Steve Nash Set To Retire At The End Of This Season?

[louizzle]

Was gonna make a thread on this video but this probably belongs in here. An excellent piece on Nash as he's going through all his injuries:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baR57TLvxhc[/youtube]

It just sucks he has to end his career with the mess that is the Lakers. Always despised him on the Suns but respected him.

[ak7]

We would have to do some serious moving on the trade front to get into the luxury tax next season. We'd somehow have to manage to take on roughly $10 million in salary through trades, assuming we use up 100% of our cap space.

Highly unlikely, even if we sign two high profile free agents to reasonable deals. Since we have cap space, we won't even have a full MLE, it will be roughly half (2.7 ish mil range), there's a lot of room available for them to play with in trades assuming they even want to take on salary before we even begin talking about the lux tax.

[milesfides]

Show me where anybody anywhere said it was likely... I think we all think it's unlikely. But it is nonetheless a statistical possibility...

Statistics? It has nothing to do with statistics, it's about making a sensible decision. It's up to the Lakers whether they want to max out as many players they can, or they can play it tight and hit a home run.

They could sign Melo & Lowry next season. Now that's a realistic scenario in addition to keeping some of the bench players.

First of all, why would Melo leave NY for Los Angeles? For a worse team, for aging players, for a coach he doesn't like (and who doesn't like him).

Next, how are we going to sign Lowry? Please calculate cap limit and subtract Kobe + max contract to Melo + stretched Nash + Sacre and let's hear what the Lakers can offer Lowry.

[milesfides]

We would have to do some serious moving on the trade front to get into the luxury tax next season. We'd somehow have to manage to take on roughly $10 million in salary through trades, assuming we use up 100% of our cap space.

Highly unlikely, even if we sign two high profile free agents to reasonable deals. Since we have cap space, we won't even have a full MLE, it will be roughly half (2.7 ish mil range), there's a lot of room available for them to play with in trades assuming they even want to take on salary before we even begin talking about the lux tax.

Thank you.

[milesfides]

Also, if we want to fit 2 max free agents by 2016, these guys will have to be the young max guys like Love, who'll be looking at around $17m in 2015, not melo who starts at $23m this summer. That's the thing - the Heat were able to sign those three guys because they all took paycuts.

Kobe's already past that at 23.5m...getting a maxed out Melo...you better love the idea of a Kobe-Melo duo, cause that's all you're gonna get.

[Slava]

Hey I'd be the first one to want to kill the Melo rumor with fire just like not offering Kobe a contract that absurd beyond this season but the front office has pretty much acted like Kobe's concubine for as long as I know and there could be a line of thought that they want to go all-in on the next 2 Kobe seasons.

[crazyeights]

why wouldn't you want to get under the apron in a wasted year like this?

[tviper]

Hey I'd be the first one to want to kill the Melo rumor with fire just like not offering Kobe a contract that absurd beyond this season but the front office has pretty much acted like Kobe's concubine for as long as I know and there could be a line of thought that they want to go all-in on the next 2 Kobe seasons.

The only practical way to go all in with Melo is to have Melo take a pay cut so complimentary pieces can be added. How much of a pay cut? Would have to be pretty large, and therefore even makes less sense for Melo to leave NY who will have cap room in 2015.

[milesfides]

Sure, all-in with Kobe and Melo, or all-in with Kobe and Love and another young stud?

And again, there is no Melo rumor, Melo aint coming to LA - there's no rationale behind that whatsoever. LA has no advantage in money, market, basketball situation, or coach.

There are just a lot of assumptions out there that just don't hold water.

Also, you can cry sour grapes over Kobe's contract all you want, but it's done. You wouldn't be the first to complain about the Lakers' front office moves.

Then again, even if Kobe accepted 20m or 18m, that wouldn't really change the Lakers' situation. The Lakers' real problem is that they lack talent and have been on the tail end of a championship run, lost a proven coach and a proven system, etc.

Some have argued that the Lakers looked at the free agent market and their current roster, and they decided on a business move of overpaying Kobe to keep revenues flowing while they rebuild over the next two years. And if that were true, that's not a terrible plan.

Because if the Lakers lowballed Kobe and he left, or paid him a fair salary but he would bitch about the scrubs around him, then they would be in real trouble, because they will get hit on both basketball and business aspects of the organization. Many people watch the Lakers for Kobe - that's a financial fact. When Kobe's not playing, people don't buy tickets, they don't watch time warner (or comcast now).

