Around the League - 2019-2020

[76ciology]

The Lakers don't have a closer, either.

Just as flawed as the Sixers and Bucks for that very reason.

Hahahaha i want you to be part of my hot take media group

They have LeBron and AD, two established guys who has shown ability to carry an offense on their shoulder

[76ciology]

I suddenly miss the warriors

[Kobblehead]

The Lakers don't have a closer, either.

Just as flawed as the Sixers and Bucks for that very reason.

Hahahaha i want you to be part of my hot take media group

They have LeBron and AD, two established guys who has shown ability to carry an offense on their shoulder

I'm serious, though, ha.

LeBron couldn't achieve ultimate success as a closer. Nobody respected his ability to score from EVERY level off the dribble. They just forced him into perimeter pullups where he failed miserably (Spurs, Magic series). He needed Wade and Irving to be his halfcourt ace in the postseason for him to ever win a ring.

Davis has barely played in any games that mattered so obviously he can't close for ****. His halfcourt offense is very limited. He camps on the high left post and either backs down and drives or faces up and drives. Occasionally he'll pull up from 16 at a standstill (a crappy 38% shoot for him).

[bball4life]

Don’t get all the “experts” picking the Lakers to win it all. They have literally 3 players that are worth anything at all. Pretty hard to win with three quality NBA players


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[Kobblehead]

I don't see how the Lakers win three playoff series out West to even get to the Finals.

Would they even be favorites against any of the Clippers, Nuggets, Blazers, Rockets or Jazz? Maybe the Jazz.

[76ciology]

Problem with the Lakers is LeBron is downhill and the supporting cast is useless

[76ciology]

The Lakers don't have a closer, either.

Just as flawed as the Sixers and Bucks for that very reason.

Hahahaha i want you to be part of my hot take media group

They have LeBron and AD, two established guys who has shown ability to carry an offense on their shoulder

I'm serious, though, ha.

LeBron couldn't achieve ultimate success as a closer. Nobody respected his ability to score from EVERY level off the dribble. They just forced him into perimeter pullups where he failed miserably (Spurs, Magic series). He needed Wade and Irving to be his halfcourt ace in the postseason for him to ever win a ring.

Davis has barely played in any games that mattered so obviously he can't close for ****. His halfcourt offense is very limited. He camps on the high left post and either backs down and drives or faces up and drives. Occasionally he'll pull up from 16 at a standstill (a crappy 38% shoot for him).

Sounds like what peak Embiid and peak Simmons will look like.

I think key is to have strong supporting cast and put those two in a favorable stage. Like if Shamet was on LbJ on crunch time then I think LBj can be a closer

[LordCovington33]

LeBron looked old today. His decline might have begun. Early days granted.

[LloydFree]

The Lakers Starters looked good. When LeBron and AD went to the bench together, they had no chance. Their bench looks like a D-League team. No backup PG. Rondo's health is going to be meaningful this year.

[Kolkmania]

The Lakers don't have a closer, either.

Just as flawed as the Sixers and Bucks for that very reason.

Hahahaha i want you to be part of my hot take media group

They have LeBron and AD, two established guys who has shown ability to carry an offense on their shoulder

I'm serious, though, ha.

LeBron couldn't achieve ultimate success as a closer. Nobody respected his ability to score from EVERY level off the dribble. They just forced him into perimeter pullups where he failed miserably (Spurs, Magic series). He needed Wade and Irving to be his halfcourt ace in the postseason for him to ever win a ring.

Davis has barely played in any games that mattered so obviously he can't close for ****. His halfcourt offense is very limited. He camps on the high left post and either backs down and drives or faces up and drives. Occasionally he'll pull up from 16 at a standstill (a crappy 38% shoot for him).

So aside from Kawhi, who is a closer in the NBA according to you? Apparently you need to be elite from three, midrange and around the rim, past achievements do not count when you had a great teammate and a preferred attacking style is out of the question.

[LloydFree]

The Lakers don't have a closer, either.

Just as flawed as the Sixers and Bucks for that very reason.

Hahahaha i want you to be part of my hot take media group

They have LeBron and AD, two established guys who has shown ability to carry an offense on their shoulder

I'm serious, though, ha.

LeBron couldn't achieve ultimate success as a closer. Nobody respected his ability to score from EVERY level off the dribble. They just forced him into perimeter pullups where he failed miserably (Spurs, Magic series). He needed Wade and Irving to be his halfcourt ace in the postseason for him to ever win a ring.

Davis has barely played in any games that mattered so obviously he can't close for ****. His halfcourt offense is very limited. He camps on the high left post and either backs down and drives or faces up and drives. Occasionally he'll pull up from 16 at a standstill (a crappy 38% shoot for him).

My goodness. SMH...

[phillynative]

The clippers were without PG and Lakers without kuma. Kuma is a scorer and PG is an elite scorer. If kuma can hold up his end than lebron can preserve energy for the fourth quarter. Also rondo is still a good playmaker to get those guys a better shot. Theres really no question what paul george and kahwhi can do.

