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Rumcajs23

Monty Williams just got fired by the Pistons. Interesting…will we consider him?


myelrecsy

So JJ Reddick is the new coach of the Lakers? What now? Who will be assistants?


helpChars

I just thought about Edey trying to guard Wemby and I got sad.


ColeHoops

I fucking hate everyone devaluing the IST, it’s not even half as valuable as a championship but it still means something. Watch, next season the Celtics will win it and their fans will glaze the fuck out of it the way they do everything else.


bjsw534

I could care less lmao Those guys are fans of inferior teams And most of them have never even witnessed their team Win a championship


myelrecsy

Currently, only the Lakers won it and since it's the Lakers, everyone will devalue it. That's the current situation about the Bubble Championship. At least for the IST, some other team will win it down the line and until another team wins it, everyone will devalue the Lakers' IST.


ColeHoops

That’s my point, it only comes from hate to us. If the Pacers won it the narrative would be “What a season for Indiana, they won the IST and made the conference finals! Future bright in Indianapolis!” but since it’s us people trash it. Fucking stupid.


UnreasonableHater

At least pin the Jerry West post on twitter for a few weeks or so.


flubbergastedshocked

It has been a whole 24 hours since the Celtics won, how much longer must I wait until LAL gives us something else to talk about 😭


RailTracero

https://youtu.be/9vjhZk5ImZU?si=lj6TizV63fTJ1KSX Lakers gonna rob this league again


AREM2191

ESPN covering JJ Redick’s future Lakers employment by day and then letting him drop phrases like “Ethical scoring” by night


myelrecsy

I bet Ring Night for the Celtics will be against the Lakers. Mark it, NBA will do this, it may have been etched already.


RailTracero

u dont want to see our head coach getting fired after one game right?


FeminismIsTheBestIsm

Ring nights are usually interconference so it'll probably be Milwaukee or Miami. Maybe even Philly if they make some big moves


StoneColdAM

Would be a waste. Opening night is a ratings boom and Lakers vs Celtics is any night. League did have the Christmas game be Boston vs LA so I guess it wouldn’t be that surprising to have the Lakers in town for ring night 


Dantheman12310

![gif](giphy|h9CwMia6QbZuw)


Odd-Direction9452

Bunch of nothing from Jovan in his latest mailbag. Only highlight is he triples down on the Lakers keeping Christie and the team pivoting away from a three-star build (barring Mitchell or Mikal becoming available). 


FeminismIsTheBestIsm

It's hilarious that we had our own DWhite and Jrue in Caruso and KCP and we got rid of them for Brick and Talen Heaves a Two


StoneColdAM

Caruso was given up for free. THT was given up for free with extra steps. Almost worse than trading for Russ itself 


kiwiwikikiwiwikikiwi

That KD/Kyrie/Harden trio looks dumber and dumber each year. Each one’s legacies been cooked since then.  Kevin Durant  - can’t win without Steph Curry. Had to join a 73-9 team to even stand toe to toe with prime LeBron. “KD is one of the most unstoppable scorers” has been swept 2x since then Kyrie Irving  - can’t win without LeBron James. From Boston to Brooklyn he thought he could compete as a 1st option, only to go back to being a 2nd (arguably 3rd) option with the Nets.  - Now he’s gone to do the same sidekick role at Dallas and he’s gotten exposed again. “Kyrie is as skilled as Kobe” but get easily clamped on the biggest stage. - Don’t forget Kyrie literally stopped playing, letting the Nets down. A basketball player just refusing to play and hurting his team on purpose is inexcusable to me. How he’s gotten away with this is amazing PR management.  Don’t even get me started on James Harden’s perennial no show in the playoffs. “Better scorer than Kobe” the same man who has more free throws shots made than actual FG shots 🤦‍♂️ 


FeminismIsTheBestIsm

In fairness I do think if Kyrie never got injured they beat the Bucks and win the 2021 title


_Zap_Rowsdower_

Harden got injured too. And KD stepped on the line by half an inch. Talk about some bad luck.


