Ain’t no way we were paying that.

We always hear that this team or that team can’t afford to keep all their dudes. But in the Bucks’ case, what they REALLY can’t afford is to piss off Giannis and make him want to leave. They came up short the last 2 seasons but probably feel like it was due to injury. Rookie head coach though…..

It’s remarkable how well Pelinka has operated during the trade deadline last season and this summer. I was afraid we’d blown it when Brook and Bruce were gone but I love the move for Vincent. Just need to bring back Dlo on the 1+1 deal so we can move him at the deadline. Can’t have him walk.

What’s cool is the Lakers still have options on how to order these transactions. There’s even a chance we bring back Beasley or Bamba on a reduced contract. Rob working hard to balance this roster while staying young so we are a prime landing spot for a superstar when LeBron retires.

Rob has done a lot to redeem himself from years 2 & 3 on the job when I really couldn’t fathom what he was doing. This feels like a Coach Ham (or Vogel, honestly) style team. Guys who don’t mind the grind, will let our best players do what they do best, and can go big or small. Some of the project players may not pan out, some guys might not fully live up to their deals but Rob did the job he has well.

Kinda faded in the Finals but I like it. Backcourt was our biggest deficiency. Can replace D.Russell when he pulls his usual disappearing act come playoff time…lol

So that’s about it for the off-season. Re-sign AR, Rui, and D.Russell then let’s roll. If they get D.Russelll for about $18mill they’re still under the luxury tax to boot. Might even be a question if they keep D.Russell or Dennis. I’ll give Rob credit where it’s due and he’s had a very good run since the trade deadline. Just bring in a backup 5 at the vet min and we’re pretty solid. Plus…he just added a coupla DAWGS in Prince & Vincent who should plug right into D.Ham’s system. Good pivot after missing out on Bruce Brown who proved to be way too expensive for us.

“Just bring in a backup 5 at the vet min and we’re pretty solid.” That is all that is left.

Maybe this is what Rob meant when he was talking about nibbling around the edges during free agency. Doesn’t seem like an impact player is in the cards. New CBA has alotta teams reworking their strategies. Ton of guys getting re-signed by their original teams early on….

If there is a player out there who would be better than D’Angelo without the baggage of Kyrie, it’s Fred VanVleet. Although he’s small, he’s a fiesty defender and has a championship pedigree.

I still prefer a bigger guard who is a better defender like Dejounte Murray but if the Lakers could get VanVleet for $25M per year, I could see that being a logical path to upgrading point guard.

Never been a fan of Chris Paul but if the Lakers could sign him for the minimum or TP MLE and he would be willing to come off the bench, he could easily be the version of Rajon Rondo we need.

The reality is he can still deliver 8 assists per game with just 2 turnovers and shoot 38% from deep. I’d take that over 20 minutes of Dennis Schroder any day of the week. Just can’t be more than $5M per year or for multiple years as this point.

I like the idea thrown out of Russell eating up regular season point guard minutes and then CP3 possibly playing the Rondo role in the playoffs. I think Lakers goal is going to be to rest LeBron and AD (and CP3 if they get him) all regular season.

CP3 played in something like 60 games this season and still broke down early in the playoffs..again. You can set your watch to it. LeBron played less than that and was a shell of himself in the postseason. It all sounds great in theory but history tells me a different story.

If the Suns don’t want him…fill in the blank.

Will Miami ever allow that to happen?

Better across the board, loved his game 2 clutchosity.

Looking at their committed money they’re right at what will likely be the draconic tax apron (which won’t affect them until next summer, I believe but still waiting to see the official document which goes into effect July 1 this year).

Victor is picking up that 9+ mil player option and w/o signing either Strus or Vincent they’re at $171,225,510 (which includes Love and Haslem’s deals coming off the books already). Wouldn’t surprise me to see them try and move Lowry and use a couple FRPs to clear his money (San Antonio will have plenty of cap space , for example, and could just give them a massive TPE). Not too sure they can get out of Vic’s deal since he’s so banged up.

