Anthony Davis Thread

[snaquille oatmeal]

If we're getting the Cousins from the finals, there's no way in hell he should start. That version of Cousins is way too slow on the defensive end. If he's regained some of his lateral quickness by training cap, then i'm all for starting Cousins at the 5. If AD can't be convinced to play the 5, i'd rather roll with McGee at the 5 until Cousins regains some of his quickness.

It’s silly to even bring up the Cousins of the finals, he obviously wasn’t ready to comeback from the quad injury so of course he didn’t perform.

hmm... nothing really silly about bringing up his performance during the finals. No one knows for sure if his performance during the finals is indicative of his performance going forward. He obviously had some serious injuries, some of which may have caused permanent damage. There's a reason he was only able to fetch the vet min on the open market. If teams felt his performance during the finals was an outlier, he would've received a far more lucrative contract; this much is obvious.

It is silly because if you saw him play late in the season and on the playoff series against the Clippers then you would realize that he was really good. Good enough to consider him as being about 80% of his old self (and as it is known that given more time he would be getting even better) But he hurt his quad and not his rehabbed ankle so the ankle injury would not be a concern only the quad.
Now he says he is 100% healthy from the quad and the ankle. At worst he will be 80% of what he used to be.

[Ball so hard]

It’s silly to even bring up the Cousins of the finals, he obviously wasn’t ready to comeback from the quad injury so of course he didn’t perform.

hmm... nothing really silly about bringing up his performance during the finals. No one knows for sure if his performance during the finals is indicative of his performance going forward. He obviously had some serious injuries, some of which may have caused permanent damage. There's a reason he was only able to fetch the vet min on the open market. If teams felt his performance during the finals was an outlier, he would've received a far more lucrative contract; this much is obvious.

It is silly because if you saw him play late in the season and on the playoff series against the Clippers then you would realize that he was really good. Good enough to consider him as being about 80% of his old self (and as it is known that given more time he would be getting even better) But he hurt his quad and not his rehabbed ankle so the ankle injury would not be a concern only the quad.
Now he says he is 100% healthy from the quad and the ankle. At worst he will be 80% of what he used to be.

With regard to Cousins, you're implying you know (saw something) more than 99 percent of GMs... This takes some great deal of chutzpah. Nearly every team failed to see how good Cousins was post injury. It's a silly argument to say his performance--more specifically his lack of lateral quickness--in the finals may suggest he MIGHT never regain his form. One MUST be Cousins (and possibly his agent) to have this much confidence about his future.

[lonzo_pelota]

Ingram looks elated to be in New Orleans

[kblo247]

Ingram looks elated to be in New Orleans

he go look good in a Wizards or Thunder jersey. Either he gets flipped for Beal or he gets flipped for picks and cap so they don’t have to max him. He go get exposed this year though

[iamworthy]

Read on Twitter

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[EggIsCooling]

Put playing goggles on AD and he's the modern day Kareem without the skyhook...

[Kilroy]

Put playing goggles on AD and he's the modern day Kareem without the skyhook...

I really don't see a Kareem comparison... Maybe it's Kareem's incredible length... But as crazy as it sounds, I see a more athletic/physical Hakeem... It's really like if Hakeem and Malone had a kid...

AD has Hakeem's skills and coordination, but he's got more bounce and is stronger... At the expense of maybe a little length...
Hakeem was a lot more intense though, and didn't take it easy ever.

[EggIsCooling]

Put playing goggles on AD and he's the modern day Kareem without the skyhook...

I really don't see a Kareem comparison... Maybe it's Kareem's incredible length... But as crazy as it sounds, I see a more athletic/physical Hakeem... It's really like if Hakeem and Malone had a kid...

AD has Hakeem's skills and coordination, but he's got more bounce and is stronger... At the expense of maybe a little length...
Hakeem was a lot more intense though, and didn't take it easy ever.

I was comparing them more in term of looks and much less in term of their games. ... just look at the bearded Kareem during his playing days for the Bucks... I have to do a double take.

As far as game, yes, I also see a similar game in AD to Hakeem. And it is not crazy as it sounds to say AD is more athletic and physical. As they say in baseball, AD is a five tool player - athletic, physical, defend at all 5 positions, finesse, and shooting.

