LeBron James Discussion: Not Returning To The Lakers

“Adrian Wojnarowski liked”



Dude really hates us.

 

Either side of the fence, this is really neat artwork.

 

Writer for Yahoo sports.

 

That is cool and really well done

 

Ramona Shelburne is on ESPN710 right now.

- She is still very confident about LeBron to LA although I don't think she's basing that on any specific source.

- Says the Lakers have called both Kuzma and Lonzo and told them to cut out the song things. She basically agrees with us that it's not a big deal, but Lonzo pushed just a little too much and (like we said) it's just not a good look for us. There's too much important things going on for the kids to be dedicating time to this stuff.

- Ramona says other pieces need to fall into place and things need to happen with the roster, but she's fairly confident LeBron is coming.

- Ramona made a sour look at Mason asking about Chris Paul. She says Chris stays in Houston for the max. Not impossible for LA, but wildly unlikely.

- She brought up a bit about the Lakers still kind of wanting a veteran mentor so Lonzo can be brought on a little more slowly.

- She says everything is LeBron's decision. Part of the pitch to him is we'll give you what you want. She says he wants players who think the game (which she argues we have) and have strong ownership. She says LeBron would go directly to Jeanie with any decisions (Kobe was the same). He would bypass Rob and go direct to Magic/Jeanie with questions/problems. She says Dan Gilbert spent every cent which is his only redeeming quality. So LeBron will want the same dedication from Jeanie/Magic.

- She brought up the Kobe contract and how that sent signals to all franchise stars about how the Lakers treat their stars. It was a bargaining tool for future purchasing power. It's a powerful message to someone like LeBron who can see the light at the end of the tunnel a little. She said that was a Dr. Buss type of loyalty move and Jeanie wanted to do the same thing. It still sent that strong message to the rest of the league even if it was rough in the short term.

- For what it's worth, she said she'd keep Kuzma before any other player although Ingram is the closest. She said she picks Kuzma because he has the confidence and he has the drive to be great.

- She admires Oklahoma for taking swings on Carmelo and Paul George. She said Oklahoma isn't a dead destination for Paul George. She says her sources have been fairly consistent that people say Paul likes Oklahoma and Oklahoma says they're still confident. But she says she heard the same stuff from camps about Durant and that didn't work out.

- She says the most likely is that George/LeBron go to LA and they keep the youngsters. She says that was the Lakers' whole point and plan all along.

- She said it's possible they can keep Julius, but everybody else in the league (Dallas, etc) play along with that possibility. Ramona agrees with Coon's amount on Julius's likely deal: 15ish million. She's not sure how much Dallas wants him. If they want him a lot, they can screw up our attempt at keeping Ju.

 

Great Recap, thanks

 

It's still going, I'll keep updating as they talk about it.

 

The Los Angeles LaBrons. Ah well, at least we wouldn’t suck anymore. The rest was good stuff, I too hope Zo and Kuz knock that s*** off, make a sour face when I hear the name Chris Paul, and am all for a vet mentor for Lonzo.

 

It’s one thing if Lebron comes and we keep all the kids that are not fringe players. If we have to start losing youth also, that’s definitely going to increase my mourning period.

 

I think part of her point as well was that our kids are young, smart, and driven and part of why the guys want to be here. So it's not likely they're going to demand a bunch of kids get traded out.

Now, if someone like Kawhi comes available, George and LeBron will expect the Lakers to make a move, but it doesn't make a lot of sense for those two to come in and start trading away all the young guys that help provide depth and versatility for just anybody.

 

You want me to pre-order your jersey for you?