Cavs made a huge mistake and traded the wrong big man

[Michael Jackson]

Lauri better make the allstar game this year.

I vote for him daily but he probably gets picked by the coaches as a reserve or the commissioner as an injury replacement.

The game is in Utah ... he has to make it, just like Allen and Garland made it last year in Cleveland.

Lots of players are deserving, but the game in Utah has got to tip any doubt to Lauri.

I think that was the biggest Zach Lavine snub, when he didn't get the nod when it was in Chicago that year. He was pretty marginal that year but still had enough scoring and efficiency to consider it but I didn't really think he "deserved" it so to speak. It was pretty heavy with the guards in the west honestly with Mitchell and Booker, being somewhat similar comps at the time but in the east who gets bumped? Maybe Tatum at the time but he still showed better flashes...? Really it is all about getting paid he got his All-Star status and he got paid so no one is crying here.

Lauri really shouldn't be marginal IMHO though. He is the best player on a team that has over achieved. As said on the home court. He absolutely deserves it. Having followed the man from game one (and often angry and frustrated at him too!) I so hope he gets this. He absolutely deserves it and MIP potentially (lets see how the season goes) I also don't know that he is yet a perennial all-star either (he might be?) so for that reason too I hope he gets it on his resume this season which he deserves it for.

I never vote in this stuff except when I was a kid at baseball games... I did log on though just now and voted for Lauri. I did not vote for Austin Reaves though lol... WTF is that?

[JujitsuFlip]

Lauri better make the allstar game this year.

I vote for him daily but he probably gets picked by the coaches as a reserve or the commissioner as an injury replacement.

The game is in Utah ... he has to make it, just like Allen and Garland made it last year in Cleveland.

Lots of players are deserving, but the game in Utah has got to tip any doubt to Lauri.

I sure hope so! He's having a great year

[Michael Jackson]

I vote for him daily but he probably gets picked by the coaches as a reserve or the commissioner as an injury replacement.

The game is in Utah ... he has to make it, just like Allen and Garland made it last year in Cleveland.

Lots of players are deserving, but the game in Utah has got to tip any doubt to Lauri.

I sure hope so! He's having a great year

Agreed. The man deserves his ASG this year without a doubt.

[bradybunch]

All-star.

Lauri is for real.

[TheLand13]

Okay, I’m going to give the thread this.

At some point, I’m sure Altman wondered if somehow, someway, they could get Mitchell while still managing to keep his three franchise cornerstones and Lauri on top of it. I’m sure he made an argument for the Jazz to take Kevin Love instead, citing that they could just buy him out and go into full on tank mode.

(At least I hope. If that was never considered, shame on him for not trying that).

Whatever the case, it’s clear the Jazz wanted Lauri. But with that said, I can’t imagine how insane a starting five of Garland/Mitchell/Lauri/Mobley/Allen would be. That’s a team that would be almost impossible to matchup properly against. Three near seven footers that can guard out at the perimeter. Two guards who are scoring machines and can run the offense (one of whom can do it at an elite rate). Three floor spreaders, one of whom would be hard to guard out at the perimeter due to his height. And odds are, Love probably would have just came back to Cleveland the following season.

All we can do is wonder. And I’m happy with how this has turned out for Cleveland. But I do sometimes wonder.

[TacoLord]

The Jazz wanted some young players with potential in the trade, plus a few years of control. Sexton (with the extension), Agbaji and Lauri all fit the bill, whereas Kevin Love or Levert do not and are simply dead/wasted money to them. The Jazz have no use for those guys, they know they are in a multi-year tank mode right now, so good for Ainge on sticking to the plan and maximizing his lotto tickets. I would not be the least bit surprised to see him trade Lauri or anyone else on the roster for younger or future assets, becuase that's the practical future of the Jazz.

The Jazz are so far away from competing again, they need to be looking 4+ years down the road, which is beyond Lauri's current contract. He's a great player to have, but he's not a #1/2 option on a championship team. Maybe he could be a #3 in the right circumstances, and I would absolutely be telling teams that in trade talks if I'm Ainge, but I don't think that's going to happen. The Cavs knew they had at least 2 untouchable players, so they crafted the Mitchell trade to avoid moving any of them. They got a core 4 that looks great, but they still need a 3+D SF to really be a serious contender.

