NBA 2018 Playoffs Thread

[Yoki_IsTheName]

ESPN speculating that LeBron leaves if he loses this Finals (which is very likely now).

But seriously, where would he go?

[Tr1boy]

Even though I admit Lebron is the best player in the league and has done so much for his team these playoffs... he DOESN'T get a pass from me tonight. Nope.

Final few minutes, close game and Finals on the line... and you don't even try to guard KD?? WOW. Lebron just let the Warriors switch and allowed his teammates to get cooked by KD. Lebron should have accepted the challenge and tried to guard KD near the end but he didn't.

I think Durant is better

If Durant is better, why did he leave to join the team that he lost from a 3-1 lead?

The same reason lebrons been on 3 different teams and has won 3 out of 9, soon to be 10 finals appearances .  Lebron is garbage.  A product of the league that lets him play street football.  Everything g Durant did today was a basketball style not whine, and kick, and push ball

Exactly

[Tr1boy]

ESPN speculating that LeBron leaves if he loses this Finals (which is very likely now).

But seriously, where would he go?

Lakers

They have huge money to throw around

Lebron, PG13 and Paul join forces

[CelticsElite]

ESPN speculating that LeBron leaves if he loses this Finals (which is very likely now).

But seriously, where would he go?

Lakers

They have huge money to throw around

Lebron, PG13 and Paul join forces

I know wade said he wont join another team now, but could be resist that

He could join for minimum

[CelticsElite]

[jpotter33]

ESPN speculating that LeBron leaves if he loses this Finals (which is very likely now).

But seriously, where would he go?

Lakers

They have huge money to throw around

Lebron, PG13 and Paul join forces

Huh? There’s no way they can get all three. Without trading Deng they technically can’t even max out both Bron and George, let alone Paul who has let it be known that he isn’t taking anything less than the max.

I think Houston is still the most likely option, but LA is probably next in line. I can see both Bron and George going there, but that’s still probably just the third or fourth best team in the West. That LA team isn’t beating GS or Houston, let alone both.

[Tr1boy]

ESPN speculating that LeBron leaves if he loses this Finals (which is very likely now).

But seriously, where would he go?

Lakers

They have huge money to throw around

Lebron, PG13 and Paul join forces

Huh? There’s no way they can get all three. Without trading Deng they technically can’t even max out both Bron and George, let alone Paul who has let it be known that he isn’t taking anything less than the max.

I think Houston is still the most likely option, but LA is probably next in line. I can see both Bron and George going there, but that’s still probably just the third or fourth best team in the West. That LA team isn’t beating GS or Houston, let alone both.

Trading Deng is not difficult. Throw in a future 1st

Lakers could throw near max to all 3.

Edit: Lebron can also take a paycut

[Yoki_IsTheName]

ESPN speculating that LeBron leaves if he loses this Finals (which is very likely now).

But seriously, where would he go?

Lakers

They have huge money to throw around

Lebron, PG13 and Paul join forces

Huh? There’s no way they can get all three. Without trading Deng they technically can’t even max out both Bron and George, let alone Paul who has let it be known that he isn’t taking anything less than the max.

I think Houston is still the most likely option, but LA is probably next in line. I can see both Bron and George going there, but that’s still probably just the third or fourth best team in the West. That LA team isn’t beating GS or Houston, let alone both.

But see, the problem here is if he goes to Houston, they'd have to gut that team to accommodate him. They'd have to give up Eric Gordon, Ryan Anderson to accommodate his salary. Anderson might not be important, but Gordon is a key guy for that team. And even then, with the cap holds, those salaries might not be enough (I have not done the numbers yet, but CP3's cap hold alone would be massive).

Is it really worth going to Houston if you won't have a bench? Yeah, your starting 5 would be massive, but who would they have off the bench there?

[liam]

ESPN speculating that LeBron leaves if he loses this Finals (which is very likely now).

But seriously, where would he go?

Lakers

They have huge money to throw around

Lebron, PG13 and Paul join forces

Huh? There’s no way they can get all three. Without trading Deng they technically can’t even max out both Bron and George, let alone Paul who has let it be known that he isn’t taking anything less than the max.

I think Houston is still the most likely option, but LA is probably next in line. I can see both Bron and George going there, but that’s still probably just the third or fourth best team in the West. That LA team isn’t beating GS or Houston, let alone both.

But see, the problem here is if he goes to Houston, they'd have to gut that team to accommodate him. They'd have to give up Eric Gordon, Ryan Anderson to accommodate his salary. Anderson might not be important, but Gordon is a key guy for that team. And even then, with the cap holds, those salaries might not be enough (I have not done the numbers yet, but CP3's cap hold alone would be massive).

