It's no longer the least efficient type of possession and teammates/spacing have a large effect on that. ISO's have become pretty sweet when every teammate can make on open 3

If you said any offensive player in his role (let's just say guy carrying a team offensively with 35%USG) then you would maybe get to a position that is defensible. I'd still disagree with it, but I think that's where that argument would have to start.

It's unlikely but possible. Depends on the timing and how high the price would be to get rid of Deng.

I think the current plan is to go for 2 FA's and stretch Deng, with Randle on the backburner and likely dropped.

However, there is a chance that they can get rid of Deng. This summer, he'll have 2 years left, and the last year is an expiring asset, so it's really just a hit of 1 year for a team to take him. So the price to get rid of him might be more manageable and doable with future draft picks.

If that happens, then technically, the Lakers could sign all 3 of LeBron, Paul George, and Randle this summer. Or Randle + 1 of them + 1 FA in 2019. Or Randle + 2 FA's in 2019. The latter scenarios depend on exact #'s, but there should be enough wiggle room with other players if necessary.

Love when non-insiders use the royal "we". It's so cute.

Kuzma has 3/7 left on his deal? Maybe that+pick is enough to get rid of Deng.

Lonzo-George-Ingram-LeBron-Randle?

Or maybe deal Lonzo to get rid of Deng and get something in return.

Honestly I thought Luol Deng retired or something, I forgot all about him.

I wouldn't really say Simmons shut down Harden last year so much as he stopped himself with some kind of psychological thing. He was at something like 28 pts/10.2 ast on 59% TS before he slanked game 6.

Then the OKC series the first 3 games he goes 37/35/44 on 66% TS, he has one bad game in the series, still finishes it at 33 pts on 60% TS yet somehow the narrative became Roberson is the Harden stopper because he blocks a layup here and there.

He also shot 73 FTs in 5 games in that series so the whole "he won't get those calls in the playoffs" also seems to be another narrative not really supported by facts. Pop is the only coach who really gets on his guys about no reaching on Harden so he had about 7 FTA/g in that series.

WE HAVE A LOT OF DATA

Compared to most starters who play together we really do. They've both missed lots of games and Luke's substitution patterns involve them playing apart more often than most. You're actually showing that yourself by pointing out how little their 6 most common lineups add up compared to their overall amount. It's around 50% less than most teams.

Ingram has been better without Lonzo than vice versa

Game 5 Harden choked badly down the stretch. With Kawhi out.

It's tough to go back too far since '15-16 his losses were to GS. He had some struggles vs LAC in '15 as well before LAC had their meltdown but I guess you could argue he was a different player and Hou was a different team then. Ditto for '14 vs Portland.

Tough to go back too many years and playoffs are always small samples.

The Lakers have been better w/ Lonzo w/out Ingram than vice versa, significantly when adjusting for opponent

If you are Toronto, why not let the Cavs win tonight? They've son'd you in the playoffs the last 2 years, your players have made comments after games basically calling LeBron a God, etc

Why not let them win, give them a better chance to get the 3 seed and then not have to see them until the conf finals at the earliest? And hope Wash/Phi and then Bos possibly knocks them off.

I know NBA teams don't think like this with 12 games left in the season but given the domination and Massai being sharp, I think it is possible.

I feel like there is a deal to be made between the Lakers and the Bucks. The Bucks need to trade Middleton, Brogdon and to a lesser extent Bledsoe to a team that can better use their remaining years on their contracts before they hit the market and get (over)paid.



Lonzo Ball, Luol Deng, Kyle Kuzma & Josh Hart to the Bucks for Khris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe & Malcolm Brogdon. The salaries are basically a wash.

Lakers can sign George & Lebron to max deals and fill out their roster w/ ring chasers.

PG- Bledsoe, Brogdon
SG- George
SF- Middleton, Ingram
PF- Lebron
C-

I know Bledsoe isn't the ideal guy for the Lakers to target but it seems like Lebron wants to play with him. And I highly doubt Lebron would want to play with Lonzo.

I never know how Middleton is valued - I find him to be overrated offensively and defensively but I still think his value in the might be kind of high. Brogdon is slightly above average but he will be entering his prime and be on a cheap deal when the Lakers will need cheap salary. (Which is why they probably wouldn't want to trade Kuzma or Hart in the first place.)

Bucks definitely say yes and the Lakers probably say no. What do the Lakers have to take back or Bucks have to add for it to get done?

Adjusting for opponents which at a high level look good but they caught a washed spurs team and a washed cavs team. Csb.

Lol, stop it. You're being ridiculous

2nd night of a road back-to-back, obviously they need to rest all their starters!

Let's see how good this bench really is when they play the entire game!

Old man, half amazing has had enough of Blake's histrionics:


https://twitter.com/cjzero/status/976518437890600966

yeah Vince never complained to the refs or sulked on the court BACK IN HIS DAY

He was a man's man

Problem is, they still have 2 games left against the C's. If they let them pick up a half a game here, then lose both of those games, all of a sudden they're in the danger zone

equity wise still definitely worth it (probably lowers their chance of getting the 1 seed from like 98% to 97.5% or whatever, but increases chances of the cavs getting 3rd pretty substantially)

On the flip side, if you beat them, the Cavs might also slip to 6th or 7th which would be even better for you than 3rd! You'd feel dumb if you threw this game, and then they finished in 5th by half a game and could've been in 6th or 7th

wow. A segment where he's not sucking LeBron's dick. Well done on finding the needle in a haystack.

edit - lol I was wrong. He didn't make it through the whole segment. Some LeBron knob gobbling towards the end. Only a minute of the 7 minute clip though, so pretty low.

Why not break their spirit and send them into infighting and fingerpointing?

I guess that's 1 way to go about it.

Forgot to post this. A couple weeks back 538 posted about the next Kawhi Leonard.

Next Steph + next Kawhi + Next Old Sabonis = 9th seed