My point was Shaq was the only one Doc Buss signed ... Malone and Payton don't count.. they were ring chasing.. I don't see the big deal..
How bout we see how they're doing by Christmas or so when they've been together a bit before all the crystal balling not good enough for the playoffs around here?
Quoting myself because this seems self evident with the completely redesigned and better lineup: "How bout we see how they're doing by Christmas or so when they've been together a bit before all the crystal balling not good enough for the playoffs around here?" You always come with the really detailed analytics so I won't annoyingly quote myself Oh I know that....definitely directed at him.
Man I've been checking my phone like a fiend that hasn't had a fix in days and has the jitters. Wake up at 6AM randomly? Check my phone. Wake up an hour later when it's time to actually get up? Check my phone. Get to work and the first thing I do is check my phone. Really interested to see how the next couple of roster moves play out.
Yeah no way they want to trade a rookie with potential for someone like Lin who they mostly know what they're going to get. Plus it would be an asset to the Lakers. Fans of other teams don't want to help us out in any way. Lin is a immediate help, but many people are really down on Lin right now and don't wanna take the gamble on him being their point guard over keeping the potential in their pick. But at that same time, we've got the leverage. They can sign Jason Terry and JJ Barea, but they're not dumb, they use advanced stats like crazy and know that a DJ + Lin pick and roll, not to mention the sweet sweet pick and pop with Dirk is going to be a huge part of their team and offense next year. They don't have enough money for Lin unless he wants to take a stupidly large pay cut. Still hoping we do something with the Bulls though. Taj or Snell would be freaking awesome.
Where were you yesterday? Missed the battle. Both sides took heavy casualties and then said screw it, the hill wasn't worth it.
Decent shot, Portland and Clippers are certainly weaker. Any team can have a bad year injury wise. Going to be fun finding out.
IT'S NOT ABOUT SIGNING THE FREE AGENT IT'S ABOUT THE APPROACH! Oh my gosh man! Only a couple people have even tried to understand that part of my argument! Someone else said it: it's about the process and not the result! I don't care that we didn't get Aldridge. I care that we embarrassed ourselves trying. We need to change that or all this pipe dream stuff about Durant should just stop now.
1-4: Golden State Spurs Houston Mavericks 5-8: Memphis Clippers OKC New Orleans Bottom teams: Utah Denver Lakers Sacramento Portland Minnesota Phoenix Focusing on the non-playoff western conference, I'm not sure any of those teams are really "on the cusp" unless they have a spectacular season. Portland is going to fall from the sky losing both Aldridge and Mathews. Phoenix won't be the same cusp team without Dragic. Denver and Utah are up in the air, but were closer to playoffs last year. Sacramento with Rondo/Gay/Cousins might work, it could also implode. Minnesota will be focusing on getting the young guys to gel. And then there's us...we need our young guys to develop first and foremost. Then there's Kobe's health. We picked up some solid vets that can play and I hope we can get back to competing again.
I don't see why one correlates to the other. You can be a contender while having high upside rookies play. Like Chicago last year with Mirotic. Hypothetically speaking, if we were coming into this season with the roster as is, but Randle was an All Star last year and we knew Clarkson's season wasn't an anomally...basically in a position to contend, albeit from a 7 seed most likely....would you trade Russell for Lin since Lin is a sure thing despite Russell possibly being a better player as soon as a year from now?
@Real.. I'm pretty much 50/50 with you on this one. Lakers definitely need to update their FA approach, but I'm not sure that is the biggest issue. Lakers can't really use analytics in these pitches because our Suck. We can't offer a player more $$ than anyone else. We can't offer someone the chance to contend immediately. We can present a "plan", but that's all it is.. No guarantee it'll be executed. The only advantage we truly have right now is our location & our legacy. I'm not sure even Alec Baldwin could pull a Glengarry Glen Ross with these poor of leads.
I don't think that's a fair comparison though. Russell is the 2nd Pick in the draft, Justin Anderson was the 21st pick. The chances of Anderson being a great NBA player are lower than Russell's. No one in their right mind would trade Russell for Lin.
To address each point: - Use analytics on how our rookies project and more importantly how they fit around a star FA. - True. - True, but neither could Dallas and they convinced Jordan to come home by telling him how great he is. - True, but that's what every team does. The Spurs only had a plan and the Suns had a plan. Mitch is a master trader, so he should have more pull... right? - Somewhat true. We just need better people to pitch FAs to come here. I'm not sure that's debatable. I like Mitch and I like Jeanie, but they haven't made much of an impression on most of the FAs we've pitched. If the Lakers want half a shot at Durant, they need someone with a commanding personality that can sell him on a vision for the future here. Is Mitch that guy? I don't think so.
