2018 NBA Season

[MtlJeff]

In the end it was the smart move for both teams. Lakers had to give up the farm or risk things changing in 2019. Pelicans didn't want to deal with the Lakers but truthfully it was the best offer

 

Pelicans will be really fun. Hopefully the Ball family will be OK but I'd still want to move lonzo. I just don't trust it won't be a distraction. They can still move him to a team like the Suns or magic I'm sure for another asset. We'll see I guess.

 

It's actually a great fit in new Orleans for Ball if he (his dad) is happy there . Holiday can do some ball handling

 

Klutch sports basically runs the Lakers now. Rich Paul already flew on the team plane last year...imagine next year. They are going to have to pay kentavious caldwell Pope 30m. But if they can get another free agent they might actually be the favorite next year

[scratchswinger]

Lakers have two of the 5 best players in the NBA and are confident in getting another All Star. Gonna be a good team.

[scratchswinger]

Getting AD in his prime feels good being a Laker fan.

[bubbagump]

Sh*ts crazy lol

[Qqq123xx]

Thank you Lakers from a Celtics fan.

[MtlJeff]

If you can get AD and LeBron together you have to do it. They gave up a lot (essentially an unprotected pick in 2023-2024, one of them being a pick swap) considering LeBron will be 38 or whatever than

 

But if they can get a Kemba walker to take a bit less money and come. They could win a title with how wide open the league is now

 

I wonder if big non Klutch guys will have any pause about signing there though. You have to know they will be the fall guy if anything goes sideways.

[scratchswinger]

> @MtlJeff said:

> If you can get AD and LeBron together you have to do it. They gave up a lot (essentially an unprotected pick in 2023-2024, one of them being a pick swap) considering LeBron will be 38 or whatever than

>

> But if they can get a Kemba walker to take a bit less money and come. They could win a title with how wide open the league is now

>

> I wonder if big non Klutch guys will have any pause about signing there though. You have to know they will be the fall guy if anything goes sideways.

 

Need a PG so sights have to be set on Kyrie and Kemba.

 

 

The Pelicans will get the following picks from the Lakers, league sources tell ESPN:

 

No. 4 pick in 2019

Top-8 protected in 2021, becomes unprotected in ‘22

Unprotected swap in ‘23

Unprotected first in ‘24

Unprotected swap in ‘25

 

[scratchswinger]

Sad to see BI and Zo gone as I think those two have incredibly high ceilings and great attitudes. Pelicans are going to be a very good team, one of the best defensive backcourts in the NBA right now.

[MtlJeff]

Kemba seems to be the one. Kyrie really looks like he's going to Brooklyn but he's a weird dude so who knows

 

Davis, James, walker, would be a big favorite in '19/20 , no matter who the bench is. They still also have Kuzma

 

Man if they get 2 pick swaps too though. That is a big haul for new Orleans. If Zion didn't want to go there , I mean you gotta now. Even Ball...how could you not be happy there. They'll be Ball, Holiday, Ingram, Zion, and maybe like, Jarrett Culver? Plus cap space to sign a few vets. And Josh hart on the bench with multiple picks in some of the next 4 drafts.

 

It's a great trade because the Lakers are happy. And the Pelicans are probably somehow more optimistic now than they ever were with Davis. The Lakers getting that #4 pick is so significant now

 

 

 

 

[scratchswinger]

Lakers are banking on staying competitive post LeBron. Pretty cool they were able to get AD without taking on any other salary and keep Kuz. Just took a lot, if it brings a chip to LA it’s worth it.

[scratchswinger]

I’m just as excited to see Zo and Zion as I am AD and Bron. Lol

[HoosierHacker89]

Man this off season has already been great! AD--->LA finally happened! I am so excited for this next season. This is so good for basketball. I love cheering against a good lakers team.

[MtlJeff]

> @scratchswinger said:

> I’m just as excited to see Zo and Zion as I am AD and Bron. Lol

 

I really hope lonzo and Lavar are happy. Because I agree they will be a great match together (Zion and lonzo)

[scratchswinger]

From a basketball prospective you can argue he’s is in a better situation. Basically all that he had in LA his rookie season, plus Zion, plus not under the microscope as he was. I would expect Zo and BI to flourish much as D’Angello did. They are older, better, stronger, and less pressure. NO could have 3 All Stars in a year or two.

[pinhigh27]

meh I'll believe lakers being good when I see it. they need a ton of 3 and D guys if you're going to have AD and lebron. kemba isn't a great long range shooter either, kyrie a little better. I don't think a lebron team will ever be better than GS, even missing one of the current 4 . cavs weren't the better team in 2016(as a cavs fan)

[scratchswinger]

People are already forgetting how great AD is. That pick and roll with Bron and Unibrow is going to be nasty and hard to defend.

