2018-2019 NBA Regular Season Thread

[gordontrue]

Imo, it would be worth it. While KCP, after a slow start, has been playing well of late, I like Ariza better and the Lakers may be able to bring him back on a team friendly deal next year if they want to.

Agreed, and I think the Lakers are actually trying to help KCP and do bright by him by exploring trades.

Its a contract year for KCP. He has been great the last couple weeks playing in his role of shooting and defense off the bench, but his role with the Lakers just isn't anything that's going to help his payday in the off-season. I think its likely that he wants to find a role with a team where he can get minutes and try to play his way into a better payday.

 

[gordontrue]

Swaggy P isn't on a team......he do something in the off-season to get blackballed from the League.....?????


He's not great but at 33 he could still provide scoring punch off the bench as a 7th or 8th man. Definitely, a capable rotation guy.

 

[WiggyRuss]

No less than eight teams interested in Suns forward Ariza

The Phoenix Suns have received lots of interest in veteran small forward Trevor Ariza, not just from the Los Angeles Lakers, according to a report from John Gambadoro of ArizonaSports.com.

In fact, Gambadoro reported, at least eight teams have an interest in trading for Ariza.

An ESPN report linked Ariza to the Lakers, with the Suns supposedly working on a three-team tradethat would send Ariza to LA.

But Gambadoro reported the sides are not close on a trade. And despite some rumors, the Suns are not interested in trading for Lakers shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and a bench player, Gambadoro added.

ohn Gambadoro

✔@Gambo987
https://twitter.com/Gambo987/status/1072156985313787905

I get the feeling the Suns have no interest in adding more projects to the roster. They want guys that can play now. So I doubt they would go after a Markelle Fultz or even Lonzo Ball.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Agreed, and I think the Lakers are actually trying to help KCP and do bright by him by exploring trades.

Its a contract year for KCP. He has been great the last couple weeks playing in his role of shooting and defense off the bench, but his role with the Lakers just isn't anything that's going to help his payday in the off-season. I think its likely that he wants to find a role with a team where he can get minutes and try to play his way into a better payday.

doesnt even sound like the Suns would be interested in Lonzo Ball if they offered him for Ariza...lol

who know how true that is, but if it is...its funny. real real funny. lol

 

[Heatles84]

Lakers vs Heat bet @bksballer89, @Heatles84,. @TurnUpTheHeat?


Or anybody?

I predict the Lakers will win.

 

[trojanfan12]

I get why they would do the deal. I don't get why the Suns would do the deal unless some team is absolutely in love with KCP and willing to give up the assets to get him.

The thing with KCP is that he is inconsistent. This season so far is kind of a microcosm of his career (or at least his last couple of seasons with the Lakers). He started the season very slow. As the late, great Chick Hearn used to say..."he couldn't throw a pea in the ocean if he was on a boat". But over the lest several games, he's found his stroke and has been shooting pretty well. The problem though is in that first sentence because he will likely lose his stroke again at some point.

I think some of his inconsistency may come from his playing time being a bit inconsistent (at least with the Lakers), so it would be interesting to see what he could do with more steady playing time.

He's young (only 25, I believe), he is a good defender and he handles the ball pretty well, but he is a streaky shooter. I could see teams being interested in him for his defense and his ball handling. If he can become more consistent shooting the ball, he could help a team even more.

 

[flyerhawk]

No less than eight teams interested in Suns forward Ariza

The Phoenix Suns have received lots of interest in veteran small forward Trevor Ariza, not just from the Los Angeles Lakers, according to a report from John Gambadoro of ArizonaSports.com.

In fact, Gambadoro reported, at least eight teams have an interest in trading for Ariza.

An ESPN report linked Ariza to the Lakers, with the Suns supposedly working on a three-team tradethat would send Ariza to LA.

