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joeblow
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 Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2023 5:46 pm Post subject: We need another center... should the Lakers take a second look at Myers Leonard? |
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Earlier this year, the Lakers gave a mid season work out to free agent center Myers Leonard. Coach Ham said he looked great even though we didn't sign him. Leonard ultimately went to the Bucks, and is a free agent once again here in the off season.
The 31 year old seven footer is a 260 pounds, which is solid enough on paper to be a legit back up big that a player like Jokic cannot easily push around and post up for the times AD slips down to power forward. As a bonus, Myers has some decent, general defensive skills and could likely be had for the bare minimum salary.
He'd be more impactful in the role Dwight Howard served on our 2020 championship team than skinny Christian Wood or shorty Bismak Biyombo could as a big body to hold his ground against bulkier centers. He's also strong enough to shade them towards Laker help support as needed.
Another thing to like is that as a back up, Leonard can even hit the open three (at a 39% clip for his career), unlike Jaxson Hayes (29% for his career, and only 10% last season). Here are some clips of general offensive and defensive highlights as a reminder of what he can do.
Thoughts?
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DeeAgeaux
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| Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2023 5:58 pm Post subject: |
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He is slow footed and then there is the whole anti-semite thing.
If you are Kyrie good front offices will overlook it.
But not if you are a scrub.
He would only be useful against the Nuggets and Sixers.
Maybe the Wolves if KAT manages to grow a pair. |
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ocho
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| Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2023 6:27 pm Post subject: |
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Biggest red flag is he worked out for the Lakers and lost a spot to Tristan Thompson.
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dont_be_a_wuss
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| Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2023 6:38 pm Post subject: |
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| If the lakers find a decent starting 5 or rotation 5, they means LeBron will spend significant minutes playing the 3 spot. At his age LeBron should be playing the 4. Can’t have AD and LeBron playing the 4 simultaneously |
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ElginBaylor
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| Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2023 2:46 am Post subject: |
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| dont_be_a_wuss wrote: | | If the lakers find a decent starting 5 or rotation 5, they means LeBron will spend significant minutes playing the 3 spot. At his age LeBron should be playing the 4. Can’t have AD and LeBron playing the 4 simultaneously |
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joeblow
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| Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2023 8:44 pm Post subject: |
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| ocho wrote: | | Biggest red flag is he worked out for the Lakers and lost a spot to Tristan Thompson. |
Yeah, but there were a number of choices made last season that we have expressed second guesses about, like Ham's frustrating affection for three guard lineups. A motivated, bigger Myers could perhaps have been more effective than a past-his-prime, smaller Tristan in the Denver series. I mean, Pelinka recently admitted that we were too small against them.
| dont_be_a_wuss wrote: | | If the lakers find a decent starting 5 or rotation 5, they means LeBron will spend significant minutes playing the 3 spot. At his age LeBron should be playing the 4. Can’t have AD and LeBron playing the 4 simultaneously |
It depends on the match up. I don't think he would've been at a significant disadvantage at the 3 in the series vs. the Nuggets. Besides, the coaches could decide if he'd be more effective guarding MPJ or Gordon if AD and Myers were slotted at the 4 and 5 slots respectively.
The idea is to replicate the winning 2020 line up as closely as possible, so plugging in someone with enough bulk combined with a decent level of defensive awareness to play the Dwight Howard role (considering what's available out there) should be considered.
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Last edited by joeblow on Sun Jul 16, 2023 8:48 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Halflife
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| Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2023 8:47 pm Post subject: |
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| dont_be_a_wuss wrote: | | If the lakers find a decent starting 5 or rotation 5, they means LeBron will spend significant minutes playing the 3 spot. At his age LeBron should be playing the 4. Can’t have AD and LeBron playing the 4 simultaneously |
Eventually people will realize bron is a 4. Ad guards 5s and is guarded by 5s .
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ocho
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| Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2023 8:53 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | Yeah, but there were a number of choices made last season that we have expressed second guesses about, like Ham's frustrating affection for three guard lineups. |
That was always BS though. Throughout most of the year we were operating as a team without any wings. The roster was all guards and the lineups reflected it. They had to address this by adding two wings at the deadline and magically Ham started playing wings.
