Anthony Davis Discussion: Only Player On Both All NBA + All Def

Why is this dude @Sentient Meat still talking?

I'm sorry bro - but you're not convincing ANYBODY that keeping young core was the better move over trading for AD.

Just stop that noise. We're 29-7. Likely at the very least going to the WCF this year. Just a quick reminder - we've been in the lotto last 7 years.

 

The belief is that lebron is too old and that we won’t be able to replace him/build around AD later.

Of course, we weren’t going to be able to build around Ingram and ball, either.

 

LOL. Who cares about later? We are trying to win right now - that's why we made the deal.

When LeBron comes off the books, we'll have enough money to get another star - not worried about that at all.

People are gonna wanna play with AD that's for sure. Nobody gonna be lining up to play with Ball/Ingram (who btw, would need to be paid in advance of any free agency where we'd be going shopping and Ingram would demand at least $25-30m)

 

Oh, I’m on your side—I’ve never not been.

 

AD and Ingram is a 8th seed team at best

and if AD hadn't come this team would probably be in the same spot with lebron+kids

 

And we'd likely be in the lotto this year if LBJ tore his groin and the eighth seed didn't suck so bad this year.

I don't get why presenting an opposing argument offends so many of you.

It's almost always in response to someone who declares how the AD trade was a no brainer.

Signing two elites plus the core was the original plan until we got hijacked by Klutch.

Are we better this season? No doubt... but I think we'd be set up better for the future if we went with our original plan.

 

Thanks Laker Jones for allowing a variety of opinions.

What some of you might consider is that any popular sports show whether it's Skip and Shannon or Max and Stephen A.... always has two strong willed people with opposite opinions.

Does anyone like people who just agree with each other in sports talk?

No... if everyone agreed with each other you'd have the equivalent of JLo and Keith Urban telling everyone how great they are or Kelly and Blake saying how amazing everyone is in American Idol and The Voice.

How boring would Mason and Ireland be if Steve just agreed with homer John and told us how great the Lakers management decisions are.

I'm not saying these guys are the ultimate authority on anything... I'm saying you shouldn't discourage civil debate because otherwise you have an echo chamber that serves no good purpose.

And I'm not trolling just to get a reaction... I genuinely believed in the two elite plan plus our core... so when I'm told unequivocally how it would never work, I will probably express the opposite opinion from time to time.

 

The original plan was never happening. It was a bad plan.

It’s like planning to win the lottery instead of going to college or something.

 

I believe we didn't get PG because once LBJ became an option, then PG became an afterthought.

Maybe PG didn't want to play LBJ... maybe LBJ didn't want to play with PG... maybe Klutch already envisioned the LBJ/AD end game... maybe the Mintz connection was an issue... we probably won't know the true story if ever.

All I know is that he wanted to come here when we were garbage... and then something changed.

People told me last year that PG loved Westbrook... he was never going to leave and lo and behold... he did.

This is why I have a problem with absolutes. We don't know.

The problem with the AD and Kawhi narrative is that it developed so late. All season long the Clippers were the ones tied with Kawhi... the Clippers were following Kawhi around and courting him. Consistently Vegas odds had us as a longshot for Kawhi until the very last minute.
So my point is that if Kawhi was a plan... it wasn't a well organized one, but more of a hail mary at the start of free agency.
It was an exciting story so everyone ran with it... I think there was some chance he would come if they didn't pull off the PG trade... but it wasn't any act of management planning or genius. This is why I give no credit for them giving up assets for both AD and Kawhi...

Had we signed him, it would have been luck and nothing more... just like the Dwight signing.

No one game planned for Dwight... he fell into our laps... same if Collison ends up here.

That is not the act of a genius front office... it's like a home run falling into your lap while you are on your phone at a baseball game.

I do give them credit for team construction on the fly... this year's signings are way better than last year... even though again we are misusing our shooters. I do have more faith in Rob than Magic... but the Kawhi thing wasn't something they groomed all year. He likely used us as leverage to force the PG trade and nothing more.

 

So all the stuff that you admit we’ll never know the real reasons for why they happened with FAs not winding up here, you just form your own opinions and assumptions and blame the FO for “lucking” into the actually lousy job of having us in first place, positioned with a top 5 (Big Man) star in the league for the future while we are winning now. “Blame” them for winning not the way you thought we’d have a chance to win in a few years? Got it. Kinda like Kobe got accused of ..... only wanting to win his/your way?

 

The Kawhi plan was last minute. We all got excited because of the national media narrative, myself included, but when the smoke cleared it made sense what happened to those who followed the saga all year. I'm pretty sure what everyone does here is form their own opinions, just because mine may differ doesn't necessarily make them wrong. You like the trade... I wish we kept the kids and signed another elite or signed AD next season... Both have their pros and cons.

I never said they lucked into first place... I expected we'd have a good chance of that... my contention has been that the long term outlook might be less rosy if certain hard decisions aren't made (like not signing LBJ past his expiration date) Their plan has worked better than expected so far, but we've all seen chinks in the armor as well.

People keep saying look at the kids' terrible record but they were always meant to be the backup to the two elites.

The kids could also still make the playoffs, so I wouldn't write them off yet. If they make the eighth seed does that change anyone's opinion?

Probably not... I bet the first thing people will say is the eighth seed this season has a terrible record even in the West and dismiss anything they accomplish.

 

“The Kawhi plan was last minute”

Do you have any self awareness of how ridiculous that sounds? You have some tin foil hat assumption on that and then go on to trash the FO office over it as a starting point for this off season’s moves you’re unhappy with. House of cards with the assumptions you make about things you say in multiple other writings that we have no way to actually know.

 

The kids scored 64 points tonight and almost beat another top team.

Yet people are happy to assume there's no possible way they can ever replace the value of AD.

AD has his huge night the other night and people gleefully post the comparison against the kids... but fail to acknowledge that first BI starts playing like a future star... and now Lonzo seems to be getting it together with his fourth consecutive 20 point game... and I'm the one making assumptions?

How many times have I had to listen to the words... trade was a no brainer... no way could they ever come close to AD... except slowly but surely they are in terms of their collective value.

Who could have imagined BI keeping up his scoring for half a season?

Who could have imagined Zo scoring 20 points four times in a row?

And I'm the only one assuming around here?

 

You keep saying the same thing to me, who hasn’t even brought that up any more with you. I loved the kids too and you’re entitled to your opinion. I’ m taking issue with your ridiculous statement that the Kawhi plan was last minute. Because the Clippers stalked him all year. LOL. And that it was the Lakers who lost interest in PG. Or that we didn’t go after Butler OR wait on AD another full season likely playing for a playoff team and risk getting stoned by him TOO (as happened with George and Leonard in the exact same circumstances). Stay on topic.