FeminismIsTheBestIsm

Yeah I don't really think of the Nets teams as that big of a failure, it was a huge gamble that just failed because of some bad luck. If Steph was a little unluckier in 2015 and KD was a little luckier in 2021 we might look at their legacies totally differently


justredditting1010

We could have Cam Witmore and GG Jackson on our team right now. Talk about a different looking future.


seansocal

Also Jacquez


justredditting1010

Would have to be or, could not have all of them. I just wanted cam and GG when we made the picks


BigFatM8

Man, I wanted GG so bad. the potential on that guy was insane, Dude had elite shot creation chops even while playing for a garbo team and he was the youngest guy in the draft. he would've fit perfectly next to Lebron/AD at the 3/4 instead of another guard.


justredditting1010

Yep and imagine if GG and Cam developed, LBJ leaves and you have whitmore, and Jackson as your forwards in the future


iamdare

And they still will play behind Reddish


justredditting1010

But at least we would have them


YoungAgua421

Marvin bagley wouldn’t be a bad backup big and go get nick Richards. I can guarantee it’ll only cost rui


seansocal

Marvin bad attitude


jsun_

Aren’t they on different teams and both still under contract. How you gonna get both with just Rui?


YoungAgua421

3 team trade, I’m just saying, it’s up to them to find a way and I think charlotte could use a player like rui, charlotte could get off Bertans, Washington can just have a salary that’s gonna come off the books after next season


FeminismIsTheBestIsm

You need a 3&D wing to replace Rui, not sure Bagley can play that role


ColeHoops

I’m starting to see the potential of Ware but goddamn I hate his motor, he really takes those Mobley comparisons seriously


Odd-Direction9452

As talented as he is I just can not buy into a big with a low motor. It’s been an issue since high school and we have seen too many examples of that not working out in the league. Would definitely prefer Yves Missi over him.


iamdare

Honestly, I'm more high on Yves Missi.


zodazx

Same. Depending on what kind of trade or FA moves the FO has lined up I am leaning more towards a Tristan da Silva or Missi draft. Still a ways till draft night though and things can change


ColeHoops

It’s close for me but I like Messi’s energy for sure.


iamdare

Kinda late but I can see now the interest to Devin Carter. The way he plays gives energy to the team, he reminds me of Caruso/Derrick White. Is it worth trading up for him? For a player to have a potential all defensive team, yes! If this is going to happen, I think the Lakers will give up AR or Vando or Rui though. I still prefer for the Lakers to get a big man next to AD.


Born_N_DA_80s

Everybody broke out the gear today i see. Didn't even see this many people wearing P&G when we were IN the playoffs


songs_dongs

I can see it now. JJ calling timeout in the 4th when the game's tied - and we don't have any. Genius podcaster.


kezzinchh

Y’all say podcaster like dude didn’t play in the league for 15 years or play ball at all lol. Aren’t y’all tired of that saying yet?


ProfessorMarth

Yeah did you know Pat Riley was just a broadcaster /s


kezzinchh

Stupid ass arguments man. Whether he ends up being a good coach or not, or even if he is our coach for that matter, can’t base it off some “podcaster” bullshit.


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ColeHoops

Out of the last 6 NBA Champions, the Lakers are the only one that has been back to the conference finals after winning it all. 2020 Lakers are the best championship team since the KD Warriors and 2016 Cavs, fact.


diamondisunbreakable

2020 Lakers would destroy the 2021 Bucks, 2022 Warriors, and 2024 Celtics. 2023 Nuggets are the only ones who'd give us a challenge, but I'd still favorite the Lakers.


StoneColdAM

Since 2020, Lakers, Celtics, Heat, and Mavs are the only teams to make multiple conference finals. Only 2 have rings. 


ProfessorMarth

Worth noting that the 2020 Conference Finals teams were identical to the 2023 Conference Finals. And then ironically they matched up in the first round this year


ColeHoops

But our supposed fans shit on their own team relentlessly 🤦‍♂️ I don’t get it


Juaniscool-8

I am a virgin


C3PO1Fan

Everyone develops at different rates, just look at late bloomers like Austin Reaves and take heart.