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joeblow
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| Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2023 9:03 pm Post subject: |
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| ocho wrote: | | Quote: | | Yeah, but there were a number of choices made last season that we have expressed second guesses about, like Ham's frustrating affection for three guard lineups. |
That was always BS though. Throughout most of the year we were operating as a team without any wings. The roster was all guards and the lineups reflected it. They had to address this by adding two wings at the deadline and magically Ham started playing wings. |
I complained more than most about Pelinka and all the little players he signed up over the past 2+ seasons. However, I don't know what to say if you didn't notice Ham was STILL going with a lot of 3-guard line ups even after the trade deadline.
Here's just one example in particular where I pointed out how Ham really burned us with that terrible approach during the playoffs. That's why I am still nervous about the upcoming season considering Pelinka has done an admirable (though not perfect) job of getting us bigger bodies to work with on day one this time around. Will Ham ignore all of that and go with a lot of small ball once again? We'll see.
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ocho
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| Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2023 9:39 pm Post subject: |
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| joeblow wrote: | | ocho wrote: | | Quote: | | Yeah, but there were a number of choices made last season that we have expressed second guesses about, like Ham's frustrating affection for three guard lineups. |
That was always BS though. Throughout most of the year we were operating as a team without any wings. The roster was all guards and the lineups reflected it. They had to address this by adding two wings at the deadline and magically Ham started playing wings. |
I complained more than most about Pelinka and all the little players he signed up over the past 2+ seasons. However, I don't know what to say if you didn't notice Ham was STILL going with a lot of 3-guard line ups even after the trade deadline.
Here's just one example in particular where I pointed out how Ham really burned us with that terrible approach during the playoffs. That's why I am still nervous about the upcoming season considering Pelinka has done an admirable (though not perfect) job of getting us bigger bodies to work with on day one this time around. Will Ham ignore all of that and go with a lot of small ball once again? We'll see. |
You advocating for a clunky lineup without any guards is not a good example of Ham obsessing over 3 guard lineups.
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eagles nut
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| Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2023 1:50 am Post subject: |
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| The Lakers wanted to sign Leonard last year but he chose to sign with Milwaukee. The Lakers then signed Thompson. |
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wolfpaclaker
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| Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2023 4:55 am Post subject: |
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I keep saying this and probably will. Why do we want to even sign non-impact 5s when Ham/staff will not even consider playing them with AD? The whole point of signing a 5 is to get some impact for 10-15 minutes NEXT to AD. So you can run some bigger lineups against teams that have a lot of power and length/size (Denver).
If option 1 is a stiff 5 who gives you little offense and not much defensive versatility in drop coverage, or option 2 is to play smaller with AD and getting a much better big wing (Rui, Prince, Vandy etc) or a 3rd guard (Gabe/Christie/JHS) to go with DLO/Austin, there is no way this staff is going with the 3rd string big.
Said so at the start of summer, if we were serious about getting more impact at the 5, we needed to trade Bamba/Beasley/17 for the BPA. We passed. Then our next best options were the MLE level 5s, which we again ignored to go for Gabe.
This shows clear tactics. We want to invest in our guards, we want to invest in wings and we see AD as a 5. Don't let Rob's statements fool you. He says that stuff every year. Our core is AD at the 5, Bron at the 4, Austin in the backcourt and 2 BPAs of DLO, Rui, Prince, Vandy, Gabe. Maybe Christie. Sometimes you'll see Hayes get some run much like we saw Gabriel.
Any big we sign, will get the Damion Jones. Bamba, Tristan treatment. The coaching staff we have now doesn't value AD at the 4 with rim protection bigs who give zero shot creating. They value the shot creating of a guard much more than a big that can rim protect next to AD. And to be fair to them, they proved that they can win playoff games with 3 guard lineups and going smaller. The fundamental issue here is the FO doesn't want to go all out and gave up on Bamba, and also then didn't trade to trade Bamba/Beasley/17 for a legit starting level 5. If you attained a 5 that actually was so high level that he is considered a better player than say a Gabe Vincent, Rui, etc. then that's a different situation. The staff now has pressure to play this player.
