NBA 2019-2020

Jagga7

Full Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2011
Messages
7,079
Location
in a cave
Lakers still need some shooters and some perimeters defenders. It's ridiculous they have been named favourites.
 

Sarni

nice guy, unassuming, objective United fan.
Joined
Jan 21, 2004
Messages
57,440
Location
Krakow
Lakers still need some shooters and some perimeters defenders. It's ridiculous they have been named favourites.
Lakers need a team basically. They have no one beyond LeBron, AD and Kuzma. If they really want Butler or Walker, then bar one mid-level exception they will have to fill out the roster with minimum deals.
 

Sarni

nice guy, unassuming, objective United fan.
Joined
Jan 21, 2004
Messages
57,440
Location
Krakow
Knicks future looks terrible indeed. Even RJ Barrett isn’t really so exciting unless he can fix multiple flaws in his game that became apparent during last season. In terms of current team I kind of like Robinson and Knox but neither will probably even be good enough to be a third option on a contender let alone lead a team to anything significant. DSJ I don’t rate and Ntilikina has no value whatsoever after these two seasons, his only asset is his defense and even there he’s just above average not spectacular by any means.

The worst thing they could do now is to throw max deals at players who aren’t worth max, and that’s exactly what I expect them to do. Like crazy contract offers for Julius Randle and a random guard like Ricky Rubio.
 

mav_9me

Full Member
Joined
Feb 9, 2009
Messages
12,400
Knicks future looks terrible indeed. Even RJ Barrett isn’t really so exciting unless he can fix multiple flaws in his game that became apparent during last season. In terms of current team I kind of like Robinson and Knox but neither will probably even be good enough to be a third option on a contender let alone lead a team to anything significant. DSJ I don’t rate and Ntilikina has no value whatsoever after these two seasons, his only asset is his defense and even there he’s just above average not spectacular by any means.

The worst thing they could do now is to throw max deals at players who aren’t worth max, and that’s exactly what I expect them to do. Like crazy contract offers for Julius Randle and a random guard like Ricky Rubio.
I really think they won't do that this time. I listen to a lot of NY sports radio, that's what the feeling is there
 

Fridge chutney

Full Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2016
Messages
8,872
Because you'll get teams losing for the sake of it in order to get the #1 pick?

Not only does that suck, it also impacts the playoff race.
Exactly.This is why the draft should remain how it is, and not automatically reward failure. It would be a farce to see teams throwing games in latter halves of the season, especially when generational prospects like Zion are exposed to the following draft summer.
 

Florida Man

Cartoon expert and crap superhero
Joined
Jan 24, 2014
Messages
13,863
Location
Florida, man
I’m actually having a hard time understanding this deal’s details. Protected trades, unprotected trades, waiting till July to sign, the cap space, all of it. Any chance someone can summarize this all like I’m 5? Regardless, I’m personally happy with the trade. Lakers as far as I remember never really “developed” teams from youth.
 

MJJ

New Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2009
Messages
28,954
Location
sunderland(1)-Derby(1)
I’m actually having a hard time understanding this deal’s details. Protected trades, unprotected trades, waiting till July to sign, the cap space, all of it. Any chance someone can summarize this all like I’m 5? Regardless, I’m personally happy with the trade. Lakers as far as I remember never really “developed” teams from youth.
Lakers sign AD for hart, kuzma, Ingram and three picks including this years number 4. The pelicans can choose which years draft pick they want from the Lakers next seven draft picks.

The deal will be finalised somewhere in July to allow Lakers to sign free agents.
 

Sarni

nice guy, unassuming, objective United fan.
Joined
Jan 21, 2004
Messages
57,440
Location
Krakow
Wouldn't they be better just trying to use the cap space to fill out the team with some solid 3&D type of players?
How many they can get with that money? Two decent ones? Maybe three all right player. You are talking Rodney Hood, Reggie Bullock and Darren Collison quality here. Beyond that they have to get minimum salary players.

It’s not like they will be able to sign multiple good players. I would prefer one Kemba Walker over any combo of two from KCP, Hood, Seth Curry, Collison, Bullock etc.
 
Last edited:

Sarni

nice guy, unassuming, objective United fan.
Joined
Jan 21, 2004
Messages
57,440
Location
Krakow
Lakers sign AD for hart, kuzma, Ingram and three picks including this years number 4. The pelicans can choose which years draft pick they want from the Lakers next seven draft picks.

