2019 Offseason Thread

[Heatles84]

A. use your brain. In 1992 when Shaq left Orlando, Orlando could not even afford to pay Shaq the contract he got. Now that is not even an issue. The CBA, salary cap, national TV, has totally transformed the league (not surprised this is over your head).

Orlando low-balled him, they could've offered him whatever they wanted given that they had his Bird Rights. That's why they lost him.

The inside story: How the Magic let the Lakers steal Shaquille O'Neal

B. The Lakers and Knicks sucked balls and have not won anything for years. The two biggest markets in the league, 2 of its "marquis" franchises, have done nothing. The Lakers- like plenty of other franchises, bottomed out for years and are now rising again. This is opposed to the rest of their history.

Yet the Lakers share odds-on favorites to win the title this year and have two top 7 players. They're not even in the same boat as the Knicks. The only thing they share in common with the Knicks is a large market. Lakers front office is inexperienced and not that good. NY is every sort of bad.

C. The ownership/management thing is absolutely true. The Buss children, like many products of nepotism, really have shown that they are clueless thus far.

And yet they have two top 7 players.

D. I mean was your brain deprived of oxygen as a child for a long period of time? At one point if you lived in Dallas, you likely wouldnt even see ONE Pistons game on national TV the entire year. Now you can see every single game of every single team. the Cavs had the most national tv games for a while. That NEVER EVER would have happened in the early history of the NBA.

*Wiggy ignores that good teams are on ESPN/TNT a lot more*

How many games were the Wizards, Knicks, Cavs and Kings on in prime time?

E. Marketing speaks for itself obviously. When Cleveland and Orlando- two of the smaller markets in the NBA have the 2 biggest marketers in the game, it is not your father's NBA anymore. You can be in ANY city and be huge now- when that simply was not the case years ago.

Huh?

F. Revenue sharing. Bird Rights. Designated player extensions that can only be given to players you draft. Hard cap for sign and trades. Draft pick trade restrictions. All of these things, in tandem have altered the competitive balance from being more of a free market- to more restrictive.

G. The NBA used to be a business where families owned most of the teams- and those families businesses were the teams. Whether that was the Miller's in Utah or the Pollin's in Washington or Buss' in Los Angeles. The wealth of the owners was in the team that they owned. Now teams are owned by guys that were super-successful in other businesses and buy their team is an expensive toy/plaything- like a Ballmer or Arison or DeVos or Allen or Gilbert or Gore or Lacob, etc.. These guys own BILLION dollar franchises--- and that billion dollar franchise does not even represent 20% of their net worth. Basketball expenditures are no longer limited by a team's revenues. They are limited to how competitive an owner wants to be (with some common sense restrictions of course).

Yet.....the Golden State Warriors ownership has a combined net worth of roughly $1.5 billion, maybe less, and they just finished off a dynasty run.

all of that adds up to how the Lakers and Knicks can suck for years on end, and the league still thrives. The advantages those teams once enjoyed have been thoroughly mitigated.

Yet, AD went to the Lakers because he forced a trade there. Kawhi and PG wanted to go back to LA (Clippers), because of the market.

 

[Mecca of the “B” Team]

how much you want to bet the Clippers win more titles in the next 10 years than the Lakers?

Dr. Buss aint coming back there slugger. You are left with Jeanie who thinks having Linda Rambis heavily involved is a good idea, and thinks Pelinka knows what he is doing.

Good ownership/management is crucial in the NBA. The Cavs are certainly not the Spurs---- but THANK GOD they are certainly not the Lakers either.

Dude, please stop.

I'm over here making deals with the devil to lift the Clippers curse and you over there all but guaranteeing the base God puts a root on their asses.

Clippers have no chips.

ZERO!!

Getting one will be great.

Multiple?

#FugOutOfHere.

 

[Shanemansj13]

You make one mistake as a newbie on this board and you never hear the end of it...sheesh

It was a BIG mistake. You will learn. Buckalis still hasn't but I don't expect him to be here that long so lol

 

[dtgold88]

He knows....he is being stupid right now.

JR got how much last season? And did his production show he earned it?

JR was instrumental in winning their title and resigned after that season in 2016. Has he lived up to it last 2 seasons? Nope.

 

[dtgold88]

IF either JR or Tristan weren't Klutch, things would have been a whole lot different for them.

A whole lot different? doubt it.

 

[Wamu]

On a different topic for just a moment. Can the state of Florida just be fenced off from the rest of the country? Crazy shit is always happening there.

