NBA 2019-2020

elmo said:
They don't have the cap space unless they let AD walk.
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Bron just needs to go from $43m to $34m in order to make it happen. He can even go lower than that to free up more cap space - I think he had to forego $15m or so to join Wade and Bosh in Miami so not out of the realm of possibilities if he really wants another championship run. Plenty of examples of star players taking a lower salary on in the latter stages of their career to get more championship runs out of their team, à la Duncan or Brady for example. It's not like he needs that stupendous amount of money anyway. AD will be in LA for the long run so letting him walk is not an option, he'll opt-out and then we'll tie him up long-term.

Like I said, don't think it'll happen but certainly possible. They didn't sign Giannis' brother to be a key player in this squad, no matter how hard they say they believe in him.
 
There's absolutely no way LeGM would do that again. He's hellbent on getting as close too or surpassing MJ in as many minds as possible. Adding Giannis wouldn't do anything for his legacy other than the free rings.

It'll be sad to see Giannis chump out really, because it'll probably happen - their window is shrinking - but if he doesn't do it while everyone else is happy to do it in the modern game then he'll just get the flack either way.
 
To be fair, with the Lakers, anything is possible. They are one of the NBA's (and north american sports') storied franchises.
 
I feel like people are dismissing Houston a little too easily. If Westbrook just played competently then they go close to winning yesterday. I think Lakers will get through but it'll be tough and in 7 games.
 
ZDwyr said:
I feel like people are dismissing Houston a little too easily. If Westbrook just played competently then they go close to winning yesterday. I think Lakers will get through but it'll be tough and in 7 games.
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Seriously, NBA fans are the most knee-jerk fans of any sport, a team/player can go from best to worst in 2 games in their eyes, when the Rockets went 1-0 they were like no way the Lakers can keep up with the Rockets, now it's no way the Rockets can take the series, it's a hollow conversation.
 
RobinLFC said:
Bron just needs to go from $43m to $34m in order to make it happen. He can even go lower than that to free up more cap space - I think he had to forego $15m or so to join Wade and Bosh in Miami so not out of the realm of possibilities if he really wants another championship run. Plenty of examples of star players taking a lower salary on in the latter stages of their career to get more championship runs out of their team, à la Duncan or Brady for example. It's not like he needs that stupendous amount of money anyway. AD will be in LA for the long run so letting him walk is not an option, he'll opt-out and then we'll tie him up long-term.

Like I said, don't think it'll happen but certainly possible. They didn't sign Giannis' brother to be a key player in this squad, no matter how hard they say they believe in him.
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I don’t think LeBron decreasing his salary by $9m would do it. Cap will not go up significantly and AD will sign max.
 
Lakers fans think everyone can and will go there just because Lakers. Cap doesn't matter.
 
ZDwyr said:
Lakers fans think everyone can and will go there just because Lakers. Cap doesn't matter.
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Even though I just explained how we could make it work with the cap? :lol:

Sarni said:
I don’t think LeBron decreasing his salary by $9m would do it. Cap will not go up significantly and AD will sign max.
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Projected to be at around $115m I think? I read that if he decreases it with $9m we'd be able to have AD, LeBron, Giannis and his brother on the roster :lol:

I don't think it'll happen, but I do think it's certainly crossed Giannis' mind to play for the Lakers with his brothers (re: his comment at the All-Star break "Milwauke... LA... Wherever").
 
RobinLFC said:
Even though I just explained how we could make it work with the cap? :lol:


Projected to be at around $115m I think? I read that if he decreases it with $9m we'd be able to have AD, LeBron, Giannis and his brother on the roster :lol:

I don't think it'll happen, but I do think it's certainly crossed Giannis' mind to play for the Lakers with his brothers (re: his comment at the All-Star break "Milwauke... LA... Wherever").
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Isn't AD's contract up this or the next summer?
 
Fracture90 said:
Isn't AD's contract up this or the next summer?
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He'll become a FA this summer, but is expected to re-sign. We offered him a 4-year, $146m deal in January which he turned down but it's believed to be purely procedural so we can offer him a 5-year, $200m deal after this season.

So he as well might accept less money if it means we could land Giannis, but give it's his first max contract I don't expect him to, whereas I can see James doing it if landing Giannis is a real possibility in that case.
 