The deal will be finalised somewhere in July to allow Lakers to sign free agents.
Also deal is likely to be finalized on July 6th meaning Lakers will have $23.7million of cap space. If they finalized the deal on July 30th, they would have $32.5million cap space. They will be trading AD into that cap space though because they cannot match salaries before July 30 (30-day period for a drafted player needs to end before you can trade him while matching salaries).

Davis could waive his trade kicker which would save them $4million but he’s apparently not willing to do that.

They should be fine until January at which point buyouts will begin and they will be high on the list of players who are having their contracts bought out.
 

syrian_scholes

Honorary Straw Hat
Joined
Jan 10, 2011
Messages
13,979
Location
Houston
We are hoping one superteam to be disbanded this season and provide some competition, not for another one to be formed at the same time.

That would be a pretty tough nut to crack for any other contender, if it happens.
I can't see how James and AD will fit together.
 

Harry190

Bobby ten Hag
Joined
Apr 18, 2010
Messages
7,603
Location
Canada
Up to 2 million people expected tomorrow for the parade. Even with 1/2 that it's going to be madness downtown. Gotta leave early if you even wanna have the chance to get to work.
 

forevrared

Full Member
Joined
Oct 3, 2009
Messages
5,374
Location
Bay Area
The dumbest part of the Lakers/Pelicans trade, for me, is that they've given up half their team, a #4 overall pick and two more firsts just for a shot to win the championship this year with an extremely underwhelming team.

Anything less than a championship this year and the trade is a complete failure and their starting 5 is still a major work in progress at best, while the bench is absolute shit. IMO they should've just used the #4 to add a guy like Jarrett Culver (or even Darius Garland if they really weren't high on Lonzo) and sign AD for free next year. I know projecting rookies is nowhere near a science, but I like something like Ball/Culver/Kuzma/Lebron/AD a lot better than anything they'll put out this year.
 

elmo

Can never have too many Eevees
Joined
Jul 14, 2008
Messages
13,268
Location
AKA: Slapanut Goat Smuggla
I honestly think that there's a chance that the Lakers might still miss the playoffs next season.

There's not going to be much depth in the team and they'll suffer when AD goes on his usual 10 games injury break throughout the season.

LeBron's aging and he can't be counted on to play all 82 games. They'll drop games whenever either of them have to rest and there's also no guarantee that they'll win all the games that both of them are lined up. Just need a bit of bad luck and they're out of the playoffs with how tight the West is.
 

Sarni

nice guy, unassuming, objective United fan.
Joined
Jan 21, 2004
Messages
57,440
Location
Krakow
The dumbest part of the Lakers/Pelicans trade, for me, is that they've given up half their team, a #4 overall pick and two more firsts just for a shot to win the championship this year with an extremely underwhelming team.

Anything less than a championship this year and the trade is a complete failure and their starting 5 is still a major work in progress at best, while the bench is absolute shit. IMO they should've just used the #4 to add a guy like Jarrett Culver (or even Darius Garland if they really weren't high on Lonzo) and sign AD for free next year. I know projecting rookies is nowhere near a science, but I like something like Ball/Culver/Kuzma/Lebron/AD a lot better than anything they'll put out this year.
Their window to win with LeBron is maximum the next three years, they didn’t want to sacrifice another year to maybe get a shot at AD next year.

In a way it’s good they cannot sign a max free agent anymore because if they have a 4-year max to someone like Kemba or Butler who are around 30 they would have limited their options going forward heavily. It’s basically said and done they will not make any big trades for the next 7 years as they don’t control their picks until 2025.
 

Sarni

nice guy, unassuming, objective United fan.
Joined
Jan 21, 2004
Messages
57,440
Location
Krakow
I love listening to Nate Duncan’s podcast but their scouting reports are just so damning on everyone :lol: Even when they are complimenting someone they follow that up by listing 55 shortcomings. You are left with an impression that Zion at best is a beggar man’s Blake Griffin on offense and was 30% of Draymond Green on defense, and DeAndre Hunter’s best case scenario is a terrible DeMarre Carroll. :lol:
Listened to Coby White report now. Sounds like a ridiculously terrible player. Probably shouldn’t be in the league at all, only flaws.

