Me, too, I'm loving what I'm seeing from him. Ben Simmons is a remarkable athlete and has great talent, but I do prefer Ingram for fit here. The fact that he knock down those threes, block shots, take it to the hole . . . he's a really versatile and extremely talented kid. If you add him to this mix, wow!!
Question: If we land the #1 pick would you trade it for sort of like what Cleveland did a couple years ago by trading their pick for an all-star (Love) to get Lebron more immediate help? In our case it would be for Durant. Picture a scenario where we trade Simmons (#1 pick), Lou (for salary purposes), and a resigned Clarkson for Westbrook. Durant comes here, and we sign Horford with our remaining cap space. It's actually not too far fetched. If Durant tells OKC he's leaving, they know Westbook is gone the following offseason. Simmons and Clarkson is a heck of a package for a dude who's walking. Horford/Black Randle/Nance Durant/Brown Westbrook/Swaggy Russell/? I realize a lot of things have to line up, but it isn't completely nuts, is it? It's not a situation where someone is getting completely hosed.
I watched that entire UNC-Duke game and it was impress that he started out shooting the ball terribly and yet found other ways to impact the game. Ended up hitting some big shots down the stretch too. Sign me up for Ingram any day.
I would absolutely do that, but I just don't think OKC would want to deal with us knowing we're about to steal Durant from them. Things rarely go that smoothly when teams are losing both their stars.
I agree its not likely. But if Durant is gone and Westbrook is likely going to leave, Ben Simmons and Clarkson is a great haul rather than losing him for nothing a year later.
I agree, but I doubt they do it that quickly even if they go for it. The optics would be awful for them. They lose Durant to us AND give up their best player in a matter of days? That's not going to go over well for them. They'll lose a ton of money. Might as well take Westbrook to the trade deadline and see if anyone out there is willing to give up even more.
Maybe. But then you can ship Simmons + Clarkson somewhere else for a proven all-star caliber player. I know everyone here hates Harden, but he's only got two seasons left, and if Howard leaves and they get nothing in return, Morey might entertain what some people are calling a "once a decade " talent like Simmons and building around him. I think the #1 pick is not just a "The Lakers now have Ben Simmons." scenario. Because of our massive cap space, that pick can be flipped for all star #1 followed by adding Durant and all-star #3. If we go #1 and take Simmons, it's FULL rebuild mode at that point. We would be 4-5 years away from really having a chance at making noise.
I agree and disagree. I don't think it's 4-5 years away. That's too long. If we luck into the #1 or #2 pick, keep it, and strike out on everyone in FA then I'd say it's probably 3 years before we're making noise. We should be making the playoffs in 2 though even without adding a big name. If we add one big name this summer and keep the pick, I think we can compete for the playoffs next season. The Mavericks and Blazers are in the playoffs right now and I don't think their roster is a massive upgrade over ours. Our guys just need a little more seasoning and we need a coach that's not the worst coach in the NBA. If we add two big names and keep the pick/move the pick for a proven star and get three big names, then I think we're in the playoffs for sure. We probably catapult over Houston, Memphis, Dallas, and all the other mid-tier teams. We're still below the Clippers, Thunder (assuming Durant stays), Warriors, and Spurs but we'd be right up there as a competitive team every night.
So is this officially the tank thread, but still kinda secretly? Because if so, Nets won today, so 15 wins for them, 14 for Phoenix, 11 for us, decent little cushion between the 2-3/4 slots.
I'm not sure it's really a secret that we're tanking... It's been about as stealthy as the Tazmanian Devil.
No I mean that the fans here have finally just given in and accepted it. I've not rooted for losses except to get B0ron, fired, but that's not happening apparently, so if I'm watching I'm not rooting for losses at all, can't do it. All that said, losses in these last 20-some games could get us the #1 or #2 pick, so... acceptance time? I'm conflicted, I'm sick of seeing Russ and Randle jerked around, and Black not used. But, I want Simmons or Ingram too, or that pick to trade for a star.
I agree with all that. But when I say 4-5 years, I'm talking actual title contention. If we add no major names and our "Big Three " is Russell, Simmons and Randle, in 4-5 years they will be 24, 23 and 26 respectively. Teams that young can scare people, but they aren't true "Title Contenders" in the real sense of the term. Obviously this is all VERY hypothetical. It was more me just thinking that with our cap space and already young core, I don't think it's a slam dunk that we use the pick if it ends up being #1. We would be in a somewhat similar position to the Cavs a couple years ago. A top 3 player hits the free agent market, we have cap space and a #1 pick to trade for immediate help.
I agree with that. I don't think it's a given we keep the pick either regardless of whether or not we luck into it. If there's someone out there who might be available for the #1 pick, especially a SF or C, I think the Lakers could take that chance. That could mean Cousins or Jimmy Butler maybe or something along those lines.