[JujitsuFlip]

The Jazz wanted some young players with potential in the trade, plus a few years of control. Sexton (with the extension), Agbaji and Lauri all fit the bill, whereas Kevin Love or Levert do not and are simply dead/wasted money to them. The Jazz have no use for those guys, they know they are in a multi-year tank mode right now, so good for Ainge on sticking to the plan and maximizing his lotto tickets. I would not be the least bit surprised to see him trade Lauri or anyone else on the roster for younger or future assets, becuase that's the practical future of the Jazz.

The Jazz are so far away from competing again, they need to be looking 4+ years down the road, which is beyond Lauri's current contract. He's a great player to have, but he's not a #1/2 option on a championship team. Maybe he could be a #3 in the right circumstances, and I would absolutely be telling teams that in trade talks if I'm Ainge, but I don't think that's going to happen. The Cavs knew they had at least 2 untouchable players, so they crafted the Mitchell trade to avoid moving any of them. They got a core 4 that looks great, but they still need a 3+D SF to really be a serious contender.

Ainge got everything he wanted in the trade and then some. Not how negotiations are supposed to work. He off the bat asked for 5 first rounders, the draft rights to a 6th first rounder, and 2 young guys on long term deals... I mean that is absurd.

However, last time Ainge ripped Koby off too, so he already knew he could get what he wanted when the phone calls were going back and forth.

[FranchisePlayer]

"Better version of Dirk. That is sure."

Read on Twitter

Still sure about that, axeman?

Lauri is playing great but Dirk was another level. He had these types of performances in the playoffs, multiple performances like that.

Lauri's career game doesn't rank in Dirk's top 10 career games, so yes, it's absurd to say he's a "better version of Dirk". Cmon now...

The proposition was "will develop to a better Dirk".

Sounds like you're now comparing Dirk's 21 season's to Lauri's 6. Be reasonable and be open to what may come. Lauri hasn't hit his prime yet.

[celticfan42487]

The game is in Utah ... he has to make it, just like Allen and Garland made it last year in Cleveland.

Lots of players are deserving, but the game in Utah has got to tip any doubt to Lauri.

I sure hope so! He's having a great year

Agreed. The man deserves his ASG this year without a doubt.

Read on Twitter

Idk about no doubt, 24.5 ppg 8 rebounds 2aspg is nice but these days... well I just watched OKC have 5 players put up over 20 points on my Celtics so points aren't what they used to be.

Looking at that fan voting for the Forwards spot the big miss is Sabonis who deserves it way more than Lauri.

Lebron, Jokic, Zion, and AD's stats have been insane but I could see the argument for injuries.


Lauri COULD be an all-star. But it would be Lauri knocking one of PG13 or AD. Not sure how Curry doesn't get knocked out for injuries this year though if AD does, seems a bit of a double standard there so I think AD is a lock.

So to me it really comes down to PG13 or Lauri. Of which I give PG13 a slight edge personally so far.

[Cubbies2120]

Read on Twitter

Still sure about that, axeman?

Lauri is playing great but Dirk was another level. He had these types of performances in the playoffs, multiple performances like that.

Lauri's career game doesn't rank in Dirk's top 10 career games, so yes, it's absurd to say he's a "better version of Dirk". Cmon now...

The proposition was "will develop to a better Dirk".

Sounds like you're now comparing Dirk's 21 season's to Lauri's 6. Be reasonable and be open to what may come. Lauri hasn't hit his prime yet.

He wrote:

Will Hardy develop him to better version of Dirk. That is sure.

So he's saying FOR SURE Markkanen will be a BETTER version of Dirk. You don't find this ridiculous?

Cmon man...Dirk is a legend and carried his team to one of the most unprobable rings of all time...lets see if Lauri can carry his team to the playoffs before we even start mentioning him in the same breath, let alone saying "he will develop into a BETTER version FOR SURE"...

[FranchisePlayer]

Lauri is playing great but Dirk was another level. He had these types of performances in the playoffs, multiple performances like that.

Lauri's career game doesn't rank in Dirk's top 10 career games, so yes, it's absurd to say he's a "better version of Dirk". Cmon now...

