Where do the Lakers go from here...?

[TurnUpTheHeat]

We've been in constant arguments with Wiggy - some he was right about, some we were right about.

But yeah, that one was a big L. Because in the end, I don't think I've ever seen Lebron have to do so much just to win a playoff game against a rebuilding Pacers squad and a mentally fragile Raptors group.

Difference is, we have no issue admitting being wrong.
Predictions are just that.
Opinions are just that.

We knew all along that James had help while in Miami.
The Bosh situation was nobodys fault.
His final Finals here just ended up being against a red hot, talented, efficient Spurs team.
The better team won.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Have you watched him play? Seriously.

He is a throw back point guard. He is always looking to early the ball up and facilitate ball movment whenever possible. He is not in the Chris Paul, James Harden mold where he has to hold the ball and create everything himself.

No, he does not shoot very well. But your assertion that Lonzo has to have the ball all the time is wrong. And, ironically, it is that very assertion that is the reason you are grossly underestimating the upside of the Laker core. They already play pretty well together and the pieces fit. I can't say that about most of the "young talent" you continue to rep as being superior.

Lonzo's ability to facilitate ball movement is the reason why.

so whats he going to do when he doesnt have the ball?

he is going to sit in the corner and get doubled off of since he is no threat to score what so ever.

I mean- you realize its not like his shooting was bad- its like worst in the NBA bad. Its hard for a team to get away with a big man that cant shoot- a guard that cant shoot is devastating to an offense--- especially if that player is playing off the ball because LeBron would have the ball in his hands so much.

I mean this is common sense here.

Im not saying LeBron is deifnitely not going to LA- i have said all along that its a real chance he does

I am saying if he does go there Ball will be immediately dealt for a vet that can shoot that doesnt need the ball.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Funny,

Because 2 years ago I was saying that LeBron and Kyrie didn't fit that well because LeBron needed the ball and every possession Kyrie used took one away from LeBron, who is the better creater.

You assured me that Kyrie was the perfect fit because LeBron wanted and needed someone who could lighten his load.

Funny just how much the narrative has changed. I wonder why?

are you on crack?

Kyrie is one of the ultimate off-the ball scorers in the NBA and regularly hits the 3 at 40%

LeBron does want someone that can lighten the load---- that doesnt involve LeBron playing off the ball- and a guy that is the worst guard at shooting in the NBA.

Can you even imagine LeBron playing off the ball in the post at the 4 for 30 minutes a game? or even more ludicrous--- or running around picks Rip style at the 2 while a 22 year old kid that has never played in a big game runs the offense.

I mean its really kinda hilarious if you think about it. Apparently common sense isnt so common.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Difference is, we have no issue admitting being wrong.
Predictions are just that.
Opinions are just that.

We knew all along that James had help while in Miami.
The Bosh situation was nobodys fault.
His final Finals here just ended up being against a red hot, talented, efficient Spurs team.
The better team won.

well the fact that Wade was terrible the last two games and did nothing to help LeBron- and averaged 10 points in the last 2 games and was 7 of 25 from the field was a huge reason they lost. You cant score 86 points and 87 points in a game and expect to win.

Wade and Bosh combined to go 18 of 50 from the field the last two games and pretty much disappeared. He lost faith that those 2 guys could help him win. That was a huge reason why LeBron decided to get out of town (that and Arison wouldnt pay enough $ to supplement the roster).

 

[WiggyRuss]

Didn't we see your Warriors breakdown last year, right before you were wrong?
Maybe wait until after FA to tell us what and why the Heat couldn't or can't do.
I'll bet you ANYTHING that the Heat roster end of season won't be the same Game 1 next season.

dude the Heat are screwed in the East....especially if/when LeBron stays in Cleveland.

The Cavs, Raptors, Celtics and Sixers are so much better.

The Bucks, Pacers, Wizards are considerably better.

Best the Heat can hope for is a 7 or 8 seed and a first round knockout- just like this year. While The Celts and Sixers and even the Bucks were developing their teams Miami was signing a bunch of mediocre players to big contracts and now they have no cap flexibility, and no picks.

I have no idea how the Heat make any kind of major changes to this roster with no cap room, no picks, and some major albatross contracts dragging them down.

they already have 115 in guarantees next year--- to open up cap space to sign a big time free agenet theyd have to move like 35-40M in contracts- at a time in the league where few teams have cap room- and the Heat dont even have a 1st rounder to attach to a guy to get rid of him.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Personally, I think Cleveland is a better fit for LeBron then the Lakers. LeBron now has players who don't mind letting him take most of the shots and are okay with deferring to him. I think the Lakers have players that have the potential to grow substantially - I obviously would risk it with one exception or two

If the Lakers can sign Paul George - It would be a good addition - I would put him in at the shooting guard and then re-sign Randle

i mean- if you can get LeBron you get LeBron

having said that- Ball isa terrible fit with LeBron

Waltons offense is based on sharing the ball and equal scoring- something that would never fly with LeBron

LeBron is 34 and does not have any interest in giving up years of his prime to nurse along young guys that arent ready to win


Now- if you can get LeBron and George- id do it- trade ingram, trade ball, trade everyone- try and win.