In the end, our season likely will all depend on how well AD plays the 5, and how well Rui/Prince/Gabe/Reddish step in as that 5th player next to AD/Bron/DLO/Reaves. We probably will see how it does the first 30-40 games and then maybe make a pre-trade deadline deal to balance things out if we're too guard/wing heavy again.
Even when you think about 2nd units come into play. I think we prefer to go a bit smaller, with Vandy/Rui/Prince or Vandy/Rui/AD. The way the team is coached and set up it doesn't make a lot of sense to stockpile on bigs who won't play. Now if this is for AD insurance, when AD takes his probably 20-30 games missed a season, we seemed to have made an investment in Hayes, and that's when he should be earning his lunch money.
Looking at the roster, I still would take a chance on adding a more potent 3 point shooting guard/wing than I would look for a 3rd string big. If you look at our roster, our 3 point shooting isn't our strength. We don't have that money 3 point shooter. You probably want to look at a player that can come in and fill that "sniper" role that Beasley departed from. We are probably better served giving Ham some toys he will actually play with, instead of theories that will never go in practice (See DJones, Bamba, Tristan). |
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joeblow
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| Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2023 7:39 am Post subject: |
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| ocho wrote: | | joeblow wrote: | | ocho wrote: | | Quote: | | Yeah, but there were a number of choices made last season that we have expressed second guesses about, like Ham's frustrating affection for three guard lineups. |
That was always BS though. Throughout most of the year we were operating as a team without any wings. The roster was all guards and the lineups reflected it. They had to address this by adding two wings at the deadline and magically Ham started playing wings. |
I complained more than most about Pelinka and all the little players he signed up over the past 2+ seasons. However, I don't know what to say if you didn't notice Ham was STILL going with a lot of 3-guard line ups even after the trade deadline.
Here's just one example in particular where I pointed out how Ham really burned us with that terrible approach during the playoffs. That's why I am still nervous about the upcoming season considering Pelinka has done an admirable (though not perfect) job of getting us bigger bodies to work with on day one this time around. Will Ham ignore all of that and go with a lot of small ball once again? We'll see. |
You advocating for a clunky lineup without any guards is not a good example of Ham obsessing over 3 guard lineups. |
Yeah, because 6'6" Troy Brown Jr. is not a guard-sized player. =\
If you're gonna respond, please leave ignorance out of it.
| eagles nut wrote: | | The Lakers wanted to sign Leonard last year but he chose to sign with Milwaukee. The Lakers then signed Thompson. |
I did not know that. If true, thanks.
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ocho
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| Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2023 7:44 am Post subject: |
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| joeblow wrote: | | ocho wrote: | | joeblow wrote: | | ocho wrote: | | Quote: | | Yeah, but there were a number of choices made last season that we have expressed second guesses about, like Ham's frustrating affection for three guard lineups. |
That was always BS though. Throughout most of the year we were operating as a team without any wings. The roster was all guards and the lineups reflected it. They had to address this by adding two wings at the deadline and magically Ham started playing wings. |
I complained more than most about Pelinka and all the little players he signed up over the past 2+ seasons. However, I don't know what to say if you didn't notice Ham was STILL going with a lot of 3-guard line ups even after the trade deadline.
Here's just one example in particular where I pointed out how Ham really burned us with that terrible approach during the playoffs. That's why I am still nervous about the upcoming season considering Pelinka has done an admirable (though not perfect) job of getting us bigger bodies to work with on day one this time around. Will Ham ignore all of that and go with a lot of small ball once again? We'll see. |
You advocating for a clunky lineup without any guards is not a good example of Ham obsessing over 3 guard lineups. |
Yeah, because 6'6" Troy Brown Jr. is not a guard-sized player. =\
If you're gonna respond, please leave ignorance out of it. |
TBJ was a wing for us. You wanted a back court of guys who can’t shoot, pass, or handle the ball to go along with 2 other guys who can’t shoot and Rui. This lineup wasn’t attempted because it’s a terrible idea, not because Ham insists on having 3 guards out there.
