Jared Dudley: "I would be surprised if Kevin Love goes to the Lakers"

[cman88]

ah, another thread I come into where Larbird goes off on devaluing the Celtics assets and how the lakers have a much better chance at improving 

I can see a couple reasons why Love would come to boston.

1. East is weak, several agents are pushing their clients to sign in the Eastern conference because they have a higher chance of going far. with the lakers love is likely looking at the 8th or 7th seed to be blown out in the first round...

2. Kobe Bryant drove Shaq out of town, Gasol out of town, Dwight howard out of town....not sure love looks at that after being 3rd fiddle to LeBron/kyri and wants to watch kobe hog the ball for 30 shots a night

3. he is friends with IT, seems to have an affinity for the boston area. Maybe stevens/ainge/IT can sell him on being the next great celtic. and to join a team that just made the 8th seed and with some moves could be maybe a 5th seed

[knuckleballer]

Quote
I just don't see why Love would choose the Lakers

He is from California.
They just got the number 2 pick.
The weather.

He was born there, but moved to Oregon when he was one year old.  He grew up around Portland which is nearly a thousand miles north of LA.  He played one year at UCLA, so maybe he loves LA, but he's not really from there.

[oldtype]

At the end of the day, if the Lakers are actually still a #1 free agent destination despite being in an absurdly tough Western conference, having 50-year-old Kobe, the 2nd-worst front office in the league, probably the worst coach in the league, and a disaster of a roster, we should probably all just give up on competing.

[celticsclay]

If the Lakers have Kobe and Love as the core for next year, they only need to add one really good, semi-top FA and they will be right in the hunt, every bit as much as Cleveland.  Love would have to decide whether he wants to chase a ring or go to a perennially top franchise and ride out a likely dip after Kobe retires.

Moving forward, the Lakers would have Love and whoever is the other FA they sign (Rondo?, Butler?) plus a pretty good cadre of young players (Randle, Towns, Clarkson) and once Kobe is gone, they can sign another FA.  I don't think the dip is going to last very long for the Lakers.

My conclusion is that I disagree with Jared Dudley.  I would not be the least bit surprised if Love goes to the Lakers.  I would be far more surprised if he came to the Celtics.

Here's the thing with the Lakers...  They have like 30 mil in cap space.   They could free up another 5 mil if they dump Nick Young.  They could theoretically add both Kevin Love and Rondo, if they still actually want Rondo.

That gives them Rondo, Jordan Clarkson (who just finished all rookie 1st team over Marcus Smart who just finished 6th in the rookie of the year voting behind 4th place marcus smart and 5th place Joseph Nurkic with 3 total points from all voters), Julius Randle, Kevin Love and Okafor.   I mean... it wouldn't be too hard for them to trade Randle for a quality forward if they want.  I said in another thread they could probably move Randle + Clarkson for Derozan fairly easily if they wanted a scoring forward.  Yeah, the defense on that team would be questionable, but whatever...

Here's my point.  Say they cap out the salary this year.    Kobe falls off the books at the end of the season... the cap jumps 20 mil.   That means they'll have about 40 mil in cap space to add talent around Rondo, Clarkson, Randle, Love and Okafor...   Ooof.  They can replace Kobe with two max contract players.  Then Kobe prob comes back mid-season for the vet min anyways, because he'll be bored and want attention.

The year after... cap jumps another 20 mil... you got yourself Rondo, Clarkson, Randle, Love, Okafor, Max Contract 1, Max Contract 2... and now you can add Max Contract 3. 

Getting talent this summer is crucial.   The cap is going to jump next season and Boston will be competing with every team in the league in the free agent market.  Usually talent attracts other talent.

Fixed it for ya

Funny.

Neither of them received a single vote for Rookie of the year... so it's a pretty irrelevant bit of info, aint it?   Whereas 74 people voted Clarkson All-Rookie 1st team and 28 voted Smart... so no need to fix it... Clarkson was all rookie 1st team.  Smart was all Rookie 2nd team.

