LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, and the Perpetual Joke NBA Free Agency Has Become

[WiggyRuss]

Lakers are actually pretty solid defensively on the wings/back court with Stephenseon, LeBron, KCP, Rondo, Ball.....

If you are asking me- they need a big man badly. Kuzma/Zubac/Wagner/McGee has some potential, and is mostly pretty solid young guys---- personally i think McGee is kind of a 20 minute a game mostly after thought type of guy....Kuzma is solid but hes more of a stretch 4 then a guy banging down low on the block getting tons of boards. Wagner is a finesse big that was drafted for his shooting and Zubac is a back end of the roster type of guy.

Is there a vet. min big they could bring in that could give them 25 minutes a game and just some toughness and rebounding?

 

[HurricaneDij39]

You think outside the box unlike many folks here.

No shit...Too many mainstream media copycats around here.

 

[The Q]

Lakers are actually pretty solid defensively on the wings/back court with Stephenseon, LeBron, KCP, Rondo, Ball.....

If you are asking me- they need a big man badly. Kuzma/Zubac/Wagner/McGee has some potential, and is mostly pretty solid young guys---- personally i think McGee is kind of a 20 minute a game mostly after thought type of guy....Kuzma is solid but hes more of a stretch 4 then a guy banging down low on the block getting tons of boards. Wagner is a finesse big that was drafted for his shooting and Zubac is a back end of the roster type of guy.

Is there a vet. min big they could bring in that could give them 25 minutes a game and just some toughness and rebounding?

I like Eric Moreland quite a bit in a bigger role.

He's not a star, but he can block shots and rebound.

 

[Montalban]

There was once a time in NBA history when free agency was strictly about the business of contract details and with whatever team the said player wished to spend his career with. Then, in 2010 - LeBron James happened, and this whole spectacle that is NBA free agency had become much more than that as a result. It has become more about big brands, big egos, big markets, and player collusion. Because of LeBron James.

When LeBron left Cleveland for the first time to form a superteam in Miami, it became acceptable for these self-proclaimed "star" players to throw their teammates, their coaches (looking at you, Kawhi Leonard), and even their ownership under the microscope. Because of LeBron James. It has come to be a regular occurrence in the NBA throughout this decade. Because of LeBron James.

In the current NBA, there are plenty of teams that are more well-managed than the Lakers. There were several teams more deserving of LeBron's services. But, in the end - The big market and his big business ventures were ultimately the deciding factor in his free agency this time around. At least Art Modell only left Cleveland once, and it is this that is the very reason why we as a culture keep him out of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Shame on LeBron James.

Shame on these self-righteous NBA "stars".

Now, on to my Kawhi Leonard trade idea...

San Antonio receives - Kent Bazemore, DeMarre Carroll, and a future 2022 second round draft pick (from Atlanta)

Atlanta receives - Kawhi Leonard

Brooklyn receives - Danny Green

From San Antonio's perspective: The Spurs need to be able to prove the point to Kawhi that beggars can't be choosers by forcing him to spend a year of his prime in a hapless situation in Atlanta - A team that currently is almost blatantly tanking. It is not that Bazemore is a bad player - He did shoot a career-high 39.4 percent from three this past season - It's simply a matter of him not being worth his contract. And who knows, maybe Pop could make a diamond in the rough out of him. Carroll would give San Antonio a designated LeBron defender for the upcoming season.

From Atlanta's perspective: For the Hawks, this deal would provide a bargaining opportunity. Atlanta would be off the hook for the final two years of Bazemore's contract while surrendering only a second round pick well down the road. While it is highly unlikely that Kawhi Leonard commits to them long-term, they would be given the opportunity to flip him at next February's trade deadline for more assets moving forward.

From Brooklyn's perspective: Simple salary dump. Green will earn more than $5 million less than DeMarre Carroll in the final year of their respective deals, and would instantly become a buyout candidate upon completion of this proposed deal.

LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, and the Perpetual Joke NBA Free Agency Has Become

Another reason I despise James.

 

[WiggyRuss]

I like Eric Moreland quite a bit in a bigger role.

He's not a star, but he can block shots and rebound.

they need a guy who's sole job it is to play D and rebound and be tough if you ask me.....they have the potential "shooters" in Kuzma and Wagner...they need that guy who plays along with Kuzma and or Wagner and protects those guys defensive shortcomings and rebounds.

the Lakers are set up to be better defensively than the Cavs last season, but as far as shooting and rebounding go- the Cavs were a lot better off. Itll be interesting to see how that approach works.

 

[HurricaneDij39]

It's either numbnuts or dumbfuck.

No one says numbfuck.

I did.

 

[The Q]

they need a guy who's sole job it is to play D and rebound and be tough if you ask me.....they have the potential "shooters" in Kuzma and Wagner...they need that guy who plays along with Kuzma and or Wagner and protects those guys defensive shortcomings and rebounds.

the Lakers are set up to be better defensively than the Cavs last season, but as far as shooting and rebounding go- the Cavs were a lot better off. Itll be interesting to see how that approach works.

Yeah, that's moreland. He's not a guy you pass the ball too. And he's been good in short stints.

I'm sure there are some other guys out there.

But the Lakers seem to be ok where they are right now (in their opinion, not ours).

 

[HurricaneDij39]

I think tlance gave all of the answer that's needed here:

The Spurs on 47 games last season. And according to Hollinger's analysis, they would improve by three games if they were to add Bazemore and Carroll.

You can't honestly tell me, that if one were to tell a Spurs employee that they would win 50 games next season without Kawhi Leonard - That they wouldn't take it in an instant???

 

[HurricaneDij39]

Lol, you actually went the 'my daddy likes my posts' route?

Come on man....

If it's any consolation for you, my "mommy" never actually hit the like button when I linked this post on my FB page.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Another reason I despise James.

i obviously have a lot of mixed feelings about Lebron-

but there is one thing that i am 100% sure of

LeBron does what is best for him. He really isnt loyal to anyone but himself and his friends and family-- which is cool for him and his right and its probably what i would do if i were him- but as a fan it just is what it is.

 

[WiggyRuss]

I am just going to say this right now- and if the Lakers trade for Kawhi or something between now and when the season starts- that obviously DRASTICALLY changes the equation. But here is what I know;

1. LeBron has played with at least one, if not 2 all stars, for almost a decade straight. When he went to the Heat he played with Wade and Bosh in the middle of their primes. In Cleveland he played with Love and Irving who were just entering their primes. In LA he will not be playing with anyone who is really even that close to being an all star caliber player

2. When LeBron was succesful in Miami and Cleveland he did it with a lot of shooters around him that spread the floor for LeBron. Some of those shooters were GREAT and some were even on the All time NBA lists like Ray Allen, Kyle Korver- In LA the 3 pt shooting will be the worse he has had in well over a decade. His "best" 3 pt shooter are probably KCP who has 1 year when he shot well (it WAS last year), and Kuzma, a rookie who shot 37%. Especially with Rondo and LaVar, LeBron will not have the same space that he has been used to operating with for a long time now.

3. I think the Lakers big men are mostly finesse guys. I think McGee is a 20 minute bit player at best who hasnt averaged 4 rebounds a game in YEARS. The most minutes McGee has played per game in a season since '13/'14 were 10 minutes a game. Expecting McGee to even play 20 minutes a game i think is a LOT. Kuzma is a 2nd year guy. Wagner is a 7 footer but hes a finesse big thats mostly a shooter. Zubac couldnt get on the court for a bad team last year- hes a back end of the rotation guy. The only Lakers big man i would feel comfortable getting REAL NBA minutes is Kuzma and he is a 2nd year player that has never played under any pressure.


