The Lebron Thread | 2021 & Offseason

[RCM88x]

Last year before the season started I said I'd be surprised if any team could win 2 games off the Lakers in the playoffs. This year looks just as predictable to me, nothing substantial has changed and bar injuries to Lebron or AD it'll be very surprising every time the Lakers lose a playoff game. In fairness to the other teams, it's tough to build a serious contender when the two best players in the league are playing for the same team and have great synergy...

If I had to pick a team that could potentially cause some issues, I'd pick the Sixers.

Why the sixers? They just don't seem to be all that great imo, they really never have been with their current core, Jimmy Butler included.

[MyUniBroDavis]

Last year before the season started I said I'd be surprised if any team could win 2 games off the Lakers in the playoffs. This year looks just as predictable to me, nothing substantial has changed and bar injuries to Lebron or AD it'll be very surprising every time the Lakers lose a playoff game. In fairness to the other teams, it's tough to build a serious contender when the two best players in the league are playing for the same team and have great synergy...

If I had to pick a team that could potentially cause some issues, I'd pick the Sixers.

Theyd be a bit scarier if their coach didnt just have the worst playoff performance in the league lol

[MyUniBroDavis]

AD's playoff jumper seems to have transferred over so far. He was unfair last night in the third quarter. If he's hitting pull up 3s in isolation, idk how anyone can deny he's the best player in the league.

His midrange jumper was act abt the same percentage as his playoff jumper after the 1/3rd mark of the season, pre bubble
An article mentioned he changed his form and there were growing pains

AD hitting jumpers like this including coming off of screens makes him prolly in contention for best pf peak, his last playoff run was alr prolly at a higher level of play than any of garnetts

Hes potentially the best off ball scoring big ever, since his finishing is top tier, but he can also come off of screens for jumpers going to his right or left, and you give him basically KD level on ball scoring + DPOY tier defense? Damn

[MisterHibachi]

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Reasonable value for Kuz. Also very tradable.

[nzahir]

I don't think Kuzma is worth 13m a year for his production, BUT I think its a very good deal for both sides for a few reasons:

1) If Kuzma improves his 3 point shot and continues to improve on D, he is worth the money
2) If Kuzma takes a huge step forward, say becomes a 38% 3 point shooter who can be a 6th man type of option, then its well worth it
3) He can also be traded much easier now if need be
4) Kuzma gets paid above what his production is for now, but he gets paid on some potential and age. And around his peak years, he has a PO. He will have at least 1 ring, if not more, and can be seen as a guy who can help a real winning team

We were capped out anyways and 2021 FA is done, good deal

[nzahir]

We have a lot of salary to move now if need be

Kuzma, Cook, Dudley, Kieff, and Alfonzo equal to 22M or so

Even 9M or so of Trez if he doesn't work out

I hope Dennis is great for us, but if not, we have a lot of pieces to move around if needed

[The Master]

Reasonable value for Kuz. Also very tradable.

I wrote that on GB, but as far as I understand this situation, Lakers can't move Kuz this season because of 6-month rule after this type of extension is given.

A team may extend and trade a player within these rules. An extension-and-trade is allowed if (i) the contract covers no more than 3 seasons (including any years remaining in the original contract), (ii) the salary in the first year of the extended term is no more than 105% of the salary in the last year of the original term, and (iii) the annual salary increases are no more than 5% of the salary in the first season covered by the extended term.

To prevent teams from getting around these limitations, teams cannot trade any player that signs an extension covering more than 3 seasons, a higher salary, or with larger annual increases for the next 6 months.

Similarly, if a team receives a player in a trade, then for the next 6 months following that trade the team cannot sign the player to an extension that would violate the limitations for an extension-and-trade transaction.

So it seems that this is a huge compromise with Kuz: he sacrifices potential bigger contract next year on a market where lot of teams will have huge amount of cap space in '21, in exchange of being safe as a Laker and not tradeable for a whole year, and Lakers give him solid, but not overwhelming contract, but can't move him until August. I thought that for example Harrell + Kuz can be very valuable combination in a trade if something doesn't work out for Lakers, but now their only moveable asset is THT, and I like that much less, because I wouldn't move THT for some short-term deal. It's like accepting Lakers will compete for a championship with this roster. Maybe it will be irrelevant, but generally it's good to have a chance for plan B.

It's a good deal when you ignore that, 40/3 is very reasonable contract, if Kuz finds shooting form and hits some respectable numbers with his 3-pointer, he can become really valuable for this team in years to come. If not, he's still talented scorer for Hornets-type of teams with improving defense.

[kayess]

Wondering if Kuzma gave up money since someone was probably liable to overpay him next year. Definitely could see someone giving him 4m/year more over that time or something.

But that's purely in the short term; long term, is he bound to increase his value by sticking with the Lakers, probably growing more as a player, getting more media exposure etc?

[thebigbird]

After seeing some of the deals dudes are getting, I feel way better about Kuzma’s. He’s a pain in the butt sometimes but Vogel has turned him into a decent defender and he’s willing to play his role.

