WMC 24-25: Seasonal Highs And Lows!

I think the All-Star game and the ankle thing are completely unrelated. He's been on the injury report pretty much every game all year. I think there's been soreness with the ankle all season that he's been able to play with, but he had some treatment for it after the All-Star game to try and get it in better shape for the stretch run and they told him to lay off it for a few days. Plus it was a back to back.

 

Very sound and reasonable arguments. Maybe if LeBron hadn’t already crowned himself the GOAT, his ego would allow for it. That being said, I understand why the top tier players don’t ever feel like they should take less because of how much the owners make. However, this would only hold weight with me if there weren’t a salary cap, large penalties for going over it, and billionaire owners of other teams.
Considering all of that, I completely agree that if an over the hill player can only play one side of the floor, he shouldn’t ask for the max amount.

 

Regarding the All Star “game,” it’s not even close to basketball anymore. It’s unwatchable, to any fan that has witnessed what real competition looks like.
It’s completely up to the individual, whether or no to participate, but when that individual is missing the next real game because of an injury, it’s a bad look. I don’t care if it’s a back to back situation- it’s still a bad look that sends mixed signals.

 

If we finish 9th or 10th and we can have to win 2 play in games on the road, can we?

 

Anything is posssssibbbbbblllleee

-KG (Probably)

 

We're not a good rebounding Team, not a good Defensive Team & not a good 3 Point Shooting Team...
I like most of our Players, but that's gonna be a lot to overcome in the Playoffs.

 

Refs were s*** today


Especially Natalie Sago.

Still think we lose even if they call a fair game, but they were awful.

 

not to go all slick on ya, but the main reason is that lebron and AD have both missed like 25+ games every year but this one.

this year, we lollygagged the entire first half of the season while the coach tinkered in ways that made little sense (and make less now that he's been forced to go with one of the original lineups everyone expected).

i think the team was poorly built the first year lebron got here.

the title team was well-built, as was the title defense team (imo, that was our very best squad on paper--injuries killed us).

then the russ trade killed a year and a half.

this year's team was well-built, but our big offseason pick up died, and that was important because he replaced our big offseason loss.

i think with the exception of the magic months and the russ trade, i've seen enough to make me pretty confident that the FO knows what it's doing. the fact that we can't/won't spend like the big dogs will be an issue going forward.

i also think all the love for some of the smaller market gms ignores how little pressure they're under, internally and externally. we maybe burned one draft pick in jhs, and the fans talk about it incessantly, whereas magician presti just had to cut his #17 pick from a few years ago. just a small example, but other teams screw up as much or more than we do, all the time.

and yes, it's clear teams hate us and actively work against us, but at least for now, players still work to get here, and that counteracts it a bit.

finally, lebron and AD's leadership has definitely contributed to the team's mediocrity. they just don't bring it all the time, and that sets a culture. the pursuit of a third star that does is kind of a condemnation, right?

anyway, i don't want lebron to walk, but i think we can finish 10th without him, tbh.

 

Embrace Mediocrity for your own sanity

 

But will mean the return of The Rock whenever he's done.






.... with his asterisk for the Bubble ring

 

While missing the playoffs would stink, if it caused us to really clean house and get the organization in shape from top to bottom I'd say that would be worth the setback.

But I feel like we will just end up replacing Ham with Rambis or someone else from the family tree with the same people making decisions and continue with the same strategies that have largely failed during the Jeannie era.

 

i wonder if ownership will open the wallet and chase a bigger fish for ham's replacement. not sure who it would be right now, though.

i don't think the upper administrative structure will change until jeanie sells or moves out of that role, so you're stuck rambis, etc. note that we've barely heard about him lately, though, which is positive.

i would like to hear that we're beefing up the front office and medical staff, though. for example, the mavs added dennis lindsey to their front office last year, and i think it has already paid dividends for them. rob needs to find an experienced assistant who has better relationships around the league. i actually trust rob's decision making, but i concede that he doesn't have the kinds of relationships that help grease the wheels on deals.

 

How many years did Ham get at what $ per year …. was that ever made public?

 

Not having the best in the front office and medical staff is really aggravating and inexcusable to me. There's no cap or anything like that. We can hire as many people and pay them whatever we want.

We will have to back up the Brinks truck with any coaching candidate IMO. I've also got no clue who we would target. No names really sway me right now. But that's why we need to use an actual search firm instead of limiting ourselves to only people who have been here in some capacity before.

Wonder aloud if the front office is willing to open up the wallet for a new coach while also having to pay Ham. We will see, but I can see us bringing Ham back for one more year.

 

Ham will be back, the FO has been known to double down on mistakes in the past just to penny pinch