The LeBron Thread 2021 Off-Season Edition

[FC93]

LeBron says he and AD will both have some input on offseason moves but that he trusts Pelinka...you have to imagine LeBron is going to say he wants shooters, but AD is a big Drummond fan and hates to play the 5, so there's also that. LeBron obviously likes Caruso, and it seems like he's a fan of KCP and Gasol as well.

[Mos_Heat]

It will be hard for him to look any better in the playoffs moving forward. Yes he was great in the bubble, but the next POs will be 18 months and 100+ games away from it. Maybe with a optimized spacing, with AD playing the 5, with another good P'n'R creator he might still around top 5 in the league. But I don't believe that Pelinka can rebuild this team properly, he defintely misses more often than not

[frica]

LeBron says he and AD will both have some input on offseason moves but that he trusts Pelinka...you have to imagine LeBron is going to say he wants shooters, but AD is a big Drummond fan and hates to play the 5, so there's also that. LeBron obviously likes Caruso, and it seems like he's a fan of KCP and Gasol as well.

If only AD wasn't such a bitch.

[falcolombardi]

LeBron says he and AD will both have some input on offseason moves but that he trusts Pelinka...you have to imagine LeBron is going to say he wants shooters, but AD is a big Drummond fan and hates to play the 5, so there's also that. LeBron obviously likes Caruso, and it seems like he's a fan of KCP and Gasol as well.

lakers should try to go all in next year imo, maximize what may legitimely be lebron last run as a star level player

keep gasol and Matthews even though they are old since the objective should be go all in on 2022, keep caruso too

try trading tucker and harrel for shooters

try to sign schroeder under 15 million or are if a sign and trade for lowry is possible

see if kuzma can be traded for a better shooter

lebron, davis, kcp, caruso, gasol, wesley is a guaranteed strong defense, focus everythingh else on spacing

optimize the roster, only 2 ballhandlers (lebron and shroeder/whoever replaces him) no bench scorers like harrel or so-so shooters like kuzms

[Slava]

The roster had no continuity from the first time Davis went down, so this was inevitable in a way. Only reason I hung on was due to a blind faith in LeBron and even he seems to not be 100% since the high ankle sprain. **** Solomon Hill.

Assuming a regular schedule from next season onwards, this gives LeBron and AD close to 4 months to recharge, rehab and get ready. So although they lose in the first round, the turn around time is equivalent of losing in the conference finals or just prior to that during a regular NBA schedule.

This also gives Pelinka and Rich Paul time to work on the roster. This will be Pelinka's third full season at the helm, so no excuses there either and Vogel needs to come out with a better offensive scheme next season to keep his job.

[JVL]

I can't fault Bron's game last night, except the whining and not running back on D but the game was over at that point.

[Dupp]

Interesting quotes by Schroeder. I guess his on court demeanour had me believe maybe he didn’t like playing with lebron.

Bring him back, lose Drummond and move kuzma for someone who can shoot if possible

[Gooner]

I think this is the end of LeBron.

[Gooner]

:( Feels unreal

It's the reality of playing i nthe western conference, no more cakewalks.

[McBubbles]

LeBron says he and AD will both have some input on offseason moves but that he trusts Pelinka...you have to imagine LeBron is going to say he wants shooters, but AD is a big Drummond fan and hates to play the 5, so there's also that. LeBron obviously likes Caruso, and it seems like he's a fan of KCP and Gasol as well.

If only AD wasn't such a bitch.

It is really annoying. LeBron hated the idea of playing PF, but he did it in Miami because it was necessary to unlock the teams potential.

AD, who has WAY less influence accolades than Lebron did at that point just says "I don't wanna play centre" and everyone on the team is totally fine with it? **** no **** stop being a bitch and help your team win wtf.

I think the championship window is gone unfortunately. Unless they add a 3rd star in the off season (preferably in the form of a high IQ, playmaking guard that can shoot) and get hella 3+D shooters, the duo of AD and LeBron aren't dominant enough to carry so so talent to a championship.

Not even just so so talent, but so so talent that doesn't fit. You can have bad fitting top end talent, or extremely well fitting role players, but if your team is populated by bad fitting role players then you're screwed.

[Baski]

:( Feels unreal

It's the reality of playing i nthe western conference, no more cakewalks.

The 2 seed in the East would've done the same thing as the suns just did to these Lakers. It's not a conference thing.