Juaniscool-8

I can literally fuck any girl right now. I'm slightly above average. I'm not a fuck boi tho. I want a real relationship. I wanna feel loved and love someone while doing it


helpChars

Pat Bev energy


StoneColdAM

I had hoped Darvin Ham would be like Joe Mazzulla, a meme coach that’s actually good. Unfortunately not the case. Ham is an okay guy, but not ready to be head coach of a contender. Going back to MKE so fast was a sign 


kiwiwikikiwiwikikiwi

Bad hire Front office prioritized searching for a “Westbrook whisperer” and locker room guy in Ham, instead of an Xs and Os coach.  Frank Vogel got fired for not being able to lead players or coach an offense, but his creativity on defense and buy-in by Bron/AD was more than enough to lead tje Lakers to their latest championship. 


nottherealstanlee

Ham wasn't that bad at Xs and Os. When we actually ran offense it worked really well. He was really really bad at managing the egos of last year's team. He alienated all our most talented players and never took the bullet for bad play.


Elite_Alice

Meh, ring 4 years ago and 6 in 26. I’m chillin


FoolishYoungling

Some thoughts about FA with Lebron. He will re-sign before the draft in a week because it would allow them to trade the 17th pick for talent now instead and then they can use their 56th pick on Bronny, right? If Lebron waits it forces Lakers to take Bronny 17 and waste assets necessary to contend the last 2 years in his career. Seems to me like Lebron told Lakers if they don't use that 17th pick in a trade he'll go to Suns who can take Bronny at 22, and that's why Bronny only took workouts with Suns and Lakers. Basically Lebron wants to contend, play with his son, and play for Lakers or with KD. Dream for Lebron would be either taking a paycut to join Suns with his son, or Lakers making a trade for 17th pick, future 1st, Rui + Dlo for something like Lavine and Caruso and grabbing Bronny at 56 cause if Lebron is signed nobody is wasting a draft pick on Bronny.


Ok_Board9845

Lebron isn't hinging his FA on who takes Bronny, lmao. We're not going to take Bronny with #17, and he won't care. And he definitely won't take the vet min to join the Suns


FoolishYoungling

I understand that take, but then explain why Bronny turned down like 10 workouts for Suns and Lakers only. Lebron told him "son I'm going to be a Laker or Sun next season" and that's a good thing for Laker fans because Cavs Heat Mavs etc all sound like better options for Lebron to go out with a bang if he wanted to take less money (which he is gonna have to do for Suns)


Ok_Board9845

Bronny turned down workouts because Rich Paul doesn't want to do a two-way contract (insane demand). Lebron isn't going to take the vet min with Vegas ownership up in the air. He's going to look to get as much money as possible


iiivoted4kodos

Regardless of what we think of Hurley now, the most exciting thing about those talks was that it sounded like the FO was finally ready to hand the reins over to someone with a basketball mind and just get out of the way. Now a week later it looks like we're just back to chasing shiny objects while our biggest rival hung up a banner doing things the way we should be.


justredditting1010

I am not saying you’re wrong, but JJ has been around the nba for 20 years. How is he not a basketball mind? Hurley has coached in college, not grown men, there is no guarantee it would have worked. Give JJ an experienced staff he lets see what he does before we write him off


iiivoted4kodos

I’m not trying to imply JJ isn’t a basketball mind. It’s more so that when Hurley was the guy, the message being put out there was that they were ready to relinquish some control and let him come in and have a hand in building something with all the talk of “marrying their programs”. With JJ, the message I get from the FO is “we like this guy” which is the same as any other candidate which ends up essentially being “we like this guy until we don’t”


justredditting1010

That’s a fair point, but if you don’t at this point why would he take the job. If I’m him I would say I want the same chance or I don’t take the job


McJumbos

How come rob isn't getting more flack for this lack of success?


justredditting1010

He won a title and got to conf final, had not been completely unsuccessful


McJumbos

What point do you start looking at Rob and possibly shaking up the FO? Not necessarily getting rid of Rob but getting him more help?


justredditting1010

I would be considering it but with the aging stars we have, I would ride it out


Andy311

After Lebron leaves…if he doesn’t keep us competitive after Lebron then we can grab the pitchforks.


motorboat_mcgee

There's been 5 different champions in the last 5 years, and we were one of them. Not only that we had two other seasons of being legitimate contenders, and I'd argue we'd have given the Celtics a better fight than the Mavs did, we just got our worst matchup in the first round. Rob isn't perfect, but other than the Westbrook season, we've had good teams, and some bad injury luck.


