Is Luka for AD the most shocking trade of all time

[tlance]

He's straight up trolling. Has to be.

I don’t think so.

He has factual knowledge of stats.

But doesn’t understand how players are valued.

I believe he thinks he is correct in his assessments

 

[Mebert]

And none were valuable trade assets at the time they dealt.

Randle was a contract. DDV was the asset

Pick in my typo all you want, my analysis is spot on.

You are failing to comprehend player value relative to their contracts.

Typos mean way more than analysis you hack!

 

[trojanfan12]

First laugh I’ve had this morning… and man - I needed one.

Forgot you're a Mavs fan.

If Kyrie and AD can stay healthy, I think you guys just increased your chances to win a title within the next couple of seasons. I think they fit well together and AD has been playing at a near MVP level.

 

[tc1]

Randle was a contract. DDV was the asset

Okay, you are inhabiting a different universe from the one the rest of us are in. Just note, for one of many pieces of evidence, how Randle started from Day 1 and has continued to start every game, while playing 33 minutes. And Divincenzo didn't manage to work his way into the lineup until January.

Pick in my typo all you want, my analysis is spot on.

It's not a typo when you do it over and over again.

You are failing to comprehend player value relative to their contracts.

We have no data on which to evaluate this, because we do not know what Ingram's value is. We might, if he gets traded, but he has not.

 

[tc1]

He has factual knowledge of stats.

Which is another way of saying "I know what I am talking about".

But doesn’t understand how players are valued.

I have been trying to explain exactly that to people here who think oft-injured NBA bigs remain elite into their mid-thirties -- which has never happened yet.

I believe he thinks he is correct in his assessments

Well, only because no one has yet provided anything like a successful counterpoint. That poor Fieri character has been reduced to running about screaming "Troll troll troll" to such a degree that I fear for their health.

 

[tc1]

Forgot you're a Mavs fan.

If Kyrie and AD can stay healthy, I think you guys just increased your chances to win a title within the next couple of seasons. I think they fit well together and AD has been playing at a near MVP level.

Do you think Irving is presently better than James? Do you think Irving is better than James was 5 years ago?

I don't, and I don't see much support for those ideas, statistically. So if James + Davis haven't seriously contended for a title in years, why/how would Irving + Davis?

It's not like the Mavericks have all that much else, unless they have a time machine for Thompson.

 

[trojanfan12]

I don't love the construction of the Lakers' current roster, and I've hated Pelinka's inability to understand the value of tall players for a long time now, but was the Maverick's roster last year better than the Lakers' (healthy) roster now?

I don't see it. So if Dallas had a puncher's chance last year, I don't see any reason why the Lakers don't today.

The Lakers have __two__ players who have gone to the Finals without much help. Can any team match that?

Comparing rosters, we have:

2025 Lakers

James, Doncic, Reaves, Hachimura, Hayes, Finney-Smith, Knecht, Vanderbilt, Milton, Koloko, Reddish, Jemison

2024 Mavericks

Doncic, Irving, Washington, Hardaway Jr, Jones Jr, Gafford, Lively, Green, Kleber, Exum


Doncic cancels out. James is better than Irving. Hachimura is not worse than Washington. Reaves is way better than anyone else on Dallas, and the rest are pretty comparable. Tell me why Dallas had a chance but Los Angeles doesn't. I realize the Lakers could use better bigs, but it isn't as thought Gafford and Lively are All-Stars -- Doncic led the Mavs in rebounding by a ton.

With Luka, Lebron and Reaves...they have one of the best offensive trios in the league although they are also a redundancy. They got worse defensively because they lost their rim protection and Luka isn't exactly known for his defense, Reaves is a good help defender, but gets hunted a bit in on ball defense, Lebron is still a good defender, but only in spurts. If they can land a rim protector and maybe a solid 3 and D guy, they'll be back to having a shot.

The Mavs got a guy who fits well alongside Kyrie, gives the Mavs an elite rim protector and Christie had developed into a good defender, and his offense continues to grow.

 

[Beengay fudgepackers]

Long term, the deal is better for the lakers. But they practically have to rebuild the roster in order to compete.

 

[UK Cowboy]

I wonder if this deal happens if Cuban was still the majority owner? He just a minority owner now.

@UK Cowboy thoughts?

Never

 

[DJ Fieri]

Never

I didn't think so.

 

[UK Cowboy]

I didn't think so.

Cuban would have viewed that like trading Dirk. Dirk eventually won a title and should have won two. Luka is going to win a Title one day I don't think there's any question there

 

[DJ Fieri]

Cuban would have viewed that like trading Dirk. Dirk eventually won a title and should have won two. Luka is going to win a Title one day I don't think there's any question there

The new ownership is just different....but still you'll love AD.

