LeBron James Discussion: Not Returning To The Lakers

This is the key to me... It's very hard for a team to win a championship in it's first year together and LaBron doesn't have many more years left at the top. He's got too many miles on his body with deep playoff runs, and time is undefeated as they say. Also, I don't care if he's never been hurt before, it will probably happen at some time as he gets older. Just look at Kobe.

It takes a year or two to really know you're teammates and gel. LaBron will probably be around 34 or 35 and in decline as our young core starts to rise. Some might see that as the perfect fit in that the young core see how he plays on the court and leads before they take over.

After a few years of jelling, PG will be 29 or 30 and Westbrook will be 30 or 31. I'd rather roll with a tandem of PG and Westbrook with our core because they will have a much bigger window to win after the first year or two of gelling as a team.

Also, after thinking about it, I realized that while LaBron has usually opted for one and done contracts, I don't expect that here. He's a narcissist, but not stupid, so I think he'll probably see LA as his final destination and want to set up his contracts so that he's getting paid insane amounts with a no trade clause, even in a few years when his play won't command his pay rate... and he'll get it. That will hamper our options much more when he's on the tail end of his contract while a player like Westbrook will probably still be valuable to a team as a trade piece by the end of his contract when he's about 32 and I doubt there will be a no trade clause.

 

I hate Lebron, but him and PG13, mixed in with Ball, Ingram, Kuz and B Lopez is a parade.

17... 18.... we pass up the C Bags and you'll never hear me say a bad word about LAbron. But until that happens, I be talking about him. Mind control.

 

If LeBron comes here and wins us #17 and #18 and we pass the C Bags, my hate for him will vanish. That said, I don't believe he will. He will be too old, and coming off of NINE straight Finals trips, with team USA played added in. Father Time is undefeated. I'm with Barns here, our young core isn't going to become championship ready in one season, hell it took Shaq, Kobe, and that crew 4 years to take their lumps and figure it out, and GS will be together as constructed until 2019. Will LeBron make us way better, even Finals contenders if 1 or 2 other stars join him? Yes, and that's good enough for me as long as we don't sell off the future. It has to be Ingram and Ball sticking around to help keep us competitive once LeBron is done, we can't be rebuilding from scorched earth.

 

LeBron James is the best player on the planet. You can talk your way out of wanting him on your team, but I won't. Hate be damned. Pride be damned. We've been God awful for 5 years, the worst the team has ever been, and I'm not looking at any gift sideways. We get some rumors of success (not actual success mind you) for one summer and suddenly we're too good for LeBron again? Do you all remember suffering through the slogs of D'Angelo Russell? The Kobe farewell tour? The Metta World Peaces and the Jeremy Lins? We want more of that for a few years or can you swallow your pride and enjoy premium basketball again? LeBron James, Paul George, and Lonzo Ball can all exist on the same court (probably with Ingram and maybe with Lopez as well) and we're not going to do it for the specter or financial issues or worse because we don't like him?

LeBron James makes us immediately competitive. If we've got to give him a max contract, so be it. If we've got to hire one of his friends, so be it. That's the way the game is played these days. Unless you guys would prefer that our big targets go back to being Josh McRoberts, Carlos Boozer, Brandon Bass, or The Caveman? Or even worse Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov?

Paul George and Westbrook is great. I'd lovingly take that as well. Paul George and... there's nobody else. It's either LeBron and Paul George or it's Westbrook and Paul George and getting either combination would be astounding. We get a few rumors and forget about the embarrassment of our pursuits? Carmelo? Coward? F***ing Aldridge? Culminating in not even getting meetings with top FAs like Durant? The one and only way I turn LeBron away is if he demands the trade of Lonzo Ball and/or Brandon Ingram. Otherwise, what are we giving up exactly? In four years Ingram and Lonzo are only going to be 23 years old, still before their prime. If LeBron hasn't gotten us a ring yet by then, he retires and frees up a lot of money to go chasing another star. Of course, we'll have sunk money into Lopez and George too, but if that trio can't elevate our kids, then to be honest maybe it's on the kids.

And what are we doing with that 35 million if LeBron doesn't want it? If Westbrook doesn't want it? Wasting it on someone else, probably giving it to Randle and Lopez, so then what's the hold up? You'd rather pay Lopez and Randle over LeBron? Even an older LeBron who is still the best player in the game? I'm not buying it. You don't have to like the guy, but if there's any way to get LeBron I'm doing it and I'm not even coming close to regretting it. I'm not coming close to feeling bad about it.

I'll try to keep my mouth shut though because obviously the vast majority of you guys don't share this opinion.

 

Well, if Paul George (maybe even a 3rd star or Brook Lopez) is here when LeBron falls off, we're still fine. That's why I say as long as he brings one other star with him long-term, you don't hesitate to sign him on. LeBron brings George while Ball and Ingram grow, and then hopefully those 3 lead to the next star joining, while we draft well and add cheap talent along the way.

I didn't intend to come off as anti-LeBron with my post if I did. While I don't see us winning it all with LeBron and kids, I do see us in contention, which I will take over irrelevance any day. Contention means you have a chance. You're one bad injury to a Durant or Curry away from possibly winning it all.

 

I don't read these posts as LaBron or nothing. I'm reading this as what are our options and what makes the most sense?

If the options are PG and LaBron or PG and Westbrook, I go with PG and Westbrook all day. But I hope no one would look a gift LaBron in the mouth if he just flat out came to the Lakers as a gift.

Of course we all remember the terrible days in the gutter, but I think we can still think there is a better option, IF WESTBROOK WOULD SIGN, and admittedly that's a big if when LaBron seems eager.

 

That's my position too.

I just prefer Westbrook and PG for the reasons stated above.

 

I'm not against Westbrook and PG13. But that makes Ingram the odd man out. PG13 hates to play PF. Ingram is a little light in the rear to bang down low. With Bron, he can play the PF position much like Draymond. And I like Kuzma as our stretch 4 off the bench, but I'm not sure I want to rely on him getting a key rebound or stop as a rookie.