If we don't get a max guy, I'm willing to overpay him. I think we could settle in between $11-12 million. I'd be good with that.
I can't swallow paying Carroll 15 million. That's just too much for me. I'd rather draft a couple sfs at 27 and 34 or move up to grab Anderson than Carroll for 15. You know I've changed my mind on him, and I do kind of like him. But 15 million on a 28 year old that hasn't been playing at this level for that long is dangerous. We've caught a couple breaks here. Let's not turn around and neutralize them by overpaying for a good, but not great player who we still have to consider the possibility is a system player. I mean, worst case scenario we can always play Nick Young major minutes at the 3. He's not that far removed from a legitimate 6th man of the year run.
I don't want to tell you where to place your concern, I wouldn't worry about salary nor his play on the floor. I think he'll be fine. The concern is with our archaic offense that might not utilize him correctly. Other than that, we'll have 3 players (all starters more than likely) for dirt cheap. I'm ok with overpaying for a player that fills a need. We have a lot of flexibility.
You have to factor in the cap increase, that's what I'm assuming the author/agents are thinking. I'm guessing that number is thrown out as just below the max deal threshold of the younger RFA cats. I'm sure he'd love to get just below that. With the cap increase 15 million will look like a 10-11 million deal so not too bad... I'd definitely prefer him for more like 10-12 million. In LA he shouldn't get more than that. But we absolutely cannot bet on a rookie and Nick Young being our guys moving forward. If you want to take a SF to eventually phase out Young, I'm down with that. We absolutely NEED a SF though. Carroll is the best bet just because he's completely available... I'd let the market set his price. I don't see any other teams offering him that kind of cash this summer...
Hmm. I still think I'd rather offer max money to one of the RFAs first since they are younger and have cornerstone building block potential. But whatever. I just want to see if we can move up to get Anderson. The more I read about him, the more I like him.
There's quite a few solid SFs in this draft. Winslow, Johnson, Dekker, Hollis-Jefferson, and Anderson should all be NBA caliber players. I'd rather throw the max at one of the RFAs too actually. Just to do it so the league knows what's up. I'm positive that Carroll and Green will wait until Leonard, Harris, Green, Butler, and Middleton are figured out.
I would just try to get Love or Butler for the max, and if that doesn't pan out get a savvy SF vet in the 50th-100th FA ranking.
...just a thought. IF, big IF, Okafor ends up in Minny. We take Towns and make a run for Tyson Chandler. There's your defense.
Running with TRD's thoughts on trying Randle at the 3 spot, 24 at the 2 and Clarkson at the 1. Chandler chipping in 8 to 10 points is gravy. One to two year rental. He's only 32 so not exactly decrepit. I believe Marc Gasol will stay put in Memphis. Aldridge to San Antonio and...Jordan possibly to Dallas. Sacrilege but...Paul Pierce anyone? Just for the hell of keeping him away from the coach across the hall.
I know you're just throwing out a hypothetical situation, but I don't like it. It has "Kobe-trying-to-do-everything-stagnant-offense" written all over it. We need more scoring from players outside Clarkson and Kobe. Chandler next to Towns would be horrific. I like the idea of Paul Pierce though.
Possible...I'm just not feeling the thought of putting too much too soon on Towns defensively. He can provide the points, roam the weak-side, hedge on the perimeter and so can Randle if they are both on the floor. 24 will have to allow the kids to be alright. Of course, it is all moot if we get the big Dukie.
I think you sign Biyombo or draft Upshaw for your defense, either with one of our offensive-minded PFs or next to Black for stretches. Sign a wing defender, the types we've talked about, and we have defense covered reasonably well. Kobe will be a weak spot until he buys in again; the Spurs show that you don't need elite quickness at every position to be awesome on defense.
If they take Okafor I'd go Towns. - Sign Tobias Harris to a max deal worth roughly 16 million. - Split the rest between Mo Williams and Ed Davis. I doubt Orlando matches with Aaron Gordon around. Gordon is a more natural fit with the rest of the solid starting five they're putting together: Payton/Oladipo/Gordon/Vucevic/Cauley-Stein? Harris can provide a little bit of scoring for us and Mo can take the pressure off the bench. Davis is the place holder in case Towns can't step in right away.
I wouldn't mind taking a flyer on Javale McGee either. Poor man's Deandre Jordan. We desperately need a rim protector. Plus, it'll be fun watching Kobe give him the death stare.
I'm really warming up to the idea of creating a dominant frontcourt.... Draft Towns - Go after LMA, Gasol, Love Draft Okafor - Go after LMA, Love Force people to matchup with the size and go old school. Granted I don't like Love that much, but the FO seems to. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Here comes my lack of understanding of contracts in the current CBA: Do the Lakers have the room for two max contracts? I'd love to have go after Gasol and Jimmy Butler. I know that would be a BIG BIG BIG stretch. If I wasn't practically falling asleep at my desk at 4:21 in the afternoon on the friday before Memorial Day, I probably would dismiss this thought as a pipe dream.
The Lakers have room for ONE max contract and then basically nothing else. We've got a chance for a home run draft choice and maybe a home run free agent.
i was just on a boxing forum talkin hoops with a longtime Detroit fan that knows his tough...all year, we would talk about Monroe and here's what he had to say about their player "Monroe can play but dude is Charmin soft in the paint, he has stone hands, and he might be the smallest playing 6'11" dude I have ever seen that has no range. Not a championship caliber player at all, we sucked and made moves that hindered us but he literally did nothing to make us a better team."
If he thinks Monroe is soft... what does he think of Gasol? I always said he could approximate what Gasol did for us in the 2010 run. Pass the ball well out of the post, get you 17/9/4 with maybe a steal or a block... I never expected more out of him.