[stan francisco]

With DMC tearing his ACL, it would be shortsighted and lazy and stupid to toy with the idea of plugging AD in at the five. It’s an easy solution but a very risky one. I really hope they don’t even consider this.

It could render him a Knick next season. Then what?

To me, AD at the C is absolutely not an option. Find a replacement for DMC, Rob!

[dAdo dA dEvil]

With DMC tearing his ACL, it would be shortsighted and lazy and stupid to toy with the idea of plugging AD in at the five. It’s an easy solution but a very risky one. I really hope they don’t even consider this.

It could render him a Knick next season. Then what?

To me, AD at the C is absolutely not an option. Find a replacement for DMC, Rob!

First thing that comes to my mind that Cousins' injury is not much of a problem if AD is willing to play that C spot. The problem is it said before that he prefers the PF spot. Now we are in a situation where in we are too thin in the C spot with McGee as the only legit C that we have and we all know that he can't play heavy minutes. I wonder if Kostas could play some C minutes too.

On the other side, if somehow AD is convinced to play the C then Kuz is now sure to start in that other forward spot along with Bron. Our staring line up is more balanced with Caruso/Bradley - Green - Bron - Kuz - AD. Anyhow, the problem remains the same. We are still thin on our bigs. Can we find someone who is good enough to be a strating C? If we play AD mostly at C this season and then we end the season in a disappointing fashion then AD will be a Knick next season and we need to rebuild again for the next five years or so.

[stan francisco]

Play AD at the five = AD goes to the Knicks next season.

Period. Listen to his first interview with Ireland.


Don’t even consider it, Frank/Rob!!!

[DTP]

Why exactly does Davis have such a huge issue with playing center? Seems pretty soft to me. The tem will be at their absolute best playing Davis at center, to allow Kuzma to develop and hopefully turn into the #3 option they need but Davis' ego is too wrapped into what his position is???

[Penberthy]

Why exactly does Davis have such a huge issue with playing center? Seems pretty soft to me. The tem will be at their absolute best playing Davis at center, to allow Kuzma to develop and hopefully turn into the #3 option they need but Davis' ego is too wrapped into what his position is???

Because of the wear and tear and increased injury likelihood. Equating to tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars, but ya, soft. FYI he weighs less than our starting SF, so ya, going up against the Marc Gasols of the world every night would wear him down.

[DTP]

Why exactly does Davis have such a huge issue with playing center? Seems pretty soft to me. The tem will be at their absolute best playing Davis at center, to allow Kuzma to develop and hopefully turn into the #3 option they need but Davis' ego is too wrapped into what his position is???

Because of the wear and tear and increased injury likelihood. Equating to tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars, but ya, soft. FYI he weighs less than our starting SF, so ya, going up against the Marc Gasols of the world every night would wear him down.

If that's what you need to use to prove your point

[stan francisco]

Why exactly does Davis have such a huge issue with playing center? Seems pretty soft to me. The tem will be at their absolute best playing Davis at center, to allow Kuzma to develop and hopefully turn into the #3 option they need but Davis' ego is too wrapped into what his position is???

Because of the wear and tear and increased injury likelihood. Equating to tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars, but ya, soft. FYI he weighs less than our starting SF, so ya, going up against the Marc Gasols of the world every night would wear him down.

If that's what you need to use to prove your point

Does it really matter to you why he doesn’t want to play C if he leaves us next season if we don’t listen and try to prove him”wrong”?

He doesn’t want to play C.

[Penberthy]

Why exactly does Davis have such a huge issue with playing center? Seems pretty soft to me. The tem will be at their absolute best playing Davis at center, to allow Kuzma to develop and hopefully turn into the #3 option they need but Davis' ego is too wrapped into what his position is???

Because of the wear and tear and increased injury likelihood. Equating to tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars, but ya, soft. FYI he weighs less than our starting SF, so ya, going up against the Marc Gasols of the world every night would wear him down.

If that's what you need to use to prove your point

Excellent counter argument

[DTP]

Because of the wear and tear and increased injury likelihood. Equating to tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars, but ya, soft. FYI he weighs less than our starting SF, so ya, going up against the Marc Gasols of the world every night would wear him down.