RobinLFC said:
He'll become a FA this summer, but is expected to re-sign. We offered him a 4-year, $146m deal in January which he turned down but it's believed to be purely procedural so we can offer him a 5-year, $200m deal after this season.

So he as well might accept less money if it means we could land Giannis, but give it's his first max contract I don't expect him to, whereas I can see James doing it if landing Giannis is a real possibility in that case.
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Same AD who took that $3m bonus last summer even though it directly impacted Lakers ability to sign FA's? That Davis is going to accept less money in order for LAL to bring Giannis? Both of them would need to accept a lot less money in order not to be forced to fill in the roster with vet minimum and undrafted contracts.

Even if that happens, there's the issue of actually fitting those three players in the same team.
 
Fracture90 said:
Same AD who took that $3m bonus last summer even though it directly impacted Lakers ability to sign FA's? That Davis is going to accept less money in order for LAL to bring Giannis? Both of them would need to accept a lot less money in order not to be forced to fill in the roster with vet minimum and undrafted contracts.

Even if that happens, there's the issue of actually fitting those three players in the same team.
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Like I said I don't expect AD to sign anything less than the max. LeBron might. I'd say we have a less than 5% chance to sign Giannis.

But signing with Miami would just be.. meh imo.
 
RobinLFC said:
Like I said I don't expect AD to sign anything less than the max. LeBron might. I'd say we have a less than 5% chance to sign Giannis.

But signing with Miami would just be.. meh imo.
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I don't think the math works if AD signs max.

Giannis would probably end up in Miami, IMO. They have a good roster and a nice blend of experience and youth.

Not much competition otherwise. Lakers is a no - no with the cap space and Dubs would be better off chasing Jojo, who they have a bigger chance attracting.
 
RobinLFC said:
Like I said I don't expect AD to sign anything less than the max. LeBron might. I'd say we have a less than 5% chance to sign Giannis.

But signing with Miami would just be.. meh imo.
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For what is worth, i don't think he'll sign with the Heat, that is if he at all decides to leave the Bucks. All the noise is suggesting he's happy to stay there, something he himself has alluded to.

But on the off chance he does indeed decide to leave them as a FA, i doubt he'll choose to stay in the East.
 
Enigma_87 said:
I don't think the math works if AD signs max.

Giannis would probably end up in Miami, IMO. They have a good roster and a nice blend of experience and youth.

Not much competition otherwise. Lakers is a no - no with the cap space and Dubs would be better off chasing Jojo, who they have a bigger chance attracting.
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Thing about Dubs, sure they've got #2 pick (but this year's draft isn't as good as the previous years) and let's say maybe Paschall who's got some value. People keep bringing Wiggins, but he's got a negative value if anything considering how he played last few seasons and how preposterous his contact is. Just don't see how they're going to land Embiid without including Klay or Curry in that conversation.

On the off chance he decides to leave Bucks as a FA, Boston can just as easily make it work and are as good of a destination as any. Especially if they don't keep Hayward.
 
Maybe Bucks will fire their coach and add someone to help Giannis although they're already in a good spot. How good is their cap space?
 
Fracture90 said:
Thing about Dubs, sure they've got #2 pick (but this year's draft isn't as good as the previous years) and let's say maybe Paschall who's got some value. People keep bringing Wiggins, but he's got a negative value if anything considering how he played last few seasons and how preposterous his contact is. Just don't see how they're going to land Embiid without including Klay or Curry in that conversation.

On the off chance he decides to leave Bucks as a FA, Boston can just as easily make it work and are as good of a destination as any. Especially if they don't keep Hayward.
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Dubs also have the Timberwolves 2021 first-round pick and much like GIannis, Embiid would get frustrated at some point without a shot at championship title. You are right about Wiggins of course(don't think they will include Paschall, but if they do want him bad it would make sense). 2 First round picks, Wiggins (has to be included because of cap space) and Paschall would make it as an enticing prospect, considering they also have Simmons.

Sixers lack PG and 3 point shooters, and in this draft getting LaMello would be an enticing prospect as he ticks many boxes and is a future possible franchise player.

Boston and Houston are generally viable destinations for Giannis, but to me Adebayo, Giannis, Buttler alongside another quality player as Dragic is probably going to be waved.

Early days of course, but if Miami land Giannis it could become a dynasty as they have a lot of free cap space in the coming years.
 