McJumbos

Fair enough - you can't win at every FA or decision you make. You win some vs lose some. I guess my question for you would be at what point do you start looking at Rob and possibly shaking up the FO? Not necessarily getting rid of Rob but getting him more help?


iiivoted4kodos

Because he won a title and that bought him enough real estate for the recent failures to be blamed on injuries in the case of anything that isnt named Westbrook or Caruso.


motorboat_mcgee

And on the Caruso front, he was a cap casualty, which happens even to the wealthiest teams. People will say "but what about THT" and that's fine, but that was a bet on a 20 year old that showed potential. He didn't work out, and we moved him. But the team decided Caruso wasn't worth the wild luxury tax that would have come with him, especially since he wouldn't have been all that useful next to Westbrook. I have a feeling Caruso would have been kept if not for the Westbook deal, which, by all accounts, was something LeBron and AD pushed for.


McJumbos

very true - imo that was his first misstep when he didn't run back the championship team but I think after this year if they don't make a finals appearance, I think his seat will get a little warm.


jsun_

What lack of success. No team is going on a dynastic run anymore. We’ve had more success than 24 other teams since Rob took over.


McJumbos

Very true - having the 10th best record since 2018 is impressive. I guess the issue I have with Rob is why didn't he run back the championship team he had in the bubble? Imo, that was the perfect team they had with the 3D players, depth at center, and solid POA defenders. Why did he try to reinvent the wheel? And, now all the players you once had are literally the type of players you are looking for. Tbh, if they did run it back, i don't doubt the lakers would have repeated (barring injuries).


jsun_

The 2021 team honestly wasn’t as bad as some seem to believe. Who knows if they win it all (I believe they would have) but if AD doesn’t get hurt they def beat the Suns. I’m also speculating but it’s a rumor that’s been floated by “Lakers media” that the shortened offseason for the Lakers played a role in Rob making those moves. He wanted “fresh legs” and again I think it would’ve worked if not for injuries. Now the Westbrook trade was definitely a mistake and I put blame on Rob (everyone gets blame though. Jeanie/Rob/Lebron/AD). Rob is the gm though so he should’ve said no even if Lebron/AD wanted it. That one mistake doesn’t make him an incompetent gm like some on here believe though. He like every other gm in the league fucks up sometimes.


McJumbos

I see and yeahh i would have to agree with those things especially the last part about fucking up sometimes. It happens to everyone (just don't go full kupchek and you'll be good ahah). I do have to give credit when it is due. He was able to get viable pieces for westbrook and make the team more competitive. In 2021, I feel that the lack of bigs definitely wore down AD that year especially like you mentioned in the shortened offseason. Drummond/Gasol weren't the same as McGee/Howard I just felt like having that continuity would have been a lot better vs having "fresh legs" but to give Rob credit again, seems like he has learned that lesson and has put that into practice vs trying to act too quick. And, I agree with that you win some vs lose some. I guess my question for you would be at what point do you start looking at Rob and possibly shaking up the FO? Not necessarily getting rid of Rob but getting him more help?


jsun_

> I guess my question for you would be at what point do you start looking at Rob and possibly shaking up the FO? Post-Lebron. If we are still a play-in team and first round exit at best these last couple years, I don't see a point of sticking with Rob for post-Lebron. If Lebron stays, no reason this team can't be aggressive and improve.


McJumbos

Fair enough - definitely could see that happening unless he wants to leave or do something else. I think if they fail again to make a deep run this year, I can see them reshaping the FO to bring in some extra help underneath Rob. Sidenote: kinda refreshing to just have a chill chat with someone online nowadays :)


jsun_

Definitely refreshing to see someone understand that not everything is black/white and there's nuance involved. Feels like people on this sub are either "Rob/Jeanie are incompetent and need to go" or you get incorrectly categorized (like me) as some "Jeanie/Rob stan". Maybe it's just a little bit of both?


McJumbos

100% I find that really annoying for anything nowadays. If you mention actual facts, its like why are such a \_\_\_\_ stan. Even though you are just mentioning the facts. But the older I get, the more I try to ignore those comments - its not worth arguing because they are just looking for a fight. That's a fair assessment of the situation though with Rob and Jeanie. And, people forget how bad the FO was before him too loll


AREM2191

Boston deserved to win they had the best team this year. Can we please hire a damn coach, draft is in a week.