But Gambadoro reported the sides are not close on a trade. And despite some rumors, the Suns are not interested in trading for Lakers shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and a bench player, Gambadoro added.

ohn Gambadoro

✔@Gambo987

I get the feeling the Suns have no interest in adding more projects to the roster. They want guys that can play now. So I doubt they would go after a Markelle Fultz or even Lonzo Ball.

I find it very hard to believe that A) the Lakers would offer Ball for Ariza and B) the Suns wouldn't take him in a second in such a deal.

Obviously the story about the Lakers making a move for Ariza was press propaganda. I originally thought it was leaked by the Lakers but it is entirely possible that it was the Suns doing it, as is this story.

 

[gordontrue]

doesnt even sound like the Suns would be interested in Lonzo Ball if they offered him for Ariza...lol

who know how true that is, but if it is...its funny. real real funny. lol

Yeah, that's really hard to believe. I get there's people who aren't believers in Lonzo... but I think his biggest critics would still take him and his rookie contract over Ariza's 1 year $15 mill. Especially for a team that's tanking and looking for the future.

 

[Wamu]

doesnt even sound like the Suns would be interested in Lonzo Ball if they offered him for Ariza...lol

who know how true that is, but if it is...its funny. real real funny. lol

You know what would be really funny? If the Lakers trade Lonzo to your Cavs for Tristan.

 

[gordontrue]

I find it very hard to believe that A) the Lakers would offer Ball for Ariza and B) the Suns wouldn't take him in a second in such a deal.

Obviously the story about the Lakers making a move for Ariza was press propaganda. I originally thought it was leaked by the Lakers but it is entirely possible that it was the Suns doing it, as is this story.

Yep Gambo has legit sources, but they're all in the Suns FO. His report really sounds like the Suns posturing.

 

[gordontrue]

No less than eight teams interested in Suns forward Ariza

The Phoenix Suns have received lots of interest in veteran small forward Trevor Ariza, not just from the Los Angeles Lakers, according to a report from John Gambadoro of ArizonaSports.com.

In fact, Gambadoro reported, at least eight teams have an interest in trading for Ariza.

An ESPN report linked Ariza to the Lakers, with the Suns supposedly working on a three-team tradethat would send Ariza to LA.

But Gambadoro reported the sides are not close on a trade. And despite some rumors, the Suns are not interested in trading for Lakers shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and a bench player, Gambadoro added.

ohn Gambadoro

✔@Gambo987

I get the feeling the Suns have no interest in adding more projects to the roster. They want guys that can play now. So I doubt they would go after a Markelle Fultz or even Lonzo Ball.

Woj's report said they were trying to find a 3rd team to take KCP, so I don't think Gambadoro's report is really refuting anything Woj reported.

 

[flyerhawk]

The thing with KCP is that he is inconsistent. This season so far is kind of a microcosm of his career (or at least his last couple of seasons with the Lakers). He started the season very slow. As the late, great Chick Hearn used to say..."he couldn't throw a pea in the ocean if he was on a boat". But over the lest several games, he's found his stroke and has been shooting pretty well. The problem though is in that first sentence because he will likely lose his stroke again at some point.

I think some of his inconsistency may come from his playing time being a bit inconsistent (at least with the Lakers), so it would be interesting to see what he could do with more steady playing time.

He's young (only 25, I believe), he is a good defender and he handles the ball pretty well, but he is a streaky shooter. I could see teams being interested in him for his defense and his ball handling. If he can become more consistent shooting the ball, he could help a team even more.

I'm sure there are teams that would like to bring him on. But it's not like teams were banging the door down last offseason. It's hard to imagine a lot of teams itching to bring him in now.

He has talent certainly. But that lack of consistency puts him in a weird place where contending teams are not going to want him on the court and bottom feeders will see his upside as limited. He is still fairly young but he's been in the league for a while so his ceiling is well defined.

 

[gordontrue]

I'm sure there are teams that would like to bring him on. But it's not like teams were banging the door down last offseason. It's hard to imagine a lot of teams itching to bring him in now.

