2019 Free Agency/Player Movement
- Thread starter B.A.R.
- Start date
Never saw it with Pelicans. I know he obviously was a force in college...and in NBA gets steals n blocks but as a "clog" in middle ..eh ... Just solid imo..nothing special.
RIght, but we are comparing the Clippers and Lakers inside.
Yeah, Motrezl will be running circles around Boogie. Just laughing.
YOu can have the last word man. Just my opinion.
Not trying to have the last word. That was literally my first thought when you said Lakers would kill clips inside was how Montrezl was absolutely making the Warriors look bad in the playoffs this year at times.
This is a good article on the case for uni being dpoy in 2018
The Case for Anthony Davis as Defensive Player of the Year
The Case for Anthony Davis as Defensive Player of the Year
Interesting read. There are a few stats there I wouldn't have guessed....and that's from two years ago when he had guys to help (healthy DMC being one). The other takeaway is kinda what in saying about the rest of the team...nop and now Lal...not great defensive teammates(in general).
Granted the video was uploaded in 2015. but how much are we talking effort here? Standing around doesn‘t say anything about what he can still do.
divol
The Spurs can suck my manhood
If I can throw in my 2 cents in this debate.
LeBron - not a fan, never was and probably never will be. Their are two main questions about him, as far as I'm concerned:
1) Health wise, we all talked about the wear and tear he went through going that deep in to the playoffs year after year, playing very hard. Last year he had his first major injury and missed playoffs first time since he is in a league I think.
Either age is taking it's toll and we will see a decline or he will use the rest he had to comeback to Bron two years ago, when he was simply amazing.
I hope that the rest and the chance for his body to restart the systems will help him start this season fresh and carry on till June.
Also, saw reports that he used the time off to get some junk food in to the system and gained a few pounds - hope it's not the case.
2) Mental wise - LeBron moved to LA not only for basketball puproses. He moved to make his brand and I hope he still remembers that he is a basketball player first of all and still has the hunger for titles. I think he is a competitor and he knows what the expectations from the Lakers and the fact that he chose the Lakers last summer, means that he wants to have more titles and cement his name in history.
But still... we need to see how much hunger still left in him.
Overall, I don't think he is injury prone, actually the opposite and I do feel that the rest should have done wonders for his body.
As far as defense goes, you can't expect a player that carries 99% of the offense, to do 100% on defense. Kawhi btw, also didn't guard Giannis the whole game and so on (Giannis also didn't guard Kawhi all the time).
Davis should be number one option on offense and that should help LeBron a lot on both sides of the floor.
Davis - I don't know what people are talking about. Davis is just amazing and not even close to being injury prone. The fact that his team never had nothing to fight for and therefor gave him rest in any questionable situation, doesn't mean he is prone to injury. Till last season, he always played 60+ games and missed many games not due to injury, just because Pels had nothing to play for. I really don't know why people on CTG are even talking about him being injury prone. Just look at his medical record...
As far as basketball goes, Davis was voted by GM's as the player that they would build the team around (it was just two years ago). He can rebound, he can block, he can defend. He can play in the paint, but also score mid range and now added three point shot to his arsenal. His offense is one of the best I have seen from big guys in this millennium. Davis never was in the league of Kawhi, Giannis and others, because he played in NO. This season, no reason why he won't be in MVP discussion.
He is a beast and amazing player and just shocking that people are trying to make him as Brook Lopez level or something...
He is a mega superstar, not a question even.
Lakers roster - far from being perfect. Rondo problematic with his lack of floor spacing, but he played with Davis, Cousins and Bron, so that should help him and the team. Guards are a problem, but again... why Cook suddenly garbage? He is a pure shooter and btw, did a decent job on defense in the Finals. For 3 mill a year, he is a perfect fit for instant offense.
No question that if Lakers hadn't waited for Kawhi, they would have found better options and made more rounded roster, but can you blame them for the wait?
