I think you are right about Carroll. He is playing well, is interested in playing in LA, and he is unrestricted. We should definitely pursue him. And I also agree that I would be willing to overpay a bit to get him. Especially if we draft a big man or one of the point guards.
If we take Mudiay or Russell, I will say that Carroll becomes a bit more appealing. OK Real, how about this for a plan: In the draft we select Mudiay at 3 or 4 (wherever we draft), we take Upshaw at 27 (or trade the 34th and 27th to move up to grab him). We sign Carroll for 4/40 million. We sign Tyson Chandler to 3/27. Chandler mentors Upshaw into the defensive anchor he has all the talent to be. Chandler/Upshaw/Black Randle/Black/Kelly Carroll/Young Kobe/Brown Clarkson/Mudiay/Price A mix of youth and experience with mentors in place for some of our kids. It comes in a shade over 62 million. Things could come together with that team where they make a run at .500 and the kids improve over the course of the year. In 2016 our team probably sits around 42-43 million. We have enough money to go after Durant (72 million) and another max deal for a younger player. The only problem is other than Durant, the realistic UFAs that year kind of suck. Conely is probably the next best UFA, but with Mudiay and Clarkson, it would make it pretty pointless. We have to hope that either Mudiay or Randle (or Clarkson I guess) are ready to kick it into "star" status.
I dig it. See, I'm an All-In kind of guy and I think the good Doctor Buss would agree with me. The problem with building a young only team is that you're basically punting on any chance at a great free agent now. No great free agent is going to want to come play with just a bunch of rookies. That means we're going to have to either convince somehow a guy like Gasol or Love that we're more competitive than we are... or we're going to have to overpay a little bit to get a role player like Monta Ellis or Chandler Parsons both in Dallas. Once you do that, you preserve enough room to go after a bigger name just like Dallas is trying to do again this summer. For me if we draft Okafor, Mudiay, or Towns then I'm going for the role player type guys with my cash. If we end up with the 4th or 5th pick and have to pick between Russell, Cauley-Stein, Winslow, etc then I might be more inclined to really push after a bigger target in FA. Throw the bank at them and promise them the world because only the top 3 picks in this draft will give us a legit difference maker within the first year or two. If we draft Mudiay I love the idea of picking up Carroll and a veteran big man. If we play it right we can also bring back Davis and Ellington. Clarkson/Mudiay/Price Bryant/Ellington/Brown Carroll/Young Randle/Black/Kelly Chandler/Davis That's a solid squad. A few veterans like Bryant, Carroll, and Chandler (two of which know what it takes to win it all). Youth all over the place in Clarkson, Mudiay, Black, Kelly, and Brown. A few guys who aren't young, but have seen the league and are solid in Ellington and Young and Davis... That's a good team. That team could make the playoffs if they had it a relatively healthy season. They could certainly compete with the New Orleans and the Phoenixes of the world.
Some interesting speculation on Middleton, Jordan, Aldridge, among others http://grantland.com/the-triangle/f...playoff-casualties-will-spend-for-the-future/
Demarre Carroll is killing it in the playoffs. If Aldridge/Gasol are not attainable, he or Middelton are a must have.
Don't forget about Tobias Harris. While I like Middleton more in the RFA category, I think Orlando may be less likely to match on him when they just drafted Aaron Gordon. Harris would be a VERY solid pickup.
I like Harris but word around here in central florida is that he is leaning toward returning home to New York.
Haha. I see you just glossed over the Upshaw part of it. My reasoning for going after Chandler was to mentor him. And you pretended not to notice. In all honesty though, Ed Davis is likely not back, imo. He will get 7-8 million, and I don't think we should be paying him that much. Heck, I'm starting to think even 4-6 might be too much. It's not because I don't like him. I do. It's because we have Randle, Black and Kelly all under contract, all for 6 million next season combined. Black can play either the 4 or 5. I think we are better off drafting Upshaw (or Dakari Johnson or whatever) and either draft one of the centers in the top 5 or try to sign Asik or Chandler. Black was giving us about as much as Davis was at the end of the year last season. I just feel like having both when it will cost us an extra 7 million is not a luxury we can afford in our current state. If we draft Upshaw and sign Chandler or Asik, our big man rotation is pretty solidified.
Why would he go play backup to Carmelo Anthony? Unless one of them plans on playing pf? Phil signs Harris and Monroe, trades the pick for guard help? Monroe Melo Harris Hardaway Calderon I gotta say, it's not horrible. That team could finish in the bottom 2-3 playoff slots in the East.
I read a better article on it than this one, but it was several months ago. I will post if I find it, but this one from the NY Post (not the most reputable place, I know) does have some of the info on him and NY. http://nypost.com/2015/01/23/possible-knicks-target-overwhelmed-by-long-island-love/ As for the fit, I have no idea but that hasn't stopped the Knicks before.
