Not sure how anyone can call the Lakers one of the dumbest franchises in the NBA with a straight face.
Its really interesting a lot of people expect the Lakers to sign him. Other than the Steve Nash acquisition (who was a last minute shot at glory), can someone name a transaction the Lakers did for an aging star that negatively impacted their franchise? I mean they resigned Kobe for legacy costs, for what he put into that franchise he deserved a final big pay day. They went all in on Payton and Malone in 2004 and nearly won the title. Lakers have been down for 2 years now and suddenly people put them in the same class as the Knicks? Really? Seems ballsy to call the Lakers a dumb franchise when they've won substantially more titles and been in more playoff games than any other franchise the past 20 years other than the Spurs.
What makes them stupid? They full out tanked the season to get a top 5 pick, which they ended up with the #2. They are rebuilding after a Kobe era and before that a Shaq-Kobe era that netted their organization 5 NBA titles. They nearly landed CP3 and Dwight to take their organization to another era of dominance but missed the mark. I don't know how else they could have remained relevant. They've done the smart thing, rebuild with young talent, don't sign anyone to long term contracts. They have basically $35 million in cap space as of today and next year only have $5 million committed. They're pretty much replicating the same strategy every once else does. And they are THE destination organization the NBA, and should be a major player for Kevin Durant should he opt out. I don't see any stupidity at all with it, seems like the smart thing to do if you are running the Lakers.
I'm not sure about this one. He would be a nice addition playing him at point guard next to Harden and he has a lot of experience and he is not that old. But he will ask for a lot of money and he is not worth 20 million a year. Maybe 13 or 15 million but NOT 20 and he has injure problems. NO!
Wade should go to the Pelicans. If tomorrow New Orleans offers Eric Gordon for Dwayne Wade, does Riley say no?
Swap one injured guard out for another? They should work something out but hard to blame either side though if not. Wade: I already took my pay cuts. I want to get paid now. Heat: You are the franchise [face] and have been since 2003. But we can't lock up big money into you going into your age 33-34, 34-35, 35-36 seasons. The last time you played 70+ games was 2010-2011(76). (Since then: 49, 69, 54, 62) We can't lock ourselves into a non-championship roster and that's what's staring us in the face. We pay you, we have to pay Dragic, we're already paying Bosh and then we'll potentially have to pay Whiteside next year. Is that good enough in the East? Playoffs, sure. Championship contender? I don't know. The alternative ain't much better. You don't pay Wade, Dragic goes elsewhere, you're left with big money Bosh & Whiteside. As for Dwyane and the Laker, :grin:. Kobe can play the 40 games Dwyane misses and Dwyane can play the 40 games Kobe misses.
Wade is the greatest player in Heat history. He is their Duncan, Nowitzki, Olajuwon, etc. Why would they ever willingly deal him away? It matters now more than ever how a franchise treats its legends.
I can see Wade going to Cleveland if he really leaves Miami. Him and LBJ are BFFs if LBJ wants Wade he gets wade regardless of cost.
The destination organization still? After Dwight left them? Will Love go there? It seems LMA and Marc Gasol have barely considered the place. Also they completely mishandled the Dwight situation. You say they are rebuilding, I say that's a bit convenient. They lost out on Dwight and were scrambling. They hoped to put together a playoff roster last year and any team that has Kobe playing is a team that is not rebuilding. Had Kobe played all year long they would not have that top 5 pick. For being a destination organization, they sure seem to be missing out on a lot of players. I'm not convinced they are running that franchise correctly. Guess we'll see.
How much are the Spurs and Mavs paying Duncan and Nowitzki? How did negotiations with Rockets management and Olajuwon go after the 2000-2001 season? If Miami doesn't give him a Kobe deal, Wade has two choices, either go the Duncan / Dirk route, or go find another team willing to shell out more money. He won't be able to in Miami and get the highest offer.
They don't believe in analytics. Neither do the Knicks. Those are about the only 2 teams that ignore it. The new management isn't experienced. They signed Kobe to a bad deal for no reason.
