NBA Thread

[Bobthe4th]

I'm actually kind of surprised. I guess there's enough interest that they feel he'll get the max anyway.

 

Yeah me too.

 

I guess he wants the long term security now in case his rehab ends up going badly. It’d be such a Knicks move if they sign him to a max contract and he never comes back.

[connorp]

Who is the worst GM/decision maker - LeBron or Jordan? Apparently JR Smith is being linked with the Lakers haha.

 

 

I always say to the LBJ haters that the only difference between him and Jordan is the 24/7 news cycle and social media. They’re/were both insufferable pricks. They’re the greatest of their gens though and it is what it is

[connorp]

You weren’t even allowed to write anything bad about Jordan or you were out. All his gambling, cheating (wife), power moves, etc. ... he’d get torn right up nowadays

[Bobthe4th]

I always say to the LBJ haters that the only difference between him and Jordan is the 24/7 news cycle and social media. They’re/were both insufferable pricks. They’re the greatest of their gens though and it is what it is

 

No doubt and LeBron the player is a god. But in an ideal world he shouldn’t be anywhere near roster decisions.

 

The NBA is such a player driven league though, piss off a star player and they’ll just leave and destroy your team construction anyway.

[connorp]

No doubt and LeBron the player is a god. But in an ideal world he shouldn’t be anywhere near roster decisions.

 

The NBA is such a player driven league though, piss off a star player and they’ll just leave and destroy your team construction anyway.

 

It’s a really tough situation. Think if were were Cleveland. He’s literally either your horse to be a title contender of if he goes your franchise is in absolute shambles. Also, he literally probably made the team worth at least $500m more by being on it and rumor was Gilbert wanted to sell

[connorp]

Durant opts out. In a way, this actually helps the Warriors. Having $30m tied up on an injured player who is going to leave possibly without playing again would have been tough to deal with.

 

Now they either sign him long term, or more likely spend on improving their overall roster.

 

Any team besides GS is essentially paying Durant 165m for 3 years ($55m per) and they’re kind of punting next year in terms of title contention. Guess he’s that good

[Terminator]

Gasol opting in. Might be the best outcome for the Raps. 1 year deal for a player his age.

[jmomcc]

M

No way. Ball wasn’t working out. Couldn’t stay on the floor for starters. Shooting 41% at the line makes him unplayable at the end of games when they matter. 30% 3-point shooter. Combine that with his dad drama and it’s good he’s gone.

 

Kuzma faded a bit towards the end of the year but for awhile he was looking really good. Better than Tatum imo. I like that he said he wants to put a lot of work into being a better defender

 

Well lonzo has three things Kuzma doesn’t have. He can defend multiple spots reasonably well. He’s a great team defender. he’s a fantastic unselfish passer. He also can grow into a role as a guy who can run the offense when lebron is resting.

 

In other words, he fits a lot of the things the lakers desperately need in one person. You have to bet on the shot coming because those other things aren’t abundantly available on the market.

 

Kuzma is everything they don’t need. He’s a scorer and an ok shooter. He can only defend 4s. Ideally, that would be lebron a job in the playoffs. Everything he does is replicated to a way better standard on the roster already. All in all, dude screams ‘gets buckets on bad teams’ to me. Those guys are not useful on good teams because there is always a better option to clear it out and run a pick and roll or an iso. However, guys like lonzo have skills that fit in smaller roles.

 

It’s possible that New Orleans just wouldn’t do it without lonzo but the scuttlebut is that the lakers insisted on keeping Kuzma and to me that seems like a massive mistake.

[Dr. Dinger]

Gasol opting in. Might be the best outcome for the Raps. 1 year deal for a player his age.

 

This was all but guaranteed. Even if Kawhi opts to play elsewhere, Gasol now becomes an interesting trade chip as a $25M expiring contract.

[Spanky99]

This was all but guaranteed. Even if Kawhi opts to play elsewhere, Gasol now becomes an interesting trade chip as a $25M expiring contract.

 

Nah, Masai coming ,back, Kawhi's signing here.

[Spanky99]

Gasol was waiting on Kawhi.

[Terminator]

This was all but guaranteed. Even if Kawhi opts to play elsewhere, Gasol now becomes an interesting trade chip as a $25M expiring contract.

 

I'm not completely plugged into the NBA anymore but I thought there was a slight chance Gasol would forego that option in order to secure one more multi-year payday. Could have seen a 2 or 3 year deal for him without taking that big of a hit to his AAV. There are quite a few Centers on the market though.

[Orgfiller]

I'm actually kind of surprised. I guess there's enough interest that they feel he'll get the max anyway.

 

It shouldn't be surprising at all. Durant is one of the best players in the sport and every team that can will offer him a max contract, even knowing that he's going to miss a year.

[Orgfiller]

Who is the worst GM/decision maker - LeBron or Jordan? Apparently JR Smith is being linked with the Lakers haha.

