OTHER SPORTS DISCUSSION Thread

Personally, for me it's one thing to add Lawson as a short term guy that can bridge you to Russell's 3rd year - when Russell should be turning the corner physically and becoming a star, but another thing entirely to say you're gonna pass on Russell because of Lawson and turn the keys over to Lawson as a franchise player. I know I wouldn't be comfortable with the former.

 

That wasn't what I was saying.

Given what you have seen from Russell, would you have picked Okafor as your 2 pick franchise guy. Then you could have picked up Ty instead as your PG until a FA like Westbrook is a possibility. Clarkson could fit in at SG. We'd still be able to get Bass and Lou Williams. Kobe and Randle could fit into the SF (many say Randle might be a better fit at SF). Wouldn't need Hibbert because of Okafor, and you have a much easier time making a basketball presentation to Aldridge that this Laker team is built much better for the present and the foreseeable future.

 

What do you mean " given what you have seen from Russell "? As in his summer league performance? You aren't 2nd guessing the Russell pick because of this summer league stuff are you?

Also, picking up Lawson isn't as easy as you're making it seem. Denver is looking to trade him, so there's that...they control where he goes and when he goes, so how do you sell Aldridge on what's not there? This DUI happened what?...A week after Aldridge picked the Spurs? That's just going too far up the water spout for me.

And then the Spurs are still the Spurs and would still be a better winning situation even if you moved Lawson's DUI to June and fit all the rest of that together.

 

So let me ask you, would you feel better, hypothetically, if Russell was hitting 20 points a game, 10 assists and 2 TO, rather than 10 points with 7-8 TO and less assists than TO's

Or would you feel better with a center averaging 18 points and 10 rebounds in summer league.

Or are you 100% okay with the fact that Russell is struuuuuugling in summer league. Quite confident?

I recall a lot of Laker fans saying, when we got Dwight, Nash, still had Pau and a healthy Kobe, that their pre-season ineptitude was nothing. "Don't worry"...."It's just pre-season"...."They'll get it right when it counts."....."We're all worriers."......(in my best Allen Iverson voice) "We're talking about pre-season.....not a real game.....pre-season"

Remember that?

Well pre-season proved to be a pretty good indicator how badly the team played together. It was a sign that everyone refused to believe.

Don't get me wrong, I REALLY want Russell to be a star, and I did not expect Magic Johnson to walk in the door, but for the 2nd overall pick, I didn't expect a "project" either.

Summer league ain't what it used to be. Some teams use their regular coaches (ie Knicks). You also have to realize that the Laker team, more than any other, is playing their entire future together on these teams. Clarkson, Randle, Russell, Lance, Brown. These guys are our stated future, not Hibbert, Lou or Bass. If Russell is struggling with them now, against other scrubs on other teams, with 10 fouls to commit each.....then Id be worried. Wouldn't you?

Summer league is now used extensively to get these guys in shape, help them to work with each other, AND to see if they got and paid for the right skill sets. Let me tell you, Russell needs A LOT of work, and he better put in the time....like sweating blood time....cause the entire franchise's near term future, including the ability to attract FAs in 2016 and 2017 depends on his play. We gave up a sure thing in Okafor, and maybe a better fit if we wanted Aldridge, to get Russell.

I wouldn't brush off all that we've seen in summer league so nonchalantly.

 

Search " Josh Selby/NBA summer league " and get back to me. I've been pretty clear on this summer league topic.

Not really, but I'm sure that throughout one of the biggest fanbases in all of sports that there were some who said that.

However, if some did say such it doesn't mean that the next time you see exhibition games that you need to rifle through box scores. Listen to fans at your own risk.

So I take it that you didn't see much of Russell in college. It's pretty well known that he's not explosive athletically and that he's one year removed from high school and now transitioning to the most sophisticated position in basketball on the NBA level.

Skills-wise...Russell is ready. He can shoot it, pass it, handle it, read, etc.

Physically...he is not ready. And that shouldn't be a surprise. Again, he's one year removed from high school and not gifted athletically like a Mudiay. Russell needs work in the NBA's strengthening/conditioning program and that was well known before the summer league, my man. It's all about expectations.

No, because they're young kids trying to learn a system in a setting that's not conducive to spacing, they're learning defensive rotations, trying to build chemistry with new teammates, etc. You act like these dudes have been playing together for years. They've been together for a couple weeks, bruh.

You know who won the summer league title last year? Sacramento. Calm down.

 

BTW, gotdamn that was a long ass answer to a single question. But no, Okafor's summer league doesn't make me think he would've enticed Aldridge to sign. Not only are you moving Lawson's DUI up 2-3 weeks, but you're also forgetting that LVSL started after Aldridge signed with the Spurs. Aldridge is 30...are you also turning Aldridge into a 25yr old in your scenario?