Yeah I'm just not interested in Upshaw because a) I see too many flags but more importantly b) he's not going to be available where we draft. If he's there at #27 I mean sure go for it. Worst case scenario we move him later on like Crittenton, but I'm willing to put money down that unless he tanks his interviews, he's not there at #27 for us. Re: Davis. Davis is better than Black. He's a better rim protector than Tarik and quite frankly he's just bigger. Tarik is really short for an NBA Center. He's built like a tank, but he's only 6'8" or so. Ed Davis 6'10" with a good reach and similar athleticism. Tarik is best suited at the 4 and Davis is best suited as a 5 in my opinion. I doubt Davis gets anywhere near 8 million dollars. He's got too many holes in his game to warrant that kind of money. I love Davis but he's a bad free throw shooter, he has no jump shot, he's too small for big minutes, he's sometimes foul prone, he is efficient but lacks a real post game, he has no handle at all. He's a throwback Center. Guys like Robin Lopez, Omer Asik, and Tyson Chandler will get 8-10 million. I think Davis tops out at around 6 million maaaaaaaaybe 7 million and I think if we offer a long term deal starting around 5 million, he's going to be willing to stay here. Something like 4/20 million should do it. Say we draft a guard, Upshaw or Johnson, and a project. I give the 10-12 million to Carroll, the 8-10 million to another big like Chandler or Asik, then 5 million to Davis. Clarkson/Mudiay or Russell Bryant/Ellington/Brown Carroll/Young Randle/Black/Kelly Chandler or Asik/Davis/Upshaw or Johnson That's a slick team right there. Good combination of youth, experience, athleticism, and veteran leadership. That bench is rock solid, probably one of the best in the league. The starters are a work in progress, but capable of good defense and able to run with Clarkson, Carroll, and Randle (with Kobe becoming the Paul-Pierce-esque 3 point trailer that Boston loved). That team could certainly compete for the 8th seed and is deep enough to absorb a couple of injuries when Chandler/Asik and Kobe inevitably miss a few games.
I agree it's a slick team. I still have only seen one mock with Upshaw going before 27, but you could very well be right. I would totally trade our 34th with the 27th to move up to make sure we get him. Another center who kind of fits the mold for this squad, and I think I've seen you mention him before is Robin Lopez. Originally I thought he wasn't going anywhere, but with the recent developments of Aldridge maybe bolting, I think Robin might be in play. And to be honest, Robin is my favorite of the Chandler/Asik/Robin trio. I think if we sign one of those centers, Davis is gone. I agree with everything you said about him in regards to him being more of a center than Black, but is he 5-6 million a year more of a center, especially if we draft a project center with our late pick? We still have Sacre on the roster (technically) as well. Randle/Black/Kelly Lopez/Black/Upshaw/Sacre That's a lot of bigs. I think the Lakers would be more likely to spend the 5-6 million it would take to retain Davis on pg guard help. Clarkson and a rookie is pretty thin. That Davis money may be more likely going to Lin.
New Carroll article http://www.nba.com/2015/news/featur...day-for-himself-with-atlanta-hawks/index.html Here's a snippet Only triples his salary? for argument sake, let's assume the ballpark for both he and Middleton are correct from this article and the one above. How does Middleton get double the salary of Carroll? Age, length, upside...I get that. But if you're telling me Carroll can be had for half and under $8m annually, I'll take that deal every time.
Lakers Rumors: Kevin Love Bound For L.A. If He Leaves Cleveland Posted by: Ryan Ward Posted date: May 06, 2015 In: Rumors | Comments : 117 SHARETWEET Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports Three-time All-Star Kevin Love will have a tough decision to make this summer. The star forward can either do nothing and simply earn the $16.7 million he’ll be paid in the last year of his deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers or opt out in an attempt to secure his long-term future. If Love decides to opt out, the veteran power forward will become an unrestricted free agent with plenty of teams interested in his services. It’s no secret that the Los Angeles Lakers will be one of those teams with many believing the storied franchise will have the best shot of landing him in NBA free agency. According to Sean Deveney of Sporting News, if Love ultimately chooses to leave Cleveland, it’s highly likely he’s headed for Los Angeles: If Love does leave the Cavs this year, he’s much more likely to do so in order to go home to Los Angeles and play for the Lakers. Although the Boston C Bags and New York Knicks will be suitors for Love’s services in the event he opts for free agency, all signs continue to point to Lakers as the most likely destination. The Cavaliers will definitely do everything within their power to retain Love and understandably so, but the rumors continue to circulate about his departure this summer. Leaving a team built to win multiple championships with arguably the league’s best player leading the way in LeBron James seems like a crazy notion to some. Although it’d be tough to perceive Love leaving a favorable situation in terms of contending on annual basis in Cleveland, the UCLA product may have had his sights set on returning to Los Angeles the entire time. Love would become the centerpiece of the rebuild for the Lakers and as a result would take his brand to the next level. Along with being the face of the franchise moving forward, Love would also be surrounded by promising young talent in the form of Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle and potentially a high lottery pick while also being back home in Los Angeles. Despite all the positives of Love’s potential return to Los Angeles, the former Bruin has downplayed any talk of wanting to opt out of his deal during the season. That stance may have changed, and behind closed doors it’s possible he’s already made up his mind, but the Lakers will have to wait a little while longer until they know if they’ve got a legitimate shot at landing Love. http://www.lakersnation.com/lakers-...nd-for-l-a-if-he-leaves-cleveland/2015/05/06/
If Love opts out he could sign a 2 year deal with a player option after year 1 so he can cash in on the rising cap. Obviously if the Lakers sign him this route would not be ideal for the team because they would have to endure the uncertainty of their best player being a free agent again and would almost certainly have to give him a large raise to keep him. This offseason it's going to be interesting to see which guys go for player options after year 1 and which take the security of long term deals.
I think his injury greatly increased the odds of him staying. He went from being the guy they blamed and pushed out the door to the potential savior next year and the missing piece. That's good news for us, because I want no part of Love in a Lakers jersey.
