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Eric Chavez was never too bright.
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sorry, they dont have a good plan*
failed to trade anyone other than steve blake at the deadline
from the coaches to the players to the front office everyone constantly talking about how they are not tanking (bringing more attention to the season for no reason)
giving kobe 48 million
allowing players to openly disrespect the organization (kobe talking about random stuff all season, nick young being nick young, nash making a documentary about how he doesnt contribute anything for the team but is in it for the money, pau's nonstop crying) as an organization you have to put a stop to things like this
they try to trade pau every year but never are able to do it, now he will leave for nothing
Stauskas could be lottery-bound
Chad Ford's Top 100: No. 19
Strengths: Shooting, TO%, PF% | Weaknesses: Usage, Rebound%, Steal%
WARP projection: 1.2 (26th among top 100)
Comparables: Doron Lamb (94.9), John Jenkins (91.6), Daniel Gibson (91.3), Terrico White (90.
The analytics perspective
Kevin Pelton: Thanks to his ability to knock down shots, Stauskas is an elite offensive prospect. Among players in Chad's top 50, only Doug McDermott has a better projected true shooting percentage (.550) for next season based on translated college performance. And while Stauskas will probably be primarily a role player early in his NBA career, he's shown the ability to create his own shot, which makes him more than just a specialist.
However, real concerns about his defensive contributions drive down his WARP projection. Among perimeter players in my database of college translations dating back to 2003, only Jason Kapono and Joe Crawford have made the NBA with similarly poor NCAA steal rates. Given the importance of steal rate as an indicator of NBA success, that's a red flag, and Stauskas is also poor on the glass.
The scouting perspective
Amin Elhassan: The 2014 draft is thick with combo guards, and Stauskas throws his hat into that ring. He's a terrific shooter from all areas of the floor, and possesses a nice, fluid stroke and quick release. He consistently was one of the best shooters in college. Additionally, he's a crafty finisher around the basket, using off-rhythm dribbles and/or steps to get to the front of the rim and avoid shot-blockers. Stauskas has 2-guard size at 6-foot-6 but does not have a long wingspan. He does have good vision and passes well with both hands (with decent accuracy on passes).
In pick-and-roll play, he does a good job of reading options and making quick decisions. I question whether he has the explosion to beat guys off the bounce with a live dribble, but I love his ability to run a secondary pick-and-roll off the catch on the wing. In many ways, Stauskas reminds me of J.J. Redick in his ability to run pick-and-roll or catch the ball moving off screens and deliver pocket passes. Plus, he does a good job of hitting ahead in transition.
However, there are serious questions about Stauskas' ability to defend. On-ball, he can be "magnetized" by screens, anticipating contact even when the screener has slipped and letting his man get by. Off-ball, he has good awareness but small strides make it hard for him to close out in a hurry. He also has a bad habit of gambling and trying to shoot the gap on screens rather than locking and trailing. Otherwise, he doesn't give you much in the way of steals or defensive rebounds.
Stauskas' dead-eye shooting and playmaking give him a chance to be a solid rotation player, a la Redick, but his defensive habits must improve (also a la Redick).
The NBA front-office perspective
Chad Ford: There are really two paths to becoming a high draft pick. One is to have unique physical attributes and athletic ability; if you have great size, length, explosiveness or quickness for a particular position, you always get a look. The other is to have a skill that easily translates to the NBA.
Stauskas has the latter. Most NBA GMs and scouts consider him one of the best pure shooters in the draft. He has a super quick release on his jumper and can get it off against just about anywhere on the floor. In a league devoid of great shooters, Stauskas is an instant commodity.
However, he's more than just a shooter. He has an excellent handle, can play the point in a pinch and has a high basketball IQ that allows him to score in other ways besides 3s. The only real knock on him is on the defensive end. He lacks the lateral quickness to guard most 2s at the next level.
Still, this draft doesn't have a lot of elite prospects who are great shooters. Once we get out of the top 10, the first team that really needs shooting from the guard position is going to be sorely tempted. He should go somewhere between Nos. 12 to 24 on draft night.
Bill Simmons would have a fit. A week later we would see a 30 for 30 "The Rigged 2014 NBA Draft Lottery"Lol at laker fans thinking they're going to get 8th pick... C'mon now. Ima turn on the lottery that day, and Silverman is gojng to start calling the picks. 14.13,12....etc. lakers pick will obviously not be selected. What comes next will be that stupid commercial break before the last 3 picks.
After the interruption, bucks will get 3rd. And then we obviously know what comes next.... Don't be so obvlivious. This is the nba.
