The LeBron Thread 2021 Off-Season Edition

[Mos_Heat]

No TPE from Caruso deal, as expected

At this point they should resign Schroder for a 2year deal with partial guarantee on the second. And dump him to OKC during the season. That would be their best move of the summer, tbh

[Fadeaway_J]

No TPE from Caruso deal, as expected

At this point they should resign Schroder for a 2year deal with partial guarantee on the second. And dump him to OKC during the season. That would be their best move of the summer, tbh

Why would OKC take him on?

[GSP]

Ot but Lionel Messi is going to Psg lmaoooo

cant even imagine the equivalent of Bron doing that. And Messi has been on stacked teams his entire career with the exception of Argentina where he finally broke through. Unbelievable

[Mos_Heat]

1. For draft compensation, something like 2 2nds

2. They would have his bird rights in this scenario, so they could flip him for more assets in a S'n'T, or just keep him for a team friendly deal

[Mos_Heat]

Ot but Lionel Messi is going to Psg lmaoooo

cant even imagine the equivalent of Bron doing that. And Messi has been on stacked teams his entire career with the exception of Argentina where he finally broke through. Unbelievable

There's no comparison because only NBA fans care about "stacked" teams

[GSP]

Ot but Lionel Messi is going to Psg lmaoooo

cant even imagine the equivalent of Bron doing that. And Messi has been on stacked teams his entire career with the exception of Argentina where he finally broke through. Unbelievable

There's no comparison because only NBA fans care about "stacked" teams

Nba parity looks like the Nhl compared to soccer and all its pointless leagues

[Fadeaway_J]

Ot but Lionel Messi is going to Psg lmaoooo

cant even imagine the equivalent of Bron doing that. And Messi has been on stacked teams his entire career with the exception of Argentina where he finally broke through. Unbelievable

In this era especially, football players on Messi's level all end up on stacked teams.

[nzahir]

Would u guys want Kevin Love if he was even bought out?

Not sure where he really fits

His defense is pretty bad and the dude couldn't even post up Klay in the finals when switched onto

I would rather him not go to another contender though, would fit well in Miami

Maybe give the Bucks a crazy bench boost?

Suns?

On a side note: Still surprised Millsap hasn't signed yet, would want him as a 4/5 Kieff replacement. Melo is currently that guy, and while he is a good shooter, his defense is as bad as many on this forum

[TheGOATRises007]

Ot but Lionel Messi is going to Psg lmaoooo

cant even imagine the equivalent of Bron doing that. And Messi has been on stacked teams his entire career with the exception of Argentina where he finally broke through. Unbelievable

There's no comparison.

He isn't even leaving willingly unlike last year when he wanted to leave.

Messi himself has played on better teams than the PSG one he's joining anyways.

[Fadeaway_J]

Would u guys want Kevin Love if he was even bought out?

Not sure where he really fits

His defense is pretty bad and the dude couldn't even post up Klay in the finals when switched onto

I would rather him not go to another contender though, would fit well in Miami

Maybe give the Bucks a crazy bench boost?

Suns?

On a side note: Still surprised Millsap hasn't signed yet, would want him as a 4/5 Kieff replacement. Melo is currently that guy, and while he is a good shooter, his defense is as bad as many on this forum

Love is just a name at this point, and even in his prime his impact at the highest levels was very spotty.

[LikeABosh]

Would u guys want Kevin Love if he was even bought out?

Not sure where he really fits

His defense is pretty bad and the dude couldn't even post up Klay in the finals when switched onto

I would rather him not go to another contender though, would fit well in Miami

Maybe give the Bucks a crazy bench boost?

Suns?

On a side note: Still surprised Millsap hasn't signed yet, would want him as a 4/5 Kieff replacement. Melo is currently that guy, and while he is a good shooter, his defense is as bad as many on this forum

I actually kind of do. But only if it's a matter of playing him over Melo. I trust his shooting a lot more and as weird as it is to write this, Love is actually a competent defender by comparison. Not that he's good, but we've seen him put in the effort on his rotations. I can't picture Melo doing that since he's basically Giancarlo Stanton running the bases lol

[nzahir]

Would u guys want Kevin Love if he was even bought out?

Not sure where he really fits

His defense is pretty bad and the dude couldn't even post up Klay in the finals when switched onto

I would rather him not go to another contender though, would fit well in Miami

Maybe give the Bucks a crazy bench boost?

Suns?

