2019 Offseason Thread

[trojanfan12]

Just curious...where's the quote giving his reasons?

Paul George: I Wanted to Join Lakers Last Year, But They Didn't Trade for Me

 

[dtgold88]

Westbrook post AS numbers (around the same time PG-13 shoulder injury happened)

25.5 PPG, 9.8 APG, & 10.8 RPG on 45% shooting and 34% from 3.

Do you guys not understand how ridiculous those numbers are?

45% and 34% are "ridiculous"?

 

[dtgold88]

I mean I'm sure not every game was bad in those months just like I'm sure he had a few bad games in the months where his shooting % was high. At the end of day 5>2 so give me 5 out of 7 good months instead of 5 out of 7 bad months.

which is why the best way to go is just look at the entire 82 game season instead of picking and choosing what fits your agenda.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

Paul George: I Wanted to Join Lakers Last Year, But They Didn't Trade for Me

Wasn’t that before FA last year when he signed July1 ( I believe).

And wasnt that when people were saying Lakers shouldnt give up assets when they could get him in a few months as a FA?

 

[dtgold88]

Paul George: I Wanted to Join Lakers Last Year, But They Didn't Trade for Me

It's all just guesswork. I get since it supports your belief might as well go with "can only go by what he said" notion.

But not likely he'd come out and say "I don't want to play with Lebron" is it?

 

[tlance]

True but that's a bigger market as we both know. You have to think most stars don't want to play in OKC just due to it being a smaller market. They prefer to play in a bigger market

Except,

If Paul George weren’t willing to stay in OKC he would not have extended a year ago. He was willing to stay in that small market.

He likely realized they had no chance at winning in the playoffs and looked to jump ship.

 

[WiggyRuss]

And again, the fact that you ignore is that PG said himself why he didn't come to the Lakers and Lebron wasn't mentioned.

lets say jsut for shits and gigglees that it was 1000% percent true that Paul George just HATES LeBron with a passion---- do you think there is anyway on God's green earth that in a response to a reporter's question of why he is not going to the Lakers- he would say "Well, I hate LeBron, thats why"--- gmafb.

 

[bksballer89]

45% and 34% are "ridiculous"?

For Russ it is actually. 45% and 34% would have tied his career hights

Sorry that 25,10, & 10 on 45% shooting & 34% shooting from 3 are not good enough for you.

I forgot there are plenty of players who avg 25,10, & 10 so yeah you right....nothing to be impressed about

 

[dtgold88]

Yes and no.

A team can essentially bully the player by trading him whether he wants to be traded or not.

Why shouldn't the player be able to force his way out?

while clearly they can do this, you ignore it's in the CBA they can be traded by the team, unless a no-trade clause exists...and often the player gets more $ if traded.

 

[trojanfan12]

Wasn’t that before FA last year when he signed July1 ( I believe).

And wasnt that when people were saying Lakers shouldnt give up assets when they could get him in a few months as a FA?

If memory serves, he made that statement after he re-signed with OKC.

But yeah, the reason the Lakers didn't trade for him was because they thought he was for sure coming as an FA.

I believe that's a big part of why they pushed so hard to make the AD trade happen. If they didn't and then he went somewhere else in FA next season...that would have been a disaster.

 

[bksballer89]

He likely realized they had no chance at winning in the playoffs and looked to jump ship.

He could only look in the mirror for that if we are being honest.

He had a pretty shitty playoffs both years.

But to counter your point then why sign the deal in the first place? They did lose to Utah in the 2018 playoffs prior to signing the contract

 

[tlance]

You can bet the day he gets traded to Miami he will be a bum.

 

[dtgold88]

For Russ it is actually. 45% and 34% would have tied his career hights

Sorry that 25,10, & 10 on 45% shooting & 34% shooting from 3 are not good enough for you.

I forgot there are plenty of players who avg 25,10, & 10 so yeah you right....nothing to be impressed about

why are you sorry? You asked how he regressed and I gave you factual evidence. You are now just dancing, deflecting, etc.

I've never said the guy isn't still a great player. Never said Heat should not acquire him. If you think it was an aberration, great, just say so. I even said that was a possibility

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

If memory serves, he made that statement after he re-signed with OKC.

But yeah, the reason the Lakers didn't trade for him was because they thought he was for sure coming as an FA.

I believe that's a big part of why they pushed so hard to make the AD trade happen. If they didn't and then he went somewhere else in FA next season...that would have been a disaster.

Agree, but then it makes little sense for George to say Lakers didnt try hard enough to trade for him, if the prudent move was to save the assets to play with him.

So, logical thinking is, he really didnt want to come because he could have.

 

[tlance]

But one of the stars who left first agreed to stay for 5 years.

And then he asked to leave a year later.

You don’t think LeBron will be crucified if AD leaves before LeBron does?

 

[trojanfan12]

It's all just guesswork. I get since it supports your belief might as well go with "can only go by what he said" notion.

But not likely he'd come out and say "I don't want to play with Lebron" is it?

So you asked for a quote and the quote was provided and now it's because of what he supposedly wouldn't come out and say.

Guess it's just not in you to man up.

Gotta love this forum.

This discussion isn't going to go on for pages. I said what he stated and provided the quote.

End of discussion.

 

[dtgold88]

Why is that? Because a guy who re-signed before Lebron was a Laker and who said the Lakers not trying hard enough to trade for him was why he didn't sign with them, chose to stay where he was?

Or because the Clippers threw a Hail Mary and completed it?

Because in 2 years now the Lakers have had room in FA for at least one max guy to join Lebron and none would do it.

 

[WiggyRuss]

why are you sorry? You asked how he regressed and I gave you factual evidence. You are now just dancing, deflecting, etc.

I've never said the guy isn't still a great player. Never said Heat should not acquire him. If you think it was an aberration, great, just say so. I even said that was a possibility

RW's defense has definitely regressed the last few years. Thats for sure. In his younger years he has to be a bad-ass defender- now he really doesnt give much effort on that side of the ball besides gambling for steals.

 

[tlance]

He could only look in the mirror for that if we are being honest.

He had a pretty shitty playoffs both years.

But to counter your point then why sign the deal in the first place? They did lose to Utah in the 2018 playoffs prior to signing the contract

Maybe he thought they could win after 1 year.

After 2, he realized everyone else in the west was getting better and OKC had no tangible means of catching up.

 

[trojanfan12]

Agree, but then it makes little sense for George to say Lakers didnt try hard enough to trade for him, if the prudent move was to save the assets to play with him.

So, logical thinking is, he really didnt want to come because he could have.

I thought it was pretty shortsighted on his part. But so was re-signing with OKC 30 seconds into FA.

These guys get into their feelings over all kind of shit. If PG felt like the Lakers didn't want him bad enough, that could be the reason.

People want to put it on Lebron, but Lebron wasn't there yet and PG said what he said.