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Dr. Laker
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| Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2023 7:45 am Post subject: |
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| wolfpaclaker wrote: | <snip>
Any big we sign, will get the Damion Jones. Bamba, Tristan treatment. The coaching staff we have now doesn't value AD at the 4 with rim protection bigs who give zero shot creating. They value the shot creating of a guard much more than a big that can rim protect next to AD. And to be fair to them, they proved that they can win playoff games with 3 guard lineups and going smaller. The fundamental issue here is the FO doesn't want to go all out and gave up on Bamba, and also then didn't trade to trade Bamba/Beasley/17 for a legit starting level 5. If you attained a 5 that actually was so high level that he is considered a better player than say a Gabe Vincent, Rui, etc. then that's a different situation. The staff now has pressure to play this player.
In the end, our season likely will all depend on how well AD plays the 5, and how well Rui/Prince/Gabe/Reddish step in as that 5th player next to AD/Bron/DLO/Reaves. We probably will see how it does the first 30-40 games and then maybe make a pre-trade deadline deal to balance things out if we're too guard/wing heavy again.
<snip>
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To be fair, Wolf, the Lakers targeted Bamba in trade, gave him some run and then he got hurt. My guess is that what they saw during his recovery, rehab & practice convinced them that Bamba wasn't "it."
The guy you (and everyone) wants - strong base to wrestle the bears, rim protection, quick footed enough to not get played off the floor in smallball - is one of the rarest commodities in the league. We basically want a a late career Alonzo Mourning or not completely washed up Dwight Howard. Those guys aren't there and the closest approximations are generally locked up.
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joeblow
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| Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2023 8:06 am Post subject: |
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| wolfpaclaker wrote: | I keep saying this and probably will. Why do we want to even sign non-impact 5s when Ham/staff will not even consider playing them with AD? The whole point of signing a 5 is to get some impact for 10-15 minutes NEXT to AD. So you can run some bigger lineups against teams that have a lot of power and length/size (Denver).
If option 1 is a stiff 5 who gives you little offense and not much defensive versatility in drop coverage, or option 2 is to play smaller with AD and getting a much better big wing (Rui, Prince, Vandy etc) or a 3rd guard (Gabe/Christie/JHS) to go with DLO/Austin, there is no way this staff is going with the 3rd string big.
Said so at the start of summer, if we were serious about getting more impact at the 5, we needed to trade Bamba/Beasley/17 for the BPA. We passed. Then our next best options were the MLE level 5s, which we again ignored to go for Gabe.
This shows clear tactics. We want to invest in our guards, we want to invest in wings and we see AD as a 5. Don't let Rob's statements fool you. He says that stuff every year. Our core is AD at the 5, Bron at the 4, Austin in the backcourt and 2 BPAs of DLO, Rui, Prince, Vandy, Gabe. Maybe Christie. Sometimes you'll see Hayes get some run much like we saw Gabriel.
Any big we sign, will get the Damion Jones. Bamba, Tristan treatment. The coaching staff we have now doesn't value AD at the 4 with rim protection bigs who give zero shot creating. They value the shot creating of a guard much more than a big that can rim protect next to AD. And to be fair to them, they proved that they can win playoff games with 3 guard lineups and going smaller. The fundamental issue here is the FO doesn't want to go all out and gave up on Bamba, and also then didn't trade to trade Bamba/Beasley/17 for a legit starting level 5. If you attained a 5 that actually was so high level that he is considered a better player than say a Gabe Vincent, Rui, etc. then that's a different situation. The staff now has pressure to play this player.
In the end, our season likely will all depend on how well AD plays the 5, and how well Rui/Prince/Gabe/Reddish step in as that 5th player next to AD/Bron/DLO/Reaves. We probably will see how it does the first 30-40 games and then maybe make a pre-trade deadline deal to balance things out if we're too guard/wing heavy again.
Even when you think about 2nd units come into play. I think we prefer to go a bit smaller, with Vandy/Rui/Prince or Vandy/Rui/AD. The way the team is coached and set up it doesn't make a lot of sense to stockpile on bigs who won't play. Now if this is for AD insurance, when AD takes his probably 20-30 games missed a season, we seemed to have made an investment in Hayes, and that's when he should be earning his lunch money.