On a side note: Still surprised Millsap hasn't signed yet, would want him as a 4/5 Kieff replacement. Melo is currently that guy, and while he is a good shooter, his defense is as bad as many on this forum

I actually kind of do. But only if it's a matter of playing him over Melo. I trust his shooting a lot more and as weird as it is to write this, Love is actually a competent defender by comparison. Not that he's good, but we've seen him put in the effort on his rotations. I can't picture Melo doing that since he's basically Giancarlo Stanton running the bases lol

Melo has been pretty good at catch and shooting 3s too

Love and him are pretty similar honestly at it, but Love was really bad this year and a couple years ago

HIs injuries worry me

He is somehow a much better defender than Melo though

I would have him over Melo

People would lose their **** minds if Love is bought out and we get him, though he is literally a good catch and shoot role guy

Not on the level of a guy like Joe Harris at all, but most people wouldn't think that

But what about Milsap vs Love?

Obviously tilting towards defense, but we already have Melo and I am just not sure how that would work

We saw the issues Wade had with Love, what would Melo do?

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10009825-dwyane-wade-opens-up-about-incident-with-kevin-love-while-playing-with-cavaliers

[Gooner]

Melo is a PF, and a back up one at that. He is not weakening squat on the wing because he is no longer a wing.

What Carmelo Anthony provides is a guy who is not going to be bashful putting up shots created for him off of defenses gravitating towards LeBron and Westbrook.

He is also a big shot maker.

He is aged (and that is a bit of a concern), but you will not have to worry about Melo passing up open shots (not even the big ones).

For the first time in his career Carmelo Anthony will be provided with a situation similar to the type he excelled in during the Olympics. I am not going to paint the man with preconceived biases before a single game has been played. I intend to give him a chance (to see how things go). There will be plenty of time to chastise or praise his acquisition based on his actual performance on this team.

This team could fail, so what.

Don’t go in expecting anything and just see what happens. That is my plan.

PF is a wing position, especially today when you don't really have "power" forwards. Melo is almost cooked, he can still shoot well, but there is no explosiveness anymore, and he never cared about defense to begin with.

Just because big wings are being utilized as power forwards (more and more), that does not make the power forward position a wing position.

A stretch four still has big man obligations on offense and defense.

Defensive slippage in rotational coverage will be expected with Carmelo, however I suspect the Lakers to play more of a funneling into the drop big type defensive scheme with Davis and Howard.

Strong rim protection can do wonders for slow footed defenders who can place their focus on contesting / running players off the three point line and into the shot blocker.

Worst case scenario will still have this team as a top half defense. Top 10 most likely, with a shot at top 5 if Davis realizes his defensive player of the year potential.

Power forwards were something between a wing and a center in the past, now you have pure wings at both 3 and 4 positions. If you play the 4, you have to guard KD, Tatum, Tobias Harris, Giannis, Siakam and these kind of guys. You don't have to bang with Zach Randolph in the post anymore. Melo will not be a primary defender on anyone, but he will have to guard wings, and he is a poor man on man and help defender, so his minutes will be around 15 per game I would say.

[trickshot]

PF is a wing position, especially today when you don't really have "power" forwards. Melo is almost cooked, he can still shoot well, but there is no explosiveness anymore, and he never cared about defense to begin with.

Just because big wings are being utilized as power forwards (more and more), that does not make the power forward position a wing position.

A stretch four still has big man obligations on offense and defense.

Defensive slippage in rotational coverage will be expected with Carmelo, however I suspect the Lakers to play more of a funneling into the drop big type defensive scheme with Davis and Howard.

Strong rim protection can do wonders for slow footed defenders who can place their focus on contesting / running players off the three point line and into the shot blocker.

Worst case scenario will still have this team as a top half defense. Top 10 most likely, with a shot at top 5 if Davis realizes his defensive player of the year potential.

Power forwards were something between a wing and a center in the past, now you have pure wings at both 3 and 4 positions. If you play the 4, you have to guard KD, Tatum, Tobias Harris, Giannis, Siakam and these kind of guys. You don't have to bang with Zach Randolph in the post anymore. Melo will not be a primary defender on anyone, but he will have to guard wings, and he is a poor man on man and help defender, so his minutes will be around 15 per game I would say.

the catch with Melo at the 4 is the closer he is to the basket the worse your interior team defense becomes. Whoever lays 5 will have a huge workload in the paint as he has really bad instincts in the interior. On offense he also forces Lebron to be the 3.