I love Cousins as one year rental for this money. He got a lot to prove, talented as hell, knows Davis and Rondo and probably has his career on the line at the moment. McGee did great job with the Lakers last season and they both are very good options for the Lakers, especially since Davis can play Center as well and Lakers will have several option how they want to play it.
They can go for Rondo, KCP, Green, LeBron and Davis for defensive purposes. They can go for LeBron, KCP/Cook, Green, Kuzma/Cousins and Davis for offensive puproses.
They probably still not done and will add a veteran or two later on as well.
Not perfect roster, but definitely a contender and it will be up to Vogel, health, luck and chemistry to decide how far Lakers will go.
As for the Clippers, they did amazing job in my eyes. Defensive unit of Beverly, PG and Kawhi is amazing. The offense and Harell and Lu WIll bring also great. They are deep, talented and Clippers made a killer move no doubt.
Still... They are contenders. Just like the Lakers and like Utah and others in a very strong and deep West. This is not a team that one level above others. Beverley and Lu Will both great players, but one sucks on offense, other sucks on defense and that's not always good for the playoffs. Zubac, Green and Herrell is their ENTIRE front court at the moment and there not a lot of free agents left that can help. Lakers did very smart grabbing both McGee and DMC. Chandler probably the best option left...
Team with zero depth in the paint will struggle during the season and in the playoffs. Add to that the fact that both Kawhi and George not players that will play 82 games and probably not 70 games even and I can see easily Clippers battling for HCA in the first round of the playoffs (Lakers the same btw).
Rivers is a great coach and Kawhi knows how to bring titles, but this team is crazy stacked at SF position and too thin in every other position.
GSW and Houston were for 2- 3 seasons main title contenders and people (myself included) seriously asking themselves will one or both miss playoffs this season. This is how crazy deep West is.
Will Clippers/ Lakers be able to go through each other/ Utah/ Denver without HCA on the way to the Finals?
LeBron - not a fan, never was and probably never will be. Their are two main questions about him, as far as I'm concerned:
1) Health wise, we all talked about the wear and tear he went through going that deep in to the playoffs year after year, playing very hard. Last year he had his first major injury and missed playoffs first time since he is in a league I think.
Either age is taking it's toll and we will see a decline or he will use the rest he had to comeback to Bron two years ago, when he was simply amazing.
I hope that the rest and the chance for his body to restart the systems will help him start this season fresh and carry on till June.
Also, saw reports that he used the time off to get some junk food in to the system and gained a few pounds - hope it's not the case.
2) Mental wise - LeBron moved to LA not only for basketball puproses. He moved to make his brand and I hope he still remembers that he is a basketball player first of all and still has the hunger for titles. I think he is a competitor and he knows what the expectations from the Lakers and the fact that he chose the Lakers last summer, means that he wants to have more titles and cement his name in history.
But still... we need to see how much hunger still left in him.
Overall, I don't think he is injury prone, actually the opposite and I do feel that the rest should have done wonders for his body.
As far as defense goes, you can't expect a player that carries 99% of the offense, to do 100% on defense. Kawhi btw, also didn't guard Giannis the whole game and so on (Giannis also didn't guard Kawhi all the time).
Davis should be number one option on offense and that should help LeBron a lot on both sides of the floor.
Davis - I don't know what people are talking about. Davis is just amazing and not even close to being injury prone. The fact that his team never had nothing to fight for and therefor gave him rest in any questionable situation, doesn't mean he is prone to injury. Till last season, he always played 60+ games and missed many games not due to injury, just because Pels had nothing to play for. I really don't know why people on CTG are even talking about him being injury prone. Just look at his medical record...
As far as basketball goes, Davis was voted by GM's as the player that they would build the team around (it was just two years ago). He can rebound, he can block, he can defend. He can play in the paint, but also score mid range and now added three point shot to his arsenal. His offense is one of the best I have seen from big guys in this millennium. Davis never was in the league of Kawhi, Giannis and others, because he played in NO. This season, no reason why he won't be in MVP discussion.