Clarkson has trade value.  I imagine Clarkson + Randle has considerable trade value.  Almost like trading two Marcus Smarts.  Lol jk

2011 NBA rookies
1st team Gary Neal.  2nd team Paul George.

2010 NBA rookies
1st team Brandon Jennings.  2nd team James Harden.

2009 NBA rookies
1st team Michael Beasley.  2nd team Kevin Love and Marc Gasol.

Mike

Would it be outlandish to say that Gary Neal had trade value in 2011?  Would it be crazy to say Brnadon Jennings had trade value in 2010?   Would it be an act of nuttery to say Michael Beasley had trade value in 2009?

'Course not.  Proof:  Half this forum wanted to trade Rondo for Brandon Jennings in 2009.  They saw him as a future superstar.  I'd dig up the thread for proof (I was one of the few skeptics throwing ice on it and comparing him to DaJuan Wagner), but I think clay has already shamed me enough for bumping my "i told you so" posts.

Point is... if the Lakers go out and add Love and Rondo (who I'd guess they still have some interest in), they can probably get something out of Clarkson and/or Randle.  They have some pieces in place.   I could see Love signing there.

No, the point is that you're trying to argue that Clarkson is better or at least a better asset than Smart and you used a poor example to do so.

And if Boston signed DeAndre Jordan and Love, they could get more for Sully and KO than the Lakers could for Randle and Clarkson.

Mike

You genuinely believe we could get more for Sully + KO than the Lakers could get for Randle + Clarkson?   Interesting. 

Again... doesn't matter.   This thread isn't about Clarkson.  I didn't make it about Clarkson.   It's about whether Kevin Love goes to the Lakers.  I think if he leaves the Cavs, he'll probably go to the Lakers.   Lots of pieces in place put them in a very nice position.

1.  You were the one taking a gratuitous shot at Marcus Smart.

2.  The overly optimistic fan is frequently mocked but I think the "Look how much smarter I am than other fans" fan is far more ridiculous.

3.  I would not be shocked to see Love wind up in LA but the Lakers front office is a mess, the coach is dubious, even with Okafor and Randle next season they'll be a bottom 5 team as far as talent in the West and even adding Love to that still leaves them looking up at the Warriors, Clippers, Rockets and Blazers.  It's hard to see Love going there unless the Lakers make at least two big moves first, and there is going to be a bunch of teams with cap space and attractive situations competing for players this offseason.

Mike

#1 - I didn't take any shot at Marcus Smart.  I was listing off Laker assets in reference to how the Lakers could build around K-Love and casually mentioned that Jordan Clarkson (according to voters) had a better rookie season than Smart.  I pointed out this fact, because I realize a lot of people on this forum don't pay attention to the rest of the league.  I just brought it up for context.  Every time Clarkson is mentioned on this forum, people seem surprised by how productive he was.  It seems strange to list off an unknown 2nd rounder in a list of prime Laker assets... so I gave it some context.   Point was that the Lakers can sign Rondo and Love this summer, add a superstar prospect in Okafor, and if needed they can flip Randle and Clarkson since both would become expendable and both have trade value.  Then when Kobe's contract expires, they'll have 40 million in cap space next summer to sign two max contracts.   They are in a nice position.   I disagree with Dudley and the premise of this thread.

Long story short:  Kevin Love is most likely either staying in Cleveland or going to the Lakers.  Dudley is just running his mouth. 

