The LeBron Thread 2021 Off-Season Edition

[trickshot]

Lakers should have kept Jones as a 3rd string guy. He was a star in the Mcgee role compared to Drummond and Jordan. They discovered his utility just to let another team benefit off it. The dangers of name chasing. It was an amazing bit of scouting from a team with a decent eye for talent. Even utility guys like Caruso, THT, Kuzma, they know how to find talents. They don't need to chase names.

[homecourtloss]

Lakers should have kept Jones as a 3rd string guy. He was a star in the Mcgee role compared to Drummond and Jordan. They discovered his utility just to let another team benefit off it. The dangers of name chasing. It was an amazing bit of scouting from a team with a decent eye for talent. Even utility guys like Caruso, THT, Kuzma, they know how to find talents. They don't need to chase names.

Agree. They’re going to miss Caruso. Bazemore, Ellington, THT, Monk...he’s rapt least a tier and half above these guys. THT...I don’t know. Looking at all these guys, there’s a 99% chance Lakers are -2 points per 100; possessions or worse with LeBron off court.

[trickshot]

Lakers should have kept Jones as a 3rd string guy. He was a star in the Mcgee role compared to Drummond and Jordan. They discovered his utility just to let another team benefit off it. The dangers of name chasing. It was an amazing bit of scouting from a team with a decent eye for talent. Even utility guys like Caruso, THT, Kuzma, they know how to find talents. They don't need to chase names.

Agree. They’re going to miss Caruso. Bazemore, Ellington, THT, Monk...he’s rapt least a tier and half above these guys. THT...I don’t know. Looking at all these guys, there’s a 99% chance Lakers are -2 points per 100; possessions or worse with LeBron off court.

For sure, I'm watching the game, no point judging the offense without WB and Lebron but the team defense and rebounding shows early signs of deterioration. Specifically the quality of help defense has fallen off a cliff. The thing is the guys switching off make it hard for the better defenders to know where to help and where to prerotate. Some of these guys won't make it to the playoffs. Total net negatives.

[MisterHibachi]

Read on Twitter

Doesn't quite make sense he's turning 37.

[trickshot]

The score is irrelevant but man did they ruin that once beautiful defensive system. Their stars needed help and changes needed to be made but it's not help if AD has to bust his lungs to cover a blown assignment on every other possession. Even looks draining too watch.

[mademan]

Keeping THT over Caruso is gonna end up being such a big mistake. Caruso provides a real role for a team trying to win; THT might be decent one day when Lebron is gone. Just a poor decision

[homecourtloss]

Keeping THT over Caruso is gonna end up being such a big mistake. Caruso provides a real role for a team trying to win; THT might be decent one day when Lebron is gone. Just a poor decision

Can’t just hand-wave away his 99th percentile two-man pairing numbers with James as some people want to do.

On another note, only two preseason games, but AD looks exactly the same as last year, i.e., disappointing and not much impact.

[falcolombardi]

lakers improved their spacing a bit but they still lack tge grit of the 2020 team, general mánagers always undervalue defensive hustle guys when building teams and are flashed by role players with bigger scoring

the saving grace is that if lebron and davis are 100% in the playoffs no other team has anythingh conparable except the nets (maybe the bucks trio...kind of but probabky not) that are even more fragile. so pelinka could fraud his way up to another ring

bucks or healthy nuggets/clippers would be the main problems besides a healthy nets (which would require everyone firing in all cilinders)

[toodles23]

Read on Twitter

This man was promised a starting role on a championship contender SMFH

Hilarious looking at the replies of "Buh he had 19/14 wha you mean????????"

So glad he's not on the Lakers anymore.