Honestly I’m not listening to these reports anymore. It’s depressing and makes me lose interest in draft to hear them tell me every single player is awful.
 

Sarni

nice guy, unassuming, objective United fan.
Joined
Jan 21, 2004
Messages
57,440
Location
Krakow
I honestly think that there's a chance that the Lakers might still miss the playoffs next season.

There's not going to be much depth in the team and they'll suffer when AD goes on his usual 10 games injury break throughout the season.

LeBron's aging and he can't be counted on to play all 82 games. They'll drop games whenever either of them have to rest and there's also no guarantee that they'll win all the games that both of them are lined up. Just need a bit of bad luck and they're out of the playoffs with how tight the West is.
They will be a top 3 seed in the West, unless they both miss 20+ games each.

But there’s a chance like you say because the depth is just not there and will not be there.
 

Enigma_87

You know who
Joined
Aug 7, 2008
Messages
27,596
I honestly think that there's a chance that the Lakers might still miss the playoffs next season.

There's not going to be much depth in the team and they'll suffer when AD goes on his usual 10 games injury break throughout the season.

LeBron's aging and he can't be counted on to play all 82 games. They'll drop games whenever either of them have to rest and there's also no guarantee that they'll win all the games that both of them are lined up. Just need a bit of bad luck and they're out of the playoffs with how tight the West is.
Nah, they'll get to the PO but IMO they won't win even the conference finals. Even with AD their team isn't good enough considering who they parted with.

Can see it working, but that won't be enough to win the championship. The Dubs will be a huge question mark with those injuries next year. Can't see them finishing above Houston, Clippers or Denver. They will be right up the 3rd/5th in the conference or thereabouts.
 

Enigma_87

You know who
Joined
Aug 7, 2008
Messages
27,596
They will be a top 3 seed in the West, unless they both miss 20+ games each.

But there’s a chance like you say because the depth is just not there and will not be there.
Depth is really not there and LeBron will be 35 next year. He was sidelined for more than 20 games this season mostly to that groin injury and only played 55 in total.

Even if one of them is out for 20+ games they are toast.
 

RobinLFC

Cries when Liverpool doesn't get praised
Joined
May 20, 2014
Messages
20,805
Location
Belgium
Supports
Liverpool
I honestly think that there's a chance that the Lakers might still miss the playoffs next season.

There's not going to be much depth in the team and they'll suffer when AD goes on his usual 10 games injury break throughout the season.

LeBron's aging and he can't be counted on to play all 82 games. They'll drop games whenever either of them have to rest and there's also no guarantee that they'll win all the games that both of them are lined up. Just need a bit of bad luck and they're out of the playoffs with how tight the West is.
People are so quick to write LeBron off just because he had his first season in yonks where he missed more than just a few games. This guy is still one of the, if not the best basketball players in the world and we just brought in another top 5 player. Yes we could miss the playoffs if both of them miss a portion of the season but same could be said for any other team in the league, e.g. Rockets if Paul/Harden are out, Raptors if Leonard/Lowry are out, ... Those teams might be a bit more well-rounded but every team is quite fecked if their superstar, let alone two of them, miss a large amount of games.
 

forevrared

Full Member
Joined
Oct 3, 2009
Messages
5,374
Location
Bay Area
Their window to win with LeBron is maximum the next three years, they didn’t want to sacrifice another year to maybe get a shot at AD next year.

In a way it’s good they cannot sign a max free agent anymore because if they have a 4-year max to someone like Kemba or Butler who are around 30 they would have limited their options going forward heavily. It’s basically said and done they will not make any big trades for the next 7 years as they don’t control their picks until 2025.
I get that, but no matter which way you slice it, next year is probably the least likely of the next three years to mount a real challenge. I think had they waited another year, they'd have a much better shot the next two years if they'd kept the picks and players and still ended up with AD. It was obvious from the beginning LA was the only place he wanted to be.
 

Skills

Snitch
Joined
Jan 17, 2012
Messages
42,010
I get that, but no matter which way you slice it, next year is probably the least likely of the next three years to mount a real challenge. I think had they waited another year, they'd have a much better shot the next two years if they'd kept the picks and players and still ended up with AD. It was obvious from the beginning LA was the only place he wanted to be.
Why? With Golden State's issues the West is open for the Lakers.