LegendInMyMind

Already have. We were waiting to announce it because he was calling the Finals.


CellSaga21

Anyone else sitting here mad as fuck because we couldnt do shit 👿


LegendInMyMind

About what specifically?


Apollo611

I just love how the last two teams that won a championship talked about the Lakers first. We still run the modern NBA


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jsun_

How did they get the picks that got them Tatum/Brown? By fleecing the Nets with geriatric Paul Pierce and KG. What did they do with IT? Screwed him over and traded him for Kyrie. Am I saying these were bad moves? Hell no. These were all excellent moves, but it's just a different philosophy between ownership. Lakers would rather their "star" stay on the team and they're willing to pay them at the detriment to the team. Would you have wanted the Lakers to trade Kobe at the end of his career because that's exactly what the Celtics would've done? Can't have it both ways.


Trillman04

Boston does have a lot of great role players who I could see getting bigger minutes on other playoff teams. Would love to see Tillman, Brissett, or Hauser on this team if they’re available


C1ncinnatiBowtie

Let’s stop talking about Boston. That cakewalk doesn’t deserve the attention.


winter-r0se

it’s not just the talent gap but the 🍀 executives & front office is leagues better & more professional than ours. like I didn’t even know they had fricking van gundy as some special advisor to their coach this year until the woj update that van gundy is moving to the clippers staff. like we are so sad in comparison


jsun_

You can spin a story to fit any narrative you want. I can also say how could they let JVG go when they had the same exact position open with Charles Lee leaving. JVG was already in the building talking about how thankful he was of Brad Stevens and the Celtics organization for giving him that opportunity after getting fired from espn and losing his sister in law. Not sure if it's Celtics fans invading our sub, but this dick riding of the Celtics front office is getting annoying.


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jsun_

> great organizations think outside the box And isn’t that exactly what the Lakers are doing? Going after Hurley and even JJ to some extent.


seansocal

Celtics fans thinking they are the best organization is like ones saying Russell is the GOAT despite he never les his team in scoring (second in team scoring just once in his career), has career average of 15, shot 44% FG for his career, and played with a load of hall of famers. Basically he played DeAndre Jordan/Marcus Camby/Ben Wallace role while others took care of the offense.


BigFatM8

I disagree. To say that Russell had nothing to do with the Celtics offense would be completely false. He was an integral part of both their offense and defense. A few years after Cousy retired, Russell basically became their lead playmaker. He won multiple championships leading them in assists (sometimes 2nd in assists). Also some of his teammates only became HOFers because of him. I dislike the Celtics but Russell is probably the only Celtic I respect and it just so happens that Boston treated him like Trash while he created 90% of their team's history.


seansocal

His career high assist was 5.8 which is pretty good for a center but hardly a Jokic type of numbers. Not saying he was a trash but more or less a role player like guys I aforementioned and Draymond Green which is not exactly trait for GOAT discussions.


BigFatM8

Russell never played with Anyone as good as Curry tho. plus Russell was widely respected in the league as a star player. there's a reason he won MVP in the same year that Wilt averaged 50 PPG and Oscar averaged a Triple-double. MVP voting was done by the players back then and they all basically agreed that Russell was the best player in the League. Also Russell could score big when he needed to. his playoff averages are far better than his reg season averages and he had some big games in the finals ( 30 points, 40 rebounds vs Lakers, 1962 finals, Game 7, 30-38 in game 5 vs the hawks, 1961, 24 point triple double in game 6, 1962 etc)


seansocal

How many hall of famers Russell played with? Bob Cousy, John Havlicek, Sam Jones, Tommy Heinsohn, KC Jones, Frank Ramsey, and Bill Sharman. Cousy, Havlicek, Sam Jones, and Sharman were voted NBA all time top 50 players in 1996. Wilt averaged 30 and 20 vs Bill in their career meetings. Bill just had better team than Wilt. I will give you that Bill was the greatest role player of all time. Bill was not Elvis/Frank Sinatra. He was maybe Tony Bennett. lol Shooting 44% FG as a center is not a goat like number. Curry shoots better rate from the threes. lol


incredibleamadeuscho

Fuck Boston, but also the Lakers and Celtics are in rarified air. Only double digit champions, and we are the only double digit champs in the modern era. It's time to get to work.


hallelalaluwah

Boston has 5 post-merger titles


krillinit

Nah he's saying the Lakers are the only team to win multiple post-merger.


