Blaming Westbrook for OKC's shortcomings is not what I'm doing though..I'm saying he had to have been frustrating to play with and the idea of playing with a more unselfish crew had to have been an easy decision. OKC's shortcomings, their cheap-ass ownership can be blamed for that because it was them who cheaped out instead of paying Harden to keep that Big 3 together, so I don't know how one roots for them to keep Durant or for Durant to return to that bullshit. It's the same thing LeBron took Gilbert to task for.." pay the tax, bitch. " You don't trade James Harden because he's so good that you now have to pay him like an all-star. You may say that " without Klay's explosion OKC is in the Finals "..somebody else may say " if Curry is healthy, GSW doesn't have to come back from 3-1 to win..they cruise over OKC. " You can't run down all of OKC's past injuries and gloss over Curry's injury from last year, Bogut's injury from last year, and Iguodala dealing with his back injury last year. This GSW team caught better breaks all around this year. None of those guys you named had the opportunity, faced similar circumstances, so none of them matter. At the end of the day Durant is going down as the best player on championship teams..how it happened was a result of NBA rules, both free agency and the fact that players of his stature are essentially locked into a singular location for the first 6-7 years of their career.
Mark Medina✔@MarkG_Medina Lakers are finalizing details in bringing Lonzo Ball in for a second workout. It appears likely Markelle Fultz will have one, too. 7:16 PM - 13 Jun 2017
2017 NBA Draft Rumors: Lakers ‘split’ over whether to draft Lonzo Ball or Josh Jackson The team doesn’t have much time left to make a decision. by Harrison Faigen@hmfaigen Jun 14, 2017, 12:31am PDT The Los Angeles Lakers surprised everyone when they brought Kansas one-and-done wing Josh Jackson back for a quickly scheduled second private workout following 24-hours of rumors overwhether or not they had promised to take him second overall in the 2017 NBA Draft. News quickly followed that the Lakers would be bringing UCLA guard Lonzo Ball — who was previously the odds-on favorite to be selected by the Lakers — back for a second workout with the team. It turns out these flurry of workouts aren’t a coincidence, but rather appear to be a larger, last-ditch effort by the Lakers to figure out which player they ultimately want to stake their future on. Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times reports that “the Lakers are split over whether to use their No. 2 pick in the NBA draft on Ball or Jackson,” and that the team has “been having a healthy debate on which course to take because they are intrigued by the talents of both players.” With all of the smoke over the last few days, it’s clear that the Lakers are at a fork in the road (or are just going to insane lengths to make us think they are). Down one path is a commitment to a versatile wing pairing of Jackson and Brandon Ingram that the former said could be “really special,” and from the defensive switchability, athleticism and endless waves of length to come at opponents the two could offer it’s easy to see why. Down the other road is a Ball-D’Angelo Russell backcourt full of shooting, ballhandling, off-ball skills, space and speed in transition, with more funky passes than even a 2016-17 Lakers big man can possibly drop. Ball himself feels like he and Russell could complement each other well. The key thing to remember here is that there really doesn’t appear to be a bad option for the Lakers. They have the second overall pick in an absolutely loaded draft, with at least two players worthy of selection. Whichever way the Lakers go will ultimately reveal a lot about how they want their team to look, but likely doesn’t change the direction. They want to go up, and either of these players can help take them there.
Wonder what players he'd try to team up with? I can't see him leaving Cleveland again, but I never saw him leaving Cleveland the first time.
Probably the guy who's been basically banging down LAL's door for the last few months. But if LAL wants to sign both LeBron and George they'll have to clear some cap space/find ways to move Deng and Mozgov to clear as much space as possible. There won't be any significant jump in the NBA's salary cap next season, barely one at all
Not sure who would be happier if LeBron came to the Lakers. Lakers fans or fans of teams in the East.
LAL fans, not even close. A good deal of fans of teams in the east would still find some hate since it's Lakers/LeBron and so many fans hate the Lakers and LeBron.
Nobody's fault but his own Should've never let Phil drive him from his post with LAL in the 1st place
I blame Jeannie and her triangle. Phil was obsessed with that triangle. And Jeannie let him play it the whole time.
yeah i don't see how you can blame West when the numbers were against him if you don't feel valued or wanted your choices are limited and Jerry was never going to hide in the shadows like a bkitch
Los Angeles LakersVerified account@Lakers 7m7 minutes ago Working out for the #LakeShow today, @UW_MBB guard Markelle Fultz
@PHLSixersNation According to a source, the Lakers want to come away from this draft with Jackson, and Ball. They have offered D'Angelo Russell for pick #3. Probably as reliable as any of us. It is an interesting idea though...I'd rather put Russell at the 2 and draft a PG than go that route tho
Liked for the trade idea/attempt. Lonzo has more defensive upside than D'angelo. And I believe this could very well happen, as D'angelo and Ben Simmons were high school teammates and could link back up with Philly. Makes a lot of sense.
The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly remain active in their efforts to shop the second overall pick ahead of the 2017 NBA draft on June 22. On Thursday, Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times reported a source said the Lakers are "taking and making calls about trading the pick." Although the mainstream discussion immediately following the draft lottery made UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball seem like a lock for L.A., the front office has never backed up that sentiment. In May, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said the team would explore the idea of trading the pick, but noted the price tag would be sky high, perMark Medinaof theLos Angeles Daily News. "The probabilities are quite low at the one or two [draft spots]," Pelinka said. "That doesn't mean we don't explore it. But this pick has extraordinary value." The Paul George rumor mill is never going to stop churning. Until he recommits to the Indiana Pacers or puts on a different jersey, people are going to keep reporting, speculating and tweeting about his next destination. The latest update comes from Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, who tweeted that there is “no sense of [George] being shopped let alone dealt” on the night of the 2017 NBA Draft.