However, if it doesnt happen there are guys that fit in Walton's system a lot better, guys whos age matches up with the Lakeres time table better, and guys that fit with the Lakers personnel better....

id blow it all up in an instant if it meant getting LeBron though.

 

[Heatles84]

I absolutely thrash you so you get personal...hey its okay---- i understand you have been throgh a lot....the Sixers- who you trashed to open the year- and said youd rather have the Heats roster over theirs--- and said guys like Embiid and Simmons could turn out like Noel and Embiid- totally went in dry on your Heat- totally proving you wrong.

You are on the cusp of losing a major bet to me- because you stupidly believed in Vegas over THE KING.

Hey, i feel for ya man.....Sixers thrash you, LeBron and the Cavs make you look foolish- Heat with no cap space- no first round pick and an unceremonious first round shellacking.....you sure are on a roll! LOL.

do yourself a favor- cancel those season tickets--- its not getting better next year....you know that- i know that.

There are some Heat fans that are willing to stick by the Heat, even though they're not legitimate title contenders. The Heat could be a fringe playoff team and I'll still support them fully.

Sorry, but this comment strikes me as "I'll only support my team when they're winning".

 

[WiggyRuss]

There are some Heat fans that are willing to stick by the Heat, even though they're not legitimate title contenders. The Heat could be a fringe playoff team and I'll still support them fully.

Sorry, but this comment strikes me as "I'll only support my team when they're winning".

I supported the Cavs when they were tanking--- shit i went to the game against the Clippers where they broke what was at the time the longest losing streak in the NBA.

I just think Riley was never interested in a real rebuild since hes in his 70s and cant wait for it- and wrongly thought he could attract a big time free agent.


These were my posts from August on the Heat/Sixers to @TurnUpTheHeat :

Why was Miami good?

they had Dwade. A star in his prime. A star that attracted other stars.

Miami now has no stars. No way to get one. No cap space. The worst collection of draft assets in the league.

Philly has 3 potential stars. For a long time they had none.

Philly will WITHOUT A DOUBT make a conference Finals or a Finals long before Miami does--- because Miami has no route to get to one.

I mean- i dont even know how you could posibly say youd rather have Miami's roster than Phillys---- that is just beyond stupid.


The HEat are pursuing the plan they are because Riley is in his 70's. He doesnt have time to do it the right way. He doesnt have time to bottom out and get a Dwade. He doesnt have time to have a wasted season and clear a bunch of cap space to be able to bring in multiple tier 1 free agents.

He did what guys do when they get desperate--- trade lightly protected picks well into the future- and spend all your money on mediocre free agents.


I mean- if you are happy with being a little above or below and losing in the first round- this version of the Heat is PERFECT for you.

If you actually want to have a chance to be great someday--- take Philly.

 

[Heatles84]

dude the Heat are screwed in the East....especially if/when LeBron stays in Cleveland.

The Cavs, Raptors, Celtics and Sixers are so much better.

The Bucks, Pacers, Wizards are considerably better.

Best the Heat can hope for is a 7 or 8 seed and a first round knockout- just like this year. While The Celts and Sixers and even the Bucks were developing their teams Miami was signing a bunch of mediocre players to big contracts and now they have no cap flexibility, and no picks.

I have no idea how the Heat make any kind of major changes to this roster with no cap room, no picks, and some major albatross contracts dragging them down.

they already have 115 in guarantees next year--- to open up cap space to sign a big time free agenet theyd have to move like 35-40M in contracts- at a time in the league where few teams have cap room- and the Heat dont even have a 1st rounder to attach to a guy to get rid of him.

Yup, we're likely stuck for the next couple of years. The thing you keep trying to mention though is that we're screwed - Heat fans aren't concerned in the slightest because we know the roster's going to get an overhaul. I'm personally content with us not being a title contender for the next couple of years given that the NBA is a cycle. The Spurs are likely about to go through it, the Dubs in a few years may likely go through it as well.

If Lebron leaves Cleveland, they're going to go through the same thing as well. Sure, Cleveland has the Brooklyn pick and could net themselves a quality player. But remember, over a 4-year time frame, Cleveland had 3 #1's and a #4 pick which netted - Kyrie Irving, Anthony Bennett, Wiggins, TT, and Deion Waiters. Irving was the consensus #1 pick which you'd have to be an idiot to screw up. Wiggins was traded, and the other 3 didn't live up to their respective draft status. Point being - there's no guarantee that the likely top 3 pick works out.

