If you were Magic Johnson, would you trade LeBron?

kane

EOG master
Give me AD and proper role players and I'll take my chances. This years Lakers team was more talented than LBJ's Cleveland team LY but that Cle team was a much better fit around him.

The thing is though, in order to get AD, the Lakers would have to gut their roster, so those role players of which you speak would have to be guys from other teams, but then the problem is continuity, the GOAT would have to adjust playing not only with AD, but with a whole new cast of characters, guys that have never played together, that's a tough thing to ask out of a group just put together, to compete for a championship. They would have to bring in veterans that could gel quickly, when the GOAT came to Miami, the Heat brought in guys like Ray Allen, Mike Miller, Shane Battier, Rashard Lewis, Birdman, solid vets who knew their roles and were able to come together as a team rather quickly, not to mention the Lakers will also have a new coach. Heading into his 17th season, I just don't think the Lakers will be able to put together the type of team that would gel fast enough to compete. And remember, in Miami the great Pat Riley was able to assemble the necessary pieces needed to win, in LA it's Magic trying to do it, big difference between them. I think the GOAT has another 2, maybe 3 years at the most playing at a high level, sorry Game, but I think he retires with the same number of rings he has now, I wouldn't put anything past him, but that's my honest opinion.
 

kane

EOG master
Yeah, I know, you'll have a talk with him, that will surely get him to stop his anti-Semitic, racist, and homophobic posts
 

GameBred

I Trade Therefore I Am
The thing is though, in order to get AD, the Lakers would have to gut their roster, so those role players of which you speak would have to be guys from other teams, but then the problem is continuity, the GOAT would have to adjust playing not only with AD, but with a whole new cast of characters, guys that have never played together, that's a tough thing to ask out of a group just put together, to compete for a championship. They would have to bring in veterans that could gel quickly, when the GOAT came to Miami, the Heat brought in guys like Ray Allen, Mike Miller, Shane Battier, Rashard Lewis, Birdman, solid vets who knew their roles and were able to come together as a team rather quickly, not to mention the Lakers will also have a new coach. Heading into his 17th season, I just don't think the Lakers will be able to put together the type of team that would gel fast enough to compete. And remember, in Miami the great Pat Riley was able to assemble the necessary pieces needed to win, in LA it's Magic trying to do it, big difference between them. I think the GOAT has another 2, maybe 3 years at the most playing at a high level, sorry Game, but I think he retires with the same number of rings he has now, I wouldn't put anything past him, but that's my honest opinion.

I don't think they get AD next year as that is the word and besides that, LA is compromised. Most of their young "stars" are injury prone and BI may have career threatening blood clot issues; negates their value somewhat.

As for LBJ's rings, he never had to win one for me so 3 are a bonus. I understand rings help in the GOAT debate but it's also a function of who you play with and againt. LBJ was favored 2x in the Finals and he has 3 rings, one can say he overachieved. I think he gets at least one more. Time reveals all things so we will see but I respect your view, just differs from mine.
 

GameBred

I Trade Therefore I Am

This thinking demonstrates why her team has the worst record in the NBA for the last 5 or 6 years. They are incompetent idiots. Trade the best player in the game because you are mad at his agent;, that's fucking genuis. One GM said he wouldn't Gut his roster for LBJ because he's not good enough to carry 4 cadavers to the Finals anymore.... newsflash, no one has ever been good enough to carry 4 cadavers to the Finals save the GOAT.

Listen, I'm on record saying I wanted him to stay in Cle and/or go to Houston. I didn't want him in LA but that's what he wanted and I support My LeBron but make no mistake,, thier ungrategul LA pricks and LBJ made them relevant again.
 

kane

EOG master
This thinking demonstrates why her team has the worst record in the NBA for the last 5 or 6 years. They are incompetent idiots. Trade the best player in the game because you are mad at his agent;, that's fucking genuis. One GM said he wouldn't Gut his roster for LBJ because he's not good enough to carry 4 cadavers to the Finals anymore.... newsflash, no one has ever been good enough to carry 4 cadavers to the Finals save the GOAT.

Listen, I'm on record saying I wanted him to stay in Cle and/or go to Houston. I didn't want him in LA but that's what he wanted and I support My LeBron but make no mistake,, thier ungrategul LA pricks and LBJ made them relevant again.

If it was about chasing rings, the GOAT would have gone elsewhere, there were better spots for him to go if championships were the only thing on his mind. At this point in his career, there are other things more important to him outside of basketball, and the city of Los Angeles is the perfect place to be to grow those outside interests, when he retires he'll be involved in all sorts of things unrelated to basketball. You're right about the Rockets, put him in Houston and he might have won another ring or two, but he's comfortable enough with his legacy that ring chasing isn't the most important thing in his life, his move to LA was more about his life after basketball.
 

GameBred

I Trade Therefore I Am
If it was about chasing rings, the GOAT would have gone elsewhere, there were better spots for him to go if championships were the only thing on his mind. At this point in his career, there are other things more important to him outside of basketball, and the city of Los Angeles is the perfect place to be to grow those outside interests, when he retires he'll be involved in all sorts of things unrelated to basketball. You're right about the Rockets, put him in Houston and he might have won another ring or two, but he's comfortable enough with his legacy that ring chasing isn't the most important thing in his life, his move to LA was more about his life after basketball.

Agreed.

It just leaves a poor taste in my mouth that this sorry-ass franchise, who couldn't sign a player going back to the twilight of Kobe's career, sign the best player in the world and arugably the GOAT and this how they treat him? LBJ certainly hasn't been perfect this year but he deserves better than that.
 