Pau Gasol is the classic case of your expiring contract is worthless in this CBA. We were not taking back any contracts (Strike 1). We did not have an asset to trade with Pau (Strike 2). Pau is making $19million which is not a very easy contract to match (Strike 3). The Suns never wanted Pau Gasol. They could have actually traded for him, and when Mitch pushed them, they declined because “They did not want to mess up their chemistry.” They now will miss the playoffs. The Cavs were always lukewarm at best for Pau simply because he was making $19million and they didn’t even believe that he would re-sign with them because he has always said his next contract is likely his last, and he wants to play for a contender, and is not interested in losing. The Bulls offered a better player, in his prime. a player that the Cavs can offer money to, and has been about the money when he turned down a low-ball Bulls offer. He’s also a player the Cavs want to keep, and did not have to give up significant value for.
Eric Pincus @EricPincus Apr 14
@CP1708 Lakers had negotiation with Cavs on Bynum - and made what they felt to be the better choice - because saving $ not important
Laker Trade May Signal Big Deal
Lakers: They trim payroll by trading Peeler, Lynch and draft picks to Vancouver. Team also signs free agent center Sean Rooks.
July 17, 1996
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The Lakers, trimming their payroll again, traded former first-round draft picks Anthony Peeler and George Lynch and second-round draft picks in 1998 and '99 to the Vancouver Grizzlies on Tuesday for a second-round picks in '98 and '99.
The team also signed free agent center Sean Rooks, who had been with Atlanta, to a multi-year contract.
The Lakers earlier dealt starting center Vlade Divac and his $8.5 million salary to Charlotte for high school standout Kobe Bryant. Peeler and Lynch combined made approximately $3 million last season.
The deal with Vancouver may indicate that the Lakers are trying to free more money under the NBA's salary cap so they can increase their offer to Shaquille O'Neal, or pursue other free agents.
A Laker spokesman had said Monday the team was not optimistic about the chances of signing O'Neal.
The Lakers offered O'Neal a $95.5-million, seven-year contract last week, with a clause that would allow him to become a free agent again after three years. That would enable the Lakers to boost his salary in 1999 to compensate for any money he lost by not remaining with Orlando.
The Magic, able to exceed the salary cap since they're trying to keep O'Neal, reportedly countered with an offer of $115 million for seven years.
Rooks, 26, is a 6-foot-10, 250-pounder who has played four seasons in the NBA, at Dallas, Minnesota and Atlanta. He has averaged 10.6 points and 5.8 rebounds.
Peeler, who will give Vancouver depth at guard, was selected 15th overall in the 1992 draft. Lynch, a forward, went 12th overall in 1993.
The Grizzlies, with nearly $5 million available under the league's salary cap rules, were one of the few teams able to help the Lakers reduce their payroll.
The 6-2 Peeler made a reported $1.3 million and Lynch $1.76 million as backups last season.
Peeler averaged 9.7 points and 1.6 assists while playing 22 minutes a game. It was the lowest-scoring of his four NBA seasons.
The 6-8 Lynch averaged 3.8 points and 2.8 rebounds in a career-high 76 regular-season games last seasons.
"Anthony and George were two of our key reserves, as well as two of our best defensive players, and we hate to see them go," Laker Coach Del Harris said. "However, this was a move we feel we had to make in the best long-term interest of our team."
Lakers Hit The Shaqpot
Pro basketball: West calls $120-million signing of O'Neal one of the highlights of his life.
July 19, 1996|MARK HEISLER | TIMES STAFF WRITER
ATLANTA — Winning the highest-stakes bidding war in American sports history, the Lakers signed Shaquille O'Neal away from the Orlando Magic on Thursday, giving him a $120-million, seven-year contract that tilted the balance of power in the NBA with the stroke of a pen.
The deal is thought to have an "out," a clause making O'Neal a free agent again in three years, enabling him to test the market anew if rising inflation or other stars' salaries eat into his deal.
On the hook for a fortune, which could look like a bargain compared to what they may have to give him in 1999, the Lakers were ecstatic.
"This is an incredibly exciting day for the Los Angeles Lakers," Executive Vice President Jerry West said. "I can't tell you how excited Southern California is today. I called our office a little while ago and the response from bringing Shaquille O'Neal to the Los Angeles Lakers has been one that's unprecedented in our history. . . .
"Over the last number of days, I can't tell you how many highs and lows that I've gone through. . . . About 2:15 in the morning, when we signed the contract, was probably the most relieved I've ever felt in my life.
