Giving up two players and a first round pick for Buddy Heild was and still is a terrible idea. He doesn't really move the needle that much, he definitely is not some kind of Klay Thompson by any stretch. Lebron and AD were absolutely correct, if you plan on giving up all that for that guy, we might as well go for Westbrook. Russ is hands down the superior talent.
last year i was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt because of the nonexistent offseason and the fact that he was playing injured in the bubble no excuses this season
If for some reason Russ does not work out, Rob needs to tell Bron and AD to stop picking core pieces and let him make the choice. AD wanted Drummond too and that was a complete bust. It’s fine if they want a vet minimum guy or a end of the bench player but not a bad fitting max guy.
Drummond wasn't a bust either, Gasol was. It's still amazing that Gasol played all season and was below average. Yet Drummond played 25 games and never played with a healthy Lebron or AD, yet he gets all kinds of blame. The only mistake Vogel made was listening to Gasol's whining and playing him over Montrez.
I just don't know how anyone would think Hield woulnd't move the needle. He's on the best catch and shoot 3 pt shooters in NBA history. In a 5 man lineup with AD at the Lebron at the 4 with Bazemore and Ariza for defense and you're talking about wide open lanes to the basket. Lebron's gravity is different then guys like Curry it's his ability to pass that makes him unique compared to greats like Jordan and Kobe: put Hield in any corner and even the best defensive teams would give up so much space which we haven't seen with this team since KCP got hot in the bubble
It's been a whole 2 games. The man just had 33 and 11 in the previous game..what exactly are you talking about?
lebron wanted a ball handler, which hield is not. he specifically wanted westbrook to take the load off him why do people keep bringing hield up?
huh? did i criticize his performance this season? i expect him to play at an MVP level again this season because he's healthy and had a whole offseason. last season that wasn't the case
Buddy Hield can't even make the Kings a borderline 8 spot contender. The dude is a one trick pony, he can shoot, that's about it. That's why he got benched in Sacramento and was on the trading block. He can't guard a parked car either. SMH..Buddy Hield...whatever
The bubble was the bubble, that's the past. It was not some blueprint for how the game is being played today.
In my best Ox voice…..no. Total bust and GM’s agree, since nobody paid him this year even though he can put up some empty stats.
THIS is the biggest problem with our offense. When AD attacks, the entire team feeds off of it and plays better.
Slick, I think there's a misunderstanding here -- those of us who want AD to play the 5 think it's necessary to open up some space for other guys to operate. In this case, that's Russ. It's fine that's he's primarily a jumpshooter, he can continue to play like that. But we can't have him and DJ out there clogging the entire paint from the start. One big is enough. And since AD is our best big, he needs to more to the center position. We don't expect him to play like Shaq, everyone knows it's not his game.
Nobody offered Gasol a contract at all did they? The Lakers were the only team that did last year too. Dude was washed, signing him was a mistake. Furthermore catering to his griping about signing Drummond and playing him over Montrez was the bad move. It wasn't starting Drummond. Gasol didn't earn anything here, he was given the starting job, the only other center we had was a 6'7 small forward. So for him to throw some hissy fit when we looked for another option at center was ridiculous. He was subpar in his job and he had the whole season to get better at it. That is why he's out of the league.
Hield wasn't really the answer BTW. Yes, he would shoot well (most likely), but he can't help Bron rest because we needed a ballhandler and playmaker. Russ is that guy, and Buddy is simply not. Ideally, that guy would be Steph, but, you know... lol.
Good lord we’re still on the Drummond vs Gasol nonsense? It’s almost 2022 people, nobody cares. Marc retired and Drummond still is incredibly mediocre. How about we whine about our current bigs. Like how it was a mistake to sign DeAndre Jordan who is a Dwight clone at best, when what we truly lack is the opposite of that style in a big. Melo ain’t it.
I feel you and what you're saying is sound, but it's not always the ideal situation, because AD has problems with guys with size. It's always been the case with him, even in the championship year. We just didn't play anyone with size at 5 in the playoffs. Jokic is a perimeter 5 but he has a great handle and can get to the post and work if he must. This is why Dwight played against Denver. AD is a great player but he isn't perfect, we keep bigs because he doesn't care for banging with true bigs. I don't blame him, he's tall and all that but he was a 6'1 point guard until his Jr year in HS. Banging with bigs isn't in his basketball make up. It was the same way in New Orleans, it's not all about the offense. He can score with another big on the floor, Lebron can too, what Russ has to do is develop his chemistry with AD. There is plenty of space for this to work, we just aren't running any sets to make it happen right now. Ultimately what I envision is Russ taking Lebron's role of barging into the paint to score or dish, and playing off of AD. While Lebron roams the perimeter knocking down 3's and jumpers. The other 5 isn't going to play a ton, Javale and Dwight didn't play a ton. Still at times both were useful. I see that continuing to be the case. I'm just very unimpressed with Jordan at the moment.