Looking at the roster, I still would take a chance on adding a more potent 3 point shooting guard/wing than I would look for a 3rd string big. If you look at our roster, our 3 point shooting isn't our strength. We don't have that money 3 point shooter. You probably want to look at a player that can come in and fill that "sniper" role that Beasley departed from. We are probably better served giving Ham some toys he will actually play with, instead of theories that will never go in practice (See DJones, Bamba, Tristan). |
Good post. I am not so much agaianst smaller lineups on ocassion as much as I am against being smaller than a given opponent (especially in the playoffs).
In the first round of 2020 and the Finals in particular, our Lakers had a ton of AD at the five and a lot less of McGee and Dwight on the floor compared to the WCF vs. Denver, and that was fine because we were still the overall bigger team of athletic players with skill.
But our roster back then had the flexibility to go big when we did face a team like the Nuggets. That's what we were lacking last season and I hated it. I mean, we started Game 1 of the 2020 WCF vs. Jokic with an even mix of McGee and Dwight minutes, but skinny McGee was TERRIBLE out there and by the end of the series we benched him and had D12 on the floor for well over 30 minutes. This is because in that matchup, bulky size mattered.
Last season we didn't even have a D12'esque role player to put on the court and we paid dearly for it by gettng swept. AD at the five on Jokic? He was defensively abused like a rag doll because he lacks the strength to hold his ground. Rui even handled the assignment better than AD did.
So even if someone like Myers joins our squad with a VERY limited role next season where AD is mostly at the five, that's fine as long as he is on the shelf for the Nugget or 76er type matchups where abusive offensive bigs are lurking. We need to be ready for all types of scenarios like this, especially come playoffs.
And for those who scoff at the idea of signing someone up mainly for the post season, wasn't Playoff Rondo our third best player in that role during the 2020 run to the Finals? He barely played at all in the regular season and was a major spark in his designated role once his number was called. I'm not saying someone like Myers Leonard needs to be limited nearly as much, but it can be done.
EDIT: I almost forgot... to your points about who Ham will actually play and not play, that is a potential issue but it's a separate one. For most of the last few seasons, Pelinka did a poor job of not signing enogh players with defensive size and abilities. The coaches were gimped (along with injuries) with what they could put on the floor.
That was allegiated somewhat after the trade deadline last season, and is definitely not an issue for this upcoming season (though we need another true big). That means the GM roadblock to having a viable roster is FAR less of an issue now. If the main issue remaining is Ham's terrible line up choices, the organization can cross that bridge if we come to it (Linda Rambis may have to come down and deal with him).
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gng930
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| Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2023 9:26 am Post subject: |
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| ocho wrote: | | joeblow wrote: | | ocho wrote: | | joeblow wrote: | | ocho wrote: | | Quote: | | Yeah, but there were a number of choices made last season that we have expressed second guesses about, like Ham's frustrating affection for three guard lineups. |
That was always BS though. Throughout most of the year we were operating as a team without any wings. The roster was all guards and the lineups reflected it. They had to address this by adding two wings at the deadline and magically Ham started playing wings. |
I complained more than most about Pelinka and all the little players he signed up over the past 2+ seasons. However, I don't know what to say if you didn't notice Ham was STILL going with a lot of 3-guard line ups even after the trade deadline.
Here's just one example in particular where I pointed out how Ham really burned us with that terrible approach during the playoffs. That's why I am still nervous about the upcoming season considering Pelinka has done an admirable (though not perfect) job of getting us bigger bodies to work with on day one this time around. Will Ham ignore all of that and go with a lot of small ball once again? We'll see. |
You advocating for a clunky lineup without any guards is not a good example of Ham obsessing over 3 guard lineups. |
Yeah, because 6'6" Troy Brown Jr. is not a guard-sized player. =\
If you're gonna respond, please leave ignorance out of it. |
TBJ was a wing for us. You wanted a back court of guys who can’t shoot, pass, or handle the ball to go along with 2 other guys who can’t shoot and Rui. This lineup wasn’t attempted because it’s a terrible idea, not because Ham insists on having 3 guards out there. |
Yeah I don't advocate any lineup that advocates for TBJ, who became unplayable, over Austin for that extra inch of height to put on KCP. And I really like TBJ. That said, Ham played 3-guard lineups more often that I would've liked, most notably to start the Denver series. That was him overthinking it and riding their Game 6 success against the Warriors. Other than that, we will find out how much that was out of necessity. Once the decision was made to start Rui and that Vando was not playable, they had ZERO bench depth in the front-court. Even Prince alone can make a huge impact by simply being playable for at least 15-20 minutes.