An elderly woman was kicked out of a Burger King in Eustis, Florida for telling the manager to go back to Mexico for speaking spanish to an associate. The manager's from Puerto Rico. What a racist dumbfuck.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

Why is it assumed Detroit is in the mix then? You thinking RW has asked to go there?

Sure. Short commute to Ohio.
Great drinking water.
Beautiful weather.
Low crime.

Sign him up.

 

[tlance]

if you really think that Durant didnt talk to management before hand i dont know what to tell you other than you have finally gone full retard.

I bet the Nets and Jordan/Kyrie/Durant negotiated the fact that they would each take less than the max to allow Jordan to sign in less than 5 minutes. That makes sense. lol....holy shit man are you that naive or just being an idiot?

I definitely believe Kevin Durant did not speak to them directly.

Why would Marks admit to that if it wasn’t true? Makes him look like he played zero role in KD signing. I would go so far as to say it was stupid of him to admit that even if it is the truth.

So yeah, I believe KD and Kyrie decided where they wanted to play based on their own factors outside of management. I believe his agent got some assurance he would get the deal he wanted and made his decision without any type of meeting. Since his decision was announced before free agency opened, yeah, I believe it.

Then, the details of the contract were worked out when they actually met later.

No response when I roasted you earlier, then back to name calling?

Take your L like a man and stop crying.

 

[dtgold88]

star power

Griffin and Drummond? Seriously?

 

[Bart]

Just saw Ryan Hollins was back at it again......... @Heatles84 @wildturkey

Ryan Hollins Calls Kawhi Leonard A "Fluke," Joe Budden & Freddie Gibbs React

I'm not sure this so far off base. With the GS injuries, it wasn't a legit finals series. Kawhi's spurs title, he wasn't the leader. Kawhi has a lot to prove still.

 

[Heatles84]

@bksballer89

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

On a different topic for just a moment. Can the state of Florida just be fenced off from the rest of the country? Crazy shit is always happening there.

An elderly woman was kicked out of a Burger King in Eustis, Florida for telling the manager to go back to Mexico for speaking spanish to an associate. The manager's from Puerto Rico. What a racist dumbfuck.

North and South Florida are nothing alike.
Trust me on that one.

 

[Heatles84]

North and South Florida are nothing alike.
Trust me on that one.

Lived in both. Get me the fuck out of North Florida.

 

[dtgold88]

I was just posting a tweet. As I stated last night, I don't care much either way

my comment was more towards the tweeter...not you showing us.

 

[bksballer89]

Griffin and Drummond? Seriously?

Yes. Blake is a top 25 player.

That Russ/Blake P&R is deadly

 

[dtgold88]

What point does this prove? That Lebron's that fucking dominant? If that was your point, then cool. But I don't know how this helps you at the actual topic.

With this logic, you guys should be back in the Finals then in about 5-6 years then, yes? Well take a year off of that, because 1 year has already passed.

But the cavs had to have a roster would want to join (and leave your team). Notice your team was nowhere close to a team Lebron would entertain playing with last summer?

 

[Wamu]

North and South Florida are nothing alike.
Trust me on that one.

I'll take your word on that one, after all you do live in the state. I've only been there twice. Fort Lauderdale once w/ my wife in the late 90's for a wedding. And when I was a kid went to Cape Canaveral. And without looking it up I'm not even sure where that place is located in the state.

 

[Heatles84]

I'm not sure this so far off base. With the GS injuries, it wasn't a legit finals series. Kawhi's spurs title, he wasn't the leader. Kawhi has a lot to prove still.

No he doesn't. That 2014 Finals he was a pain in the ass against the Heat. The box score doesn't reflect it, but if he was off that Spurs team, Miami gets a 3-peat. Kawhi has zero left to prove.

 

[dtgold88]

Someone help me out here, why would anyone argue that the Heat haven't really done shit in the 6 years since Lebron left (mind you, that we made it to the 2nd round in a game 7 with Toronto w/out Bosh due to blood clots) and reference your own team making it back in 5 years after losing Lebron, when you made it back BECAUSE LEBRON RETURNED TO YOUR FUCKING TEAM.

I'll keep the wording small because it means as much.......because the Cavs had a team talented enough with cap space and assets that would entice Lebron to return.

 

[Mecca of the “B” Team]

I'm not sure this so far off base. With the GS injuries, it wasn't a legit finals series. Kawhi's spurs title, he wasn't the leader. Kawhi has a lot to prove still.

Yeah, they just gave him Finals MVP that year because they had voters fatigue with Parker and Duncan.