The proposition was "will develop to a better Dirk".

Sounds like you're now comparing Dirk's 21 season's to Lauri's 6. Be reasonable and be open to what may come. Lauri hasn't hit his prime yet.

He wrote:

Will Hardy develop him to better version of Dirk. That is sure.

So he's saying FOR SURE Markkanen will be a BETTER version of Dirk. You don't find this ridiculous?

Cmon man...Dirk is a legend and carried his team to one of the most unprobable rings of all time...lets see if Lauri can carry his team to the playoffs before we even start mentioning him in the same breath, let alone saying "he will develop into a BETTER version FOR SURE"...

I'm fairly certain he meant it as "Will Hardy develop him to better version of Dirk?" and he forgot to add the question mark or that's the way I took it. And grammatical errors would be explained by him not being native English speaker, I'd assume.

I find that he added some provocative spice to his original post. No need to get all wind up for that. I also would assume his intention was not to downplay Dirk, he's just super amped about Markkanen.

[Sunlight]

The proposition was "will develop to a better Dirk".

Sounds like you're now comparing Dirk's 21 season's to Lauri's 6. Be reasonable and be open to what may come. Lauri hasn't hit his prime yet.

He wrote:

Will Hardy develop him to better version of Dirk. That is sure.

So he's saying FOR SURE Markkanen will be a BETTER version of Dirk. You don't find this ridiculous?

Cmon man...Dirk is a legend and carried his team to one of the most unprobable rings of all time...lets see if Lauri can carry his team to the playoffs before we even start mentioning him in the same breath, let alone saying "he will develop into a BETTER version FOR SURE"...

I'm fairly certain he meant it as "Will Hardy develop him to better version of Dirk?" and he forgot to add the question mark or that's the way I took it. And grammatical errors would be explained by him not being native English speaker, I'd assume.

I find that he added some provocative spice to his original post. No need to get all wind up for that. I also would assume his intention was not to downplay Dirk, he's just super amped about Markkanen.

Dirk was one of my favorite player. He is still a better player than Lauri but i still stay what i said that Lauri would come some time better version of Dirk. That doesnt mean he will ever become a better player than Dirk. Better version, yes. That time i made this topic the situation with Lauri in Utah playing system was different. I was a little angry and wanted to raise the conversation because i was afraid that the same thing would happen to Lauri as in previous clubs. Right now his teammates have accept him to be clearly best player in their team. Yesterday coach Hardy came out with it in media. Didnt expect that things goes this way so quickly that Lauri is now first option by far.

[TacoLord]

The Jazz wanted some young players with potential in the trade, plus a few years of control. Sexton (with the extension), Agbaji and Lauri all fit the bill, whereas Kevin Love or Levert do not and are simply dead/wasted money to them. The Jazz have no use for those guys, they know they are in a multi-year tank mode right now, so good for Ainge on sticking to the plan and maximizing his lotto tickets. I would not be the least bit surprised to see him trade Lauri or anyone else on the roster for younger or future assets, becuase that's the practical future of the Jazz.

The Jazz are so far away from competing again, they need to be looking 4+ years down the road, which is beyond Lauri's current contract. He's a great player to have, but he's not a #1/2 option on a championship team. Maybe he could be a #3 in the right circumstances, and I would absolutely be telling teams that in trade talks if I'm Ainge, but I don't think that's going to happen. The Cavs knew they had at least 2 untouchable players, so they crafted the Mitchell trade to avoid moving any of them. They got a core 4 that looks great, but they still need a 3+D SF to really be a serious contender.

Ainge got everything he wanted in the trade and then some. Not how negotiations are supposed to work. He off the bat asked for 5 first rounders, the draft rights to a 6th first rounder, and 2 young guys on long term deals... I mean that is absurd.

However, last time Ainge ripped Koby off too, so he already knew he could get what he wanted when the phone calls were going back and forth.

lol at the way you frame this, must be some purple tinted glasses you got there.

