The LeBron James - 21-22 Regular Season Thread - New Thread Soon Part 2

[Mos_Heat]

vs MIA
vs MIN
vs SA
vs CHI
vs MIL(@)
vs BOS(@)
vs DET(@)
vs NY(@)
vs IND(@)
I assume that Lebron returns after the East coast trip, soooo... 4-5 during this stretch?

[frica]

Westbrook is a prime example of a guy, you see and think he's so athletic, even a small drop off would still enable him to be better than others, until you realize his entire game was built on that one inch of extra special athleticism. Derrick Rose is probably the closest analogy and his career rebuild seems even more impressive now.

I think there's more to it.
Rose for all his flaws at least can make his FTs really well, and the rest of his shooting seems fine too.

Westbrook went from a good FT-shooter to an awful one (relative to position). A slight drop in athleticism doesn't explain that.
Seems like there's been a technique breakdown too. (Although besides his FTs his shot has always been broken)

[thebigbird]

Watch on YouTube

wooooooow Lakers offered him less than 2yr/15 m

The Alex Caruso story makes me so angry. They let him walk and for what? He was great for the Lakers. Jeanie Buss is just cheap as hell and didn’t want to open up the checkbook. Dan Gilbert never would’ve let Caruso walk. It’s sad that LeBron goes to a ‘big market’ team but then it turns out that they conduct themselves like a small market team.

[Baski]

There are a lot of myths around Westbrook's abilites. Even his playmaking is wildly overrated, he can make a wicked pass but he doesn't have the management or reading to use that ability right. One reason his chemistry with AD is still wonky is his read/react ability isn't great, it's merely okay at best with frequent dips into garbage tier. I'll hazard to guess half of his passes to AD in the paint end in turnovers. He hasn't figured out AD isn't Steven Adams, AD is always draped by a defender. You can't blindly make dumpoff passes or lobs when he's involved. Might as well be handing the ball over to his defender.

I think he'll figure out better chemistry at some point in the season then finally get bamboozled by some well executed gameplan in the playoffs. Guy can't read/react for sh*t and takes ages to figure out some very basic defensive coverages (like being left wide open 5v4).

There was a thread on the PC board a while ago, I think soon after his MVP, asking who was the better scorer between him and prime Melo. I had no idea he was even considered a good scorer let alone Melo level.

[Texas Chuck]

The Alex Caruso story makes me so angry. They let him walk and for what? He was great for the Lakers. Jeanie Buss is just cheap as hell and didn’t want to open up the checkbook. Dan Gilbert never would’ve let Caruso walk. It’s sad that LeBron goes to a ‘big market’ team but then it turns out that they conduct themselves like a small market team.

Lakers are $20M over the tax line. They are definitely spending like a big market team. Now I'm surprised a little bit with that absurd local TV deal that even with the pandemic revenue decline that they let Caruso go over money, but every team has a budget.

The real sin is choosing to pay THT over Caruso knowing Lebron's window is right now and Caruso is clearly better. But sometimes teams get caught up in the hype of their own young players just like fans do and clearly they are projecting a ton on THT.

[homecourtloss]

Among players who have played at least 7 games and defended 8+ shots per game (173 players total), AD and Westbrook are in the bottom 7 of opponents’ FG% differential between when they contest shots and the rest of the league contests shots.

https://www.nba.com/stats/players/defense-dash-overall/?CF=GP*GE*7:D_FGA*GE*8&Season=2021-22&SeasonType=Regular%20Season&sort=PCT_PLUSMINUS&dir=1

Lakers’ defense without AD and Westbrook on court: 100 DRtg (49 minutes). Lakers’ defense without AD on court (154 minutes): 100.3 DRtg.

Stillwaiting for even half of bubble AD.

[Heej]

Lol THT hasn't done jack s*** since getting drafted. I have zero hopes for him

[thebigbird]

The Alex Caruso story makes me so angry. They let him walk and for what? He was great for the Lakers. Jeanie Buss is just cheap as hell and didn’t want to open up the checkbook. Dan Gilbert never would’ve let Caruso walk. It’s sad that LeBron goes to a ‘big market’ team but then it turns out that they conduct themselves like a small market team.

Lakers are $20M over the tax line. They are definitely spending like a big market team. Now I'm surprised a little bit with that absurd local TV deal that even with the pandemic revenue decline that they let Caruso go over money, but every team has a budget.

The real sin is choosing to pay THT over Caruso knowing Lebron's window is right now and Caruso is clearly better. But sometimes teams get caught up in the hype of their own young players just like fans do and clearly they are projecting a ton on THT.

