Re: Paul George Describes Interest In Lakers As 'Overstated'

[RealGM Wiretap]

Paul George clarified his position on the possibility of joining the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent in 2018.

“I grew up a Lakers and a Clippers fan,” George says. “I idolized Kobe. There will always be a tie here, a connection here. People saying I want to come here, who doesn’t want to play for their hometown? That’s a dream come true, if you’re a kid growing up on the outskirts of L.A., to be the man in your city. But it’s definitely been overstated. For me, it’s all about winning. I want to be in a good system, a good team. I want a shot to win it. I’m not a stats guy. I’m playing this game to win and build a legacy of winning. I’ve yet to do that. I’m searching for it. If we get a killer season in Oklahoma, we make the conference finals or upset the Warriors or do something crazy, I’d be dumb to want to leave that.”

The Lakers are building around Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and cap space.

“It’s too early for L.A.,” he says. “It would have to be a situation where the ball gets rolling and guys are hopping on. This guy commits, that guy commits. ‘Oh s---, now there’s a team forming.’ It has to be like that.” 

George is optimistic about what he and Russell Westbrook can build with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

“I’m in OKC, so hopefully me and Russ do a good enough job and make it to the conference finals and love the situation, why not recruit someone to come build it with us? I’m open in this whole process.”

Via Lee Jenkins/Sports Illustrated

[Bobalob]

Dude is a f**boy, plain n simple. Wishy washy, not a leader, double talks.

Dan Dakich summed him up perfectly:

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[Jeff Van Gully]

what's understated is his interest in that supermax.

[IWishIWasHarden]

It was a big mistake for Melo not to choose the Rockets a couple of years ago. Paul George not choosing the Rockets is also a tragedy. What could have been. He's the perfect age.

[macNcheese3]

Very well said Paul. It seemed before that he didn't care about winning necessarily and going home was his main objective either way he answered it well.

[akula1488]

haha. Chance of beating the Warriors dynasty when they are all healthy? nill. Can they even beat the Rockets or Spurs? Not likely.
He is gone for sure.

[ontnut]

So basically, if a bunch of stars go to LA first, he'll hop on the bandwagon. Otherwise, he'll ride someone else's coattails for a while.

[Pickled Prunes]

Very well said Paul. It seemed before that he didn't care about winning necessarily and going home was his main objective either way he answered it well.

His frustration with Indi stemmed from losing. Their once promising team had disintegrated into a rebuild, largely because of uncertainty after PG was injured. He worked hard to come back only to find himself on a Pacers team destined to remain in the middle of the pack in the lesser conference. His frustration was warranted and people tend to overstate things when they're frustrated.

[KrazyP]

The Celtics really goofed up hard in having all those assets and missing out on both Paul George and Jimmy Butler. They are still in a good position but Ainge is highly overrated as a GM.

Looking forward to seeing what Westbook-george can do next season.

[bulls4ever]

This is simple .. Lebron recruited him to join him in Los Angeles. Lebron may now have changed his mind about joining Lakers or someone else that might have joined with LeBron has not committed yet.

His desire to go to Lakers sure had to do with some players talk about making a super team in Lakers. Its a home run for them: Market, history and more important.. cap.

There is something genuine on his statement: he wants to be in a super team. If it happens that OKC becomes a title contender, then why leaving?

[The Real Dalic]

This is a lie. He's pretty much saying that the Thunder need to at least make the WCF if they wanna keep him (I believe this is true). However, I don't think he cares about winning or if it's too early to go back to L.A. No matter how poorly Ball plays and how bad the Lakers lose, if the Thunder don't make it as far as he likes, he'll be a Laker. That's the annoying thing, he could've just kept his mouth shut because everyone knows his intentions. He's still my 3rd favorite player though.

[Rek]

So basically, if a bunch of stars go to LA first, he'll hop on the bandwagon. Otherwise, he'll ride someone else's coattails for a while.

