2022 Off-season Thread - The Future is Bright

[foucault87]

Man, this part of the off-season is so boring. I almost want us to pick up a random guy on an exhibit 10 so we have SOMETHING to talk about. I need my sports fix

 

[cavsfever]

Man, this part of the off-season is so boring. I almost want us to pick up a random guy on an exhibit 10 so we have SOMETHING to talk about. I need my sports fix

Consider posting about Harrison Barnes!

Alternatively, you could always suggest Colin Sexton refuse to report for training camp if he is offered less than $20 million/year.

 

[foucault87]

Consider posting about Harrison Barnes!

Alternatively, you could always suggest Colin Sexton refuse to report for training camp if he is offered less than $20 million/year.

I would take Harrison Barnes for Cedi/Windler and a 2nd.

Collin Sexton shouldn't come to training camp if he is offered less than 25/year

Am i doing it right?

 

[Blazie]

I would take Harrison Barnes for Cedi/Windler and a 2nd.

Collin Sexton shouldn't come to training camp if he is offered less than 25/year

Am i doing it right?

Mostly. You forgot to add how you see Collin Sexton in a "sixth man microwave role". Don't think that gets said enough.

And also that in general his trade value is about equal to a pair of pants made out of cheese, largely because the Cavs haven't accepted a trade offer for him yet.

*Now* you're doing it right.

 

[CavsKermit]

Mostly. You forgot to add how you see Collin Sexton in a "sixth man microwave role". Don't think that gets said enough.

And also that in general his trade value is about equal to a pair of pants made out of cheese, largely because the Cavs haven't accepted a trade offer for him yet.

*Now* you're doing it right.

Have the Cavs received a single trade offer for Sexton that hasn't required them to eat a bad contract this summer?

Do you believe it's a coincidence that the only teams who are reported to have interest in Sexton are the same teams who would like to dump bad contracts?

 

[Lyuokdea]

The team can't trade the 24 first round pick because we may not own the 23 first round pick. You can't trade firsts in back to back years. As for trading for LeBron mid-season I wouldn't do something like that. If the team is gelling and performing at a high level adding LeBron to the mix could actually hurt team chemistry and on court product. It's very hard to fit a piece like LeBron in mid-season particularly if the team is already playing at a high level.

This might be true -- but I'm not really that sure.

Lebron is one of the smartest players in NBA history -- I think he is perfectly capable of fitting in on a team and playing a role. People worry that he changes the teams that he plays on, becomes the center of the offensive game and messes up the flow of the game -- but at least up to this point in his career that has always been the best decision for the team. The Cavs/Heat and current Lakers are all best when Lebron has the ball in his hands.

Stepping into a team at midseason and playing a reduced role is entirely within Lebron's abilities - and it's relatively in line with his personality (he is not Kobe or Jordan in that regard). He has never needed to do it in the past, but that doesn't mean he can't.

 

[NMCav]

This might be true -- but I'm not really that sure.

Lebron is one of the smartest players in NBA history -- I think he is perfectly capable of fitting in on a team and playing a role. People worry that he changes the teams that he plays on, becomes the center of the offensive game and messes up the flow of the game -- but at least up to this point in his career that has always been the best decision for the team. The Cavs/Heat and current Lakers are all best when Lebron has the ball in his hands.

Stepping into a team at midseason and playing a reduced role is entirely within Lebron's abilities - and it's relatively in line with his personality (he is not Kobe or Jordan in that regard). He has never needed to do it in the past, but that doesn't mean he can't.

Is he willing to accept a smaller role? That's the question. And no matter how smart he is changing his game mid-season is difficult for anyone to do. Especially for someone who has played a certain way his entire career. And yes he is more of a pass first player then Kobe or MJ. But he still has the ball in his hands the majority of the time but unlike MJ and Kobe he will actually look to pass the ball. Bringing someone like LeBron James mid-season and asking him to change his game and fit in when he has always been the guy players fit around would be a tough ask and not an easy transition for anyone involved.