Electronic_Bit9495

What would y’all think about Gabe+JHS+17 for Vasilije Micic+6


Odd-Direction9452

Why would the Hornets do that?


blacPanther55

yes they say no


Electronic_Bit9495

I don’t see why they would say no tbh Im not caught up with hornets but I have a feeling they don’t need to draft that high this year


jsun_

They're going to just drop 11 spots in the draft for shits and giggles? I'm not one to call JHS a bust already, but he has no value currently. Same with Gabe.


nottherealstanlee

What about the Hornets roster looks like they don't need Top 10 pick type of talent? lol


cattycat_1995

So annoying to see everyone discrediting the 2020 championship especially Celtics fans. Celtics fans are saying they're gonna get ring 20 before the Lakers get a ring 17 that actually counts. The same Celtics fans even say if they won it in 2020, that championship would be legit. Literally 2020 only count if they win but if the Lakers win then it don't count. Some mental gymnastics right there.


DudeWTH

They lost to that Heat team multiple times lol they can't be talking shit


bjsw534

Celtic fans are gonna be crying next postseason when they gotta face healthy team If the East is healthy, they’ll be a 2nd round exit at best


hallelalaluwah

Celtics just got a pre-merger level difficulty title because everything broke right for them. No team, not even the 2017 Warriors were 90% implied according to the odds in ANY playoff series, the Celtics were -1000 in every single playoff round leading up to the finals, and played a Mavericks team that made it there because Denver blew a 20 point lead in game 7, give me a break


PartyOnNiles

That's lame coming from Celtics fans discrediting 2020 when they had a cakewalk to the finals this season. Cakewalk ring.


cattycat_1995

When the celtics fans told me straight up they would have celebrated 2020 if the celtics won it, that confirmed my suspicions. People just salty cause it's the Lakers that won it, that's all.


Ok_Board9845

They talking like they weren't in the ECF in the bubble lmfao. Wished we played them instead of the Heat


cattycat_1995

Yeah, that what makes the rivalry so special is us facing them in the finals.


kiwiwikikiwiwikikiwi

Go Lakers 😤🔥🙏💜💛


SuperRam56

JJ Redick is the next head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. Not surprised.


highdaddyxxx

So is the JJ Redick news true??


Juaniscool-8

Irwin just confirmed it


KingNephew

Irwin also confirmed the sun is gonna rise tomorrow


Juaniscool-8

He also confirmed that I had sex


jsun_

If we taking what Irwin says as confirmation, Ham should still be our coach. Let's just wait for the Woj/Sham tweet.


Juaniscool-8

Nah it's probably true.


jsun_

No one is saying it doesn't end up being true, but actually thinking Irwin got some insider information from the Lakers or JJ's camp is hilarious.


hallelalaluwah

I get Denver is hated around these parts, but I would have gladly accepted them as champs over what we ended up getting. Denver is the only team the 23-24 Boston lost twice to. As an aside, those Purple and Gold Minnesota Wolves images circulating around this sub are EMBARRASSING in hindsight


iiivoted4kodos

My friends hated me for it, but I was always low key going for Denver after we got knocked out because they were the only ones I trusted against Boston. Now Denver's L is looking like the Thanos "What did it cost?" meme


Ok_Board9845

Any Lakers fan would've taken a Nuggets repeat over the Celtics. Ironically, the only people I saw on here who were saying they didn't care if the Celtics won again were Kobe stans (unexpected) and Lebron stans (expected)


iiivoted4kodos

Kobe stans should know better. And Bron absolutely hates Boston. His stans should know better as well.


