Lakers @ Suns Sunday game thread 2-25-2024

[Mainstreet]

I believe there is an issue with the over 40 rule. I'm not sure how that works but I remember it being a concern with CP3.

LeBron will get his though, one way or the other. He wants to play with his son and I could see Bronnie being signed as an undrafted free agent on a sizable deal to get the 2 of them together. Bronnie will probably get a ridiculous deal as an undrafted free agent just to entice his dad to join that team.

Yeah, the NBA did a good job of fixing any loopholes, although I hope Mat Ishbia can find some.

Wouldn't the over 40 rule be age discrimination? However, union rules probably prevail.

 

[Hoop Head]

Yeah, the NBA did a good job of fixing any loopholes, although I hope Mat Ishbia can find some.

Wouldn't the over 40 rule be age discrimination? However, union rules probably prevail.

It just has to do with how the salary counts as far as if it's guaranteed and towards the cap. Since the league has a CBA that is agreed upon by the players and owners they aren't subject to normal laws. Otherwise there would be an issue with High School kids joining the league directly out of school but the league has the 1 and done rules.

 

[Mainstreet]

It just has to do with how the salary counts as far as if it's guaranteed and towards the cap. Since the league has a CBA that is agreed upon by the players and owners they aren't subject to normal laws. Otherwise there would be an issue with High School kids joining the league directly out of school but the league has the 1 and done rules.

This is what I meant. Unions can form their own rules.

 

[JCSunsfan]

98.7 is preaching the play in. Get the 7 or 8 and play the Thunder or T Wolves rather than Denver / Clippers.

What a horrible idea. This team needs to play the best possible basketball it can coming into the playoffs. Get the chemistry going. Win as many games as possible. Let the chips fall where they fall.

Don't screw around with not trying hard, which is losing games on purpose.

 

[Dback Jon]

What a horrible idea. This team needs to play the best possible basketball it can coming into the playoffs. Get the chemistry going. Win as many games as possible. Let the chips fall where they fall.

Don't screw around with not trying hard, which is losing games on purpose.

And as we saw last night, the Lakers have enough firepower to win a single game series.

 

[Hoop Head]

And as we saw last night, the Lakers have enough firepower to win a single game series.

And the Suns haven't proven they can turn it on and off so I'd avoid any single game scenarios there are. I can see this team failing to show up in a play in game just as well as them dominating. If we missed the playoffs entirely by training to game the system and fall to the play in then this whole experiment should be blown up. Fire JJ, Vogel, and trade everyone away.

 

[Phrazbit]

And the Suns haven't proven they can turn it on and off so I'd avoid any single game scenarios there are. I can see this team failing to show up in a play in game just as well as them dominating. If we missed the playoffs entirely by training to game the system and fall to the play in then this whole experiment should be blown up. Fire JJ, Vogel, and trade everyone away.

Yeah, we'd be a tweaked hammy or an rolled ankle in game 80 from missing the playoffs entirely.

 

[BirdGangThing]

we're not blowing it up guys - big 3 will be here again next year - we are literally pot committed

 

[Hoop Head]

we're not blowing it up guys - big 3 will be here again next year - we are literally pot committed

If we somehow miss the playoffs, it should be blown up.

 

[BirdGangThing]

If we somehow miss the playoffs, it should be blown up.

I don't see either happening

 

[Covert Rain]

If we somehow miss the playoffs, it should be blown up.

Yep. Clean house. Fire Jones, Vogel and trade away to stock up on assets. Some people are going to want to do that if we get a 1st round bounce.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Yep. Clean house. Fire Jones, Vogel and trade away to stock up on assets. Some people are going to want to do that if we get a 1st round bounce.

we could in turn look at how rash that decision might be. There were plenty of people in the league and on this board loudly crowing about how right they were that the Rudy Gobert trade to Minnesota was a disaster and he and Towns would never be able to play together. one year later, they're currently the 1 seed in the West with the 2nd best record overall in the league.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Yep. Clean house. Fire Jones, Vogel and trade away to stock up on assets. Some people are going to want to do that if we get a 1st round bounce.

I vacillate between cleaning house and riding with the core for another season regardless of this year's outcome. I don't believe this group will lead to a title but given that it may well be a very long, and very dismal rebuild for us, I lean towards staying the course as long as KD is viable.

