and Appease Kobe

In our last challenge, most members were very eager to get rid of our young players without being concerned about the future of our team. Swapping our young and promising talents for older and more experienced players does not guaranty instant success.

It’s easy to showoff your knowledge with household names like Jermaine O’Neal, Ron Artest, Jason Kidd and C.Webb. It’s easy to build an All-Star team around Kobe on the paper. But how much do you know about young talents? In 1996, Jerry West brought Shaq to LA and everybody applauded him, but West also traded his starting center, Vlade Divac to the Hornets for the young Kobe Bryant (1996 13th pick.). It takes the ingenuity of “The Logo” to build a contender team.

Today, Lakers are lost somewhere between their glorious past, disorientated present and uncertain future. They have the best player on the planet and don’t know what to do with him. They have surrounded him with some experienced players like Derek Fisher and Lamar Odom, as well as young talents like Andrew Bynum and Javaris Crittenton. But is that enough to build a future and appease Kobe at the same time?

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GM Challenge Final Results

We didn’t expect the kind of overwhelming response to our GM Challenge and we thank you all for your participation and suggestions you submitted to improve the roster of our beloved Los Angles Lakers.

Our Judges worked really hard to comb through all trade proposals and scrutinized each and every suggestion to achieve a fair assessment.

We based our evaluation on 3 criterions:

  1. Practicality: Was the suggested trade attractive enough to both teams to initiate trade talks
  2. Simplicity: More teams and more players involved in a trade make it so much more difficult
  3. Helping Lakers: Would the suggested trade improve Lakers’ roster?

Judges’ assessments are final and not negotiable. Judges graded all trades independently without consulting each other. So, it’s all fair and square; four different and independent opinions.

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Do You Think You’re Better Than Mitch Kupchak?

Special thanks to Faith, Fatty and Cyrus for creating this challenge for TheLakersNation.com. Again, if you guys have any suggestions, you want to throw at us, please e-mail us at Webmaster@TheLakersNation.com.

What if you had the key to Mitch’s office while he’s enjoying his “well deserved” vacation? You’d have the opportunity to sneak in his unoccupied office, make yourself comfortable in his leather armchair, and work his phones and computers to play the General Manager of the glamorous Los Angeles Lakers until he’s back from vacation on August 24. Most importantly, just ignore Jimmy Buss and do what you think is right.

You got one week to prove you’re better than Mr. Kupchak in improving the roster. Post your suggestions following these rules:

  1. Support your trade ideas with facts and why you think your proposal would help Lakers.
  2. Do not propose unrealistic trades such as Tim Duncan, D. Wade, Lebron James etc.
  3. All trades must comply with NBA and CBA trade regulations
  4. Do not trade Kobe Bryant.
  5. You are allowed to spend $5-Mil luxury tax.
  6. Staff and judges may not participate.
  7. Contest ends on August 23

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