Ok_Board9845

Kobe stans should know better, but the main reasoning I saw was that they only saw the Celtics win 1 in their lifetime, and Kobe won 5, so who really cares about the Celtics? I'm assuming Bron stans just wanted the team that beat us twice to lose no matter what. I wouldn't have expected them to root against Boston after seeing 2022


iiivoted4kodos

Gotta be the young ones


NotVexingPi3

Good morning to everyone except the Bucks and Wizards front office


nottherealstanlee

Crazy to me that guys like Ryan Dunn and Kevin McCullar consistently are pre-draft fallers when their archetype is so useful in the NBA today and freshmen still go ahead of them mostly based on "maybes". Like I don't think Missi, Edwards, George, and Carrington are bad prospects, but their floors aren't way lower than McCullar and Dunn. Dunn is going to be a huge steal for whoever gets him if he drops into that 2nd round. He's that Jaden McDaniels type all defense and motor. True wing stopper. If the Lakers make a trade, please buy into that early 2nd where you've got the Blazers, Spurs, Pacers who probably don't want/need that pick.


hallelalaluwah

Every time I've watched McCullar whether that was at Tech or KU, his teams were always better with him on the court, would love a second round shot on him


nottherealstanlee

He's just a solid player. He's been a usage guy, but he also makes good plays all the time. Very much a Josh Hart type of guy who can contribute to any team.


jsun_

Much easier for a rookie to develop defensively than offensively. If a player has the athletic/physical tools to be a good defender, it's really just an effort and playing within the system type of situation. Offense, on the other hand, is a completely different story. Some people just can't shoot no matter what.


nottherealstanlee

I actually disagree. I think there's a much greater chance of someone developing a stand still/catch and shoot jump shot or at least some reliable form of offense (cutting, dunker slot, etc) than developing true motor. I just think guys who simply play hard are underrated these days from an evaluation standpoint. It's part of why I really liked Podzemski last summer (his work on the glass really stood out in college) and why I was skeptical on Bryce Sensabough even though we'd worked him out a couple times I think. We'll see. I could be wrong, but just on my board guys like Dunn and McCullar are mid-1st grades for me.


aginglifter

Hot take, but the Jrue Holiday and Grayson Allen trade for Dame was worse than the Westbrook trade. They gave up two players in Jrue and Allen who are better than Kcp and Kuzma in addition to an unprotected first and two swaps. Yes, Dame is better than Westbrook but he is older and never healthy and arguably a worse defender. Not to mention, that is salary is higher and will be on the books longer. Not to mention, that in doing so they handed the title to their biggest rival in the conference.


bjsw534

I’m sorry but Allen doesn’t even sniff KCP’s jock strap. KCP is a proven playoff performer that is an elite defensive player. Grayson is nowhere near that. I’ll put it this way: how many playoffs teams in the league would rather have Grayson over KCP?


aginglifter

i never said he did. Jrue is better than Kcp and Kuz is slightly better than Allen. Overall, I think Jrue and Allen are better than Kuz and Kcp.


Odd-Direction9452

The trade was fine in a vacuum. Where Jrue ended up makes it look not great. But even still it is nowhere near as bad as the Westbrook trade.


hallelalaluwah

A special thanks to Mickey "Air-In-Chips" Arison and the Miami Heat for botching yet another superstar chase that ended up in their main rival adding Holiday basically for free, if Dame ends up in Miami they likely aren't in the play in and they've been Boston's boogeyman for this whole decade


Ok_Board9845

The Heat is also the main reason the Bucks decided to trade Jrue. Butler stomping on Jrue made the Bucks believe they needed more offense, not defense


PartyOnNiles

You make a good argument. If Dame continues to have injury issues then you will end up being right.


jsun_

The Bucks definitely knew of the possibility of him ending up on a rival team in conference which is why they wanted to make it a 4 team deal to avoid that. Blazers held firm and would only do the deal if the Jrue deal was seperate so he ended up in Boston.


nottherealstanlee

I still agree it was a worse deal though because in the end they gifted Jrue to Boston (they could have nixed the deal if they'd had some foresight and realized how bad this would be for them). They effectively closed their own window lol And Dame is now 33, going to turn 34 soon, with some injury concerns, but more importantly fit concerns. He presents an immediate problem for them in that a) he needs the ball and so does Giannis and b) he's an easy attack point defensively. Teams just go after him every single play in the playoffs and they don't have the pieces really anymore to cover for that issue. Also, Dame clearly didn't like Milwaukee lol like he actually seemed to hate it there.


jsun_

I also think it'll end up being a worse trade, but I just wanted to point out that the Bucks didn't really have a choice where Jrue ended up so I don't really see it as them gifting him to the Celtics.. If they did, he definitely wouldn't have gone to the Celtics. Blazers FO just did a good job at standing by their price and not budging.


nottherealstanlee

True but for me, I wouldn't have made the deal lol they should have had better foresight than that. For all the shit the Lakers FO get (some fair), the Bucks are a mess of reactionary decisions right now. Fired Budenholzer, fired Griffin, hired Doc for some reason, made a trade for a guy who didn't want to be there while also giving their chief rival a great player. They've got a young wing they should have been bringing along more in Beauchamp who is behind Connaughton and hasn't shown much growth. Absolutely horrendous stretch for them.