 

[Phrazbit]

If we get bounced in the first round or miss the playoffs entirely there is a decent chance KD will force the issue and demand out, rending all of this moot.

But blowing up everything does not make much sense unless we get most of our picks back, or unless OKC gives us an absolute bonanza for Durant... but I don't see that happening.

 

[Hoop Head]

I know the Suns can't aggregate salaries this off-season being over the apron but I'm curious if they will be able to do anything at the draft. Like combining Little with our 1st to give us a more sizeable amount to trade. We aren't going to get a rotation player back dealing our pick alone. It'll be interesting to see what happens there. As of now we have the 23rd pick. The 23rd pick in the 2023 draft is making $2.85 million in the first year of his deal. That's Kris Murray in Portland if anyone is wondering. He's playing 15 minutes a game for Portland, which doesn't say much.

 

[Phrazbit]

I know the Suns can't aggregate salaries this off-season being over the apron but I'm curious if they will be able to do anything at the draft. Like combining Little with our 1st to give us a more sizeable amount to trade. We aren't going to get a rotation player back dealing our pick alone. It'll be interesting to see what happens there. As of now we have the 23rd pick. The 23rd pick in the 2023 draft is making $2.85 million in the first year of his deal. That's Kris Murray in Portland if anyone is wondering. He's playing 15 minutes a game for Portland, which doesn't say much.

Draft picks, even unsigned, carry a cap hold. So no, I don’t think we can combine it.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Draft picks, even unsigned, carry a cap hold. So no, I don’t think we can combine it.

With the apron, can we only make 1 for 1 trades now, with salaries matching or can we trade 1 guy for a couple players?

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

With the apron, can we only make 1 for 1 trades now, with salaries matching or can we trade 1 guy for a couple players?

We just made a trade where we sent out more than we got back. Not sure if it can happen the other way around, but it certainly doesn't have to be 1 for 1.

 

[Cheesebeef]

We just made a trade where we sent out more than we got back. Not sure if it can happen the other way around, but it certainly doesn't have to be 1 for 1.

I thought the apron stuff doesn’t kick in until this off-season. If it doesn’t, wouldn’t it make sense that we could still package a player and a draft pick in a trade for someone?

 

[Phrazbit]

With the apron, can we only make 1 for 1 trades now, with salaries matching or can we trade 1 guy for a couple players?

We can trade 1 of our guys for multiple players as long as they combine to make less than the dude we're sending out.

Although, I supposed we couldn't do with with another team who is over the apron, to trade with a fellow apron team we'd have to make a 1 for 1 trade where the salaries exactly match.

We just made a trade where we sent out more than we got back. Not sure if it can happen the other way around, but it certainly doesn't have to be 1 for 1.

I thought the apron stuff doesn’t kick in until this off-season. If it doesn’t, wouldn’t it make sense that we could still package a player and a draft pick in a trade for someone?

It is being phased in, but the 2nd apron salary combining stuff starts this off-season, and we can't make any trades until the off-season.

Stuff like, picks owned by teams who have been over the 2nd apron for multiple seasons being moved to the end of the round doesn't kick in until, I believe, 2026.

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[95pro]

we could in turn look at how rash that decision might be. There were plenty of people in the league and on this board loudly crowing about how right they were that the Rudy Gobert trade to Minnesota was a disaster and he and Towns would never be able to play together. one year later, they're currently the 1 seed in the West with the 2nd best record overall in the league.

They’ve had steady staff. Also Ant was already on the rise. He came up short against the lakers but has risen even more this year.

Kat getting used to Gobert isn’t the same as our roster getting used to our staff. We see the obvious in most games where we don’t know who running the offense, or if Kevin Young even has any input. Then we all see the obvious defensive wtf deficiencies.

After this season I can see one of two things happening but not both. Vogel getting fire. Jones getting fired. My bet is on Vogel.

 

[Cheesebeef]

They’ve had steady staff. Also Ant was already on the rise. He came up short against the lakers but has risen even more this year.

Kat getting used to Gobert isn’t the same as our roster getting used to our staff. We see the obvious in most games where we don’t know who running the offense, or if Kevin Young even has any input. Then we all see the obvious defensive wtf deficiencies.

After this season I can see one of two things happening but not both. Vogel getting fire. Jones getting fired. My bet is on Vogel.

Yeah… I freely admit the theory that this team could just need another year/tweaks/coaching change to change its fortunes could be, and likely IS, highly unlikely.