[snackdaddy]

Most mocks I see have Philly taking Simmons and the Lakers taking Ingram. From what I've heard, either of these two guys have the makings of something special. Could Russell be Magic part 2 and Ingram be Worthy part 2? They're still in rebuild mode. So it will probably take at least a couple more years. But at least they got some high picks to build a core for the future. I can't recall seeing the Lakers this low in all my years as a fan. Since the days of Chamberlain, West and Goodrich.

[Rams Dominate]

Your right bro Ben Simmons would be sweet, I hadn't watched many highlights of Ben Simmons but when I did it was whoa...Theres a rumor we might sign Kevin Durant, can you imagine a front line of Simmons, Durant & Randle, all 6' 9" or taller ? Jerry West once said his perfect team would be 6' 9", & that front line is 6'9" & 6' 10" (Simmons), guards are 6" 5"...Things are looking up if all goes as planned...
Check your pm's::::

[Rams Dominate]

For you guys interested in the upcoming NBA draft, the Lakers have the #2 pick again, http://www.youtube.com/brandoningram this is the guy most mocks have the Lakers taking...I just spent a half hour watching You Tube highlights of Brandon Ingram, he's 18 years old, 6'9" 196lbs. & this guy has skills of a much smaller man, he can bring the ball up court like Lamar Odom, is a great passer, can finish at the rim with either hand & is absolutely deadly from 3 point land, he's a shot blocking demon around the rim & as I said always finds the open guy when he rebounds...This guy is so skilled I don't think he'll drop to the Lakers, but if he does we are set for years, his moves around the basket are really special...
You Lakers fans go take a look at this guy, he's worth your time...

Hey RD,, hope all is well with you and your's..! The link took me to a kids attacking the camera on a bus or something..
Ben Simmons wouldn't suck..

Oops, wrong highlights...

[Rams Dominate]

For you guys interested in the upcoming NBA draft, the Lakers have the #2 pick again, http://www.youtube.com/brandoningram this is the guy most mocks have the Lakers taking...I just spent a half hour watching You Tube highlights of Brandon Ingram, he's 18 years old, 6'9" 196lbs. & this guy has skills of a much smaller man, he can bring the ball up court like Lamar Odom, is a great passer, can finish at the rim with either hand & is absolutely deadly from 3 point land, he's a shot blocking demon around the rim & as I said always finds the open guy when he rebounds...This guy is so skilled I don't think he'll drop to the Lakers, but if he does we are set for years, his moves around the basket are really special...
You Lakers fans go take a look at this guy, he's worth your time...

Hey RD,, hope all is well with you and your's..! The link took me to a kids attacking the camera on a bus or something..
Ben Simmons wouldn't suck..

Hacksaw, have you checked your PM's? I sent you one about a week ago...

[Hacksaw_64]

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith: “Lakers & Heat Are Possibilities For LeBron


Now that the final NBA game of the 2015-16 season has been played, it’s time for the soap opera that is the NBA offseason to begin.

Everyone knows at this point that LeBron James carried the Cleveland Cavaliers to its first ever NBA championship – evident by the goo-gobs of folks that reportedly watched the Finals – and how he accomplished his goal of winning a title for his home state, which had been championship-deprived for 52 years.

Much ado was made – a lot of it coming from James himself in his penned letter announcing his intention to rejoin the Cavaliers two years ago – on how he wanted to “go back home” and win one for “the Land” (short for Cleveland).

It sounded good and it made everyone in Ohio giddy, knowing that their native son was coming back and going to deliver them a title. But up until Sunday’s thrilling game seven win, Cleveland had been devoid of a professional sports title for more than half a century.

Call it far-fetched, but cynical conventional wisdom would make one believe that LeBron – even in all his basketball greatness – saying that he’d be going back to Ohio to win a title really meant that he was verbally agreeing to an unofficial lifetime contract with the franchise and the city because – plainly, they never win in Ohio.

Well, they won.

Now what?

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith kicked off the drama by dropping this grenade on the country Monday morning:

“From what I’ve been told, the Lakers and Heat are possibilities as a destination for LeBron James this summer,” Smith said on the Mike & Mike Morning Show.

The man just won his third NBA championship in seven tries, stuffed the stat sheets to historical proportions, witnessed the coming-out party of teammate Kyrie Irving as one of the top 10 players in the league and actually accomplished his lifelong goal of bringing a title to his hometown and now he’s going to leave?

Yeah, one could see how that happens.

“No one should want to leave after they just captured a crown…nobody should want to leave Cleveland, everybody should want to stay and defend their crown,” Smith said on ESPN’s First Take later Monday morning.

“You’re hearing about Miami and LA – as in the Lakers – as possible landing spots for LeBron. Because LeBron, obviously, was never going to leave until he helped deliver a championship to the city of Cleveland. But once that was done, it is believed that departing is something that he’ll entertain.”

Miami was a playoff team and was one game – and possibly one Hassan Whiteside injury – away from actually facing James and his Cavs in the Eastern Conference finals.

Dwyane Wade, who attended Sunday’s game seven in Oakland in support of LeBron, turned back the proverbial clock during the playoffs and put on some vintage “Flash” performances.

