The #2 pick

[ANGELAKERAMS]

How do we know Cousins isn't a good fit?

we don't, that's the whole point.

he is as much of a gamble as drafting Okafor would be. that's what I've been trying to say. just because he's a 20/10 guy in SacTown doesn't mean his game will translate to the Lakers. he could be the same player or he could turn out to be a 15/8 guy. or maybe he is a cancer like Karl thinks he is and why he's wanting him out of SacTown and the Lakers end up with Dwightmare 2.0- and we don't even know if he even wants to go to the Lakers. maybe he hates LA and doesn't want to live/play there.

we know Okafor wants to play there and he'll cost 10M less without giving up Randle.

with Cousins, you fill a void and create another void while depleting the cap space to fill 2 positions. with standing pat, you fill a void and have max money to fill the SF position.

 

[trojanfan12]

we don't, that's the whole point.

he is as much of a gamble as drafting Okafor would be. that's what I've been trying to say. just because he's a 20/10 guy in SacTown doesn't mean his game will translate to the Lakers. he could be the same player or he could turn out to be a 15/8 guy. or maybe he is a cancer like Karl thinks he is and why he's wanting him out of SacTown and the Lakers end up with Dwightmare 2.0- and we don't even know if he even wants to go to the Lakers. maybe he hates LA and doesn't want to live/play there.

we know Okafor wants to play there and he'll cost 10M less without giving up Randle.

with Cousins, you fill a void and create another void while depleting the cap space to fill 2 positions. with standing pat, you fill a void and have max money to fill the SF position.

We know that Cousins is a proven all star in the NBA, but we don't know any more about him than a player who hasn't played even 1 second in the NBA?

Additionally, ownership seems bound and determined to keep him and they've been dealing with him longer than Karl has.

 

[Kold]

IT'S HEATING UP FELLAS Sources: Kings talking to Lakers about DeMarcus Cousins trade, fielding offers from other teams - Yahoo Sports

 

[Kold]

The Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings exchanged frameworks of a trade centered on All-Star DeMarcus Cousins on Wednesday and discussions could intensify on Thursday, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
Kings vice president of basketball operations Vlade Divac has pursued a possible deal that would include a bevvy of assets, including the Lakers' No. 2 pick in Thursday's NBA draft, rookies Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson and other draft assets, league sources told Yahoo Sports. Sacramento also would want to unload the remainder of forward Carl Landry's two years, $13.5 million contract, league sources said.

Minimally, the Lakers have no intention of including Randle in a deal for Cousins, league sources told Yahoo Sports. The Lakers are reluctant to part with Clarkson too, sources said.

The Lakers are eager to make a deal for Cousins before Thursday night's draft, but if no agreement is in place, Los Angeles will continue to decide between Duke center Jahlil Okafor and Ohio State guard D'Angelo Russell, sources said.

Sacramento owner Vivek Ranadive has been unwilling to discuss a deal to send Cousins to Denver, where Sacramento's former coach, Michael Malone, and former general manager, Pete D'Alessandro, have been recently hired, sources said. Denver has had interest in a three-way deal that would land Cousins with the Lakers and possibly deliver the Kings several players – including point guard Ty Lawson – who Karl has expressed a desire to be reunited with in Sacramento, sources said.

 

[Berkeley_Blues]

Lakers won't need Towns or Okafor if Excramento sends Demarcus Cousins (future Hall of Famer) to L.A.

 

[Kold]

There's a few things I take out of all of this and the biggest is this....if we don't get the deal we won't, we'll happily walk and draft Okafor. That should at the least comfort everybody. Secondly, I like that they are aggressive, but smart in their approach. They seem to value Randle and Clarkson, and they are most certainly not taking that horrendous deal that the Kings made up. I have some faith that if we end up making the trade, it won't be a back breaking deal that gives up all of our assests. As I said earlier, I get the feeling that this thing is gonna brew all summer long...

 

[ANGELAKERAMS]

We know that Cousins is a proven all star in the NBA, but we don't know any more about him than a player who hasn't played even 1 second in the NBA?

Additionally, ownership seems bound and determined to keep him and they've been dealing with him longer than Karl has.

Holy smokes. what is it you guys aren't getting?

of course we know what kind of player he is in SacTown. doesn't mean he is going to be that player in LA.

did you guys not see this same scenario play out with Dwight? did you guys block that year from your memories? cause Dwight was the most dominant big man in the game when they traded for him and his game did not translate to LA.

that's what I have been trying to say. but apparently you guys aren't getting it. just cause he's an all star in SacTown doesn't automatically mean he will be an all star in LA.

that's what makes his game an unknown just like Okafor.

if the Lakers knew they were going to get the Dwight that they ended up with rather than the one that dominated in Orlando, there is no way they would've made that trade. that's the thing about trades. there is always a winner and a loser because some team isn't going to get the player they thought they were trading for.

look, you may be right about Cousins. maybe his game won't regress in LA. but you can't say for certain- 100% that he won't. that is the unknown just like Okafor is an unknown. that's what I'm getting at.

there is risk involved whether you believe there is or not. the difference between the risk of trading for Cousins vs drafting Okafor is debatable. I would argue that Cousins is the greater risk because of how much it hurts the Lakers to trade for him.

it would cost them Okafor and Randle and 10M dollars to get Cousins. that limits the Lakers to 2nd tier players to now fill 2 positions ( PF and SF ) due to the cap hit of Cousins salary.

by drafting Okafor, the Lakers save the 10M and only have 1 position to fill ( SF ) which they can fill with a max contract player instead of a 2nd tier player.

