FranchisePlayer wrote:JonFromVA wrote:Vampirate wrote:
Firstly, we are not talking about last season's Lauri, we are talking about this seasons' 25 PPG 50/40/88 Lauri.
This is all hindsight.
But here's the question for you, in a playoff setting how on earth are you defending Lauri to begin with. He's way more agile, speedy for anyone his size and everyone else he'll just shoot over. You need a Mobley type of defender to guard him and that probably isn't enough.
Mitchell due to his size can be much more easily game planned on, sure he has great separation ability no doubt , however he has to work much harder to score simply because of size, especially at the rim (needs more moves, speed etc). To put it another way, it's most likely an easier cover for Mobley himself.
As for the Mitchell creating for other's argument, it's pretty balanced out with that Lauri being the better rebounder and most likely due to size the better defender.
You're also neglecting the fact to answer the fact that you'd have all your picks to upgrade the SG slot with another All Star, or being able to have the ability to trade for a real superstar should the opportunity arise.
Speaking of hindsight, we've actually seen Donovan Mitchell in the playoffs - and he has a career playoff average around 28/5/5 across 39 games.
Unless the Jazz get their act together quickly, they won't even make the play-in this season and Lauri still will not have sniffed the playoffs in his career.
The level of talent Jazz have is a completely different story than what the Cavs have, like night and day. Therefore I think it's meaningless to start comparing Lauri's and Donovan's playoff stats as we speak, probably for the next two-three years too until Ainge figures how to make Jazz relevant again.
But he's making mighty fine job. (signing Dunn as the latest)
Technically the Jazz could still make the playoffs - just a game out of the play-in. Probably would have been a lock if they didn't gift Conley, Beasley, and Vanderbilt to the Lakers.
None of that is on Lauri, but fact is we don't have that data point for Lauri and we do for Donovan, so, I see no way of conceding that Lauri would have been the better playoff contributor for the Cavs if the trade didn't go down (which wasn't your point, but it's what I had been discussing with Vampirate).
And I get Donovan has had some clunkers in the playoffs, but you know who else has done that? Pretty much everyone else ... it's just that everyone else doesn't have a 28.3 ppg playoff scoring average like Mitchell. Only Durant, West, Iverson, and Jordan are higher.
The Cavs are not ideally constructed. They don't space the floor like the Jazz, but yet thanks to Mitchell and Garland they have a better 3pt% than the Jazz over the past two seasons. Ideally Mitchell and Garland pick each other up and sooner or later Mobley joins the fun?
But hey, it's not like Garland has any playoff experience; but I'm feeling pretty confident he'll score more than 34 year old Conley who put up 13, 0, 21, 6, 4, and 11 points .vs. the Mavs in the playoffs. Ouch.