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gng930
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| Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2023 9:32 am Post subject: |
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| wolfpaclaker wrote: | I keep saying this and probably will. Why do we want to even sign non-impact 5s when Ham/staff will not even consider playing them with AD? The whole point of signing a 5 is to get some impact for 10-15 minutes NEXT to AD. So you can run some bigger lineups against teams that have a lot of power and length/size (Denver).
If option 1 is a stiff 5 who gives you little offense and not much defensive versatility in drop coverage, or option 2 is to play smaller with AD and getting a much better big wing (Rui, Prince, Vandy etc) or a 3rd guard (Gabe/Christie/JHS) to go with DLO/Austin, there is no way this staff is going with the 3rd string big.
Said so at the start of summer, if we were serious about getting more impact at the 5, we needed to trade Bamba/Beasley/17 for the BPA. We passed. Then our next best options were the MLE level 5s, which we again ignored to go for Gabe.
This shows clear tactics. We want to invest in our guards, we want to invest in wings and we see AD as a 5. Don't let Rob's statements fool you. He says that stuff every year. Our core is AD at the 5, Bron at the 4, Austin in the backcourt and 2 BPAs of DLO, Rui, Prince, Vandy, Gabe. Maybe Christie. Sometimes you'll see Hayes get some run much like we saw Gabriel.
Any big we sign, will get the Damion Jones. Bamba, Tristan treatment. The coaching staff we have now doesn't value AD at the 4 with rim protection bigs who give zero shot creating. They value the shot creating of a guard much more than a big that can rim protect next to AD. And to be fair to them, they proved that they can win playoff games with 3 guard lineups and going smaller. The fundamental issue here is the FO doesn't want to go all out and gave up on Bamba, and also then didn't trade to trade Bamba/Beasley/17 for a legit starting level 5. If you attained a 5 that actually was so high level that he is considered a better player than say a Gabe Vincent, Rui, etc. then that's a different situation. The staff now has pressure to play this player.
In the end, our season likely will all depend on how well AD plays the 5, and how well Rui/Prince/Gabe/Reddish step in as that 5th player next to AD/Bron/DLO/Reaves. We probably will see how it does the first 30-40 games and then maybe make a pre-trade deadline deal to balance things out if we're too guard/wing heavy again.
Even when you think about 2nd units come into play. I think we prefer to go a bit smaller, with Vandy/Rui/Prince or Vandy/Rui/AD. The way the team is coached and set up it doesn't make a lot of sense to stockpile on bigs who won't play. Now if this is for AD insurance, when AD takes his probably 20-30 games missed a season, we seemed to have made an investment in Hayes, and that's when he should be earning his lunch money.
Looking at the roster, I still would take a chance on adding a more potent 3 point shooting guard/wing than I would look for a 3rd string big. If you look at our roster, our 3 point shooting isn't our strength. We don't have that money 3 point shooter. You probably want to look at a player that can come in and fill that "sniper" role that Beasley departed from. We are probably better served giving Ham some toys he will actually play with, instead of theories that will never go in practice (See DJones, Bamba, Tristan). |
Now that we lack the assets for more, I've settled on a center that we can simply trust for 15+ minutes with AD off the floor. I imagine more minutes with Rui bodying up against bulky centers to both relieve AD of that burden but at the same time free him up to play free safety and gobble up rebounds.
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ocho
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| Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2023 9:34 am Post subject: |
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| gng930 wrote: | | ocho wrote: | | joeblow wrote: | | ocho wrote: | | joeblow wrote: | | ocho wrote: | | Quote: | | Yeah, but there were a number of choices made last season that we have expressed second guesses about, like Ham's frustrating affection for three guard lineups. |
That was always BS though. Throughout most of the year we were operating as a team without any wings. The roster was all guards and the lineups reflected it. They had to address this by adding two wings at the deadline and magically Ham started playing wings. |
I complained more than most about Pelinka and all the little players he signed up over the past 2+ seasons. However, I don't know what to say if you didn't notice Ham was STILL going with a lot of 3-guard line ups even after the trade deadline.
