Anthony Davis Discussion: That's Why They Pay Me The Big Bucks

Not sure about Chicago, but minny and philly coddled their guys. We REALLY don't do that. Almost to a fault.

 

If that was directed at me, I was referring to Butler's basketball IQ not actual IQ. But, Kyrie also owns him in that department too even with the claim that he thought the earth was flat.

 

This is true. And I think LeBron makes a big difference.

 

Can you imagine if Butler had half of a brain and didn't act the way he has with players and organizations? He would be a franchise player because his talent is certainly on that level. No one is going to make him the face of the franchise or build around him. He is a vagabond... a mercenary. He's done it to himself.

If we sign him, I will of course support him. I just think he is the kindling in a potentially explosive situation if things go badly next season.

 

IF we get AD without having to give up Ingram, Rob deserves a god damn statue outside of STAPLES.

Get a top 3 player in the league and keep your best young player who has improved every year and plays both sides of the ball?

SIGN ME UP f***ING YESTERDAY.

Also, if this deal is true...we should dump Wagner and Bonga and whoever else so we can gain as much cap room as possible. I believe if we keep Ingram, the only way to maximium is giving up kuzma hart wagner bonga as they essentially equal Ingram's salary.

 

Not without taking back contracts and they have no 1st pick in this years draft to entice anyone.

 

Was just foolin' around. Seriously though, I don't see how Kyrie can be perceived as not being problematic as well.
He bolted on the Cavs 'cuz he wanted to be The Man & his lack of Leadership & Maturity was issue 1a & 1b for derailing a very promising Boston Team.
Don't get me wrong, I'd be stoked if Kyrie decided to join LeBron & AD in LA. Dude can Ball, but saying Butler can be a Cancer & Kyrie is not doesn't really hold water.

 

Any update Mr Rambis

 

Hey guys,

Lots has happened since I last stopped by so I'll try to address it! But first, the most important thing, Anthony Davis updates!

Unfortunately, I don't have much to share today. From my understanding, negotiations have stalled since the Pelicans aren't happy with the value the #4 pick is fetching at the moment. The Pelicans have tried shopping the pick themselves and haven't gotten much, and the Lakers, scared to make another "godfather" offer, are refusing to add more at the moment. There is still internal optimism the deal will get done, but the traction it was getting 2 days ago has gone away. Someone will have to "concede" - whether it's the Pelicans taking less or the Lakers offering more. Let's see who blinks first!

Exciting times, everyone!

-Mr. Rambis

 

Hey @fabfourlakers ! Nice to hear from you again.

Honestly, I could be wrong on this point. When there's so much indirection from the Suns to Pelicans to Lakers to AEG and then to me, I might be getting a twisted version of what happened. That's why I always say take my info with a grain of salt! And if your connections are much more tied into the Phoenix FO, everyone, please listen to @fabfourlakers about Suns business over me every time!

That being said, I do feel confident about a few things
1) PHX was involved in the earliest discussions of a 3 team deal. They may have not been talking to the Lakers directly, as the Pelicans are the ones trying to facilitate the 3 team deal now.
2) I do know Kurt is involved in negotiations and the PHX 3 team deal went south because he asked too much

Where I was likely wrong is how close to a done deal this was. If what you're hearing is true, which I'm sure it is, then likely these talks were a lot more preliminary when it fell apart compared to what I was made to believe. That may be why the reporters didn't catch wind of it.

Ah well, I'm sure as you are very tied in yourself, you understand this happens all the time when you hear things from different places. It's all about perspective.

Best,
Mr. Rambis

 

Appreciate the love, @Barnstable !

Don't worry, I'm fully aware of potential skepticism when it comes to what I say, especially when not every tidbit will pan out - and to be honest, does it really ever with anyone? Honestly, I would be way more skeptical of myself too, if I was in your shoes.

Anyways, I've seen some crazy s*** in my day, so it'll take a lot more than that to scare me away from this place!! Especially when AD is right around the corner!

Best,
Mr. Rambis

 

Hey @D-Fish Man and @fabfourlakers !

Sorry if I was unclear about the consultants thing! Seems like I didn't explain myself properly, which is typical... But based on your descriptions, that's actually not really how things went down...

The NBA sent in consulting help to the Lakers because of the revenue loss from a lack of LeBron in the playoffs. They never threatened to take away control from the Buss family. The Lakers FO put the blame on AEG for pressuring them to star chase, so the NBA was very upset at AEG and made (possibly empty) threats to decrease our involvement in the franchise or sell the minority stake to someone else - much different than uprooting the ownership entirely!

The larger team also never came in. Instead, the Lakers and AEG decided that they did want to do some star chasing, so instead they're considering hiring traditional management consultants to help out. This hasn't been finalized but I'm currently helping with this process since I'm tied into that industry, with good relationships with partners at the big firms, so I will know a lot more about this.

All of this has been kept very quiet. The Lakers clearly need help from an organizational standpoint, but don't want to admit it to the world. Also, remember all of this is occurring via the business side, where leaks are way less common since the media isn't concerned as much with that aspect.

I potentially see a few consulting guys coming in, observing what's going on, writing a report, and then helping from a distance. It'll ensure there's no frenzy, and nobody will think twice about a few guys in suits hanging around the Lakers every now and then.

Best,
Mr. Rambis

 

I agree but I was thinking along the lines of how Butler handled the youngsters. I think his actions were much worse. We can agree to disagree.

 

Damn. That might be the best retort in LB history.

 

For sure.. All Laker Love here... I would be more skeptical with Butler if it was just him with our Youth too, but I think he'd be an assassin for us next to LeBron & AD.
Let's pray we get to debate who we want to pair up with LBJ & AD for real here soon..

 

I've worn out the knees in my pants praying so hard for it to happen!

 

Agree with all this, but its not like we havent added head case types to a vet laden roster before and made it work- Artest, Rodman, Payton, Rider, Crittendon, Barnes etc.

 

Let's wait and see...

 

I believe every good team needs to have that one crazy guy.