Official 2016 Free Agency Thread

I would say if this were the 90's or before, that would be a consistent problem. However, the lack of skilled big men in the NBA, that issue isnt as blatant. Plus, the most impactful blocks is when a player thinks he has his man beat and some guy comes out of nowhere and blocks his shot. I still believe if Bogut doesnt get hurt, the Warriors win the title. The lanes opened up for the Cavs and they exploited it once they knew a guy who was getting 3 and 5 blocks a game wasnt going to be there.

 

Bogut played like the 1st 7mins of the 1st qtr and few mins in 3rd qtt, never comes back in late games...he was of little significance

 

I don't know all that much about him, I hardly ever watch or listen to him, but from little i have seen, this statement is pretty much exactly how I had him pegged. Lol.

 

He was actually getting owned by val on the blocks one on one during their series against tor

 

Hes a professional troll just like skip

 

These guys would have to be wannabe Eskimos. Compared to the talent, coaching and excitement we now have building with the Los Angeles Lakers in comparison, they should fighting over trying to come to L.A. rather than scheming how they can both stay there.


Signed: the Homer

 

Wow!! Looks good on my manly sized Samsung phone.

 

I think I'll actually be MORE upset if we whiff this year. Sure, we're in a much better place with our developing talent so we're better off than we were two years ago. But while striking out recently on the top FAs was humiliating, we never really had a credible shot at landing Melo or Aldridge, so it was forgivable. But now we had tons of cap space and promising young talent. If we can't land one of Horford, Whiteside, DeRozen, Noah or Batum, that represents a major failure on the part of our front office.

I know there's been a lot of positive vibes circulating here as of late and I'm all for it. We have some genuine studs under 22 on our roster, we have a new young coach and the future finally looks bright. And I will concede that our scouting has been great, resulting in some stellar draft picks (Clarkson, Zubac, and even Russell over bumfights Okafor). But we have to keep things in perspective: our FO has done nothing to make us think they're not the same sad sack of Jimmy-led dolts they've been the last five years. They trade away draft picks, they let people leave for nothing and they can't sell any valuable FAs on coming and playing for the friggin' Lakers. So to me, this summer is a MAJOR test of their ability. And if they can't close on any of the top FAs, then it's time to clean house, timeline be damned.

Having said all of that, I'm sorry for injecting any negativity into this discussion because I'm more excited for this team than I've been in years. And I am hoping for the best come Thursday. I really hope Mitch and Jim step up and win the day. If we get Horford/Whiteside and another top FA, I will run naked through the streets.

 

I don't see it as a failure. As attractive as the Lakers are now they'll be much more attractive in a year or so. It's still a lot to ask of a big time free agent to possibly leave money on the table and play with a young core that is still a couple of years away from really competing in a loaded West. Some like Whiteside probably don't care others like Durant or Horford are in the prime of their careers and can't afford to waste any time.

I also don't see how the front office hasn't done anything. That's ridiculous. You just alluded to how great they've been at drafting. Finding two absolute steals in Nance Jr. and Clarkson and possibly another one in Zubac and you could even argue Randle at #7. All three are at least gonna be solid NBA players and definitely have shown they should've gone higher. Russell showed he's at worst the second best player in this draft. He had a very solid rookie year despite playing for Mr. Incompatent.

Then of course there's Luke Walton. They made the perfect hire. A modern day basketball game who has a great understanding of the game itself, how to build relationships, how communicate with the younger players, how to implement and adjust a system that puts them in the right position to succeed and suits their strengths, has a clear plan in place and is gonna change the culture.

No they haven't gotten any free agents, but I'd rather have this great young core. We get a Carmelo or Aldridge in free agency and we're stuck with that contact for years and mired in mediocrity. At least now we are rebuilding the right way through the draft.

Also think of everything they've endured. The Chris Paul debacle, Kobe's Achilles tear and dramatic decline, Phil Jackson retiring, Nash's back problems, Dwight not being who we all thought he was, and yet they've still made it out with a promising and great young core and future. I don't see how anyone can say with a straight face the front office hasn't made any progress.

Cleaning house makes no sense. Yeah that'll sell to free agents that we have such great stability. How do you think that's gonna look to Luke? The front office has done a great job in the draft, they've rebuilt what was once a talentless roster into one of the most exciting and talented young teams in basketball, and they got out of cap hell.

 

Didn't read all of your post carefully because you lost me with there needs to be proof of some kind that they aren't still stumbling around strategically in running the Lakers. I give you exhibit A in that Mitch and Jim acted decisively in the small window of opportunity they had to fire Byron Scott's sorry a** and hire Luke Walton. I totally hopped onto their bandwagon at that point, taking into consideration how amazing they have been with their draft picks and personnel moves last 3 years.

 

I don't see how our reputation is tarnished forever. We had some bad years. Big deal. So does every franchise. Every franchise has gotten to where we've been the last few seasons. It happens. With them now rebuilding correctly there's no reason their reputation can't be built backup.

I don't agree that our young roster looked awful. The roster as a whole did, but anyone with a brain and who watched last season could see they weren't being used right or at all and for the most part the young core still played pretty well. Nance Jr, Clarkson, Randle, and Russell all had vey good seasons.

I don't see why there's so much doom and gloom. I really don't. Even if we don't get a free agent so what? Okay we suck again, but we at least will see great progress and improvement and we'll be in a better and much better position next season. The moment we got Ingram I honestly didn't care if we got a max free agent. Don't need them. We have a great, great young core that is gonna be outstanding in just a few seasons and is gonna be a joy to watch.

 

Our front office has done a few things right and a lot of things wrong. They threw all of our draft picks into trades and got virtually no return. They also let Pau and Jordan Hill walk for nothing (same with Dwight but I understood the strategy with him at the time). It's for this reason that we haven't been in any relevant trade discussions for the last three years and it's the same reason we haven't been able to lure any free agents. We've had zero real assets. And the teams that make smart moves do. I'm sorry but the brain-trust that hired D'Antoni over Phil (after Mike Brown and before Byron Scott) got NOTHING for Hill and Pau, failed to stockpile draft picks, got dragged kicking and screaming into the world of advanced metrics and hired Tobey Macguire to narrate the desperate free-agent sales videos has to do a lot more to earn themselves back into my good graces.

But hey, if Jim Buss has impressed you with his tenure as VP of basketball operations, then I'm glad one of us is looking forward to his continued stewardship of the franchise I have been watching since I was a kid in the 80s.

 

I think it was clear that Pau was going to leave after the way he was treated. I believe the writing was on the wall and we should have known that and tried to get something for him in return. And none of this explains letting Jordan Hill leave for nothing.

And if we went in to tank mode, then I don't understand why people like Nick Young, Lou Williams, Brandon Bass and Roy Hibbert were still on our roster by the end of the season.

The only area this FO has impressed me in the last few years is our scouting.