I think you guys will be fine....he will be a huge defensive presence plus a great rebounder. And he can score down low as well....

 

[trojanfan12]

Do you think Irving is presently better than James?

Probably as good as Lebron right now and younger.

Do you think Irving is better than James was 5 years ago?

No.

 

[jontaejones]

My prediction is this trade will catapult Luka Doncic into one of the biggest stars this league has known.

 

[UK Cowboy]

I agree with most of what you wrote. The difference for Doncic will be that he now plays for a franchise that doesn't really care if he averages 28/9/9. It cares if he wins rings. That is the expectation for the Lakers, who average a title every 2.5 seasons. Dallas loved him for making the playoffs.

In other words, Doncic now plays for a team where, were he to average 28/9/9 for the next decade, and retire ringless, he will not even crack the top 10 players in team history. If that matters to him, he will do something about it. If not, he can buy a very lovely beachfront house, and happily be mistaken for a beached marine mammal for the rest of his days.

What I see though is that he led the Mavs to the Finals last season amd would have likely won had they not ran into a team like Boston that matched up perfectly with them. If the Lakers build it right around him he will deliver the rings. Post defenders and spot up shooters. Much like building around LBJ

 

[Sir Robin Of Camelot]

Forgot you're a Mavs fan.

If Kyrie and AD can stay healthy, I think you guys just increased your chances to win a title within the next couple of seasons. I think they fit well together and AD has been playing at a near MVP level.

My grandsons & I were having that exact conversation this morning. Health is the key… with both Kai & AD - as long as Kai’s back doesn’t give out.

 

[trojanfan12]

My grandsons & I were having that exact conversation this morning. Health is the key… with both Kai & AD - as long as Kai’s back doesn’t give out.

And on the plus side...AD has been pretty healthy the past couple of seasons and this current injury is said to be mild and only expected to keep him out about a week.

 

[tc1]

With Luka, Lebron and Reaves...they have one of the best offensive trios in the league although they are also a redundancy. They got worse defensively because they lost their rim protection and Luka isn't exactly known for his defense, Reaves is a good help defender, but gets hunted a bit in on ball defense, Lebron is still a good defender, but only in spurts. If they can land a rim protector and maybe a solid 3 and D guy, they'll be back to having a shot.

Liked your post for answering the question -- kind of.

What you write is correct, but again, look at Dallas last year. They made the Finals. Okay, they lost, but if you make the Finals and don't get swept, you had a chance. They were not a good defensive team -- 18th on the season. They were not all that great offensively either -- 10th.

The Mavs got a guy who fits well alongside Kyrie, gives the Mavs an elite rim protector and Christie had developed into a good defender, andhis offense continues to grow.

All of this is exactly true for the Lakers last year -- except James is way better than Irving -- and the Lakers were not particularly competitive. Why would Dallas be better at all, never mind a lot better?

If the Lakers keep Reaves and Hachimura, they will be exceedingly difficult to stop from scoring -- assuming they can convince Doncic to hoist fewer threes, as he's the worst shooter of the foursome, but entirely free of conscience. They will also not be good at all defensively, but that's kind-of the definition of having a puncher's chance. And they have a couple guys who can defend a little, in Vanderbilt, Reddish, Finney-Smith, and Hayes -- although they rarely play them.

 

[tc1]

Probably as good as Lebron right now and younger.

What is your opinion based on? Statistically it is not a contest right now -- points are equal, but James averages about double Irving's assists and 60% more rebounds. James is slightly more efficient.

 

[tc1]

What I see though is that he led the Mavs to the Finals last season amd would have likely won had they not ran into a team like Boston that matched up perfectly with them.

That might be true. On the other hand, Dallas had some very good fortune in the playoffs last year. They were lucky to face a Thunder team that was like the youngest playoff team ever, or something, and looking back, it's hard to even see how they won that series. Doncic was excellent, but Gilgeous-Alexander was unbelievable ( 32 / 8 /7, 55% from 3! ).

Doncic needed Irving to bail him out in the first round against the Clippers where he shot 40% -- overall -- and 24% from the arc. And oh by the way, Leonard only played 59 minutes in that series.

If the Lakers build it right around him he will deliver the rings. Post defenders and spot up shooters. Much like building around LBJ

Heh, we'll see. People said exactly the same thing about James Harden ten years ago. High-volume shooters with mediocre accuracy may score a lot of points, but that's not actually a great model for winning championships, especially if they are useless defensively.