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

[Montalban]

i never said that- i just said Prime Davis and Wade are better then Pippen.

Notice I didnt say that about prime Bosh or Love.... Kyrie too.

its inarguable that LeBron has had much better teammates throughout his career.

I always thought Scottie Pippen was over-rated.

 

[flyerhawk]

i never said that- i just said Prime Davis and Wade are better then Pippen.

Notice I didnt say that about prime Bosh or Love.... Kyrie too.

its inarguable that LeBron has had much better teammates throughout his career.

Pippen is a Top 50 all-time player. To say that Davis or Wade are "easily" better than him is more than a little ridiculous.

 

[flyerhawk]

I always thought Scottie Pippen was over-rated.

Well there you go @WiggyRuss Monty agrees with you.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Pippen is a Top 50 all-time player. To say that Davis or Wade are "easily" better than him is more than a little ridiculous.

when did they do that top 50 team?

i dont think its still true.

 

[Mebert]

i cant imagine any team would take on KCP and Kuzma's money into open cap space.

having access to the full MLE is nice though. Thatll be their big move I am guessing. I dont see the flexibility elsewhere unless they get creative with a Schroeder sign and trade---- but then that opens up a big PG hole.

Getting the full mle is not even anything they can control. It is all up to Harrell

 

[WiggyRuss]

I always thought Scottie Pippen was over-rated.

I cant call him a top 50 player of all time at this point. geezus.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Getting the full mle is not even anything they can control. It is all up to Harrell

yah and i dont know which way he goes.

with a depressed cap- and the market for big men being so depressed

he might look at it and say---- Shit- i can do a lot worse than playing in LA with LeBron and making 10 million guaranteed.

 

[shopson67]

I agree with what Dan Patrick just said. There's no need for the Lakers to panic. They need to make some changes, but they don't need to look to completely changeover a large chunk of the roster like they did last off-season. They improved on paper in the off-season, but because of the injuries, they never developed the chemistry that last years team had.

Most of the guys I mentioned that aren't underpaid (Harrell, Morris, Drummond) are dead weight other than Matthews, who severely underperformed this year. The end of the bench has to be useful, not just a victory cigar. The Lakers have little choice with the other 3, who control their own destiny. Lakers need to re-sign THT and Caruso in the mix, all while staying under the apron to be able to make changes midseason, so some trimming is necessary (Matthews and Harrell being the ones making more than a vet min). Schroder will need to be affordable under that plan to stick, and any S&T would likely need to bring back a slightly cheaper player.

 

[trojanfan12]

LeBron is a freak- and we dont know what the window is- and exactly how open it is- we dont know how fast that window is closing- but we do know its closing.

I heard a story about Curt Schilling late in his career. He was asked in an interview about getting by without his fastball. He said, I still have my fastball. The difference is, I only have 12 per game instead of 70. So, I have to save them for strikeout pitches and when there are runners on base.

That's kind of where I see Lebron. He can still be the best player in the game, he just can't be the best player for the entire game. He can still play at an all star level and lead a team to the finals, he just can't carry a team to the finals anymore.

 

[tlance]

i never said that- i just said Prime Davis and Wade are better then Pippen.

Notice I didnt say that about prime Bosh or Love.... Kyrie too.

its inarguable that LeBron has had much better teammates throughout his career.

Totally agree.

I will say this on the LeBron side though…

Pippen fit Jordan a lot better than Wade for LeBron. AD fits great.

And also, when the Bulls were ready to win after being toughened up by the East guantlet that was the 80s, there was nothing resembling a peer in the NBA to challenge them.

There were no supersteams to defeat because the best players were spread around the league.

So while LeBron may have had as much or more talent with him, what he faced was considerably greater than what Jordan faced during the championship runs.

 

[shopson67]

Probably Portland, but if not maybe the Knicks? Phoenix if CP3 leaves?

CP3 isn't going anywhere. You don't make that decision public during the middle of a playoff run otherwise.

 

[shopson67]

I think the Blazers trade for KLove- and as a 3rd option he re-blossoms into a 3 pt shooting/rebounding/distributing maven.

wait---- i think there is a gas leak in my office. Sorry about that.

Here, these might do the trick....