Enigma_87 said:
Dubs also have the Timberwolves 2021 first-round pick and much like GIannis, Embiid would get frustrated at some point without a shot at championship title. You are right about Wiggins of course(don't think they will include Paschall, but if they do want him bad it would make sense). 2 First round picks, Wiggins (has to be included because of cap space) and Paschall would make it as an enticing prospect, considering they also have Simmons.

Sixers lack PG and 3 point shooters, and in this draft getting LaMello would be an enticing prospect as he ticks many boxes and is a future possible franchise player.

Boston and Houston are generally viable destinations for Giannis, but to me Adebayo, Giannis, Buttler alongside another quality player as Dragic is probably going to be waved.

Early days of course, but if Miami land Giannis it could become a dynasty as they have a lot of free cap space in the coming years.
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True, I've forgotten about that Wolves first, but dont think that pick will have that much value considering they have paired up KAT with Russell for the next season on top of the this year's first pick.
 
RobinLFC said:
Bron just needs to go from $43m to $34m in order to make it happen. He can even go lower than that to free up more cap space - I think he had to forego $15m or so to join Wade and Bosh in Miami so not out of the realm of possibilities if he really wants another championship run. Plenty of examples of star players taking a lower salary on in the latter stages of their career to get more championship runs out of their team, à la Duncan or Brady for example. It's not like he needs that stupendous amount of money anyway. AD will be in LA for the long run so letting him walk is not an option, he'll opt-out and then we'll tie him up long-term.

Like I said, don't think it'll happen but certainly possible. They didn't sign Giannis' brother to be a key player in this squad, no matter how hard they say they believe in him.
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Just look at it in terms of percentages of the cap to make it easier to see how it's not going to work.

AD is getting minimum 30% of the salary cap while Giannis is getting the full 35% of it.

That leaves the Lakers with at most 35% of the cap to sign LeBron and 9 other vet's minimum players / rookies to round up the roster. Assuming LeBron takes a pay cut to 34m, that's still around 28% of the cap.

The roster depth is basically fecked.
 
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Enigma_87 said:
Dubs also have the Timberwolves 2021 first-round pick and much like GIannis, Embiid would get frustrated at some point without a shot at championship title. You are right about Wiggins of course(don't think they will include Paschall, but if they do want him bad it would make sense). 2 First round picks, Wiggins (has to be included because of cap space) and Paschall would make it as an enticing prospect, considering they also have Simmons.

Sixers lack PG and 3 point shooters, and in this draft getting LaMello would be an enticing prospect as he ticks many boxes and is a future possible franchise player.

Boston and Houston are generally viable destinations for Giannis, but to me Adebayo, Giannis, Buttler alongside another quality player as Dragic is probably going to be waved.

Early days of course, but if Miami land Giannis it could become a dynasty as they have a lot of free cap space in the coming years.
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He's an UFA this summer and he's averaging 16/6/3 off the bench...

He'll most probably be back on a team friendly deal for a championship run.
 
elmo said:
AD is getting minimum 30% of the salary cap while Giannis is getting the full 35% of it.

That leaves the Lakers with at most 35% of the cap to sign LeBron and 9 other vet's minimum players / rookies to round up the roster.

LeBron ain't leaving that much money on the table when he qualifies for another huge contract, the over 38 rule was basically made for him and CP3. He'll get near max money for as many years as he can get.
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Depends on his mindset and I really believe that. He left plenty of money on the table to join Miami and go for his rings. I think he's desperate for another one with the Lakers, would be iconic. That's the part that's easy to believe imo, but indeed to sign a whole roster besides AD, Giannis and LeBron would probably be too much to ask - not that you need a great team if you already have those three, and I think plenty of players would be willing to play on a minimum deal alongside them.
 