Here's just one example in particular where I pointed out how Ham really burned us with that terrible approach during the playoffs. That's why I am still nervous about the upcoming season considering Pelinka has done an admirable (though not perfect) job of getting us bigger bodies to work with on day one this time around. Will Ham ignore all of that and go with a lot of small ball once again? We'll see. |
You advocating for a clunky lineup without any guards is not a good example of Ham obsessing over 3 guard lineups. |
Yeah, because 6'6" Troy Brown Jr. is not a guard-sized player. =\
If you're gonna respond, please leave ignorance out of it. |
TBJ was a wing for us. You wanted a back court of guys who can’t shoot, pass, or handle the ball to go along with 2 other guys who can’t shoot and Rui. This lineup wasn’t attempted because it’s a terrible idea, not because Ham insists on having 3 guards out there. |
Yeah I don't advocate any lineup that advocates for TBJ, who became unplayable, over Austin for that extra inch of height to put on KCP. And I really like TBJ. That said, Ham played 3-guard lineups more often that I would've liked, most notably to start the Denver series. That was him overthinking it and riding their Game 6 success against the Warriors. Other than that, we will find out how much that was out of necessity. Once the decision was made to start Rui and that Vando was not playable, they had ZERO bench depth in the front-court. Even Prince alone can make a huge impact by simply being playable for at least 15-20 minutes. |
I do think starting Dennis in the Denver series was a mistake. Dennis was one of our best defensive guards who can also create himself a shot in a pinch. The real issue was that Russell, who was so instrumental in getting us to the playoffs and into the WCF just couldn’t put the ball in the basket. If he’s just his average self that’s a completely different series. Denver took advantage of our roster flaws and I think we’ve at least attempted to address them for the most part. Vincent gives you a crunch time guy who I think will give you more than Dennis did. We’ve got more size on the wing. We can play bigger with Denver now. We’ll find out if it’s enough.
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gng930
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Joined: 13 Apr 2001
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| Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2023 9:35 am Post subject: |
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I've been pushing for Leonard for quite some time. That said, that was under the pretense that we would also have a more known quantity at center than Hayes; Leonard needs to re-establish himself IMO before I bank on him for anything. I wouldn't be opposed to something like both Leonard and Wenyen at non-guaranteed contracts with Tristan in the back pocket at the end of the season.
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Denny_Russo
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| Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2023 11:02 am Post subject: |
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Plumlee would have been perfect, but I do like Myers Leonard. Hope they take a look at him.
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MJST
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| Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2023 11:06 am Post subject: |
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The Meyers Leonard that hard fouled Nick Young out of the air unnecessarily at the end of a game?
The Meyers Leonard that spews racist and anti-sematic slurs on his twitch?
That Meyers Leonard? You want him on the LAKERS???
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TDRock
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| Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2023 11:11 am Post subject: |
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Eindhoven
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| Posted: Tue Jul 18, 2023 12:10 am Post subject: |
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We should give Robert Upshaw a try. What you guys think?
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Four Decade Bandwagon
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| Posted: Tue Jul 18, 2023 6:07 am Post subject: |
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| MJST wrote: | The Meyers Leonard that hard fouled Nick Young out of the air unnecessarily at the end of a game?
The Meyers Leonard that spews racist and anti-sematic slurs on his twitch?
That Meyers Leonard? You want him on the LAKERS??? |
From just a player on the court standpoint, Leonard has some positives that could help the team and likely a minimum contract. But even that is debatable. Does he bring the level of defense or paint protection expected?
From a character standpoint, I agree with you. But that line in the sand of who we root for is always murky. How many apply the same character standards to Hayes and his DV incident? Or Kyrie Irving’s racist viewpoints? Even James has some questionable racial comments in his past.
How often do fans accept character issues when a player can help with wins? Myself included.
IMO I would not sign Leonard. Not just for the racist comments but because he is not quite what I think they need as a role player. But if he were signed I would reluctantly accept him as I do all the flawed players on my favorite teams. Just hope he has learned from his idiotic comments and does not disrupt the locker room. |
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