The Cavs got Mitchell who is currently top 5-10 in the MVP rankings and easily a top 15 player in the league right now, someone they would never get in free agency. He's under contract for 3.5 more years, and just scored an incredible 71 points in a game earlier this week. Nothing the Jazz got from the Cavs will be worth anything close to what Mitchell is and will become as he continues to grow with the Cavs. They got the best player in the trade for a 3 late 1sts, 2 unlikely swaps, and some role players. The only way this turns out to be a fail for the Cavs is if they can't extend him, but I don't think that will be a problem if they offer him the max.

The Cavs have a great core and some awesome veteran leaders to help the younger guys develop, they have a very bright future. The Jazz future at this point depends on lotto tickets and the Twolves sucking.

[Memories]

Lauri simply has the greenlight. That’s it. He wouldn’t get that with the Cavs, especially with Mitchell, Garland and Mobley around. Not to mention Lauri’s lack of any defense whatsoever. So he wouldn’t even be a good fit there anyway.

Don’t think the Cavs FO or their fans are shedding any tears from the trade. They are living quite comfortably as one of the best teams in the league.

[Mr Loggins]

However, last time Ainge ripped Koby off too, so he already knew he could get what he wanted when the phone calls were going back and forth.

i dunno; you can argue things worked out better for cleveland than boston, which would imply Cavs won the trade.

And obviously the jazz:cleveland trade wont be known until all thr picks convey and the dust settles, but if Mitchell is who he’s been the last 40games (a top-10
nba playet who fits in), those dont come cheaply

[mcfly1204]

Dirk was one of my favorite player. He is still a better player than Lauri but i still stay what i said that Lauri would come some time better version of Dirk. That doesnt mean he will ever become a better player than Dirk. Better version, yes. That time i made this topic the situation with Lauri in Utah playing system was different. I was a little angry and wanted to raise the conversation because i was afraid that the same thing would happen to Lauri as in previous clubs. Right now his teammates have accept him to be clearly best player in their team. Yesterday coach Hardy came out with it in media. Didnt expect that things goes this way so quickly that Lauri is now first option by far.

Better version of a player, but not better than said player? Are you saying Lauri will have a higher peak than Dirk, but Dirk will still have the better career overall?

[Wolveswin]

I always wonder what the Mobley offer was that Cavs said no to. How much draft capital and players do they retain?

That would have left The Godfather offer (picks) for SF. Which they can still do with Mobley of course - but no Markkanen. I am sure Ainge wanted Mobley bad.

[sip]

Lauri simply has the greenlight. That’s it. He wouldn’t get that with the Cavs, especially with Mitchell, Garland and Mobley around. Not to mention Lauri’s lack of any defense whatsoever. So he wouldn’t even be a good fit there anyway.

Don’t think the Cavs FO or their fans are shedding any tears from the trade. They are living quite comfortably as one of the best teams in the league.

You don't actually watch Lauri at all do you? He is a very good defender that guards multiple positions.

[Sunlight]

Dirk was one of my favorite player. He is still a better player than Lauri but i still stay what i said that Lauri would come some time better version of Dirk. That doesnt mean he will ever become a better player than Dirk. Better version, yes. That time i made this topic the situation with Lauri in Utah playing system was different. I was a little angry and wanted to raise the conversation because i was afraid that the same thing would happen to Lauri as in previous clubs. Right now his teammates have accept him to be clearly best player in their team. Yesterday coach Hardy came out with it in media. Didnt expect that things goes this way so quickly that Lauri is now first option by far.

Better version of a player, but not better than said player? Are you saying Lauri will have a higher peak than Dirk, but Dirk will still have the better career overall?

Yes. Just a few players get that kind of safe space what Dirk got. He was allowed to develop in peace under great coach and had priviledge to played with couple of best point guards in all time. Those are really big things. Lauri's situation has been completely different.

[threethehardway]

Classic overrating of an offensively talented lotto pick that performed as the guy their rookie season that now has the greenlight to play their game as they now enter their prime.

The issue Lauri had was expectations to perform.

When you are talented as Lauri, the question isn't "Can you do it?" The question is, "Can you do it again?"

Any player off the street can go on a run for a season.

So Lauri had one season where he looked like the guy and from there, he was given less crap to do as he underperformed compared to star player expectations.

He goes to the Jazz who are expected to tank for Wembayana after Spida and Gobert leaves and he looks like the guy his rookie year but better.

It's obvious the guy can't be himself if people expect him to be himself.

Sad.