Off of screens is his new layup and I say that without any amount of exaggeration. Sent from my E6533 using Tapatalk
He's as bad at clothing as he is good at basketball, I'll give him that. He's one of the best in the game right now though, I would love to have him on board and have him run the 2 alongside Lonzo.
Oh man what a spin. He wanted a #2 pick for George and technically he can tell the fans he got it I guess. What an a**.
Westbrook is like Kobe in regards to his mentality and how much he wants to win and how hard he competes. Westbrook has his flaws as a player, but the man lays it all out on the court every night and is absolutely ruthless. Is he as skilled or talented as Kobe? No. Not even close and to be honest nobody in the league is even close to Kobe's skill set however they're guys like Westbrook who at the very least have that similar drive and will to win.
One thing about that drive, it often misleads players to thinking they're worth way more than they actually are. Kobe is a little balanced on both. Drive, determination and skills are all on the same level. And so was MJ's condescending demeanor, Shaq's dominating presence. They all speak to their game. Westbrook's? I'm not too sure. They may have the same drive and determination but they're not in the same league. If there's walk your talk, there should be "act your game" for WB. One pointed out here, WB heavily relies on athleticism. It's an advantage, true. But it shouldn't exactly be the primary core of a player whose drive and determination parallels the GOATs of the game. Sent from my E6533 using Tapatalk
I'm agreeing with you. For what it's worth if I had a choice between Russ and Paul I'd take the latter because even if the former is slightly better Paul's game isn't as reliant on athleticism and he should be able to play at a high level into his 30's. Another reason I'm very gung ho about George is the two way ability. It's been probably close to a decade since the Lakers have had an elite two player. Kobe certaintly was that in his prime, but defensively fell off after those injuries and age caught up. Another thing I like is regardless of supporting cast George has always had his teams competing in the playoffs. They got swept this year, but still put up a fight with the Cavaliers. Took the Raptors to 7 last year. Two East Finals appearances. Gave Miami some trouble not only in those matchups but the previous year in 2012 I believe and went right at LeBron. Basically he's the one player in the East that has matched up with LeBron and at times even been on par with him when they've faced off. Paul George is not very good. He's great. A superstar of the highest order. A legit MVP candidate. Elite on both sides of the ball. Like you I've followed Paul's career and always been very impressed with him. I love his playmaking skills, his willingness to compete and take & make clutch shots, his ability to carry a basketball team, his ability off ball and doesn't need it all the time, how he fought to return as an even better player after a horrific injury, he's an elite athlete, but also remarkably skilled on the offensive end. The guy is capable three point shooter, takes players off the dribble, finishes at the rim, draws fouls, draws the defense, gets teammates open looks, plays at a good pace, good ball handling skills, good coming off down screens and playing pick and roll basketball. Very hard to poke holes in his game. It really depresses me I have to wait to see Paul George one of my favorite players in a Lakers uniform, but it'll be so great for this team and fan base when he is. He's gonna re-energize and make this franchise relevant again.
Reading between the lines I get the impression you're OK with Paul George putting on the Purple and Gold. Yeah me too.
I respect the hell out of a player that really, really wants to play for the Los Angeles Lakers and be the franchise player/superstar and all that comes with it. Like Shaq said you get here and immediately what's expected of you is what all those greats up in the rafters did and you have all the hopes of one of the most loyal, but also probably one of the hardest fan bases to please. Being mediocre and really anything less than winning championships isn't acceptable for the Lakers. They've always been about winning at the highest level and the fact that George is willing and wants to take all that on well it's no secret why so many Lakers fans including myself want this player.
How can you forget the most laughable decision in the history of everything? Sent from my E6533 using Tapatalk
You know another thing that hasnt been fully discussed. . Russels knee and if that was another factor of why we traded him besides hopefully landing George next year.
While in hindsight its laughable, at the time I doubt there are/were many GM's brave enough to do that, if he could of stayed healthy and wasn't made of glass he would of had a very good career in my opinion. Doesn't excuse his PG trade though.