LBJ ready to really play now

atlantacowboy

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uvaballa

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Not a huge Lebron fan but it's known many basketball teams coast during the regular season and turn up the intensity during the playoff push. Don't really follow baseball but I thought they do similar things.

Being a Spurs fan I know Pop would sit veterans all the time to keep them fresh for the playoffs. It's not like football where veterans play the entire season.
 

bigdnlaca

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This isn't a fair comparison. They both played hard when they were young. As they got a little older, both of them chilled a little bit because they had some help. In their 30s, the difference between the two is that Jordan was playing with 2 future HOF and a bunch of veteran guys. You can visually see Jordan coasted on a lot of games where he knew his team was the better team until the 2nd half of the season and playoffs.

LeBron haven't had that luxury in the last 2 seasons. Part of it could be seen as his fault but the fact remain that he had to pace himself at his age.
 

PJTHEDOORS

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John813

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I don't think the team ever recovered from the talk about trading almost all of them away for Davis.
Hard to play like a team when LBJ publicly talks about acquiring another star and your name is being brought up daily for that trade.

The roster wasn't a good fit for LBJ, even though he had say in how it was built. No shooters like Mike Miller waiting on the wings.
 

jterrell

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There is a lot to unpack with LBJ and MJ and the like.

This LBJ is much like the MJ that returned to Washington with eyes on partial ownership.
LBJ is clearly not in LA because it gave him the best chance to win.
Doesn't mean he doesn't think he can eventually win there but it was clearly not his top criterion and he simply doesn't have the gas tank he did when he went back to CLE.

MJ was and probably is the gold standard for a ton of reasons:
League built him up as he was lone star they could push post Bird/Magic era.
ESPN basically created a station off his highlights which was mutually benefiicial in a way that can only be compared to:
Nike created a world dominant sports retail market based off him.

BUT... lets not pretend MJ was some 1 man show.
He had a team that won 55 games without him. It was only a drop of 2 games... but they also lost in Semis after having won the title.
The next year they also made the Semis.

It's be like LeBron joining the Rockets or Thunder.

LBJ has to stop being hypocritical. The message is not a good one.
He is a good dude it seems and closely watches his legacy and the perception of fans but this is ugly.
He was a psuedo GM in his last 2 stops and has build UGLY rosters.
He is challenging these young guys about desire and commitment while commercials roll and 2 Chainz is high-fiving him on the sideline after their album dropped.
 

jterrell

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I don't think the team ever recovered from the talk about trading almost all of them away for Davis.
Hard to play like a team when LBJ publicly talks about acquiring another star and your name is being brought up daily for that trade.

The roster wasn't a good fit for LBJ, even though he had say in how it was built. No shooters like Mike Miller waiting on the wings.
Yup, roster was a terrible fit.
LBJ wants to go ISO which means a pick and roll big man plus 2 deadly shooters and given his age and wear and tear at least 2 of those 5 guys have to be defensive stoppers.

Almost exactly opposite roster LAL had been working to build of up tempo open floor position less basketball based on ball movement.
The Rondo thing never made sense. He's fallen off big time defensively and his 3PT game is still minimal impact if vastly improved from his career long non-existence.

Of the heavy minute guys LBJ is actually the best 3PT shooter and the others make 1/3 or less of their 3s.

Think Magic and LBJ both over-estimated pull of LBJ-Lakers combo for other players.
Going so hard after Davis was a desperation move.
And I do think Demps massively owned them on it but the Lakers unwillingness to say a word that might cause AD to get shy allowed them to be check mated in 2019.

If they can somehow add 2 superstars in the off-season this may all be a blip on the radar but the Lakers haven't made the playoffs in 6 years in a league where half the teams make it and watched Kobe drag them down with salary and age only to add LBJ as he is aging. If they don't win very soon that franchise is really at risk of another 3-4 year stretch of tanking which would mark historical lows for the franchise and tarnish Magic as well as LBJ.

From afar it is all very interesting to watch.
 

John813

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Yup, roster was a terrible fit.
LBJ wants to go ISO which means a pick and roll big man plus 2 deadly shooters and given his age and wear and tear at least 2 of those 5 guys have to be defensive stoppers.

Almost exactly opposite roster LAL had been working to build of up tempo open floor position less basketball based on ball movement.
The Rondo thing never made sense. He's fallen off big time defensively and his 3PT game is still minimal impact if vastly improved from his career long non-existence.

Of the heavy minute guys LBJ is actually the best 3PT shooter and the others make 1/3 or less of their 3s.