[picko]

Wondering if Kuzma gave up money since someone was probably liable to overpay him next year. Definitely could see someone giving him 4m/year more over that time or something.

But that's purely in the short term; long term, is he bound to increase his value by sticking with the Lakers, probably growing more as a player, getting more media exposure etc?

Given the uncertainty surrounding the salary cap going forward, I don't think he could bet on the market being there at the end of the season. A signed deal is simply better than taking the risk of a slightly better / much worse deal at the end of the season.

[kayess]

Wondering if Kuzma gave up money since someone was probably liable to overpay him next year. Definitely could see someone giving him 4m/year more over that time or something.

But that's purely in the short term; long term, is he bound to increase his value by sticking with the Lakers, probably growing more as a player, getting more media exposure etc?

Given the uncertainty surrounding the salary cap going forward, I don't think he could bet on the market being there at the end of the season. A signed deal is simply better than taking the risk of a slightly better / much worse deal at the end of the season.

Fair enough. Obviously to mere mortals like us we'd probably take the deal instantly but you never know what goes on inside these athletes' brains

[Freighttrain]

Wondering if Kuzma gave up money since someone was probably liable to overpay him next year. Definitely could see someone giving him 4m/year more over that time or something.

But that's purely in the short term; long term, is he bound to increase his value by sticking with the Lakers, probably growing more as a player, getting more media exposure etc?

I mean he got a pretty big following on social media and he got a contract with Puma. I don't think he would've been getting that same perception if he was drafted in Minnesota for example. Playing in LA gives you more opportunities, no matter what some people say about 'its a global world, you can be a brand everywhere'. Local stuff matters, especially in big markets like LA or NY.

[Homer38]

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[Firebird1]

Like I said before, the Lakers will win it all again without a doubt in my mind.

[dcstanley]

Gonna be interesting to see how Lebron approaches this season. With ten less games, I can't imagine him missing games as frequently as people project considering the milestones he's chasing.

[Homer38]

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[O_6]

LeBron James -------------- 4 MVPs ---- 11 Top 3 MVP Finishes ---- 4 Rings ---- 4 Finals MVPs
KD/Steph/Harden/CP3 --- 4 MVPs ---- 13 Top 3 MVP Finishes ---- 5 Rings ---- 2 Finals MVPs

Those are the next 4 highest ranked active players on the current RealGM all-time list, 4 guys who are all in the Top 25 mix all-time. 4 guys who have had incredible careers and are still elite players. But the above kind of shows just how insane that LeBron's career has been in terms of dominance and longevity. LeBron's 4 MVPs all came in a 5 year span from '09 to '13, but he finished MVP runner-up in 2006 and 2020 which paints a better picture of his longevity. This post isn't anything new, but sometimes it's just crazy to look at LeBron's career resume and think about exactly how much he has accomplished already while still maintaining his status as the best current player in the game.

I think this is LeBron's last year where he will make a real run at league MVP, and I guarantee that he wants to add a 5th award to his resume to match MJ. My prediction is that if Marc Gasol proves to still have gas left in the tank and shoots well from outside, LeBron will have an incredible season with the added spacing and his regular season scoring efficiency numbers will take a leap above a .600 TS% (if his FT shooting isn't terrible) and lead to him winning a 5th and final MVP (if an improved AD and him don't hurt each other vs. another candidate). I really think there's a decent chance that '21 LeBron could end up being the best offensive version we've seen of him.

I hope LeBron puts more of an emphasis on post play this year. '90/'91 Magic is one of my favorite players ever to watch because he adjusted for his loss in athleticism from his overall peak in '87 to become an absolute monster of a post player. LeBron has shown glimpses of that kind of transition the last few years but it's been very limited as he plays his usual style out on the perimeter. But there is not a more dominant offensive possession in the league today than LeBron catching the ball in the mid-post with his back to the basket and 10+ seconds left on the shot clock. The entire defense is at his mercy on those possessions because he's strong enough to back the defender down, quick enough to get by the defender and to the rim, and his passing makes doubling him a dangerous decision.

I think Marc Gasol's unique combination of shooting and passing from behind the arc should really allow LeBron to do damage as a mid-post offensive hub. I really hope and think that LeBron will focus on that area a little more this upcoming year which will make the Lakers offense a terror with the spacing of AD/Gasol. I'm very excited for this year, I think the Lakers are the favorites for sure but the league is definitely more talented at the top which will be fun.

[Homer38]

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[nzahir]

Damn I can't believe we are already back, excited for the year

Real chance Lebron gets his 5th ring this season...

BKN looked very good though, lot of firepower and a lot more shooting than us sadly

I hope Lebron isn't fully coasting tonight, I still want to beat Kawhi's ass

[yoyoboy]

I’m really not in love with Gasol on this team to be honest. He’s just so immobile. The defense is going to take a clear hit from the activity and rim protection Dwight/McGee brought to the table.