2015 Nba Draft Discussion: Russell, Nance Jr., Brown

Kobe- 25
Young- 5.2
#1-5 Pick- 4.6 (max)
Randle- 3.1
Kelly- 1.7
Sacre- 1
Late 20s Pick- 1
Clarkson- 0.8
+ 2.5 million cap holds
= 44.9 million

That leaves 23.1 million (assuming a 68 million dollar cap). I've been using 66.5 million which would leave us 21.5 million to spend.

That's enough for either two really good players or one great player. If it were me, I'd go for Dragic + pieces. I could see the Lakers doubling down on Rondo.

edit- Rondo at the 68 million salary cap would cost 20.4 million. That'd leave 2.7 million dollars left to spend. I think depending on who you get in the draft you bring back either Ellington or Davis with the remaining cash. Davis might be more than that already, but if he wants to stay that's all we've got.

Okafor/Rondo/Tyus Jones/Ellington
Russell/Rondo/Upshaw/Davis
Mudiay/Rondo/Upshaw/Davis
Towns/Rondo/Luwawu/Davis
Johnson/Rondo/Upshaw/Ellington

I mean that's not bad at all. Not my first choice, but not bad at all if you can make it work.

 

Ya, I saw the final score. What a shame.

 

Of course they did.

 

Rondo scares the hell out of me. There is something to be said when a "star" is essentially given away for almost nothing, and the fan base ain't all that mad. That same star goes to his new team and their offensive efficiency plummets. And C bag fans (who are knowledgeable despite being taint cheese) have said Rondo doesn't play defense anymore either. A Rondo signing almost seems like another "Appease Kobe" move.

Dragic is better, but he'll be in his 30's for most of his contract with us. And Dragic is not a player that puts us over the top, nor can he carry a team. He will get the max, and with no superstar to carry us, I'm not sure we should be paying the max to 2nd tier stars. That feels more like the Milwaukee Bucks way of doing business.

 

I don't think Dragic gets max actually. I think his value is closer to 12 million or so. He's not an All-Star, his teams don't make the playoffs, his numbers are just under elite. If he gets more than 12 million I'll be pretty surprised.

As for Rondo, honestly he scares me too. BUT he's a triple-double threat when he's the main ball handler. He's a proven champion. And yes he's a guy Kobe covets. I think Rondo is a winner and he's in the same vein as Kobe as far as elevating his game when the chips are down.

As far as his defense goes, I think there's some evidence that he's playing better defense in Dallas. He admitted he hadn't played as much defense in Boston because he'd been asked to carry so much of the load. With Dallas having other options he was played pretty strong defense leading to his injury. Dallas's offense might have slipped with Rondo on the team, but their defensive efficiency certainly increased. They were 7th in the NBA in defensive efficiency with Rondo in the lineup.

I'm not even saying I really want Rondo, I just think it's been the Lakers MO to go get a guy like him over a guy like Dragic. It's understandable, but I'm not sure always the best strategy. Just like last season I wanted Monroe/Stephenson over Carmelo, I'd prefer if they went after Dragic/another piece (Wes Mathews?) than just Rondo. But also just like last year, I get it and I've flip-flopped on the position a little bit. Rondo is a great player and the kind of player that really can attract other players. Would you rather play with Rondo or Dragic? I think most would say Rondo.

 

Where you been? He's all the rage on this site!

I like him. I don't like him as much as Towns, Okafor, or Johnson, but I like him. As far as better than Mudiay... hard to tell. Mudiay is a phenomenal athlete, but lacks polish. Russell is an average athlete, but has some real skill. I like Mudiay slightly better than him right now.

 

It's way too hard to tell who is better now when we still have a lot of college basketball games left to be played, NBA combine, and individual team workouts. But just on word of mouth and videos/games I have seen I'd take Russell over Mudiay right now.

 

I dont know if this has been posted yet or not:

Jahlil Okafor's Offensive Impact using SportsVU


Jahlil Okafor's Defensive Value