Not hardly. Easily one of the best 2 way players in the game. That doesn't change that it takes multiple elite talents to compete for titles, especially with Golden State stacked out right now. What do people expect these players to do? Not bother trying to win a championship?

[ontnut]

So basically, if a bunch of stars go to LA first, he'll hop on the bandwagon. Otherwise, he'll ride someone else's coattails for a while.

Not hardly. Easily one of the best 2 way players in the game. That doesn't change that it takes multiple elite talents to compete for titles, especially with Golden State stacked out right now. What do people expect these players to do? Not bother trying to win a championship?

Someone has to take the first step, and PG doesn't want to be it. He'd rather wait for someone else to put together the ideal situation so he can pretend to be KD joining the Warriors. That's literally his dream. That's not something you expect of a leader. He's clearly a 3rd banana type at this point.

Also, he grew up a fan of the Clippers? Yeah, ok buddy. Sure you did.

[IAMZOOTED]

So basically, if a bunch of stars go to LA first, he'll hop on the bandwagon. Otherwise, he'll ride someone else's coattails for a while.

Not hardly. Easily one of the best 2 way players in the game. That doesn't change that it takes multiple elite talents to compete for titles, especially with Golden State stacked out right now. What do people expect these players to do? Not bother trying to win a championship?

Someone has to take the first step, and PG doesn't want to be it. He'd rather wait for someone else to put together the ideal situation so he can pretend to be KD joining the Warriors. That's literally his dream. That's not something you expect of a leader. He's clearly a 3rd banana type at this point.

Also, he grew up a fan of the Clippers? Yeah, ok buddy. Sure you did.

Brook Lopez will probably be gone next year, so there best player will probably be Brandon Ingram or lonzo ball.. yeah most nba players would love to join that.

[PrecociousNeoph]

well, that is not what magic wants to hear.

[LAKESHOW]

He said he will stay if they beat the warriors. YES! That's a guarantee he's going to Hollywood!

[Sam195]

PG is starting a loyalty campaign to convince Presti and the Thunder not to trade him a 2nd time to the highest bidder as a rental before the trade deadline if this experiment with Russ doesn't pan out or produce the desired results. He is lakers bound but does not look like he has the personality to withstand boos from 3 different cities Indiana, OKC and a potential third team during his eventual road games as a laker.

PG's situation has much more similarity to the Dwightmare than it does with Lebron/KD. Like D12 - PG suffered a major injury and rehab stint before his trade - Dwight with his back and PG with his leg at the Team USA camp. Both D12 and PG did not get traded to their desired destinations despite making their request public - Dwight to Brooklyn and PG to LA. They both well in PG's case now will spend a season on a team and a city - PG in OKC and Dwight in LA that they never wanted to be in in the first place. They may even convince their desired location in Dwight's case - Brooklyn not to pursue them anymore or underperform like Dwight did in Houston at their next destination. Dwight early in his career with the magic looked like a first ballot hall of famer now he's an nba journeyman bouncing around between Atlanta and Charlotte.

[Hoopzilla]

So basically, if a bunch of stars go to LA first, he'll hop on the bandwagon. Otherwise, he'll ride someone else's coattails for a while.

I see PG saying if the Thunder make a good run, he'll stay. If not, the Lakers are not his only destination, he wants to win. If someone wants to join him in LA, sure, if not, he'll go to the best chance to win. I think he is just keeping all his options open and assuring Thunder fans that he will give them a shot to keep him. With all the reports that came out when Indiana was looking to move him, it is nice to hear his stance directly from his own mouth.

[xBulletproof]

Also, he grew up a fan of the Clippers? Yeah, ok buddy. Sure you did.

As a Pacers fan who has heard him speak since he was drafted, he has repeatedly said he grew up a Clippers fan. Said Lakers tickets were too expensive for his family and he only went to Clippers games.

Keep in mind, he was a 10-12 years old during the Maggette/ Odom/ Darius Miles/ Olowakandi group that had a ton of potential.

[macNcheese3]

Promoting Nate was a horrible move by Bird.