If that's what you need to use to prove your point

Excellent counter argument

That specific line was so silly, it really didnt cause for a good counter argument. But being serious- to win a championship its all about doing what's best for the team, right? LeBron didn't necessarily want to play pf last year but he did because it was best for the team. On paper - the best 2 lineups for the Lakers both involve Davis being at center to either allow Kuzma & James to play along him or to allow James to play at PF so he doesn't have to chase guys around on the perimeter. I would say that most physical centers typically are out East (Embiid, Gasol, Drummond) although Gobert, Adams, and Whiteside are all out west but overall, it's not like he'll be going up against those guys every night and lets not pretend this is the 90s or early 2000s physical ball either.

It just all reeks of softness to me on Davis end but I can understand Lakers fans being afraid to vocalize for fear he leaves. But me personally, if Davis is going to leave because he has to play center over power forward then gtfo. That just doesn't scream champion to me.

[Kilroy]

If that's what you need to use to prove your point

Excellent counter argument

That specific line was so silly, it really didnt cause for a good counter argument. But being serious- to win a championship its all about doing what's best for the team, right? LeBron didn't necessarily want to play pf last year but he did because it was best for the team. On paper - the best 2 lineups for the Lakers both involve Davis being at center to either allow Kuzma & James to play along him or to allow James to play at PF so he doesn't have to chase guys around on the perimeter. I would say that most physical centers typically are out East (Embiid, Gasol, Drummond) although Gobert, Adams, and Whiteside are all out west but overall, it's not like he'll be going up against those guys every night and lets not pretend this is the 90s or early 2000s physical ball either.

It just all reeks of softness to me on Davis end but I can understand Lakers fans being afraid to vocalize for fear he leaves. But me personally, if Davis is going to leave because he has to play center over power forward then gtfo. That just doesn't scream champion to me.

There are several leaps of logic in all that though... Chief among those, that by sliding over to play C, Kuz can start at 4 and thus become our 'third star'...
This misses the fact that Kuz isn't really a 4 in the way we'd need him to be to play off of Davis... He's more of a hybrid 3/4 with the Stretchiest of Stretch 4s being his best PF role... He's not going to defend big bodies or fight them for rebounds, etc... If you start Kuz at the 4 next to AD and LeBron, all you'd want him to do is find a spot and shoot jumpers, with the occasional PnR finish mixed in... But you're going to want the ball going to AD as much as possible...
There's a lot more to it, but basically, you end up with BOTH Kuz and AD playing out of position if you slide AD to C and start Kuz at 4.

The next bad assumption is that Kuz NEEDs to start at the 4 to become the '3rd Star' for us... What Kuz really needs is the ability to play his natural hybrid F position and have the freedom to shoot and create at will... And what he also needs is the ability to not have to do that against starting defenses... Bring him off the bench... Let him play heavy minutes, and slide between the 3 and the 4 depending on who's on the court, and run the offense through him when AD and LeBron are sitting, and he'll feast...

Not only does that give him a greater opportunity to shine, it makes us a much more deadly team...

Starting AB/Green/LeBron/AD/McGee right now, and bringing Kuz off the Bench for heavy minutes is the best for us and for Kuz...

[DTP]

Excellent counter argument

That specific line was so silly, it really didnt cause for a good counter argument. But being serious- to win a championship its all about doing what's best for the team, right? LeBron didn't necessarily want to play pf last year but he did because it was best for the team. On paper - the best 2 lineups for the Lakers both involve Davis being at center to either allow Kuzma & James to play along him or to allow James to play at PF so he doesn't have to chase guys around on the perimeter. I would say that most physical centers typically are out East (Embiid, Gasol, Drummond) although Gobert, Adams, and Whiteside are all out west but overall, it's not like he'll be going up against those guys every night and lets not pretend this is the 90s or early 2000s physical ball either.

It just all reeks of softness to me on Davis end but I can understand Lakers fans being afraid to vocalize for fear he leaves. But me personally, if Davis is going to leave because he has to play center over power forward then gtfo. That just doesn't scream champion to me.

