Windhorst & Lowe BW: Here's what people don't understand. Rob Pelinka hasn't done his hardest work yet. His hardest work is how he's gonna use this cap space. He overpaid for a guy who only wanted to be in LA. While I tip my hat for getting LeBron/Davis in back to back years, it hasn't been because of shrewd management. He's gotta hit this mark. I keep seeing they have $23M in cap space. I'm sorry but they just do not have $23M in space. They have a cap hold to Reggie Bullock of $4.5M. He's unrestricted. In my mind, they have to re-sign him. If we get to July 1st and Jimmy Butler or Kyrie Irving bat their eye at the Lakers & have to trade players to get those guys, I guess you have to do that but way more likely is they have to break this up into 3 or 4 players. They'll never get a player of Bullock's quality for $4.5M. That's not to say he'll make $4.5M, he'll make more but he'll count for $4.5M until they sign him. They need him on the line. If Bullock is out there & agrees to a contract with the Pacers on July 1st at noon, the Lakers will have made a failure. They have to use this money on 3 players: sign a player at $12-14M, another player at $8M-$9M and Bullock with that remaining $4.5M caphold. They need to hit on all three & use their MLE on a player. They need to hit on those four. Rob Pelinka has to be a stud on those signings. Tim Bontemps said they're walking the Grand Canyon tight rope. If they whiff on signings, it sets them back a couple years because there is no way out. ZL: That is part of the appeal of split it up school of thought. You go from no trade fodder to some pieces. Just having those sized contracts gets you in the trade market if you need to. You can't get there with picks because they're gone or other players because they're max players or Kyle Kuzma. You have nothing to trade. That would give you something to trade. ... BW: ... This is why I don't believe the Lakers will be at their best this year. I saw it in Miami in 2010. You can laugh at J.R. Smith but when we get down to the minimum, that's the type of players they'll have to fill the roster out with. ZL: What do you think of the Kawhi/Lakers stuff? Is that real or still a two team race? BW: Two team race but every day we see a new team he'll meet with. Are these meetings 90 minute sessions or meals with all these folks? ZL: I still think it's a two team race but you don't know until it's done. Do I think it's a two team race? Yes. Am I reporting that? No. Do I know that? No. If he gets in a room with someone, things change. BW: Free agency is like a NBA game. You'd never declare a game over in the 2nd or 3rd Q. Free agency is the same way. ZL: If the Knicks strike out & Clippers don't get Kawhi, one lesson learned will be don't talk. Just don't talk. Knicks will get crushed if they strike out. Dolan will get crushed. Clippers won't get crushed because they were more polite but they went out too & talked about all the great things they have to offer & all the big stuff they had planned. Just don't do that. Move in silence. Make your case on the court.
so as of now since kemba is likely going to boston. it comes down to Dlo returning to LA or Kyrie reunited with Lebron. hmmmmmmm
Not too sure when they already have PG, coach, and GM in lebron. Could always just get an average pg and have lbj do what he always does on every team.
hasn't worked out for him as of late and i believe he knows that, especially at this stage of his career
Wouldn't really use this season as a measuring stick with all of the team's injuries (mainly ball/rondo). I'm not saying they won't look at a max PG, but surely a team of 3 superstars would be just fine with an average PG.
Even worse tbh. At least Durant had the excuse that he didnt have a ring and didnt think he could win in OKC. But to leave the champion to join the most disgusting superteam with two other top7 players just shows he has no dignity imo. In that case the NBA simply isnt a league Im interested to follow anymore. I waited and waited for the Warriors dynasty to die and now something even worse coming..no thanx.