Side note:  No need for anyone to White Knight anytime someone mentions Marcus Smart.  Nobody is attacking him.  I've mentioned dozens of times that I see him as by far our best asset.  If we make a move for an all-star this summer, Smart will surely be the best asset in our trade package.  A B- asset in a sea of C's and D's on these C's.  He was a heck of a consolidation prize after our failed tank job last season.  Sometimes I bring up Celtic players when talking about other teams... figure it gives some context since most people here are diehard Celtic fans and understandably focus on the Boston players.  For example, I use to bring up Sullinger when talking about Terrence JOnes, because few people here paid attention to the Rockets and weren't aware that Jones and Sully had roughly the same trade value.  Some fans would get defensive, because they didn't know much about Jones.  I assume fans casually watch the playoffs and probably are more familiar with Jones at this point, though.  He's probably leapfrogged Sully in terms of trade value... doubt anyone would throw a fit at the comparison anymore.

Can I have a list of all your predictions that have come true over the years. If you need to send it as an attachment because it is so long and wont fit in a single post that is also cool. I would suggest bumping them all but I think the site would crash.

[Grindfather]

Quote
I just don't see why Love would choose the Lakers

He is from California.
They just got the number 2 pick.
The weather.

Doesn't it make sense to assume that Love just wants to be in a good professional situation? He played for years under a dysfunctional management group in Minnesota, first David Kahn not giving him a 5th year extension so he could save it for Rubio, then Kahn, followed by Flip, putting together some really garbage teams around him, then going to Cleveland where Lebron undercuts, subtweets, and marginalizes him.  He's gotta be sick of that and really looking for a solid organization that will support him and maximize his skill set.

That organization is not the Lakers, and if he thinks it is, he's stupid or crazy.  A lot of things will have to change with the Lakers to be a good fit for Love.  Okafor, Randle, and Love cannot play together, and frankly any two of those players cannot really be on the floor at the same time.  If you operate under that assumption, you have to trade the second pick and Randle. 

Everyone mentions Rondo going there too.  What does that get them?  A team of Rondo, Kobe, Okafor, Randle, and Love doesn't work at all.  They will be atrocious defensively and Rondo and Kobe are intensely difficult personalities.  I'm not sure Rondo is a starter on a modern NBA team anymore.  Not to mention that Okafor, while a polished post player already, isn't going to be a superstar out of the gate. 

I won't even get into how terrible Byron Scott is.

Playing in that environment would be so miserable that no amount of hanging out at the beach would make the pain go away. 

[knuckleballer]

Quote
I just don't see why Love would choose the Lakers

He is from California.
They just got the number 2 pick.
The weather.

Doesn't it make sense to assume that Love just wants to be in a good professional situation? He played for years under a dysfunctional management group in Minnesota, first David Kahn not giving him a 5th year extension so he could save it for Rubio, then Kahn, followed by Flip, putting together some really garbage teams around him, then going to Cleveland where Lebron undercuts, subtweets, and marginalizes him.  He's gotta be sick of that and really looking for a solid organization that will support him and maximize his skill set.

That organization is not the Lakers, and if he thinks it is, he's stupid or crazy.  A lot of things will have to change with the Lakers to be a good fit for Love.  Okafor, Randle, and Love cannot play together, and frankly any two of those players cannot really be on the floor at the same time.  If you operate under that assumption, you have to trade the second pick and Randle. 

Everyone mentions Rondo going there too.  What does that get them?  A team of Rondo, Kobe, Okafor, Randle, and Love doesn't work at all.  They will be atrocious defensively and Rondo and Kobe are intensely difficult personalities.  I'm not sure Rondo is a starter on a modern NBA team anymore.  Not to mention that Okafor, while a polished post player already, isn't going to be a superstar out of the gate. 

I won't even get into how terrible Byron Scott is.

Playing in that environment would be so miserable that no amount of hanging out at the beach would make the pain go away.

That all starts with Jim Buss.  He is no where near the decision maker his father was.  The guy spurned Phil Jackson and has hired Mike Brown, D'Antoni, and Byron Scott and gave an over the hill Kobe a $48.5 million contract.  Players might be wise to stay clear of that situation.

[Grindfather]

Quote
I just don't see why Love would choose the Lakers

He is from California.
They just got the number 2 pick.
The weather.