"I really can't explain. I've often thought that the birth of my children was something I'll never forget and just the excitement of this, for us to sign him, really ranks right there with it."
West was midwife in this delivery, the baby measuring 7 feet 1 and weighing 320 pounds. It required a Herculean effort,the Lakers dumping three players to make enough room under the salary cap so they could continue bidding competitively.
On June 26, draft day, they traded starting center Vlade Divac to Charlotte, giving them enough room to offer O'Neal a seven-year, $95-million contract--only to see the Magic top it.
Discouraged and despairing of their chances, the Lakers on Tuesday dispatched Anthony Peeler and George Lynch to Vancouver, allowing them to offer $120 million, which turned out to be the winner.
"Keep in mind the word change," O'Neal said. "To me, change is for the good. I'm a military child; I'm used to relocating every three, four years. The Lakers, they have great tradition, great big-man tradition, George Mikan, Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar]. . . ."
The Lakers have a great tradition, indeed, of big men, most of whom they got from other teams. Wilt Chamberlain engineered a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers and helped the 1972 Lakers win the franchise's first title.
Abdul-Jabbar, the UCLA alumnus, did the same thing to get out of frosty Milwaukee and helped the Lakers win five titles in the '80s.
At 24, O'Neal is considered one of the game's top centers, along with Olympic teammates Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson. In size, he dwarfs them. Olajuwon is actually 6-10. Robinson is a legitimate 7-1 but has a 32-inch waist that makes it hard for him to play under the basket.
O'Neal entered the league at a rock-solid 300 pounds and now has begun lifting weights. A throwback to the days when centers stayed under the basket and beat each other up, he has developed a good, if underappreciated, post game that, coupled with his size, makes him the game's ultimate terror weapon.
In four seasons, he has averaged 23, 29, 29 and 27 points and has a career shooting mark of 58%.
However, the Magic was swept out in all three of his playoff appearances, though one was in the 1995 finals against Houston. There was increasing attention on his free-throw shooting, which went from bad, 56% his first three seasons, to worse, 49% last season.
In a 1995-96 season dominated by speculation about his impending free agency, O'Neal sat out the first 23 games because of a broken thumb. The Magic went 18-5 without him and callers to talk shows began questioning how much Shaq was needed.
Late in the season, he left for five days after the death of a grandmother, returning during a nationally televised game against the Chicago Bulls when his mother told him to get back to work, causing another furor.
After the season-ending sweep by the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference finals, reports surfaced of a rift between O'Neal and Coach Brian Hill. The Orlando Sentinel asked readers if Hill should go to keep Shaq happy. More than 90% said no.
Last week, when it was reported that the Magic was offering O'Neal $115 million, the Sentinel again asked readers' opinions. More than 90% said that was too much money.
"The media in Orlando kind of bashed me so much, I just kinda stopped reading the paper my second year," O'Neal said. "When I read something in the paper like that? Doesn't make me weak, makes me strong. I like to prove people wrong."
CP you're making a presumption that teams would definitely give us an asset for Hill or Kaman if we were under the tax line.
I think CP was the only one calling tank from the start
So what are we really arguing over in here? Honestly.
No, there were plenty of others.
He's saying The Lakers plan was to TRY and make the playoffs, words straight out of Mitch's mouth.
You spend a lot of time attempting to make fun of me. If you spent nearly half of that time trying to fix your life you could be happier one day. Just don't want you to jump off a building someday bro
I always enjoy the hilarity of your discussions with Pincus because like here you can't admit when you are being presumptuous as opposed to saying something from reality
Oh yea to digress...
My lil brother is taking his middle school state exams this week and everything is so intense surrounding it.
I don't remember things being this serious and intense back in my middle school days
No, there were plenty of others.
He's saying The Lakers plan was to try and make the playoffs, words straight out of Mitch's mouth.
Basically just saying that more should have been done, and that this pick, which currently sits at 6th, should have been protected much, much better. We should have tried with everything in our franchise ability to get that thing inside the top 3 no matter what.
I realize we still have a chance to get "lucky" and come up, but that is still based on percentaged odds. Odds that are stronger within the top 3, than the top 6.
In doing that, we could have gotten rid of some vets/contracts earlier, and possibly gotten under the tax-repeater-luxury, wherever they could have gotten.
Another thing would have been better handling of Nash situation. Either shutting him down, or buyout, or ask him to retire, or medical 10 game thing, something, anything.
Basically, we did none of those things, outside flipping Steve Blake.