Just sucks to see them lose key contributors for nothing because of money reasons. Caruso was a great defender and he played so well with LeBron. He was giving 25 solid minutes per game in the NBA finals, and now he’s gone for nothing in return.

I’ve never understood the THT hype. He’s young and has good measurements, but that’s it. He’s done nothing to warrant the ‘untouchable’ label the Lakers have seemingly placed on him. The odds of THT becoming a superstar in the future are not high enough. It’s like they’re trying to split the atom and be in ‘win now’ mode and ‘build for the future’ mode at the same time. The window is right now. Go all in and let the chips fall wherever they fall.

[Mos_Heat]

The Alex Caruso story makes me so angry. They let him walk and for what? He was great for the Lakers. Jeanie Buss is just cheap as hell and didn’t want to open up the checkbook. Dan Gilbert never would’ve let Caruso walk. It’s sad that LeBron goes to a ‘big market’ team but then it turns out that they conduct themselves like a small market team.

Lakers are $20M over the tax line. They are definitely spending like a big market team. Now I'm surprised a little bit with that absurd local TV deal that even with the pandemic revenue decline that they let Caruso go over money, but every team has a budget.

The real sin is choosing to pay THT over Caruso knowing Lebron's window is right now and Caruso is clearly better. But sometimes teams get caught up in the hype of their own young players just like fans do and clearly they are projecting a ton on THT.

Eh, for a team that paid its last tax check in 2013 and a clear 2 year window, you would hope for more

[Greyhound]

I don't think he's ever been better than Curry on defense

Honestly that whole meme about Curry being a bad defender never jived with my eye test. Sure he was frail when he was younger but his arms are long and he has quick hands. Not to mention he legit puts in effort every possession. For all his gifts, it's his motor that may be the most underrated aspect of his game. Also, I've long considered Curry the most underrated rebounding guard of his era. He's just got that light skin stigma going against him, but you can't have a perennial number 1 level defense if one of your primary point of attack defenders is a turnstile or a negative help defender.

Also, regarding Rose I often think about how good he could've been. He was clearly the better player than Westbrook by a substantial margin at every point in their careers before his injury, and Westbrook went on to win an MVP. If we project Rose to having continually improved his shooting at the rate he's improved now with healthy offseasons I think we're looking at a guy that battles for the top point guard title with Curry year in and year out the way Deron Williams used to with CP3. Which is insane to think about that he had top 15-25 all time potential.

His arms are not long.
He is 6’3” with a 6’4” wingspan.

Curry is an average to slightly below average defender for his position. He puts in the effort and he plays within the defensive game plan, so he will not hurt the team scheme.

In high leverage situations however, he will be targeted by the opposing team. Not because he is a horrible defender, but because he is often times the weakest defensive player in his lineup.

Curry
Thompson
Iguodala
Green
Bogut

Curry is literally the only guy to target in such a lineup. The fact that he cannot tank such a great defensive unit does not make him great defensively either.

He is average defensively, at best.

Place him on a comical defensive team like the 2018 Cavs and he will be fried.

[trickshot]

Financial managers of these contending owners really gotta advice their clients to build up a rainy day fund for luxury tax. For sure things like covid are unforesseable but you also shouldn't get to FA and act like you weren't for several years aware of the tax ramifications it would take to keep your team together.

On the other hand and to be fair to them maybe it's just one of those things. May not be practical to have millions sitting idle. Goes against what made them billionaires in the first place. It's just that sports billionaires play on a different field where costcutting directly worsens your product.

[trickshot]

If the Lakers get blown out tonight it's going to continue the pattern of getting beat down by any halfway decent contender with any kind of offensive structure. It's only November but this is more referring to how they get picked apart from the seams, specifically how the roster flaws look impossible to hide against the better teams. There's talent then there's matchup ability. Lakers so far have shown an abundance of only talent.

[GSP]

Kuzma just hit b2b 3s to steal the game in Cleveland WTF

[TheGOATRises007]

Thank you Pelinka for Caruso.

[Fadeaway_J]

Thank you Pelinka for Caruso.

[MisterHibachi]

Whole league begging for calls, and Jimmy getting touch fouls all over the place.

[MisterHibachi]

AD has really woken up in the past few games.

[Greatness]

AD being aggressive? This is new

[nzahir]

Don't care to tune in tonight, maybe I will check in late if its close

Hoping for the best

[MisterHibachi]

Would be nice if Russ had any idea how to shoot a floater or had the touch for them