2018-2019 NBA Regular Season Thread

[trojanfan12]

I could see second level stars who might want a ring being very open to play with him (like Beal, for instance) but not sure about superstars......though I guess AD is an exception. Though PG seemed like he wanted to play with him and when he had the choice he didn't.

PG's issue wasn't with Lebron. There were basically 2 things that led PG to stay in OKC.

One was that he didn't feel that the Lakers tried hard enough to trade for him.

The other was that he was overwhelmed by the welcome he got from the Thunder, their fans and Westbrook.

I guess for a guy who once said "I don't recruit", Westbrook recruited the hell out of PG. lol

 

[CitySushi]

Not sure GS had more talent. with no Durant on GS and no Love/Kyrie (all but a game) Cavs gave them all they could handle in 2015. Mostly full strength and GS with home court the Cavs won in 2016 pre Durant. No question talent shifted to GS when Durant arrived.

The team won 73 games. You also have to realize that Steph was hurt in those playoffs too. The level of play dipped significantly because of this. Also Harrison Barnes played like absolute dog shit the entire series.

Just take the top 8 rotation guys:

Cavs:
Lebron
Love
Kyrie
JR
Thompson
Jefferson
Shumpert
Dellavedova

Warriors:
Steph
Klay
Draymond
Barnes
Bogut
Iguodala
Livingston
Barbosa

 

[raptorlife4]

remember when some lakers fans wanted to give LeBron the MVP?

 

[trojanfan12]

I'll admit I often find myself hoping he'll fail because of his father, but he seems like a decent kid and while not as good as his dad thinks, he is a solid player IMO.

Yeah, much of the bashing he gets is more about Lavar's big mouth than about anything he has or hasn't done. I've never heard the kid hype himself or really even say much of anything. He just seems like a guy who wants to play basketball and be left alone otherwise.

He certainly hasn't lived up to his draft status or the hype that his Dad built up around him. But he has been a lot better than most give him credit for and is very important to what the Lakers do.

 

[Black Adam]

remember when some lakers fans wanted to give LeBron the MVP?

not THIS one...

hell, one of the things Stephen A. brought up this morning was "is he even still the best player on the planet" anymore...

as i said before , Stephen A's a complete moron, but he did rap off a few names(Freak and KD specifically) that he thought were better at this stage...

 

[trojanfan12]

IMO, there's no benefit for AD coming out and saying he only wants to be traded to the Lakers.

Actually, there is. If he says he only wants to be traded to the Lakers, it likely drives down the asking price.

Imo, the problem wasn't that AD let the Pels know he wanted to be traded to the Lakers, it was that it was done publicly. That embarrassed the Pels and set it up so that they just didn't want to deal with the Lakers (or maybe more specifically...Klutch).

 

[trojanfan12]

remember when some lakers fans wanted to give LeBron the MVP?

No. Do you have any quotes?

 

[raptorlife4]

not THIS one...

hell, one of the things Stephen A. brought up this morning was "is he even still the best player on the planet" anymore...

as i said before , Stephen A's a complete moron, but he did rap off a few names(Freak and KD specifically) that he thought were better at this stage...

Lebron is on the decline
I think he is losing interest as well

The fire is dying

he came to LA to start life after basketball

 

[raptorlife4]

No. Do you have any quotes?

its somewhere on one of these threads

 

[trojanfan12]

Yea, I'm not so convinced that AD wanted it handled how Rich did it. IMO if he was completely on board he would've come right out himself & said he wants to be traded to LA.

I think he was on board with wanting to be traded to the Lakers. I don't think he was on board with it being handled publicly like it was.

 

[Black Adam]

Lebron is on the decline
I think he is losing interest as well

The fire is dying

he came to LA to start life after basketball

yeah, i gotta say that life AFTER basketball is a bigger part of his thought process these days...