Is it really worth going to Houston if you won't have a bench? Yeah, your starting 5 would be massive, but who would they have off the bench there?

They'd lose Capela.

[jpotter33]

ESPN speculating that LeBron leaves if he loses this Finals (which is very likely now).

But seriously, where would he go?

Lakers

They have huge money to throw around

Lebron, PG13 and Paul join forces

Huh? There’s no way they can get all three. Without trading Deng they technically can’t even max out both Bron and George, let alone Paul who has let it be known that he isn’t taking anything less than the max.

I think Houston is still the most likely option, but LA is probably next in line. I can see both Bron and George going there, but that’s still probably just the third or fourth best team in the West. That LA team isn’t beating GS or Houston, let alone both.

Trading Deng is not difficult. Throw in a future 1st

Lakers could throw near max to all 3.

A) Except they have no attractive draft compensation if they sign some big name free agents;

B) None of them will take less than the max, as they shouldn’t, and this has been thoroughly reported on for all three players; and

C) Even letting all their cap holds and free agents go and only keeping Ball, Ingram, Kuzma, and Hart, they still won’t come close to be able to offer all three max contracts, as the three of them combined will take up the entire cap themselves (I believe - James > $35M; Paul > $35M; George > $30M with an estimated $101M salary cap).

It’s simply not happening.

[Tr1boy]

ESPN speculating that LeBron leaves if he loses this Finals (which is very likely now).

But seriously, where would he go?

Lakers

They have huge money to throw around

Lebron, PG13 and Paul join forces

Huh? There’s no way they can get all three. Without trading Deng they technically can’t even max out both Bron and George, let alone Paul who has let it be known that he isn’t taking anything less than the max.

I think Houston is still the most likely option, but LA is probably next in line. I can see both Bron and George going there, but that’s still probably just the third or fourth best team in the West. That LA team isn’t beating GS or Houston, let alone both.

Trading Deng is not difficult. Throw in a future 1st

Lakers could throw near max to all 3.

A) Except they have no attractive draft compensation if they sign some big name free agents;

B) None of them will take less than the max, as they shouldn’t, and this has been thoroughly reported on for all three players; and

C) Even letting all their cap holds and free agents go and only keeping Ball, Ingram, Kuzma, and Hart, they still won’t come close to be able to offer all three max contracts, as the three of them combined will take up the entire cap themselves (I believe - James > $35M; Paul > $35M; George > $30M with an estimated $101M salary cap).

It’s simply not happening.

They can shed Lonzo, Ingram if it comes down to it

Paul wants max? Well i think its about time he wants to win a championship before his career is over

Its a balance/sacrifice all three can make. Lebron again can take a pay cut

Why would he want to take max but to lose to the warriors again?

I cant see him money chasing at this point of his career

[Tr1boy]

ESPN speculating that LeBron leaves if he loses this Finals (which is very likely now).

But seriously, where would he go?

Lakers

They have huge money to throw around

Lebron, PG13 and Paul join forces

Huh? There’s no way they can get all three. Without trading Deng they technically can’t even max out both Bron and George, let alone Paul who has let it be known that he isn’t taking anything less than the max.

I think Houston is still the most likely option, but LA is probably next in line. I can see both Bron and George going there, but that’s still probably just the third or fourth best team in the West. That LA team isn’t beating GS or Houston, let alone both.

Trading Deng is not difficult. Throw in a future 1st

Lakers could throw near max to all 3.

A) Except they have no attractive draft compensation if they sign some big name free agents;

B) None of them will take less than the max, as they shouldn’t, and this has been thoroughly reported on for all three players; and

C) Even letting all their cap holds and free agents go and only keeping Ball, Ingram, Kuzma, and Hart, they still won’t come close to be able to offer all three max contracts, as the three of them combined will take up the entire cap themselves (I believe - James > $35M; Paul > $35M; George > $30M with an estimated $101M salary cap).

It’s simply not happening.

We will see

Lebron wont join the Lakers with just George. Its not enough to overcome the warriors

Celts have no cap at all

Maybe he joins the 76ers. But Simmons becomes near obsolete then

[jpotter33]

ESPN speculating that LeBron leaves if he loses this Finals (which is very likely now).

But seriously, where would he go?

Lakers

They have huge money to throw around

Lebron, PG13 and Paul join forces

Huh? There’s no way they can get all three. Without trading Deng they technically can’t even max out both Bron and George, let alone Paul who has let it be known that he isn’t taking anything less than the max.