They probably want to bring back Love after this, too, but I’d be fine with him as the elderly statesman, backup big, too.

I wonder whether there is a measurable difference between playing in Converse Chuck Taylor high-tops or the latest and hottest low-top Jordans? There probably is. Training, nutrition, and tools were amateurish back then compared to today.

There’s such a difference in the game overall from the time I played in high school and jc to today. The players are so much bigger, better, and more athletic and players now focus on just one sport all year around. Players today are simply better.

I look at Kawhi as an example of why load management doesn’t really matter. His body just ain’t right now and you can’t “save” performance minutes at an elite level for later because you didn’t play them last week or whatever.

So, as it relates to LeBron, he can either play or not. I think it also doesn’t matter. Just about every injury he’s sustained has been non-contact. Groin happened moving for the ball. Tendon happened making a basic move. AD, on the other hand, can get injured from a variety of contact issues: dude rolls into his keys, his foot huts Jokic in the air and breaks, stray pigeon impales him. His issue, when healthy, is he simply seems to check out every few games. He’ll say things like “I played the same way I always do…” or BS of some kind in that mold. I’m not fooled, anymore. For every dominant 40/20 game there’s a 14/12 game lurking in the weeds.

Uh, LBJ played 55 Games out of 82, way more than a 3rd. Little mo info, Curry 56, Durant 43, Booker 53, PG 56, Leonard 52, Ja 61, Embiid and Luka 66.

The big question BEHIND THE SCENES is whether LeBron demands that the Lakers trade Russell. Lots of rumors about LeBron being pissed at DLo. Not sure if they were true or not. If James is not retiring and OK with keeping him, Lakers should give him a $40M 1+1 extension and review situation at deadline.

https://www.spotrac.com/nba/cap/

Utah and Ainge will for sure give Reeves his poison pill deal to either steal him or at least F with the Lakers. Rui seems like an ideal fit in Houston. No pressure, lots of money. Always fearful of that contract year bump. Dude could easily be a Biyombo.

Everybody saw where he said he wanted to return to the Lakers but few read the last line of that quote “….we’ll see what happens”. Hard to turn down an offer sheet for 4yrs and $100mill guaranteed.

We’ll see what happens

Moving on from transcendent talent like LeBron will always be monumental task. I'm happy with how James and Lakers have handled challenge. Change won't be smooth but this younger, more talented Lakers team is better equipped to handle transition from LeBron than Magic or Kobe. pic.twitter.com/U8OgfvDbKK

— LakerTom (@LakerTom) May 24, 2023

Frankly, I can’t see a scenario where LeBron actually retires this summer. I think he just got caught in a moment of his mortality as a player and was honest. But he’s not going to turn down $97M over the next two years. How he plays the next two seasons will determine whether he then retires or not.

When you look at the age of the remade roster, the Lakers are going to be ina much better situation when LeBron leaves than they were when Magic and Kobe left. If LeBron left this season, the Lakers with AD, Reaves, Hacimura, and $45M in cap space would be in a pretty good spot to rebuild. Sign Kyrie to replace LeBron and you’re ready to go.

I think what we’re seeing could happen this summer if LeBron retires is exactly the end game the Lakers have to create for when LeBron actually retires. Make sure team has cap space to replace LeBron with another superstar in free agency. Bottom line, I think Lakers s/b in great position post-LeBron.

Uh——yep!

Vando has always been a role-player, I never bought into the Mo Bamba “HES GOT LONG ARMS!!!!” hype (that’s what trying to sell me a load on THT gets people lol) and of all of them one really should only expect D-Lo to perform at a high level in the playoffs. He’s certainly shrunk from the moment.

He averaged 9.7 drives/g in the regular season. Obviously lower than classic Bron, but still almost 40% more drives per game than in the playoffs. That’s a pretty hefty drop off.

— NBA University (@NBA_University) May 5, 2023

Its also the terrible quality of many of those shots, often within thebfirst few seconds after passing mid-court, before theres rebounders, without running anything. Thise gotta stop.