tOfficial 2015 NBA Draft/Free Agency Thread

[TurnUpTheHeat]

The Spurs are still a powerhouse.

Who said they weren't?
Point is, if when this run ends, if they had a couple bad years, people would understand.
With them it won't happen because of all the sacrifice your older players accepted.

 

[trojanfan12]

Unless I am mistaken shaq was the last big time player to come to LAL as a free agent in 1996. And mourning to the heat in 1995. Is this what you guys are talking about? Besides Amare who ended up crippling the Knicks with his horrible deal and injuries who was their last one? Stevie franchise? Lol.

Hmmmmmmm. If you relying on the environment that was pervasive 20+ years ago in an entirely different set up league I would ask you to curb your enthusiasm as LD would say

How many times have the Lakers been to the finals and how many championships have they won since they got Shaq?

Did you forget about the salary cap? For someone who tries to pretend he knows something about it, you sure seem to forget about it a lot. How much cap room for FA's do you think the Lakers have had since they got Shaq?

The Cavs, on the other hand, have always had lots of cap space. Yet, other than Lebron, no takers.

 

[GNG]

Too much JD in your system, I believe.
Breaking your leg in a freakish way doesn't make you injury prone.

You sure Wiggy didn't hack your account?

Wiggy isn't smart enough to hack my account.

 

[DJ Fieri]

Because Lebron soaks his body in the magical, healing waters of the Cuyahoga river.

May be the post of the day and week.

 

[Hornsstampede2.0]

Aldridge has a kid and ex-baby momma living in San Antonio whom he wanted to be closer and more involved.
Plus, he played college ball up the street in Austin.
Add in that SA is a no-state tax, warm weather, city with 5 NBA titles in the last 16 years.
He was a special case.

Most elite free agents don't really look at places like SA.
And they never consider freaking Cleveland.

They are always going to be looking at LA, Miami, Chicago, and Houston on their list.
Those cities might not always get the players, but they are always in the mix for meetings and pitches.

There is a reason why they have 20 NBA titles since 1980 in those destination cities.
SA is a flukey outlier that still at least has the warm weather and no state taxes.

 

[OutlawImmortal]

Pau Gasol, Shaq, Kobe all re-signed with the Lakers when they could have gone other places. The Lakers were capped out and didn't need to go after any FA's other than their own since about 1996. They did, however, get important role playing FA's who actually lobbied Kobe to get them in.

The Knicks brought in several FA's at times when they were considered top players like Marbury, JR Smith, Amare, etc. Problem was, they were just throwing money at all star caliber players without regard to chemistry.

Miami got Lebron and Bosh in the same season.

Teams don't build solely through FA, they also make trades and draft well, which the Lakers and the Heat have done over the years.

Again, how many FA's has Cleveland ever gotten without Lebron on the roster? In fact, how many have they gotten WITH Lebron on the roster?

Last I checked, they had to trade for Love. Lebron ended up in Miami because Wade and Bosh weren't going to Cleveland. So even after playoff runs and a finals appearance, Lebron wasn't enough to get anyone to go to Cleveland.

Poor wiggy, he doesn't seem to realize that LeBron wouldn't have come back at all if the Cavs hadn't gotten lucky with all those #1 picks.

 

[GNG]

The Cavs, on the other hand, have always had lots of cap space. Yet, other than Lebron, no takers.

Most players in their right mind will avoid Cleveland like the plague.

 

[trojanfan12]

Poor wiggy, he doesn't seem to realize that LeBron wouldn't have come back at all if the Cavs hadn't gotten lucky with all those #1 picks.

And if Gilbert hadn't handed over his manhood.

 

[trojanfan12]

Who said they weren't?
Point is, if when this run ends, if they had a couple bad years, people would understand.
With them it won't happen because of all the sacrifice your older players accepted.

Freakin' San Antonio.

When they do eventually go through a couple of re-build seasons, no one will give them crap about it either like they do the Lakers, Knicks, etc.

Of course, the way they get their older stars to sacrifice for the young one's coming up, we may be waiting awhile for their re-build.