He has talent certainly. But that lack of consistency puts him in a weird place where contending teams are not going to want him on the court and bottom feeders will see his upside as limited. He is still fairly young but he's been in the league for a while so his ceiling is well defined.

Yeah, if KCP is in a trade, his inclusion will be as a salary-matcher and someone to fill minutes on a non-contending team, much moreso than as a trade asset. Not that he can't play well and end up being an asset for someone, but no FO is going to view him that way in a trade.

 

[flyerhawk]

Woj's report said they were trying to find a 3rd team to take KCP, so I don't think Gambadoro's report is really refuting anything Woj reported.

IMO, the Woj report is Magic disinformation. The Gambadoro report is Suns disinformation.

 

[gordontrue]

Everyone assuming this is the last LeBron vs Wade game. What if the Lakers and Heat meet in the Finals?

 

[trojanfan12]

I'm sure there are teams that would like to bring him on. But it's not like teams were banging the door down last offseason. It's hard to imagine a lot of teams itching to bring him in now.

He has talent certainly. But that lack of consistency puts him in a weird place where contending teams are not going to want him on the court and bottom feeders will see his upside as limited. He is still fairly young but he's been in the league for a while so his ceiling is well defined.

Oh, I agree. Unless he suddenly becomes a good bit more consistent, he's really nothing more than a good defender and ball handler who can get hot and score a bunch of points quickly. There are a bunch of guys like that in the NBA who would cost less than KCP.

Where I could see a team, maybe a playoff caliber team or a team looking for cap space, taking a chance on him is that he is a talented player, he's young and plays defense, but most important...he's on a 1 year deal. So, if a team brings him in and things work out, they can bring him back on a more team friendly deal.

If things don't work out, then they can move on from him and it doesn't really cost them much.

 

[flyerhawk]

Everyone assuming this is the last LeBron vs Wade game. What if the Lakers and Heat meet in the Finals?

The finals of what? A wet t-shirt contest in South Beach?

 

[WiggyRuss]

Everyone assuming this is the last LeBron vs Wade game. What if the Lakers and Heat meet in the Finals?

i could definitely see LeBron and Wade being guest hosts on an NBA Finals pre-game/post-game show.

 

[flyerhawk]

Oh, I agree. Unless he suddenly becomes a good bit more consistent, he's really nothing more than a good defender and ball handler who can get hot and score a bunch of points quickly. There are a bunch of guys like that in the NBA who would cost less than KCP.

Where I could see a team, maybe a playoff caliber team or a team looking for cap space, taking a chance on him is that he is a talented player, he's young and plays defense, but most important...he's on a 1 year deal. So, if a team brings him in and things work out, they can bring him back on a more team friendly deal.

If things don't work out, then they can move on from him and it doesn't really cost them much.

The problem with that is it is only viable if that playoff team is able to dump off some other contract that has more years in the deal. Otherwise they are just trading future cap space for future cap space.

I guess it is possible that a team over the cap would make a deal that would dump a player they don't want to keep but that seems really specific.

Seems that what is going on here is that Magic told Woj that the Lakers are looking to bring trade for Ariza and would give up KCP to do so. Doesn't sound like they are anywhere close to a deal though so this could be just as much an attempt to raise the price of Ariza as it is an attempt to actually get Ariza, maybe moreso.

 

[trojanfan12]

Yeah, that's really hard to believe. I get there's people who aren't believers in Lonzo... but I think his biggest critics would still take him and his rookie contract over Ariza's 1 year $15 mill. Especially for a team that's tanking and looking for the future.

Yep. While Lonzo's shooting is still an issue, he has elite passing skills and vision. He's also an excellent defender and rebounder for his position.

The Suns have a team of scorers, but no one to distribute the ball. While I don't want the Lakers to give up Lonzo for Ariza, it's hard to see the Suns not having interest in a pass first point guard when a point guard is something they desperately need.