Here's where I'm at with Kuz... Where else will you find a player making half the mid level capable of the numbers Kuz can put up? On a per dollar basis, he's a steal. I would not give him his next contract, but more on that in a bit. Finding a trade for us that we win is the only way I move him. No one will want to lose a trade to us. Pop will demand the league steps in. It has to be for a better fit on the wing or at PG, there's not a lot of those available and I don't want a year rental (Iggy trade). Next, factor in our limited assets and the fact that we only have a handful of players that can be traded with him, none making any real money...I don't see a possible upgrade scenario out there. Before giving up on him, I would like to see us pair him a better table setter coming off the pine (Collison/Augustin) and see what he's putting up in that environment. Bron's 3rd guy typically takes some time to settle in and his injuries have definitely set him back. It took time for both Bosh and Love to mesh with Bron and his Robin. And here's why I don't give him that next contract... stats aside, I am not all that thrilled with how he and AD look on the court when Bron's not. Father time has never lost and that next contract will have him running along side AD in the post Bron years and it hasn't looked like a great fit. So maybe at the deadline next year, we move him and maybe then we have other assets we can pair with him. Just don't see a good move now. And who knows... it's still early, maybe it'll all click and he'll retire a Laker. And if we are putting out league wide feelers, the only package I'm offering is Kuz, Cook, and Daniels.
I'm right there with you on this entire post JSM, including my own similar skepticism about giving Kuz his next contract.
Not unless the Lakers replace him with another ball handling guard. Lakers really need a ball handler on the second unit.
Lost my enthusiasm for this guy already and I was a big proponent last year of keeping him among our youth. Whatever happened between last season and now, whether forced or unforced errors, hasn’t been good for him. He’s looks lackluster, apathetic at times, even troubled. What the heck is going on Kuz. I feel I like I want to shake him and tell him to wake the hell up. Local espn radio talked about him this morning and concluded that he’s probably not going to be long as a Laker. Even playing a comment form Brian Shaw who feels Lebron has already given the word to shop him. Whether it’s a girlfriend breakup, going vegan, not signing with Klutch, signing with Puma instead of Nike, not checking his trainer for dumb a** comments, allowing his tweet to look like he co-signed his trainer, playing for Team USA, or too focused on IG and other distractions, the sum of it is that it hasn’t worked this year. He didn’t have good guidance because this is the wrong year to lose focus. All these considerations, I expected different from the guy. He was the older of the youth and I expected better because of it. But he’s coming off like a hybrid of Clarkson and Zo. Of all the youth Randle was the most mature and disciplined, and that still got him ignored at the end of his contract. He got dogged. It will be good to get beyond all of the youth movement we’ve had the past few years.
Yeah, I've said the same thing; but there are pieces out there I do like, but I don't think we have enough contract salary or assets. If we had a 1st to grease the wheels, our options would have opened up; either way, it is what it is...
You'd have to convince the 3 best players on the roster of that one and they're all really close with him (job security on his part), so that ain't happenin'.
I like Bogi Ugh - this is the harsh truth. Kuzma is definitely going through something...but I also think that the injuries slowed him down, and the minutes haven't been there thanks to our centers killing it this year. Couple that with the fact that he has to play in the 2nd unit with RONDO as opposed to the 1st unit with better players that he fits better with...and you have this confused season thus far. The only thing I don't like is how much hype came with Kuzma - he set those expectations for himself and he's come up wayyyyyy short thus far
According to TANIA GANGULI, Rob initiated talks with Sac Town. https://www.latimes.com/sports/lake...-turns-down-lakers-contract-offer-as-expected If that's true and Rob was one of Kuz's strongest supporters (not Jeanie level though), I definitely don't think he's going to be a Laker after this contract is up. And right now l, I'm ok with that. I'd rather get something for him when that time comes (next year's deadline) vs. letting him walk though.
I agree with everything in this post except for the last sentence. I’m Ok with having some young talent around. But Kuz strikes me as VERY immature.
I’ll qualify that last sentence by saying I meant the 1st round youth from our lottery years. That being said, I’m excited about Cacock and THT.
Made me wonder if having young players has paid off in the past title years. 1972 - Jim McMillian starting SF, 3rd leading scorer 19 PPG, 23 years old (Players had to stay in college for four years) 1980 - Magic starting SG, NBA finals MVP, 20 years old Michael Cooper, sixth man, defensive stopper 23 years old Norm Nixon, starting PG, 24 years old 1982 - Still Magic, Coop, Norm two years older... added Rambis 23 1985 - Added Worthy, 23 years old Added Byron, 22 years old 1987 - Added AC Green, 23 years old 1988 - Core is still under 30 years old except for Kareem and Coop 2000 - Kobe is 21 Fisher is 25 2001 - Kobe is 22 2002 - Still Kobe, added Samaki Walker and Devean George to rotation 2009 - Bynum is 21 Ariza is 23 Farmar is 22 2010 - Same except no Ariza, added Shannon Brown, 24 2019 Raptors had VanVleet and Siakam both 24 2018 Warriors were a pretty mature team mostly late twenties 2017 Warriors core is mid to late twenties 2016 Cavs had Kyrie 23 and Tristan 24 2015 Warriors Klay and Draymond 24, H. Barnes is 22 2014 Spurs had Kawhi 22 and Danny Green 26 2013 Heat was a mature late twenties team 2012 Heat... same 2011 Mavs was mature thirty year old team Conclusion without going through the entire history of the NBA is that having young players doesn't matter. If BI continues his pace he will average more than Worthy or Byron ever did in their entire careers Even Kuzma's 19 PPG is more than what Byron scored other than two years. Lonzo our former defensive stopper currently is averaging more than either Rambis or Cooper ever did during their careers... in spite of his lousy shooting. The problem isn't our young talent... the problem is that they weren't quite ready and LBJ got hurt and Klutch wanted AD. Their crime is not playing with Magic and Kareem... or Kobe and Shaq. They play with those guys, and everyone remembers them fondly as heroes instead of failures. That was always the plan... the two elite plan. For crying out loud we cleared space for that plan. Our youth was never the problem... our front office couldn't find two elites who wanted to play together with them... so we went all in with LBJ and AD. As long as those two stay healthy it should work... but as this shows, teams throughout history have won with young kids on the team and our teams have won with young kids on the team What if the 2012 Warriors trade Steph and Klay and picks for any of the top players of that year... Derrick Rose, Dwight, KD, Melo, CP3? (I don't include LBJ or Kobe because they weren't going to be traded in their primes and they are on higher plane than AD) It sounds insane in retrospect, doesn't it? Even for KD. But that could have easily happened considering the Warriors won only 23 games. They had four straight bad seasons... and they held on to their kids. They would have had KD in that what if scenario... but no Steph, Klay or Draymond because he was drafted the next year. I'm not saying young kids always pan out like the Warriors players did, but Steph was scoring around what Ingram or Kuzma was scoring at the time and Klay was scoring about 12.5 PPG. Obviously their shooting was way better but they weren't at the level of KD. They were losing too until they began to mesh as a team. I'm sure many of you would have said the same comments... no brainer... you trade everything for KD. And love KD as a player as well... before the Achilles more than AD. But no way does KD win without those other pieces. He barely won with them. And that is precisely my worry.
Tania, "Blondie" to start if Davis does not against Dallas. https://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/story/2020-01-09/lakers-anthony-davis