I honestly think Cousins would be a 15/8-10 player with the Lakers. JMHO. and I think Okafor can put up similar numbers with the Lakers. to me, Cousins isn't worth the risk.

you obviously think Cousins will be better and that's fine. but how is adding 10M to the Lakers cap space while creating another hole in the lineup by trading Randle good for the Lakers? is Cousins really worth that much?

 

[Retroram52]

The Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings exchanged frameworks of a trade centered on All-Star DeMarcus Cousins on Wednesday and discussions could intensify on Thursday, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
Kings vice president of basketball operations Vlade Divac has pursued a possible deal that would include a bevvy of assets, including the Lakers' No. 2 pick in Thursday's NBA draft, rookies Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson and other draft assets, league sources told Yahoo Sports. Sacramento also would want to unload the remainder of forward Carl Landry's two years, $13.5 million contract, league sources said.

Minimally, the Lakers have no intention of including Randle in a deal for Cousins, league sources told Yahoo Sports. The Lakers are reluctant to part with Clarkson too, sources said.

The Lakers are eager to make a deal for Cousins before Thursday night's draft, but if no agreement is in place, Los Angeles will continue to decide between Duke center Jahlil Okafor and Ohio State guard D'Angelo Russell, sources said.

Sacramento owner Vivek Ranadive has been unwilling to discuss a deal to send Cousins to Denver, where Sacramento's former coach, Michael Malone, and former general manager, Pete D'Alessandro, have been recently hired, sources said. Denver has had interest in a three-way deal that would land Cousins with the Lakers and possibly deliver the Kings several players – including point guard Ty Lawson – who Karl has expressed a desire to be reunited with in Sacramento, sources said.

Kold, that three-way deal with Denver where Karl gets to pick-up some of his old players is gaining traction and it may alleviate the Lakers reticence to give up Randle and Clarkson. Karl is gaining a bigger voice in this and the Kings ownership is beginning to listen. Whether it happens tomorrow or after the draft is anybody's guess.

 

[OutlawImmortal]

We understand the premise of your argument, it just doesn't hold any weight. Howard led the league in rebounds per game during his year with the Lakers and was entirely consistent with his career averages, what exactly didn't translate? I already explained why it'd be practically impossible for any player to match Howard's douchiness outside of LeBron, and Cousins isn't a potential free agent so what's the point in bringing up Howard at all? Besides that, Cousins is less of a liability late in the game since he can actually shoot a free throw. You aren't naming any legitimate reasons on why you think Cousins will regress other than "I don't like him".

With all that being said, there's no way I'd include both Clarkson and Randle in the trade.

 

[Retroram52]

Yea, I don't think the Lakers will do that deal if both Randle and Clarkson are included. There is however a better chance of the deal actually going down if Denver gets involved because now Karl can dictate who he wants to pick-up from the Nuggies that he coached before like Lawson and possibly others.

 

[Kold]

Kold, that three-way deal with Denver where Karl gets to pick-up some of his old players is gaining traction and it may alleviate the Lakers reticence to give up Randle and Clarkson. Karl is gaining a bigger voice in this and the Kings ownership is beginning to listen. Whether it happens tomorrow or after the draft is anybody's guess.

Oh I would lovve it if that 3 way went through. Things are looking up...but we all were the crazy ones for saying that things would eventually turn around YEARS AGO...

 

[Kold]

Holy smokes. what is it you guys aren't getting?

of course we know what kind of player he is in SacTown. doesn't mean he is going to be that player in LA.

did you guys not see this same scenario play out with Dwight? did you guys block that year from your memories? cause Dwight was the most dominant big man in the game when they traded for him and his game did not translate to LA.

that's what I have been trying to say. but apparently you guys aren't getting it. just cause he's an all star in SacTown doesn't automatically mean he will be an all star in LA.

that's what makes his game an unknown just like Okafor.

if the Lakers knew they were going to get the Dwight that they ended up with rather than the one that dominated in Orlando, there is no way they would've made that trade. that's the thing about trades. there is always a winner and a loser because some team isn't going to get the player they thought they were trading for.

look, you may be right about Cousins. maybe his game won't regress in LA. but you can't say for certain- 100% that he won't. that is the unknown just like Okafor is an unknown. that's what I'm getting at.

there is risk involved whether you believe there is or not. the difference between the risk of trading for Cousins vs drafting Okafor is debatable. I would argue that Cousins is the greater risk because of how much it hurts the Lakers to trade for him.

it would cost them Okafor and Randle and 10M dollars to get Cousins. that limits the Lakers to 2nd tier players to now fill 2 positions ( PF and SF ) due to the cap hit of Cousins salary.

by drafting Okafor, the Lakers save the 10M and only have 1 position to fill ( SF ) which they can fill with a max contract player instead of a 2nd tier player.