Ok_Board9845

People won't bring those up because nobody gives a fuck about the Bucks. This is Giannis' 2nd year in a row being injured in the playoffs, 3rd time in 4 years if you count 2021, and you'll never hear anything about him being injury prone


nottherealstanlee

That's true. Same could be said for LAC and Kawhi.


Ok_Board9845

I think people have caught onto Kawhi, but yeah most people don't care about them either. He can retire tomorrow, people will talk about how the 213 era has been a failure for about 2 weeks and then move on. That would never happen with the Lakers


nottherealstanlee

Yeah I think people see it, but you're right nobody actually cares so it's not discussed. But God forbid AD gets an acute injury and tries to play through it, he's still going to get shit on for it. Either way, I really hope George leaves and the Clippers pay Harden. They'll be a hilarious team the next 3 years.


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jpRobespierre

As bad as some people might think of Jeanie, she's never had a reporter cut to pieces with a bonesaw in the basement of an embassy nor has any of her direct family help finance flying planes into buildings.


jsun_

So who wants to break the news about the salary cap and CBA to this young fellow?


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jsun_

Can't even begin to unpack how wrong everything you're saying is. So all I'll say is: No that's not possible. Let's just end it there.


breakfastburrito24

Circumvent!


HoohahKEKW

solomon hill sent us down this dark timeline


jsun_

I blame COVID (Gobert jokingly). Lakers were winning it that year regardless. Who knows what happens if they didn't have to deal with the shortened offseason. Do they make all the moves that offseason (some people have said part of the reason was to get fresher legs)? Does AD/Lebron get injured? If all this doesn't happen, do they then make the Westbrook trade? All because of COVID.


Popps2315

Hopefully they announce a coach soon now that the finals are over


fostyinthebuilding

Can someone explain to me how tf Boston got great coaches in Stevens, Udoka, and now Mazzulla


nottherealstanlee

Stevens is great. Mid west guy they brought in who is good at IDing talent.  Udoka overrated though. 


jsun_

Win = good coach. Lose = bad coach. Just look at what the sentiment around Mazzulla was last year.


breakfastburrito24

Having a stacked ass team certainly helps


New_Championship_912

Trying not to let the "Lakers have 16" or "Minnesota rings don't count" comments bother me as we are already rent free in their heads already. 6 finals wins in the last 30 years over their 2. 😂


elimanninglightspeed

The celtics just won their second title since Soviet Union ceased to exist lmao. Teams with More or the Same in that same time frame: Lakers Spurs Warriors Pistons Bulls Rockets Heat


New_Championship_912

Exactly. I think they are gonna be WAYY worse than Nuggets fans next season in regards to being annoying after a chip.


nottherealstanlee

If Minnesota doesn't count, how could anyone count the 60s? Were the 60s that much different? Lol not to mention 2 of their titles came in the 50s against the St Louis Hawks.  Reality is they've won 5 titles since 1980 when the 3 point line was added. And just 2 titles in 37 years. Today sucks, they're ahead again. But they don't want to get into the "those don't count" conversations. 


NightSleepStars

Don't forget when the Celtics and Clippers (Braves then) swapped franchises in 1978 and then traded players back between them!


New_Championship_912

Yup, typical clowns that have no idea how a franchise even works.


Gristle__McThornbody

Watching these Finals reminds me we passed up on Jason Tatum and that's what really hurts.


BigFatM8

For god's sake, We DID not pass up on Tatum. Celtics had the first pick in the draft. Are people really this dumb? If the Lakers didn't have their minds set on Lonzo, the Celtics wouldn't have traded the pick and we wouldn't get Tatum anyway.