Realistically, it won't matter, I think he will get 10-15 minutes per game and like Trez will be buried on the bench when 'one fits all defenses' are dropped for schemes tailored to opponents. Ariza will probably be a starter. I just don't want to see Melo fans scapegoating Vogel for not tolerating their guy's lazy a*s when even Lebron and AD bought in. Lakers probably also need a forward who isn't washed. Currently Lebron/AD still project to be the only wings/forwards on the team you can put on a Giannis or Kawhi for a period. Huge roster hole.

[nzahir]

Just because big wings are being utilized as power forwards (more and more), that does not make the power forward position a wing position.

A stretch four still has big man obligations on offense and defense.

Defensive slippage in rotational coverage will be expected with Carmelo, however I suspect the Lakers to play more of a funneling into the drop big type defensive scheme with Davis and Howard.

Strong rim protection can do wonders for slow footed defenders who can place their focus on contesting / running players off the three point line and into the shot blocker.

Worst case scenario will still have this team as a top half defense. Top 10 most likely, with a shot at top 5 if Davis realizes his defensive player of the year potential.

Power forwards were something between a wing and a center in the past, now you have pure wings at both 3 and 4 positions. If you play the 4, you have to guard KD, Tatum, Tobias Harris, Giannis, Siakam and these kind of guys. You don't have to bang with Zach Randolph in the post anymore. Melo will not be a primary defender on anyone, but he will have to guard wings, and he is a poor man on man and help defender, so his minutes will be around 15 per game I would say.

the catch with Melo at the 4 is the closer he is to the basket the worse your interior team defense becomes. Whoever lays 5 will have a huge workload in the paint as he has really bad instincts in the interior. On offense he also forces Lebron to be the 3.

Realistically, it won't matter, I think he will get 10-15 minutes per game and like Trez will be buried on the bench when 'one fits all defenses' are dropped for schemes tailored to opponents. Ariza will probably be a starter. I just don't want to see Melo fans scapegoating Vogel for not tolerating their guy's lazy a*s when even Lebron and AD bought in. Lakers probably also need a forward who isn't washed. Currently Lebron/AD still project to be the only wings/forwards on the team you can put on a Giannis or Kawhi for a period. Huge roster hole.

I mean Bron and AD are pretty good

I think Milsap would be good

The main issue imo isn’t the strong guys like that, I’m more worried of a guy like KD and Tatum and maybe even scoring guards like Curry, Harden, Kyrie

Ariza is older now, but not much else is available now

Batum would have been great

Does THTs long arms and low base help him vs a guy like KD? He has had issues with smaller guys before, like Tony Allen or cp3

The past 2 years we had AC and KCP for the guards

And then a mix of DG and Avery or Dennis and Wes

Now it’s Russ, Bazemore, Nunn and Monk....

That’s a pretty sizeable drop off, even if Russ plays great defense.

Mostly because guys like Nunn and Monk will be below avg to avg at best

Better hope the swing on offense is enough

[PistolPeteJR]

Nunn is not a bad defender.

[falcolombardi]

Ot but Lionel Messi is going to Psg lmaoooo

cant even imagine the equivalent of Bron doing that. And Messi has been on stacked teams his entire career with the exception of Argentina where he finally broke through. Unbelievable

soccer fans are less obsessed with ring counting or comparing players historically to the point of bigger fights

also, they have much, much, much less parity but make much less of a fuss about it for the most part

most of soccer toxicity is reserved for national team competitions usually

[nzahir]

Nunn is not a bad defender.

He is avg at best from everything I have seen and read

What are you seeing to show he’s good?

[kayess]

Watch on YouTube

Was LeBron always this good at stripping people in the post/paint? The emblematic LeBron defense post possession to me is they get a heavily contested shot off and can't really make progress against Bron, not Bron turning it into layups on the other end after a swipe.

Anyone have some idea bout his deflection rate/strips/etc. over the years?

[nzahir]

Watch on YouTube

Was LeBron always this good at stripping people in the post/paint? The emblematic LeBron defense post possession to me is they get a heavily contested shot off and can't really make progress against Bron, not Bron turning it into layups on the other end after a swipe.

Anyone have some idea bout his deflection rate/strips/etc. over the years?

He’s always been really good from my eye test, not sure about the actual data

He was great at stripping or blocking Duncan in the last couple of finals they played

It’s a shame he never got his dpoy honestly imo

Much higher impact than MJ ever had

Lebron protects the rim much better and is more versatile

MJ has the edge in steals and maybe man D, but less versatile