I honestly think Cousins would be a 15/8-10 player with the Lakers. JMHO. and I think Okafor can put up similar numbers with the Lakers. to me, Cousins isn't worth the risk.

you obviously think Cousins will be better and that's fine. but how is adding 10M to the Lakers cap space while creating another hole in the lineup by trading Randle good for the Lakers? is Cousins really worth that much?

To each his own opinion, and I respect your's because you've stuck with the Lakers just like many of us...but this is not a Dwight case(well atleast imo). Dwight had 1 year left on his contract, Boogie has THREE years on a very cap freindly deal. Dwight had a bad back and wasn't supposed to play until January, but he wanted to start the season. Cousins is not injured. Dwight was a goofball(although that never affected the game), and people had a HUGE problem with that. Cousins is no-nonsense. Cousins can indeed be a hot-head, but who's to say what he'll turn into once he gets to an organization that is trending upwards and has hope? Also, the deal is yet to be determined, as there are different reports flying everywhere. The Lakers are trying to get the 6th pick, and also there is a situation in which they can still offer Love a max deal if they shed enough space. With all of this being said, we just have to be in wait and see mode as this is gonna be a process. As for Cousins wanting to be a Laker or not....

 

[Retroram52]

Well the Lakers are not going to give up both Randle and Clarkson and the #2 for Cousins and the #6. If things work out where Denver can assist in this then it'll probably go through like sending Denver Swag and Hill and say one of those number twos or the 27th pick.

 

[ANGELAKERAMS]

Well, if the trade goes down and the Kings end up with Okafor and Randle, then I guess time will tell who is right.

i just like this deal is all.

 

[ANGELAKERAMS]

And I don't hate Cousins.

I just don't like adding cap space for a player that plays a position they can just draft and put their cap focus elsewhere.

 

[ANGELAKERAMS]

Well, if the trade goes down and the Kings end up with Okafor and Randle, then I guess time will tell who is right.

i just like this deal is all.

That was supposed to be don't like.

Anyways, this trade just comes off as desperate to me- like they are trying so hard to try and win it all in Kobe's last year and not looking at the future.

First off, the Lakers will be lucky if Kobe even makes it through the season. Second, Cousins doesn't improve the team so significantly as to make a championship run and his salary cap hurts the Lakers from pursuing a max player to help in that regard.

The only way this trade would make sense to me is if they somehow managed to keep Randle and Clarkson and only had to give up #2 and other pieces. Cousins salary hit would still prevent the Lakers from signing a max FA SF, but maybe they could find a 2nd tier SF that would help.

 

[Black Adam]

Oh I would lovve it if that 3 way went through. Things are looking up...but we all were the crazy ones for saying that things would eventually turn around YEARS AGO...

yep, we're gonna be garbage for DECADES to come. that WAS what they told us, right...?

on the good side of things, at least the wait's almost over...

 

[trojanfan12]

Agree with everything Outlaw and kold said. Cousins isn't Dwight. The Lakers went all in on Dwight knowing that he was on an expiring contract and had been flip flopping on whether or not he even wanted to be a Laker. The idea was that they'd bring in Dwight and Nash and when they made it to the finals, that would convince Dwight to stay. It didn't work, but that doesn't mean you no longer look to make any trades because of Dwight.

Also, as has been mentioned, Cousins has 3 years left on a cap friendly deal. That $10 million that ALR is concerned about can be made up by not re-signing Hill and 1 end of the bench guy. That means they can still go after FA's like Love, Dragic or Butler, then fill out the roster by re-signing their own FA's and/or MLE players, etc.

Trading for Cousins isn't about winning one more ring for Kobe. Cousins is only 24. So the Lakers would be getting an all-star level player and can keep him for 10 years.

 

[Retroram52]

Well, now it appears the Lakers ARE willing to part with Clarkson, Randle, and the #2 for the #6 and Cousins. Apparently the Lakers will take Winslow with the 6 and go hard after Dragic or Tobias Harris to replace Clarkson. What they give Denver or how the Denver aspect of this trade affects who finally leaves remains to be worked out. This is getting the feel of desperation on the Lakers part and all that talk about keeping both Clarkson and Randle makes the FO look pretty ridiculous about now.

 

[trojanfan12]

Kevin Ding just reported that the Lakers may very well surprise everyone and take DeAngelo Russell with the #2 pick.

Apparently, Mitch has been given the green light to do what he wants with the #2 pick.

Ding is no Woj, but he's solid.