On the other hand, if the Lakers paid Kobe shutup money to ride out the next year or two while he recuperates and they rebuild and reload, then they wouldn't lose as much money and come 2016, they will be ready to compete again, with or without Kobe.

I'm not saying that's what happened, but I think it's a lot more plausible than oh boo hoo the Lakers were so stupid to overpay Kobe now we should make a run for Melo and suck for the next 5 years.

[Slava]

The thing that irked me the most about that extension was not even the money but the time when they made the offer. Couldn't you atleast ride out the season and watch the man play before making a decision? Only thing worse for revenue than not having a marketable face is having a marketable face sitting on the bench hogging cap in a suit.

[Kilroy]

But I think Doc can correct me if I'm wrong but I think they did the extension when they did to save money THIS season... He was going to hogging more money in a suit had they not done the extension...

That said, I understand why they did what they did, but I also think it's too much.

[crazyeights]

The thing that irked me the most about that extension was not even the money but the time when they made the offer. Couldn't you atleast ride out the season and watch the man play before making a decision? Only thing worse for revenue than not having a marketable face is having a marketable face sitting on the bench hogging cap in a suit.

That's hindsight. IMO, they wanted the timing of the extension to be just before he came back, to show him that message and that loyalty. Along with as Miles says, paying him "shut up money." (Which I happen to think was a factor, this way he remains a Laker and they get control back over the team. I really doubt we'll get another "ship his ass out moment" again )

But, I really doubt that if they knew Kobe would be out this long (after becoming injured again) they'd have extended him when they did.

[TonyMontana]

The thing that irked me the most about that extension was not even the money but the time when they made the offer. Couldn't you atleast ride out the season and watch the man play before making a decision? Only thing worse for revenue than not having a marketable face is having a marketable face sitting on the bench hogging cap in a suit.

I agree. This is where if you recall I posted the whole Kobe Shaq ring thread. Lakers showed no loyalty to Shaq because the decision came down to either Kobe a young rising star or Shaq that was out of shape and at the end of his career. If that happened today and there was Kobe and X. Then I bet you Kobe would be out the door. But since there is no X Lakers decided to give Kobe his contract since lets face it how are the Lakers going to sell season tickets. With Nash and Hill and the D league all stars?

That's hindsight. IMO, they wanted the timing of the extension to be just before he came back, to show him that message and that loyalty. Along with as Miles says, paying him "shut up money." (Which I happen to think was a factor, this way he remains a Laker and they get control back over the team. I really doubt we'll get another "ship his ass out moment" again )

But, I really doubt that if they knew Kobe would be out this long (after becoming injured again) they'd have extended him when they did.

Yup!!!

Another brilliant move by our Jimmy Boy. He's on a roll. Seems like everything he touches turns out gold.

By the way. Like Myles, Slava said. We need to stop this Melo pipe dream. Melo is leaving the Knicks but not for the Lakers. Why would he? Even if he gets max which he wont in LA, we have no supporting cast and why would he play for MDA again? Its not like he was successful in N.Y or had a good relationship with him. Lets face it who wants to play for this guy?

MDA needs to pack up his circus since he is the first cancer cell that needs to go and then Nash and his contract and then Jim needs to step back and stfu and allow Mitch to do his job. Those are the first three steps necessary for us to move forward.

[dockingsched]

We would have to do some serious moving on the trade front to get into the luxury tax next season

2015-2016, not next season. already stated next season it would be damn near impossible for the lakers to get over the tax.

[dockingsched]

The thing that irked me the most about that extension was not even the money but the time when they made the offer. Couldn't you atleast ride out the season and watch the man play before making a decision? Only thing worse for revenue than not having a marketable face is having a marketable face sitting on the bench hogging cap in a suit.

i personally think they did it as a way to avoid the high level of attention it would get. barring a miracle, i don't think the lakers really plan or expect to be contenders during the next two yrs and they knew they were going to pay their cash cow anyway so might as well avoid the drama early.

[milesfides]

We're not gonna hit the luxury tax in either of the next 2 years, because we won't be able to offer that third max until Kobe's contract comes off the books.

[DEEP3CL]

I just want Mitch to be aggressive and do what he needs to do......waive Nash with the "stretch" provision. He's done as a ball player.