Revisiting the "Laker Pick"

[JCSunsfan]

The pick that we traded for Knight.

The Lakers will add

DeAngelo Russell: favorite for rookie of the year. Will step right in and make a difference. Passer, floor general. Perfect to draw a free agent. What would be more appealing that to be part of a Laker turn around. BTW, isn't his name perfect for the Lakers. "The Angel" is drafted by the "City of Angels"

Julius Randle: Great young player with a good low post game. Also he has a year of physical maturity.

Healthy Kobe: Not much to say here. An old, hobbling Kobe Bryant is still an all-star.

Free agent: Most likely Kevin Love. I think Love is going to LA. Its his most likely destination by far.

Cousins: The Lakers are going to keep pushing for Cousins until they get him. The key will be what they have to give up.

Conclusion: The Laker pick, if in the lottery, will be at the end of it. I would rather have Knight.

 

[Phrazbit]

They're not getting cousins and if they do it will at the minimum cost and Russell and Randle.

 

[GatorAZ]

I don't dislike Knight but we know what he is. He can get lots of points on lots of shots. Those guys aren't rare.

 

[BC867]

I don't dislike Knight but we know what he is. He can get lots of points on lots of shots. Those guys aren't rare.

Of all the accumulating the Suns have done with various small Guards, we need a real lead Point Guard. Each one we've had has been half a Point Guard. Dragic came the closest and he does not have all of the skills for one.

Two half Point Guards (combo guards, tweeners, etc.) don't add up to one full Point Guard. Two of those, whether on the floor at the same time or not, don't excel (by NBA standards) in feeding the rest of the team good opportunities to outscore their opponents.

 

[Mainstreet]

The Wolves have so much talent they have a shot of making the playoffs if they gel during the middle of the season. The Suns may have given up a first round pick for Brandan Wright who may not on the Suns roster this coming season. I think more about this than the Lakers pick.

 

[Mainstreet]

Speaking of the Wolves, I think they are going to have to make some trades as they expect to add Euro star, Nemanja Bjelica.

http://basketball.realgm.com/wireta...scuss-Three-Year-Deal-While-Exploring-Options

 

[Cheesebeef]

The pick that we traded for Knight.

The Lakers will add

DeAngelo Russell: favorite for rookie of the year. Will step right in and make a difference. Passer, floor general. Perfect to draw a free agent. What would be more appealing that to be part of a Laker turn around. BTW, isn't his name perfect for the Lakers. "The Angel" is drafted by the "City of Angels"

I don't believe a rookie 19 year old PG is much of a draw to any FA who's looking to win now. He'll take a couple years to develop and I'll be stunned if he's rookie of the year.

Julius Randle: Great young player with a good low post game. Also he has a year of physical maturity.

I like Randle, but he's a player without a position, as even Kupchak recently said. He's not a stretch 4, but he's not a physical specimen to play on the low block with big bodied/NBA guys and he's certainly not a 3. He's a tweener who has yet to play more then 10 minutes in the NBA. Another non-factor this season.

Healthy Kobe: Not much to say here. An old, hobbling Kobe Bryant is still an all-star.

There's no reason for me to believe that Kobe will ever be healthy and even if he is, he was atrocious last season, shooting 37% and the plan for this season is to limit his minutes and rest him on back to backs, which means even if by the grace of God he remains healthy, he'll play 50 games... and not be good. He may make the All-Star team but it will only be because of his his past, not present play.

Free agent: Most likely Kevin Love. I think Love is going to LA. Its his most likely destination by far.

I hope this is true because he won't move the needle much as far as wins and losses are concerned. His past with Minnesota is proof of that.

Cousins: The Lakers are going to keep pushing for Cousins until they get him. The key will be what they have to give up.

They'd have to give up Russell and Randle. They are the only assests they have and if the Kings were gonna make that deal, they would have done it in the lotto when they could have taken Okafor to replace Cousins.

Conclusion: The Laker pick, if in the lottery, will be at the end of it. I would rather have Knight.

They won't be 21 wins bad like last season, but they'll be under 30 wins and a mid lotto team at best, IMO. Would I rather have that then Knight? Don't know... depends on how bad of a contract we sign him to and if it means a commitment to the no-pg background.