 

[Blazie]

Have the Cavs received a single trade offer for Sexton that hasn't required them to eat a bad contract this summer?

Do you believe it's a coincidence that the only teams who are reported to have interest in Sexton are the same teams who would like to dump bad contracts?

Well... leaving alone the fact that it's not smart to judge the value of something by how much other people seem to want to take it from you... I'm not privy to what's been offered outside of what various mouthpieces have printed.

So I don't truly know what offers the Cavs have or have not received.

But maybe we're just on opposite sides of the table on this one... I mean, I put *very* little stock in what's reported in the media. I literally assume anything I read is at best only half true and probably out there to just manipulate someone out of their money.

But I could be wrong, maybe Collin is superb as a 6th man and absolutely desagana diop in any starting role as evidenced by what teams are willing to offer coming off injury.

 

[buzzdog]

Mostly. You forgot to add how you see Collin Sexton in a "sixth man microwave role". Don't think that gets said enough.

And also that in general his trade value is about equal to a pair of pants made out of cheese, largely because the Cavs haven't accepted a trade offer for him yet.

*Now* you're doing it right.

What kind of cheese?

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

The team can't trade the 24 first round pick because we may not own the 23 first round pick. You can't trade firsts in back to back years. As for trading for LeBron mid-season I wouldn't do something like that. If the team is gelling and performing at a high level adding LeBron to the mix could actually hurt team chemistry and on court product. It's very hard to fit a piece like LeBron in mid-season particularly if the team is already playing at a high level.

I think I would take that chance. It's hard to believe you could add LeBron to any team and make it worse.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

Is he willing to accept a smaller role? That's the question. And no matter how smart he is changing his game mid-season is difficult for anyone to do. Especially for someone who has played a certain way his entire career. And yes he is more of a pass first player then Kobe or MJ. But he still has the ball in his hands the majority of the time but unlike MJ and Kobe he will actually look to pass the ball. Bringing someone like LeBron James mid-season and asking him to change his game and fit in when he has always been the guy players fit around would be a tough ask and not an easy transition for anyone involved.

At LeBron's age he is dying to start playing a smaller role. Does anybody think he WANTED to average 37.2 minutes per game at age 36-37 last year? No wonder he only played 56 games. He can no longer stand up to that kind of work load.

Remember, he wants to play with Bronny, so he needs to reduce his minutes and extend his career. Another year of 37 minutes a night could finish his career.

Give him 30 minutes a game and he would be a better player and play in more games.

He killed himself at 37 minutes a game last year so the Lakers could win 33 games and finish 11th? You think he wants any more of that?

I wouldn't be shocked if he tried to get traded to Cleveland before the season starts. Check out the Lakers' depth chart.

Los Angeles Lakers Depth Chart | ESPN

Visit ESPN to view the Los Angeles Lakers team depth chart for the current season

www.espn.com

But he probably gives it a shot to see if Westbrook can find the fountain of youth and AD can stay healthy. Getting Nunn back will help - a bit. But if things go south it would be crazy for him to slog through 40 meaningless games in La-La land when he could get another ring through a mid-season trade to a contender.

And the Lakers need some youth to start their rebuild. That's why I'm thinking guys like Okoro, Wade, or Stevens. LeBron can always play the second half of the season plus the playoffs with Cleveland, win another ring, then go back to the Lakers for the 22-23 season if he wants.

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

I think I would take that chance. It's hard to believe you could add LeBron to any team and make it worse.

Do you believe it is possible that the addition of LeBron could limit the development of younger players?

 

[buzzdog]

Do you believe it is possible that the addition of LeBron could limit the development of younger players?

It could limit it. It's just as likely to enhance it. Which one would happen would be dependent on how expectations are communicated, implemented, and accepted or not accepted by all parties (but mostly by Lebron).