There are several leaps of logic in all that though... Chief among those, that by sliding over to play C, Kuz can start at 4 and thus become our 'third star'...
This misses the fact that Kuz isn't really a 4 in the way we'd need him to be to play off of Davis... He's more of a hybrid 3/4 with the Stretchiest of Stretch 4s being his best PF role... He's not going to defend big bodies or fight them for rebounds, etc... If you start Kuz at the 4 next to AD and LeBron, all you'd want him to do is find a spot and shoot jumpers, with the occasional PnR finish mixed in... But you're going to want the ball going to AD as much as possible...
There's a lot more to it, but basically, you end up with BOTH Kuz and AD playing out of position if you slide AD to C and start Kuz at 4.

The next bad assumption is that Kuz NEEDs to start at the 4 to become the '3rd Star' for us... What Kuz really needs is the ability to play his natural hybrid F position and have the freedom to shoot and create at will... And what he also needs is the ability to not have to do that against starting defenses... Bring him off the bench... Let him play heavy minutes, and slide between the 3 and the 4 depending on who's on the court, and run the offense through him when AD and LeBron are sitting, and he'll feast...

Not only does that give him a greater opportunity to shine, it makes us a much more deadly team...

Starting AB/Green/LeBron/AD/McGee right now, and bringing Kuz off the Bench for heavy minutes is the best for us and for Kuz...

I respect that POV but also don't really see Kuz out on the perimeter guarding small forwards.

[Kilroy]

That specific line was so silly, it really didnt cause for a good counter argument. But being serious- to win a championship its all about doing what's best for the team, right? LeBron didn't necessarily want to play pf last year but he did because it was best for the team. On paper - the best 2 lineups for the Lakers both involve Davis being at center to either allow Kuzma & James to play along him or to allow James to play at PF so he doesn't have to chase guys around on the perimeter. I would say that most physical centers typically are out East (Embiid, Gasol, Drummond) although Gobert, Adams, and Whiteside are all out west but overall, it's not like he'll be going up against those guys every night and lets not pretend this is the 90s or early 2000s physical ball either.

It just all reeks of softness to me on Davis end but I can understand Lakers fans being afraid to vocalize for fear he leaves. But me personally, if Davis is going to leave because he has to play center over power forward then gtfo. That just doesn't scream champion to me.

There are several leaps of logic in all that though... Chief among those, that by sliding over to play C, Kuz can start at 4 and thus become our 'third star'...
This misses the fact that Kuz isn't really a 4 in the way we'd need him to be to play off of Davis... He's more of a hybrid 3/4 with the Stretchiest of Stretch 4s being his best PF role... He's not going to defend big bodies or fight them for rebounds, etc... If you start Kuz at the 4 next to AD and LeBron, all you'd want him to do is find a spot and shoot jumpers, with the occasional PnR finish mixed in... But you're going to want the ball going to AD as much as possible...
There's a lot more to it, but basically, you end up with BOTH Kuz and AD playing out of position if you slide AD to C and start Kuz at 4.

The next bad assumption is that Kuz NEEDs to start at the 4 to become the '3rd Star' for us... What Kuz really needs is the ability to play his natural hybrid F position and have the freedom to shoot and create at will... And what he also needs is the ability to not have to do that against starting defenses... Bring him off the bench... Let him play heavy minutes, and slide between the 3 and the 4 depending on who's on the court, and run the offense through him when AD and LeBron are sitting, and he'll feast...

Not only does that give him a greater opportunity to shine, it makes us a much more deadly team...

Starting AB/Green/LeBron/AD/McGee right now, and bringing Kuz off the Bench for heavy minutes is the best for us and for Kuz...

I respect that POV but also don't really see Kuz out on the perimeter guarding small forwards.

Me neither... Kuz is a mediocre defender no matter what position he plays... That's why I wouldn't start him next to LeBron, who is showing less and less inclination to defend as well.
But Kuz is physically capable of defending 3s, if he were to focus on that. He's certainly not some giant Big who's too heavy and muscle bound to get around the floor, he's just kind of awkward laterally and looks like he doesn't understand where he needs to be on Defense...
And the reality is, if he wants to be a "3rd Star" he's going to have to improve significantly in all those areas, anyway.

He doesn't really seem to have the length or body type to be a star 4.