 

[Errntknght]

Speaking of the Wolves, I think they are going to have to make some trades as they expect to add Euro star, Nemanja Bjelica.

http://basketball.realgm.com/wireta...scuss-Three-Year-Deal-While-Exploring-Options

I'm sure one could pry the oft injured Pekovic loose from the Wolves quite easily. They also have bigs Adreian Payne, Onuako, & Justin Hamilton who are mainly taking up roster space. I don't know that they have plans for Anthony Bennett - he improved from his awful rookie season but he still didn't contribute much.

 

[Mainstreet]

I'm sure one could pry the oft injured Pekovic loose from the Wolves quite easily. They also have bigs Adreian Payne, Onuako, & Justin Hamilton who are mainly taking up roster space. I don't know that they have plans for Anthony Bennett - he improved from his awful rookie season but he still didn't contribute much.

However, Pekovic might eat Len.

Pekovic earns around 12 million a year for the next three seasons.

http://hoopshype.com/salaries/minnesota_timberwolves/

 

[Phrazbit]

I am not a pek fan. Terrible defender, poor on offense anywhere but right under the hoop and he is constantly injured. I wouldn't take him and his contract on even if it cost us nothing.

 

[Chaz]

I was looking at the players under contract for Lakers. The cupboard is really bare and 30+ year olds coming off an Achilles injury don't have a great track record.
Not sure why a win now FA like Aldridge or Love would go there based on what they have on the roster now.

 

[SirStefan32]

I was looking at the players under contract for Lakers. The cupboard is really bare and 30+ year olds coming off an Achilles injury don't have a great track record.
Not sure why a win now FA like Aldridge or Love would go there based on what they have on the roster now.

It's a big market with a promising young PG, and enough money to sign another star once Kobe leaves. if I were Love or LMA, I'd sign up for that.

 

[Hoop Head]

It's a big market with a promising young PG, and enough money to sign another star once Kobe leaves. if I were Love or LMA, I'd sign up for that.

Every team in the league will basically have max money to throw around next offseason, not just the Lakers because of Kobe's expiring deal. Also the max next year will be significantly higher than it will be for those who sign this year. I can't see anyone going to LA for max money this offseason who is serious about winning. That is regardless of them being a big market or having a young promising PG. They are a long way from competing.

 

[jandaman]

The pick that we traded for Knight.

The Lakers will add

DeAngelo Russell: favorite for rookie of the year. Will step right in and make a difference. Passer, floor general. Perfect to draw a free agent. What would be more appealing that to be part of a Laker turn around. BTW, isn't his name perfect for the Lakers. "The Angel" is drafted by the "City of Angels"

Julius Randle: Great young player with a good low post game. Also he has a year of physical maturity.

Healthy Kobe: Not much to say here. An old, hobbling Kobe Bryant is still an all-star.

Free agent: Most likely Kevin Love. I think Love is going to LA. Its his most likely destination by far.

Cousins: The Lakers are going to keep pushing for Cousins until they get him. The key will be what they have to give up.

Conclusion: The Laker pick, if in the lottery, will be at the end of it. I would rather have Knight.

It'll cost them Russell, Randle + future picks to get Cousins. Cousins + Kobe is terrible fit. Even if they get Love, they have holes everywhere.

 

[sunsfan88]

Your vastly overrating the Lakers players. Their still very far away from contending. And no Cousins isn't gonna just fall in their lap like Pau did.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

I'm a lot more bullish on Russell than others. I think he's at worst Brandon Jennings.

 

[CardsFan88]

Huh? We wouldn't of gotten that pick. It was top 5 protected.

This year (2016 draft) it's top 3.

Will they be top 3? Not likely unless they are one of the three teams that win the lottery every year. Could they be #4 or 5? Maybe. But then again, most years a guy at 4 or 5 while maybe intriguing is no sure thing.

We'd really have to wait until 2017, and in that case who knows how good they'll be.

It was our best asset, but we'd still be playing the waiting game for at least another year. The only way we screwed the pooch is if the Lakers suck big time in 2016-17 season and win the lottery, and there happens to be a Lebron James type player in the 2017 draft.

Of course if Knight turns out to be really good, then we have to take that into account, or vice versa, if he gets injured or regresses.