Official Whine, Moan, Complain Thread 19/20-CLOSED "WE CHAMPS!"

I could have four hundred acres of farmland and use all of them one year and make more money in one year than I could if I used three hundred acres and left one hundred acres fallow.

That is a certainty.

But if I rotate my crops over the long term there will be more variables in terms of weather and the commodities market of course but the probability is that over the long term sustainability would give me the advantage.

Maybe you sacrifice sustainability for Kareem... you don't do it for Bob Lanier

 

He was the last two titles.

I'm too young to have seen Russell or Baylor play... but I saw West and Chamberlain play.

I don't doubt Russell's greatness but he did bow out before he had to deal with Kareem.

West finally won his title when Baylor retired, Chamberlain agreed to be a role player, and they added Goodrich and Jim McMillian

A solid balanced team instead of a top heavy one. Chamberlain providing rim protection... Hairston providing rebounds... West, Goodrich, McMillian supplying the outside shots... Erickson a solid sixth man. The best record in NBA history until the Bulls and Warriors came along

They also defeated Kareem and Oscar's title defending Bucks... as well as another balanced scoring team... Walt Frazier's Knicks.

 

A solid balanced team. The ones that can only be built with “Kids” I assume you mean because that’s all you ever obsess over. Like our basketball evaluators in house can’t spot bargain talent already in the league vs coming out of college great, but not yet mature and ready for prime time.

Or are”maybe” finally ready after 3 or 4 years but now it’s time to pay them market rate.

 

You are continuously using the worst possible arguments to defend your stance. Almost as if you were trolling on purpose.

I am sure all the Warriors' fans are waiting for their balance to return next season. As are the Nets, hopefully their role players get healthy and tun them into real contendets as we all expect. Go balance!

Did I mention how the current CBA favors balanced teams?

 

if "sustainability" is "slowly starving to death on rotten broccoli" (i.e., the ingram lakers)...i'll take bob lanier.

 

right. keeps acting like if he just hung on, ingram and company would be the '04 pistons (who needed the injury luck we deride in our own chances this year, btw). NOPE! zero evidence suggesting this would happen.

AD >> whatever the hell this balance is.

those "balanced" bulls teams would have been incredibly mediocre had their top two players been moved for 5 more rodmans.

 

If the Pelicans win 38 games this season, the rotten broccoli's record will be the same the first four years as AD's first four years

 

I had the Pelicans making the playoffs before the season started. They have a lot of talent and Favors is one of the better centers around the league. Adding Zion to that roster, he was an easy 20/10 to begin with. The problem for them will be contracts and health. Zion/Lonzo's health are very tricky and the contracts are going to skyrocket once these players get out of their low scale deals. Ingram is going to get the max and Favors can get a $15m per year deal on many times. Then you have Reddick who is only getting paid $13 million. It's a shame they can't figure it out this or next season because this team seriously has some really good deals on the roster.

I believe the disconnect you and many of us are having is that you don't seem to have faith in our current Lakers roster. Do you think Pelicans fans would rather have the current Lakers roster and situation or the Pelicans? With the Pelicans, you hope they can make the playoffs. With the Lakers, we are hoping we can win the championship. It's just two different levels of expectations.

With Brandon Ingram, certain players just don't mix well with another X player. LeBron and Ingram didn't really play well together because Ingram being a catch-and-shoot player is a total waste of his talent. I just don't see why the Lakers would want to entertain paying him that kind of max dollars when it's obvious that it wouldn't work. Rob is one smart cookie. He wants Giannis as well. And with AD+Bron on our CURRENT roster as well as having the potential to also sign Giannis, I'm not sure what we are still discussing. Zero regrets about this for me.

 

If you gave me the choice of having the Harden/CP3 Rockets roster or the young unproven GSW roster... (personalities aside) I'd take the young Warriors roster.

You had Steph winning 36 games
You had Steph and Klay winning 23 games (in an abbreviated season) on pace to win 29 games
Then they added Harrison Barnes and Draymond and won 47 games
Win 51 games but lose in the first round after which they fire Mark Jackson
Win 67 and title with Steve Kerr

Now your counterpoint will be that our core players weren't as good as Steph and Klay... and that I will agree is true.
Nor did they develop as quickly as those two. Agree with that point

However, Zion looks like he may exceed those two (long way to go, but his early numbers while playing fat are at Jordan production levels)
So, you add Zion to BI/Ball/Hart/Hayes, two more first round picks... flawed but decent young players like NAW or Frank Jackson... a sharpshooting older rookie like Melli... vets like Favors, Jrue, JJ... you have a combination of young assets mixed with older players that you can build on for a decade

We have more of a CP3/Harden situation where it's good... but not as promising long term.

Again personalities aside because I know most of you dislike both players... and the fact that CP3 was never as good as LBJ... we can still see a parallel in how Harden is a top 5 player (top 10 at minimum)... and CP3 is former top 5 player who is on the decline. (And what CP3 has done in OKC is a miracle)

If we get Giannis... then sure, this plan will work. If we get Doncic or Dame... I can see it working as well.

But it will take that level of signing to justify losing all those assets in my opinion. And meanwhile New Orleans is a center and a long run of good health away from becoming a potential dynasty.

 

We didn’t have Zion. Argument dead.

 

Our GM had the cap space to find two elites who could equal Zion's production.

Argument not dead

 

Yeah it really sucks Magic and Rob “settled” for LBJ and AD to jumpstart the 1st championship run this year, while overlooking the other “2 elites” superior combos they could have chosen instead.

 

2 elites never available. plus, we have two elites. argument never lived, tbh.

 

We cleared cap space to sign two elites to play with the kids.

Did LeBron's presence deter some agents from coming? Maybe... we can't read their minds

Doesn't change the fact that there were many elites (of varying quality)... KD, Kyrie, Kawhi, Kemba, Butler, Khris, Tobias and we could have landed one but we didn't

Are you saying Jerry West couldn't have convinced one more player... even second tier to come?

We traded six assets to acquire AD. For most of you that is improvement... for me that is a lateral move long term

You can say we failed to attract another elite... but you can't say they were never available.

We were strapped by LBJ's timeline and that put us in a difficult negotiating position. You preferred to go all in on AD and LBJ with ringchasers... I would have waited the year and tried to sign AD...

The deal was sign two elites... not trade assets to clear space for two elites... then trade 6 more assets to acquire the second elite.
Two totally different things.

 

We weren’t handcuffed by lebron. We were enabled by him. We’d have had zero shot at AD without him. We’d be in 13th place and looking at firing our next coach while hoping for miraculous internal growth before we had to start paying second-tier stars and role players big money.

so, we’d be the kings.

all your NO pining is silliness. They got Zion. By luck. That’s why they have any prospect of being a contender, period.

 

Clever strategy giving all the credit to Zion. Insulates you from any criticism no matter how well the Pels do.

Problem is that no one was saying that when the Pels were struggling. I don't remember people saying "oh, just wait until Zion comes back... then they will be a playoff team"

But again... props for covering your butt for the next five years

 

They were one of the worst teams in the league. Butt covered.

and they’d gladly give us all non-Zion assets for AD tomorrow. And you know that.

 

We should have traded those six assets for Zion.

It's still an overpay but I have more faith Zion will be a dominant player.