And, James has said publicly that he’d like to play with his friends: Wade, Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul and New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony one day.

Still, the Heat have their own role to play in the NBA offseason drama. Wade is a free agent and will be seeking near-max, if not max contract dollars this summer. The shot-blocking savant Whiteside will be courted by just about every team with money to spend. Also, Chris Bosh’s health is still a question mark – and he’s still owed somewhere in the $75 million range.

And it was reported Sunday night and Monday morning that James said he was motivated by some stinging words from someone in Miami.

“People in Miami believe that they have a shot at LeBron James returning. There’s some clean up duty that Pat Riley has to make up for because obviously he felt a certain way about LeBron’s departure…but there are people in Miami who believe they have a shot at getting LeBron to return to South Beach,” Smith went on to say on ESPN.

“It would be hard-pressed for me to imagine him leaving Cleveland at this point in time, but it was almost impossible for me to imagine that he would leave South Beach a couple of years ago – but he did that.”

Then there’s Los Angeles.

The Lakers are no longer under “Mamba Rule” and are looking for the next great…anything.

Still, LA offers the allure of Hollywood and the illustrious franchise history. Not to mention, the Lakers own the No. 2 overall in this year’s draft, have the No. 2 pick from last year’s draft in the form of guard D’Angelo Russell, and buckets of cap space.

However, the bottom line of it all is that no one knows what LeBron will do next.

Smith admitted that he doesn’t.

“I think it’s very, very possible that he could end up departing,” Smith said Monday. “But again, I don’t know – I have no idea. I’m just telling you what I heard.”

James has always been guarded and very conscious as to prop and present himself in the best light possible.

And the general public will be forced to sit back and watch the soap opera unfold while LeBron already knows which socks he’ll wear during his two-hour-long, nationally televised retirement special in 2020.

Buckle up folks.
J.T. Wilcox

http://miami.cbslocal.com/2016/06/20/es ... or-lebron/

[Rams Dominate]

Hmmmm, LaBron in Purple & Gold ? That would be sweet, but personally I don't think LaBron has the Hollywood bug, but they won't ask my opinion I
betcha...

[Elvis]

James bought a house in Brentwood last year and he is, at least in part, about maximizing his brand. But still i have a hard time seeing it...

[Rams Dominate]

James bought a house in Brentwood last year and he is, at least in part, about maximizing his brand. But still i have a hard time seeing it...

Wow Elvis you "really do" know everything...Just kidding, lol... But didn't know that...Like you I have a hard time seeing LaBron going Hollywood,,,
Those 2 guys left in Miami, are nearing the end of their careers (Dwayne Wade & Chris Bosh) so if he's gonna move at all the Lakers have more to offer as far as young talent up & coming than just about anyone & loads of money...

[kayfabe]

Yeah, about that Stephen A. Smith NBA predictions...seems like a pretty good go-against. After all
the guy now has quite the impressive streak going: he's missed the last six finals winners.

http://awfulannouncing.com/2016/stephen ... nning.html

Stephen A. Smith has incorrectly picked NBA Finals winner six seasons running

Posted by Liam McGuire on Jun 21, 2016 18:06

If Stephen A. Smith picks a team to win the NBA Finals, recent data says you probably shouldn’t bet on his opinion.

A video has surfaced on YouTube of the rowdy First Take host and his predictions in the NBA Finals over the past six seasons. Smith didn’t exactly nail his predictions, in fact, he’s been 100% wrong every Finals since 2011 with his guesses. Roll the tape:

Just to recap, here are Smith’s picks with the actual result in brackets.

2011: Miami Heat over the Dallas Mavericks (Dallas won in six games)
2012: Oklahoma City Thunder over the Miami Heat (Miami in five games).
2013: San Antonio Spurs over the Miami Heat (Miami in seven games)
2014: Miami Heat over the San Antonio Spurs (San Antonio in five games)
2015: Cleveland Cavaliers over the Golden State Warriors (Golden State in six games)
2016: Golden State Warriors over the Cleveland Cavaliers (Cavaliers in seven games).

This is why some analysts refuse to make predictions. It’s not easy but it is an easy way to get scrutinized. To be fair to Smith, realistically, the Finals can go either way as the best of the best compete against one another for the title, but to be wrong in six consecutive seasons is pretty tough for a guy who makes part of his living on predictions and takes.

If you’re an NBA player and Stephen A. predicts you’re going to lose in the NBA Finals, at this point, you should probably buy him a beer. He’s got a nice losing streak going. The big question remains, how many more seasons will Smith continue to guess the Finals wrong? Let’s hope he can hit double-digits.

[snackdaddy]

James bought a house in Brentwood last year and he is, at least in part, about maximizing his brand. But still i have a hard time seeing it...

Wow Elvis you "really do" know everything...Just kidding, lol... But didn't know that...Like you I have a hard time seeing LaBron going Hollywood,,,
Those 2 guys left in Miami, are nearing the end of their careers (Dwayne Wade & Chris Bosh) so if he's gonna move at all the Lakers have more to offer as far as young talent up & coming than just about anyone & loads of money...

Contrary to popular belief, he doesn't know everything. It just seems like he does.