Well not just that, but what was he expecting? We can't compete for a ring next year with him. He'd have to know that going into the meeting right?
Oh, it's feasible. I'm a big Clarkson guy, but he can either come off the bench or be traded for assets. Westbrook is a top 10 player. Clarkson is a solid player who may be a starter on a championship level team.
This seems obvious to me.. We won't be a contender immediately, but we'll be young, fun, dangerous & solid with tons of cap space next year & boatloads of tradable pieces...
Okay, so the fact of the matter is big time Free Agents aren't signing with us because they still don't have certainty that we are an attractive winning situation. You can't expect these guys to commit 4 or 5 years with us on the basis of having guys like Randle and Russell around them, when the fact is that nobody has even seen either of them play a full regular season game yet. We weren't attractive last year too for the same reasons. These big time Free agents want to see something tangible, which we just don't have right now. The reason I'm optimistic on next year's Free Agency is the fact that we will have the opportunity to present many more TANGIBLE assets to the upcoming class: 1. A year of Julius Randle showcasing his potential. 2. A year of Russell showcasing his potential. 3. The ability to bring in multiple stars. Remember guys, in the past 3+ years we've been "striking out" on free agents, we hadn't had ANY of the assetseason I listed above to present to Free Agents, let alone all 3. There is reason for optimism. Look, I'm not completely advocating for 1 year deals to put trash on the floor next year. I'm merely saying that we need to approach this offseason in more of a way that seeks young, affordable and tangible assets, and not necessarily blow all our cap overspending on poor value in a panic because we whiffed on Aldridge and that caliber of player. There's light at the end of the tunnel, but I believe it just takes time.
Dallas' second meeting with Jordan JUST ended. It last 4.5 hours and that's AFTER a meeting last night. To say they're the front runner is an understatement. Lakers almost shouldn't waste their time. Go get a commitment from a player before it's too late.
Yeah, if LMA isn't interested in the outside opportunities we can offer, we have nothing else, really. Portland and San Antonio have much better basketball teams. Oh well, moving on.
I would think so, but maybe he expected to hear some grand plan on who else we would bring in or how he would play with the existing group. Wish I had a better answer but I am at a loss on this one.
I bet all of the FA meetings end with Mitch saying "I want to see your jersey hanging up there on the wall at the end of your career"
Which really doesn't make sense for a 30 year old FA. That's fine. But the Lakers HAD to know that wouldn't be enough for a FA in that age range. They need to see if they can move up that DJ meeting and then go double down on young talent. Our strengths right now aren't suited for older players.
If we take on David Lee and a future first round pick, I'm going to LA and moving everyone's stuff out of their offices. (Just speculating on what the Lakers will do, not actually a rumor.....yet)
Front office needs to drop this "you will get a TV show" and all of these social media ploys. It's getting childish. Jeannie, Jim are looking like fools right now. It seems their trying to make whoever we're trying to get, the next star, when most of these big name guys just want to play basketball and win. Kevin Love? Wants to stay in Cleveland because he wants to go back to the Finals. Aldridge? Turned down the Lakers because didn't focus on basketball. The past, tradition, loyalty, marketing DOESN'T WIN BASKETBALL GAMES. Making moves to clear cap space, getting the right free agents, and looking competitive are what these guys are looking for. Poor, just poor.
