LABron James Discussion: The Final Year?

May the site never go down again lol.

 

mostly agree, though the post-lebron era will end up being bad in part because of things we had to do to make him happy while we finished 9th most years during the actual lebron era. you can finish 9th without lebron.

i do agree that our ownership/organization is a total knicks-ian mess, and that lebron saved us. i'm just not sure i agree that lebron continues to save us. i think we're saving him now more than vice versa, tbh.

speaking of the knicks, i do think fans and media need to recognize that they pulled themselves out of the gutter by basically copying rob/lebron's playbook in terms of basically letting an agency run the team.

 

I agree with a lot of this, but am not sure what you mean about Lakers saving LeBron more than LeBron saving Lakers. Clearly LeBron is still a top player, and this team has shown it can beat top teams and could have post-season success with a better coach. The front office and ownership support of Ham is hurting us a lot more than LeBron imo. If LeBron wanted to move, there are just as good or better options, like if he goes to Philly next year, next to Maxey and Embiid, that's a clear contender if not title favorite, if Embiid is healthy, which, yes, if a big if. But if LeBron left the Lakers, there's no good way to replace his production barring a miracle trade where another star forces his way out, which seems unlikely at this point.

I guess it depends on how much blame we put on LeBron for the Westbrook trade. If it's all on him, then yeah, that's big. If the front office hadn't blown up the rest of the team though, I would imagine a team of Caruso, Reaves, KCP, Kuzma, LeBron, AD would have done pretty well during the Westbrook years.

 

That's fair, not all the moves panned out but there were continued efforts to give the team the best chance to compete as possible. He's still the North star for the Lakers trying to put together a playoff team. We wouldn't be the most aggressive team at the deadline if not for Bron.

I think the issue is you can't be in the Bron business and be cheap (AC) or go half way (no Lue, yes Brick). Lue is overrated BUT he's 20x the coach Ham is and he wouldn't have paid the price Vogel paid for the Russ failure. Bron wouldn't have allowed it and Lue is held in higher regards leaguewide. So the sacrificial lamb would've been in the front office and that would've been interesting to see play out.

While you can finish 9th without Bron, you can't make the WCF without Bron. He raises that ceiling more than any other 9th seed in the league during that stretch.

 

Agreed. We definitively showed that we are not a franchise that can build through the draft.

That was a terrible stretch and I do not want to repeat it.

 

I agree. And plus, we actually ran bad, imo.

2020: Championship

2021: Win the West and possible championship if AD didn't get hurt imo

2022 & 2023: Westbrook disaster, depends on who you blame for this one, I think equal parts LeBron and front office are fair imo. With a better trade, or even just without that trade: Caruso, Reaves, KCP, Kuzma, LeBron, AD could have been a title contender with a good coach and bench imo.

2024: TBD. Looks terrible at times, but also shows the ability to beat top teams and could be a contender with a good coach

 

i'm saying he saved the franchise by coming here, but at this stage, his being here is doing more for him (brand building, off court life/business, etc.) than for us (we're in 9th place). if lebron was in 9th place in atlanta, i feel like the discourse would be both more limited and less positive. and he cares very much about the discourse. and i know people will say he's only in 9th place because the rest of the team sucks, but i strongly disagree with this argument. there's enough talent here to not be in 9th place. way too much talent to be where we are.

and yes i blame him (and AD) for the westbrook trade. and really that whole summer of them playing gm and brokering deals. lol, they lost us at least 3 games to chicago by making derozan a mortal enemy with that bit of tomfoolery.

and i'm kidding about that, but players taking that level of control of the process was shameful, and they should have known better and foreseen some of the consequences. guys don't want to play hard for you if they know you're always looking to ship them out. i realize many fans think this is the way the world works, but again, i disagree. people do better when they feel supported, not threatened (see: dlo's comments after last night's game).

doesn't anyone else think it's weird how much we wish we could get back several guys we shipped out because they supposedly couldn't get the job done?

anyway, i'm getting off topic. my main point is that everyone thinks we'd just be terrible if lebron walked, but i imagine we'd be...pretty close to where we are now (assuming we replace his salary with a couple competent nba players). as jsm says below, no, we wouldn't be a threat to beat anyone in the playoffs, but again, i'm not a fan just in the months of may and june. i have to endure the whole thing.

i actually have a little more faith in rob than most. he had a rocky start, but since magic has been gone, i've been pretty happy with him. it's ownership/rambii stuff that worries me (and will continue to do so). and yes, the penny pinching at some points followed by lavish spending on the wrong things is just mindboggling.

 

There will be more trade scenarios to come

 

He wants to play with Steph, Klay, and Dre.

Always drama and “needs a better supporting cast.” Left D Wade and Bosh saying that.

Tweaked to get rid of Kyrie.

Always tinkering as an excuse. Yeah - Westbrick is all on him.

I agree much of the inconsistency is the coach. But guys always having to play under his threats of trade (Ingram, Kuz, AC, D Lo, etc) is a distraction and culture destroyer.

He wants to ring chase. Bye Felisha. The hourglass thing was disrespectful to management and ownership - creating a PR and culture nightmare for no reason. As was his pouting and sitting out last night.

 

The season is far from over, plenty of intrigue leading up to the trade deadline. It was great to get that win in Boston, but F Lebron and AD for sitting that game out, so they can play in New York. That was some total BS.

 

did someone say this? i don't buy it, tbh.

yes, this is what i meant in the novel above.

IF all that were true, i'd agree. i don't think he wants to leave. i do question the motive for sitting last night and wonder if it didn't backfire spectacularly.

exactly. if there was some message to be sent, it didn't really work, and now they better either sit vs the knicks or deliver a win against the hottest team in the league, else they'll look pretty silly.

 

They look like f***ing silly a**, spoiled children as it is IMO. I can see Lebron pulling that kind of stunt, but I'm pretty disappointed in AD, going in on that BS too.

 

Agree Abeer. I think he wanted the “others” to get rolled and exposed so he could have media support and leverage for both firing Ham and trading D Lo or AR. Backfired spectacularly indeed. This team won the In-Season Tournament with this coach and these players - granted on true playoff intensity and focus for all teams involved, but 1 and done is pressure that a 7-game series has advantages over (adjustments, foul trouble, hot shooting, etc).

If he wants a trade or the coach to go, he can do it privately with Rob and others. So sick of this drama queen.

 

I "think" he said something to the effect earlier that no way he was going to miss the C Bags game?

 

He played 30mins against Houston, if he can play in New York, he could have played last night.

 

I thought it was odd for Lebron to play 36 and 37 minutes in back to back games against Hou and Atl, after playing 48 min against GS. Maybe he planned on skipping the C Bags game all along?

 

Who is this?

 

Someone looking for clicks and follows lol

 

at least AD had an injury that we all saw/can verify. if you're hurt, sit. if not, play.