Series Thread: 2) Phoenix Suns vs 7) LA Lakers

[bksballer89]

That said, that doesn't mean he's suddenly at 35-40M. I never said cut it in half, lol.

You didn't say it. I believe @trojanfan12 did but you had quoted my response to him which is why I brought it up

 

[tlance]

I expect a different James tonight.....in elimination games he always steps up.

If he is able, he will.

I don’t believe he is physically able.

 

[tlance]

To me, it looks like he throttled down as the game got out of control early. They had a thin chance to win the game before it started, and it evaporated pretty quickly as they really didn't have any drive as a team. He played out the rest of the game without taking many chances.

I am not talking about game 5, I am talking about every game since he got hurt.

 

[tlance]

You need to wait to see what he signed for before calling him an idiot. He just turned 36 so if he can get a 3 yr/90+ M deal then he is far from an idiot

Or if he chooses a chance to chase a ring over money.

Regardless, CP3 knows what he is doing here.

 

[tlance]

When you consider that the reason they may end up out in the first round is injuries to their 2 best players, why not?

Along with poor fit for some other core pieces and the fact that CP3 helped elevate the Suns to a 2 seed.

Oh, and he and LeBron are BFFs.

 

[DJ Fieri]

Or if he chooses a chance to chase a ring over money.

Yep.

 

[DJ Fieri]

If he is able, he will.

I don’t believe he is physically able.

I think he is.

 

[tlance]

I think he is.

We shall see tonight.

I don’t care who wins the series, but would like a game 7. If LeBron doesn’t go off we probably don’t get it.

 

[shopson67]

I’m struggling to understand where this idea comes from that players will leave money on the table to come play with 36 year old LeBron the summer after he potentially is out in round 1? If a guy is going to go ring chasing is the LA Lakers still “that spot” where you want to go to chase the ring?

First of all, I was joking. I don't expect any of the upper echelon PG free agents to take less to join the Lakers this summer. I don't think he'd enjoy the fit, as Lebron would be taking the ball out of his hands much more than he's used to.

Secondly, Lebron is good friends with CP3. Lakers just won last year. If he's making the decision now and is leaving, who else would you target? Most contenders already have well established starting PGs. Lebron's injury this year was a fluke, a defender falling into his leg. Certainly not any proof of becoming injury prone.

He likely isn't leaving if he can get an extension instead. I wouldn't expect too much though, maybe 2 years instead of one?

 

[shopson67]

We shall see tonight.

I don’t care who wins the series, but would like a game 7. If LeBron doesn’t go off we probably don’t get it.

I think the Lakers need more of a team effort to get there. Lebron forcing his shot isn't necessarily going to bring others along with him IMO, not at this stage in his career.

 

[fightinfunbags]

If the Lakers were going to win another one with LeBron, this was the year. I don’t think the star caliber player chasing a ring is going to pick the Lakers. Just my opinion. I think the only candidate for that would be Kawhi because he’s a California guy but I don’t think he would take much less and I don’t know how the Lakers would make that work cap wise.

 

[tlance]

I think the Lakers need more of a team effort to get there. Lebron forcing his shot isn't necessarily going to bring others along with him IMO, not at this stage in his career.

He doesn’t need to go off by scoring 40, but he needs to do a lot more than jacking 30s and passing the ball around the 3 point line.

He needs to be assertive and get in the lane to create.

I have not seen that LeBron lately.

 

[fightinfunbags]

First of all, I was joking. I don't expect any of the upper echelon PG free agents to take less to join the Lakers this summer. I don't think he'd enjoy the fit, as Lebron would be taking the ball out of his hands much more than he's used to.

Secondly, Lebron is good friends with CP3. Lakers just won last year. If he's making the decision now and is leaving, who else would you target? Most contenders already have well established starting PGs. Lebron's injury this year was a fluke, a defender falling into his leg. Certainly not any proof of becoming injury prone.

He likely isn't leaving if he can get an extension instead. I wouldn't expect too much though, maybe 2 years instead of one?

Maybe it was just nonsense talk but LeBron himself has said that he doesn’t know if he’ll be the same after this high ankle situation.

 

[trojanfan12]

But how is that condition going to change? Both are just as likely to be hampered with injury again as they are to stay healthy.

How do they know any player on any team isn't going to be hampered by injury? You can say the same thing about the Sixers and Embiid.

Lebron's injury was a freak thing from another player falling on his leg. Players know that can happen to anyone at anytime.

 

[fightinfunbags]

How do they know any player on any team isn't going to be hampered by injury? You can say the same thing about the Sixers and Embiid.

Lebron's injury was a freak thing from another player falling on his leg

Absolutely agree on Embiid to a higher degree than even older LeBron. AD is a similar injury risk as Embiid though.

 

[Wamu]

I'm not disagreeing with that. Chuck just doesn't have much of a leg to stand on to criticize any elite player with a ring.

I guess we look at this differently. I don't consider what Chuck said criticism since it's true AD's injury prone.

 

[shopson67]

I trust Paul and his agent more than I trust you. He is still a top 5 PG in the league and can turn bad teams into good teams as he proved with OKC last year and the Suns this year. They know what the market is. If a team think he has 2 more good seasons like this then a 3 year deal is fine.

The great thing about CP3 is scoring is not what makes him great. What makes him great is how great he is at being a true PG

If being a good team is all you want, sure. How many did he take to the finals? As all the Lebron haters repeat ad nauseum, time takes it's toll. Chris hasn't stayed healthy for playoff runs even as a younger player. I still can't figure out what this latest injury is or how he got it. I've liked Chris as a player since he was coming out of college and thought he was a lock to go #1. He just seems snakebit with these injuries and expecting repeated results at 36 and thereafter is a losing bet.

The Suns would have to knock off $15M just to get to the cap level, and will need to reward Cameron Payne. Getting under the cap isn't going to happen, and would cost them the full MLE anyway. Maybe he gives up enough to keep them under the luxury tax? Extensions for Bridges and Ayton are looming in 22-23, which is why I question much length on an extension.

 

[shopson67]

I guess we look at this differently. I don't consider what Chuck said criticism since it's true AD's injury prone.

It's clearly ridiculing an opponent's injury coming from an ex-Sun. Was Shaq mocking CP3 for the same?

 

[bksballer89]

f being a good team is all you want, sure. How many did he take to the finals?

The better question is how many times did he have a championship caliber roster in the West? We can't criticize players for not making the finals if they don't play with a championship caliber roster. He probably never had a championship caliber roster. The Houston teams he played on was good but it wasn't championship caliber when you looked at their competition in the West which was the Warriors

 

[Wamu]

Well this is just wrong. Way to go Nike.

Vanessa Bryant upset someone has Gianna tribute shoes that weren't supposed to be sold

Vanessa Bryant is trying to figure out how somehow has a custom she made for her daughter that was not approved for sale. She designed the shoe to honor her daughter. But she never signed a contract with Nike approving the sale of the shoe.