[trickshot]

lakers improved their spacing a bit but they still lack tge grit of the 2020 team, general mánagers always undervalue defensive hustle guys when building teams and are flashed by role players with bigger scoring

the saving grace is that if lebron and davis are 100% in the playoffs no other team has anythingh conparable except the nets (maybe the bucks trio...kind of but probabky not) that are even more fragile. so pelinka could fraud his way up to another ring

bucks or healthy nuggets/clippers would be the main problems besides a healthy nets (which would require everyone firing in all cilinders)

I lowkey think it was FO mismanagement to amass a rotation full of poor defenders while expecting the coach to do some magic to make the defense championship level. Total misunderstanding of how defenses work. Last year's top ranked defense weren't some scrubs Vogel elevated to elite status. They were the best defensive roster in the league top to bottom. They need to insert 2-3 smart defenders in their rotation before the season starts. Dwight and Lebron might be those guys but you want 1 or 2 good perimeter guys. Could be Bazemore but he's already making boneheaded plays on offense,

As for what I have seen in the 2 preseason games (I know, I know, early days but I've also watched these guys on their old teams) Rondo's defensive awareness is as bad as ever, Melo tried in the 1st but slowly regressed to his lax invisible defense, is also the worst guy to have in the backline because his help defense is the same as having no one there, Jordan is lazy and somehow combines Gasol, Harrell and Drummond's worst traits. Didn't pay too much attention to others but the perimeter defense as a whole was always one pass away from giving a look. Suns were the worst matchup to face.

Just my opinion for anyone who might disagree.

[Greyhound]

Keeping THT over Caruso is gonna end up being such a big mistake. Caruso provides a real role for a team trying to win; THT might be decent one day when Lebron is gone. Just a poor decision

Agreed 100%.

[homecourtloss]

lakers improved their spacing a bit but they still lack tge grit of the 2020 team, general mánagers always undervalue defensive hustle guys when building teams and are flashed by role players with bigger scoring

the saving grace is that if lebron and davis are 100% in the playoffs no other team has anythingh conparable except the nets (maybe the bucks trio...kind of but probabky not) that are even more fragile. so pelinka could fraud his way up to another ring

bucks or healthy nuggets/clippers would be the main problems besides a healthy nets (which would require everyone firing in all cilinders)

Danny Green and Caruso were more impactful than any 2021-2022 Laker not named LeBron or Davis. If they had just kept Caruso, this mish-mash of low impact/negative impact players wouldn’t be as bad.

[thebigbird]

Keeping THT over Caruso is gonna end up being such a big mistake. Caruso provides a real role for a team trying to win; THT might be decent one day when Lebron is gone. Just a poor decision

THT is overrated as hell and that’s a take I’ll absolutely stand by. I’ve never understood the hype. He can’t shoot. Maybe one day he’ll be a rotational player but the time to win is now and he doesn’t fit that timeline. I hope they trade him at the deadline.

[Fadeaway_J]

Keeping THT over Caruso is gonna end up being such a big mistake. Caruso provides a real role for a team trying to win; THT might be decent one day when Lebron is gone. Just a poor decision

Honestly, even if he's further ahead of schedule than expected it's hard to see how he has any kind of major impact on this roster. When is he going to be out there as the clear lead ballhandler? You're already going to have to stagger LeBron and Russ, not to mention guys like Nunn and Rondo coming off the bench.

[Greyhound]

Ariza out (8 plus weeks), the starting lineup is screwed. Either they start big (and have the worst spacing in the league), start Melo and be a bottom half defensive team, or they start a midget like THT or Bazemore at SF.

This is bad news.

I get less and less enthusiastic about this upcoming season with each passing day.

[yoyoboy]

Really haven’t been paying any attention to anything NBA related lately because the NFL and UFC have more of my attention these days. But catching some of the replay, AD looks noticeably fat out there.

[nzahir]

Smh we lost Ariza for 2 months+ already

We were already so thin at the wing positions

We need to sign his replacement, but not sure who is available

RHJ? Sucks on offense though, but can play in certain lineups

Bring Wes back?

Ennis?

Not many options left

[homecourtloss]

Smh we lost Ariza for 2 months+ already

We were already so thin at the wing positions

We need to sign his replacement, but not sure who is available

RHJ? Sucks on offense though, but can play in certain lineups

Bring Wes back?

Ennis?

Not many options left

There’s only really three wing defenders on the team: James, Ariza, and Bazemore. Ariza was decent last yesr and can shoot and I think would have done well. It’s actually a big loss.

[Mos_Heat]

Keeping THT over Caruso is gonna end up being such a big mistake. Caruso provides a real role for a team trying to win; THT might be decent one day when Lebron is gone. Just a poor decision

I think THT is a more valuable trade asset than Caruso + you can't play Caruso and Westbrook together anyways

[Mos_Heat]

I don't understand why Lebron teams always lack wings