I think Houston is still the most likely option, but LA is probably next in line. I can see both Bron and George going there, but that’s still probably just the third or fourth best team in the West. That LA team isn’t beating GS or Houston, let alone both.

Trading Deng is not difficult. Throw in a future 1st

Lakers could throw near max to all 3.

A) Except they have no attractive draft compensation if they sign some big name free agents;

B) None of them will take less than the max, as they shouldn’t, and this has been thoroughly reported on for all three players; and

C) Even letting all their cap holds and free agents go and only keeping Ball, Ingram, Kuzma, and Hart, they still won’t come close to be able to offer all three max contracts, as the three of them combined will take up the entire cap themselves (I believe - James > $35M; Paul > $35M; George > $30M with an estimated $101M salary cap).

It’s simply not happening.

They can shed Lonzo, Ingram if it comes down to it

Paul wants max? Well i think its about time he wants to win a championship before his career is over

Its a balance/sacrifice all three can make. Lebron again can take a pay cut

Why would he want to take max but to lose to the warriors again?

I cant see him money chasing at this point of his career

https://www.msn.com/en-us/video/l/report-chris-paul-will-not-take-a-pay-cut-to-re-sign-with-rockets/vp-AAyj2Il

https://nba.nbcsports.com/2017/12/15/report-lebron-james-wont-take-discount-from-max-salary/

It’s not happening. I can see Lebron and George and then making other trades for role players, but getting all three is virtually impossible.

[Yoki_IsTheName]

ESPN speculating that LeBron leaves if he loses this Finals (which is very likely now).

But seriously, where would he go?

Lakers

They have huge money to throw around

Lebron, PG13 and Paul join forces

Huh? There’s no way they can get all three. Without trading Deng they technically can’t even max out both Bron and George, let alone Paul who has let it be known that he isn’t taking anything less than the max.

I think Houston is still the most likely option, but LA is probably next in line. I can see both Bron and George going there, but that’s still probably just the third or fourth best team in the West. That LA team isn’t beating GS or Houston, let alone both.

Trading Deng is not difficult. Throw in a future 1st

Lakers could throw near max to all 3.

A) Except they have no attractive draft compensation if they sign some big name free agents;

B) None of them will take less than the max, as they shouldn’t, and this has been thoroughly reported on for all three players; and

C) Even letting all their cap holds and free agents go and only keeping Ball, Ingram, Kuzma, and Hart, they still won’t come close to be able to offer all three max contracts, as the three of them combined will take up the entire cap themselves (I believe - James > $35M; Paul > $35M; George > $30M with an estimated $101M salary cap).

It’s simply not happening.

They can shed Lonzo, Ingram if it comes down to it

Paul wants max? Well i think its about time he wants to win a championship before his career is over

Its a balance/sacrifice all three can make. Lebron again can take a pay cut

Why would he want to take max but to lose to the warriors again?

I cant see him money chasing at this point of his career

Because he's 33 and knows he only has a few good years left in him? No way he doesn't take the max. Absolutely no way.

[Tr1boy]

ESPN speculating that LeBron leaves if he loses this Finals (which is very likely now).

But seriously, where would he go?

Lakers

They have huge money to throw around

Lebron, PG13 and Paul join forces

Huh? There’s no way they can get all three. Without trading Deng they technically can’t even max out both Bron and George, let alone Paul who has let it be known that he isn’t taking anything less than the max.

I think Houston is still the most likely option, but LA is probably next in line. I can see both Bron and George going there, but that’s still probably just the third or fourth best team in the West. That LA team isn’t beating GS or Houston, let alone both.

Trading Deng is not difficult. Throw in a future 1st

Lakers could throw near max to all 3.

A) Except they have no attractive draft compensation if they sign some big name free agents;

B) None of them will take less than the max, as they shouldn’t, and this has been thoroughly reported on for all three players; and

C) Even letting all their cap holds and free agents go and only keeping Ball, Ingram, Kuzma, and Hart, they still won’t come close to be able to offer all three max contracts, as the three of them combined will take up the entire cap themselves (I believe - James > $35M; Paul > $35M; George > $30M with an estimated $101M salary cap).

It’s simply not happening.

They can shed Lonzo, Ingram if it comes down to it

Paul wants max? Well i think its about time he wants to win a championship before his career is over

Its a balance/sacrifice all three can make. Lebron again can take a pay cut

Why would he want to take max but to lose to the warriors again?

I cant see him money chasing at this point of his career

Because he's 33 and knows he only has a few good years left in him? No way he doesn't take the max. Absolutely no way.

Lets see take 30 million but have a legit chance to dethrone the warriors

Or make 35 and get swept again

Tell me...with your legacy on the line , which option would you choose?
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