 

[Heatles84]

I supported the Cavs when they were tanking--- shit i went to the game against the Clippers where they broke what was at the time the longest losing streak in the NBA.

I just think Riley was never interested in a real rebuild since hes in his 70s and cant wait for it- and wrongly thought he could attract a big time free agent.


These were my posts from August on the Heat/Sixers to @TurnUpTheHeat :

Why was Miami good?

they had Dwade. A star in his prime. A star that attracted other stars.

Miami now has no stars. No way to get one. No cap space. The worst collection of draft assets in the league.

Philly has 3 potential stars. For a long time they had none.

Philly will WITHOUT A DOUBT make a conference Finals or a Finals long before Miami does--- because Miami has no route to get to one.

I mean- i dont even know how you could posibly say youd rather have Miami's roster than Phillys---- that is just beyond stupid.


The HEat are pursuing the plan they are because Riley is in his 70's. He doesnt have time to do it the right way. He doesnt have time to bottom out and get a Dwade. He doesnt have time to have a wasted season and clear a bunch of cap space to be able to bring in multiple tier 1 free agents.

He did what guys do when they get desperate--- trade lightly protected picks well into the future- and spend all your money on mediocre free agents.


I mean- if you are happy with being a little above or below and losing in the first round- this version of the Heat is PERFECT for you.

If you actually want to have a chance to be great someday--- take Philly.

Not every team needs to take Philly's approach. That's what you don't get. It works for Philly. But it's not the only path for success.

And at the same time, I'd have a modicum of concern given that Philly is about to get swept by the Celtics whom are missing their two best players. Doesn't exactly bode well long term if that's a team you're likely never going to surpass. Because as good as Embiid and Simmons will get, so will Tatum. And I also trust Brad Stevens a lot more than I trust Brett Brown as a coach.

 

[WiggyRuss]

per usual....

once again....

#timevindicates

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

dude the Heat are screwed in the East....especially if/when LeBron stays in Cleveland.

The Cavs, Raptors, Celtics and Sixers are so much better.

The Bucks, Pacers, Wizards are considerably better.

Best the Heat can hope for is a 7 or 8 seed and a first round knockout- just like this year. While The Celts and Sixers and even the Bucks were developing their teams Miami was signing a bunch of mediocre players to big contracts and now they have no cap flexibility, and no picks.

I have no idea how the Heat make any kind of major changes to this roster with no cap room, no picks, and some major albatross contracts dragging them down.

they already have 115 in guarantees next year--- to open up cap space to sign a big time free agenet theyd have to move like 35-40M in contracts- at a time in the league where few teams have cap room- and the Heat dont even have a 1st rounder to attach to a guy to get rid of him.

Such is the circle of life.
While the Heat was winning 3 championship and competing for others, those teams mostly sucked.

To roster James, you have to give up assets to surround him to compete hopefully every season.

When he leaves, your cupboards are bare for awhile.

Its not rocket science.

Riley knows this roster isnt what it needs to be.

He said he’ll make changes.

We’ll see.

End of the day, baring injury, Warriors aren’t losing 4/7.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Yup, we're likely stuck for the next couple of years. The thing you keep trying to mention though is that we're screwed - Heat fans aren't concerned in the slightest because we know the roster's going to get an overhaul. I'm personally content with us not being a title contender for the next couple of years given that the NBA is a cycle. The Spurs are likely about to go through it, the Dubs in a few years may likely go through it as well.

If Lebron leaves Cleveland, they're going to go through the same thing as well. Sure, Cleveland has the Brooklyn pick and could net themselves a quality player. But remember, over a 4-year time frame, Cleveland had 3 #1's and a #4 pick which netted - Kyrie Irving, Anthony Bennett, Wiggins, TT, and Deion Waiters. Irving was the consensus #1 pick which you'd have to be an idiot to screw up. Wiggins was traded, and the other 3 didn't live up to their respective draft status. Point being - there's no guarantee that the likely top 3 pick works out.

dude i know that you are sensible and you see that.....the Heat have 2 years before their cap mess is cleaned up. They still owe this years first rounder, and i think they still owe an unprocted first rounder to the Suns. They have what was it? 1 draft pick in the next 3 years or something?

Especially considering Boston, Philly and Milwaukee are all ascending.

I mean - read some of those posts--- turnup really thought the heat had a better roster and were better off than Philly last august. We all see how that turned out.

I know you have level headed expectations for the Heat.

and TOTALLY agree a top 3 pick ahs no guarantee of working out....like you said with the Cavs--- some guys have worked out in the lotto some havent--- same iwth Philly- for every okafor and noel that are terrible there could be a Simmons or Embiid who are franchise guys....

