2021 NBA playoffs thread

So since they've had some past success, every decent player in the league is LA's by right? Because that's how Lakers fans carry it. And it's always for like Kuzma, cap fodder and first-round picks the Lakers no longer have.

 

Well Chris Paul was already traded to the Lakers, and it would have worked too if it wasn’t for that pesky commissioner. Maybe this is just a make good?

 

And to a degree I get that from fans. Fans are collectively dumb. National NBA writers should know better.

On a side note, Kuzma is the new Andrew Bynum — the mediocre guy for the Lakers that’s being traded for a legit star in every rumor.

 

The Knicks missed their moment when they kept Carmelo instead of trading him and building around Lin. Lin set that arena and city on fire. Knicks really fucked up there.

 

But remember, the Warriors adding Durant was bad for the league.

 

Well, it was, but Lakers fans can shut the fuck up about it forever.

 

They fucked up when they traded for him. They couldn't wait for the offseason when they could have given him the money he was always going to get for signing with the only place he wanted to play. I guess it was worth it to get swept by the Celtics in the first round, though.

 

That is correct — he was coming to the Knicks regardless but they refused to do that rational thing. And no one is building around Jeremy Freaking Lin. He was inexplicable lightning in a bottle for that short stretch, had one mediocre season in Houston and then was a replacement level 4th guard by the time he was 25.

 

Yeah - It took the league a little longer to adjust to him than "Flip" Murray, but it seemed like a pretty similar thing. Lin was still a valuable regular until the injuries, but if anything, I think he's an example of how some back of the bench players are probably slept on because bad front offices and/or coaching staffs have too much invested in higher pedigree draft picks or free agents.

 

I feel like that's a little damning to Bynum - He was a legit, fringe all-star kind of guy, until knee injuries. Kuzma has more fluctuated between fringe starter (4th or 5th guy) and fringe rotation player (10th guy).

 

There is no way the Lakers can get Westbrook -- that contract is too massive at 44 mil for this coming season and a player option of 47 million in 22-23.

There are six players on the roster besides LeBron and Davis they could trade. Even if you used all six contracts, the math doesn't work. You'd have to do a sign-and-trade with Schroeder I assume to get the contracts even

 

Westbrook is at least plausible to me, because any team that wants him at this point can do a "your shit for my shit" deal with Washington. He "only" has one year and a player option left though, so even his contract is becoming less of a lead balloon. Paul would have actual value as a free agent and he has positive trade value right now, even though he's older.