GameBred

I Trade Therefore I Am
When LBJ is at fault, I will be the first to point it out and when he is wronged, I will not hesitate to voice my opinion. This is total BS and I hope they do trade his ass (It will never happen); fuck them, they don't deserve him.
 

MrTop

EOG Master
If the lakers are making money off of him he stays. They won't win with just him. Needs more players. Problem is who wants to play with him ? There must be 1-3 free agents they can get. Problem is he makes 35 million . Magic / buss throwing money around .
 

andyfezzik

EOG Addicted
Good luck finding someone willing to pay the remaining 3 years of a $154M contract for a 34 year old NBA'er who is still great, of course, but is way past his prime. At this point, I think Lebron will be retiring a Laker. It's a win/win, he'll fill the seats and generate them a lot of TV revenue, and get to comfortably retire while kicking back and destroying every single lifetime achievement stat.
 

Dell Dude

EOG Master
I told you. I sofa king told you. Lebron is now the Fakers President and General Manager. Magic is the mobile mascot.

LeBron James plans to be very involved in Lakers' 'critical' offseason: 'We have an opportunity to get better'
 

FairWarning

Bells Beer Connoisseur
I told you. I sofa king told you. Lebron is now the Fakers President and General Manager. Magic is the mobile mascot.

LeBron James plans to be very involved in Lakers' 'critical' offseason: 'We have an opportunity to get better'
Players giving input into personnel decisions, it rarely ends well.
 

GameBred

I Trade Therefore I Am
There is a rumor PHIL willing to part with Simmons for Lebron.....

Philly is my favorite team and I would love that but it won't happen unless LBJ comes out and demands a trade.

Dear God, please let me be wrong, just this once :)
 

Dell Dude

EOG Master
yeah, let's trade him and blow up our 4-year plan to bring a title to LA. Fucking genuises, Kane, I swear. Listen, not a great look missing the playoffs but his legacy will be helped or harmed by one thing... does he bring a title to LA and thus win a title everywhere he has been?

Lebron doesn’t have 4 years left on his clock. May already be too late. Not saying he can’t play another 4 at championship caliber. Just not GOAT. That means he’ll need massive help to win another title. More than a sidekick and supporting cast. Probably a Durant costar.
 

Dell Dude

EOG Master
I fear LeBron's time has passed.

I don't believe he will win an NBA title serving as the team's best player.

From here on out, I think he's a complementary piece.

Father Time wins yet another battle.

WTF. This is the second time JK and I agree today.
 

GameBred

I Trade Therefore I Am
Lebron doesn’t have 4 years left on his clock. May already be too late. Not saying he can’t play another 4 at championship caliber. Just not GOAT. That means he’ll need massive help to win another title. More than a sidekick and supporting cast. Probably a Durant costar.

He is coming off the one of the greatest (judged by VORP to be the greatest) Playoff performances, ever, last year. His Crown is in Peril, I agree, but I'm just not ready to concede he's not still the best in the World. We'll know more by next years All-Star break but I don't think he needs massive help. Let's say he drops off a bit but gets a 2nd Star, can you imagine how good a team will be if he is the 2nd best player on it?

Do you think the Lake Show couldn't give Portland or a KD-less GS Nerds a run for their $ in a 7-game Series, right now? I think they could. I know that sounds crazy considering they missed the playoffs but therre is a lot of context that surrounds that.
 

Dell Dude

EOG Master
He needs 2 players. Costar and sidekick. That's basically what he had with the Heat early then Wade faded. In clevfan, only had a sidekick.
 

GameBred

I Trade Therefore I Am
He needs 2 players. Costar and sidekick. That's basically what he had with the Heat early then Wade faded. In clevfan, only had a sidekick.

He needs 1 player and/or specialized role players. Playoff LeBron is a real thing; he's got like the Top-5 VORP performances ever in the Playoffs. Lakers were realistically what, at worst the 5th best team in the West this year? The talent around him this year was better than his last year in Cle but Cle was was better fit. If BI comes back at full fitness, that may be your 2nd guy right there, he was playing at an All-Star level before he got his career-threatening blood clot.
 

GameBred

I Trade Therefore I Am
He needs 1 player and/or specialized role players. Playoff LeBron is a real thing; he's got like the Top-5 VORP performances ever in the Playoffs. Lakers were realistically what, at worst the 5th best team in the West this year? The talent around him this year was better than his last year in Cle but Cle was was better fit. If BI comes back at full fitness, that may be your 2nd guy right there, he was playing at an All-Star level before he got his career-threatening blood clot.

Small sample but he was coming on and was stringing together multi-game performances.
 

Heim

EOG Master
CAVS West is all they need. Acquire Love for rebounding & viable 'big' that can shoot & convince Kyrie to come out West. That's good enough for West Conference Final imo.
 

Dell Dude

EOG Master
That’s the clevfan team he had! Never should have left. Had the East on auto. So what kept losing in the finals. Now he’s in a nightmare situation because he let Magic hustle him.
 

MrTop

EOG Master
That’s the clevfan team he had! Never should have left. Had the East on auto. So what kept losing in the finals. Now he’s in a nightmare situation because he let Magic hustle him.



that is one of the reasons why he left. He did not want to lose in the finals anymore. Sort of stopped the pain. He knows he will never catch MJ. He won't even catch Kobe in wins.
Lebron should of taken a pay cut . He makes too much 37million in 2019-20 . Can't get 2 stars now.

35y/o in December
 

railbird

EOG Master
CAVS West is all they need. Acquire Love for rebounding & viable 'big' that can shoot & convince Kyrie to come out West. That's good enough for West Conference Final imo.
your opinions have been getting worse and worse over the years
 
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