He is a beast and amazing player and just shocking that people are trying to make him as Brook Lopez level or something...
He is a mega superstar, not a question even.
Lakers roster - far from being perfect. Rondo problematic with his lack of floor spacing, but he played with Davis, Cousins and Bron, so that should help him and the team. Guards are a problem, but again... why Cook suddenly garbage? He is a pure shooter and btw, did a decent job on defense in the Finals. For 3 mill a year, he is a perfect fit for instant offense.
No question that if Lakers hadn't waited for Kawhi, they would have found better options and made more rounded roster, but can you blame them for the wait?
I love Cousins as one year rental for this money. He got a lot to prove, talented as hell, knows Davis and Rondo and probably has his career on the line at the moment. McGee did great job with the Lakers last season and they both are very good options for the Lakers, especially since Davis can play Center as well and Lakers will have several option how they want to play it.
They can go for Rondo, KCP, Green, LeBron and Davis for defensive purposes. They can go for LeBron, KCP/Cook, Green, Kuzma/Cousins and Davis for offensive puproses.
They probably still not done and will add a veteran or two later on as well.
Not perfect roster, but definitely a contender and it will be up to Vogel, health, luck and chemistry to decide how far Lakers will go.
As for the Clippers, they did amazing job in my eyes. Defensive unit of Beverly, PG and Kawhi is amazing. The offense and Harell and Lu WIll bring also great. They are deep, talented and Clippers made a killer move no doubt.
Still... They are contenders. Just like the Lakers and like Utah and others in a very strong and deep West. This is not a team that one level above others. Beverley and Lu Will both great players, but one sucks on offense, other sucks on defense and that's not always good for the playoffs. Zubac, Green and Herrell is their ENTIRE front court at the moment and there not a lot of free agents left that can help. Lakers did very smart grabbing both McGee and DMC. Chandler probably the best option left...
Team with zero depth in the paint will struggle during the season and in the playoffs. Add to that the fact that both Kawhi and George not players that will play 82 games and probably not 70 games even and I can see easily Clippers battling for HCA in the first round of the playoffs (Lakers the same btw).
Rivers is a great coach and Kawhi knows how to bring titles, but this team is crazy stacked at SF position and too thin in every other position.
GSW and Houston were for 2- 3 seasons main title contenders and people (myself included) seriously asking themselves will one or both miss playoffs this season. This is how crazy deep West is.
Will Clippers/ Lakers be able to go through each other/ Utah/ Denver without HCA on the way to the Finals?
divol
The Spurs can suck my manhood
If we are talking about healthy Lakers against healthy Clippers with both teams current rosters, I believe that Lakers would win 8 out of 10 series (best of 7). Lakers will kill Clippers in the paint (just give the ball to Davis in the paint and add 2 points on the box score), Rondo can fight with Beverly on any given day and Green and Bron can guard Kawhi and PG just as well as the other way around.
As for staying healthy, I think that medical record gives Lakers massive advantage at a chance to stay healthy over the Clippers.
As for staying healthy, I think that medical record gives Lakers massive advantage at a chance to stay healthy over the Clippers.
Most of those are in the first half to 2/3 of season. There is no tanking going on at all. Trust me, I've lost several player props to AD injuries in the middle of games(as emkee alluded to). I love the player, he's great... But all these little injuries.... It's more a trend than anything.
Well, take away the devastating injury from USA basketball ... And here is PG.... View attachment 40663
divol
The Spurs can suck my manhood
Yeah, but mid game injuries... I believe that 99% of those injuries, if they happen in a playoff game, we won't see Davis missing the rest of the game and in the mid season, I have no doubt that Steph, LBJ, Davis, PG and Kawhi will all get a lot of rest. Playoffs in the WC this season... will be a war...
divol
The Spurs can suck my manhood
Yeah, but just like you and em noticed about Davis, so did I about PG last season, missed a lot of game just to be on the safe side. I'm 100% sure that if he wasn't in the MVP race, his game number would have been around 70 at the most.
divol
The Spurs can suck my manhood
We will see, no one could foreseen Hayward getting injured first quarter of his first game as a Celtic and KD's injury and Klay's injury - the guy is really mr. iron...