 

Geez, you still don't get it do you? Josh Selby is being used as an example of what?

Was he the 2nd overall pick of anyone? Was he touted to be THE answer to the Lakers glorious comeback? I couldn't care less about Josh Shelby because he's not, and was not, anything close to the hype the Russell pick brought, but nice try with the straw man argument.

And all that pre-season ignorance...maybe you should Google that and come back. Lots of us here go Waaaaaaaay back to the ESPN boards where that talk was rampant. And I've watched enough basketball in my 40+ years, and especially Laker ball to know when someone is not stepping up to his potential.

Let me reiterate this since it seems hard to understand......he's the 2nd overall pick of the Lakers and the supposed backbone of what the team is going to be. If he can't step up in summer league, how many excuses will YOU give him?

I am worried about this. Today he shot 10/20, but only had 1 assist and 3 TO. He's our PG of the future?!? He better start showing stuff in preseason.....or will that not matter to you then?

I don't care if the Laker summer team "wins" anything. Nothing I said said the team has to win the summer league championship. But the "savior" should look more polished than I have seen him.

Instead of tweeting Bentley pictures or hanging out with that idiot Mayweather, he should be hitting the gym to build up that "not physically ready" body of his.

No one is panicking but no one should not be concerned either just because it's "only" summer ball.

 

Excuses? You obviously thought D'angelo Russell was Russell Westbrook-like or something. Breaking news...they only have names in common.

2nd pick or not, there are dudes who light up the summer league every year and are never heard from again. That's the point of bringing up a Josh Selby. You're a dude who just compared long time vets Dwight/Nash/Kobe's struggles in the pre-season together to the struggles of college kids/2nd year players in the pre-pre-pre-pre-pre season, so save all the " reiteration ". If you're gonna reiterate anything, you should focus on reiterating that wacky scenario where an Okafor selection means they land Aldridge.

You have the wrong idea. The summer league does matter...you just need to know what to look for. Box scores are not it. Explosiveness, for example: Randle's 1st step. You want to see flashes of what makes them who they are on the floor, individually.

BTW, Even if you are quoting someone else, all this " savior " talk only makes you look like you can't think for yourself or that you yourself didn't do your homework on the player.

Lmao Now, I definitely know you're on some ridiculousness. You need a radio show or something.

 

Summer league is a bunch of guys trying to make teams which leads to sloppy uneven play and in no way is an indicator of things to come. Russell is a rookie trying too hard simple as that, we drafted the right guy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Staying away from Lawson is the most prudent thing to do, 2 DUI's in 6 months from a guy who can afford a limo or a taxi is a RED FLAG. As for LaMarcus there was NO WAY on God's green earth he was going to sign here!!!! Get over it!!!!!!!!! No state income tax/going home/being on title favorite/Popovich. In this case 4 strikes and we are out.

 

I think sleepy Floyd is b2b in disguise.

 

I sort of assumed he was considering he started posting when B2b disappeared.

 

Nah, don't bother, there has been worse on this board.

 

That's because it's not a disguise at all.

Was I supposed to put up a " I've changed screen names thread " or something? Lol

Irish knows and I'm sure a few others have known for however long it's been.

 

Somewhat. It's also a place where drop dead scorers have the best shot at shining because structure in general is shaky out there with all the unfamiliarity. Russell's game is team oriented for the most part. He's out there trying to be that team guy in the summer league ( which is what he should do because he's a lead guard and needs to establish rapport with his guys ), but that's a tough task because, again, chemistry's not high and structure/spacing is difficult to come by when you're not all that familiar with teammates/coaches/the system. These are the same things that are going to allow him to flourish ahead of an Andrew Bynum's timeline, though. The game itself will open up in the reg-season and that'll be more conducive to his style. He's ready skill-wise and that'll play well enough until a couple years down the line when he's a little more ready physically.

It also needs to be said that the Princeton offense is moreso a developmental offense for Randle...it's going to serve to make Randle a better passer..hopefully. His ability to break defenses down and get to the basket is gonna give his teammates lanes to cut in the early offensive sets...he needs to improve his feel, keep his head up, and make those passes.

Anyway, sadly, some have obviously allowed the hype of the Lakers being the main attraction at the summer league to take them to this place of panic. It's reminiscent of others here losing their shit when the Lakers were missing on Aldridge, Monroe, etc. in free agency. Expectations need tweaking is all. You've got dudes following D.Russell on Twitter, demanding that he stop tweeting pictures of cars and that he get in the weight room and all this other ridiculousness. smh Everybody's Stephen A. Smith now. Lol

 

No, not exactly, b2b uses "lol" multiple times in just about every post. I haven't seen that from 'sleepy'.

 

Oops, there it is.