Offensively the sixers have bigger question marks than both those two teams right now.

[snoopdogg88]

The Lakers have one of the weirdest rosters I’ve ever seen.

Lebron, Davis, Rondo, Dwight, Cousins, McGee, Cousins, Green

It’s like they went out of their way to assemble the island of misfit toys.

[phillynative]

The Lakers have one of the weirdest rosters I’ve ever seen.

Lebron, Davis, Rondo, Dwight, Cousins, McGee, Cousins, Green

It’s like they went out of their way to assemble the island of misfit toys.

Bargain Deals. You wrote cousins twice.

I noticed they have longer centers than the sixers after Embiid theres a slight drop off in size. Al horford and kyle oquinn are closer to 6'9 and Norvelle pelle is on the slim side.

[76ciology]

The Lakers have one of the weirdest rosters I’ve ever seen.

Lebron, Davis, Rondo, Dwight, Cousins, McGee, Cousins, Green

It’s like they went out of their way to assemble the island of misfit toys.

Have you watched Space Jam?

[76ciology]

Clips and Lakers was something to watch for bully ball teams. Clips pretty much tried to trap the Lakers into a post heavy game. Bron was posting pat bev (doc put pat bev on Bron the entire night) while AD was posting Harrell and Patterson the entire night. It’s one of those tricks Rick Carlisle tries to pull off whenever we face them.

Its just easier to stop the offense when everyone is not moving.

[Kobblehead]

Clips and Lakers was something to watch for bully ball teams. Clips pretty much tried to trap the Lakers into a post heavy game. Bron was posting pat bev (doc put pat bev on Bron the entire night) while AD was posting Harrell and Patterson the entire night. It’s one of those tricks Rick Carlisle tries to pull off whenever we face them.

Its just easier to stop the offense when everyone is not moving.

I don't think it was a trick or trap and that Davis/James were baited into playing that way. That's just the way they play. LeBron has never been an elite, multilevel pullup guy. That's why he always desperately needed Wade and Irving to achieve any real success.

And Anthony Davis is a mere postplayer with a rudimentary faceup game.

Both are great players, but neither have a closer's skillset. Which is why their pairing is ridiculously overrated.

It's like putting Giannis/Garnett on the same team. Elite defense, elite point production. Cool. Who's going to score a bucket in the halfcourt in crunchtime?

[Sixerscan]

The Lakers don't have a closer, either.

Just as flawed as the Sixers and Bucks for that very reason.

Hahahaha i want you to be part of my hot take media group

They have LeBron and AD, two established guys who has shown ability to carry an offense on their shoulder

I'm serious, though, ha.

LeBron couldn't achieve ultimate success as a closer. Nobody respected his ability to score from EVERY level off the dribble. They just forced him into perimeter pullups where he failed miserably (Spurs, Magic series). He needed Wade and Irving to be his halfcourt ace in the postseason for him to ever win a ring.

Davis has barely played in any games that mattered so obviously he can't close for ****. His halfcourt offense is very limited. He camps on the high left post and either backs down and drives or faces up and drives. Occasionally he'll pull up from 16 at a standstill (a crappy 38% shoot for him).

Lebrons not the player he was, but let’s see any of those guys score like 30 straight points or whatever it was against that Pistons defense before we call any of them closers on his level. Or dominate out of the high post those two heat years. He even became a great pick and roll player. Acting like he wasn’t an excellent half court player at his peak is just crazy.

Yeah sure elite defenses if they could focus all of their energy on him could limit his productiveness somewhat. But that’s true of virtually anyone who gets keyed on. Like Kyrie couldn’t handle the bucks. Let’s see that guy do something in the playoffs without the 2nd best player of all time to hold his hand.

[smittybanton]

i'm irrationally excited about seeing isaac bonga's debut in the wizards' starting lineup. i'm a sucker for tall dudes who dribble well. 6'9 german dude who obviously watched andone mixtapes. really young. kind of wanted him last year. went earlier than i had hoped.

[Kobblehead]

Lebrons not the player he was, but let’s see any of those guys score like 30 straight points or whatever it was against that Pistons defense before we call any of them closers on his level. Or dominate out of the high post those two heat years. He even became a great pick and roll player. Acting like he wasn’t an excellent half court player at his peak is just crazy.

Yeah sure elite defenses if they could focus all of their energy on him could limit his productiveness somewhat. But that’s true of virtually anyone who gets keyed on. Like Kyrie couldn’t handle the bucks. Let’s see that guy do something in the playoffs without the 2nd best player of all time to hold his hand.

Nobody is sweating LeBron or Giannis in the halfcourt in games that matter. They're not the type of talent that can win championships without an ace shotcreating running mate to do all the heavy lifting on crucial possessions.

Anthony Davis does not bring LeBron any closer to a championship in Los Angeles. He desperately needed Kawhi or Kyrie for that. Or he should have put his focus into moving mountains on a Bradley Beal trade instead of Anthony Davis.