Guessing who would get injured is just a stupid guessing game, but I don't see Davis or LBJ (or PG or Kawhi as well for that matter) to be injury prone.
I believe that if Davis signs an extension next summer, he will get his MVP of the regular season as a Laker at some point.
Guessing who would get injured is just a stupid guessing game, but I don't see Davis or LBJ (or PG or Kawhi as well for that matter) to be injury prone.
I believe that if Davis signs an extension next summer, he will get his MVP of the regular season as a Laker at some point.
Well, I wouldn't count on AD staying in L.A. long term. It depends on if he is motivated to win championships or play in L.A. LeFart (borrowing) is no spring chicken and other than Kuzma what young piece there is attractive? It would be in his best interest to sign elsewhere. We'll see where his priorities are.
You said it, 2015. When motivated, he was a great defender. He doesn't have that will anymore other than for certain points of a big game. He saves himself for offense.
divol
The Spurs can suck my manhood
I'm pretty sure he will sign an extension. He and LBJ got the same agent and he obviously made a verbal promise to the Lakers to sign an extension if they made such a trade.
He may well do that... But that will show that in the big picture he isn't looking to win Ships. That's all... There just isn't much of a future for the Lakers right now. Obviously, after LeBron retires they will become more attractive for bigger FAs as a destination...so we shall see.
divol
The Spurs can suck my manhood
I know that you and many others disagree, but I believe that Lakers this year (if healthy) are contenders and very strong ones. I also can't see where can he sign next summer, that will offer him better chance at the title (maybe Boston if they can make it work salary wise, but I doubt that).
I think that playing in purple and gold, Davis will be on a contender for bigger part of his career and that's more than you can say about 99% of the players...
braves
Pretty much a regular
Freak injury or not , he has to be managed the rest of his career
Just saying Kawhi and PG aren’t exactly consistently healthy guys
LeBron started this load management stuff when with Cavs. That's what Kawhi is doing. PG plays over 75 games a year... I get the freak injury and shoulder last year but why is he injury prone?
brewers888
Chicken Little
I just can't help but laugh how these guys are making around 40 million a year and we are discussing how many games they should be allowed to take off during the regular season.
braves
Pretty much a regular
Agree , but it also points to how the season needs to be shortened
brewers888
Chicken Little
If you shorten the season how will these guys pay their bills.
jedi ninja
Larry the liberal
Now you’re coming around. We need Russ in Houston.
Lol Russ and Beard together would be an absolute disaster. Russ wouldn‘t stand for Beard‘s constant iso play, couldn‘t get his double doubles
this is a whole different thread but it really doesn't. These guys complained enough to ease up b2bs and 4 in 5s... They have first class air travel... Shits a cakewalk. Teams used to play 3 games in 3 nights. The season is fine, it's just the entitlement of this generation. It's awful.
They've played together. It would be interesting now. Harden is a great scorer and I think a fun player at times but he isn't a guy you can really put with another star unless that star is like a power 4 who can also shoot. The CP experience was good for a year and that was shocking to me ..but you can see the toll now.
jedi ninja
Larry the liberal
Right? The training and recovery stuff they do now is far and above what was done back when they played 3 in 3 nights too. Just give me a fucking break with guys under the age of 30 (and that’s being generous, should be like 35) who need nights off when all they do is play basketball for a few hours. These guys should be able to run for days, instead they all act as if it’s a chore to play 3 games a week.
Make their contracts a per game share (just take their salary and divide by 82, you get whatever that number is times the games you actually played), and see how many of these clowns will still need nights off. It’s a joke.
I’ve heard several players on podcasts in the last couple of years say they don’t need to shorten the season and it’s jusr a media driven story. If anything I think we can do with 4 less teams making the playoffs in each conference... but that will never happen.
No clue on their picks situation.
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