Agree, Mozgov actually comes in handy if you play a team with legit bigs. Unfortunately the Lakers gave him$64mm instead of $34mm
I agree. The Lakers are almost certain to bring back their own kids. I don't see any kid on our team earning a lot more money than what we gave Clarkson last year.
If I'm understanding the stretch provision in this CBA, that would tie up, what, 14 million, every year for like 7 years! That's way too much to have tied up for that long. I'd stretch Deng and ride with Mozgov on the bench
The Los Angeles Lakers have been heavily criticized for the massive contracts that they gave to veterans Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov last summer. In total, the pair received $136 million over the next four years, which makes them the two highest-paid Lakers and represents 36 percent of the team’s total payroll this season. The deals were scrutinized before the ink was even dry, and now that both Deng and Mozgov have been moved to bench roles, the cries of injustice have only grown louder. Deng recently told Mark Medina of the Orange County Register that he just does his best to ignore it: “I don’t listen to it,” Deng said of the criticism about his contract. “I know people are on me. I know everybody is talking about it. I can’t control that. The only thing I can control is coming to the gym everyday and working.” Mozgov also doesn’t focus on it and says that he just simply plays his game: “I just do what I do,” Mozgov said about the pressure of playing up to his contract. “It’s not like I can jump over my head. I just do my stuff.” Of course, neither player can truly be blamed for signing the deals that they did. They were presented with contracts that were legal under the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement and they agreed to them. It’s not their responsibility to worry about the Lakers salary cap or whether their deals are considered to be fair market value for their services. At the same time, the frustrations of fans is understandable. The Lakers have been struggling in recent years, and due to their lack of assets, the margin for error is slim to none if they want to return to return to their former place atop the league. Deng and Mozgov’s contracts won’t make the endeavor any easier, but with coach Luke Walton committed to giving minutes to the team’s young players, the Lakers will have to hope for improved production from Deng and Mozgov on the court next season.
I'd have more respect for a Deng if he acknowledged he hasn't lived up to his contract and said he was going to work really hard over the summer to get back to playing well. I don't blame him for signing the contract offered him but there's no way he can think he's earning that money this season.
I agree. "I don't listen to it"? Why not? It's valid criticism! It's not like someone is just pulling that out of their rear end. He absolutely should have acknowledged that he's been disappointing.
i'd like to hear deng say "i'll try to be less fat and out of shape to begin next year, so that i can avoid shaming myself again. i've already apologized to my family, and now i apologize to laker nation. also, i've decided i like arc and will try to incorporate it into all shot attempts." short of that, i'll take: "i'll work harder."
I think the best we can do in this situation is just to ride out the next two years of their contract and hope some team trades for one or both of them in their final year as expiring contracts.
The Los Angeles Lakers have effectively shut down both healthy veterans Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov for the rest of the season to give the majority of playing time over the final 15 games to their younger players, sources told ESPN. Deng and Mozgov were the Lakers' big free-agent acquisitions last summer, signing contracts worth a combined $136 million over four seasons. Neither has been particularly effective in their first season with the Lakers: Mozgov averaged 7.4 points and 4.9 rebounds in nearly 21 minutes a game; Deng averaged 7.6 points and 5.3 rebounds in nearly 27 minutes a game.
Maybe Deng can get a head start on off season workouts so he doesn't come in like Eddie Lacy after a night at IHOP. Mitch will be with us for the next 3 years.