RobinLFC said:
Depends on his mindset and I really believe that. He left plenty of money on the table to join Miami and go for his rings. I think he's desperate for another one with the Lakers, would be iconic. That's the part that's easy to believe imo, but indeed to sign a whole roster besides AD, Giannis and LeBron would probably be too much to ask - not that you need a great team if you already have those three, and I think plenty of players would be willing to play on a minimum deal alongside them.
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Right, just like how the Lakers managed to find so many shooters who's willing to take the minimum deal to play with LeBron this year.
 
elmo said:
Right, just like how the Lakers managed to find so many shooters who's willing to take the minimum deal to play with LeBron this year.
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They just surrounded him with the wrong ones.
 
elmo said:
Right, just like how the Lakers managed to find so many shooters who's willing to take the minimum deal to play with LeBron this year.
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I'm sure Lakers would've made a better roster around LeBron this year if they didn't wait for Kawhi. By the time he made his decisio most of the free agents were gone and Lakers were in a hole.
 
RobinLFC said:
Even though I just explained how we could make it work with the cap? :lol:


Projected to be at around $115m I think? I read that if he decreases it with $9m we'd be able to have AD, LeBron, Giannis and his brother on the roster :lol:

I don't think it'll happen, but I do think it's certainly crossed Giannis' mind to play for the Lakers with his brothers (re: his comment at the All-Star break "Milwauke... LA... Wherever").
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His brothers won't even play. I don't think that's going to be a factor at all. They already have his brother on Bucks roster.

Very much doubt cap is going to be $115m.
 
Respect to Nuggets. They are a lot more competitive than I thought they would be against this Clippers team. Still think it will end in 6 at most but won't be hugely shocked if Nuggets tie the series tomorrow. They are playing well.
 
Sarni said:
His brothers won't even play. I don't think that's going to be a factor at all. They already have his brother on Bucks roster.

Very much doubt cap is going to be $115m.
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Probably going to end up nearer to $95m in reality especially if arenas still aren't allowed to have fans.
 
Yeah, Nuggets are playing brilliant defense (tbf they are doing well on both sides of the court) and answering fully in terms of intensity. The last night game could have easily gone to Nuggets if they made one or two shots at the end. Also, not sure what happened with Harrell, but he become pretty much useless during these playoffs.

Said I expect an upset and Nuggets in 7. I still think it will go at least to game 7.
 
Sarni said:
Respect to Nuggets. They are a lot more competitive than I thought they would be against this Clippers team. Still think it will end in 6 at most but won't be hugely shocked if Nuggets tie the series tomorrow. They are playing well.
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I'm backing the Nuggets.

Jokic is the funnest player to watch right now and I'll take any extra games we get to watch him do his stuff on the court.
 
Jim Beam said:
Yeah, Nuggets are playing brilliant defense (tbf they are doing well on both sides of the court) and answering fully in terms of intensity. The last night game could have easily gone to Nuggets if they made one or two shots at the end. Also, not sure what happened with Harrell, but he become pretty much useless during these playoffs.

Said I expect an upset and Nuggets in 7. I still think it will go at least to game 7.
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Harrell is probably still grieving over his Grandma's death
 
elmo said:
I'm backing the Nuggets.

Jokic is the funnest player to watch right now and I'll take any extra games we get to watch him do his stuff on the court.
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Backing Nuggets to win the series? I’d like that but I doubt it.
 
elmo said:
I'm backing the Nuggets.

Jokic is the funnest player to watch right now and I'll take any extra games we get to watch him do his stuff on the court.
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Murray will have to step up though and probably one of Grant/MPJ.

They can't guard Jokic, but when he's finding his open teammates out of double team, they gotta make shots. Encouraging thing is that they were in it till the last few possessions last night despite Clippers playing great.

Also there's the issue of Nuggets not getting calls, last night they had 10 FT's against Clippers' 26, despite outscoring the Clippers in the paint by 20 pts. Also NBA wants Clippers vs. Lakers in the WCF.
 
Honestly I see it the opposite, this was the chance for the nuggets to make it a series, they just needed Murray to hit something, and they would have won. Don't think they'll get another big game like this from Porter and the rest of the team and even Jokic and Murray combining for 60 over the rest of the series won't be enough for 3 wins.
 
giorno said:
Honestly I see it the opposite, this was the chance for the nuggets to make it a series, they just needed Murray to hit something, and they would have won. Don't think they'll get another big game like this from Porter and the rest of the team and even Jokic and Murray combining for 60 over the rest of the series won't be enough for 3 wins.
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You're probably right, but then again both teams are inconsistent.
 
Heat-Bucks has been exciting, tense stuff so far. A defensive showpiece from both teams. For the later game, I am excited to see how Houston adjusts after getting out worked and out thought last game.
 
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