2022-23 Team Developments: News / Trades / Free Agents / Rumors

Also Dave McMenamins take on our offseason FA moves/trades/pickups:


Los Angeles Lakers: Will AD embrace the 5?
From the moment Anthony Davis officially stepped into the spotlight as a member of the Lakers, he made it clear he wasn't keen on continuing the L.A. legacy at center that George Mikan, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O'Neal built.

"I like playing the 4, I'm not even going to sugarcoat it," Davis said ahead of his first season in L.A. "I like playing the 4, I don't really like playing the 5."

Davis proved during the Lakers' run to the title in the Orlando, Florida, bubble, however, just how effective he is at center. So much so that even with Frank Vogel getting Dwight Howard back in the big man mix with Marc Gasol for this season, the Lakers' coach should probably continue to go against Davis' wishes. L.A.'s best five-man lineup last season -- by a landslide -- featured Davis at the 5, surrounded by LeBron James, Dennis Schroder, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Alex Caruso.

That group outscored its opponents at a rate of a ridiculous 49.2 points per 100 possessions. Not to mention with Gasol already 36 years old and Howard being 35, it could come down to the 28-year-old Davis to preserve them and not the other way around. While Davis' offensive numbers have been slightly better at center rather than at power forward since coming to L.A. -- averaging 28.5 points per 36 minutes on 52% shooting, compared to 24.9 points per 36 on 48.6% at the 4 -- it's his impact on the other end that's noticeable.

Davis has repeatedly stated his aspiration to win the Defensive Player of the Year award, and with the Lakers losing some of their better wing defenders in the offseason, using the pursuit of the trophy as a carrot to convince him to anchor the Lakers' defense from the inside out more often could be just what L.A. needs.

 

You’re right. This is a calculated but clumsy pr move, 100%. The rest of the league is just sitting back laughing and enjoying this.

 

i'm still quite curious as to the reason AD doesn't like playing the 5. i've never heard him state it, just that he doesn't like it. it has to be related to defensive role, right? as the 5 on offense can be moved anywhere you want--you control that.

 

Yeah, I was skeptical when I heard that about AD at the 5 and still am. That would be so fun him at the 5. Here’s hoping.

 

We have a lot do "good problems" right now lol

 

I think he knows he's not durable enough to play the 5 all year long. He falls down a lot with just a little contact. The 4 is a better fit for him for most of the year for what his body has historically been able to handle. Being able to play a position really well doesn't mean you should.

 

I get that, I shoulda been more clear. When he said he's down to pay the 5, I'm assuming or hoping he meant when the team really needs him at the 5, he's there. He'd def get too banged up playing there every night during the reg season.

And that falling. Damn, so hard to watch over and over, holding our breath every time.

 

It hurts? Confirming @Kenzo's singular theory that AD's "soft"?

 

I don't think his body is built for the banging and he feels the same way about it. He is one of those guys that had a freakish growth spurt late. He went from a point guard to a center his Jr and Sr year in HS. It's not the same as a person that slowly progressed to that height over time. He throws himself around like he's still a little guy, it makes him unique as a big but the contact has consequences. I'm kind of curious about Bron and the 4 stuff too, it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks. He says all the right things (said he would play small ball 5 too when he first signed) I suspect that he will end up playing the way he always plays, the other guys will just adjust to it.

 

But doesn't it? I would argue otherwise based on results. Centers all want to be ball handlers and rain 3s like Steph, and little guys want to post up or catch oops and bash on defenders but does that mean they should? Guys need to play where they best suit the team. Shoot I wish I could ride my 450 like Jeremy McGrath lol

 

It's the banging inside, flat out. He isn't really made for it and with his injury history, it's better to keep him away from it. Sometimes we have a center matchup like Gobert and AD's ability to pull him out to guard his shot is very useful and he can slide to the 5 for some instances but those centers are rare and in general, AD doesn't need to be there.

 

The best power forward in the game, let him be just that. I don't really see the problem, we didn't lose any series because AD didn't play 5.

 

Dammit. I can't remember where I saw this, but statistically, AD is more effective scoring-wise at the 5. Where did I see that?

 

I honestly think the physical toll would shorten AD’s career playing the 5 full time. He’s just not built for that. Doesn’t take anything away from him being an amazing basketball player though.

 

when jeanie appeared on barnes's podcast, she said the trade would've happened if NO hadn't rushed things and waited until the league had lifted all the lockout restrictions. according to her, the owners (we all know it was mainly cuban and gilbert) cried about how no other teams had the chance to try and trade for paul and that's why stern vetoed it

of course there were other factors as well, like stern needing to make the hornets attractive to potential buyers and not wanting anything to stand in lebron's way of winning a title

 

I don’t think the choice between Embiid and Simmons is an easy one.

Embiid has serious injury concerns - he has only played 260/555 games over 7 seasons. If you ignore his first two seasons where he didn’t play it’s 260/391 and he seems to enter every playoff banged up or requiring minute restrictions. Maybe you only get 3-5 good seasons left, how many healthy playoffs though, 2 or 3?

Simmons is probably gonna give you 5-10 good seasons at 16/8/8. And he is a DPOY candidate that can guard 1-5.

 

For me it breaks down like this... When healthy, Embiid is a top 3 at his position. If you put him on any team (1 for trade), he is the focal point and best player on that team... except for maybe 5 teams. You can't say that about Ben.

He's a 2nd best player on a playoff team. 3rd best player on a championship team. What superstar out there can't shoot and is afraid to do so? Who's the best player who fits that mold? Where do they rank on their team and where do they fall on the pecking order in the league?

He's only 25, so he can figure it out. But I'm not taking a gamble until he does. Cause right now, I don't trust his mental at all. Another reason why GS is perfect for him. Zero pressure. At Portland, the other great spot, there's the pressure of being the one who stops Dame from leaving. That can get heavy.