 

[LAD]

Not sure GS had more talent. with no Durant on GS and no Love/Kyrie (all but a game) Cavs gave them all they could handle in 2015. Mostly full strength and GS with home court the Cavs won in 2016 pre Durant. No question talent shifted to GS when Durant arrived.

No, GS wasn't mostly full strength in 2016. They were without Dray for that pivotal game 5, then Bogut went down and missed both games 6 & 7. Also, Andre has played a HUGE role against the Cavs.

 

[trojanfan12]

its somewhere on one of these threads

Welp, find it or it didn't happen.

I know for myself, before the injury, I said he would be in the discussion because he' Lebron and always is. But never said he should win it.

With the injury and what's gone on since...he won't even be in the discussion, nor should he be. Even if he goes ballistic and gets the Lakers into the playoffs, he shouldn't be in the discussion.

 

[LAD]

I think you have to consider his circumstances in that he was still under contract for another year. In the event he gets traded elsewhere, he has to cover his bases, which is why you always make your management or someone else the face. That's why agents and business managers exist. It's to get what the player wants, without the player having to face the backlash. They get paid to be the bad guy.

IMO, there's no benefit for AD coming out and saying he only wants to be traded to the Lakers.

And to me there was no benefit to Rich announcing publically that AD wanted to be traded. That is the part that I think AD might not have been on board with.

 

[trojanfan12]

No, GS wasn't mostly full strength in 2016. They were without Dray for that pivotal game 5, then Bogut went down and missed both games 6 & 7. Also, Andre has played a HUGE role against the Cavs.

Bogut was missed more than most want to admit, imo. He was pretty much all the Warriors had as far as interior defense.

 

[CitySushi]

Bogut was missed more than most want to admit, imo. He was pretty much all the Warriors had as far as interior defense.

Not only that but he was a high post facilitator that Curry used to come off dribble handoffs and create space. Bogut was an amazing passer at the center position, set great screens and was an overall plus to the lineup on offense. He was one of the biggest reasons that Steph and Klay were able to get so many clean looks, pre-Durant.

Bogut got hurt in game 5 and the Warriors ended up scoring 97 points that game. Game 6 they scored 101 and Game 7 they scored 89. Also not really coincidental that Steph and Klay had horrible shooting games in games 6 and 7, imo.

 

[dtgold88]

The team won 73 games. You also have to realize that Steph was hurt in those playoffs too. The level of play dipped significantly because of this. Also Harrison Barnes played like absolute dog shit the entire series.

Just take the top 8 rotation guys:

Cavs:
Lebron
Love
Kyrie
JR
Thompson
Jefferson
Shumpert
Dellavedova

Warriors:
Steph
Klay
Draymond
Barnes
Bogut
Iguodala
Livingston
Barbosa

If I was drafting a top 8 I'd pick Lebron #1 and it's not close, Curry then Kyrie (and those 2 are close), Love, Klay, Green, Barnes then TT.

Next would be Iggy, JR, Bogut, Shump.

 

[LAD]

not THIS one...

hell, one of the things Stephen A. brought up this morning was "is he even still the best player on the planet" anymore...

as i said before , Stephen A's a complete moron, but he did rap off a few names(Freak and KD specifically) that he thought were better at this stage...

It's because they both are better than LBJ at this stage. He can still perform at a high level because he is now allergic to defense.

But when you add in what each of them provide on defense IMO it automatically catapults them ahead of him.

 

[msgkings322]

still sucks mostly as a shooter, but the kid was a willing defender at least...

Was?

 

[dtgold88]

No, GS wasn't mostly full strength in 2016. They were without Dray for that pivotal game 5, then Bogut went down and missed both games 6 & 7. Also, Andre has played a HUGE role against the Cavs.

Games 6 and 7 were not pivotal? And what about Games 1,2,3 and 4? You know the 6 of 7 games Green did play. Even when Bogut played the guy was in maybe 10 minutes/game. We are not talking Love missing every game and Kyrie 5 of 6 here.