Didn't the Blazers just offed Batum and had to deal with the uncertainty of Matthews returning? Other than Lillard, I don't know who they have left. Phoenix from what I watched last season have a balanced team of wings and guards.
I'm disgusted with the Lakers. You make a pitch, get rebuffed, and then delete fan images recruiting the guy? Cowardly move.
Yeah. Today sucked. I really did think we would walk away with at least one significant piece of the puzzle in free agency and its looking like that won't happen. On top of that, we will have to sit through endless crap about No one wanting to play with Kobe, Jim Buss being inept, etc. Just sucks.
I... wow, today didn't turn out like I was expecting. The Laker name/brand/legacy seems to mean absolutely nothing right now except to rookies who have to say that. Well, that, and being used for leverage to get PAID by other teams. It's been said, but if I'm the Lakers I go after Harris with all I've got right now, if we can walk away with him at least it's not a total loss and we have filled spots 1-4 with youth with serious potential. I can't help but start to wonder if had we drafted Okafor would we have been more attractive to some of these big names. Russell has huge expectations to live up to. But hey, at least the West continues to get better and better, making whoever LeBron faces in the Finals a tough team to beat.
If the Lakers were told no & they have to move on, then why not delete them.. What are they supposed to say to DJ.. "Oh, never mind those, that's when we thought we had a chance at Aldridge..." ?
Yes...just say thank you and move on. This type of behavior can be perceived as arrogant and could cast further negative light on the franchise. Who knows, maybe brass felt it was innocuous.
^^^Such is the nature of social media....use it and it's there forever. If you're going to potentially regret something after a series of events, don't effing post it.
What's really sad is that our team could be great in 2-3 years if a top free agent comes our way this year. You'll have Russell, Clarkson and Randle + max FA and then add another max FA next year. Why is this so hard to sell??
On general principle, don't delete; it shows cowardice. On practical grounds, when you try to delete things in cyberspace like this it blows up in your face. E.g., like this. Edit: I couldn't think of which actress it was, but the second point is known as the Streisand Effect.
I have a lot of thoughts, but I can't form a sensible narrative: 1. the lakers DO spend too much time on the business end in their FA meetings. this has become quite obvious. 2. a player being impressed by analytics is like my 14 month old daughter's wonderment at the jack in the box. not knowing exactly how it works doesn't mean it's awesome. I'm guessing Houston's magic analytics won't land Aldridge anyway. 3. honestly: f*** david stern for the paul veto. I can't stress this enough. it cannot be overstated how far that set this franchise back. 4. relatedly, the lakers have to rely on peripherals in their pitch because the cupboard is bare. maybe if and when Russell and randle show they can play, things will shift. but right now, they have nothing on the court to offer the big names--especially those seeking the easy way out (Aldridge's team hasn't been bad, mind you). 5. if this FA period is a referendum on the kobe contract, early returns are just terrifyingly bad. thought maybe a guy heading towards his twilight like lamarcus would attend to kobe's giant contract, but instead he's likely heading to a franchise that is about to pay its icons the vet min. could be a big, painful lesson here. 6. I think the media's laker hatred has actually infected the players, which is super bad. I'm starting to wonder if listening to the lakers and then saying no isn't just a way to endear yourself to another fanbase. Aldridge is going to be a folk hero for crapping on the lakers' presentation and heading to a small market. 7. the lakers better get somebody worth something this year, because they obviously won't even be on the radar for a Durant type next year if they don't start showing something on the floor. 8. koufos and robin lopez and tobias harris and greg Monroe are still out there. I'm spent.
