I would value a top 5 2014 pick very high because it has great value. A late 1st doesn't have a ton of value. LA's entire plan is to get deep into luxury tax by signing 2 big time FAs and then re-signing Kobe, so the entire discussion has to circle around that. I just don't think Harrison Barnes is worth at least $8M in luxury tax, repeater status, likely pushing yourself into late lottery rather than a shot at top 5 status and making a division rival a formidable threat for years to come.
How many free agents have they signed that made a difference? Howard was a trade, right? Magic was a draft pick, Kareem was a trade, Shaq was...well, he might have been a free agent... Pau Gasol was a trade. Sorry, but I just don't see all the free agents that have flocked to them.
Another Romona tweet: Ramona Shelburne @ramonashelburne W's amnestied Charlie to clear room to sign DeAndre Jordan to offer sheet that Clippers were always gonna match.
Apparently MWP may get amnestied if Howard leaves according to some posters on LG. Who would bid on his contract?
If its true that Dwight has told people that he hates playing with Kobe, I'm sure there will be some reluctance with FA wanting to go there while he's there. Especially with alpha players like Melo and LeBron.
This makes a lot of assumptions. What is their lineup if they do the SnT vs. if they don't? I'm a bit unclear about that right now. And again, repeater status means very little in this case because LAL has few means of getting deep into luxury tax in 2014. It's all cap space and free signings for the most part. They'd have to actively TRY to get deep into luxury tax to pull it off, and if so, they probably don't care much. And how are they suddenly a LATE first round pick? You really think Barnes + Bogut vaults them from top 5 pick to late first round pick? lulwut? They'd have GSW's probable late first round pick, but their own will still be pretty bad. And again, we're ASSUMING somehow that if they let Dwight walk for free, they'll amnesty or trade Pau for air. They might not choose to do that and might amnesty Nash instead (or Metta). If so, that team, imo, is BETTER than if they amnestied/moved Pau and added Barnes + Bogut. It isn't guaranteed that if LAL misses out on Dwight they go hardcore tank mode for a yr, amnesty Pau and proceed to suck completely. That'd piss Kobe off, and they still want him to come back (for cheap) in a yr.
OK Doc Rocket sent this out. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p><a href="http://t.co/svKpeiNAsz">http://t.co/svKpeiNAsz</a> The 2nd verse in chorus got the best bass riff. "..You better make up something quick." Must learn & worth a listen.</p>— Doc Rocket (@Thedocrocket) <a href="https://twitter.com/Thedocrocket/statuses/352990793553805312">July 5, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Now the video is of Heart's song Barracuda <iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/xKqWSHYFnrw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Now Heart got there commercial breakthrough in 1976 with the assistance of producer Mike Flicker Now Mike Flicker owns the company Mike Flicker Music Services, which in 2007 worked on the HBO mini series Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee. Now the producer of the mini series was none other then this man Dick Wolf Wolf is a University of Pennsylvania alumni. You know who else is a alumni to this school? None other then the Golden Boy himself Matt Maloney And everybody knows who Matt Maloney played with for several years Who was also in the meeting that secured Dwight to come to Houston. (reenactment car ride brought to you by Rodman) It all makes sense now. Dwight's coming to Houston.
I respect the Lakers franchise a heck of a lot, as well as the Spurs and the Heat. You pull off the deals they do, you tip your hat to them. But this notion that everyone wants to come to the Lakers and that they DESERVE to be in the Finals- well, that's just horsepuckey. Look at all the storied franchises- Yankees went through quite a long dry spell. Cowboys? Have they even sniffed the Super Bowl since 1994? (or was it 1995?) Their current lineup is on its way down. After 2010, that was obvious. If anything, this was supposed to be the big comeback year. And it didn't happen. And it's probably not going to happen for several years. That's the way of the NBA. It's our turn, it's OKC's turn, it's the Clippers' turn, and it's GSW's turn. Even if they kept Howard, they're not making it to the NBA Finals. That ship sailed.
Jay Z releasing a track that shouts out to H Town around the same time that Howard is supposed to make his decision? Illuminati...
No, we can certainly get Howard, just as they got Shaq and they retained Kobe. I'm just saying that NOT EVERYONE wants to play for the Lakers, that's all. But don't tell that to that board- the entitlement mentality over there is sickening.
How will we find out? Will Dwight post on Twitter? Will ESPN announce it? Or will I get an alert on my phone from ESPN in the morning? How will this go down?