NOW THIS DRAFT is a little different as I think there are prob 6 guys that would have gone #1 last year in this draft- and some very very very good players up until about 11-12---- certainly NO guarantees- but the probability that you can get a star out of this draft is as high as any draft in the NBA in the last decade+.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Such is the circle of life.
While the Heat was winning 3 championship and competing for others, those teams mostly sucked.

To roster James, you have to give up assets to surround him to compete hopefully every season.

When he leaves, your cupboards are bare for awhile.

Its not rocket science.

Riley knows this roster isnt what it needs to be.

He said he’ll make changes.

We’ll see.

End of the day, baring injury, Warriors aren’t losing 4/7.

you won championships because you had stars.

the easiest way to get stars is either through the draft picking in the lotto- or through free agency.

The Heat owe this years first rounder, and a future first rounder- they have the least draft assets in the entire league.

The HEat also have one of the worst cap situations in the entire league.


As i said- you won because of Wade- and his ability to attract other stars. Right now you have no stars and are as poorly equipped to acquire a star as any team in the entire NBA. Its awful hard to acquire a star with no draft picks and a terrible cap situation.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

dude i know that you are sensible and you see that.....the Heat have 2 years before their cap mess is cleaned up. They still owe this years first rounder, and i think they still owe an unprocted first rounder to the Suns. They have what was it? 1 draft pick in the next 3 years or something?

Especially considering Boston, Philly and Milwaukee are all ascending.

I mean - read some of those posts--- turnup really thought the heat had a better roster and were better off than Philly last august. We all see how that turned out.

I know you have level headed expectations for the Heat.

and TOTALLY agree a top 3 pick ahs no guarantee of working out....like you said with the Cavs--- some guys have worked out in the lotto some havent--- same iwth Philly- for every okafor and noel that are terrible there could be a Simmons or Embiid who are franchise guys....

NOW THIS DRAFT is a little different as I think there are prob 6 guys that would have gone #1 last year in this draft- and some very very very good players up until about 11-12---- certainly NO guarantees- but the probability that you can get a star out of this draft is as high as any draft in the NBA in the last decade+.

We all know the cap situation.
Thats why we all said we’d take Melo next season to shed Tyler.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

@WiggyRuss

Ive been busy.
Did I miss the reply where you said you’d take the King to win it all since his greatness is better than Vegas’ brains?

 

[WiggyRuss]

We all know the cap situation.
Thats why we all said we’d take Melo next season to shed Tyler.

oh no dont worry dude-- its gonna be fine...Riley will make chicken salad out of chicken shit......Embiid and Simmons are just the future Noels and Okafors of the world--- lotto picks? ha....rather have a slew of decent but unspectacular players. Stars Schmars---- just sign a bunch of solid dudes and Spo will coach em up to beat anyone. If you cant see a core of Tyler Johnson, Whiteside, Winslow, Dragic, J. johnson , Onlyk isnt better than Philly then i just dont know what to say. No cap room? no problem- Riley will figure it out.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

oh no dont worry dude-- its gonna be fine...Riley will make chicken salad out of chicken shit......Embiid and Simmons are just the future Noels and Okafors of the world--- lotto picks? ha....rather have a slew of decent but unspectacular players. Stars Schmars---- just sign a bunch of solid dudes and Spo will coach em up to beat anyone. If you cant see a core of Tyler Johnson, Whiteside, Winslow, Dragic, J. johnson , Onlyk isnt better than Philly then i just dont know what to say. No cap room? no problem- Riley will figure it out.

All I can say is 2 things:

1. Your a moron.

2. Hopefully @trojanfan12 sees that these boards are better off when you’re banned.

Anyway, you taking the Cavs to win it all bet or not?
Or just running your yap as usual?

 

[Wamu]

oh no dont worry dude-- its gonna be fine...Riley will make chicken salad out of chicken shit......Embiid and Simmons are just the future Noels and Okafors of the world--- lotto picks? ha....rather have a slew of decent but unspectacular players. Stars Schmars---- just sign a bunch of solid dudes and Spo will coach em up to beat anyone. If you cant see a core of Tyler Johnson, Whiteside, Winslow, Dragic, J. johnson , Onlyk isnt better than Philly then i just dont know what to say. No cap room? no problem- Riley will figure it out.

Seriously wiggy you need to shut the fuck up about Pat Riley. His NBA resume as a coach & executive speaks for itself.

 

[WiggyRuss]

All I can say is 2 things:

1. Your a moron.

2. Hopefully @trojanfan12 sees that these boards are better off when you’re banned.

Anyway, you taking the Cavs to win it all bet or not?
Or just running your yap as usual?

such a predictable playbook

1. get thrashed in a basketball argument

2. get personal

3. whine to the mod for help.