Plus the obvious: The Lakers are the defending Western Conference Champions. Did the West take a break last season?

[dcstanley]

I really need the Nets to lose. The only thing that annoys me more than blind/irrational Lebron hate and Jordan/Kobe idolatry is the undeserved pedestal folks put KD on. He's not even better than Steph but people have convinced themselves he holds a candle to Lebron.

[Gooner]

:( Feels unreal

It's the reality of playing i nthe western conference, no more cakewalks.

The 2 seed in the East would've done the same thing as the suns just did to these Lakers. It's not a conference thing.

Plus the obvious: The Lakers are the defending Western Conference Champions. Did the West take a break last season?

This Phoenix team is certainly better than Boston or Toronto which were like the main rivals for LeBron in the east. The reason why they are the 7th seed this year is the western conference aswell, you pay the price there.

[Gooner]

I really need the Nets to lose. The only thing that annoys me more than blind/irrational Lebron hate and Jordan/Kobe idolatry is the undeserved pedestal folks put KD on. He's not even better than Steph but people have convinced themselves he holds a candle to Lebron.

KD better than Steph, we saw who was the finals MVP, Curry has none and he missed the playoffs this year. He needed KD to beat Cleveland.

[Baski]

No blame being thrown, but how frustrating it must be to be a fan of AD.

Like, can you actually build around a star that you can almost always expect to miss large chunks of the season? The Lakers did everything they could to keep him healthy and he still went down, twice. How do you deal with the constant stress worrying about whether he's injured or not?
Makes me wonder how big of a championship window the Lakers will have once Lebron is gone, if they'll have one at all.

[JVL]

I doubt AD will still be a star once Lebron is gone in a year or 2. There's no way he magically stops struggling with all these injuries as he gets older.

Every time he cuts to the basket I hold my breath. Is he going to absorb contact when finishing? Is he gonna land awkwardly after dunking? Roll his ankle after a rebound?

[McBubbles]

LeBron averaged 3.8 free throws per game this series. Going to assume that's a career low.

[Baski]

It's the reality of playing i nthe western conference, no more cakewalks.

The 2 seed in the East would've done the same thing as the suns just did to these Lakers. It's not a conference thing.

Plus the obvious: The Lakers are the defending Western Conference Champions. Did the West take a break last season?

This Phoenix team is certainly better than Boston or Toronto which were like the main rivals for LeBron in the east.

What? They're not "certainly" better than any of those teams. All credit to Phoenix as a deserving 2-seed but don't act like the current WC seeding is an accurate portrayal of their actual strength.

The reason why they are the 7th seed this year is the western conference aswell, you pay the price there.

No the reason they're 7th is that their 2 biggest stars, as well as other key players, missed a huge chunk of the season. It's not a conference thing. Do you honestly think the Lakers are 7th seed material in this Western Conference? Be honest.

[Baski]

I doubt AD will still be a star once Lebron is gone in a year or 2. There's no way he magically stops struggling with all these injuries as he gets older.

Every time he cuts to the basket I hold my breath. Is he going to absorb contact when finishing? Is he gonna land awkwardly after dunking? Roll his ankle after a rebound?

Well put. At this point they can't even play him at his most devastating position for fear of him getting injured. As a GM that must make team-building tough, at least compared to GMs of other contenders. I know it's a problem half the GMs in the league would gladly welcome.

I do think he'll still be a megastar long after LeBron retires though. Talent is talent. The question for me is whether he can be the major thing a franchise's title hopes rest on.

[Gooner]

The 2 seed in the East would've done the same thing as the suns just did to these Lakers. It's not a conference thing.

Plus the obvious: The Lakers are the defending Western Conference Champions. Did the West take a break last season?

This Phoenix team is certainly better than Boston or Toronto which were like the main rivals for LeBron in the east.

What? They're not "certainly" better than any of those teams. All credit to Phoenix as a deserving 2-seed but don't act like the current WC seeding is an accurate portrayal of their actual strength.

The reason why they are the 7th seed this year is the western conference aswell, you pay the price there.

No the reason they're 7th is that their 2 biggest stars, as well as other key players, missed a huge chunk of the season. It's not a conference thing. Do you honestly think the Lakers are 7th seed material in this Western Conference? Be honest.

Phoenix is better than Atlanta, Toronto and Boston teams that LeBron faced in the conference finals when he was in Cleveland, I don't think anyone can disagree with that. Injuries played the part for sure, but you pay the bigger price for that in the west.