Over the years I've gone from barely remembering they existed, to liking Iceman Gervin but not much else, to hating their frickin' guts, to respecting them so much that I'm starting to wonder if they are about to replace the Suns as my 2nd favorite team.

 

[DJ Fieri]

Aldridge has a kid and ex-baby momma living in San Antonio whom he wanted to be closer and more involved.
Plus, he played college ball up the street in Austin.
Add in that SA is a no-state tax, warm weather, city with 5 NBA titles in the last 16 years.
He was a special case.

Most elite free agents don't really look at places like SA.
And they never consider freaking Cleveland.

They are always going to be looking at LA, Miami, Chicago, and Houston on their list.
Those cities might not always get the players, but they are always in the mix for meetings and pitches.

There is a reason why they have 20 NBA titles since 1980 in those destination cities.
SA is a flukey outlier that still at least has the warm weather and no state taxes.

Here's the thing: SA doesn't normally go after the top FA's because they are a relatively small market and aren't the type of team that wants to pay the luxury taxes.

 

[WiggyRuss]

And if Gilbert hadn't handed over his manhood.

If handing over your manhood means hundreds of millions and a loaded team that will play into June for the foreseeable future sign me up. Twice. Jim Buss would run Highway 1 in a tutu if it meant getting LeBron

 

[trojanfan12]

If handing over your manhood means hundreds of millions and a loaded team that will play into June for the foreseeable future sign me up. Twice. Jim Buss would run Highway 1 in a tutu if it meant getting LeBron

SHeeeeit, I'd run highway 1 in a tutu, film it and post it on the Hoop if it meant the Lakers getting Lebron.

 

[bksballer89]

So who is that 3rd option that will make the difference or make them a reputable Big 3 in order to compete with the other power house teams?

You don't need a reputable 3rd option when you have several players who can avg close to 15 PPG. They have a great supporting cast now and finally a real center

 

[trojanfan12]

You don't need a reputable 3rd option when you have several players who can avg close to 15 PPG. They have a great supporting cast now and finally a real center

Agree. To make it work without a "big 3" they need players like you described and a guy who can spread the wealth around.

And they just happen to have a guy playing PG who is one of the best at that and who learned under one of the best of all time.

 

[bksballer89]

Kanter avg 19 PPG, Ibaka avg 14, Waiters avg 12, and Morrow avg 11.

There is absolutely no need for some dominant 3rd option when you're getting those numbers from your supporting cast in addition to 50-55 PPG from Westbrook and KD

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

If handing over your manhood means hundreds of millions and a loaded team that will play into June for the foreseeable future sign me up. Twice. Jim Buss would run Highway 1 in a tutu if it meant getting LeBron

No way.
Bilionaires don't need millions.
Not taking anything away from the talent of James, but if it weren't for Ray Allen, he'd be 1 for 12.

Never before has an owner in team sports handed totalcontrol and annual opt out to a player and I doubt anyone ever will again.

 

[OutlawImmortal]

SHeeeeit, I'd run highway 1 in a tutu, film it and post it on the Hoop if it meant the Lakers getting Lebron.

Sure but none of us wrote something like "The Letter" only to bend right over at the first opportunity. But hey, "Gilbert is an owner that you hope for as fan" lol.

We shall see if LeBron hiring all his buddies results in a championship. Riley was always too smart for LeBron's BS. Remember when LeBron wanted his posse to sit behind the bench and Riley told him to fuck off?

 

[Black Adam]

And if Gilbert hadn't handed over his manhood.

"all about winning, no matter the cost"-WiggyRuss

 

[Black Adam]

SHeeeeit, I'd run highway 1 in a tutu, film it and post it on the Hoop if it meant the Lakers getting Lebron.

Friggin' sellout traitor...

It'll be a cold day in Hell before i put that clown in MY team's colors...

 

[GNG]

Friggin' sellout traitor...

It'll be a cold day in Hell before i put that clown in MY team's colors...

You'd be the first one buying tickets.