If we were debating that point, I'd say it's wrong (not that you a better defender isn't better, but that all the other positives of Lawson negate the defense issues... especially when you consider they didn't have defense there in the playoffs last year, still made the WCF, and nobody guards Steph one on one defensively, but making him actually play some defense might actually work in your favor!) That aside... if that is the argument, I think you just stay pat with Bev. The Clippers aren't trading CP3 anytime soon... Maybe there's a George Hill type out there you'd try to get first, but doesn't seem like there really is. People keep saying Collison... maybe...
I may be putting a lot of faith in Marcus Thorton and hoping he can be a 2nd shot creator other than Harden but I don't think we need Lawson. Of course there are better PG's than Beverley but he fits in well with Harden. If Beverley still shoots decently from 3 and has the same defensive intensity as before, I don't see us making a move for another PG right now.
less than full mle except if the Knicks strech Calderon. If they can get Lawson I can see them doing it.
The question we need to start asking is why can't Harden be a good / great defender? He has all the physical tools to be an above average / really good defender. Why are we as fans resigning ourselves to the fact that Harden is not a good defender and running with that notion? So much that you don't want to pair Harden with Lawson who is a great offensive player. LeBron at his peak was truly a force on both ends of the court and if Harden wants to be known as an ATG he needs to pick up on the defensive end esp now that he is entering his peak years. Which brings me to another point. In the past, fans and players have excused Harden's lazy and piss poor at time defense to the fact that he has so much of a burden offensively and literally every possession runs through him. Fair enough and has some validity but I don't buy it. Anyway with a potential Lawson signing which we are talking about, I think a lot of that offensive burden will be taken away and Harden can take his defense up several gears. Harden's improvement in defense plus Lawson's offensive game > Bev defense plus Harden below average defense That plus having someone like Lawson keeps other PG's honest on their defensive end and makes them expend energy trying to keep up with someone as fast and as skillfull as Lawson as opposed to a total offense non factor like Beverly. I just don't buy the argument that Lawson is not a good fit because of his lack of defense.
I like Beverley too. But to imply we don't need one of the quickest pg's in the NBA, who can score and is elite at assisting is ridiculous. Lawson would take away from all those stupid turnovers Harden makes. Oh and Marcus Thornton is NOT a pg
Even in that scenario they could only give Lawson about $350k-$1M more than the MLE, so about the same range, without even getting into the tax or cost implications of NY or LA.
Good points all around. Put me in the camp that Harden is not a huge liability as a defender, but expends too much of his energy on offense. Still, he is not an elite defender, and needs support from those who are. Look what golden state did with Curry. He's not a great defender, so they've surrounded him with guys who are (Thompson, Iggy, Barnes, Green, etc.). Some forget to ask "what does Lawson do well?" The answers are shoot, get to the rim, run the fastbreak, distribute, and take care of the ball. He even excels at one of Harden's best skills....penetrating and passing out to corner 3 point shooters. I wish Lawson had Beverley's defensive tenacity, but then he would be CP3. I believe given all the complimentary guys we've added to this roster, we could make a Lawson/Harden front court work. That said, they both need to improve on that end.
I never said Marcus Thornton would play PG for us. Lawson is a far better player than Beverley but with all the off-court issues he has, do we really want to take on a player like that? Who do we trade for him and how do we know he wont F up again and get his stupid ass suspended?
Great points. Harden has to carry the team on the offensive end and that is probably why he relaxed a little bit on the defensive end. Moreover, we have all witnessed the improvement of Harden's defense last season, there is no reason to believe he will not continue to do better. Even the most physically gifted basketball player-Lebron cannot carry his team on both ends for the entire regular season and the playoffs, we cannot expect Harden to do that. With Lawson taking a great deal of the offensive burden off Harden, he will be able to do better defensively and offensively.
A lot of times it seems like harden gives the ball to someone else to take up because he is looking for a breather. Then whoever that may be fumbles around with it and gives it back to harden as harden comes and gets it. Now it's later in the shot clock and harden has to make some unbelievable ISO ish go down and harden just used a crap load of energy for a possible two points early in the game. It is beautiful though just wish someone else could run something
Does Ty Lawson even shoot that well? His last 4 seasons in the NBA have been 36,35,35,34 (%) from 3 point land. I know he can get his own shot, that is a plus, but his tail off (in terms of shooting) is worrying. On the other hand, beggars can't be choosers...
^^ What tail off? Looks pretty consistent to me. Career-wise, yes, his percentages have gone down but he's also become much more of a willing passer in that span.
He was 41 his first season, 40 his second (from 3) His overall FG% has follow suit 51 50 48 46 43 43 Sure, it is a gradual slide, but he is quite a few points away from where he began - definite tail off.
His numbers have been falling off in terms of efficiency, but he averaged almost 10 assists per game last year. That is hard to come by, especially with the pieces he was surrounded by in Denver. Ty isn't the greatest defender or shooter, but at his best he can be a consistent penetrator and a great floor general.
Prosecutors seeking Linsey Lohan treatment for Lawson http://www.tmz.com/2015/07/15/ty-lawson-prosecutors-gunning-for-lindsay-lohan-treatment/
They're going to make him interact with Lindsay Lohan? Criminal justice in this country is seriously messed up.