 

No doubt and LeBron the player is a god. But in an ideal world he shouldn’t be anywhere near roster decisions.

 

The NBA is such a player driven league though, piss off a star player and they’ll just leave and destroy your team construction anyway.

 

What the hell are you talking about? LeBron isn't making decisions for anyone, obviously he has tremendous influence on players he wants brought in, signed (by recruiting mind you) and/or traded for but at the end of the day he's completely irrelevant when it's time to discuss trade packages or contracts signed. He's also not going anywhere.

[Dr. Dinger]

I'm not completely plugged into the NBA anymore but I thought there was a slight chance Gasol would forego that option in order to secure one more multi-year payday. Could have seen a 2 or 3 year deal for him without taking that big of a hit to his AAV. There are quite a few Centers on the market though.

 

He's way too old, he wouldn't get anywhere near $20M AAV on a multi-year deal. He'll take his $25M this year and then probably retire. If not he'll be a mid-level exception guy going forward and just go for $10-12M one-year deals with contenders.

[Bobthe4th]

What the hell are you talking about? LeBron isn't making decisions for anyone, obviously he has tremendous influence on players he wants brought in, signed (by recruiting mind you) and/or traded for but at the end of the day he's completely irrelevant when it's time to discuss trade packages or contracts signed. He's also not going anywhere.

 

You just answered your own question.

[Orgfiller]

You just answered your own question.

 

That's a far cry from being a decision maker as you so boldly claimed.

[Bobthe4th]

That's a far cry from being a decision maker as you so boldly claimed.

 

To quote you - "what the hell are you talking about?"

 

I was trying to be funny, comparing Jordan's terrible tenure with the Wizards and the Hornets, to LeBron's repeated need to surround himself with veterans like JR Smith. If you want to take it literally you should have mentioned that Jordan has never been a GM either (he was president of basketball operations and is now an owner).

[jmomcc]

Boston are apparently leaders for Kemba.

[connorp]

Boston are apparently leaders for Kemba.

 

Everyone prob knows where they’re going, the waiting period is so stupid in all sports. Give the Finals a couple days to get some glory and then open it up.... Football is hilarious as they’ll sign $100m dollar deals like 10m after FA opens

[Terminator]

[Orgfiller]

 

So the Lakers are gonna have 3 max players but they're also gonna have like 6 rosterable NBA players total lol.

[Terminator]

So the Lakers are gonna have 3 max players but they're also gonna have like 6 rosterable NBA players total lol.

 

I wonder if some decent vets will be lining up to sign for the minimum.

[connorp]

So the Lakers are gonna have 3 max players but they're also gonna have like 6 rosterable NBA players total lol.

 

Meh. Ring chasers will start lining up, especially with the LA life. You can spend $10-15m/yr nowadays on hot garbage. Look at all the secondary players the Knicks have signed for depth over the years...

[Bobthe4th]

 

There is no way Isaac Bonga is a real player. It’s a NBA 2k randomly generated name surely.

[Terminator]

Apparently if they sign D'Angelo Russell to the max, since he's a young player his salary would be 27.5 mil which would also allow them the cap space to match any offer for Reggie Bullock. He's a pretty long wing who can shoot 3s, might be a decent role player for them.

 

So the starting lineup would basically be set with Russell/Bullock/LeBron/Kuzma/Davis. They would have literally no one else on the roster and would have to fill it with ring chasers for the minimum. Or would they get the MLE too?

[Terminator]

M

 

Well lonzo has three things Kuzma doesn’t have. He can defend multiple spots reasonably well. He’s a great team defender. he’s a fantastic unselfish passer. He also can grow into a role as a guy who can run the offense when lebron is resting.

 

In other words, he fits a lot of the things the lakers desperately need in one person. You have to bet on the shot coming because those other things aren’t abundantly available on the market.

 

Kuzma is everything they don’t need. He’s a scorer and an ok shooter. He can only defend 4s. Ideally, that would be lebron a job in the playoffs. Everything he does is replicated to a way better standard on the roster already. All in all, dude screams ‘gets buckets on bad teams’ to me. Those guys are not useful on good teams because there is always a better option to clear it out and run a pick and roll or an iso. However, guys like lonzo have skills that fit in smaller roles.

 

It’s possible that New Orleans just wouldn’t do it without lonzo but the scuttlebut is that the lakers insisted on keeping Kuzma and to me that seems like a massive mistake.

 

Lonzo makes over 8 mil a year and Kuzma makes 2 mil. Keeping Ball would have f***ed up their FA plans.

[connorp]

Seems like every team gets the MLE. LA will also be linked to every single good player this season in a buyout situation

[jmomcc]

Lonzo makes over 8 mil a year and Kuzma makes 2 mil. Keeping Ball would have f***ed up their FA plans.

 

Unless they get Leonard, there isn’t a free agent that they could get that would be a better fit than lonzo + whoever they could get with the rest of the money. If they can get Leonard, obv they are golden.

[Terminator]

Lonzo suxxx