Everything 2018 Off Season

[Rudy Bargnani]

So now the Lakers have Lebron and they might go after Kawhi, I say we do a quick trade with them now and go for a win win mode.

Toronto out: DeMar DeRozan, Norman Powell
Toronto in: KCP, Brandon Ingram, and Luol Deng

Toronto Roster
Lowry
KCP
Ingram
OG
Val

Post 1000 for you. Congrats.

[golden]

Wow. He’s another Klutch guy. No more cap space tho.

Man, there's something really wrong with this, isn't there?

[Rudy Bargnani]

Man, there's something really wrong with this, isn't there?

Yes—the good and bad of having Lebron on your team.
That’s why Cleveland is paying JR Smith and Tristan Thompson $32 mill next year.

Keep your eye on Nerlens Noel—another Klutch guy. Betcha they dump Randle and overpay Noel.

[Blacklash2k4]

Aaron Gordon staying in Orlando. Will sign a 4 year, 84 mill deal with Orlando!

[omgsomuchpotential]

Aaron Gordon staying in Orlando. Will sign a 4 year, 84 mill deal with Orlando!

That's a bargain deal for Orlando, IMO. That contract will look so much better in a couple years, with that new cap increase.

[slaw]

Hot-ish take:

LeBron going West is bad for the Raptors long-term. It means they'll run it back, which means we won't see if the younger guys can take bigger roles before the time hits for them to get their extensions, which makes the picture foggier past the current core.

The Raptors were better off making a real move this summer if the goal is a title, and LeBron going West makes that less likely.

Stick with the cold takes....

[thead]

well...we have a path to the finals now.

Although Boston and Philly will both be a lot better even if they do nothing

[S.R.]

Yes—the good and bad of having Lebron on your team.
That’s why Cleveland is paying JR Smith and Tristan Thompson $32 mill next year.

Keep your eye on Nerlens Noel—another Klutch guy. Betcha they dump Randle and overpay Noel.

Lebron's GM meddling ruins his own teams. They either end up with too many washed up ring chasing vets or too many mediocre but overpaid Klutch players. Or both.

[Demographic Shift]

It cant be long for Silver and the NBA to change the playoffs. Top 8 from each conference is a joke.

Not this year. Not next year. Not ever.
In a league that makes its money from Television deals...230 million of the 330 million eye balls who potentially watch the NBA live in the East. To change the system to potentially drop your marketing exposure to the maximum number of viewers for your advertising revenue for your media partners would be..shall we say...dumb.

[Ebonhawke]

And... Lance Stephenson signs with the Lakers too

[Demographic Shift]

So...now that Lebron is in LA..does OKC save a bit of face as they unceremoniously cut Carmelo to save them 90 million in luxury tax and “free” Carmelo to play out a year with his banana boat buddy with the Lakers.

[The Great One]

What a time to be alive

Lance Stephenson has agreed to a deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, league sources tell Yahoo.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 2, 2018

[Scraptor]

Internally, many in the Raptors organization believed that if seeding played out differently they could/would have beaten any other, non-Cavs East team in the playoffs the last 2 years. Granted Celts/Sixers will improve, but this is their chance to prove it. LeBron excuse is gone

— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) July 2, 2018

Well this is a pretty big indicator that we continue to set the bar too low. I guess we can expect more of the same for the next year or two. I wonder what it will take for the media/fans to start questioning Masai's strategy.

[Ebonhawke]

Not this year. Not next year. Not ever.
In a league that makes its money from Television deals...230 million of the 330 million eye balls who potentially watch the NBA live in the East. To change the system to potentially drop your marketing exposure to the maximum number of viewers for your advertising revenue for your media partners would be..shall we say...dumb.

Also, the owners in both divisions will object, unless the schedule is rebalanced - with (currently) a weaker East (in terms of stars), teams in the West that would normally make the playoffs in the 7/8 seed could be conceivably knocked out of the playoffs because there are teams in the East who have better W/L records because of the unbalanced schedule.

Also, as Demographic Shift notes about - what happens if your semi-finals for a season ends up with, say, the Warriors/Lakers/TrailBlazers/Rockets? Every game would start at least at 10 pm Eastern, and the likelihood of people on the East Coast tuning in to watch becomes a lot less likely - less ad revenue etc. In a couple of years, what happens if the 'balance of power' swings eastward, and you have a semifinals with four Eastern Conference teams - you'll have all your games starting when the West Coast is still at work/stuck in traffic.

[Ebonhawke]

What a time to be alive

Lance Stephenson has agreed to a deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, league sources tell Yahoo.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 2, 2018

LeBron, Stephenson and the Ball family in one city - oh my

PLUS: Still a chance DeMarcus Cousins joins the dysfunctional Brady Bunch.

Now, if Lebron could shape that group of players together into an organized, cohesive team, then he definitely should be considered the GOAT.