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

At LeBron's age he is dying to start playing a smaller role. Does anybody think he WANTED to average 37.2 minutes per game at age 36-37 last year? No wonder he only played 56 games. He can no longer stand up to that kind of work load.

Remember, he wants to play with Bronny, so he needs to reduce his minutes and extend his career. Another year of 37 minutes a night could finish his career.

Give him 30 minutes a game and he would be a better player and play in more games.

He killed himself at 37 minutes a game last year so the Lakers could win 33 games and finish 11th? You think he wants any more of that?

I wouldn't be shocked if he tried to get traded to Cleveland before the season starts. Check out the Lakers' depth chart.

Los Angeles Lakers Depth Chart | ESPN

Visit ESPN to view the Los Angeles Lakers team depth chart for the current season

www.espn.com

But he probably gives it a shot to see if Westbrook can find the fountain on yoth and AD can stay healthy. Getting Nunn back will help - a bit. But if things go south it would be crazy for him to slog through 40 meaningless games in La-La land when he could get another ring through a mid-season trade to a contender.

And the Lakers need some youth to start their rebuild. That's why I'm thinking guys like Okoro, Wade, or Stevens. LeBron can always play the second half of the season plus the playoffs with Cleveland, win another ring, then go back to the Lakers for the 22-23 season if he wants.

Well, I certainly think he wishes to play a much smaller role on the defensive end when he is on the floor, and expects others to pick up that slack. Given a choice between playing 1) more minutes with less defensive effort, or 2) fewer minutes with strong effort on both ends, I think LeBron chooses the former 10 times out of 10.

 

[foucault87]

It could limit it. It's just as likely to enhance it. Which one would happen would be dependent on how expectations are communicated, implemented, and accepted or not accepted by all parties (but mostly by Lebron).

Historically I tend to think it has gone the other way. He is incredibly ball dominant, even in a smaller role, which means young guys who need the ball (Mobley, Garland) suffer. The two kinds of young players we have seen really thrive next to Bron fall into one of two roles: rim running bigs (JJ Hickson, AV) or catch and shoot 3pt guys (Boobie, Chalmers). The one exception to this imo is Kyrie who was basically a finished product and established star at that point anyway. Otherwise, LeBron teams since the 2008 team have been littered with vets and washed ring chasers.

Our current young big 3 are not fully established yet. I mean they have a combined 2 allstars and 2 all rookies between them and thats it right now. This is a potentially fragile ecosystem that would be disrupted by the arrival of arguably the largest fish in NBA history. Allen would be fine as a rim runner, but taking touches away from Mobley who is a high post playmaker, and Garland who is a true PG in the vein of Nash, seems counterproductive to me. LeBron's two best roles on offense have historically been exactly what Garland and Mobley excel at.

Could it work? Sure. LeBron is the best chameleon in NBA history and does what is needed for the team while still maintaining his sky high usage rate. We would be a fun playoff team for 2-3 years before he totally drops off or retires and maybe sneak into an ECF or two. BUT, I am not sure that Garland/Mobley with 2 years playing off of LeBron are better poised in the 2024-28 stretch than Garland/Mobley growing their games on their own.

IMO, this whole LeBron setup requires 3 things to happen. First, Cavs should not trade for him. Don't give up resources for a washed superstar in general. Additionally, don't give the Lakers a lifeline. They put themselves in this hole. Second, LeBron comes here as an FA. Third, LeBron has to change his role from what he has been doing his whole career. The best option is to move into a role as a secondary facilitator and emergency iso option. Think Draymond Green or Andre Igudola who sometimes isos in late clock scenarios. Set lots of picks, destroy everyone in the short roll as one of the 3 best passers in the current NBA, and overall conserve energy on offense so you can show more defensive impact than we have seen in the last 3 years. Another analogy would be Karl Malone on the 04 Lakers where he was basically an off ball guy on offense and the primary defender on big wings, only Bron is obviously a much much better passer.