I think those 3 things add to one major thing- LeBron will HAVE to play more off the ball, and more in the post. These are things he has been opposed to doing in the past despite Spoelstra practically begging him to play more in the post and him out right refusing to play in the post for Blatt and Lue. Will moving a 34 year old LeBron into the post to bang with big men, and take the ball out of his hands be a good idea?

We shall see.

 

[The Q]

I am just going to say this right now- and if the Lakers trade for Kawhi or something between now and when the season starts- that obviously DRASTICALLY changes the equation. But here is what I know;

1. LeBron has played with at least one, if not 2 all stars, for almost a decade straight. When he went to the Heat he played with Wade and Bosh in the middle of their primes. In Cleveland he played with Love and Irving who were just entering their primes. In LA he will not be playing with anyone who is really even that close to being an all star caliber player

2. When LeBron was succesful in Miami and Cleveland he did it with a lot of shooters around him that spread the floor for LeBron. Some of those shooters were GREAT and some were even on the All time NBA lists like Ray Allen, Kyle Korver- In LA the 3 pt shooting will be the worse he has had in well over a decade. His "best" 3 pt shooter are probably KCP who has 1 year when he shot well (it WAS last year), and Kuzma, a rookie who shot 37%. Especially with Rondo and LaVar, LeBron will not have the same space that he has been used to operating with for a long time now.

3. I think the Lakers big men are mostly finesse guys. I think McGee is a 20 minute bit player at best who hasnt averaged 4 rebounds a game in YEARS. The most minutes McGee has played per game in a season since '13/'14 were 10 minutes a game. Expecting McGee to even play 20 minutes a game i think is a LOT. Kuzma is a 2nd year guy. Wagner is a 7 footer but hes a finesse big thats mostly a shooter. Zubac couldnt get on the court for a bad team last year- hes a back end of the rotation guy. The only Lakers big man i would feel comfortable getting REAL NBA minutes is Kuzma and he is a 2nd year player that has never played under any pressure.


I think those 3 things add to one major thing- LeBron will HAVE to play more off the ball, and more in the post. These are things he has been opposed to doing in the past despite Spoelstra practically begging him to play more in the post and him out right refusing to play in the post for Blatt and Lue. Will moving a 34 year old LeBron into the post to bang with big men, and take the ball out of his hands be a good idea?

We shall see.

I've read that Bron is starting to realize he's gonna need to move to the post more.

He's supposedly a HUGE ball fan.

And I think this team will be damn good defensively. Ball was EXCELLENT defensively (as a rookie that's rare). Having, him, Bron and Lance is a lot of seriously good defense.

The spacing will be a bit inverted with Kuzma and Wagner being guys who can step out.

 

[Shaqdaddy11]

If it's any consolation for you, my "mommy" never actually hit the like button when I linked this post on my FB page.

I bet she did

 

[Wamu]

I am just going to say this right now- and if the Lakers trade for Kawhi or something between now and when the season starts- that obviously DRASTICALLY changes the equation. But here is what I know;

1. LeBron has played with at least one, if not 2 all stars, for almost a decade straight. When he went to the Heat he played with Wade and Bosh in the middle of their primes. In Cleveland he played with Love and Irving who were just entering their primes. In LA he will not be playing with anyone who is really even that close to being an all star caliber player

2. When LeBron was succesful in Miami and Cleveland he did it with a lot of shooters around him that spread the floor for LeBron. Some of those shooters were GREAT and some were even on the All time NBA lists like Ray Allen, Kyle Korver- In LA the 3 pt shooting will be the worse he has had in well over a decade. His "best" 3 pt shooter are probably KCP who has 1 year when he shot well (it WAS last year), and Kuzma, a rookie who shot 37%. Especially with Rondo and LaVar, LeBron will not have the same space that he has been used to operating with for a long time now.