Doesn't it make sense to assume that Love just wants to be in a good professional situation? He played for years under a dysfunctional management group in Minnesota, first David Kahn not giving him a 5th year extension so he could save it for Rubio, then Kahn, followed by Flip, putting together some really garbage teams around him, then going to Cleveland where Lebron undercuts, subtweets, and marginalizes him.  He's gotta be sick of that and really looking for a solid organization that will support him and maximize his skill set.

That organization is not the Lakers, and if he thinks it is, he's stupid or crazy.  A lot of things will have to change with the Lakers to be a good fit for Love.  Okafor, Randle, and Love cannot play together, and frankly any two of those players cannot really be on the floor at the same time.  If you operate under that assumption, you have to trade the second pick and Randle. 

Everyone mentions Rondo going there too.  What does that get them?  A team of Rondo, Kobe, Okafor, Randle, and Love doesn't work at all.  They will be atrocious defensively and Rondo and Kobe are intensely difficult personalities.  I'm not sure Rondo is a starter on a modern NBA team anymore.  Not to mention that Okafor, while a polished post player already, isn't going to be a superstar out of the gate. 

I won't even get into how terrible Byron Scott is.

Playing in that environment would be so miserable that no amount of hanging out at the beach would make the pain go away.

That all starts with Jim Buss.  He is no where near the decision maker his father was.  The guy spurned Phil Jackson and has hired Mike Brown, D'Antoni, and Byron Scott and gave an over the hill Kobe a $48.5 million contract.  Players might be wise to stay clear of that situation.

Exactly! There is the looming power struggle between Jeanie Buss and her brother. If the Lakers continue to struggle, Jeanie is going to have to fire Jim, power she has but as yet hasn't used. We could ultimately see Phil Jackson return at some point. But all of this is in flux, which make for a generally negative environment. Why would high quality free agents want to play there without the leadership Jerry Buss provided?

[GC003332]

Quote
I just don't see why Love would choose the Lakers

He is from California.
They just got the number 2 pick.
The weather.

Doesn't it make sense to assume that Love just wants to be in a good professional situation? He played for years under a dysfunctional management group in Minnesota, first David Kahn not giving him a 5th year extension so he could save it for Rubio, then Kahn, followed by Flip, putting together some really garbage teams around him, then going to Cleveland where Lebron undercuts, subtweets, and marginalizes him.  He's gotta be sick of that and really looking for a solid organization that will support him and maximize his skill set.

That organization is not the Lakers, and if he thinks it is, he's stupid or crazy.  A lot of things will have to change with the Lakers to be a good fit for Love.  Okafor, Randle, and Love cannot play together, and frankly any two of those players cannot really be on the floor at the same time.  If you operate under that assumption, you have to trade the second pick and Randle. 

Everyone mentions Rondo going there too.  What does that get them?  A team of Rondo, Kobe, Okafor, Randle, and Love doesn't work at all.  They will be atrocious defensively and Rondo and Kobe are intensely difficult personalities.  I'm not sure Rondo is a starter on a modern NBA team anymore.  Not to mention that Okafor, while a polished post player already, isn't going to be a superstar out of the gate. 

I won't even get into how terrible Byron Scott is.

Playing in that environment would be so miserable that no amount of hanging out at the beach would make the pain go away.

That all starts with Jim Buss.  He is no where near the decision maker his father was.  The guy spurned Phil Jackson and has hired Mike Brown, D'Antoni, and Byron Scott and gave an over the hill Kobe a $48.5 million contract.  Players might be wise to stay clear of that situation.

Exactly! There is the looming power struggle between Jeanie Buss and her brother. If the Lakers continue to struggle, Jeanie is going to have to fire Jim, power she has but as yet hasn't used. We could ultimately see Phil Jackson return at some point. But all of this is in flux, which make for a generally negative environment. Why would high quality free agents want to play there without the leadership Jerry Buss provided?

Jerry Buss's off court leadership lead Magic into a world that may can only dream of.