Think Magic and LBJ both over-estimated pull of LBJ-Lakers combo for other players.
Going so hard after Davis was a desperation move.
And I do think Demps massively owned them on it but the Lakers unwillingness to say a word that might cause AD to get shy allowed them to be check mated in 2019.

If they can somehow add 2 superstars in the off-season this may all be a blip on the radar but the Lakers haven't made the playoffs in 6 years in a league where half the teams make it and watched Kobe drag them down with salary and age only to add LBJ as he is aging. If they don't win very soon that franchise is really at risk of another 3-4 year stretch of tanking which would mark historical lows for the franchise and tarnish Magic as well as LBJ.

From afar it is all very interesting to watch.

Yup. the only good thing about their 2018 offseason was the amount of 1 year deals, so they can be aggressive this offseason.

I feel Magic doesn't want to be bent over in a deal, but not going hard enough after George and Kwahi the past two offseason hurts. AD I felt Demps was going to spite AD and the Lakers to not send him there because of LBJ talking about wanting to acquire him months before AD went public.

I think going after Lance and Blunt Bease was dumb too. Talented dudes but never cared enough to be better.

Definitely will be watching them this offseason as a curious bystander.

And then I'll cringe as Pat Riley will swing and miss with the Heat again.
 

DFWJC

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This isn't a fair comparison. They both played hard when they were young. As they got a little older, both of them chilled a little bit because they had some help. In their 30s, the difference between the two is that Jordan was playing with 2 future HOF and a bunch of veteran guys. You can visually see Jordan coasted on a lot of games where he knew his team was the better team until the 2nd half of the season and playoffs.

LeBron haven't had that luxury in the last 2 seasons. Part of it could be seen as his fault but the fact remain that he had to pace himself at his age.
Besides Pippen, who was the other HOFer that Jordan played with?

Anyway, different eras, watered down leagues, I don't really try to compare too much.
Both MJ and LBJ are right at the top all time
 

jterrell

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I thought LAL should have went to DAL with an offer for 2 very available players.
Wes Matthews: 1 38% 3PT shooter who attmepts 6 per game and isn't a sieve defensively
Dwight Powell: Rim rolling big who can also really attack double teams. Weakness in rebounding manageable with Lakers size.

But again it goes back to LAL continuing to try and operate under the cap and appeal to star free agents without a poor record versus winning and becoming a destination.
 

jterrell

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Besides Pippen, who was the other HOFer that Jordan played with?

Anyway, different eras, watered down leagues, I don't really try to compare too much.
Both MJ and LBJ are right at the top all time
Rodman.

He also played for a HOF Coach and Krause went in for building those teams. Even the owner went in.
 

jterrell

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Yup. the only good thing about their 2018 offseason was the amount of 1 year deals, so they can be aggressive this offseason.

I feel Magic doesn't want to be bent over in a deal, but not going hard enough after George and Kwahi the past two offseason hurts. AD I felt Demps was going to spite AD and the Lakers to not send him there because of LBJ talking about wanting to acquire him months before AD went public.

I think going after Lance and Blunt Bease was dumb too. Talented dudes but never cared enough to be better.

Definitely will be watching them this offseason as a curious bystander.

And then I'll cringe as Pat Riley will swing and miss with the Heat again.
I hated that kick the can, 1 year deal decision because I had seen the Mavs do it and man it sucks bad.

Magic might be the only person in the NBA who overvalues both LBJ AND all these kids LBJ doesn't wanna play with.
I get he didn't wanna make a bad trade but standing pat doesn't really help.
They lost Randle for zero all because they have been playing this cap space game.
At some point the losses outweigh the gains.

Had they traded for Kawhi Leonard they'd have had their best defender by far and a guy who can shoot it. Career 38% 3PT.

NO ONE in the NBA has any pity for the Lakers.
No one wants to trade them anything shaded in LAL's favor.
They will have to make moves anyway and knowing all these kids they have the info to move the ones with the least desire and foreseeable upside.

Many of these kids will lose value as the team moves to better players and they near FA.
Magic's on court decision-making was A1, but his GM decision-making has been D-.
He landed LBJ but the kid idolized him and that's been really his only feather in the cap.
 

jterrell

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They won 55 games the year after he retired the first time.
That was a top 3 all-time team with MJ and a still very good without him.

LBJ has never been on that good of a team tho the Heat probably came close for a short run.
 

DFWJC

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They won 55 games the year after he retired the first time.
That was a top 3 all-time team with MJ and a still very good without him.

LBJ has never been on that good of a team tho the Heat probably came close for a short run.
cool
 
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