3. I think the Lakers big men are mostly finesse guys. I think McGee is a 20 minute bit player at best who hasnt averaged 4 rebounds a game in YEARS. The most minutes McGee has played per game in a season since '13/'14 were 10 minutes a game. Expecting McGee to even play 20 minutes a game i think is a LOT. Kuzma is a 2nd year guy. Wagner is a 7 footer but hes a finesse big thats mostly a shooter. Zubac couldnt get on the court for a bad team last year- hes a back end of the rotation guy. The only Lakers big man i would feel comfortable getting REAL NBA minutes is Kuzma and he is a 2nd year player that has never played under any pressure.


I think those 3 things add to one major thing- LeBron will HAVE to play more off the ball, and more in the post. These are things he has been opposed to doing in the past despite Spoelstra practically begging him to play more in the post and him out right refusing to play in the post for Blatt and Lue. Will moving a 34 year old LeBron into the post to bang with big men, and take the ball out of his hands be a good idea?

We shall see.

What are the chances his ppg drop by whatever but he averages a trip-dub for the season? If he plays more in the post no reason he can't average 10 rpg's. Oh wait, do the Lakers have any shooters? I hope they don't!


CELTICS IN SEVEN!!! (@mick7-1961, you ever been to Ireland?)

 

[trojanfan12]

i had not heard that they would HAVE to move all those guys......not saying you are wrong but i am not sure how that makes sense that they would have to move all those guys to get a deal done.

The guy that I heard talking about it was supposedly a "cap expert" and "Lakers insider". He said they'd have to move those guys because of all of the 1 years guys they signed.


He said that there was a way to do it where the Lakers could keep a couple of the young guys, but it was too complicated to talk about on the radio and would involve 3 or 4 teams.

If that is the truth, i think thats bad for the Lakers as they wouldnt do that deal, and if the Spurs wnat ot get something they basically only have the sixers to work with- and if he is traded to the Sixers i think he stays with the Sixers.

I think he would stay in Philly too. Especially if they make the finals or at least the ECF and give whoever they face there a good run.

The problem though, is he has apparently said that he would consider it. Not that he would do it. Given what's happened so far, if I'm the Sixers, I'm not sure I trust that.

If what you are telling me about Kawhi is correct- that the Lakers cant get him unless they give up the proverbial farm, is there another all star that they would consider trading for and have a legit chance at getting, or will they be okay going into the season with what they have?

From what is being reported out here, Magic sold him on the idea of this year as a sort of "feeling out" year to basically see who among the young guys is going to be part of the future. They're saying that part of the reason for signing guys like Rondo and Stephenson is that they are vets with some "dawg" in them and will pressure and challenge the young guys and hold them accountable. The young guys who accept that and get better will be sticking around and the ones who don't...won't. Lebron has apparently signed off on it.

I think they need A. AT LEAST 2 guys that are consistent 3 pt shooters,

KCP, Ingram and Kuzma should be able to hit some 3's. Especially since they'll likely get more open looks with Lebron on the floor. They won't be the Warriors, but they should be okay. I agree though, I'd feel better if they picked up a bona fide 3 point threat rather than guys they're hoping will be 3 point threats.

 

[trojanfan12]

I did.

Like I said...No one says numbfuck.

 

[logic]

Like I said...No one says numbfuck.

That's just dumbnuts

 

[msgkings322]

who knows what they even offered in the first place or what the Lakers have even offered.

I think if one or the other, the Sixers or Lakers, make a trade for him- that will make them the favorite to sign him to an extension.

If he gets traded to LA and they do well, I cant see him leaving there for less money----

same as- if he gets traded to the Sixers, and they make hte Finals or something, it would be hard for me to see him leave money on the table and leave.

should be interesting.

There's no question the NBA has the most interesting off-season of all the sports and it's not even close

 

[Heatles84]

No shit...Too many mainstream media copycats around here.

"Pop could trade Deng for Kawhi straight up and that would be considered a win."

Man, I'd rather be mainstream then come up with the brain dead shit you come up with.

 

[CitySushi]

Who says no?

NBA Trade Machine - ESPN