« Reply #49 on: September 17, 2020, 12:47:46 AM »
Personally, I want to see another Celtics vs. Lakers finals. 10 years is long enough without one.
Last thing on Earth I want is Lakers-Celtics. Especially where Lakers seem to have the advantage. It will take a miracle, but Denver over LA feels like last ditch hope for LAL not to catch the C’s in overall championships. I hate/resent the way LAL can always rebuild to championship level based on nothing other than being LAL. Of all the teams who’ve tanked or perennially attempt to build a contender, the Lakers always get their quicker offer despite mediocre (or worse) management. Had LBJ decided to join the Wizards and had Davis decided to manipulate his way to Washington, we’d be looking at a championship run for them. Nothing to do with skill or management just having to do with being the Lakers.
FYI: I feel similarly with regard to Yankees and Red Sox who gets to buy their teams. But even more so in the salary capped NBA where a couple of top 5 guys can win a championship surrounded by role contributors. LAL gets a crazy advantage and kudos to them, and all they need to do is wait for it... everyone else has to work for it.
Yup, this is pretty much how I see it too. Look at how many high draft picks the Lakers got—and wasted—over the last several years: Ingram, Ball, Russell. But it doesn't matter how bad their management or scouting were, because all they had to do was wait until a big-time free agent became available, in this case LeBron, and bam, they're right back in it. His first season there was a wash because of his injuries, but him being healthy this season, plus getting AD, makes everything a-okay with them. Meanwhile, Danny's been plotting and scheming for years and Boston still doesn't have as good a chance at this year's title as the Lakers do.
I really feel like the Lakers are going to win the title this year, tying them for titles with Boston (technically, though in my book the 5 Minny titles don't count), and I don't think Boston will ever again have the lead in that race. We've been talking a lot recently about Boston blowing leads ... well, they used to have a big lead in the titles department too (16-9 after the '86 season, but it's been 7-1 Lakers since then).
How are those picks wasted? None of those picks are busts. Ingram was my favorite in that draft and he's turned into a good player even with having to deal with blood clots last season. Russell is starting with two 20+ ppg seasons. Ball hasn't progressed as much but he's still a starter. Ingram and Ball were used in the AD trade so that was definitely not wasted. They also drafted Kuzma at pick 27 and Josh Hart at pick 30.
They gave up on Russell pretty quickly, and they could've just waited a year and signed AD as a free agent, thus keeping Ingram and Ball. I know they didn't WANT to wait a year, given that LeBron's age is creeping up there, but they COULD'VE.
Waiting a year to get AD would have been stupid. You don't give up chances to win championships. Anything can happen. AD might decide to go somewhere else in free agency. Without the Laker's offer some other team would have traded for him by giving up less and he might end up staying with that team.
Russell had that cameragate incident they needed to move him. The Nets also traded Russell after 2 seasons. The Warriors traded him midseason for Wiggins. So he's been on 4 teams in 5 seasons. Ingram had the blood clot issue. There was no guarantee how well he'd come back from that. Ball isn't good enough to help a playoff team win a championship.
Technically anything can happen, yes. I still think AD stays with the Lakers. But I guess that's neither here nor there, since it's down the road and has no bearing on the Lakers-Nuggets series.
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