[MtlJeff]

I can't imagine a team with LeBron and Davis won't be really good in a year the Warriors have two stars out maybe all season

 

Even if they don't get Kemba, they could sign a couple of guys for 10M who can play basketball

[Chief Illiniwek]

Really enjoy this thread, one of my favorite. Just the right mix of fanboy talk and realistic posts. Here's my take on Lebron and the Lakers, worth what you pay for it:

Lebron is maybe the single best basketball specimen of all time. He's huge and strong, with amazing skills for his size. I think he'd be the best 1on1 player ever and I don't think it would be particularly close. In 5on5 he's more problematic. Still one of the greatest ever mind you, so take these criticisms in that context. But his main weapon is taking guys to the hole. It's where he's the most unstoppable. So how do you surround that with other talent to win championships? He's not amazing off ball so you're gonna want him handling it. That means less time for other stars on his team with the ball. Why would a guy like Steph or Durant or Harden or any big time star want to be his second? To me his best fit would be a sniper like Klay cuz he should get him lots of looks. MAYBE AD works out with Lebron. I mean from talent alone it should work somewhat. SS is right, if they work together it could be a nasty pick and roll. I'd add snipers to take advantage of the D they should be collapsing and see where it goes. But between LJ and AD somebody's numbers are going to take a hit. And Lebron likes to be the show (at least until it's time for game winning shots haha) so it'll be interesting to see how much of a team player AD is. He doesn't seem like an unselfish guy to me...

[MtlJeff]

If i could just post one homery thing., and i've tried to avoid it because i was never as into this Raptors team just because i respected Derozan so much...But I think it's too bad that they are already considered a "fluke" champion and immediately discarded for 2019-2020 (understood some of this is because we don't know if Kawhi is coming back). But even those who think Kawhi will sign a 1+1 still seem to think the Raptors are not a legit contender next year. Like the stars just aligned this season, almost like they were a mid-major winning the NCAA's...so let me go on a rant here

 

The Raptors were REALLY, REALLY good. They were not necessarily the full strength Warriors....but god, how many teams can have 3 of the top 15 players in the league and a DPOY of the year as 4th fiddle? Is that the standard now? The Warriors are a historical aberration. And we still don't know for sure that the Raptors wouldn't have won (well, i mean that is true right)

 

The Raptors had arguably the best overall basketball player on the planet, they had an extremely smart group of veterans who'd been battle tested (Other than Finals MVP Leonard, they had Danny Green, Ibaka, Gasol and Lowry who had all played in NBA finals or conference championships). They had probably the best defensive pedigree of any NBA team of the last 25 years.....think about it, they had a 2-time DPOY, a 1-time DPOY, a guy who's finished 2nd in DPOY, a 2nd team All-NBA defender as recently as 2017 (green). And this _does not even include _Fred Van Vleet, who played Steph Curry as tough as anyone, or Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam (unanimously considered + defenders). Also don't forget that young OJ Anunoby, another + defender and 3 and D guy, missed the whole playoffs.

 

All 7 Raptors regulars ranged from elite to above average defensively. They had the best player in basketball (at worst 1b, RIP Kevin Durant), and they had a basketball IQ of like 170 due to guys like Marc Gasol , Danny Green and Kyle Lowry. They also had the necessary "massive balls" supersub in Fred Van Vleet.

 

I think they are as good as any non Kevin Durant Warriors NBA champion i've seen in a long time. So shut up every talking head.

 

Rant over

 

 

[scratchswinger]

No doubt the Raptors are a good team, I think if Kawhi returns they are in the conversation next season.

 

But AD to Lakers is just a thing of beauty. Can’t wait for 7/1 to get here so we can see what happens next.

[pinhigh27]

I'm not sure how the raptors wouldn't be leading the conversation assuming kawhi comes back. They play great basketball. Not sure who else I'd expect to be better. Can't really assume Lakers are. I think it's pretty lofty to assume a new team is going to be best in league. Bucks? Very good but raptors beat them. No way I'd call it a fluke.

[pinhigh27]

Raptors never lost at oracle this yr. How nuts is that

[scratchswinger]

> @pinhigh27 said:

> I'm not sure how the raptors wouldn't be leading the conversation assuming kawhi comes back. They play great basketball. Not sure who else I'd expect to be better. Can't really assume Lakers are. I think it's pretty lofty to assume a new team is going to be best in league. Bucks? Very good but raptors beat them. No way I'd call it a fluke.

 

I think it’s very reasonable to favor another team. Look how close Philly was to beating them. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a team benefit from more injuries in the Finals then the Raptors did. A healthy GS team wins in 5 IMO. Not trying to take anything away from Toronto and it doesn’t matter now but they are clearly a very beatable team and it’s very reasonable to favor a newly assembled team over them. If Philly or the Bucks add one or two pieces they could easily take down a returning Toronto squad.

[MtlJeff]

It wouldn't shock me if the biggest threat to Toronto was a "new" team , like the Lakers or Nuggets. Or maybe the Rockets or even Celtics or Thunder depending on what they do

 

I don't think Philly can really add anyone. They will maybe even lose guys like Redick if they keep the 4 together. They could lose Harris and still not add anyone if they pay Butler a lot. Milwaukee might just get better if Giannis gets better but I don't see who they add

 

The dangerous teams besides the Lakers, are teams like the Nuggets who have guys on better contracts. The nuggets are getting 30M of Paul Millsap off their books and can use some of that I better role players/ shooters. Maybe Bogdanovic? Someone like that. Patrick Beverley etc

 

 

 

[harolease]

This going be awesome summer finding out where top tier free agents go As a Raps fan , I like to see Kawhi stay and defend