Shreddies

www.myshreddies.com

 

[flyerhawk]

when did they do that top 50 team?

i dont think its still true.

The NBA did their last list 4 years ago...

NBA at 50: Top 50 Players | NBA.com

NBA at 50: Top 50 Players

www.nba.com

CBS has him 22..

CBS Sports' 50 greatest NBA players of all time: Where do LeBron, Curry rank?

Twenty years after the NBA celebrated its original 50 greatest, we're updating things a bit

www.cbssports.com

BBref has him there...

50 Greatest Players in NBA History | Basketball-Reference.com

50 Greatest Players in NBA History

www.basketball-reference.com

#31

The Greatest NBA Players Of All Time -- Ranked, 50-1

Updated

clutchpoints.com

#25


#21

Ranking the top 74 NBA players of all time: Nos. 40-11

Scottie Pippen played a key role in "The Last Dance," but how high did he land on our ranking of the greatest players in NBA history?

www.espn.com

 

[tlance]

calling Danny Green a "high level perimeter defender" at this point in his career is some serious fucking hyperbole. FFS.

Ummm.

Have you watched him recently?

You assume every 30 something is finished.

Kind of like you calling Iguodala washed like 3 years before he really was.

Green can guard.

 

[shopson67]

Laker fans constantly derided Danny Green’s shooting last year.

But, you all consistently undervalued his contributions.

He does 2 things that are extremely valuable to any contender:

1. He is a high level perimeter defender versatile enough to guard 1-3.

2. Even when he is missing, he is a shooter on the scouting report. Opposing teams must account for him, and that creates more space for LeBron and AD

The Lakers had nobody on their roster that could play that that role even close to as well as Green. The space he creates is valuable even when the shots don’t fall.

High level was about 5 years ago. He knows how to defend, but the movement isn't there anymore. Matthews was supposed to be the replacement, but his shooting was ATROCIOUS this year (35% from the field, 33% from 3). Lakers need to look younger, but can't really afford to. With Matthews shooting performance however, the Lakers would've been better suited to get someone like Thybulle for even less money.

 

[shopson67]

Ummm.

Have you watched him recently?

You assume every 30 something is finished.

Kind of like you calling Iguodala washed like 3 years before he really was.

Green can guard.

We watched him all of last season. He can play solid position defense and jump into passing lanes, but he can't keep up with younger guards very well on the move.

 

[WiggyRuss]

I heard a story about Curt Schilling late in his career. He was asked in an interview about getting by without his fastball. He said, I still have my fastball. The difference is, I only have 12 per game instead of 70. So, I have to save them for strikeout pitches and when there are runners on base.

That's kind of where I see Lebron. He can still be the best player in the game, he just can't be the best player for the entire game. He can still play at an all star level and lead a team to the finals, he just can't carry a team to the finals anymore.

honestly- i kind of thought that too

and then i just watched a 6 game series where his team needed him and he never touched 30 points in a game. That would have been unfathomable just a couple years ago.

I realize he was banged up- but unfortunately- with so many miles and at 37 that might be more the rule then the exception going forward.


shit- i look at the West- and Doncic is only 22 and is only getting better. Donovan Mitchell is truly becoming great. Booker is only getting better. The Nuggets have a core of Michael Porter, the MVP Jokic, and Jamal Murray coming back.

its only going to get harder next year- not easier.

The Lakers gotta find away to bring in a wing that is a high level player if you ask me if they want to keep up in a West that is brutal. Just 2 years ago it was all about the Lakers, Clippers and Warriors. Now I see all 3 of thoses teams on the down swing with Utah, Phoenix, Dallas, Denver all on the upswing. Dont get me wrong- the Lakers Clippers and Warriors will still ahve their say- but they are no longer a step above - and its possible they might be a step below before too long. Its just the nature of the game.

 

[msgkings322]

CP3 isn't going anywhere. You don't make that decision public during the middle of a playoff run otherwise.

Ok Knicks then

 

[shopson67]

Well there you go @WiggyRuss Monty agrees with you.

The kiss of death...in both directions? I'm having Tenet flashbacks...

 

[DJ]

Lillard may be on his way outta Portland. SAS reporting it is possible.